will bear; for he, who attempts to carry them farther în paffion, than they will follow him, frustrates his purpofe. By endeavoring to warm them too much he takes the fureft method of freezing them completely.

Concerning the peroration or conclufion of a dif courfe a few words will be fufficient. Sometimes the whole pathetic part comes in most properly at the conclufion. Sometimes, when the discourse has been altogether argumentative, it is proper to conclude with fumming up the arguments, placing them in one view, and leaving the impreffion, of them full and strong on the minds of the hearers. For the great rule of a conclufion, and what nature obviously fuggefts, is, place that laft, on which you choose to reft the ftrength of 3044 your caufe.

In every kind of public fpeaking it is important to hit the precife time of concluding; to bring the difcourfe juft to a point; neither ending abruptly and unexpectedly, nor disappointing the expectation of the hearers, when they look for the end of the discourse. The speaker should always clofe with dignity and spir it, that the minds of the hearers may be left warm, and that they may depart with a favorable impreffion of the fubject and of himself.

R 2

PRONUNCIATION OR DELIVERY.

THE

HE great objects, to which every public speaker fhould direct his attention in forming his delivery, are, First, to speak fo, as to be fully and eafily understood by his hearers; and next, to express himself with such grace and energy, as to please and to move them.

To be fully and eafily understood, the chief requifites are a due degree of loudness of voice, diftinctness, flownefs, and propriety of pronunciation.

To be heard is undoubtedly the first requifite. The speaker must endeavor to fill with his voice the space, occupied by the affembly. Though this power of voice is in a great measure a natural talent, it may receive confiderable affiftance from art. Much depends on the proper pitch and management of the voice. Every man has three pitches in his voice; the high, the middle, and the low. The high is ufed in calling aloud to some one at a distance; the low approaches to a whif per; the middle is that, which is employed in common converfation, and which fhould generally be ufed in public fpeaking. For it is a great error, to fuppofe that the highest pitch of the voice is requifite, to be well heard by a great affembly. This is confounding two things materially different, loudnefs or ftrength of found with the key or note, on which we speak. The voice may be rendered louder without altering the key; and

the speaker will always be able to give most body, moft perfevering force of found, to that pitch of voice, to which in converfation he is accustomed. Whereas, if he begin on the highest key, he will fatigue himself, and speak with pain; and, wherever a man speaks with pain to himself, he is always heard with pain by his audience. Give the voice therefore full ftrength and swell of found; but always pitch it on your ordinary fpeaking key; a greater quantity of voice fhould never be uttered, than can be afforded without pain, and without any extraor dinary effort. To be well heard, it is useful for a speaker to fix his eye on fome of the most distant perfons in the affembly, and to consider himself, as speaking to them. We naturally and mechanically utter our words with fuch strength, as to be heard by one, to whom we addrefs ourselves, provided he be within the reach of our voice. This is the cafe in public fpeaking as well, as in common converfation. But it must be remembered, that speaking too loudly is peculiarly offenfive. The ear is wounded, when the voice comes upon it in rumbling, indistinct masses; befide it ap pears, as if afsent were demanded by mere vehemence and force of found..

To being well heard and clearly understood distinctnefs of articulation is more conducive perhaps, than mere loudness of found. The quantity of found, requifite to fill even a large space, is lefs, than is commonly fuppofed with diftinct articulation a man of a

weak voice will make it extend farther, than the strongest voice can reach without it. This therefore demands peculiar attention. The speaker must give every found its due proportion, and make every fyllable, and even every letter, be heard distinctly. To fucceed in this, rapidity of pronunciation must be avoided. A lifelefs, drawling method however is not to be indulged. To pronounce with a proper degree of flowness and with full and clear articulation cannot be too induftriously ftudied, nor too earnestly recommended. Such pronunciation gives weight and dignity to a discourse. It affists the voice by the paufes and rests, which it allows it more easily to make; and it enables the fpeaker to fwell all his founds with more energy and more mufic. It affifts him also in preferving a due command of himself; whereas a rapid and hurried manner excites that flutter of fpirits, which is the greatest enemy to all right execution in oratory.

ciation.

To propriety of pronunciation nothing is more conducive, than giving to every word, which we utter, that found, which the most polite ufage appropriates to it, in oppofition to broad, vulgar, or provincial pronunOn this fubject however written inftructions. avail nothing. But there is one obfervation, which it may be useful to make. In our language every word of more fyllables, than one, has one accented fyllable.. The genius of the language requires the voice to mark that fyllable by a stronger percuffion, and to pass more

flightly over the reft. The fame accent should be give en to every word in public speaking and in common dif courfe. Many perfons err in this refpect. When they fpeak in public and with folemnity, they pronounce differently from what they do at other times: They dwell upon fyllables, and protract them; they multiply accents on the fame word from a false idea, that it gives gravity and force to their difcourfe, and increases the pomp of public declamation. But this is one of the greatest faults, which can be committed in pronunciation; it conftitutes, what is termed a theatrical or mouthing manner; and gives an artificial, affected air to fpeech, which detracts greatly from its agreeable-nefs and its impreffion..

We shall now treat of thofe higher parts of delivery, by ftudying which a speaker endeavors not merely to render himself intelligible, but to give grace and force to what he utters. These may be comprehended under four heads, emphafis, pauses, tones, and geftures.

By emphasis is meant a fuller and stronger found of voice, by which we distinguish the accented fyllable of fome word, on which we intend to lay particular stress, and to fhow how it affects the rest of the fentence. To acquire the proper management of empha-.. fis, the only rule is, ftudy to acquire a juft conception of the force and fpirit of thofe fentiments, which you are to deliver. In all prepared difcourfes it would be ex