ideas which are in the mind of man', and that writing or print ing are the transcript of words`. Spedator, No. 166. In this example, if there were no connexion between the two laft members from the antithefis they contain, the rifing inflexion would be neceffary at the end of the penultimate member, for the fake of found. In fhort, a modern Pindaric writer, compared with Pindar, is like a fifter among the Camifars, compared with Virgil's Sybil: there is the diftortion, grimace, and outward figure, but nothing of that divine impulfe which raifes the mind above itfelf', and makes the founds more than human. Spectator, No. 160. The florist, the planter, the gardener, the hufbandman, when they are accomplishments to the man of fortune, are great reliefs to a country life, and many ways useful to thofe who are poffeffed Ib. No. 93. of them. In the first of thefe examples the fentence might have finished at itself, and in the laft at life; for the fucceeding members do not modify them, but as they are penultimate members they neceffarily require the rifing inflexion.' In pronouncing fentences in which a feries of particulars is enumerated, the falling inflexion is moft expreffive. Let us try the following paffage with the rifing inflexion on each parti cular. I tell you, though you', though all the world', though an angel from heaven', were to affirm the truth of it, I could not be lieve it. How tame and infipid is this affeveration, in comparifon with the following manner of delivering it! that is, each particular having the falling inflexion: I tell you, though you', though all the world', though an angel from heaven were to affirm the truth of it, I could not believe it.' After a great number of minute rules-too minute perhaps to be obferved in practice-refpecting the variation of inflexion in fingle and compound serieses, Mr. Walker proceeds to treat of the fina paufe or period, and fhews, that it generally requires the falling inflexion and a lower tone of voice, but that this rule is liable to feveral exceptions, chiefly where the laft word is antithetical, and opposed to a word which, from its emphatical meaning, requires the falling emphafis; where the last member of a sentence is negative in oppofition to fome affirmative; and where the fentence is interrogative, but the question formed without the interrogative pronouns or adverbs. The following are examples of each of thefe exceptions in their order :-If content cannot remove the difquietudes of mankind, it will at least alleviate them.-Cæfar deferves blame, not fame.-Do you intend to read that book? Many good obfervations and rules occur in this part concerning interrogative fentences, exclamations, and parentheses, to which we muft content ourfelves with barely referring our Readers, Readers, in order to make room for fome of the Author's obfervations on the remaining branches of elocution. Emphafis, he justly diftinguishes into that which arifes from the p culiar fenie of one or two words in a fentence, and that which arifes from the greater importance of the nouns, verbs, and other principal words, than of connectives and particles. The latter takes place on almost every word in a fentence, except the articles, prepofitions, and conjunctions. The former is only placed upon fome word or words, the meaning of which is to be pointed out as diftinct from, or oppofite to, fome other thing. When this oppofition is expreffed in words, it forms an antithefis, the oppofite parts of which are always emphatical: thus, 'Tis hard to fay if greater want of skill Appear in writing or in judging ill. Sometimes one branch of the antithelis is not expreffed, but understood; as, Get wealth and place, if poffible with grace; If not, by any means get wealth and place. It is this kind of emphasis which most properly merits the appellation, and is chiefly to be attended to in fpeaking: concerning which this general rule may be laid down, that, wherever there is contradiftinction in the fenfe of the words, either expreffed or understood, there ought to be emphafis in the pronunciation of them. And from hence it may be inferred, that, wherever we place this emphafis, we fuggeft the idea of contradiftinction. Every fentence in which there is an emphatical word has three degrees, which may be expreffed by different characters, as in the following example: • Exercife and temperance ftrengthen even an INDIFFERENT Conftitution.' Every emphatic word, properly fo called, is diftinguished by the kind of inflexion it adopts. Whenever the emphatic word points out a particular fenfe in exclufion of fome other fenfe, this emphatic word adopts the falling