IV. LOUD FORCE.

Loud force is the tone used to express courage, boldness, defiance, anger, grandeur, and sublimity. It is used by the public speaker in addressing a large audience, or when speaking under the sway of strong

emotion.

This degree of force requires full and deep breathing, and a vigorous use of the vocal organs.

The middle pitch is the appropriate key of loud force. A high pitch weakens the effect of forcible reading or declamation.

1. Joy! Joy!

2. Hark to the

EXAMPLES.

Shout, shout aloud for joy.

brazen blare of the bugle!

Hark to the rolling clatter of the drums.

3. Not in vain the distance beacons. Forward, forward, let us range;

Let the great world spin forever down the ringing grooves of change.

4. ALEXANDER'S FEAST.

Now strike the golden lyre again;

A louder yet, and yet a louder strain.

Break his bands of sleep asunder,

And rouse him, like a rattling peal of thunder.

5. REVENGE.

And longer had she sung-but, with a frown,
Revenge impatient rose.

DRYDEN.

He threw his blood-stained sword in thunder down, And, with a withering look,

The war-denouncing trumpet took,

And blew a blast, so loud and dread,

Were ne'er prophetic sounds so full of woe:
And ever and anon, he beat

The doubling drum with furious heat.

COLLINS.

6. MILTON'S "PARADISE LOST."

Now storming fury rose,
And clamor such as heard in heaven till nów
Was never; arms on armor clashing, brayed
Horrible discord, and the madding wheels
Of brazen chariots raged: dire was the noise
Of conflict; overhead the dismal hiss
Of fiery darts in flaming volleys flèw,
And flying vaulted either host with fire.
So under fiery cópe, together rushed
Both battles màin, with ruinous assault
And inextinguishable rage. All heaven
Resounded; and had earth been then, all èarth,
Had to her cènter shook. What wonder? where
Millions of fierce encountering angels fought
On either side, the least of whom could wield
These élements, and arm him with the force
Of all their règions.

7. THE BELLS.

Hear the loud alarum bells

Brazen bells !

What a tale of terror, now, their turbulency tells !
In the startled ear of night

How they scream out their affright!

Too much horrified to speak,

They can only shriek, shriek,

Out of tune,

In the clamorous appealing to the mercy of the fire,
In a mad expostulation with the deaf and frantic fire.
Leaping higher, higher, HIGHER,

With a desperate desire,

And a resolute endeavor,

Now, now to sit or never

By the side of the pale-faced moon!

POE.

V. VERY LOUD OR DECLAMATORY FORCE.

Very loud force prevails in oratorical declamation before large audiences. It is also heard in the tones of anger, of passion, of command, in calling or shouting, and in intensely dramatic reading.

EXAMPLES.

1. Now for the fight! now for the cànnon peal,

Forward! through blood and tòil, and cloùd, and
fire!

Glorious the shout, the shock, the crash of steel,
The volley's roll, the rocket's blasting spire.

2. To arms! they come! the Greek! the Greek!
3. Liberty! Freedom! Tyranny is dead.

4. Thy threats, thy mercy I defŷ,
I give thee in thy teeth the lie.

5. He raised a shout as he drew on
Till all the welkin rang again:
"Elizabeth! Elizabeth!"

6. From every hill, by every sea,

In shouts proclaim the great decree,
"All chains are burst, all men are free!"

Hurrah, hurrah, hurrah!

7. SPARTACUS TO THE GLADIATORS.

[Radical and vanishing stress, and strongly marked circumflex inflections.]

Ye stand here now like giants, as ye àre. The strength of brass is in your toughened sinews; but to-morrow some Roman Adonis, breathing sweet perfume from his curly locks, shall with his lily fingers pât your red brawn, and bet his sèsterces upon your blood. Hark! hear ye yon lion roaring in his dén? 'Tis three days since he tasted flesh; but to-morrow he shall break his

fast upon yours, and a dainty meal for him ye will bè. If ye are beasts, then stand here like fat ôxen, waiting for the butcher's knife! If ye are men, follow mè! Strike down yon guard, gain the mountain pàsses, and thère do bloody work, as did your stres at old Thermopyla! Is Spárta dead? Is the old Grecian spírit frozen in your véins, that you do crouch and cower like a belabored hound beneath his master's lash? Oh, cômrades! warriors! Thracians! if we must fight, let us fight for ourselves! If we must slaughter, let us slaughter our oppressors! If we must díe, let it be under the clear sky, by the bright waters, in nòble, hónorable battle.

KELLOGG.

8. CATILINE'S DEFIANCE.

Conscript fáthers,

I do not rise to waste the night in words:
Let that plebeian talk; 't is not my tràde;
But here I stand for right!-Let him show pròofs!
For Roman right; though none, it seems, dare stand
To take their share with mè. Ay, cluster thère !
Cling to your màster, judges, Ròmans, slaves!
His charge is false. I dâre him to his proofs.

9. RICHELIEU.

Who spake of life?

I bade thee grasp that treasure as thine honor—
A jewel worth whole hêcatombs of lives!

Begone! redeem thine honor! Back to Marion-
Or Baradas-or Orleans-track the robber-
Regain the packet-or crawl on to àge-

CROLY.

Age and gray hairs like mine-and know thou'st lost That which had made thee great and saved thy country. See me not till thou 'st bought the right to seek me. Away! Nay, chèer thee! thou hast not fail'd yetThere's no such word as fail.

BULWER.

8. If I could stand for a moment upon one of your high mountain tóps, far above all the kingdoms of the civilized world, and there might sée, coming up, one after another, the bravest and wisest of the ancient wárriors, and státesmen, and kings, and monarchs, and priests; and if, as they came úp, I might be permitted to ask from them an expression of opinion upon such a case as this, with a common vòice and in thunder tones, reverberating through a thousand válleys, and echoing down the ages, they would crý: "Liberty, Freedom, the Universal Brotherhood of Màn!" I join that shout; I swell that anthem; I echo that práise forever, and for evermore.

11. THE WAR INEVITABLE.

They tell us, sir, that we are weak-unable to cope with so formidable an adversary. But when shall we be stronger? Will it be the next week, or the next year? Will it be when we are totally disármed, and when a British guard shall be stationed in every house? Shall we gather strength by irresolution and ináction? Shall we acquire the means of effectual resistance by lying supinely on our backs, and hugging the delusive phantom of hope, until our enemies shall have bound us. hand and foot? Sír, we are not weak, if we make a proper use of those means which the God of nature hath placed in our power. It is in vain, sir, to extènuate the matter. Gentlemen may cry péace, peace-but there is no peace. The war is actually begun! The next gale that sweeps from the north will bring to our ears the clash of resounding àrms! Our brethren are already in the field! Why stand we here idle? What is it that gentlemen wish? What would they have? Is life so dear, or peace so sweet, as to be purchased at the price of cháins and slavery? Forbid it, Almighty