M. Antony. Nor is it to be supposed that so constant an attention to this practice was only serviceable to them in their public performances; but it must necessarily affect their whole conduct, give them a freedom of speech, easiness of address and behaviour, and render them in all respects accomplished gentlemen, as well as excellent And from hence perhaps we may see less reasou to wonder at the surprising effects of some of their discourses, when we consider what pains they bestowed to arrive at those abilities.

orators.

Having thus far treated on oratorical pronunciation in general, we shall now proceed to consider the parts of it separately; which are voice and gesture.

PART II........OF THE VOICE.

VOICE is one kind of sounds. Now, the influence

of sounds, either to raise or allay the passions, is evident from the effects of music. And certainly the harmony of an elegant discourse, justly and gracefully pronounced, is capable of moving us, if not in a manner so violent and extatic, yet no less powerful, and much more agreeable to our rational faculties. As the business of this section is to offer some considerations respecting the just and graceful management of the voice, it may not be improper, in the first place, to observe in general what nature does when free and unconstrained. As persons are differently affected when they speak, so they naturally alter the tone of their voice, though they do not always attend to it. It rises and sinks, and receives various inflections, according to the present state and disposition of the mind. When the mind is calm and sedate, the voice is moderate and even; when the former is dejected with sorrow, the latter is languid; and when that is inflamed by passion, this is raised and elevated. It is the orator's business, therefore, to follow nature, and to endeavour to make the tone of his voice appear natural and unaffected. And for this end, he must take care to suit it to the nature of the subject; but still so as to be always grave and decent. Some persons continue a discourse in such a low and drawling

manner, that they can scarcely be heard by their au dience. Others again hurry on in as loud and boisterous a manner, as if they imagined their hearers were deaf. But all the beauty and harmony of speech lies in the proper temperament of the voice, between these extremes. In order to set this matter in a just light, it will be necessary to consider the principal affections, or properties of the voice, and how they are to be regulated by an orator. Now these may all be referred to

QUANTITY or QUALITY.

QUANTITY of the voice consists in its HIGHNESS or LOWNESS, SWIFTNESS OF SLOWNESS, and the intermediate degrees between them.

Every person who speaks in public, should endeavour, if he can, to fill the place, where he speaks. But still he ought to be careful not to exceed the natural key of his voice. Without attention to this, his voice will neither appear soft nor agreeable; but either harsh and rough, or shrill and squeaking. Besides, he will not be able to give every syllable its full and distinct sound, which will render what he says obscure and difficult to be understood. He should therefore take care to keep his voice within reach, so as to have it under manage ment, that he may raise or sink it, or give it any inflection he thinks proper: which will not be in his power to do, if he put a force upon it, and strain it beyond its natural tone.

The like caution is to be used against the contrary extreme; that of dropping the voice, and suffering it to sink too low. This will give the speaker pain in raising it again to its proper pitch, and be in an equal degree offensive to the hearers. For though the music of speech consist in the variations of the voice, yet they must be gradual to render them pleasant. All sudden and great changes at once are rather to be esteemed chasms in speaking than variations. Besides, as they often prevent the hearers from apprehending the sense of what is said, it gives them no small uneasiness, that they are obliged to stretch their attention. Many persons are too apt to be guilty of this, especially at the end of a sentence, by dropping the last word; which ought in a particular manner to be expressed distinctly, because the meaning of the whole sentence often depends upon

it.

The medium between these two is a moderate and even voice. But this is not the same in all; that which would be moderate in one, would be high in another. Every person, therefore, must regulate it by the natural key of his own voice. A calm and sedate voice is generally best; as a moderate sound is most pleasing to the ear, if it be clear and distinct. But this equality of the voice must also be accompanied with a variety, otherwise there can be no harmony; since all harmony consists in variety. Nothing is less pleasing, than a discourse pronounced throughout in one unvaried tone of the voice, without any change or alteration. Besides, a variation of the voice is an ease to the speaker, as the body is relieved by shifting its posture. The equality, therefore, we are here speaking of, admits a variety of inflections and changes within the same pitch. And when that is altered, the gradations, whether higher or lower, should be so gentle and regular, as to preserve a due proportion of the parts, and harmony of the whole; which cannot be done, when the voice is suddenly varied with too great a distinction. And, therefore, it should move from one key to another, so as rather to glide like a gentle stream, than pour down like a rapid torrent, as an ingenions writer has well expressed it. An even voice is best fitted to keep the mind to close attention. And therefore in subjects designed only for instruction, without any address to the passions, there is little room for a variety of voice. For the voice ought to agree with the style; and as upon such subjects this should be equal, moderate, and smooth, so should the other. Every thing, as we say, is beautiful in its season, and there is a certain propriety in things, which is always to be regarded. And, therefore, an affected variety, ill-placed, is as disagreeable to a judicious audience, as the want of it where the subject requires it. We may find some persons, who, in pronouncing a grave and plain discourse, affect as many different tones, changes, and variations of their voice, as if they were acting a comedy; which is doubtless a very great impropriety. But the orator's province is not barely to apply to the mind, but like. wise to the passions, which require a great variety of the voice, high or low, vehement or languid, according to the nature of the passions he designs to affect. So that

