"The quality of mercy is not strained; Wherein doth sit the dread and fear of kings; It is enthroned in the hearts of kings, It is an attribute to God himself: And earthly power doth then show likest God's, MERCHANT OF VENICE. "And the Lord sent Nathan unto David. And he came unto him, and said unto him, there were two men in one city; the one rich, and the other poor. "The rich man had exceeding many flocks and herds: "But the poor man had nothing save one little ewe-lamb, which he had bought and nourished up: and it grew up together with him, and with his children; it did eat of his own meat, and drink of his own cup, and lay in his bosom, and was unto him as a daughter. "And there came a traveller unto the rich man, and he spared to take of his own flock and of his own herd, to dress for the way-fairing man that was come unto him; but took the poor man's lamb, and dressed it for the man that was come to him. "And David's anger was greatly kindled against the man; and he said to Nathan, as the LORD liveth, the man that hath done this thing shall surely die: "And he shall restore the lamb fourfold, because he did this thing, and because he had no pity. "And Nathan said to David, thou art the man." 2d SAMUEL, 12th CHAPTER. IV. PRONUNCIATION. The most celebrated Orator of the ancients, called pronunciation, not only the chief part of oratory, but oratory itself; without going so far, it certainly may be considered its foundation, or the key-stone of the arch, for unless master of it no man can be a perfect speaker. It is a combination of articulation, accent, and emphasis. A vulgar pronunciation will mar the finest composition; on the contrary, a correct one will give grace to that which is even imperfect. Those who are unfortunate enough not to be able to pronounce words beginning with the letters V, W, and H, with propriety, and who confound one with the other, should constantly exercise themselves in pronouncing sentences, wherein those words frequently occur. Examples. "How my arm aches beating this hack horse !" would, pronounced by such as are above mentioned, be "ou my harm hakes beating this ack orse !" Again, "I want white wine vinegar with my veal;" viciously pronounced would be," I vont vite vine winegar vith my weal !" I cannot here resist mentioning two ludicrous perversions of pronunciation, in the words curiosity and suit, which occurred in Ireland. A clown having pronounced the first mentioned word curosity in hearing of the great Curran and an Englishman, the latter remarked that the fellow had murdered English; the former wittily replied, "oh no, he has only knocked an i out!" The other was that of a gun maker's wife, of Dublin, who finding a foppish customer very difficult to please in the choice of a case of duelling pistols, and after having shown many to no purpose, at length exultingly said, at the same time presenting one at him, "oh! here's wan that I am shure will shoot you, sir!" "Indeed! madam," replied the witling, walking leisurely away, "then upon my honour I'll not have any thing to do with it." The best method of acquiring a just pronunciation, is to study those lexicographers who have written most ably upon the subject, particularly Sheridan and Walker, and to observe and follow the manner in which persons of education, and those in polished society, pronounce their words. V. CLIMAX The A climax is a figure in rhetoric, which rises in force and dignity of expression with the sense, and is productive of much grandeur and effect. rule for reading or speaking a climax, is to raise the voice progressively with the subject, until you come to its close Examples. "The cloud-capt towers, the gorgeous palaces, The solemn temple, the great globe itself, PLAY OF THE TEMPEST. "Sudden the heart 33 Of this young, conquering, loving, god-like Roman,THOMSON, "Days, months, years, and ages,- W. W. DIMOND. "What a piece of work is man! how noble in reason! how infinite in faculties! in form and moving, how express and admirable! in action, how like an angel! in apprehension, how like a God!" HAMLET. "For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God; 1 will sit, also, upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north; I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the Most High!" ISAIAH, 14th CHAPTER. VI. SUSPENSION. Suspension, which may be considered of two kinds, the protracted and the slight, is when properly managed, one of the most effective things in eloquence; it impresses the auditor, elicits his atten tion, and calls forth his applause. A good orator may hold an audience almost breathless under its influence. It was much and successfully resorted to by Garrick; but care should be taken not to use the protracted suspensive pause, but when the subject is of sufficient magnitude to bear the speaker out in its adoption; for if it be recurred to frequently, and upon trivial occasions, censure will be the result. The effect is to be produced by stopping and suspending the voice immediately before the passage, or part of a sentence, by which you mean to make what is in oratory called your point. When you stop, let it be with an elevation of voice, which will leave the sense broken and incomplete, then your hearers, being in expectation of something superlative, will, when it comes, amply reward you for the excitement, and gratification of their expectations. Independently of the particular power above attributed to suspension in the protracted sense, there is another and a slighter kind of suspension, which has a general power over eloquence, for by that keeping up of the voice, while the necessary breathing time is taking, a disjunction of the sense, and a stop to the harmony of the subject, which would otherwise continually occur, is prevented, some sentences being so long that a speaker could not have sufficient breath to go through them, even rapidly, much less to give them force and harmony, unless he were to have recourse to suspension, which carries him and the meaning evenly along until it sets both down safely at the period. Its power is such, that the speaker may stop when and where he pleases, without injury to the sense, if he be a perfect master of its use. Examples of the protracted suspensive Pause. "And David's anger was greatly kindled against the man, and he said to Nathan, as the Lord liveth the man that hath done this thing shall surely die, and he shall restore the lamb four fold, because he did this thing, and because he had no pity. And Nathan said to David- "thou art the man." "Born for your use, I live but to obey you, Know then- -'twas I!!" TRAGEDY OF THE REVENGE, Act 5. "But mercy is above the scepter'd sway, VII. PARENTHESIS. Parenthesis, says Dr. Johnson, is a sentence so included in another sentence, as that it may be taken out without injuring the sense of that which encloses it. This figure, rather used to impart variety than elegance to composition, should be read or spoken in a quicker and a lower tone of voice than the general subject. The reader or speaker, should slightly suspend his voice immediately before the parenthesis, and take up the same tone at its close. Examples. "This moon, which rose last night, (round as my shield,) Had not yet filled her horns, when, (by her light,) A band of fierce barbarians," &c. "Beneath a mountain's brow, (the most remote And inaccessible by shepherds trod,) In a deep cave, (dug by no mortal hand,) An hermit liv'd," &c. TRAGEDY OF DOUGLAS. "If there's a power above us, (And that there is all nature cries aloud Through all her works,) he must delight in virtue.” TRAGEDY OF Caro., "Farewell, a long farewell to all my greatness! |