New England Religious Herald

THREE POETS IN A PUZZLE.

I led the horse to the stable, when a fresh perplexity arose. I removed the harness without difficulty, but after many strenuous attempts, I could not remove the collar. In despair I called for assistance, when aid soon drew near. Mr. Wordsworth brought his ingenuity into exercise, but after several unsuccessful efforts, he relinquished the achievement as a thing altogether impracticable. Mr. Coleridge now tried his hand, but showed no more grooming skill than his predecessors, for twisting the poor horse's neck almost to strangulation, and the great danger of his eyes, he gave up his useless task, pronouncing 'hat the horse's head must have grown (gout or dropsy) since the collar was put on; "for" he said, "it was a downright impossibility for such a huge os frontis to pass through so narrow a collar." Just at this moment a servant girl came near, and understanding the cause of our consternation, "La, master." said she, "you don't go about the work in the right way. You should do like this." when turning the collar completely upside down, she slipped it off in a moment, to our great humiliation and wonderment, each satisfied afresh that there were heights of knowledge in the world to which. we had not yet attained.—Cottle's Life of Coleridge.