Imatges de pàgina
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the words sentence and spōndee? Each of these words can have but one accent; and it is accent, or emphasis, and these only, and not any length or openness of the vowels, that forms English metre, or that rhythmus which is analogous to it in prose.

Harmony of Prosaick Inflections.

HITHERTO I have only considered poetick and prosaick harmony as arising from a harmonious and rhythmical arrangement of accent; and it is with some diffidence I venture upon a farther explication of this subject upon principles which have never yet been thought of: but I presume it will be found, upon inquiry, that the various and harmonious arrangement of the rising and falling inflections of the voice, is no less the cause of harmony, both in verse and prose, than the metrical arrangement of accent and emphasis.

The melody both of prose and verse seems to consist as much in such an arrangement of emphatick inflection, as suits the sense, and is agreeable to the ear, as it does in a rhythmical disposition of aceented and emphatick syllables. To illustrate this observation, let us take an harmonious couplet in Pope's Prologue to Cato:

A bráve man struggling in the stòrms of fáte,
And greatly falling with a falling stàte.

The first line of this couplet ends with the rising inflection, to prevent the want of harmony there would be in ending two successive lines with the same inflection; a sameness for which nothing but emphasis will ever apologize. As this line ends with the rising inflection, the last word may not improperly be called the rudder, which directs the in

flections on the preceding words; for, in order to prevent an exact return of the same order of inflection, it is not sufficient that the different inflections succeed each other alternately; this world be like the successive sounds of the letters A, B; A, B. To prevent a return of sounds so little various, we find the ear generally adopt a succession of inflection, which interposes two similar inflections between two similar inflections; and this produces a variety similar to the series,

A, B, B, A; or B, A, A, B.

The first line, therefore, of this verse, necessarily ending with the rising inflection on the word fate, in order to make the other words as various and harmonious as possible, the falling inflection is placed on storms, the same inflection on struggling, and the rising inflection on brave; and this, in the first line, forms the arrangement, rising, falling, falling, rising; or,

A, B, B, A.

The next line ending the sentence, necessarily adopts the falling inflection on the last word state, and this directs the rising inflection to be placed on the two words falling, and the falling inflection on greatly, which produces this order, falling, rising, rising, falling; or B, A, A, B. This order of placing the inflections is not invariably adopted, because emphasis sets aside every other rule, and makes harmony subservient to sense: but it may be asserted, that this order of arranging the inflections is so generally adopted by the ear, that when emphasis does not forbid, this is the arrangement into which the verse naturally slides. It may likewise be observed, that where emphasis coincides with this ar

rangement, the verse is always the most harmonious, and the sense in its most poetical dress. Nay, we shall find harmonious prose, where emphasis does not interrupt the natural current of inflection, glide insensibly into this rhythmical arrangement of inflection. Let us take an example :

Exercise and temperance strengthen the constitution.

Agreeably to the order we have just taken notice of, we find this sentence adopt the falling inflection on exercise, the rising on temperance and strengthen, and the falling on constitution; but if we add another member to this sentence, so connected with this as to require the rising inflection on constitution, we shall find that the arrangement of inflection is changed, but the same order preserved.

Exercise and temperance strengthen the constitútion, and sweeten the enjoyments of life.

Here, I say, contrary to the former arrangement, we find the rising inflection on exercise, the falling on temperance and strengthen, and the rising on constitution; because here the sense remains suspended and unfinished. See Plate I. No. IV. p. 83. A final member succeeds, consisting of three accented words; the two last of which must always be pronounced with different inflections; that is, the penultimate with the rising, and the ultimate with the falling inflection; but the antipenultimate word sweeten, may adopt either the rising or falling inflection, as either will diversify it sufficiently from the preceding and succeeding inflections; but the falling inflection on this word seems to be preferable, as the three words sweeten, enjoyment, and life, form one distinct portion; and this portion can be no way so variously pronounced as by the falling inflection on

sweeten, the rising on enjoyments, and the falling on life.

But whatever may be the order of arrangement in the commencement and middle of a sentence, it is certain, that if we mean to form an harmonious cadence, one of these two arrangements of inflection ought to take place at the end of a sentence: that is, if the last member consists of four accented words, the same inflections ought to take place at the end of a sentence, as we find generally obtain in the last line of a couplet in poetry; or if the last member consist of three accented words, such inflections ought to be adopted as will make a series of three inflections most various, which is, by giving the last word the falling, the penultimate the rising, and the antipenultimate either the rising or falling inflection. See Simple Series, Rule iv. p. 117.

An instance of the first arrangement is the following

sentence:

The immortality of the soul is the basis of morality, and the source of all the pleasing hòpes and sècret jóys, that can arise in the heart of a réasonable creature. Spect. No. 111.

In the last member but one of this sentence, the words pleasing and joys have the rising inflection, and hopes and secret the falling; and in the last member, the words arise and creature have the falling, and heart and reasonable the rising inflection, which is exactly the order of inflection in the last couplet of the tragedy of Cato:

Prodúces fraud and cruelty and strife,

And robs the guilty wórld of Cáto's life;

Where produces and strife have the rising inflection, and fraud and cruelty the falling; and guilty and life the falling, and world and Cato the rising inflection.

An instance of the other arrangement we find in this sentence:

Cicero concludes his celebrated books de Oratore, with some precepts for pronunciation and action; without which part he affirms, that the best orator in the world can never succeed, and an indifferent one, who is master of this, shall gain mùch greáter applause.

In order to pronounce this sentence with an harmonious cadence, the word this must have the rising inflection, as at the end of the first line of a couplet, and the three last words, much greater applause, which form the last member, must be pronounced very distinctly with the falling inflection on the last, the rising inflection on greater, and the falling on much.

The rule, therefore, that arises from these observations is, that when the last pause necessarily leaves the last member of a sentence with four accented words, as in the first example, they are pronounced with the inflections in the order falling, rising, rising, falling; and when the pause leaves three accented words in the last member, they are pronounced as in the last example; that is, either in the order, falling, rising, falling; or rising, rising, falling.

As a corroboration of these principles, we may observe, that where the pause necessarily leaves but two accented words in the last member, and that emphasis forbids the preceding member to be so pronounced as to form the order of inflections we have prescribed; when this is the case, I say, we shall find the period end inharmoniously. Let us take an example:

If they do not acquiesce in his judgment, which I think never happened above once or twice at most, they appeal to mè. Spectator.

Here the sense requires, that the emphasis with the falling inflection should be placed on the word

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