read Verfe with proper Paufe, Emphasis and Cadence, and a Pronunciation varied and governed by the Senfe, it be not harmonious and beautiful, the Fault is not in the Reader but the Author. And if the Verfe be good, to read it thus will improve its Harmony; because it will take off that Uniformity of Sound and Accent which tires the Ear, and makes the Numbers heavy and disagreeable.

III. Another important Rule to be obferved in Elocution is, Study Nature. By this I mean

1. Your own natural Difpofitions and Affections. And thofe Subjects that are most suitable to them, you will eafily pronounce with a beautiful Propriety: And to heighten the Pronunciation, the natural Warmth of the Mind fhould be permitted to have its Course under a proper Rein and Regulation.

2. Study the natural Difpofitions and Affections of others. For fome are much more eafily impreffed and moved one way, and fome another. And an Orator fhould be acquainted with all the Avenues to the Heart.

3. Study the moft easy and natural Way of expreffing yourfelf, both as to the Tone of Voice and the Mode of Speech. And this is beft learnt by Obfervations on common Converfation; where all is free, natural and eafy; where we are only intent on making ourselves understood, and conveying our Ideas in a strong, plain, and lively Manner, by the most natural Language, Pronunciation and Action. And the nearer our Pronunciation in Public comes to the Freedom and Ease of that we ufe in common Difcourfe (provided we keep up the Dignity of the Subject, and preferve a Propriety of Expreffion) the more juft and natural and agreeable it will generally be.

Above all Things then Study Nature; avoid Affectation; never ufe Art, if you have not the Art to conceal it: For whatever does not appear natural, can never be agreeable, much less perfuafive.

IV. Endeavour to keep your Mind collected and compofed, Guard against that Flutter and Timidity of Spirit, which is the common Infelicity of young, and especially bashful Perfons, when they firft begin to speak or read in Public. This is a great Hinderance both to their Pronunciation and Invention; and at once gives both themselves and their Hearers an unneceffary Pain. It will by conftant Oppofition wear off.

And

And the best Way to give the Mind a proper Degree of Affurance and Self-Command at fuch a Time, is

1. To be entire Master of your Subject; and a Consciousnefs that you deliver to your Audience nothing but what is well worth their hearing, will give you a good Degree of Courage.

2. Endeavour to be wholly engaged in your Subject; and when the Mind is intent upon and warmed with it, it will forget that awful Deference it before paid to the Audience, which was fo apt to disconcert it..

3. If the Sight of your Hearers, or any of them, discompose you, keep your Eyes from them.

V. Be fure to keep up a Life, Spirit, and Energy in the Expreffion; and let the Voice naturally vary according to the Variation of the Stile and Subject.

Whatever be the Subject, it will never be pleafing, if the Stile be low and flat; nor will the Beauty of the Stile be difcovered, if the Pronunciation be fo.

Cicero obferves, there must be a Glow in our Stile, if we would warm our Hearers. And who does not obferve how ridiculous it is to pronounce the ardens Verbum in a cold lifelefs Tone? And the Tranfition of the Voice (as before obferved) must always correspond with that of the Subject, and the Paffions it was intended to excite.

VI. In order to attain a juft and graceful Pronunciation, you should accuftom yourselves frequently to hear those who excel in it, whether at the Bar or in the Pulpit; where you will see all the fore-mentioned Rules exemplified, and be able to account for all those Graces and Beauties of Pronunciation which always pleased you, but you did not know why.

And indeed, the Art of Pronunciation, like all others, is better learnt by Imitation than Rule: But to be first acquainted with the Rules of it, will make the Imitation more easy. And beyond all that hath been said, or can be defcribed, you will obferve a certain Agreeableness of Manner in fome Speakers that is natural to them, not to be reduced to any Rule, and to be learnt by Imitation only; nor by that, unless it be in fome Degree natural to you.

Laftly, You fhould frequently exercise yourself to read aloud according to the foregoing Rules.

It is Practice only that must give you the Faculty of an elegant Pronunciation. This, like other Habits, is only to be attained by often repeated-Acts.

Orators

Orators indeed, as well as Poets, must be born so, or they will never excel in their refpective Arts: But that Part of Oratory which confifts in a decent and graceful Pronunciation (provided there be no Defect in the Organs of Speech) may be attained by Rule, Imitation, and Practice; and, when attained, will give a Beauty to your Speech, a Force to your Thoughts, and a Pleasure to the Hearers, not to be expreffed; and which all will admire, but none can imitate, unless they are first prepared for it by Art and Nature.

In fine, the great Advantage of a just Pronunciation is, that will please all, whether they have no Tafte, a bad Tafte, or a good Tafte.

But as under the Word [Pronunciation] the Ancients comprehended Action as well as Elocution; and as a few general Rules concerning that may be of ufe to fuch as fpeak in Public, it may not be improper here briefly to fubjoin them.

