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more force and more mufic. It affifts him | the fame word; from a mistaken notion, that allo in preferving a due command of himself; it gives gravity and force to their difcourfe, whereas a rapid and hurried manner, is apt and adds to the pomp of public declamation. to excite that flutter of fpirits, which is the Whereas, this is one of the greatest faults that greatest enemy to all right execution in the can be committed in pronunciation; it makes way of oratory. "Promptum fit os," fays what is called a theatrical or mouthing manQuintilian, "non præceps, moderatum, non ner; and gives an artificial affected air to lentum." fpeech, which detracts greatly both from its agreeablenefs, and its impreffion.

After thefe fundamental attentions to the pitch and management of the voice, to distinct I proceed to treat next of thofe higher parts articulation, and to a proper degree of flow of Delivery by ftudying which, a speaker nef of fpeech, what a public fpeaker muft, in has fomething farther in view than merely to the fourth place, ftudy, is Propriety of Pro-render himself intelligible, and feeks to give unciation; or the giving to every word, which he utters, that found, which the moft pelite ufage of the language appropriates to it; in oppofition to broad, vulgar, or provincial pronunciation. This is requifite both for peaking intelligibly, and for fpeaking with grace or beauty. Inftructions concerning this article, can be given by the living voice only. But there is one obfervation, which it may not be improper here to make. In the English language, every word which confifts of more fyllables than one, has one accented fyllable. The accent refts fometimes on the vowel, fometimes on the confonant. Seldom, never, is there more than one accented fyllable in any English word, however long; and the genius of the language requires the voice to mark that fyllable by a ftronger percuffion, and to pass more flightly over the reft. Now, after we have learned the proper feats of thefe accents, it is an important rule, to give every word juft the fame accent in public speaking, as in common difcourfe. Many perfons err in this refpect. When they speak in public, and with folemnity, they pronounce the fyllibles in a different manner from what they do at other times. They dwell upon them, and protract them; they multiply accents on

grace and force to what he utters. Thefe may be comprised under four heads, Emphasis, Paufes, Tones, and Geftures. Let me only premife in general, to what I am to fay concerning them, that attention to these articles of Delivery, is by no means to be confined, as fome might be apt to imagine, to the more elaborate and pathetic parts of a difcourfe; there is, perhaps, as great attention requifite, and as much skill difplayed, in adapting emphafes, paufes, tones, and geftures, properly, to calm and plain speaking: and the effect of a juft and graceful delivery will, in every part of a fubject, be found of high importance for commanding attention, and enforcing what is fpoken.

First, let us confider Emphafis; by this is meant a ftronger and fuller found of voice, by which we diftinguish the accented fyllable of fome word, on which we defign to lay particular ftrefs, and to fhow how it affects the reft of the fentence. Sometimes the emphatic word must be diftinguished by a particular tone of voice, as well as by a stronger accent. On the right management of the emphasis, depends the whole life and spirit of every difcourfe. If no emphafis be placed on any words, not only is difcourfe rendered heavy A 4

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and lifeless, but the meaning left often ambi- with exact propriety, is a conftant exercife of guous. If the emphasis be placed wrong, we good fenfe and attention. It is far from bepervert and confound the meaning wholly.ing an inconfiderable attainment. It is one To give a common inftance; fuch a fimple of the greateft trials of a true and just tafte; queftion as this: "Do you ride to town to- and muft arife from feeling delicately ourday" is capable of no fewer than four dif- felves, and from judging accurately of what ferent acceptations, according as the emphafis is fitteft to ftrike the feelings of others. is differently placed on the words. If it be There is as great a difference between a chappronounced thus: Do you ride to town to- ter of the Bible, or any other piece of plain day? the answer may naturally be, No; I profe, read by one who places the feveral emfend my fervant in my ftead. If thus; Do phafes every where with taste and judgment, you ride to town to-day? Anfwer, No; I and by one who neglects or mistakes them, as intend to walk. Do you ride to town to- there is between the fame tune played by the day? No; I ride out into the fields. Do moft masterly hand, or by the most bungling you ride to town to-day? No; but I fhall to- performer. morrow. In like manner, in folemn dif- In all prepared discourses, it would be of courfe, the whole force and beauty of an ex-great ufe, if they were read over or rehearsed preffion often depend on the accented word; in private, with this particular view, to fearch and we may prefent to the hearers quite differ- for the proper emphafes before they were proent views of the fame fentiment, by placing nounced in public; marking, at the fame the emphafis differently. In the following time, with a pen, the emphatical words in words of our Saviour, obferve in what differ- every fentence, or at least the moft weighty ent lights the thought is placed, according as and affecting parts of the difcourfe, and fixing the words are pronounced: "Judas, be- them well in memory. Were this attention trayeft thou the Son of Man with a kifs "oftener bestowed, were this part of pronunciBetrayeft thou-makes the reproach turn, onation ftudied with more exactnefs, and not the infany of treachery.-Betrayeft thou makes it reft, upon Judas's connection with his master. Betrayeft thou the Son of Manrefts it, upon our Saviour's perfonal character and eminence. Betrayeft thou the Son of Man with a kiss turns it upon his proftituting the fignal of peace and friendship, to the purpose of a mark of destruction.

