found; but always pitch it on our ordinary speaking key. It should be a constant rule, never to utter a greater quantity of voice, than we can afford without pain to ourselves, and without any extraordinary effort. As long as we keep within these bounds, the other organs of fpeech will be at liberty to discharge their feveral offices with eafe; and we shall always have our voice under command. But whenever we tranfgrefs these bounds, we give up the reins, and have no longer any management of it. It is a useful rule too, in order to be well heard, to caft our eye on fome of the most distant perfons in the company, and to confider ourselves as reading to them. We naturally and mechanically utter our words with fuch a degree of ftrength, as to make ourselves be heard by the perfon whom we addrefs, provided he is within the reach of our voice. As this is the cafe in converfation, it will hold alfo in reading to others. But let us remember, that in reading, as well as in converfation, it is poffible to offend by speaking to loud. This extreme hurts the ear, by making the voice come upon it in rumbling indistinct maffes. By the habit of reading, when young, in a loud and vehement manner, the voice becomes fixed in a ftrained and unnatural key; and is rendered incapable of that variety of elevation and depreffion which conftitutes the true harmony of utterance, and affords eafe to the reader, and pleasure to the audience. This unnatural pitch of the voice, and difagreeable monotony, are moft obfervable in perfons who were taught to read in large rooms; who were accustomed to stand at too great diftance, when reading to their teachers; whofe instructors were very imperfect in their hearing; or who were taught by perfons that confidered loud expreffion as the chief requifite in forming a good reader. These are circumftances which demand the ferious attention of every one to whom the education of youth is committed. SECTION H. Diftinetness. IN the next place, to being well heard and clearly underftood, diftinctnefs of articulation contributes more than mere loudness of found. The quantity of found peceffary to fill even a large space, is fmaller than is commonly imagined; and, with diftinct articulation, a person with a weak voice will make it reach farther, than the strongest voice can reach without it. To this, therefore, every reader ought to pay great attention. He must give every found which he utters, its due proportion; and make every fyllable, and even every letter in the word which he pronounces, be heard distinctly; without flurring, whispering, or fuppreffing any of the proper founds. An accurate knowledge of the fimple, elementary founds of the language, and a facility in expreffing them, are so neceffary to diftinctnefs of expreffion, that if the learner's attainments are, in this refpect, imperfect, (and many there are in this fituation,) it will be incumbent on his teacher, to carry him back to thefe primary articulations; and to fufpend his progrefs, till he become perfectly master of them. It will be in vain to prefs him forward, with the hope of forming a good reader, if he cannot completely articulate every elementary found of the language. SECTION III. Due Degree of Slowness. In order to express ourselves diftinctly, moderation is requifite with regard to the speed of pronouncing. Precipitancy of speech confounds all articulation, and all meaning. It is fcarcely neceffary to obferve, that there may be alfo an extreme on the oppofite fide. It is obvious that a lifeless drawling manner of reading, which allows the minds of the hearers to be always outrunning the speaker, must render every fuch performance infipid and fatiguing. But the extreme of reading too faft is much more common, and requires the more to be guarded against, because, when it has grown up into a habit, few errors are more difficult to be corrected. To pronounce with a proper degree of flowness, and with full and clear articulation, is neceffary to be ftudied by all, who wish to become good readers; and it cannot be too much recommended to them. Such a pronunciation gives weight and dignity to the fubject. It is a great affiftance to the voice, by the paufes and refts which it allows it more eafily to make; and it enables the reader to fwell all his founds, both with more force and more harmony. SECTION IV. Propriety of Pronunciation. AFTER the fundamental attentions to the pitch and management of the voice, to diftinct articulation, and to a proper degree of flownefs of fpeech, what the young reader muft, in the next place, study, is propriety of pronunciation ; or, giving to every word which he utters, that found which the beft ufage of the language appropriates to it; in oppofition to broad, vulgar, or provincial pronunciation. This is requifite both for reading intelligibly, and for reading with correctnefs and ease. Inftructions concerning this article may best be given by the living teacher. But there is one obfervation, which it may not be improper here to make. In the English language, every word which