inflexion. Ex. When a Perfian foldier was reviling Alexander the Great, his officer reprimanded him by faying, Sir, you were paid to fight against Alexander, and not to rail at him.' The emphafis with the rifing inflexion is to be placed on those words, which, though in contradiftinction to fomething elfe, do not abfolutely exclude its exiftence; Let us try this by an example. Lothario, in the Pair Penitent, expreffing his contempt for the oppofition of Horatio, fays, By the joys Which yet my foul has uncontroll'd purfu'd, I would not turn afide from my least pleasure The word thy, in this paffage, has the emphafis with the rifing in 0.4 flexion; flexion; which intimates, that however Lothario might be restrained by the force of others, Horatio's force, at least, was too infignificant to control him and as a farther proof that this is the fenfe fuggetted by the ring inflexion on the word thy, if we do but alter the inflexion upon this word, by giving it the emphafis with the falling in. flexin, we fhall find, that, instead of contempt and fneer, a compliment will be paid to Horatio; for it would imply as much as if Jonario had faid, I would not curn afide from my leaft pleasure, not only though common force, but even though thy force, great as it is, were armed to bar my way and that this cannot be the fenfe of the paffage is evident.' The grand diflinction then between the two emphatic inflexions is this; the falling inflexion affirms fomething in the emphafis, and denies what is oppofed to it in the antithefis; while the emphafis with the rifing inflexion affirms fomething in the emphafis, without denying what is oppofed to it in the antithefis. And from nence may be deduced the following general rule, concerning fentences composed of a pofitive and negative part: If the pofitive and negative import, that fomething is affirmed of one of the things which is denied of the other, the pofitive must have the falling, and the negative the rifing inflexion. Ex. And men', not leafts', fhall be his game. On this head the Author enters into a detail of observation, through which our limits will not allow us to follow him; we can only remark in general, that his principles appear to us to be juft and his rules ufeful. We muft, however, except the preference which he gives to harmony above the most expreffive utterance in the following paragraph: • Obfcurity is the greatest poble defect in reading; and no harmony whatever will make amends for it: but if the fenfe of a paffage is fufficiently clear, it feems no infringement on the rights of the understanding to give this fufficiently clear fenfe ao harmonious utterance. In this cafe, it is, perhaps, neceffary to diftinguish between clear fenfe, and strong sense; the first, is that which puts the author's meaning beyond the poflibility of miflake, the latter, as it were, adds fomething to it, and places the fenfe in fuch a point of view as to give it, though not a different, yet a greater force than what the words immediately fuggeft; but if this additional force becomes harth, quaint, or affected, the ear claims her rights in favour of harmony; and good tafle will always admit her claim, when the rights of the understanding are fufficiently fecured. Thus in that noble fentiment of Cato; A day, an hour of virtuous liberty, Is worth a whole eternity in bondage. To pronounce this paffage with the greatest force, we ought to lay the emphasis with the falling inflexion on eternity; as this would fuggeft a paraphrafe perfectly illustrative of the fenfe, which is, that a day, or an hour of virtuous liberty is not only worth more than the longest finite duration in bondage, but even a whole eternity. This pronunciaion, however, would neceffarily give the rifing inflexion to bondage, wh.ch which would conclude the paffage fo inharmonioufly, that the ear finds itfelf obliged to neglect this fo forcible expreflion, and content itfelf with placing the rifing inflexion on eternity, for the fake of the harmony of the cadence: and as the plain import of the word eternity is fufficiently strong and emphatical, fenfe is no great lofer by the fa crifice.' We cannot agree with our Author in the opinion, that reading is a compromife between the rights of fenfe and found. We apprehend as he has indeed allowed-that if the fenfe of a fentence be ftrongly conveyed, it will feldom be inharmoniously pronounced-and if this fhould occafionally happen, we judge that, in that cafe, there ought to be no compromife; but the found fhall be freely facrificed to the fenfe. For this reafon, we are of opinion that little advantageous ufe can be made either of the principles, or precepts, which