ment what our compofitions are, as how they are pronounced; fince it is the manner of the delivery, by which the audience is moved.”

The truth of this fentiment of the ancients, concerning the power and efficacy of pronunciation, might be proved from many inftances: but one or two may here fuffice. Hortenfius, a cotemporary with Cicero, and while living, next to him in reputation as an orator, was highly applauded for his action. But his orations after his death, as Quintilian tells us, did not appear anfwerable to his character; from whence he juftly concludes, there must have been fomething pleafing when he fpoke, by which he gained his character, which was loft in reading them.

But perhaps there is fcarcely a more confiderable in. ftance of this than in Cicero himfelf. After the death of Pompey, when Cefar had gotten the government into his own hands, many of his acquaintance interces ded with him in behalf of their relations and friends, who had been of the contrary party in the late wars. Among others, Cicero folicited for his friend Ligarius ; which, Tubero understanding, who owed Ligarius a grudge, oppofed; and undertook to reprefent him to Cefar as unworthy of his mercy. Cefar himself was prejudiced against Ligarius; and therefore, when the caufe was to come before him, he faid, "We may venture to hear Cicero difplay his eloquence; for I know the perfon he pleads for to be an ill man, and my enemy."

But, however, in the courfe of his oration, Cicero fo wrought upon his paffions, that by the frequent alteration in his countenance, the emotions of his mind were very confpicuous. And when he came to touch upon the battle of Pharfàlia, which had given Cefar the em pire of the world, he reprefented it in fuch a moving and lively manner, that Cefar could no longer contain himself, but was thrown into fuch a fit of fhivering, that he dropped the papers which he held in his hand. This was the more remarkable, because Cefar was him

felf one of the greatest orators of that age; knew all the arts of addrefs, and avenues to the paffions, and confequently was better prepared to guard against them.

But neither his skill, nor refolution of mind, was of fufficient force against the power of oratory; but the conqueror of the world became a conqueft to the charms of Cicero's eloquence; fo that contrary to his intention, he pardoned Ligarius. Now that oration is ftillextant, and appears exceedingly well calculated to> touch the foft and tender paffions and fprings of the foul; but we believe it can scarcely be difcernible to any, in reading it, how it fhould have had fo furprising an effect; which must therefore have been chiefly owing to the wonderful addrefs of the speaker.

The more natural the pronunciation is, the more moving it will be; fince the perfection of art confifts in its nearest resemblance to nature. And therefore it is not without good reason; that the ancients make it one qualification of an orator, that he be a good inan ; becaufe a perfon of this character will make the caufe he efpoufes his own; and the more fenfibly he is touched with it himself, the more natural will be his action; and of courfe, the more eafily will he affect others. Cicero fays, "It is certain that truth (by which he means nature) in every thing excels imitation, but if that were fufficient of itself in action, we fhould have no occafion for art."

In his opinion therefore (and who was ever a better judge?) art, in this cafe, as well as in many others, if well managed, will affist and improve nature. But this is not all; for sometimes we find the force of it fo great and powerful, that, where it is wholly counterfeit, it will for the time work the fame effect as if it were founded in truth. This is well known to those who have been converfant with the reprefentations of the theatre. In tragedies, though we are fenfible that every thing we fee and hear is counterfeit; yet fuch is the power of action, that we are oftentimes affected by it in the fame manner as if it were all reality,

Anger and refentment at the appearance of cruelty, concern and folicitude for diftreffed virtue, rife in our breafts; and tears are extorted from us for oppreffed innocence though at the fame time, perhaps, we are ready to laugh at ourselves for being thus decoyed. If art then has fo great an influence upon us, when fupported by fancy and imagination only, how powerful must be the effect of a just and lively representation of what we know to be true.

How agreeable is it both to nature and reason, that a warmth of expreffion and vehemency of motion should rife in proportion to the importance of the subject, and concern of the fpeaker, will further appear by looking back a little into the more early and fimple ages of the world. For the higher we go, the more we shall find of both. The Romans had a very great talent this way, and the Greeks a greater. The eastern nations excelled in it, and particularly the Hebrews.

