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and Address in the World; elfe to thofe, who fee you not, it will feem the Speech of fome other Perfon.

Were I fure of fuch Readers, as could reduce these general Rules to particular Cafes, I need not give my felf the Trouble of defcending to Particulars: But that there may be no Help wanting, that I am able to procure, I fhall come to Rules for all the feveral Variations of the Voice, tho they might in fome Measure be gather'd from what has been urg'd on this Head, both in what regards the Quality of the Subjects, the Nature of the Paflions, the several Parts of the Discourse, the Figures made ufe of, and the Varieties of Words and Phrases.

I fhall begin with the Subjects, of which there are feveral forts; as, Things Natural, the good or evil Actions of Men, the happy or unfortunate Events of Life, &c. All which ought, as they are of a very different kind, to be spoken with as different an Air and Accent. In fpeaking of Things Natural, when you design only to make your Hearers understand you, there is no need of Heat or Motion, a clear and diftin& Voice and Utterance is fufficient; because the informing the Understanding being here all the Business, the moving the Will and Paffions has nothing to do. But if from this you rife to ftrike your Auditors with Admiration of the Wonders of Providence, in its Beauty, Wisdom and Power, you must do it in a grave Voice, and a Tone full of Admiration.

If your Difcourfe be on the Actions of Men, either as juft, and honourable, which you would by Praise recommend to the Esteem or Imitation of thofe, who hear you, or unjuft or infamous, which you would deter them from by Invective; the Voice must be adapted to the Quality of either; expreffing the Juft and Honest with a full, lofty, and noble Accent, with a Tone of Satisfaction, Honour, and Efteem; but the unjust, infamous, or disbonourable, with a strong, violent and paffionate Voice, and a Tone of Anger, Difdain and Deteftation.

If your Difcourse be on the Events of human Life, thofe are fome fortunate or happy, others -unfortunate and miferable; you must likewife vary your Voice according to the Difference. When you congratulate the Fortunate, your Tone and Accent is brifk and chearful; when you condole the Unfortunate, the Accent muft be fad and mournful.

As all the Subjects of Natural Things are not alike for their Grandeur, Beauty and Luftre, as the Heavens and Earth, the Planets and Herbs and Infects, and therefore not to be deliver'd with the fame Voice, and State of Magnificence of Pronunciation; fo are not the Actions and Events of human Life happy or unhappy, good or bad, of the fame Import; a great and profligate Crime, or a barbarous and extraordinary Cruelty, are of greater Confequence, than a little and common Peccadillo. The Intereft and Honour of Life is of greater Importance, than

the

the Intereft of many; the brave Actions of an illuftrious Conqueror, of a MORDANT or an EUGENE, than thofe of a Wat Tyler or Jack Straw; the Destruction or Safety of a whole Kingdom, than the Lofs or Gain of a private Perfon. So they require a different, and fome a more vehement Accent and Pronunciation, than others; for a great Tone and Accent to trivial and common Occurrences, would be as ridiculous and abfurd, as to fpeak in a plain, low, unconcern'd familiar Tone on the moft noble and illustrious Affairs.

Tho these things perhaps, at firft View, may feem more clofely to relate to fet Speeches, Orations, or Sermons, yet if the Actor will throughly confider them, they are of no lefs Concern to him, fince whatever he fpeaks of on the Stage, will fall under fome of thefe Heads, or, at least, thefe Subjects will often fall in his way to dif courfe of in Tragedy. But what follows will, beyond Contradiction, be of immediate Ufe to him, fince it is directive of the Accents and Tones according to the Paffions and the Paffions are for ought always to be in every Part of the Tragic Scene and which, if more introduc'd by our Poets, would get them much more Reputation, as well as Money.

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If the Speaker will but weigh thefe Subjects, I have juft mention'd, well, and strongly imprint them in his Imagination, they will infalli bly give fuch lively Ideas, as muft raife in himfelf the Paffions of Jay or Sorrow, of Fear or

Boldnefs,

Boldness, of Anger or Compaffion, of Efteem or of Contempt; and if thefe are fully and emphatically reprefented, and utter'd with that Variety of Tone and Cadence, which they ought to be, they cannot fail of moving the very fame Affections in his Auditors.

When you are therefore to fpeak, you ought firft with Care to confider the Nature of the Thing of which you are to speak, and fix a very deep Impreffion of it in your own Mind, before you can be throughly touch'd with it your self, or able by an agreeable Sympathy to convey the fame Paflion to another. The String of a mufical Inftrument founds according to the Force and Impulfe of the Mafter; if the Touch be gentle and foft, the Sound is fo too; if ftrong, the Sound is vivid and ftrong. It is the fame in Speaking as in Mufic, if violent Paffion produce your Speech, that will produce a violent Pronunciation; but if it arife only from a tranquill and gentle Thought, the Force and Accent of the Delivery will be gentle and calm; so that the Speaker ought first to fix the Tone and Accent of hisVoice to every Paflion, that affects him, be it of Joy or Sorrow, that he may by a fympathetical Force convey it to others.

Thus will he beft exprefs Love by a gay, foft and charming Voice; his Hate, by a fharp, fullen, and fevere one; his Joy, by a full flowing and brifk Voice; his Grief, by a fad, dull and languishing Tone; not without fometimes interrupting the Continuity of the Sound with a

Sigh or Groan, drawn from the very inmoft of the Bofom. A tremulous and ftammering Voice will beft exprefs his Fear, inclining to Uncertainty and Apprehenfion. A loud and strong Voice, on the contrary, will most naturally fhow his Confidence, always fupported with a decent Boldness, and daring Conftancy. Nor can his Auditors be more justly struck with a Sense of his Anger, than by a Voice or Tone, that is fharp, violent and impetuous, interrupted with a frequent taking of the Breath, and fhort Speaking. Thus Hotspur in Henry IV. of ShakeSpear.

Hotf. He faid he would not ranfom MORTIMER,
Forbad my Tongue to speak of MORTIMER,
But I will find him when he lies afleep,

And in his Ear I'll bollow MORTIMER.
Nay, I'll have a Starling fhall be taught to
Speak

Nothing but MORTIMER, and give it him,
To keep his Anger ftill in Motion.

Why look ye, I am whipt and Scourg'd with
Rods,

Nettl'd and ftung with Pifmires, when I hear Of his vile Politician Bullingbrook, &c.

And King Lear in the fame Poet.

LEAR. Detefted Kite, thou lyeft!

My Train are Men of choice and rareft Parts, That all Particulars of Duty know,

And

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