to fuch a Height of Paffion and Warmth, as may be neceffary for your Purpose, and the Energy of the Subject; elfe firft you would put your felf out of Breath, for want of a prudent Conduct at your first ftart, fo that you would be unable to return to that Moderation, which allows ways to heighten the reft and more important parts of your Speech to a degree above the Beginning.

On the other hand, I do not propose, that you should begin in fo very low a Voice, as not to be heard by more, than a few, who ftand or fit nearest to you; but tho you must speak even at firft with a Voice fo clear and distinct, that every individual Perfon of your Audience, that attends, may hear you without Difficulty or Trouble; yet it muft contain nothing of that Force and Energy, which is proper to Paffion. I am therefore only for having the Beginning infinuating, foft and eafy, delivered in a Tone more low, and an Addrefs more humble, than the other Parts of the Discourse.

This Rule, 'tis true, does admit of an Exception; for there are fome Beginnings, which do not fall under it, which are thofe, which we call abrupt, as that of Ajax in Ovid.

Before the Ships, ye Gods, then must I plead?

And is ULISSES then compar'd to me?

Nor has the Speaker any Occafion of raifing his Voice to any great ftretch of Paffion in the Propofition or Narration of his Difcourse, this being the Place of informing his Hearers in the Matters in Queftion; fo that the Voice here has only need of being a degree higher, than in the Beginning: But he must take Care to be ve ry diftinct and articulate, it being the Groundwork of the Whole, and the Force and Vigour of the following Reafons and Arguments taking all their Life from hence; it ought therefore to be perfectly heard and understood, or the Foundation being defective, the Fabric must fall to the Ground. The Difference of Actions and Events in the Narration muft vary the manner of the Delivery; yet this is not the proper part of the Speech, for the Contention of Voice, which must be chiefly refin'd for the other parts: For the greatest Stress of the Discourse lies in confirming our own Arguments, and refuting those of the Adverfary. When the Speaker comes to the fumming up the whole, after the Confutation, he ought to make a little Pause, and begin it again with a lower Tone, and a different Accent from the laft Cadence of his Voice; then raifing himself, he should break out into a louder Voice, and carry it on to the End with more Gaiety, Magnificence, and Triumph of Pronunciation, which would feem born of his Affurance in the Juftice of his Caufe, now fufficiently made good, and the Conviction and Satisfaction of his Hearers in that and his

Integrity. And then he should conclude with Joy and Satisfaction.

But to omit none of thofe Helps to this Art, which I have been able to meet with in my little Reading, I must add a few Words, which will affift in this varying the Voice, a Quality fo neceffary for a Speaker of any kind in Public, and that is, by running through thofe Modes of Speech, or Manners of expreffing the Mind, which I find call'd Figures of Speech, or Rhetoric; which fome call the Lights of Speech, deriving to it both Grace and Variety, there being so peculiar an Air, Ornament and Novelty proper to each, that they are spoken with a dif ferent Tone from the reft of the Difcourse. I begin therefore with that, which is call'd an EXCLAMATION. As it would be ridiculously flat and infipid to pronounce this with no louder a Voice and more paffionate Accent, than the rest of the Difcourfe; fo the very Nature of the thing gives you the Reason of it; as, Ob Horror! O unheard of Cruelty! unequall'd Impiety! to ftand in fear neither of Man nor God! What a Feaft was that of THYESTES! Ob! monftrous Barbarity! to feed the Father with the Flefb of his own Son! to make the Parents Bowels the Grave of his own Child! Well might the fiery Chariot of the Sun turn back, and not give Light to fo bellifh a Deed, &c. To fpeak thefe Words without an Elevation of Voice, would be to make them flat and infipid, and to rob them of their Force and Energy.

The

The fame exclamatory way of Speech must be used in Swearing, or a folemn Denunciation, Oath or Vow; as, that which I find quoted of Demofthenes, in his Oration for Ctefiphon, which was, it seems, much admir'd by the Ancients. In that Point you have not fail'd, no— I fwear by our great Ancestors, who won the Battle of MARATHON with fo much Hazard and Bravery! by thofe, who maintain'd the Fight at PLATEA with fo much Generofity and Glory! by thofe, who contended with fo much Courage in the Sea-Fight of SALAMIS! by those, who fo bravely fell at ARTEMISIUM! and by all thofe gallant Warriors, whofe Deeds merited public Monuments with all the Enfigns of Honour, Fortune and Fame!

It cannot be doubted but Demofthenes, who had study'd Action and Utterance with fo much Application, spoke this with that Elevation of Tone, and Contention of Voice, as was neceffary to touch his Hearers with Warmth, and not chill them with a calm Indifference of Pronunciation.

There is a Figure, which comes, or may come often, into the Speeches of the Pulpit, which is the Introduction of fome other Perfon fpeaking, which they call a Profopopaia, and this has been often us'd on the Stage, in Comedies efpecially, as in the former Instance I have given of Melantha, if that ought not rather to be referr❜d to a Diologifm. That the Perfon ought to change his Voice, who introduces this,

is evident, and that by the Character of him he introduces, that he may fhew, that it is not he but the Perfon introduc'd, that fpeaks. For Inftance: If a grave, venerable old Man be thus brought in, the Force of the Voice, and the manner of Utterance inuft be grave and fevere, and fo anfwerable to the Perfon; and thus if a young Rake or Debauchee be introduc'd, it muft be loofe and effeminate.

When you addrefs your Speech to any Man of thing by way of Apoftrophe, you ought to confider your own Defign, and the Circumstances of him that you addrefs to. If you direct your Discourse to any thing inaminate, you must raise your Voice above the ordinary and common Tone, as to one deaf, or who want their perfect Hearing; as, Ob! facred Thirst of Gold, hom you conftrain our mortal Breafts,&c. TeWalls! ye Beds! ye confcious Pillows tell, &c. Thus if you addrefs your felf to Heaven, you must do it in a higher Strain and loftier Tone of Voice, than if you were fpeaking to Men, who are here on a Level with you; To thee, O Jove! I make my laft Appeal. Ye Stars, je wandring Planets of the Night, and thou bright Sun the Source and Prince of Light, I call you all to witness my trué Fire, &c.

When you bring in two Perfons in a Dialogué talking together, by way of Question and Anfwer, you must certainly change your Voice by turns, as if two Men, or a Man and Woman, were talking together of which, that which K

3