evils may befall us there---and what provifion we may make against them here, whilst we have time and opportunity.

In this paffage we find the last member, whilst we have time and opportunity, neceffarily requires that the word whilst fhould be pronounced with the degree of force due to an accented word, or the cadence would be faulty. But if this last member were conftructed in this manner; whilst we have time and opportunity afforded us; in this case, I fay, we need give no force to the word whilft, as there are three accented words, time, opportunity, and afforded, which will be fufficient to form the cadence without it.

These observations neceffarily fuggest the importance of fuch a choice and arrangement of words as fall in with the moft harmonious pronunciation. Pronunciation and compofition mutually throw light on each other; they are counterparts of one great operation of the human mind, namely, that of conveying the ideas and feelings of one man to another with force, precifion, and harmony. It will not be very surprising, therefore, if the foregoing obfervations on pronunciation fhould have hinted a few rules on the harmony of compofition. We have feen, that the harmony of every fentence depends more particularly on the construction of the latter part*, as this forms what is commonly called the cadence. This part of the fentence, therefore, fhould be more particularly attended to, as it is that which crowns the whole, and makes the most lafting impreffion on the ear.

Quint. L. IX. Cap. iv.

Rules for Reading Verfe.

WHATEVER difficulties we may find in read

ing profe, they are greatly increafed when the compofition is in verfe; and more particularly if the verse be rhyme. The regularity of the feet, and the fameness of found in rhyming verfe, ftrongly folicits the voice to a fameness of tone; and tone, unless directed by a judicious ear, is apt to degenerate into a fong, and a fong, of all others, the most disgusting to a person of just taste. If, therefore, there are few who read profe with propriety, there are still fewer who fucceed in verfe; they either want that equable and harmonious flow of found which diftinguishes it from loofe, unmeasured compofition, or they have not a fufficient delicacy of ear to keep the harmonious fmoothness of verse from fliding into a whining cant; nay, fo agreeable is this cant to many readers, that a fimple and natural delivery of verfe feems tame and infipid, and much too familiar for the dignity of the language. So pernicious are bad habits in every exercise of the faculties, that they not only lead us to falfe objects of beauty and propriety, but at last deprive us of the very power of perceiving the mistake. For thofe, therefore, whofe ears are not juft, and who are totally deficient in a true tafte for the music of poetry, the beft method of avoiding this impropriety is to read verfe exactly as if it were profe; for though this may be faid to be an error, it is certainly an error on the safer fide.

To fay, however, as fome do, that the pronunciation of verfe is entirely deftitute of fong,

and that it is no more than a juft pronunciation of profe, is as diftant from truth, as the whining cant we have been speaking of, is from true poetic harmony. Poetry without fong is a body without a ful. The tune of this fong is, indeed, difficult to hit; but when once it is hit, it is fure to give the most exquifite pleasure. It excites in the hearer the moft eager defire of imitation; and if this defire be not accompanied by a just taste or good instruction, it generally fubftitutes the tum ti, tum ti, as it is called, for fimple, elegant poetic harmony.

It must, however, be confeffed, that elegant readers of verfe often verge fo nearly on what is called fing fong, without falling into it, that it is no wonder those who attempt to imitate them, flide into that blemish which borders fo nearly on a beauty. And, indeed, as an ingenious author obferves,*" there is fuch an affi

nity berween poetry and mufic, that they "were in the earlier ages never feparated; and though modern refinement has, in a great "measure, destroyed this union, yet it is with "fome degree of difficulty, in rehearsing these "divine compofitions, that we forget the finging of the Muse.”

The truth is, the pronunciation of verfe is a fpecies of elocution very diftinct from the pronunciation of profe: both of them have nature for their bafis; but one is common, familiar, and practical nature; the other beautiful, elevated, and ideal nature; the latter as different from the former as the elegant step of a minuet is from the common motions in walking. Ac

* Philofophical Effay on the Delivery of written Language.

cordingly, we find, there are many who can read profe well, who are entirely at a lofs for the pronunciation of verfe: for thefe, then, we will endeavour to lay down a few rules, which may ferve to facilitate the acquiring of fo defirable an accomplishment.

But first it may be obferved, that though all the paffions may be in a poetical drefs, and that the movement of the verfe may be fuited to all their different characters; yet as verfe is a fpecies of mufic, none of the paffions appear to fuch advantage in poetry as the benevolent ones; for as melody is a thing pleafing in itself, it must naturally unite with thofe paffions which are productive of pleafing fenfations; in like manner as graceful action accords with a generous fentiment, or as a beautiful countenance gives advantage to an amiable idea. Thus the noble and generous paffions are the conftant topics of ancient and modern poets; and of these paffions, the pathetic feems the favourite and most endearing theme. Thofe readers, therefore, who cannot affume a plaintive tone of voice, will never succeed in reading poetry; and thofe who have this power, will read verfe very agreeably, though almoft every other requifite for delivery be wanting.

*

It has been obferved upon a former occafion, that the different inflexions of the voice upon particular words are not fo perceptible in verfe as profe; and that in the former, the voice fometimes entirely finks the inflexion, and flides into a monotone. This propensity of the voice in reading verfe, fhows how nearly poetry

*Vol. I. p. 147.

T

approaches to mufic; as thofe notes properly called mufical, are really fo many monotones, or notes without flides, in different degrees of the mufical fcale, and fometimes in the fame degree. This approach to a monotone, efpecially in plaintive poetry, makes it often difficult, and fometimes impoffible, to distinguish whether the flides that accompany the paufes and emphasis of verfe are rifing or falling: and at thofe paufes where we can easily distinguish the inflexions, we fometimes find them different from fuch as we fhould adopt in reading the paffage if it were profe; that is, we often find the rifing inflexion at a pause in verfe, where, if it were profe, we should use the falling an instance is given of this at the end of the series, (p. 131); and to this many more might be added.. For as pronunciation has for its object the ftrongeft and cleareft fenfe, united with the most agreeable found; if, in order to be harmonious, we must neceffarily enfeeble or obfcure the sense; or if, in order to be strong and clear, we find it neceffary to be harsh, the compofition is certainly faulty; and all a reader can do in this cafe is, to make fuch a compromife between fenfe and found as will produce, upon the whole, the beft effect. It has been before observed, that sometimes in profe, when the meaning is fufficiently obvious, we may abate an enforcement of the fenfe for the fake of the found; and in poetry, the facrifice to found is much more neceffary; that is, if the fense be sufficiently clear; for nothing can offend against every species of pronunciation fo much as confufion or obfcurity.

But though an elegant and harmonious pro