Nothing can equal the ftrength and vivacity of the figures they employed in their difcourfe, and the very actions they used, to exprefs their fentiments; fuch as putting afhes on their heads, and tearing their garments, and covering themselves with fackcloth under any deep diftrefs and forrow of mind. And hence, no doubt, arose those surprising effects of eloquence, which we never experience now.

And what is faid here, with refpect to the action of the eastern nations, was in a good measure cuftomary among the Greeks and Romans; if not entirely of the fame kind, yet perhaps as vehement and expreffive. They did not think language of itself fufficient to exprefs the height of their paffions, unless enforced by uncommon motions and gestures. Thus, when Achilles had driven the Trojans into their city with the greatest precipitation and terror, and only Hector ventured to tarry without the gates to engage him, Homer represents both king Priam and his queen under the higheft confternation for the danger of their fon. And therefore, in order to prevail with him to come into the

city and not fight with Achilles, they not only entreat him from the walls in the most tender and moving language imaginable; but they tear off their grey locks with their hands, and adjure him to comply with their requeft.

The poet knew very well, that no words of them. felves could represent thofe agonies of mind he endeavoured to convey, unless heightened by the idea of fuch actions as were expreffive of the deepest forrow. In one of Cicero's orations, he does not stick to argue in this manner with his adverfary. "Would you talk thus (fays he) if you were ferious? Would you, who are wont to difplay your eloquence fo warmly in the danger of others, act fo coldly in your own? Where is that concern, that ardour, which used to extort pity even from children? Here is no emotion either of mind or body; neither the forehead ftruck, nor the thigh; nor fo much as a ftamp of the foot. Therefore, you have been fo far from inflaming our minds, that you have fcarcely kept us awake."

The ancients had perfons, whofe proper business it was to teach them how to regulate and manage their voice; and others, who inftructed them in the whole art of pronunciation, both as to their voice and geftures. Thefe latter were generally taken from the theatre, being fome eminent experienced actors. But though they made ufe of actors to inftruct their youth in forming their fpeech and geftures; yet the action of an or ator was very different from that of the theatre.

Cicero very plainly reprefents this distinction, in the words of Craffus; when fpeaking of orators, he says, "The motions of the body ought to be fuited to the expreffions, not in a theatrical way, mimicking the words by particular gefticulations; but in a manner expreffive of the general fenfe; with a fedate and manly inflection of the fides; not taken from the ftage and actors, but from the exercife of arms and the paleftra." And Quintilian fays to the fame purpose, "Every gefture and motion of the comedians is not to be imi

tated, nor to the fame degree." They thought the action of the theatre too light and extravagant for the imitation of an orator; and therefore, though they employed actors to inform young perfons in the first rudiments, yet they were afterwards fent to fchools, defigned on purpofe to teach them a decent and graceful management of their bodies.

Being thus far prepared, they were afterwards fent to the fchools of the rhetoricians. And here, as their business was to cultivate their style, and gain the whole art of eloquence, fo particularly to acquire a just and accurate pronunciation by thofe exercises, in which for that end they were conftantly employed. Nor, after all this pains and induftry, did they yet think themfelves fufficiently qualified to take upon them the character of orators. But it was their constant custom to get together fome of their friends and acquaintance, who were proper judges of fuch performances, and declain before them in private.

The business of these persons was to make obfervations both on their language and pronunciation. And they were allowed the greatest freedom to take notice of any thing thought to be amifs, either as to inaccuracy of method, impropriety of ftyle, or indecency of their voice or actions. This gave them an opportunity to correct any fuch defects at first, before they became habitual. What effects might not justly be expected from such an institution? Perfons trained up in this manner, with all those advantages, joined to a good natural genius, could not fail of making very complete orators. Though even after they came to appear in public, they did not lay afide the custom of declaiming.

The influence of founds, either to raise or allay our paffions, is evident from mufic. And certainly the harmony of a fine difcourfe, well and gracefully pronounced, is as capable of moving us, if not in a way fo violent and ecftatic, yet not lefs powerful, and more agreeable to our rational faculties. As perfons are differently affected when they speak, fo they naturally

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