"slight disrespect." Yet this style becomes monotonous and tiresome if carried too far; and I think it would have been better if Mr. A. had dropped the taunt in his last reply, and answered in a tone of dignified candor, which would have required the falling inflection at the close. You will find a good example of the rising inflection required in the answer to both kinds of questions in the following dialogue, from Shakspeare, between the villain Iago and Othello. Observe Othello's answer with the rising inflection, "He did';" also the effect of the assumed indifference, or pretended careless absent-mindedness of Iago, in giving to several of his answers the rising inflection: Iago. My noble lord'— Othello. What dost thou say',1 Iago'? Iago. Did Michael Cassio, when you woo'd my lady, know' of your love'? Oth. He did', from first to last: why dost thou ask`? Iago. But for a satisfaction of my thought':2 No further harm'. Oth. Why of thy thought', Iago'? Iago. I did not think he had been acquainted' with it. Oth. Oh' yes', and went between us very oft. Iago. Indeed'? Oth. Indeed! ay, indeed!3 Discern'st thou aught in that'? Is he not honest'? Iago. Honest', my lord'? Oth. Ay, honest. lago. My lord, for aught I know'. Oth. What dost thou think'? Iago. Think', my lord' ? Oth. Think, my lord? By heaven he echoes me As if there were some monster in his thoughts Too hideous to be shown. Crito. How much the beauty of such a piece depends upon the manner of reading' it! One can almost look into the very heart of Othello, and see the first awakening of a suspicious nature, as, startled by Iago's "Indeed'?" he repeats the word after him in a manner that indicates how easily his jealousy may be fully aroused. Bernardo. Yes; and this passage from Shakspeare not only furnishes a fine illustration of the principle referred to in Note I., under Rule First, but is a fine reading exercise also, on account of other nice points contained in it. Both the cunning treachery of Iago, and the gradually awakened suspicion in the breast of the honest Othello of a something wrong, must be fully appreciated by one who would read the passage well. Unpremeditated language seldom fails to give a truthful expression of the feelings; but when we read this language of another, we must fully enter into his feelings if we would as truthfully express all that he intended. You see', therefore, Crito', that in order to read Shakspeare well', one must fully enter into, and thoroughly understand, the characters represented. Crito. This gives me some new ideas of the art of reading; for it appears, from what you say, that if we would correctly express the thoughts and feelings of another', we must first know precisely what those thoughts and feelings are'; and that no one can read well', unless he reads understandingly'. Truly, this view of the subject, while it shows the difficulties in the way of good reading, elevates reading to the dignity of one of the Fine Arts. But', let me ask', can not one imitate good reading', so as to read correctly, even without a correct understanding of what he reads? Bernardo. To some extent one may; as one may learn, parrot-like, to 1 For the rising inflection to "say," see Note to Rule III. 3 Surprise: Rule X. utter words without meaning. But such a person could never be sure of reading a new piece, or even a single sentence, correctly. The chief reason why so many are poor readers is, either they do not fully understand what they read, or they do not fully enter into its spirit while reading. You may lay this down as a principle: that no one can be a correct reader without a correct appreciation of what he reads. Crito. Then I should suppose that if two persons have precisely the same understanding of a passage, both ought to read it in the same manner. Bernardo. Certainly they ought, in all important particulars; and, if they read it differently-one, for example, with the marked rising inflection where the other uses the falling, it must be either because both do not attach precisely the same meaning to it, or because one of them reads it erroneously. Crito. And yet I have in my mind an example of a direct question which I have heard asked with the falling inflection at the close, and which, it appears to me, might as well have taken the rising slide. It is this. One morning William was told by his father that he must do a certain piece of work in the garden. At noon he was again reminded that the work must be done, when William asked, "Must the work be done to-day?" giving to the question the falling inflection, whereas he might have given it the rising. But if the same question may be asked with one inflection as well as with the other, I do not see that the rule is of any use. Bernardo. One very important use of it, and of the notes under it, is to lead you to notice what it is that causes the falling inflection to be given to the question in this particular case, in violation of the general rule. Did William merely ask the question for information'? or did he connect with it something like a fretful appeal to his father that the work might be deferred'?1 Crito. The latter, I suppose. Do you mean to say, then, that it is because William's question had in it "the nature of an appeal," that it takes the falling inflection, in opposition to the general rule'? Bernardo. That is precisely what I mean. Nature has adopted the falling inflection in this case to show that the question contains this appeal. The rising inflection would not have shown it. You can try it, and you will at once see the difference. Crito. But if I find this same question in a book, how do I know, from the mere words (as they are the same in one case as in the other), whether William spoke it