for an orator always to use the same tone or degree of his voice, and expect to answer all his views by it, would be much the same thing, as if a physician should propose to cure all distempers by one medicine. From hence it is evident, that, although various inflections and tones of the voice are requisite and pleasing to the ear, yet the degree of it should differ according to the nature of the subject and design of the speaker. But, as a perfect monotony is always unpleasant, so it can never be neces sary in any discourse.

The next property of the voice, above-mentioned, was swiftness. That some expressions ought to be pronounced faster and swifter than others is very manifest. 'Gay and sprightly ideas should not only be expressed louder, but also faster than such as are sad and melancholy. And when we press an adversary, the "voice should be brisk and quick. But to hurry on in a precipitant manner, without pausing, till stopt for want of breath, is certainly a very great fault. This destroys not only the necessary distinction between sentence and sentence, but likewise between the several words of the same sentence; and often occasions us to express our words by halves, while one is thrown so fast upon another, that we are not able to give each its full and just sound. By this means, all the grace of speaking is lost, and, in a great measure, the advantage of hearing. For, when the ears of the audience cannot keep pace with the volubility of the speaker's tongue, they will be little the better for what he says. Besides, by not commanding his voice, and easing his breath, at the proper pauses and points of distinction, he is often obliged to stop in the middle of a sentence; and so divides what should be continued and joins what should be separated; which must necessarily destroy the sense, and confound his discourse. Young persons are very liable to this, especially at first 'setting out. And it often arises from diffidence. They are jealous of their performances, and the success they may have in speaking, which gives them pain till it is over; and this puts them into a hurry of mind that incapacitates them for governing their voice, and keeping it under that due regulation, which perhaps they proposed to themselves before they began to speak. And the greater degree such persons have of a native and inge

nuous modesty, accompanied with a laudable ambition to excel, they are commonly the more exposed to this. For while, on the one hand, they are fired with an ardent desire to recommend themselves, and on the other, are fearful of the event; this dubious state of mind is very apt to throw them off their guard, and run them into this excess. From which we may see the great advantage of having the voice well formed by times; for when once it has become habitual to speak with justness and propriety, persons readily practice it without much attention or concern.

And as a precipitant and hasty pronunciation is culpable, so likewise, on the other hand, it is a fault to speak too slow. This seems to argue a heaviness in the speaker. And, as he appears cool in himself, he can never expect to warm his hearers and excite their affections. When not only every word, but every syllable is drawn out to too great a length, the ideas do not come fast enough to keep up the attention without much uneasiness. For, till the sense is completed, the mind is in suspense, and if it be held long in that situation, it will of course flag and grow tired. Indeed, in some cases, it is requisite the pronunciation should be slower than inothers; as in representing things great and difficult; or in expressing some particular passions, as admiration or grief. But the extreme we are now speaking of, is a slowness equally continued through a whole discourse, which must necessarily render it flat and lifeless.

Now, to avoid either of the two extremes last mentioned, the voice ought to be sedat and distinct. And in order to render itdistinct it is necessary not only that each word and syllable should have its just and full sound, both as to time and accent, but likewise that every sentence and part of a sentence should be separated by its proper pause and interval. This is the more easy to be done in reading, from the assistance of the points, but it is no less to be attended to in speaking, if we would pronounce in a distinct and graceful manner. For every one should speak in the same manner as he ought to read, if he could arrive at the exactness. Now, the common rule given in pausing, is, that we stop our voice at a comma till we can tell one; at a semicolon, two; at