be supported with strong reason, grandeur of thought, and sentiments every way equal to the expression; without which it will be liable to swell into bombast. Mr. Burke's admirable Essay on the Sublime and Beautiful has long been a standard work on this part of our subject. PART IV. OF PRONUNCIATION. I. Of pronunciation in general.-Pronunciation is by some of the ancients called action: though, if we attend to the proper signification of these words, the former respects the voice, and the latter the gestures and motions of the body. But, if we consider them as synonymous, in this large sense pronunciation or action may be said to be a suitable conformity of the voice, and the several motions of the body, in speaking, to the subject matter of the discourse. The best judges among the ancients have represented this as the principal part of an orator's province, whence he is chiefly to expect success in the art of persuasion. When Cicero, in the person of Crassus, has largely and elegantly discoursed upon all the other parts of oratory, coming at last to speak of this, he says: All the former have their effect as they are pronounced. It is the action alone that governs in speaking; without which the best orator is of no value, and is often defeated by one, in other respects, much his inferior.' And he says that Demosthenes was of the same opinion, who, when he was asked what was the principal thing in oratory, replied action; and being asked again a second and a third time, what was next considerable, he still made the same answer; by which he intimated that the whole art did in a manner consist in it. And indeed, if he had not judged this highly necessary for an orator, he would scarcely have taken so much pains in correcting those natural defects under which he labored at first, in order to acquire it. See DEMOSTHENES. Nor was he less careful in endeavouring to gain the habit of a becoming and decent gesture; for which purpose he used, we are told, to pronounce his discourses alone before a large glass. Quintilian says that it is not of so much moment what our compositions are, as how they are pronounced; since it is the manner of the delivery by which the audience is moved.' And he therefore asserts that 'an indifferent discourse, assisted by a lively and graceful action, will have greater efficacy than the finest harangue, which wants that advantage.' The truth of this sentiment of the ancients might be proved from many instances. Hortensius, a contemporary with Cicero, and, while living, next to him in reputation as an orator, was highly applauded for his action. But his orations after his death, as Quintilian tells us (for there are none extant), did not appear answerable to his character. But Cicero himself is a decisive instance. After the death of Pompey, when Cæsar had usurped the government, many of his acquaintance interceded with him in behalf of their relations and friends, who had been of the contrary party in the late wars. Among others, Cicero solicited for his friend Ligarius; which Tubero understanding, who owed Ligarius a grudge, he opposed it, and undertook to represent him to Cæsar as unworthy of his mercy. Cæsar himself was prejudiced against Ligarius; and therefore, when the cause was to come before him, he said, 'we may venture to hear Cicero display his eloquence; for I know the person he pleads for to be an ill man, and my enemy.' But, in the course of his oration, Cicero so worked upon his passions, that, by the frequent alteration of his countenance, the emotions of his mind were very conspicuous. And when he came to touch upon the battle of Pharsalia, which had given Casar the empire of the world, he represented it in that moving and lively manner that Cæsar could no longer contain himself, but was thrown into such a fit of shivering that he dropped the papers which he held in his hand. This was the more remarkable, because Caesar was himself one of the greatest orators of that age, knew all the arts of address, and consequently was better prepared to guard against them. But neither his skill nor resolution was of sufficient force against the power of oratory; the conqueror of the world became a conquest to the charms of Cicero's eloquence; so that, contrary to his intention, he pardoned Ligarius. This oration is still extant; but can scarcely be thought, in reading it, to have had so surprising an effect; which must therefore have been chiefly owing to the wonderful manner of the speaker. The inore natural the pronunciation is, it will be the more moving. The ancients, therefore, make it one qualification of an orator, that he be a good man; because a person of this character will make the cause he espouses his own, and the more sensibly he is touched with it himself, his action will be the more natural. Cicero says, 'it is certain that truth in every thing excels imitation; but, if that was sufficient of itself in action, we should have no occasion for art.' In his opinion, therefore, art, if well managed, will assist and improve nature. Sometimes the force of it is so great that, even where it is wholly counterfeit, it will work the effect of truth. This is well known to those who frequent the theatre. The warmth of expression and vehemency of action should rise in proportion to the importance of the subject and concern of the speaker. The learned author of Dialogues on Eloquence, p. 92, says, 'the Romans had a very great talent this way, and the Greeks a greater. The eastern nations excelled in it, and particularly the Hebrews. Nothing can equal the strength and vivacity of the figures they employed in their discourse; and the actions they used to express their sentiments, such as putting ashes on their heads, tearing their garments, and covering themselves with sackcloth under any deep distress and sorrow of mind.' As action, therefore, was judged so necessary a qualification in an orator among the ancients, so they made use of several methods and expedients for the better attaining it. Quintilian gives directions how young persons should be taught to pronounce, when they first learn to read. The ancients likewise had persons whom they called phonasci, whose proper business was to teach them how to regulate their voice; and others who instructed them in the whole art of pronunciation, both as to their voice and gestures. These last were generally taken from the theatre, being eminent experienced actors. But Cicero well represents the distinction between the action of an orator and that of an actor. 