pleasantly', or fretfully' ?4 Bernardo. We do not always know, unless the mark of inflection is given as a guide. In spoken language, the inflections in such cases are always correctly used, even by children; and they are always correctly understood by the hearer. Crito. Then why should they not be used in written or printed language'? Would not the language thereby more plainly express the meaning intended'? Bernardo. Without doubt it would; and if Shakspeare, throughout all his plays, had marked the inflections as he wished the passages spoken, he would have made all his characters so well understood that the critics would have been saved a great amount of controversy. Our printed language is, at the best, a very imperfect representation of spoken language. See Rule V., also Rule III., for the downward slide here, as the question does not admit a categorical answer, yes or no. To be any thing like perfect, it must represent not only the words generally, but all their varied modulations, tones, and inflections, accent, and emphasis, and a great variety of rhetorical pauses which now are not designated at all. Some of these things, indeed, are not essential to a correct understanding of the meaning of printed language, however much they would exemplify its force and beauty; but I am of the opinion that it would be better if the inflections at least were inserted in all cases where their omission, as in the example of William's answer, renders the sense obscure. No valid objection could be made to so small, and, at the same time, so useful an innovation as this. More than this would, perhaps, be undesirable. SECOND EVENING. ANALYSIS.-The pause of suspension, with the rising or the falling slide. A prolonged horizontal suspension of the voice. Rhetorical pauses, as distinguished from grammatical or sentential pauses. The rhetorical pause proper: when used, and its effect. Examples: Patrick Henry's speech-the Earl of Chatham-Dr. Nott-Pope. Other cases of pause where none is allowed in the grammatical construction. The rhetorical pause used in cases of contrast. Example from Cicero-from Dr. Blair. A contrast in sentiment requires contrast in voice. Prolonged utterance of words in certain cases. Proper management of the voice. Crito. Since our last conversation, I have been examining the Second Rule in connection with the Eighth, and I find it stated that in certain cases the pause of suspension takes the rising inflection, and in others the falling. It has occurred to me that there might be a pause of suspension that takes neither the rising nor the falling slide, but I have found no notice of such. Is not such a pause frequently used in reading or speaking? -a kind of prolonged horizontal suspension of the voice'? Bernardo. There is, indeed, such a pause-a rhetorical pause proper it should be called; and a judicious use of it is, next to a correct use of the inflections, one of the greatest beauties in reading. The hyphen or dash (—) sometimes indicates it, but not always; and the dash, moreover, is used with both kinds of inflections. Crito. Are not all the pauses-such as the comma, colon, semicolon, and the marks of interrogation and exclamation, rhetorical pauses'? Bernardo. With the exception of the marks of interrogation and exclamation, I should say they are not, properly speaking, as their primary object is to mark the divisions of a sentence, and show its grammatical construction. I should call them grammatical or sentential pauses. Moreover, these pauses are so far from being sufficient or accurate guides to the reader, that an obsequious attention to them is one cause of the heavy, monotonous style of reading into which most persons fall, and which it is so difficult to correct. The marks of interrogation and exclamation, the parenthesis, and the hyphen or dash, however, are wholly rhetorical, as they denote no grammatical relation, and have no established length. The rhetorical pause proper, which is sometimes, but not always, denoted by the hyphen, is perhaps the only one of these that requires any special attention. Crito. I would like to know more of the character of this rhetorical pause, and the principles on which it is based. Will you explain it, and give me some examples of its use'? Bernardo. The rhetorical pause proper is used, first, where there is an abrupt suspension of the line of thought, for the purpose of giving place to some new suggestion; and, secondly, it is used either before or after something very striking or significant is uttered. In the latter case, the effect is, by holding the hearer momentarily in suspense, suddenly to arrest his at tention, for the purpose of directing it with greater force to the emphatic word or clause. Crito. I think, from your description, it is this pause which I have heard appropriately used in the concluding sentence of Patrick Henry's famous speech: I know not what course others may take', but as for me, give me liberty, or give me ̄ death! Bernardo. This is correct. Here this pause is used three times, but with the greatest force before the closing emphatic word-"death." Another fine example of it is found in the Earl of Chatham's speech on the repeal of the Stamp Act. He is reported to have spoken as follows, alluding to the ministry who had been opposed to the repeal: Some of them have done me the honor to ask my poor opinion before they would engage to repeal the act. They will do me the justice to own I did advise them to engage to do it; but, notwithstanding, for I love to be explicit, I can not give them my confidence. Pardon me, gentlemen, confidence is a plant of slow growth. Here this rhetorical pause is used several times, in some instances in connection with the grammatical pauses; but