It must be acknowledged, there are fome kinds of tone which, though unnatural, yet, as managed by the speakers, are not very difagreeable--and the mind must be much on its guard that can remain unmoved thereby.

When I have been affected with hearing orators deliver common or obfcure fentiments in fuch a striking tone, I have endeavoured carefully to examine into the true reason of that emotion, or what it was that excited that affection in my mind; and have found that it could not arife from the mere tone of the fpeaker-which of itfelf was unnatural and disagreeablenor from the weight of the fubject which was no more than common-but from the earnestness, life, and folemnity with which he fpake, and his appearing himself to be much affected with what he delivered; which two things will never fail to move an audience. And why they may not be as well obferved and practised without a tone as with one, I cannot conceive. And without thefe a tone itself would have no power to move; as it hath no other fubferviency to raife the paffions than as it folemnizes the fubject, and feems to fhew the fpeaker's heart engaged. Pity that thofe two ends fhould not be anfwered by a better means! and that a bad habit in the fpeaker, indulging a falfe taste in the hearers, fhould fecure one great end of oratory by that which is the greatest abuse of it! Our next enquiry is

How to avoid a bad Pronunciation.

To this end the few following rules may be of fervice. 1. If you would not read in too loud or too low a voice, confider whether your voice be naturally too low or loud; and correct it accordingly in your ordinary converfation: by which means you will be better able to correct it in reading. If it be too low, converfe with thofe that are deaf; if too loud, with thofe whofe voices are low. Begin your periods with an even moderate voice, that you may have the command of it, to raise or fall it as the fubject requires.

2. To cure a thick, confused, cluttering voice, accustom yourself, both in converfation and reading, to pronounce every word diftinct and clear. Obferve with what deliberation fome converfe and read, and how full a found they give to every word; and imitate them. Do not affect to contract your words, as fome do, or run two into one. This may do very well in converfation, or in reading familiar dialogues, but is not fo decent in grave and folemn fubjects; efpecially in reading the facred fcriptures.

It appears from Demofthenes' cafe, that this fault of pronunciation cannot be cured without much difficulty, nor will you find his remedy effectual without pains and perfeverance.

3. To break a habit of reading too fast, attend diligently to the fenfe, weight, propriety of every fentence you read, and of every emphatical word in it. This will not only be an advantage to yourself, but a double one to your hearers; for it will at once give them time to do the fame, and excite their attention when they fee yours is fixed. A folemn paufe after a weighty thought, is very beautiful and ftriking. A well timed stop gives as much grace to fpeech as it does to music. Imagine that you are fpeaking to perfons of flow and unready conceptions; and measure not your hearer's apprehenfion by your own. If you do, you may poffibly out-run it. And as in reading you are not at liberty to repeat your words and fentences, this fhould engage you to be very deliberate in pronouncing them, that their fenfe may not be loft. The eafe and advantage that will arife both to the fpeaker and hearer, by a free, full, and deliberate pronunciation, is hardly to be imagined.

I need lay down no rules to avoid a too flow pronunciation ; that being a fault which few are guilty of.

4. To cure an uneven, defultory voice, take care that you do not begin your periods either in too high or too low a key; for that will neceffarily lead you to an unnatural and improper variation of it. Have a careful regard to the nature and quantity of your points, and the length of your periods; and keep your mind intent on the fenfe, fubject, and spirit of your

author.

The fame directions are neceffary to avoid a monotony in pronunciation, or a dull, fet, uniform tone of voice. For if your mind be but attentive to the fenfe of your fubject, you will naturally manage and modulate your voice according to the nature and importance of it.

Laftly, To avoid all kinds of unnatural and difagreeable tones, the only rule is to endeavour to speak with the fame eafe and freedom as you would do on the fame fubject in private converfation. You hear nobody converfe in a tone; unless they have the uncouth accent of fome other country, or have got into a habit of altering the natural key of their voice when they are talking of fome ferious fubject in religion. But I can fee no reafon in the world, that when in common converfation we speak in a natural voice with proper accent and

emphafis, yet as foon as we begin to read, or talk of religion, or speak in public, we should immediately affume a stiff, aukward, unnatural tone. If we are indeed deeply affected with the subject we read or talk of, the voice will naturally vary according to the paffion excited; but if we vary it unnaturally, only to feem affected, or only with a defign to affect others, it then becomes a tone, and is offenfive.