'The action of the body,' he says, 'ought to be suited to the expressions, not in a theatrical way, mimicking the words by particular gesticulations, but in a manner expressive of the general sense, with a sedate and manly inflection; not taken from the stage and actors, but from the exercise of arms and the palestra. Every gesture and motion of the comedians,' says Quintilian, is not to be imitated, nor to the same degree.' When thus prepared, they were sent to the schools of the rhetoricians, to cultivate their style, and acquire the whole art of eloquence; particularly a just and accurate pronunciation. And, as the Greeks were most celebrated for their skill in oratory, the Roman gentry and nobility generally sent their sons abroad, under the tuition of some Grecian master. Thus Cicero was sent to Rhodes under the famous Molo, and Brutus under Pammenes; Cæsar was going to the same place when taken by pirates; and Augustus afterwards studied there under Apollodorus. After this pains and industry, the ancients did not think themselves sufficiently qualified to take upon them the character of orators, till they got together their friends, and declaimed before them in private; which gave them an opportunity to correct any defects at first, before they became habitual. II. Of the Voice.-The influence of sounds, either to raise or allay our passions, is evident from music and certainly the harmony of a fine well pronounced discourse is as capable of moving us. As persons are differently affected when they speak; so they naturally alter the tone of their voice. It rises, sinks, and has various inflections, according to the 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 enflamed by passion, this is raised and elevated. It is the orator's business, therefore, to endeavour that the tone of his voice appear natural and unaffected. For this end, he must suit it to the nature of the subject. Some deliver a discourse in a low drawling manner; others hurry on in so loud and boisterous a tone, as if they imagined their hearers were deaf. But all the harmony of speech lies in the proper temperament of the voice between these extremes. The principal properties of voice may be referred either to quantity or quality. 1. The quantity of the voice consists in its highness or lowness, swiftness or slowness, and the intermediate degrees between them. i. Every person who speaks in public should endeavour to fill the place where he speaks. But still he ought to be careful not to exceed the natural key of his voice. If he does, it will neither be soft nor agreeable; but either harsh and rough, or too 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. ii. The like caution is to be used against the contrary extreme, that the voice be not dropped, and suffered to sink too low. This will give the speaker pain in raising it again to its proper pitch, and be no less offensive to the hearers. The medium is a moderate and even voice. But this is not the same in all; that which is moderate in one would be high in another. Every person therefore must regulate it by the natural key of his voice. A calm and sedate tone is generally best; as a moderate and distinct sound is most pleasing to the ear. But this equality of the voice must also be accompanied with variety. Nothing is less pleasing than a discourse pronounced throughout in one continued monotony. The gradations, whether higher or lower, should be gentle and regular; an even tone of voice being best fitted to keep up attention. But the voice ought to agree with the style; and as the orator's province is not only to apply to the mind, but likewise to the passions, these require a great variety of the voice, high or low, vehement or languid, according to the nature of the passion he designs to affect. iii. That some addresses ought to be pronounced faster than others is 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. A precipitant and hasty pronunciation, however, is culpable, as well as speaking too slow. This argues a heaviness in the speaker; and, as he appears cool himself, he can never expect to warm his hearers. In long periods, the voice should be favored by beginning low and sedately, that it may hold to the end without respiration; or, if not, the breath ought to be recovered without sinking the voice. For, if once the voice drop for want of breath before the period be finished, not only the beauty but the sense will be injured. Quintilian lays a great stress upon a due attention to these pauses; and says, Though it may appear not so considerable in itself, yet all the other virtues of a good pronunciation are deficient without it.' 2. The chief qualities of the voice are strength, clearness, fulness, and smoothness; and various defects of the voice may be helped by care and attention. Temperance is a great preservative of the voice, and all excess is prejudicial to it. The voice must suffer, if the organs of speech have not their proper tone. i. A strong voice is serviceable to an orator, but he who has a weak one should be careful not to strain it. He ought to begin low, and rise gradually to such a pitch as the key of his voice will easily carry him, without being obliged to sink afterwards. Frequent inflections of the voice will be some, assistance to him. But he should take care to speak deliberately, and ease his voice, by allowing due time for respiration at all the pauses. It is an extreme much less inconvenient for such a person to speak too slow than too fast. But this defect of a weak voice is often capable of being helped by proper methods; as is evident from the instance of Demosthenes. ii. A voice is said to be clear when the organs of speech are suited to give every single letter, and all the combinations of them in syllables and words, their proper and distinct sound. Such a tone of voice is very agreeable to the