thefe, I think, all proceed from the fight of what is great, uncommon, or beautiful. There may, indeed, be fomething fo terrible or offenfive, that the horror or loathsomeness of the object may overbear the pleasure which results from its greatnefs, novelty, or beauty; but fill there will be such a mixture of delight in the very difguft it gives us, as any of these three qualifications are moft confpicuous and prevailing.

Spect. No 412.

The fenfe of feeling, in the firft example, and there may indeed, in the second, may very properly commence in a low tone of voice, as this tone is generally fuitable to the conceffion contained in each of the fentences.

Similes in poetry form proper examples for gaining a habit of lowering the voice.

EXAMPLE.

He above the reft;

In fhape and gefture proudly eminent;
Stood like a tow'r. His form had not yet loft
All her original brightnefs, nor appear'd
Lefs than archangel ruin'd and th' excefs
Of glory obfcur❜d; as when the fun new ris'n
Looks through the horizontal mifty air.
Shorn of his beams; or from behind the moon
In dim eclipfe difaft'rous twilight sheds
On half the nations, and with fear of change
Perplexes monarchs.

Milton's Parad. Loft.

In this example are two fimiles in fucceffion; and it may be observed, that in order to pronounce them properly, the voice ought to be twice lowered; that is, on the firft fimile at as when the fun, and then at or from behind the moon, which laft fimile must be in a lower tone of voice than the former, and both nearly in a

monotone.

Rule II. This lowering of the voice will be greatly facilitated if we begin the words we wifh to lower the voice upon, in a monotone,

or fameness of found, approaching to that pro-
duced by repeatedly ftriking the fame key of a
harpfichord. Thus in the following paffage
from Dr. Akenfide's Pleafures of Imagination:
With what attractive charms this goodly frame
Of nature, touches the confenting hearts
Of mortal men; and what the pleafing ftores
Which beauteous imitation thence derives,
To deck the poet's or the painter's toil,
My verfe unfolds. Attend ye gentle pow'rs
Of musical delight! and while I fing

Your gifts, your honours, dance around my ftrain.
Thou, finiling queen of ev'ry tuneful breaft,
Indulgent Fancy; from the fruitful banks

Of Avon, whence thy rofy fingers cull

Fresh flow'rs, and dews, to fprinkle on the turf
Where Shakespeare lies, be prefent: and with thee
Let Fiction come upon her vagrant wings,
Wafting ten thousand colours through the air;
And by the glances of her magic eye,
Combining each in endless fairy forms
Her wild Creation. Goddess of the lyre,
Which rules the accents of the moving sphere,
Wilt thou, eternal Harmony, defcend,

And join this feftive train? for with thee comes
The guide, the guardian of their lovely sports,
Majestic Truth; and where Truth deigns to come
Her fifter Liberty will not be far.

Be prefent all ye Genii, who conduct

The wand'ring footsteps of the youthful bard,
New to your fprings and fhades; who touch his ear
With finer founds; who heighten to his eye
The bloom of nature, and before him turn
The gayeft, happieft, attitudes of things.

Pleafures of Imagination, Book I. This exordium confifts of an invocation of feveral poetic powers, each of which ought to be addreffed in a manner fomewhat different; but none of them admits of a difference fufficient to give a variety to a long paragraph, except that

of Eternal harmony: and this from its nature requires a folemn monotone in a much lower key than the reft: if therefore we pronounce the words,

Goddess of the lyre,

Which rules the accents of the moving sphere: If, I fay, we pronounce these words in a low monotone, without any inflexion of voice on them; we shall throw a great variety into the whole invocation, and give it at the fame time that expreffion which the importance of the fubject demands.

Rule III. As few voices are perfect; thofe which have a good bottom often wanting a top, and inverfely; care fhould be taken to improve by practice that part of the voice which is most deficient: for inftance; if we want to gain a bottom, we ought to practise speeches which require exertion, a little below the common pitch; when we can do this with eafe, we may practise them on a little lower note, and fo on till we are as low as we defire; for this purpose, it will be neceffary to repeat fuch paffages as require a full audible tone of voice in a low key of this kind is the speech of king John to Hubert, where he takes him afide, and tempts him to undertake the death of prince Arthur:

Come hither, Hubert. O, my gentle Hubert,
We owe thee much; within this wall of flesh
There is a foul counts thee her creditor,
And with advantage means to pay thy love.
And, my good friend, thy voluntary oath
Lives in this bofom, dearly cherished.
Give me thy hand, I had a thing to say...
But I will fit it with fome better time.
By heav'n, Hubert, I'm almost asham'd
To fay what good refpect I have of thee.

Hub. I am much bounded to your majesty.

K. John. Good friend, thou haft no cause to say so yet,
But thou shalt have---and creep time ne'er fo flow,
Yet it fhall come for me to do thee good.

I had a thing to fay,---but let it go;
The fun is in the heav'n, and the proud day
Attended with the pleasures of the world,
Is all too wanton and too full of gaudes
To give me audience. If the midnight bell
Did with his iron tongue and brazen mouth
Sound one unto the drowfy race of night;
If this fame were a church-yard where we stand,
And thou poffeffed with a thousand wrongs;
Or if that thou couldst fee me without eyes,
Hear me without thine ears, and make reply
Without a tongue, ufing conceit alone,
Without eyes, ears, and harmful found of words,
Then in defpight of broad-ey'd watchful day
I would into thy bofom pour my thoughts:
But, ah! I will not---yet I love thee well,
And by my troth, I think thou lov'ft me well.
Hub. So well, that what you bid me undertake,
Though that my death were adjunct to my act,
By heav'n I'd do’t.

K. John. Do I not know thou wouldst ?

Good Hubert, Hubert, Hubert, throw thine eye
On that young boy: I'll tell thee what, my friend,
He is a very ferpent in my way,

And wherefoe'er this foot of mine doth tread,

He lies before me. Do'st thou understand me?
Thou art his keeper.

Hub. And I'll keep him so,

That he shall not offend your majefty.

K. John. Death.

Hub. My Lord?

K. John. A grave.

Hub. He fhall not live.

K. John. Enough.

I could be merry now.

Hubert, I love thee;

Well, I'll not fay what I intend for thee:

Remember. Shakespeare's King John, A&t iii. Scene v.

I have quoted fo much of this fine paffage, because I think almoft every part of it affords an

opportunity of practifing to speak with force and energy upon a lower tone of the voice; for the whole fcene may be confidered as only an earnest whisper; but as this whifper must be heard by a whole audience, it is neceffary, while we lower the pitch, to add to the force of the voice: this, however, is no eafy operation, and none but good readers, and confummate actors, can do it perfectly. It is no very difficult matter to be loud in a high tone of voice; but to be loud and forcible in a low tone, requires great practice and management; this, however, may be facilitated by pronouncing forcibly at first in a low monotone; a monotone, though in a low key, and without force, is much more fonorous and audible than when the voice flides up and down at almost every word, as it must do to be various. This tone is adopted by actors when they repeat paffages afide. They are to give the idea of speaking to themselves, in fuch a manner as not to be heard by the perfon with them on the stage, and yet muft neceffarily be heard by the whole theatre. The monotone in a low key answers both these purposes. It conveys the idea of being inaudible to the actors with them in the scene, by being in a lower tone than that used in the dialogue; and by being in a monotone becomes audible to the whole houfe. The monotone, therefore, becomes an excellent vehicle for fuch paffages as require force and audibility in a low tone, and in the hands of a judicious reader or fpeaker is a perpetual fource of variety.

Rule IV. When we would ftrengthen the voice in a higher note, it will be neceffary to practise such paffages as require a high tone of