speech impressive. Such is the power of the intellectual, over the material part of our nature, that all our bodily organs are influenced by their powerful agency. In particular, the voice is attuned, and the eyes are impregnated by the feeling or passion, which engrosses the soul.

EXERCISES ON THE INFLECTIONS.

Blessed' are the poor in spirit'. Blessed' are the meek'.Blessed' are the peace-makers`.

Let your light so shine before men', that they may see your good works', and glorify your Father" which is in heaven.

And now abideth faith', hope", charity'; these three: but. the greatest of these'-is-charity`.

When all thy mercies', O my God',
My rising soul surveys'-
Transported with the view', I'm lost
In wonder', love", and praise`.

Correct articulation', is the most important exercise of the voice', and of the organs of speech`.

The sorrow for the dead', is the only sorrow' from which we refuse to be divorced`.

Age', that lessens the enjoyment of life', increases our desire of living`.

Christianity bears all the marks of a divine original'. It came down from heaven', and its purpose is to carry us up thither`.

Year' steals upon us' after year'. Life' is never still for a moment', but continually', though insensibly', sliding into a new form`. Infancy' rises up fast to childhood-childhood' to youth-youth passes quickly into manhood', and the gray hair' and the fading look', are not long in admonishing us", that old age is near at hand.

MODULATION.

The modulation of the voice is the proper management of its tones, so as to produce grateful melody to the ear. Upon the modulation of the voice depends that variety, which is so pleasing and so necessary to refresh and relieve the ear in a long oration. The opposite fault is monotony, which becomes at last so disagreeable as to defeat altogether the success of a public speaker,-as far as to

please is any part of his object,-by exciting the utmost impatience and disgust in his audience. To the variety, so grateful to the ear, not only changes of tone are requisite, but, also, changes of delivery.

According to the subject, the rapidity of the utterance varies, as the time of the different movements in music. Narration proceeds equably; the pathetic, slowly; instruction, authoritatively; determination, with vigour ; and passion, with rapidity; all of which are analogous to the andante, the cantabile, the allegro, the presto, and other musical expressions.

The modulation of the voice is one of the most important requisites in a public speaker. Even to the private reader, who wishes to execute his task with pleasure to others, it is a necessary accomplishment. A voice which keeps long in one key, however correct the pronunciation, delicate the inflection, and just the emphasis, will soon tire the hearer.

The voice has been considered as capable of assuming three keys, the low, the high, and the middle. This variety is undoubtedly too limited; but for the first lessons of a student, it may be useful to regard the classification. A well trained voice is capable of ranging in these with various degrees of loudness, softness, stress, continuity, and rapidity.

Modulation includes also the consideration of time, which is natural in the pronunciation of certain passages. The combinations, then, of pitch, force, and time, are extremely numerous: thus, we have low, loud, slow; low, soft, slow; low, feeble, slow; low, loud, quick, &c.; middle, loud, slow; middle, soft, slow; middle, feeble, slow, &c. Thus, we have a copious natural language adapted to the expression of every emotion and passion.

The application of these qualities of the voice in the expression of emotion, would lead us into a field of inquiry too wide for a volume such as this: the taste of the teach er will readily suggest to the pupil what is wanting here. A few passages, however, may be given here as fit exercises for particular combinations of these qualities.

EXAMPLES.

ADORATION-ADMIRATION-SOLEMNITY-SUBLIMITY.-LOW, LOUD,

SLOW, CONTINUOUS.

Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name.-Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us.And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil; for thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen.

In addresses to the Deity, little deviation should be made from the key note. The inflections should be little varied -even emphasis should not be strikingly marked.

O thou that rollest above, round as the shield of my fathers! whence are thy beams, O sun! thy everlasting light? Thou comest forth in thy awful beauty; the stars hide themselves in the sky; the moon, cold and pale, sinks in the western wave. But thou thyself movest alone: who can be a companion of thy course? The oaks of the mountains fall; the mountains themselves decay with years: the ocean shrinks and grows again; the moon herself is lost in the heavens; but thou art for ever the same, rejoicing in the brightness of thy course. When the world is dark with tempests, when thunders roll and lightnings fly, thou lookest in thy beauty from the clouds, and laughest at the storm. But to Ossian thou lookest in vain: for he beholds thy beams no more; whether thy yellow hair flows on the eastern clouds, or thou tremblest at the gates of the west. But thou art, perhaps, like me, for a season: thy years will have an end. Thou wilt sleep in thy clouds, careless of the voice of the morning.