confifts of more fyllables than one, has one accented fyllable. The accent rests sometimes on the vowel, fometimes on the confonant. The genius of the language, requires the voice to mark that fyllable by a stronger percuffion, and to pass more flightly over the reft. Now, after we have learned the proper feats of thefe accents, it is an important rule, to give every word just the fame accent in reading, as in common discourse. Many perfons err in this respect. When they read to others, and with folemnity, they pronounce the fyllables in a different manner from what they do at other times. They dwell upon them, and protract them; they multiply accents on the fame words; from a mistaken notion, that it gives gravity and importance to their subject, and adds to the energy of their delivery. Whereas this is one of the greatest faults that can be committed in pronunciation: it make what is called a pompous or mouthing manner; and gives an artificial affected air to reading, which detracts greatly both from its agreeablenefs, and its impreffion. Sheridan and Walker have publifhed Dictionaries, for af certaining the true and beft pronunciation of the words of our language. By attentively confulting them, particularly "Walker's Pronouncing Dictionary," the young reader will be much affifted, in his endeavours to attain a correct pronunciation of the words belonging to the English language. SECTION V. Emphasis. By Emphasis is meant a ftronger and fuller found of voice, by which we diftinguish fome word or words, on which we defign to lay particular ftrefs, and to fhow how they affect the rest of the fentence. Sometimes the emphatic words must be diftinguished by a particular tone of voice, as well as bý a particular ftrefs. On the right management of the emphafis depends the life of pronunciation. If no emphasis be placed on any words, not only is difcourfe rendered heavy and lifeless, but the meaning left often ambiguous. If the emphafis be placed wrong, we pervert and confound the meaning wholly. Emphafis may be divided into the SUPERIOR and the INFERIOR emphafis. The fuperior emphafis determines the meaning of a fentence, with reference to something faid before, prefuppofed by the author as general knowledge, or removes an ambiguity, where a paffage may have more fenfes than one. The inferior emphafis enforces, graces, and enlivens, but does not fix, the meaning of any paffage. The words to which this latter emphafis is given, are, in general, fuch as feem the most important in the fentence, or, on other accounts, to merit this diftinction. The following paffage will ferve to exemplify the fuperior emphafis. "Of man's first disobedience, and the fruit "Brought death into the world, and all our wo," &c. Sing heav'nly Muse !" Suppofing that originally other beings, befides men, had disobeyed the commands of the Almighty, and that the circumftance were well known to us, there would fall an emphafis upon the word man's in the first line; and hence it would be read thus : "Of MAN's first disobedience, and the fruit," &c. But if it were a notorious truth, that mankind had tranfgreffed in a peculiar manner more than once, the emphasis fhould fall on first, and the line be read, "Of man's FIRST disobedience," &c. Again, admitting death (as was really the cafe) to have been an unheard of and dreadful punishment, brought upon man in confequence of his tranfgreffion; on that fuppofition the third line would be read, "Brought DEATH into the world," &c. But if we were to fuppofe, that mankind knew there was fuch an evil as death in other regions, though the place they inhabited had been free from it till their tranfgreffion, the line would run thus : "Brought death into the WORLD," &c. The fuperior emphafis finds place in the following short fentence, which admits of four diftinct meanings, each of which is afcertained by the emphasis only. "Do you ride to town to-day ?" The following examples illuftrate the nature and use of the inferior emphasis : "Many perfons mistake the love, for the practice of virtue." "Shall I reward his fervices with falfehood? Shall I forget him who cannot forget me ?" "If his principles are falfe, no apology from himself can make them right: if founded in truth, no cenfure from others can make them wrong. though GENTLE yet not DULL; "A friend exaggerates a man's virtues ; crimes." an enemy, his "The wife man is happy, when he gains his own approbation: the fool, when he gains that of others." The fuperior emphasis, in reading as in fpeaking, must be determined entirely by the sense of the paffage, and always made alike: but as to the inferior emphasis, taste alone seems to have the right of fixing its fituation and quantity. Among the number of perfons, who have had proper opportunities of learning to read, in the best manner it is now taught, very few could be felected, who, in a given instance, would use the inferior emphafis alike, either as to place or quantity. Some perfons, indeed, ufe fcarcely any degree of it and others do not fcruple to carry it much beyond any |