fometimes thrown back.

But when the orator speaks of himself, his right hand should be gently laid on his breast.

The left hand fhould feldom move alone, but accommodate itself to the motions of the right. In motions to the left fide, the right hand should not be carried beyond the left fhoulder. In promifes, and expreffions of compliment, the motion of the hands fhould be gentle and flow; but in exhortations and applause, more swift The hands fhould generally be open; but in expreffions of compunction and anger, they may be clofed. All finical and trifling actions of the fingers ought to be avoided; nor fhould they be stretched out and expanded in a stiff and rigid pofture, but kept eafy and pliable.

The geftures we have hitherto difcourfed of, are fuch as naturally accompany our expreffions. And we believe thofe we have mentioned, if duly attended to, will be found fufficient to anfwer all the purpofes of our modern pronunciation. The other fort of geftures above mentioned are fuch as arife from imitation : as where the orator describes fome action or perfonates another speaking. But here great care is to be taken not to overact his part by running into any ludicrous or theatrical mimicry. It is fufficient for him to reprefent things of this nature, as may best convey the image of them in a lively manner to the minds of the hearers; without any fuch changes either of his actions or voice as are not fuitable to his own character.

SOME PARTICULAR RULES FOR THE
VOICE AND GESTURE.

WE fhall begin with the parts of a discourse, and treat of them in their natural order. And here the view and defign of the speaker in each of them will eafily help us to fee the proper manner of pronuncia

tion. Let us fuppose then a person presenting himself before an affembly, in order to make a discourse to them. It cannot de decent immediately to begin to fpeak fo foon as ever he makes his appearance. He will first settle himself, compofe his countenance, and take a respectful view of his audience. This prepares them for filence and attention.

Perfons commonly form fome opinion of a speaker from their first view of him, which prejudices them either in his favor or otherwife, as to what he says afterwards. A grave and fedate afpect inclines them to think him ferious; that he had confidered his subject, and may have fomething to offer worth their attention. A haughty and forbidding air occafions diftafte, as it looks like difrefpect. A wandering giddy countenance argues levity. A dejected drooping appearance is apt to raise contempt, unlefs where the fubject is melancholy. And a cheerful afpect is a proper prelude to a pleasant and agreeable argument.

To fpeak low at first has the appearance of modefty, and is beft for the voice; which, by rifing gradually, will with more eafe be carried to any pitch that may be afterwards neceffary, without ftraining it. However, some variation of the voice is always proper to give it harmony. Nay, and fometimes it is not improper for an orator to fet out with a confiderable degree of -warmth. We have fome few inftances of this in Cicero; as in his oration for Rofcius Amerinus, where the heinoufness of the charge could not but excite his indignation against the accufers. And fo likewife in that against Pifo, and the two firft against Catiline, which begin in the fame manner, from the refentment he had conceived against their perfons and conduct.

In the narration, the voice ought to be raised to fomewhat a higher pitch. Matters of fact fhould be related in a very plain and diftinct manner, with a proper stress and emphafis laid upon each circumftance, accompanied with a fuitable addrefs and motions of the body to engage the attention of the hearers. For there is a

C

certain grace in telling a ftory, by which those who are mafters of it seldom fail to recommend themselves in conversation.

The propofition or fubject of the difcourfe, fhould be delivered with a very clear and audible voice. For if this be not plainly heard, all that follows in proof of it cannot be well understood. And for the fame reafon, if it be divided into feveral parts or branches, they should each be expreffed very deliberately and diftinctly. But as the defign here is only information, there can be little room for gefture.

The confirmation admits of great variety both of the voice and gesture. In reafoning, the voice is quick and pungent, and should be enforced with fuitable actions. And as defcriptions likewife have often a place here, in painting out the images of things, the orator fhould fo endeavor to adapt both his voice, and the motions of his body, particularly the turn of his eyes, and action of his hands, as may beft help the imagination of his hearers. Where he introduces another perfon speaking, or addreffes an abfent perfon, it should be with fome degree of imitation. And in dialogue, the voice fhould alter with the parts. When he diverts from his fubject by any digreffion, his voice fhould be lively and cheerful; fince that is rather defigned for entertainment than inftruction.