the one which is the most marked of all is used where no other pause is designated. The concluding words, after this pause, are to be spoken slowly, and with marked emphasis. Crito. I recollect a passage in Rev. Dr. Nott's discourse on the death of Hamilton which requires a similar rhetorical pause in reading. I allude to the following: I would uncover the breathless corpse of Hamilton, I would lift from his gaping wound his bloody mantle, I would hold it up to heaven before them, and I would ask-in the name of God I would ask-whether at the sight of IT they felt no compunction. Here, evidently, great force is given to the concluding words by a protracted rhetorical pause after the emphatic pronoun it. Bernardo. Let me give one example more, which is from Pope's Essay on Man: Know then thyself: presume not God to scan': As intimately connected with this subject, I would remark that good readers often give a slight rhetorical pause, or rest, in some other cases also, where no pause is designated, and where none is allowed in the grammatical construction. Especially does this occur where the speaker would fix attention on a single word that stands as immediate nominative to a verb, and also in antithetic or contrasted clauses. Thus, as an example of the first: Some place the bliss in action, some in ease; Every good reader will suspend the voice briefly, after each of these emphatic words, although no punctuation mark is found there. Crito. You mentioned antithetic or contrasted clauses also. I observe that in some of the examples of "Comparison and Contrast," under the Sixth Rule, the same kind of pause is made, even where none is required in the grammatical construction. Thus I observe it after the words "Homer," "Virgil," "the one," "the other," etc. Bernardo. I find a still better example in one of Cicero's orations, in which the orator is speaking of Pompey. In order to show the contrasted parts distinctly, it is desirable to make a longer pause between them than if there were no opposition in the sense. Thus: He waged more wars than others had read'; conquered more provinces than others had governed'; and had been trained up from his youth to the art of war; not by the precepts of others', but by his own commands; not by miscarriages in the field', but by victories; not by campaigns', but by triumphs. Here a pause of some length is required after wars, provinces, others, etc. I am tempted to give one more example, which I select, not only for its appropriateness in illustrating the principle under consideration, but also for the beauty of the sentiment. It is from Blair's sermon on Gentleness: As there is a worldly happiness which God perceives to be no more than disguised misery'; as there are worldly honors which in his estimation are reproach', so there is a worldly wisdom which in his sight is foolishness. Of this worldly wisdom the characters are given in the Scriptures, and placed in contrast with those of the wisdom which is from above. The one is the wisdom of the crafty', the other that of the upright; the one terminates in selfishness', the other in charity'; the one is full of strife and bitter envyings', the other of mercy and of good fruits. Here the first two clauses should be pronounced in a somewhat elevated tone of voice; then, after a somewhat protracted pause at reproach, the voice should drop into a lower tone, with a slower pronunciation. The first members of the contrasted parts should be pronounced in a higher tone than the latter members. It may be well to recollect that this rule should be observed in all antithetic or contrasted clauses. A contrast in sentiments' requires contrast in voice'. Crito. Very nearly allied to the kind of pause which we have been considering seems to be that prolonged pronunciation which good readers sometimes give to a word, without actually pausing after it. I have noticed this especially in the following beautiful extract from Pope, where the poet is speaking of the soul of God as seen throughout all nature. Warms in the sun, refreshes in the breeze, Glows in the stars, and blossoms in the trees, Bernardo. You have selected a fine illustration of an important principle. If we will notice our own conversation, or listen to any extempore speaking in which nature is followed, we shall find that while some words and clauses, apparently used as mere connectives, are quickly passed over, others, of more importance, are prolonged in the pronunciation. The proper management of the voice in this respect, so as to give to every word just the degree of importance to which it is entitled, is another of the beauties of good reading. The ways in which the voice manages to express every possible variety of thought are almost numberless. We can represent but few of them to the eye. THIRD EVENING. ANALYSIS.-Indirect questions that take the rising inflection. First example-not a completed sentence. Deceptive examples, which have the falling inflection, although they appear to have the rising. The questions completed in these examples. The rising inflection at the close of sentences: explained on the principle of the ordinary pause of suspension. The pause of suspension in inverted sentences. The rising inflection in cases of gentle entreaty or expostulation. Negation and affirmation. On what the inflections depend. They are natural signs of thought. Bernardo. If you have met with any more points of difficulty', Crito', which relate to the Rules laid down in the "Elements," if you will bring them forward, we will consider them this evening; for there are some new principles to which I wish to call your attention in our subsequent conversations. Crito. I shall be very glad, indeed, to have a few difficulties removed, |