And, when the fit was on him, I did mark

How he did shake: 'tis true, this god did shake:

His coward lips did from their color fly;

And that same eye, whose bend doth awe the world,

Did lose its lustre.

Circumflex and emphasis are very much alike; so much so, indeed, that it is hardly necessary to give them different names.

In fact, the intimate relation of emphasis and inflection, and the marked influence of the former in determining what particular inflection shall be used in any case, render it impossible to provide a complete and unchanging system of rules for the guidance of the student in the application of the rising and falling slides of the voice; for emphasis is in its very nature too pliant, variable, and uncertain, to be the subject of definite regulation. The sense of the matter to be read must be the chief reliance of the student in the use both of the inflections and of emphasis.

Pause is the suspension of voice made in reading and speaking, in order to rest the voice, give an opportunity for breathing, and render the vocal expression of written matter intelligible and effective. It has two general divisions, as follows:

GRAMMATICAL PAUSE is used to mark the division of sentences, and thereby show more clearly their meaning and grammatical construction. IT IS REPRESENTED by certain signs called punctuation points, or pauses. The following are the principal points, or marks: the Comma (,), the Semicolon (;), the Colon (:), the Period (.), the Dash (—), the Interrogation Point (?), the Exclamation Point (!), and the Brackets [] or (). The student is supposed to be already familiar with their use.

II. RHETORICAL PAUSE.

RHETORICAL PAUSE is a suspension of the voice, varying in length as the occasion requires, used to mark an ellipsis or a transition of thought, or to set important and significant words and phrases in strong relief.

When properly understood and practiced, rhetorical pause is one of the most effective elements of Elocution. It may, or may not, occur at the same points marked by punctuation. It has nothing to do with the grammatical construction of sentences, and is not designated by the use of any printed characters or signs other than the dash, which is sometimes so employed.

EXAMPLES OF RHETORICAL PAUSE.

Some place the bliss in action, some - in ease;
Those call it pleasure, and contentment - these.

Creation sleeps:-'tis as the general pulse of life-stood still;-
And nature made a pause, - an awful pause, -
Prophetic of her end.

The stars - shall fade away,-the sun - himself-
Grow dim-with age,- and Nature-sink-in years;
But thou shalt flourish - in immortal youth,-
Unhurt- amidst the war of elements,-

The wreck of matter,- and the crush of worlds.

IV. MODULATION.

Modulation is the art of varying the tones of the voice in reading and speaking, so as to produce a pleasing flow of sound, and give to every word, phrase and sentence, the quality and force of utterance which best express their meaning.

Modulation is, in fact, the melody of speech, without which language would fall cold and lifeless from our lips. It has seven general divisions, as follows:

Pitch is the place or degree of elevation a sound has in the scale of the compass of the voice.

Its principal divisions, although, of course, there are many intermediate degrees, are as follows:

HIGH PITCH is used in very spirited declamation, to express elevated, joyous feelings, and intense emotions:

Fight, gentlemen of England! fight, bold yeomen!
Draw, archers, draw your arrows to the head!
Spur your proud horses hard, and ride in blood!

Amaze the welkin with your broken staves!

A thousand hearts are great within my bosom !
Advance our standards, set upon our foes!
Our ancient word of courage-fair Saint George-
Inspire us with the spleen of fiery dragons!
Upon them! Victory sits on our helms !

I come! I come! Ye have called me long!

I come o'er the mountains with light and song!

MODERATE PITCH is used in ordinary discourse, calm reasoning, and sim

ple description:

Chisel in hand stood a sculptor boy,

With his marble block before him;-
And his face lit up with a smile of joy
As an angel dream passed o'er him.
He carved that dream on the yielding stone
With many a sharp incision;

In heaven's own light the sculptor shone,
He had caught that angel vision.

Sculptors of life are we, as we stand

With our lives uncarved before us,
Waiting the hour, when, at God's command,
Our life dream passes o'er us.

Let us carve it, then, on the yielding stone
With many a sharp incision;-

Its heavenly beauty shall be our own;-
Our lives, that angel vision.

LOW PITCH is that which is used when the voice falls below the ordinary tone. It is employed in solemn and sublime description, and in composition expressing reverence, awe, and deep and tender emotions:

Not a drum was heard, not a funeral note,
As his corse to the rampart we hurried;
Not a soldier discharged his farewell shot

O'er the grave where our hero we buried.

It was as if the dead youth were just at the gate of heaven, which, swinging softly open, let the inconceivable glory of the blessed city shine upon his face, and kindle it up with gentle astonishment and purest joy. It was an expression contrived by God's providence to comfort. It was as if the dead man himself showed his face out of the sky, with heaven's blessing on it, and bade the afflicted be of good cheer, and believe in immortality.

