Secondly, Let us enquire what a good Pronunciation is, and how to attain it.

I. A good Pronunciation in reading, is the Art of managing and governing the Voice fo as to exprefs the full Senfe and Spirit of your Author, in that juft, decent, and graceful Manner, which will not only inftruct but affect the Hearers; and will not only raise in them the fame Ideas he intended to convey, but the fame Paffions he really felt. This is the great End of reading to others, and this End can only be attained by a proper and juft Pronunciation.

And hence we may learn wherein a good Pronunciation in fpeaking confifts; which is nothing but a natural, eafy, and graceful Variation of the Voice, fuitable to the Nature and Importance of the Sentiments we deliver.

A good Pronunciation in both these Respects is more easily attained by fome than others; as fome can more readily enter into the Sense and Sentiments of an Author, and more eafily deliver their own, than others can; and at the fame time have a more happy Facility of expreffing all the proper Variations and Modulations of the Voice than others have. Thus Perfons of a quick Apprehenfion, and a brifk Flow of animal Spirits (fetting afide all Impediments of the Organs) have generally a more lively, juft, and natural Elocution, than Perfons of a flow Perception and a flegmatick Caft. However, it may in a good Degree be attained by every one that will carefully attend to and practife thofe Rules that are proper to acquire it.

And to this End the Obfervation of the following Rules is neceffary.

1. Have a particular Regard to your Paufes, Emphafis, and Cadence.

1. To your Pauses.

And with respect to this, you will in a good meafure in reading be directed by the Points: but not perfectly; for there are but few Books that are exactly pointed.

The common Stops or Points are these :

A Comma (,), Semi-colon ( ; ), Colon (:), Period ( . ), Interrogation (?), and Admiration (!).

But

eafy Sound wherewith you speak, for a firange, new, aukward Tone, as fome do when they begin to read; which would almoft perfuade our Ears, that the Speaker, and the Reader, were two different Perfons, if our Eges did not tell us the contrary.

WATTS's Art of Reading.

But befide thefe, there are four more Notes or Diftinctions of Paufe, viz. a Parenthesis (0); which requires the Paufe of a Comma at least, and fometimes a Semi-colon after it. 2. A Double Period, or Blank Line, (-); which denotes the Pause of two Periods, or half a Paragraph. 3. A Paragraph or Break; when the Line is broke or left imperfect, and the next begins under the fecond or third Letter of the preceding Line; and denotes the Pause of two double Periods. 4. A double Paragraph, that is, when the next Line not only begins fhorter than the preceding, but leaves the Space of a whole Line vacant between them; which fhews that the Voice is to reft during the Time of two Paragraphs.

Thefe Points ferve two Purposes. 1. To diftinguish the Senfe of the Author. 2. To direct the Pronunciation of the Reader.

You are not to fetch your Breath (if it can be avoided) till you come to the Period or Full Stop; but a difcernable Pause is to be made at every one, according to its proper Quantity or Duration.

A Comma ftops the Voice while we may privately tell one, a Semi-colon two; a Colon three: and a Period four.

Where the Periods are very long, you may take Breath at a Colon or Semi-colon; and fometimes at a Comma, but never where there is no Stop at all. And that you may not be under a Neceffity to take fresh Breath before you come to a proper Paufe, it will be proper to look forward to the Clofe of the Sentence, and measure the Length of it with your Eye before you begin it; that if it be long, you may take in a fufficient Supply of Breath to carry you to the End of it.

To break a Habit of taking Breath too often in reading, accuftom yourself to read long Periods, fuch (for Inftance) as the fixteen firft Lines in Milton's Paradife Loft.

But after all, there is fo much Licenfe admitted, and fo much Irregularity introduced, into the modern Method of Punctation, that it is become a very imperfect Rule to direct a juft Pronunciation. The Paufes therefore, as well as the Variations of the Voice, muft be chiefly regulated by a careful Attention to the Senfe and Importance of the Subject.

2. The next Thing to be regarded in reading is the Emphafis; and to fee that it be always laid on the emphatical Word.

When we diftinguish any particular Syllable in a Word with a ftrong Voice, it is called Accent; when we thus diftinguifh any particular Word in a Sentence, it is called Emphafis; and the Word so distinguished, the emphatical Word,

And

And the emphatical Words (for there are often more than one) in a Sentence, are those which carry a Weight or Importance in themselves, or those on which the Sense of the rest depends; and these must always be diftinguished by a fuller and stronger Sound of Voice, wherever they are found, whether in the Beginning, Middle, or End of a Sentence. Take for inftance thofe Words of the Satyrist.

-Rém, facias Rém,
Rice, fi poffis, fi non, quocunque Mode Rém.

HOR.

Get Place and Wealth, if poffible, with Gráce,
If not, by any Means get Wealth and Place.

POPE.

In these Lines the emphatical Words are accented; and which they are, the Sense will always discover.

Here it may not be amifs briefly to obferve two or three Things.

1. That fome Sentences are fo full and comprehenfive, that almost every Word is emphatical: For inftance, that pathetic Expoftulation in the Prophecy of Ezekiel.

Why will ye die!

In this fhort Sentence, every Word is emphatical, and on whichever Word you lay the Emphafis, whether the firft, fecond, third, or fourth, it strikes out a different Senfe, and opens a new Subject of moving Expoftulation.

