COMMON MaLsesa.
If this system of measuring verse were adopted, the prosody not only of our own but of the learned languages would be greatly simplified. The list of feet which is usually given at the beginning of the • Gradus ad Parnassum; would be reduced to four or five ; we should hear of no such unnatural foot as an iamb or an anapest, and the syllable at the beginning of an iambic line would either of itself form a cadence, or would be the close of a cadence, of which a pause or the last syllable of the preceding line would form the commence ment. Thane lines of Anacreon would then be reduced to the trochaic measure, thus :— From the above examples it is clear that there is a regular rhythmus in poetry ; and it cannot be necessary to insist on this being strictly attended to, if we would read verso in an agreeable and expressive manner. l'rose also has its rhythmus, for the alternate action and reaction of the organs of speech necessarily proceeds, whether what is spoken be prose or verse ; and the only difference (so far as sound is concerned) between these two of composition is, that verse consists of a regular succession of similar cadences, or of a limited variety of cadence., divided by grammatical pauses and emphasis into proportional clauses, so as to present sensible responses to the ear at regular proportioned distances; prose, on the other hand, is composed of all sorts of cadences, arranged without attention to obvious rule, and divided into clauses which have no obviously ascertained proportion, and present no responses to the ear at any legitimate or determined intervals.
There Is nothing which contributes more to the rhythmical flow of prose than giving a light sound to monosyllables. If this be done, they then form the latter part of cadences, of which either pauses, or emphatimi monosyllables, or the emphasised syllables of longer words form the beginning; but if they be pronounced heavy it is then necessary that they should themselves form the beginning of new cadences, which is the occasion of many pauses being introduced, and of a heavy and halting character being communicated to the piece. Thus the clause " Let not your i heart be troubled," will be rhyth mical if your be thus made a light syllable; but the effect will be very different if it be read thus :—" Let not I your § I heart be I troubled." I Of the advantage of cadences in triple measure we have a beautiful illustration in the first verse of the 13tith Psalm : n I fl I thank. unto the I Lord ; I f for he is 11 for his mercy en- I dureth for I ever." M I On the other hand, a succession of heavy syllables, with a pause intervening, is one of the most expressive forms of emphasis both in prose and verse. Thus the following lino from Milton would lose all its force, if read so as to form only the usual number of six cadences emphasis prolongs it to eight, thus: " nesss,i caves, § I lakes§ Naafi I bogs, I dens and I shades of I death."il Independently of its agreeable effect upon the ear, and its power as an element of expression, there can be no doubt that, as rhythm arises from the very manner in which speech is produced by the organs, he who speaks agreeably to its laws will speak easily to himself. The
practice of reading or speaking aloud, with a due attention to the rhythmus, may even be recommended as a means of improving the health, since it brings into regular and natural action the muscles of the face, the throat, and the chest ; and no attempt completely and permanently to remove impediments of speech can be successful which is not based on the principle here developed.
(A succinct account of rhythm will be found in Wood's Grammar of Elocution, ch. iv. and v.; and the subject is treated much more at length in Steele's Prosodia Rationalis ; in Thelwall's Illustrations of English Rh,ythmus ; in Roe's Principles of Rhythm ; and in Chapman's Music, Melody, and 11hythmus of the English Language, Svo, Edinburgh, 1819; as well as in his Rhythmical Grammar, 12mo, 1821.) In order to read and speak well, it is necessary to have all the vocal elements under complete command, so that they may be duly applied whenever they are required for the vivid and elegant delineation of the sense and sentiment of discourse. The student therefore should first practise on the thirty-five alphabetic elements, in order to ensure a true and easy execution of their unmixed sounds. This will be of more use than pronouncing words in which they occur; for when pronounced singly, the elements will receive a concentration of the organic effort, which will give them a clearness of sound and a definite outline, if we may so speak, at their extremes, making a fine prepara tion for their distinct and forcible pronunciation in the compounds of speech. He should then take one or more of the tonic elements, and carry it through all the degrees of the diatonic and concrete scales, both in an upward and a downward direction, and through the principal forms of the wave. He should next take some one familiar sentence, and practise upon it with every variety of intonation of which it will admit. He should afterwards run through the phrases of melody, and the forms of the cadence ; and lastly he should recite, with n11 the force that ho can command, some passage which requires great exertion of the voice. If he would acquire power and volume of utterance, he must practise in the open air, with his face to the wind, his body perfectly erect, his chest expanded, his tongue retracted and depressed, and the cavity of his mouth as much as possible enlarged and it is almost unnecessary to add that anything which improves the general tone of the health will proportionably affect the voice. If to this elementary practice the student add a careful and discriminating analysis of some of the best pieces which our language contains, both in prose and verse, and if he strenuously endeavour to apply to them all the scientific principles which he has learned, there can be no doubt that he will acquire a manner of delivery, which will do ample justice to any subject on which he may be called to exercise his vocal powers.