ftead of leaving it to old women, or the lowest and most ignorant of mankind in the first rudiments, or to fuch as do not confider it as part of their province, and who indeed in general know not how to teach it; which is the case in most grammar schools: the confequence of which has been, that most boys, are either perverted by false rules, or having no rules to guide them, take up any manner which chance throws in their way, or imperceptibly yield to the influence of bad example.

BUT as a scheme of this kind, would be of benefit only to the rifing generation, and as my present object is, the improvement of fuch as are more advanced in life, I fhall in the progress of this course, endeavour to point out a method, by which the adult may get the better of bad habits, and at the fame time lay down fuch rules to guide them, in acquiring a just and natural delivery, as will enable them to compass their end, provided they take suitable pains; and afterwards proceed in order, to pronunciation, accent, emphasis, pauses or stops, pitch and management of the voice, tones and gesture; which will comprehend the whole of what I have to offer on that fubject.

LECTURE

LECTURE II.

BE

EFORE I examine the several parts of elocution, it will be neceffary to define the meaning of the term.

ELOCUTION is the juft and graceful management of the voice, countenance, and gesture in speaking.

UNDER this head, I fhall confider every thing neceffary to a good delivery. I fhall treat of the voice and gefture separately, and include what respects the countenance in the latter article. And first of the voice, so far as the organs of speech are concerned.

A GOOD delivery, in this sense of the word, depends upon a due attention to the following articles.

ARTICULATION: Pronunciation: Accent: Emphafis: Tones or Notes of the speaking voice: Paufes or Stops: Key or Pitch, and Management of the voice.

Of each of these in their order. And firft of

ARTICULATION.

A Good articulation, confifts, in giving every letter in a syllable, its due proportion of found, according to the most approved custom of pronouncing it; and in making fuch a distinction, between the fyllables,

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fyllables, of which words are compofed, that the ear fhall without difficulty acknowledge their number; and perceive at once, to which fyllable each letter belongs. Where these points are not observed, the articulation is proportionally defective.

A GOOD articulation is to the ear, in fpeaking, what a fair and regular hand is to the eye, in writing; and exactness in founding the words rightly, correfponds to propriety in spelling; in both cases, the understanding can comprehend what is offered to it, with ease and quickness, and without being obliged to have recourse to painful attention. Fairness and exactness of hand is not thought a neceffary qualification of a gentleman; and is expected only from writing-masters and clerks. Nor is it a disgrace to him, even to write fuch a hand, as is fcarcely legible. The more irregular the hand is, the more time and pains indeed it will coft the reader, to make out the words; but then he may do this at his leisure, as the marks are permanent. With regard to articulation, in which the marks of the words vanish as they are spoken, this is not the cafe ; and therefore it should be fo diftinct, that the hearer, may with ease, go along with the speaker, at the fame pace. For if he should stop, to set any thing right, that is amiss in the speaker, whilst his attention is employed on that point, he loses irrecoverably, all that is said during that time. It is therefore in itself, a matter much more. effentially neceffary, that a speaker, should have a clear and distinct articulation, than that a writer should be master of a good hand..

BUT it is a difgrace to a gentleman, to be guilty of false spelling, either by omitting, changing, or adding letters contrary to custom; and yet it fhall be no difgrace to omit letters, or even fyllables in fpeaking, and to huddle his words fo together, as to render them utterly unintelligible. Yet. furely, exactness in the latter, is a point

of

of much more importance than in the former article, in whatever light we view it. The writing of a gentleman is fubmitted but to one reader at a time; who may examine it at his leifure, fupply any defects of orthography, and decypher the meaning, tho' the characters be ever so irregular. But the words of one who speaks in public, whether delivered, or read from notes, may be, at one and the fame time, addreffed to many hundred hearers; who must lose the benefit or purposed end of the difcourfe, in proportion as it is indiftinctly pronounced.

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THE reason of the unequal judgment past by mankind in this case is, that written language is taught by rule, and it is thought a shame for any one, to tranfgrefs the known rules of an art, in which he has been inftructed. But fpoken language is not regularly taught, but is left to chance, imitation, and early habit and therefore like. all other things left to chance, or unfettled principles, is liable to innumerable irregularities and defects. And in this case, mankind reciprocally claim, and allow indulgence to each other. That this is the true reafon, will be evident from this confideration; that amongst the Greeks and Romans, where fpeaking was regularly taught, the fmallest errour committed in pronouncing, was equally disgraceful in men, as false spelling is with us.

HENCE it comes to pass that faults in articulation, early contract ed, are suffered to gain ftrength by habit, and to grow fo inveterate by time, as to be incurable; partly thro' want of attention to the point in early years; and partly thro' want of skilful persons to remedy the evil after it has been fuffered to take root.

PARENTS do not think it necessary, to affift their infants, in their first attempts to articulate words; or to make them proceed regularly, in the formation of such sounds only, as are most easy, and require

require leaft exertion of the organs; but by fuffering them to try to pronounce any words whatsoever, or even often urging them to speak fuch as are too difficult, they give a wrong biass to their weak tender organs, which it would require much pains to fet right. Hence often arises stuttering, lifping, and a total inability to pronounce certain letters. The child being urged to utter a found, which he finds either difficult, or impoffible, of course hesitates, or substitutes another letter of more eafy pronunciation in the room; or wholly omits it, and only pronounces the remaining letters of the word; and this he afterwards does habitually, never ufing any endeavours of his own, to alter a pronunciation which he finds easy to himself. The parent, by being accustomed to it, understands perfectly the child's meaning, in this faulty manner of pronouncing; and too often, far from endeavouring to correct it, encourages him to proceed in it, by talking to him in his own childish way; for which he ac quires a fort of fondness, accounting the blemish a prettiness.

THE first master, (or rather mistress, as this charge is generally configned to old women) into whofe hands he is put to learn to read, is utterly ignorant of all rules, with regard to the art of speaking, or pronunciation. Thefe miferable drudges profess only to teach the written alphabet, and to fpell and put fyllables together properly as they are usually written. But if a boy brings any impediment with him; if he stutters, lifps, or is defective in the pronunciation of any letter, they neither profess nor know how, to cure any of these; to conceal their ignorance, they call them natural impediments, or defects in the organs of speech, and the child is permitted to go on in his own way, as incurable.

WHEN he is fent to the Latin fchool, the office of the mafter there, is not to teach him to articulate, in which point he expects

that