In confutation, the arguments of the adverfe party ought first to be repeated in a plain and distinct manner, that the fpeaker may not feem to conceal or avoid the force of them. Unless they appear trifling and unworthy of a ferious answer; and then a facetious manner, both of expreffion and gefture, may be the most proper way to confute them. For, to attempt to anfwer, in a grave and ferious manner, what is in itself empty and ludicrous, is apt to create a fufpicion of its having more in it than it really has.

But caution fhould be used not to reprefent any argument of weight in a ludicrous way, left by fo doing the speaker should more expofe himfelf than his adver

fary. In the conclufion, both the voice and gefture fhould be brifk and fprightly; which may seem to arife from a fenfe of the fpeaker's opinion of the goodness of his caufe, and that he has offered nothing but what is agreeable to reafon and truth; as likewife from his affurance that the audience agree with him in the fame fentiment. If an enumeration of the principal arguments of the difcourfe be convenient, as it fometimes is, where they are pretty numerous, or the difcourfe is long, they ought to be expreffed in the moft clear and forcible manner. And if there be an addrefs to the paffions, both the voice and gefture must be fuited to

the nature of them.

We proceed now to the confideration of particular expreffions. And what we fhall offer here, will be in relation to the fingle words, fentences, and the paffions. Even in thofe fentences which are expreffed in the moft even and fedate manner, there is often one or more words which require an emphasis and diftinction of the voice. Pronouns are often of this kind; as, this is the man. And fuch are many words that denote the circumstances and qualities of things. Such as heighten or magnify the idea of the thing to which they are joined, elevate the voice; as noble, admirable, majeftic, greatly, and the like. On the contrary, thofe which leffen the idea or debafe it, deprefs the voice, or at least protract the tone of which fort are the words little, mean, poorly, contemptible, with many

others.

Some tropes, likewife, as metaphors and verbal figures, which confift in the repetition of a fingle word, fhould have a particular emphafis. As when Virgil fays of the river Araxes, "It difdained a bridge." And Nifus of himself in the fame poet, " I, I am the man ;' where the repeated word is loudeft. This distinction of words, and giving them their proper emphafis, does not only render the expreffion more clear and intelligible, but very much contributes to the variation of the voice and the preventing of a monotony.

In fentences, regard fhould be had to their length, and the number of their parts, in order to distinguish them by proper paufes. The frame and structure of the period ought likewife to be confidered, that the voice may be fo managed as to give it the moft mufical accent. Unless there be fome fpecial reason for the contrary, it should end louder than it begins. And this difference of tone between the end of the former fentence and the beginning of the next, not only helps to diftinguish the fenfe, but adds to the harmony of the voice.

In an antithefis, or a fentence confifting of oppofite. parts, one contrary must be louder than the other. As, "He is gone, but by a gainful remove, from painful labor to quiet rest; from unquiet defire to happy contentment; from forrow to joy; and from tranfitory time to immortality." In a climax or gradation, the voice fhould generally rife with it. Thus, "There is no enjoyment of property without government; no government without a magiftrate; no magiftrate without obedience; no obedience where every one acts as he pleafes." And fo in other gradations of a different form as, "Since concord was loft, friendship was loft, fidelity was loft, liberty was loft, all was loft."

That the paffions have each of them both a differ ent voice and action, is evident from hence, that we know in what manner a person is affected, by the tone of his voice, though we do not understand the sense of what he fays, or many times fo much as fee him; and we can often make the fame judgment from his countenance and geftures. Love and efteem are expreffed in a finooth and cheerful tone; but anger and refentment, with a rough, harfh, and interrupted voice; for when the fpirits are ruffled, the organs are moved unequally. Joy raises and dilates the voice, as forrow finks and contracts it. Cicero takes notice of a paffage in an oration of Gracchus, wherein he bewails the death of his brother, who was killed by Scipio, which in his time was thought very moving: «Unhap