keep the voice suspended, avoiding a frequent recurrence of the falling inflection at the close of the line, except where the close of the sense, too, demands it. Otherwise we shall fall into that methodical, alternate, closing rise and fall, which deprives rhythmical Elocution of all variety and grace. Pope's lines are good practice for melodious reading for he frequently suspends the sense through several successive lines, and, so, affords opportunity for variety of inflection and cadence. I therefore give (marked,) a passage extracted from his Essay on Man. HAPPINESS. Oh Happiness!" our being's end and aim!” ཡ Good,~ pleasure," ease, content!" whate'er thy name That something, stillˇ which prompts th' eternal sigh,~– die;TM For which we bear to live, or dare to die ; Which still so near us, yet beyond us lies, O'erlook'd, seen double by the fool and wise;" Say in what mortal soil thou deign'st to grow?- Where grows? where grows it not? If vain our toil, ཡ We ought to blame the culture, not the soil: Fix'd to no spot is happiness sincere, ཡ 'Tis nowhere to be found, or everywhere: 'Tis never to be bought, but always free, ། And fled from monarchs, dwells, my friend, with thee. It is not within the scope of this work to analyse the different rhythms and metres used in versification: but for the convenience of the reader, the Practice at the end of this Division contains extracts in a variety of rhythm; by exercise on which, in accordance with the preceding rules and directions, he may acquire an elegant and easy style of rhythmical Elocution. We now proceed to EXPRESSION. Expression is the modulating or regulating the organ of the voice to tones of gentleness or force, according to the nature and degree of feeling, or passion expressed in words. Expression is the natural language of emotion. It is, in Elocution, to a certain extent, a vocal imitation of passion. But this must be done without "aggravating the voice" (as Bottom has it). It is a grace which requires the nicest management; and cannot be achieved but with the best cultivation of ear and voice; in order to catch and reecho the tones of the heart to the ears and hearts of others. It depends mainly upon pitch of voice, and the expression of each different feeling has its appropriate pitch.* * Roger Ascham, tutor to Queen Elizabeth, thus quaintly writes, touching the matter of pitch of voice: "Where a matter is spoken with an apte voyce for everye affection, the hearers, for the most part, are moved as the Expression therefore is a refinement on Intonation: they go hand in hand: we cannot think of the one without the other. Intonation gives the voice volume and power; expression uses and adapts it to the feeling of the moment. Even monotone has its expression. MONOTONE is intonation without change of pitch: that is, preserving a fullness of tone, without ascent or descent on the scale. THE EXPRESSION OF MONOTONE. It expresses repose of feeling or scene-the calm confidence of power-vastness of thought--veneration—and the over-awing sublimity of grandeur. But it must not be listless, vapid, soulless monotone; it must be a deep, swelling, crescendo monotone, speaking as it were from the recesses of the heart; as, Calm -ness sits throned on yon un mo-ving cloud. speaker woulde; but when a man is always in one tone, like a humble-bee, or else now in the top of the church, now downe that no man knoweth where to have him ; or piping like a reede, or roaring like a bull, as some lawyers do, which thinke they do best when they crye loudest; these shall never move, as I know many well-learned have done, because theyr voyces were not stayed afore, with learninge to singe. For all voyces, great and small, base and shrill, may be holpen and brought to a good point by learninge to singe." H It requires practice; and the practice of monotone tends essentially to the improvement of intonation. The sign of monotone is an even line or mark (denoting an even tone of voice) over the words to be spoken without inflection: but mark,-—the sound must swell and gather volume as it proceeds. EXERCISE ON MONOTONE. Our revels now are ended: these our actors, As I foretold you, were all spirits, and And like the baseless fabric of this visionTM- The solemn temples the great globe itself ཡ Yea, all which it inherit shall dissolve And like this unsubstantial pageant faded Leave not a rack behind. Shaks. The following passage from Talfourd's classical tragedy of Ion is also good practice in the Intonation of Monotone. Commence on a deep, full tone. Ye eldest Gods, Who in no statues of exactest form Are palpable; who shun the azure heights Of beautiful Olympus, and the sound Over dim Chaos, keep revengeful wrath On falling nations, and on kingly lines < About to sink for ever; ye, who shed Into the passions of earth's giant brood And their fierce usages the sense of justice; This arm to the destruction of the king Expel all human weakness from my frame, That this keen weapon shake not when his heart Whose blood is needful to the sacrifice My country asks, harden my soul to shed it! PITCH OF VOICE. Expression, as I have said, depends chiefly upon pitch of voice. We all know that the tones of the voice vary considerably, according to the affection of mind or passion under which a person speaks. We see this daily in nature-we hear a man give a command in one tone, and make an entreaty or ask a favor in another: his voice grows sharper and shriller in rage, and softer and more liquid in tenderness and affection: the voice |