Tenderness, that shew'd a Mind fenfibly touch'd and afflicted with the Oppreffion and Murther of his Friend.

I have read in a French Author, that Cicero, in his Tufculan Queftions, tells us, that the whole Theatre was fill'd with Melancholly and Grief, when the Actor pronounc'd these Words, of the Ghost of an unbury'd Corps.

Awake, O Mother! break off your careless
Slumbers,
Think on your wretched Son, yet uninterr'd;
Cover, ch! cover foon his poor defenceless Body,
From wild devouring Beasts of Prey,

That foon my fcatter'd Limbs and mangled Corps
May bear away, &c.

Tho this was fpoke with a deplorable Voice, yet to do this well, there are feveral Manners of foftening the Voice neceffary to express the different Qualities of the Words uttered, and the Characters of the Things mention'd in the Difcourfe; which are much better convey'd to the Learner viva voce, than by Precept.

But to proceed to other Paffions, and the Variations and Inflections of the Voice proper to them: If you were to give the Character of a great and brave Hero, with a vifible Efteem of him, he must do it with a lofty and magnificent Tone, and a Voice noble as the Theme- As if you were fpeaking of the Earl of Peterborough.

His Merits are too PUBLIC to need a Recital, bis Friends with Joy, and his Enemies with Regret confefs, and all Europe is Witness to them with Amazement, nothing can be faid of his Courage or Conduct, of which there are not attefted Proofs in the Hands of all Men: The Taking and Relief of BARCELONA, the Stony Cliffs of ALBOCAÇAR, the Surrender of NULES and MOLVIEDRO, the Relief of VALENTIA, and the Reduction of that Kingdom, and the Promife of all SPAIN, by the particular Force of his own Genius, and various other Wonders, teftified by that Royal Hand, inta which bis Valour and Conduct only put a SCEPTRE. What Should I Say of his Generosity, q heavenly Quality, and which must be visible in all the Actions of a Hero truly great! What, I say, can I fpeak, equal to thofe noble Proofs, which remain on Record to all Pofterity? He was always liberal of his OwN TREASURE, but justly fru gal of THAT of the PUBLIC; when he took whole Countries almost without Men, and maintain'd Armies without Money. But what can all the Art of the best Orator fay, equal to that unparallel'd Act of Beneficence to the PUBLIC, when bis Lordship refus'd a Compenfation for the Lofs of his Baggage at HUETE; where, with a Generofity peculiar to bis Lordship, be transferred the Amends due to himself to the Advantage of the Public, by obliging the Inhabitants to furnish the Confederate Army with Magazines of Corn (fufficiently then wanted by them) large enough to Suffice a Body of 20000 Men for two Months.

This is an Action, as unfashionable, as noble, and too likely to raife Envy, as well as Admiration, when the Public is the Bubble of private Intereft, and Heroes have the Art of uniting their own Gain with the public Good.

Should this be fpoke in a low and languifhing Voice, it would be flat, cold and infipid, and altogether beneath the Honour of the Hero; but let them be fpoke with that noble Accent, and be animated with a lofty Tone of Voice, agreeable to the Hero's Spirit and Magnificence, then they will not appear wholly unworthy of the Subject.

If a Man is to fpeak in Contempt of any one, he ought to exprefs that Contempt in the fcornful Tone, but without any Eagerness, Paffion, or Violence of Voice, for thofe how Anger; and where there is Anger, juftly speaking, there is not Contempt, the Object of which is suppos'd to be below our Anger, and unable to give us Pain. Any thing therefore of this Nature muft be fpoke calmly, and without any great Emotion; for if you fpeak on this Occafion with a paffionate Voice, difcovering a great Concern or Indignation, you plainly contradict your own Defign, your Contempt being exprefs'd in only Words, and not in Deeds; you must therefore always avoid this Error, when you treat any Man with Scorn and Derifion, or expofe the Folly of any ridiculous Argument or Thing for to be vehement on a Trifle, would be like

123 ufing a Club against a Worm, which you might crush to pieces with your Foot.

But if you have had any Inhumanity, or barbarous Injuftice offer'd you, of which you would complain, you must then speak after quite another manner; you must exprefs your Grievance and your Affliction in a Tone more ele vated and ftrong, proportioning your Paffion and Vehemence of Voice to the Greatness of the Injuftice done you; for to fpeak without Emotion in fuch a Cafe, is to perfuade the Hearer, that you do not feel the Injury, for if you did, it would produce an Utterance much more outra gious. A Client coming to Demofthenes, on a Cafe of Affault and Battery, related his Story with fo little Concern, that he plainly told him, he could not believe, that there was the leaft Reality in what he faid; on which the Client replying with a loud Voice and agitated Spirit, How! do you not believe me? Ay now (fays he) 1 believe you, this is the Voice of a Man, that has felt the Baftinado. And this Art of Speaking was fo well known to the Ancients, that I find Cicero quoted on this Occafion, urging the Calmnefs and Indifference of Callidius's Pleading, where Heat and Concern were requir'd, as an Argument against the Reality of what he pleaded for his Client.

I cannot pass from this Head of varying the Voice according to the Paffion you are to exprefs, without this Rule, (which indeed will be of more ufe to the Bar and Pulpit, by Reason of

the

the Length of their Discourse, than to the Stage, tho it be not unuseful even to that) when you come to cool on a violent Paffion, and recover your felf from a Tranfport, you ought to lower the Tone of your Voice in fuch a manner, as may express that Languidness of your Faculties and Speech, which the Stretch and Extent of your Paffion has produc'd. And I would advife all thofe, who would fpeak with Beauty and Harmony in these various Inflections of the Voice, often to read with Caution and Attention aloud the best and most paffionate Tragedies, and those Comedies, which may afford the greatest Variety, and fuch Dialogues as approach nearest to the Stile of the Dramatic Poets. For as a certain Author obferves, nothing can be more ferviceable to the Improvement of Action and Eloquence,

I muft, by the way, add a Word or two, which the Stage has not much to do with, unlefs in fuch Speeches, as imitate Orations, or folemn and public Addreffes, which have not a Right to have much place in the Drama; and that is, the Art of varying the Voice according to the feveral parts of the Oration, Pleading, Sermon, or Difcourfe, which you deliver,

You must therefore begin with a low and modest Voice, both in Regard of that Deference, which you fhould pay to the Auditors, and for the better Management of your Voice, taking with you the calm State of the Hearers, when you begin to fpeak, and to raise it by degrees up