2. Some Sentences are equivocal, as well as fome Words; that is, contain in them more Senses than one; and which is the Sense intended, can only be known by observing on what Word the Emphafis is laid. For inftance-Shall you ride to Town to-day? This Question is capable of being taken in four different Senfes, according to the different Words on which you lay the Emphafis. If it be laid on the Word [you], the Answer may be, No, but I intend to fend my Servant in my ftead. If the Emphasis be laid on the Word [ride], the proper Anfwer might be, No, I intend to walk it. If you place the Emphasis on the Word [Town], it is a different Queftion; and the Anfwer may be, No, for I defign to ride into the Gountry. And if the Emphasis be laid on the Words [today], the Senfe is ftill fomething different from all thefe; and the proper Answer may be, No, but I shall to-morrow. Of fuch Importance fometimes is a right Emphasis, in order to determine the proper Senfe of what we read or speak. But I would obferve

1

3. The

3. The Voice muft exprefs, as near as may be, the very Senfe or Idea defigned to be conveyed by the emphatical Word; by a strong, rough, and violent, or a foft, fmooth, and tender Sound.

Thus the different Paffions of the Mind are to be expreffed by a different Sound or Tone of Voice. Love, by a soft, fmooth, languifhing Voice; Anger, by a ftrong, vehement, and elevated Voice; Joy, by a quick, fweet, and clear Voice; Sorrow, by a low, flexible, interrupted Voice; Fear, by a dejected, tremulous, hesitating Voice; Courage, hath a full, bold, and loud Voice; and Perplexity, a grave, fteady, and earneft one. Briefly, in Exordiums the Voice fhould be low; in Narrations, diftinct; in Reasoning, flow; in Perfuafions, ftrong: It fhould thunder in Anger, soften in Sorrow, tremble in Fear, and melt in Love.

4. The Variation of the Emphafis muft not only distinguish the various' Paffions defcribed, but the feveral Forms and Figures of Speech in which they are expreffed. e. g.

In a Profopopaia, we muft change the Voice as the Perfon introduced would.

In an Antithefis, one Contrary must be pronounced louder than the other.

In a Climax, the Voice fhould always rife with it.

In Dialogues, it should alter with the Parts.

In Repetitions, it fhould be loudeft in the fecond Place. Words of Quality and Diftinction, or of Praise or Difpraife, must be pronounced with a strong Emphasis.

Hence then it follows

Laftly, That no Emphafis at all is better than a wrong or mifplaced one. For that only perplexes, this always misleads the Mind of the Hearer.

3. The next Thing to be observed is Cadence.

This is directly oppofite to Emphafis. Emphasis is raifing the Voice, Cadence is falling it; and when rightly managed is very mufical.

But befide a Cadence of Voice, there is fuch a Thing as Cadence of Stile. And that is, when the Senfe being almoft expreffed and perfectly difcerned by the Reader, the remaining Words (which are only neceffary to compleat the Period) gently fall of themselves without any emphatical Word among them. And if your Author's Language be pure and elegant, his Cadence of Stile will naturally direct your Cadence of

Voice.

Cadence generally takes place at the End of a Sentence; unless it clofes with an emphatical Word.

Every Parenthesis is to be pronounced in Cadence; that is, with a low Voice, and quicker than ordinary; that it may not take off the Attention too much from the Senfe of the Period it interrupts. But all Apoftrophes and Projopopeias are to be pronounced in Emphafis.

So much for Paufes, Emphafis, and Cadence: A careful Regard to all which is the first Rule for attaining a right Pronunciation.

you

II. If you would acquire a juft Pronunciation in Reading, muft not only take in the full Senfe, but enter into the Spirit of your Author: For you can never convey the Force and Fulness of his Ideas to another till you feel them yourself. No Man can read an Author he does not perfectly understand and taste.

"The great Rule which the Mafters of Rhetoric so much "press, can never enough be remembered; that to make a "Man fpeak well and pronounce with a right Emphafis, he "ought thoroughly to understand all that he fays, be fully "perfuaded of it, and bring himself to have thofe Affections "which he defires to infufe into others. He that is inwardly "perfuaded of the Truth of what he fays, and that hath a "Concern about it in his Mind, will pronounce with a natural "Vehemence that is far more lovely than all the Strains that "Art can lead him to. An Orator muft endeavour to feel "what he says, and then he will speak fo as to make others "feel it."*

The fame Rules are to be observed in reading Poetry and Profe: Neither the Rhime nor the Numbers fhould take off your Attention from the Senfe and Spirit of your Author. It is this only that muft direct your Pronunciation in Poetry as well as Profe. When you read Verfe, you must not at all favour the Measure or Rhime; that often obfcures the Sense and fpoils the Pronunciation: For the great End of Pronunciation is to elucidate and heighten the Senfe; that is, to reprefent it not only in a clear but a ftrong Light. Whatever then obftructs this is carefully to be avoided, both in Verse and Profe. Nay, this ought to be more carefully obferved in reading Verfe than Profe; because the Author, by a conftant Attention to his Measures and Rhime, and the Exaltation of his Language, is often very apt to obfcure his Senfe; which therefore requires the more Care in the Reader to discover and diftinguish it by the Pronunciation. And if when you read

* Burnet's Peftoral Care, p. 228.