The Action then should be as eafy and as natural as the Elocution; and, like that, must be varied and directed by the Paffions.

An affected Violence of Motion is as difguftful as an affected Vehemence of Voice; and no Action, as bad as no Emphafis: Which two Faults commonly go together, as do the other two, juft before mentioned.

Thofe Parts of the Body that are to be principally employed in Oratorical Action are the Head, the Face, the Eyes, the Hands, and the upper Part of the whole Body.

1. The Head. This fhould generally be in an erect Pofture; turning fometimes on one Side, and fometimes on the other, that the Voice may be heard by the whole Audience, and a Regard paid to the feveral Parts of it.

It fhould always be on the fame Side with the Action of the Hands and Body, except when we exprefs an Abhorrence, or a Refufal of any thing, which is done by rejecting it with the Right-hand, and turning away the Head to the Left; as in that Sentence-Dii talem terris avertete peftem- -where fuch an Action is very proper in pronouncing the Word avertete.

2. The Countenance. In this is the Seat of the Soul, and the very Life of Action. Every Paffion, whilft uttered with the Tongue, fhould be painted in the Face. There is often more Eloquence in a Look than any Words can exprefs. By this we are awed, charmed, incenfed, foftened, grieved, rejoiced, raised, or dejected, according as we catch the Fire of the Speaker's Paffion from his Face. In fhort, there is no End in recounting the Force and Effects of this dumb Oratory; which Nature only teaches, and which Perfons of low

Paffions

Paffions lofe all the Advantages of. Look well upon a good Piece of Painting where the Paffions are ftrongly expreffed, and you will conceive the Power of it.

3. The Eyes. These should be carried from one Part of the Audience to another, with a modest and decent Respect; which will tend to recall and fix their Attention, and animate your own Spirit by obferving their Attention fixed. But if their Affections be strongly moved, and the obferving it be a Means of raifing your own too high, it will be neceflary then to keep the Eye from off them. For though an Orator fhould always be animated, he should never be overcome by his Paffions.

The Language of the Eye is inexpreffible. It is the Window of the Soul; from which fometimes the whole Heart looks out at once, and fpeaks more feelingly than all the warmest Strains of Oratory; and comes effectually in Aid of it, when the Paffion is too ftrong to be uttered.

4. The Hands.

The Left-hand should never be used alone; unless it be to attend the Motion of the Head and Eyes in an Address to the Audience on the left Side.

The Right-hand may be often used alone,

When you speak of the Body, you may point to it with the middle Finger of your Right-hand.

When you speak of your Soul or Confcience, you may lay your Right-hand gently on your Breast.

It should be often difplayed with an eafy Motion to favour an Emphasis; but feldom or never be quite extended

All its Motions fhould be from the Left to the Right. Both the Hands difplayed, and the Arms extended, is a violent Action, and never juft or decent unless the Audience be noisy, and Part of them at a Distance from the Speaker, and he is labouring to be heard; and then they fhould never be extended higher than the Head, unless pointing at fomething above the Audience. *

The Motion of the Hand should always correfpond with those of the Head and Eyes'; as they fhould with the Paffions expreffed.

In deliberate Proof or Argumentation, no Action is more proper or natural, than gently to lay the firft Finger of the Right-hand on the Palm of the Left.

Of what great use the proper Motion of the Hand is in affifting Pronunciation, and how many Paffions may be strongVOL. I.

C

ly

See Raphael's Cartoon, reprefenting St. Paul preaching at Athens

ly indicated thereby, when attended with that of the Head and Eyes, is not eafy to be defcribed, but is foon obferved in common Converfation.

Laftly, The Pofture of the Body.

This fhould be ufually erect; not continually changing, nor always motionlefs: Declining in Acts of Humiliation; in Acts of Praise and Thanksgiving, raised.

It should always accompany the Motion of the Hands, Head, and Eyes, when they are directed to any particular Part of the Audience; but never fo far as to let the Back be turned any Part of it.

to

But let it fuffice juft to hint at these Things. They who defire to see them more largely treated of, may confult Quintilian de Inftitutione Oratoriâ, lib. xi. cap. 3.

After all, with regard to Action, the great Rule is (the fame as in Pronunciation) to follow Nature, and avoid Affectation. The Action of the Body, and the feveral Parts of it, muft correfpond with the Pronunciation, as that does with the Stile, and the Stile with the Subject. A perfect Harmony of all which compleats the Qrator. *

*Thefe who defire to be more particularly acquainted with this Subject, and the feveral other Branches of Oratory, I would advise not to truft altogether to the Rules of modern Writers, but to repair to the Fountain Head; and converfe with the great Masters and Teachers of this Art among the Ancients; particularly Dionyfus of Halicarnaffus, Cicero, Quintilian, and Longinus.

LESSONS