In order to acquire the proper management of the emphafis, the great rule, and indeed the only rule poffible to be given, is, that the fpeaker study to attain a juft conception of the force and fpirit of thofe fentiments which he is to pronounce. For to lay the emphasis

left to the moment of delivery, as is commonly done, public fpeakers would find their care abundantly repaid, by the remarkable effects which it would produce upon their audience. Let me caution, at the fame time, against one error, that of multiplying emphatical words too much. It is only by a prudent referve in the ufe of them, that we can give them any weight. If they recur too often; if a fpeaker attempts to render every thing which he lays of high importance, by a multitude of ftrong emphafes, we foon learn to pay little regard to them. To crowd every fentence with emphatical words, is like crowding all the pages

fa book with italic characters, which, as to the effect, is juft the fame with using no fuch diftinétions at all.

the voice is allowed to fall. It may easily be gathered at the intervals of the period, when the voice is only fufpended for a moment; and, by this management, one may have always a fufficient ftock for carrying on the longeft fentence, without improper interrup tions.

Next to emphafis, the Paufes in fpeaking demand attention. Thefe are of two kinds; Erf, emphatical pauses; and next, fuch as mark the diftinctions of fenfe. An emphatal paufe is made, after fomething has been fad of peculiar moment, and on which we want to fix the hearer's attention. Someames, before fuch a thing is faid, we ufher it with a paufe of this nature. Such paufes have the fame effect as a ftrong emphafes, and fabject to the fame rules; efpccially to the auton juft now given, of not repeating them too frequently. For, as they excite uncomnattention, and of courfe raife expecta-ways led to expect fomething correfponding ton, if the importance of the matter be not fully anfwerable to fuch expectation, they, octhon difappointment and difguft.

If any one, in public fpeaking, fhall have formed to himself a certain melody or tune, which requires reft and paufes of its own, diftinct from thofe of the fenfe, he has, undoubtedly, contracted one of the worst habits into which a public fpeaker can fall. It is the fenfe which fhould always rule the paufes of the voice; for wherever there is any fenfible fufpenfion of the voice, the hearer is al

in the meaning. Paufes in public difcourfe, must be formed upon the manner in which we utter ourselves in ordinary, fenfible converfaBut the most frequent and the principal ufe tion; and not upon the ftiff, artificial manner fpaufes, is to mark the divifions of the fenfe, which we acquire from reading books accordand at the fame time to allow the speaker to ing to the common punctuation. The genedraw his breath: and the proper and grace-ral run of punctuation is very arbitrary;' offal adjuftment of fuch paufes is one of the raft nice and difficult articles in delivery. In all public fpeaking, the management of the breath requires a good deal of care, fo as t to be obliged to divide words from one her, which have fo intimate a connection, at they ought to be pronounced with the fame breath, and without the leaft feparation. Many a fentence is miferably mangled, and the force of the emphafs totally loft, by divifus being made in the wrong place. To ad this, every one, while he is fpeaking, ould be very careful to provide a full supply of breath for what he is to utter. It is a a mistake to imagine, that the breath muft Crawn only at the end of a period, when

ten capricious and falfe; and dictates an uniformity of tone in the paufes, which is extremely difagreeable; for we are to obferve, that to render paufes graceful and expreffive, they must not only be made in the right place, but also be accompanied with a proper tone of voice, by which the nature of thefe paufes is intimated, much more than by the length of them, which can never be exactly meafured. Sometimes it is only a flight and simple fufpenfion of voice that is proper; fometimes a degree of cadence in the voice is required; and fometimes that peculiar tone and cadence, which denotes the fentence finished. In all thefe cafes, we are to regulate ourselves, by attending to the manner in which nature teaches A 5

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us to speak when engaged in real and earnest (the line, where it makes no paufe in the meandifcourfe with others.

ing, ought to be marked, not by such a tone as is ufed in finishing a fentence, but without either letting the voice fall or elevating it, it fhould be marked only by fuch a flight fufpenfion of found, as may distinguish the paffage from one line to another, without injur ing the meaning.