In reading then attend to your fubject, and deliver it juft in fuch a manner as you would do if you were talking of it. This is the great, general and most important rule of all; which, if carefully obferved, will correct not only this but almost all the other faults of a bad pronunciation; and give you an easy, decent, graceful delivery, agreeable to all the rules of a right elocution. For however apt we are to tranfgrefs them in reading, we follow them naturally and eafily enough in converfation. And children will tell a story with all the natural graces and beauties of pronunciation, however aukwardly they may read the fame out of a book.

Of good Pronunciation.

A good pronunciation in reading, is the art of managing and governing the voice fo as to exprefs the full fenfe and fpirit 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, easy, and graceful variation of the voice, fuitable to the nature and importance of the fentiments 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 fenfe and fentiments of an author, and more easily 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 fpirits (fetting afide all impediments of the organs) have generally a more lively, juft, and natural elocution than perfons of a flow perception and a phlegmatic caft. However, it may in a good degree be attained by every one that will carefully attend to

and practise those rules that are proper to acquire it. Which leads me therefore to confider

How a good Pronunciation is to be attained.

TO this end the obfervation of the following rules is neceffary. Have a particular regard to Pauses, Emphasis, and Cadence. Of Paufes.

WITH refpect to paufes, you will in a great measure in reading be directed by the common ftops or points, viz. Comma (,)-Semi-colon (;)-Colon (:)--Period (.)-Interrogation (?)-and Admiration (!).

These points ferve two purposes-to distinguish the fense of the author, and-to direct the pronunciation of the reader. -A comma stops the voice, while we may privately tell one -a femi-colon, two-a colon, three-and a period, four.

To break a habit of taking breath too often in reading, accuftom yourself to read long periods, fuch as the fixteen first lines in Milton's Paradise Loft.

After fome weighty and important fentiment, it will be proper to make a longer paufe than ordinary; and efpecially towards the clofe or application of a discourse :-thefe long paufes are very proper; as they at once compofe and affect the mind, and give it time to think. It will alfo be very helpful to the fpeaker's voice; and give his pronunciation the advantage of variety, which is always pleafing to the hearers.

Of Emphafis.

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 fyllable in a word with a ftrong voice, it is called Accent; when we thus diftinguish any particular word in a fentence, it is called Emphafis; and the word fo diftinguished, the Emphatical word. And the emphatical words (for there are often more than one) in a fentence, are thofe which carry a weight or importance in themselves, or those on which the fenfe of the reft depends; and these must always be diftinguished by a fuller and ftronger found of voice, wherever they are found, whether in the beginning, middle, or end of a fentence. Take for inftance those words of the fatirist.

Get place and wealth, if poffible, with grace,
If not, by any means get wealth and place.-Pope.

In these lines, the emphatical words are accented; and which they are, the fenfe will always discover.

Some fentences 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 short sentence, every word is emphatical, and on which ever word you lay the emphafis, whether the firft, fecond, third, or fourth, it ftrikes out a different fenfe, and opens a new fubject of moving expostulation.

Some fentences are equivocal, as well as fome words; that is, contain in them more fenfes than one; and which is the fense intended, can only be known by obferving on what word the emphasis is laid. For inftance-" Will you ride to town to-day "This question is capable of being taken in four different fenfes, according to the different words on which you lay the emphafis. If it be laid on the word you,-the anfwer may be " No, but I intend to fend my fervant in my ftead." -If the emphafis 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 question; and the anfwer may be "No, for I defign to ride into the country." And if the emphafis be laid upon the word to-day-the fenfe is ftill fomething different from all thefe; and the proper anfwer may be-"No, but I fhall to-morrow"-Of fuch importance oftentimes is a right emphafis, in order to determine the proper fenfe of what we read or speak.

The voice muft alfo exprefs, as near as may be, the very fenfe or idea defigned to be conveyed by the emphatical word; by a ftrong, rough, and violent, or a foft, fmooth, and tenderfound.

Thus the different paffions of the mind are to be expreffed by à different found or tone of voice. Love, by a foft, smooth, languishing voice;-Anger, by a strong, vehement, and elevated voice;-Joy, by a quick, fweet, and clear voice ;Sorrow, by a low, flexible, interrupted voice ;-Fear, by a dejected, tremulous, hefitating voice ;-Courage hath a full, bold, and loud voice;-and Perplexity, a grave, fteady, and earnéft one. In Exordiums, the voice fhould be low;-in Narrations, diftin&t;-in Reafoning, flow;-in Perfuafion, ftrong; it should thunder in Anger-foften in forrowtremble in Fear-and melt in Love.