cife, which has been judg'd beneficial to the Health, provided, that you do not overftrain your Voice. Thus we find in Plutarch, (for I read all the Ancients can meet with in French or English) whilft he advifes other bodily Exerciles for the Health of others, to thofe, who fpeak in Public, be it on the Stage, or elsewhere, he prefcribes Difcourfing, or making Speeches often, or Reading with as exalted a Voice, as Nature will well bear;

fays, 'It is his Opinion, that this Exercife is more healthy, and useful for this End, than all others; fince while the other Motions fet only the Limbs at work, and ftir the external Members, the Voice employs a nobler part of the Body, and ftrengthens the Lungs, from which it receives its Breath it augments the natural Heat, thins the Blood, cleanses the Veins, opens all the Arteries, prevents every Obstruction, and hinders the grofs Humours from thickening into Diftempers.

21.

'Let every Syllable have its diftinct and full Sound and Proportion, when you use this Exercife, and then you need not fear muffling your Words, or Stammering. But befides this Vice of Utterance, you must avoid a broad way of fpeaking with your Mouth wide open, and of bellowing out a great Sound, but fo confus'd and inarticulate, that tho you may be heard a great way off, yet the Sound will convey no more to the Understanding, than the Roaring of a Bull, or any other Beaft. This proceeds from

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from an Affectation, and a falfe Opinion, that this enormous Loudness gives a Majefty and Force to what they fay, whereas it robs it of its Articulation, which is the very Being of Speech, and hinders its being understood, which is the very End of Speaking,

There are, in fhort, two things to make the Speaker heard and understood without Difficulty; firft, a very diftinct and articulate Voice, and next a very strong, and vigorous Pronunciation. The firft is the most important; for an indifferent Voice, with a diftinct Pronunciation, fhall be far more eafily understood, than one, that is ftronger and more audible, but which does not articulate the Words fo well.

But it is not fufficient to be heard without Difficulty, but it ought to be the Object of your Endeavours to be heard with Pleafure and Satisfaction. To this End you must confider, whether your Voice have any of the fore-mention'd Vices or Defects, whether it be harsh, hoarfe, or obfequious, and enquire into the Caufe, whether it be from Nature, or an ill Habit; for 'tis your Bufinefs to render your Voice as fweet, foft, and agreeable to the Ear, as you poffibly can. If the Defect proceeds from only an ill Habit, you ought to practice a contrary manner, if you would make your felf fit for this Affair, But if it proceed from Nature, in the Defect of any, or all of the Organs of the Body employed in it, tho we have the Examples of Cicero and Demofthenes of Succefs, yet

at this time, and in this Employ, T think, it is scarce worth the while to aim, by a great deal of uncertain Labour, at the correcting Nature, when there are other Employments fitter for you.

Next to the Fineness of the Tone, the Variation of it is what will make the Auditors pleas'd and delighted with what they hear; you ought therefore to employ much Care and Time in learning the Art of varying the Voice, according to the Diverfity of the Subjects, of the Paffions you would exprefs or excite, ftronger or weaker, higher or lower, as will be most agreeable to what you fay.

Tho I have already touch'd on this Point both in my Remarks on what I quoted from ShakeSpear about Speaking, and in the Paper inferted on the Virtues of Pronunciation, yet I cannot dismiss this Subject without fome farther Reflections, because we have had fome Actors of Figure, who have an admirable Tone of Voice, the Beauty of which they have perverted into a Deformity, by keeping always in the very fame Identity of Sound, in the very fame Key, nay, the individual, Note; for as in Mufic, fo in Speaking, 'tis the Variety, which makes the Harmony; and as for a Fidler or Lutinift, or any other Performer in Mufic, to ftrike always the fame String and Note, would be fo far from tolerable Mufic, that it would be ridiculously infufferable and dull, fo can nothing grate the Ear fo much, or give the Auditors a greater

Difguft, as a Voice ftill in the fame Tone, without Division or Variety,

'Tis true, this Vice is too general among moft Speakers, but not in the last Degree. Few arrive to the true Art of varying the Voice with that Beauty and Harmony, which is in Nature, because they do not ftudy what the Words, Subject, and Paffion to be exprefs'd properly require. A good Voice, indeed, tho ill manag'd, may fill the Ear agreeably, but it would be infinitely more pleafing, if they knew how to give it the juft Turns, Rifings, Fallings, and all other Variations fuitable to the Subjects and Paffions. But thofe very fine Voices, which in fpight of their be ing ill govern'd please, are very uncommon. But this Vice renders fuch Voices, as are ordinarily met with, to the last Degree difagreeable.

But this ftiff Uniformity of Voice is not only difpleafing to the Ear, but difappoints the Effect of the Difcourfe on the Hearers; firft, by an equal way of Speaking, when the Pronuncia tion has every where, in every Word and every Syllable the fame Sound, it must inevitably render all Parts of the Speech equal, and fo put them on a very unjuft Level. So that the Power of the Reafoning Part,, the Luftre and Ornament in the Figures, the Heart, Warmth, and Vigor of the paffionate part being exprefs'd all in the fame Tone, is flat and infipid, and loft in a fupine, or at least immufical Pronunciation, So that, in fhort, that which ought to strike and ftir up the Affections, becaufe 'tis spoken all H 4

alike,

alike, without any Diftinction or Variety, moves them not at all. Next there is no greater Opiate in Speaking, nothing fo dull and heavy, and fit to lull us afleep, as a whole Difcourfe turning ftill on the fame Note and Tone; and indeed it favours of the Cant, which was formerly in fome of the Diffenter's Pulpits, which they have of late very much reformi'd in their young

Men.

I believe a great deal of this is owing to our erroneous way of Education, where the SchoolMiftreffes first, and afterwards the Masters, teach or fuffer the Boys to cant out their Leffons in one unvary'd Tone for fo many Years, which grows up with us, and is not overcome at laft without Application; tho Nature and Reafon, if we would confult them, would guide us into a more pleafing and excellent Road.

Nature tells us, that in Mourning, in Melancholly, in Grief, we must and do exprefs our felves in another fort of Tone and Voice, than in Mirth, in Joy, in Gladness: Otherwife in Reproof of Crimes, &c. than in Comforting the Afflicted: Otherwife when we upbraid a Man with his Faults, than when we afk Pardon for our own; otherwife when we threaten, than when we promife, pray, or beg a Favour; 0 therwife when we are in a good Humour, the Paffions all calm, and the Mind in perfect Tranquillity, than when we are rais'd with Anger, or provok'd by ill Nature,