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Juft writes to make his barrennefs appear,

And ftrains from hard-bound brains eight lines a-year. Pope's epifle to Dr. Arbuthnot, l. 181.

I fhall close with one example more, which of all makes the finest figure. In the firft fection mention is made of a climax in found; and in the fecond, of a climax in fenfe. It belongs to the present subject to obferve, that when thefe coincide in the fame paffage, the concordance of found and fense is delightful: the reader is confcious not only of pleasure from the two climaxes feparately, but of an additional pleasure from their concordance, and from finding the fenfe fo justly imitated by the found. In this refpect, no periods are more perfect than those borrowed from Cicero in the first fection.

The concord between fenfe and found is no lefs agreeable in what may be termed an anticlimax, where the progrefs is from great to little; for this has the effect to make diminutive objects appear still more diminutive. Horace affords a ftriking example.

Parturiunt montes, nafcetur ridiculus mus.

The arrangement here is fingularly artful: the first place is occupied by the verb, which is the capital word by its fenfe as well as found: the clofe is referved for the word that is the meaneft in fenfe as well as in found. And it muft not be overlooked, that the refembling founds of the two last fyllables give a ludicrous air to the whole.

Reviewing the foregoing examples, it appears to me, contrary to expectation, that in paffing from the ftrongest refemblances to thofe that are fainter, every ftep affords additional pleafure. Renewing the experiment again and again, I feel no wavering, but the greatest pleasure conftantly from the fainteft re femblances.

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femblances. And et how can this be? for if the pleasure lie in imita on, muft not the ftrongeft refemblance afford te greatest pleasure? From this vexing dilemma I a happily relieved, by reflecting on a doctrine eftabfhed in the chapter of refemblance and contraft, hat the pleasure of refemblance is the greatest, wher it is least expected, and where the objects compard are in their capital circum, ftances widely differnt. Nor will this appear fur. prifing, when we efcend to familiar examples. It raifeth no degree ofwonder to find the most perfect refemblance between two eggs of the fame bird: it is more rare to fincfuch refemblance between two human faces; and pon that account fuch an appearance raises fome degree of wonder: but this emotion rifes to a fl greater height, when we find `in a pebble, an agats, or other natural production, any refemblance to tree or to any organifed body. We cannot hesitate i moment, in applying thefe obfervations to the pefent fubject: what occafion of wonder can it be o find one found refembling another, where both are of the fame kind? It is not fo common to find arefemblance between an articu late found and one not articulate; which accordingly affords fome flight pleature. But the pleasure fwells greatly, when we employ found to imitate things it refembles not otherwfe than by the effects produced

in the mind.

I have had occafion to obferve, that to complete the refemblance between found and fenfe, artful pronunciation contributes not a little. Pronunciation therefore may be confidered as a branch of the prefent fubject; and widi fome obfervations upon it the fection fhall be concluded.

In order to give a juft idea of pronunciation, it must be diftinguished from finging. The latter is car

ried

ried on by notes, requiring each of them a different aperture of the windpipe: the noes properly belong ing to the former, are expreffe by different apertures of the mouth, without varing the aperture of the windpipe. This however dth not hinder pronunciation to borrow from fiaing, as one fometimes is naturally led to do, in epreffing a vehement paffion.

In reading, as in finging, tere is a key-note: above this note the voice is freuently elevated, ta make the found correfpond to he elevation of the fubject: but the mind in an elevaed state, is difpofed to action; therefore, in order a reft, it must be brought down to the key-not Hence the term cadence.

The only general rule that cabe given for directing the pronunciation, is, To found the words in fuch a manner as to imitate the hings they fignify. In pronouncing words fignifying what is elevated, the voice ought to be raised aboe its ordinary tone; and words fignifying dejection f mind, ought to be pronounced in a low note. T imitate a stern and impetuous paffion, the words oight to be pronounced rough and loud; a fweet aid kindly paffion, on the contrary, ought to be imitaed by a foft and me, lodious tone of voice; in Dryden's ode of Alexander's feaft, the line Faln, falu, faln, faln, reprefents a gradual finking of the mind and therefore is pro nounced with a falling voice by every one of tafte, without inftruction. In general, words that make the greateft figure ought to be marked with a pecu.. liar emphafis. Another circumftance contributes to the refemblance between fenfe and found, which is. flow or quick pronunciation: for though the length or fhortnefs of the fyllables with relation to each other, be in profe afcertained in fome measure, and

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in verfe accuratel; et, taking a whole line or period together, it may be pronounced flow or faft. ́A period according aght to be pronounced flow, when it expreffeswht is folemn or deliberate; and ought to be praanced quick, when it expreffes what is brifk, livey, or impetuous.

The art of protoncing with propriety and grace, being intended taake the found an echo to the fenfe, fcarce adnit of any other general rule than that above mentiond. It may indeed be branched out into many paicular rules and obfervations; but without muchfuccefs; because no language furnifheth words tdignify the different degrees of high and low, lourand foft, fast and flow. Before thefe differences ca be made the fubject of regular inftruction, notes just be invented, refembling thofe employed in mufic We have reafon to believe, that in Greece every tagedy was accompanied with fuch notes, in order afcertain the pronunciation; but the moderns hithrto have not thought of this refinement. Cicero ideed, without the help of notes, pretends to giverules for afcertaining the various tones of voice that are proper in expreffing the different paffions; and it muft be acknowledged, that in this atttempt le hath exhaufted the whole power of language. A the fame time, every perfon, of difcernment will perceive, that thefe rules avail little in point of inftriftion: the very words he employs, are not intelligibh, except to thofe who beforehand are acquainted wih the fubject.

To vary the fene a little, I propofe to close with a flight comparifon, between finging and pronounc ⚫ing. In this comparifon, the five following circum

ftances relative to articulate found, must be kept in view. ift, A found or fyllable is harth or fmooth.

* De ortore, 1. 3. cap. $8.

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2d, It is long or short. 3d, I i pronounced high or low. 4th, It is pronounce lud or foft. And, laftly, a number of words i fucceffion, conftituting a period or membr of a period, are pronounced flow or quick of these five the firft depending on the componit letters, and the fecond being afcertained by cum, admit not any variety in pronouncing. The hree laft are arbitrary, depending on the wilb the perfon who pronounces; and it is chiefly he artful manage ment of thefe that juft pronuncision confifts. With refpect to the firft circumftance, nufic has evidently. the advantage; for all its notes re agreeable to the ear; which is not always the cafe f articulate founds. With refpect to the fecond, long and fhort fyllables varioufly combined, produce a grit variety of feet; vet far inferior to the variety tht is found in the multiplied combinations of mufial notes. With respect to high and low notes, ponunciation is ftill more inferior to finging; for it is obferved by Dionyfius of Halicarnaffus, that in pronouncing, i. e. without altering the apertue of the windpipe, the voice is confined within three notes and a half: finging has a much greater compafs. With refpect to the two laft circunftances, pronunciation equals finging.

In this chapter I have mentioned none of the beauties of language but what arife from words taken in their proper fenfe. . Beauties that depend on the metaphorical and figurative pover of words, are * referved to be treated chap. 20.

De futura orationis, fect. g.

SECT.

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