II. FORCE.

Force is the volume or loudness of the voice used in reading or speaking. It has three principal degrees, as follows:

LOUD FORCE is used in the expression of strong passion and intense emotion, and in all animated declamation:

Banished from Rome! What's banished, but set free

From daily contact with the things I loathe ?

"Tried and convicted traitor!" Who says this?

Who'll prove it, at his peril, on my head?

Banished! I thank you for't! It breaks my chain!

I held some slack allegiance till this hour

But now, my sword's my own. Smile on, my lords!
I scorn to count what feelings, withered hopes,
Strong provocations, bitter, burning wrongs,

I have within my heart's hot cells shut up,
To leave you in your lazy dignities!

MODERATE FORCE is a medium degree of stress or loudness. It is employed in all ordinary discourse, narration and description:

You must be sure of two things: you must love your work, and not be always looking over the edge of it, wanting your play to begin. And the other is, you must not be ashamed of your work, and think it would be more honorable to you to be doing something else. You must have a pride in your own work, and in learning to do it well, and not be always saying, "There's this, and there's that-if I had this or that to do, I might make something of it." No matter what a man is, I wouldn't give two-pence for him, whether he was the Prime Minister, or a rick thatcher, if he didn't do well what he undertook to do.

Our birds of song are silent now-
There are no flowers blooming;
Yet life beats in the frozen bough,
And Freedom's Spring is coming!
And Freedom's tide comes up alway,
Though we may strand in sorrow;
And our good bark, aground to-day,
Shall float again to-morrow!

GENTLE FORCE is a slight degree of stress, and is used to express caution, love, and all tender emotions:

Lovely art thou, O Peace! and lovely are thy children; and lovely are the prints of thy footsteps in the green valleys!

Blue wreaths of smoke ascend through the trees, and betray the halfhidden cottage; the eye contemplates well-thatched ricks, and barns bursting with plenty; the peasant laughs at the approach of winter.

White houses peep through the trees; cattle stand cooling in the pool; the casement of the farm-house is covered with jessamine and honey-suckle; the stately green-house exhales the perfume of summer climates!

Children climb the green mound of the rampart; and ivy holds together the half-demolished buttress.

III. QUALITY.

Quality treats of the kinds of tone used in reading and speaking.

THE PURE TONE is a smooth, flowing quality of voice, accompanied with medium pitch and stress. It is used in all calm utterances, simple narration, introductions, and ordinary conversations.

It is the tone of voice most frequently used, and should be sedulously cultivated by continued practice:

You must wake and call me early, call me early, mother dear,
To-morrow 'll be the happiest time of all the glad New-Year;
Of all the glad New-Year, mother, the maddest, merriest day
For I'm to be Queen o' the May, mother, I'm to be Queen o' the May!

The cynic puts all human actions into two classes-openly bad, and secretly bad. He holds that no man does a good thing except for profit. The livelong day he will coolly sit with sneering lip, transfixing every character that is presented.

THE OROTUND QUALITY is the pure tone or natural voice deepened and enlarged. It is characterized by a pure, ringing fullness of sound made deep in the throat. It is highly pleasing to the ear, and is more musical and flexible than the natural voice.

It is used in sublime utterances, bold declamation, animated appeals, and apostrophe.

The possession of the Orotund Quality as a natural tone of voice is very rare, and its acquisition requires cultivation and careful management. The frequent exercise of the voice in reading and declaiming aloud, with the utmost degree of force of which it is susceptible, is a sure method of improving it, and producing the Orotund melody and fullness of sound:

False wizard, avaunt! I have marshaled my clan :
Their swords are a thousand--their bosoms are one!
They are true to the last of their blood and their breath,
And like reapers descend to the harvest of death.
Then welcome be Cumberland's steed to the shock!
Let him dash his proud foam like a wave on the rock!

THE ASPIRATED QUALITY is a harsh, half-whispered tone of voice, and is used in expressions of terror, horror, despair, remorse, and kindred emotions.

To master it, begin with whispering exercises, and gradually intone them until the full effect is reached:

How ill this taper burns!--Ha! who comes here?

I think it is the weakness of mine eyes

That shapes this monstrous apparition.

It comes upon me!--Art thou anything?

Art thou some god, some angel, or some devil,

That mak'st my blood cold, and my hair to stare?

Speak to me, what thou art!

THE GUTTURAL QUALITY is a deep undertone, used in expressions of

hatred, contempt, revenge, scorn, and similar emotions :

Avaunt! and quit my sight! Let the earth hide thee!
Thy bones are marrowless, thy blood is cold:

Thou hast no speculation in those eyes

Which thou dost glare with!

Hence, horrible shadow !

Unreal mockery, hence!