MOURNFULNESS-DESPONDENCY.-LOW, SOFT, MIDDLE TIME,

Had it pleased heaven

TREMULOUS.

To try me with affliction; had it rained

All kinds of sores and shames on my bare head;
Steeped me in poverty to the very lips;

Given to captivity me and my utmost hopes;
I should have found in some part of my soul
A drop of patience; but, alas! to make me
A fixèd figure, for the time of scorn
T'o point his slow unmoving finger at―
Oh-

FEAR WITHOUT GUILT.-VERY LOW, SLOW, THE TONE SUSTAINED.

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 any thing?
Art thou some god, some angel, or some devil,

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

GUILTY FEAR.-LOW, SLOW, HARSH, THE VOICE AT TIMES
ASPIRATED.

Oh, coward conscience, how dost thou affright me !
The lights burn blue. It is now dead midnight;
Cold fearful drops stand on my trembling flesh.

DEEP EMOTION.-LOW, QUICK, BROKEN.

Farewell, farewell, farewell!

She does not feel, she does not feel! Thank heaven,
She does not feel her Fazio's last, last kiss!

One other! Cold as stone-sweet, sweet as roses!

CONVERSATIONAL VOICE.-MIDDLE TONE, LIGHT, MIDDLE TIME.

Speak the speech, I pray you, as I pronounced it to you, trippingly on the tongue: but if you mouth it, as many of our players do, I had as lief the town-crier spoke my lines.And do not saw the air too much with your hands, but use all gently; for in the very torrent, tempest, and, as I may say, whirlwind of your passions, you must acquire and beget a temperance that may give it smoothness. O, it offends me to the soul, to hear a robustious periwig-pated fellow tear a passion to tatters, to very rags, to split the ears of the groundlings; who, for the most part, are capable of nothing but inexplicable dumb show and noise.

DIGNITY.-MIDDLE TONE, LOUD, SLOW.

While there is hope, do not distrust the gods,
But wait at least till Cæsar's near approach
Force us to yield. 'Twill never be too late
To sue for chains and own a conqueror.

EARNESTNESS.-MIDDLE TONE, LOUD, TIME QUICKER.

Whom are we to charge as the deceiver of the state? Is it not the man whose words are inconsistent with his actions? On whom do the maledictions fall, usually pronounced in our assemblies? Is it not on this man? Can we point out a more enormous instance of iniquity in any speaker, than this inconsistency between his words and actions?

REVENGE.MIDDLE TONE, LOUD, ASPIRATED.

O, that the slave had forty thousand lives!
One is too poor, too weak for my revenge!
Arise, black vengeance, from thy hollow cell!
Vield up, O love, thy crown and hearted throne

To tyrannous hate! swell, bosom, with thy fraught,
For 'tis of aspics' tongues.

COURAGE-CHIVALROUS EXCITEMENT.-HIGH, LOUD, SLOW
Once more unto the breach, dear friends, once more;
Or close the wall up with our English dead!
In peace, there's nothing so becomes a man,
As modest stillness, and humility;

But when the blast of war blows in our ears,
Then imitate the action of the tiger;
Stiffen the sinews, summon up the blood,
Disguise fair nature with hard-favoured rage.
On, on, you noblest English,

Whose blood is fetched from fathers of war-proof!
Fathers, that, like so many Alexanders,

Have, in these parts, from morn till even fought,
And sheathed their swords for lack of argument.
I see you stand like greyhounds in the slips,
Straining upon the start. The game's afoot;
Follow your spirit: and, upon this charge,
Cry-Heaven for Harry! England! and St. George!

COURAGE-DESPERATE EXCITEMENT-HIGH, LOUD, SLOW,
MORE ASPIRATED.

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 St. George,
Inspire us with the spleen of fiery dragons!
Upon them! Victory sits on our helms.

FONDNESS, MIXED WITH SORROW.-HIGH, SOFT, SLOW.

Oh, my long lost hope!

If thou to giddy valour gav'st the rein,
To-morrow I may lose my son for ever.
The love of thee before thou saw'st the light,
Sustained my life when thy brave father fell.
If thou shalt fall, I have nor love, nor hope,
In this wide world. My son, remember me!

Wilt thou be gone? It is not yet near day:
It was the nightingale, and not the lark,
That pierced the fearful hollow of thine ear;
Nightly she sings on yon pomegranate tree:
Believe me, love, it was the nightingale.