iterations, during its progress through any assumed interval of the scale. These constituent impulses must be made with distinct accent, and with equal time and force.

148. It seems to be subservient to all species of expression; for there is scarcely a passion, whether of joy, grief, or exultation, there is scarce even a sentiment, whether of tenderness or of supplication, contempt, indignant scorn, or any other connatural state of feeling, to which this function of the voice does not add a much higher degree of impressiveness than could possibly be effected solely by the smooth "concrete movement."

EXAMPLES.

149. Thou art the ruins of the noblest man
That ever lived in the tide of times.

150. If the first syllable in the word "noblest" be uttered on the "tremulous movement," it will convey the idea of a high degree of praise, and, at the same time, add the sentiment of exultation, and a superlativeness of compliment, which could not be expressed by the smooth "concrete movement."

151. Thou art, and wert, and shalt be! glorious! great!

Light-giving, life-sustaining potentate!

152. When the words "glorious! great!" are uttered on a well-managed, graceful "tremulous movement," ," it impresses a grandeur of thought, a sublimity of conception, and a joyful exultation of feeling, immeasurably above and beyond what could. be effected by the smooth "concrete movement."

153. Thou glorious mirror, where the Almighty's form
Glasses itself in tempests - in all time,

Calm or convulsed-in breeze, or gale, or storm.

154. All hail, thou lovely queen of night!

155. If any one fail to perceive the effect of this movement of the voice, let him read the two last examples; first uttering the words "glorious" and "lovely queen" on the smooth "concrete," and then on the "tremulous movement." If the difference in effect be not very perceptible, let him repeat the experiment. If then he be not convinced, further efforts will be of no weight. It would seem to be one of those cases, where it is a discouraging task to be obliged to push on a feeble or an unwilling intellect; or, at least, it is one of those cases where the decisions of the individual's own taste, such as it is, must be final with regard to himself.

EMPHASIS.

156. EMPHASIS is merely a generic term, including a specification of the uses of every accident of the voice, for the purpose of enforcing sentiment and thought. No exact definition of it can be given, nor can any general principle be laid down, which will serve as a guide to the pupil. It can only be understood by considering the several principles from which it arises. It is one of those qualities, of which, though the want of it exposes a teacher to much censure, the possession hardly entitles him to any praise. It is a kind of negative quality, consisting more in an

exemption from certain defects, than in the acquisition of any excellence. It holds the same place among the virtues of elocution that justice holds among the moral virtues. The more necessary each is, and the more blamable the transgressor is, the less merit has the observance.

DIVISION OF EMPHASIS.

157. For the convenience of illustration, the subject is arranged in the following order :- SYLLABIC or

ORGANIC EMPHASIS, EMPHASIS OF SENSE, EMPHASIS OF FORCE, and the WEAK EMPHASIS.

SYLLABIC EMPHASIS.

158. Little need be said on the subject of organic emphasis. It is what is termed, by writers on elocution, accent, which is the distinguishing of one syllable in a word from others, by the application of a greater force of voice upon it. When a syllable, made conspicuous by force of voice or other means, carries with it a remarkable meaning, it constitutes the function called emphasis.

159. Every word of more than one syllable must have one of its syllables distinguished by this accent, of which custom and the genius of the language are the sole regulators. The principles of pronunciation define the position of this accent, and the only case in which it is necessary to take notice of it in reading, is that in which the sense requires it to be transposed.

160. This happens when words which have a sameness in part of their formation, are opposed to each other in sense, and also, on some occasions, when words have a sameness of termination, though they may not be opposed to each other in sense.

161. Thus, in the first instance, if we pronounce the words justice and injustice as single words, we place the syllabic emphasis on the penultimate syllable of both; but if we contrast them, and say, neither justice nor injustice has any thing to do with the present question, we lay the syllabic emphasis on the first syllable of injustice, in order the more forcibly and clearly to distinguish it from justice.

162. Thus, in the second instance, if it be requisite to show that we mean one trait in a dramatic story rather than another, we should say, in this species of composition, plausibility is much more essential than probability, and, in the pronunciation of these two words, we should infallibly transpose the syllabic emphasis from the third to the first syllable, in order to contrast those parts of the words which are distinguished from each other by the import of the sentence.

163. The following rule may be adopted in the use of syllabic emphasis: -When words have a sameness in part of their formation, and are opposed to each other in sense, syllabic emphasis effects a transposition of accent.

EXAMPLES.

164. Catiline was expert in all the arts of simulation and dissimulation.

165. It is enacted in the laws of Venice,

That, by direct or indirect attempts,
He seek the life of any citizen,

The party 'gainst the which he doth contrive
Shall seize one half his goods; the other half
Comes to the privy coffer of the state;
And the offender's life lies in the mercy
Of the duke only, 'gainst all other voice.
In which predicament, I say, thou stand'st.
For it appears, by manifest proceeding,
That indirectly, and directly too,

Thou hast contrived against the

very life

Of the defendant; and thou hast incurred
The danger formerly by me reheasred.

EMPHASIS OF SENSE.

166. By far the most important division of the subject is the emphasis of sense. This is a form of stress or force of expression, which a good reader gives to words that are in contradistinction to other words, expressed or understood. When properly applied and skilfully used, it indicates or implies something more than is conveyed by the sentence, if understood according to the actual amount of the words composing it.

167. Its office, in many cases, is solely to determine the meaning of a sentence with reference te something said before; to something presupposed by the author as general knowledge; or, it may be, to remove an ambiguity when the sentence is capable of being understood in a sense not intended by the writer.