The other kind of musical pause, is that which falls fomewhere about the middle of the verfe, and divides it into two hemiftichs; a paufe, not fo great as that which belongs te the close of the line, but still sensible to an ordinary car. This, which is called the cæfura pause, in the French heroic verfe falls uniformly in the middle of the line, in the Eng lifh, it may fall after the 4th, 5th, 6th, or 7th fyllables in the line, and no other. Where the verfe is fo conftructed that this cæfura pause coincides with the flighteft paufe or di vifion in the fenfe, the lines can be read eafily as in the two first verses of Mr. Pope's Mef fiah,

When we are reading or reciting verfe, there is a peculiar difficulty in making the paufes juftly. The difficulty arifes from the melody of verfe, which dietates to the ear paufes or refts of its own; and to adjust and compound thefe properly with the paufes of the fenfe, fo as neither to hurt the ear, nor offend the understanding, is fo very nice a matter, that it is no wonder we fo feldom meet with good readers of poetry. There are two kinds of paufes that belong to the mufic of verfe; one is, the paufe at the end of the line; and the other, the cæfural paufe in the middle of it. With regard to the paufe at the end of the line, which marks that ftrain or verfe to be finished, rhyme renders this always fenfible, and in fome measure compels us to obferve it in our own pronunciation. In blank verfe, where there is a greater liberty permitted of running the lines into one another, fometimes without any fufpenfion in the fenfe, it has been made a queftion, Whether, inYe nymphs of Solyma! begin the fong; reading fuch verfe with propriety, any regard The heavenly themes, fublimer ftrains belong at all thould be paid to the clofe of a line? On the ftage, where the appearance of fpeak- But if it fhall happen that words, which have ing in verfe fhould always be avoided, there fuch a strict and intimate connection, as no can, I think, be no doubt, that the clofe of to bear even a momentary feparation, are di fuch lines, as make no paufe in the fenfe, vided from one another by this cafurat paufe fhould not be rendered perceptible to the ear. we then feel a fort of ftruggle between the But on other occafions, this were improper: fenfe and the found, which renders it difficul for what is the ufe of melody, or for what end to read fuch lines gracefully. The rule o has the poet compofed in verfe, if, in reading proper pronunciation in fuch cases is, to re his lines, we fupprefs his numbers; and de-gard only the paufe which the fenfe forms grade them, by our pronunciation, into mere profe? We ought, therefore, certainly to read blank verfc fo as to make every line fenfible to the car. At the fame time, in doing fo, every appearance of fing-fong and tone muft be carefully guarded againft. The clofe of

and to read the line accordingly. The neg lect of the cæfural paufe may make the lin found fomewhat unharmonioufly; but th effect would be much worse, if the fenfe wer facrificed to the found. For inftance, in th following line of Milton,

Wha

-What in me is dark, Illumine; what is low, raise and support.

into his hearers his own fentiments and emotions; which he can never be fuccessful in doing, unless he utters them in fuch a manThe fenfe clearly dictates the paufe after ner as to convince the hearers that he feels "illumine," at the end of the third fyllable, therefore, deferves to be attentively studied them. The proper expreffion of tones, which, in reading, ought to be made accord-by every one who would be a fuccefsful ingly, though if the melody only were to be regarded, "illumine" fhould be connected with what follows, and the paufe not made tions which can be given for this purpose is, The greatest and most material inftructill the 4th or 6th fyllable. So, in the follow-to form the tones of public speaking upon the ing line of Mr. Pope's (Epistle to Dr. Arbuthnot):

I fit, with fad civility I read :

The ear plainly points out the cæfural paufe as falling after "fad," the 4th fyllable. But it would be very bad reading to make any paufe there, fo as to feparate "fad" and "civility." The fenfe admits of no other paufe than after the fecond fyllable "fit," which therefore must be the only pause made in the reading.

orator.

tones of fenfible and animated converfation. We may obferve, that every man, when he is much in earnest in common discourse, when he is engaged in fpeaking on fome subject which interefts him nearly, has an eloquent or perfuafive tone and manner. What is the reafon of our being often fo frigid and unperfuafive in public difcourfe, but our departing from the natural tone of speaking, and delivering ourselves in an affected artificial man

All that paffes in the mind of man may be I proceed to treat next of Tones in pro-reduced to two claffes, which I call Ideas, and nunciation, which are different both from cmphafs and paufes; confifting in the modu tion of the voice, the notes or variations of found which we employ in public speaking. How much of the propriety, the force, and grace of difcourfe, muft depend on thefe, will appear from this fingle confideration; that to almoft every fentiment we utter, more efpetially to every ftrong emotion, nature hath adapted fome peculiar tone of voice; info-" much, that he who fhould tell another that he was very angry, or much grieved, in a tone which did not fuit fuch emotions, inftead of being believed, would be laughed at. Sympathy is one of the moft powerful principles by which perfuafive difcourfe works its effet. The fpeaker endeavours to transfuse

"Emotions. By Ideas, I mean all thoughts "which rife and pass in fucceffion in the mind: by Emotions, all exertions of the mind in arranging, combining, and feparating its ideas; itfelf by thofe ideas, from the more violent as well as all the effects produced on the mind "agitation of the paffions, to the calmer feelings produced by the operation of the intellect and the fancy. In fhort, thought is the object of the one, internal feeling of the other. That which ferves to exprefs the former, I call the "Language of Ideas; and the latter, the Language of Emotions. Words are the figns of the one, tones of the other. Without the ufe "of these two forts of language, it is impoffible "to communicate through the ear all that palles "in the mind of man,"

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SHERIDAN on the Art of Reading.

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