hearers; and no less so to the speaker, as it saves him a great expense of spirits. For a moderate voice, if clear, will be as distinctly heard as one much louder, if obscure. This is a great advantage to the speaker, because he can better help his voice under command, and modulate it at pleasure. An obscure and confused voice is not always occasioned by a deficiency in the organ; but is often the effect of a bad habit. Some, either from want of due care at first, or from inadvertency and negligence afterwards, run into a very irregular and confused manner of expressing their words; either by misplacing the accent, confounding the sound of the letters, or huddling the syllables one upon another, so as to render what they say often unintelligible. iii. A full voice fills the ear, but it is often not pleasant. And therefore, to render it so, it should be frequently varied. Yet it seems better suited to the character of an orator than a small and shrill voice; because it has something in it more manly. Those who have the misfortune of a very small voice, should be cautious of raising it to too high a pitch, especially at once; because the sudden compressure of the organ is apt to occasion a squeaking and disagreeable sound. iv. A soft and smooth voice is the most musical, especially if it be flexible. III. Of gesture.-By gesture is meant a suitable conformity of the motions of the countenance and several parts of the body in speaking. It is not agreed among the learned, whether voice or gesture has the greater influence in oratory. But, as the latter affects us by the eye as the former does by the ear, gesture seems to have this advantage, that it conveys the impression more speedily to the mind. Nor is its influence less upon our passions; nay, in some instances, it appears to act more powerfully. A cast of the eye shall express desire in as moving a manner as the softest language; and a different motion of it resentment. Nor is it in some respects less various and expressive than language. Cicero tells us, he often diverted himself by trying this with Roscius the comedian; who could express a sentence as many ways by his gestures, as he himself by words. And some dramas, called pantomimes, are carried on wholly by mutes, who perform every part by gestures only, in a way very intelligent, as well as entertaining to the spectators. Well, therefore, might Cicero call action (or gesture) the language of the body, since it is capable in so lively a manner to express both our ideas and passions. But, with respect to oratory, gesture may be very properly called the second part of pronunciation; in which, as the voice should be suited to the impressions it receives from the mind, so the several motions of the body ought to be accommodated to various tones and inflections of the voice. When the voice is even and moderate, little gesture is required; and nothing is more unnatural than violent motion, in discoursing upon ordinary and familiar subjects. The motions of the body should rise, therefore, in proportion to the vehemence and energy of the expression, as the natural and genuine effect of it. It is hardly necessary to mention that, by the uniform practice of all nations, the most proper gesture for a public speaker is to address his audience standing. But though standing appears to be the most proper posture, yet it is very unbecoming for the body to be entirely without motion. It should not long continue in the same position, but be constantly changing imperceptibly. There ought to be no appearance of stiffness, but a certain ease and pliableness, suiting every expression; by which means, when a greater degree of motion is necessary, it will appear less sudden and vehement; for as the raising, sinking, and various inflections of the voice must be gradual, so likewise should the motions of the body. It is only on some particular occasions that a hasty impetuosity is proper in either case. The head, in calm and sedate discourse, ought to keep its natural state, an upright posture. However, it should not be long without motion, but gently turn, sometimes on one side, and sometimes on the other, as occasion requires. It should always accompany the other actions of the body, and turn on the same side with them; except when aversion to any thing is expressed, which is effectually done by stretching out the right hand, and turning the head to the left. But it is the countenance that chiefly represents both the passions and disposition of the mind. By this we supplicate, threaten, soothe, invite, forbid, consent, or refuse, without speaking, the several parts of the face bearing their part, and contributing to the proper and decent motion of the whole. In a calm and sedate discourse, all the features retain their natural appearance. In sorrow, the forehead and eyebrows lour, and the cheeks hang down. But, in joy and cheerfulness, the forehead and eyebrows are expanded, the cheeks contracted, and the corners of the mouth drawn upwards. Anger and resentment contract the forehead, draw the brows together, and thrust out the lips; and terror elevates both the brows and the forehead. Cicero advises that the greatest care should be taken in the management of the eye. We readily guess at a person's intention by observation of this member; any sudden change or emotion of the mind being presently followed by an alteration in the look. In speaking, therefore, upon pleasant and delightful subjects, the eyes are brisk and cheerful; as, on the contrary, they sink and are languid in delivering any thing melancholy. A gentle and moderate motion of the eyes is in an orator most suitable, directed occasionally to all parts of his audience, and gradually turning from side to side with an air of respect and modesty. The shoulders ought not to be elevated; as it contracts the neck, and hinders the proper motion of the head. Nor, on the other hand, should they be drawn down and depressed, as this occasions a stiffness both on the neck and the whole body. Their natural posture is most easy and graceful. A continued motion of the arms any way, is to be avoided. Their action should generally be very moderate, and follow that of the hands. |