the Author has laid down concerning harmonic inflexion in reading profe. Poetry, however, it is acknowledged, cannot be read properly, without an equable and harmonious flow of found, diftinct from the true pronunciation of profe compofitions. Hence the different inflexions of the voice upon particular words are not fo perceptible in verse as in profe; and fometimes the voice intirely finks the inflexions, and flides into a monotone, Wherever the inflexions are preferved, and the fenfe would, in profe, neceffarily require the falling, or the rifing inflexion, the fame must be adopted in verfe: but where either may be ufed in profe, the rifing inflexion fhould be adopted in veife as moft favourable to melody. The particular rules which Mr. W. deduces from thefe general remarks are, for the most part, juft and ufeful; but he lays too much ftrefs, we think, upon the paule in or near the middle of every line, called the cafura; which, notwithstanding what Lord Kaims and this Author have advanced, appears to us too fanciful and uncertain to deferve attention in reading English verfe. Concerning the modulation of the voice, gefture, and the tones of the paflions, the Author lays down many good rules; but in this part of his work we do not obferve any thing fufficiently original to require our particular attention. A judicious felection of paflages from the Poets, expreffing the feveral emotions and paffions of the human mind, clofes this useful work. We cannot take our leave of thefe Elements, without recommending them to the attention of the Public, as at once containing many new and curious obfervations, and providing a feries of practical rules, which, under the direction of a judicious preceptor, may be employed with great advantage in teaching the art of Reading. E. ART. ART. IV. Cardiphonia, or the Utterance of the Heart, in the Course of a real Correfpondence. By the Author of Omicron's Letters. 12mo. Two Vols. 6s. fewed. Buckland. 1781. HE Author of thefe Letters is not deftitute of inge Tnuity; but it is fo beclouded by myfticifm, fo diftorted by nonfenfe, that it feldom appears to any advantage. There is a vivacity in the following remark on the spiritual expofitors of the Old Teftament, which convinces us, that the Author's understanding would inftruct him to defpife abfurdity of any kind, if he had courage enough to put himself under its direction. I fuppofe I fhould have thought the Bible complete, though it had not informed me of the death of Rebekah's nurse, or where fhe was buried. But fome tell me that Deborah is the law, and by the oak I am to understand the cross of Chrift: and I remember to have heard of a preacher who difcovered a type of Christ crucified, in Abfalom hanging by the hair on another oak. I am quite a mole when compared with these eagle-eyed divines, and muft often content myfelf with plodding upon the lower ground of accomodation and allufion, except where the New Teftament writers affure me what the mind of the Holy Ghoft was. I can find the gospel with more confidence in the hiftory of Sarah and Hagar, than in that of Leah and Rachel; though without Paul's help I should have confidered them both as family fquabbles, recorded chiefly to illuftrate this general truth, that vanity and vexation of fpirit are incident to the best men, in the most favoured fituations.' But it is feldom that we meet with fuch pertinent obfervations as these in the volumes before us. The Author is too fond of placing the chief part of religion in certain ineffable and incommunicable impulfes and feelings of the heart;-talks with too much affurance of his own experiences of the power of divine grace; and appears, through the whole feries of his correfpondence, to be as infallibly certain of his election to everlafting life, and of the truth of the leading doctrines of Calvinifm, as an apoftle would be, even in the plenitude of inspiration. We are difgufted with vanity in every form; but when it affumes the drefs of religion, we are more than difgufted: -we are really fhocked. It is odious:-it is unnatural. It is a monster of equivocal generation!-nor will reprobated complaints of indwelling fin, declenfions, backflidings, lukewarmnefs, and all the tire fome, common place jargon which generally figures in the confeffion of a methodist, make any amends for that infufferable felf-conceit which arrogates to himfelf, and to his own party, the exclufive privileges of the covenant of ace, and converts the gospel of our common Saviour, The Rev. John Newton, curate of Olney, Bucks, Author of an Authentic Narrative, &c. addreffed to Haweis; A Review of Ecclefiaftical Hiftory, &c. |