become a mere report of a saying of Brutus; without the least show of the sentiment I have ascribed to it, and endeavoured to justify.

In general description, this interval may be said to carry the moderated expression of the fifth.

The dignity of vocal character, like that of personal gesture, consists not only in the abatement of force, and in the slowness of time, but in a limitation within the widest range of movement: And as there is more composure and solemnity in that form of interrogation which is made by the rise of the third; so the expression of surprise and admiration which belongs to the downward intervals, is in its most subdued and dignified degree, when heard on the falling third.

One of the remarkable functions of the concrete descent of the third, is that which is performed on a syllable of long quantity, when found at the end of a sentence, or of a clause of discourse which contains a complete sense, but which may not be marked by the grammatical notation of a period. This use of the third was noticed and illustrated in the sixth section, and there described as constituting the feeble cadence. Its character has this double bearing: it seems to indicate that the sense may be taken as terminated at its place; and yet it does not altogether destroy the expectation of a further continuation. No one on hearing this cadence, would suppose the discourse to be finished.

As the rising third is sometimes used for emphasis alone, in

pendently of its interrogative import; so the falling third may be employed, as the means of emphatic distinction, merely for the purpose of varying the effect of intonation. This may be illustrated by the following notation:

There is certainly no inquiry conveyed by these words: yet I have set the rising interval of the third on one of the emphatic syllables. But there is a feeling of admiration in the case which may be expressed by the upward third, as was said in speaking of that interval. And it will be shown hereafter that all emphatic words, whatever other sentiments they may happen to comprehend, do carry with them something of the admirable. On this ground then all the emphatic repetitions of the word brave might receive the same interval. I have varied the intonation by setting the plain rising tone to the first brave, the downward third to the second, and the rising third to the last: and this appropriation together with the falling third on the word none, does satisfy my ear by its agreeable effect. Speakers who are not aware of the efficacy of intonation, or who can not skilfully command it, endeavour to attain a desirable variety in this case, by the transfer of emphasis. They apply it in the repetition, successively to none and but and brave. If I here properly understand the poet, and have any discrimination of the uses of the voice, I must say that this mode of emphasis should not be employed, even though there might be no other means for variety. The contradistinction made by the stress on the several words implies a different meaning in each case. But reiteration is the rhetorical sign of fulness of feeling, or of its rising energy; and never of a change of sense. The attempt therefore to vary the meaning of this phrase, which

must be identical under any change of emphasis, offends against both dignity and truth, and betrays a limited power over all the means of vocal variety. The full command of quantity, and of the numerous elements of expression, renders it easy to relieve the ear from monotony on this passage, without changing or distorting the sense of the author: which, if the composition was a prompting of poetry, and not a mere trick of emphasis, must have been intended to be identical in all the repetitions.

In the above notation, I have shown nothing of the uses to be made of time and force: though both are available in this case, and give additional means for variety.

The downward radical pitch of the third which consists of a skip of three degrees, is employed for the purpose of emphasis: particularly where this is necessary on immutable syllables. But there is a special use of this element, for effecting a full consummation of the close of melody, which must not be overlooked. In speaking of the cadence I remarked that its different species denote various degrees of repose: the tripartite form, in which each of the radicals with its downward vanish, is heard distinctly in successive descent, being the most marked indication of the period. It is possible, however, to increase the characteristic of this form by additional means. A gradual descent of the current melody as it approaches the cadence, is sometimes employed with that intent; and properly. But another more elegant and impressive mode is to apply the downward radical change of the third, on some syllable preceding the close, as in the following notation.

Through

Eden took their

sol- -itary way.

མང་

If this line be read with the diatonic radical succession throughout, the cadence, by its tripartite form will indeed mark a completion of the sense; but the application of a downward radical change of the third on took, gives that warning of the period, or that note of preparation, which produces the utterly reposing termination which must be felt by the speaker

and is required by the audience, on this last line of Paradise Lost.

Other cadences denote, in various degrees, the conclusion of a particular sense. This, Prepared cadence, if I may so call it, implies that the subject itself, of a paragraph, a chapter, or a volume, is finished.

Let us here take a view of the various kinds of cadence.

In the sixth section, five modes of the diatonic cadence were enumerated. Now the Prepared form just described may be united with each of these, thus constituting ten distinct species to say nothing of the chromatic. These should be severally employed by speakers, not only to give just expression to the close; but likewise for the purpose of variety. If it would add precision to this subject, some of the forms of the cadence might be specifically named.

The first form described in the sixth section may be called the rising triad, or tripartite form: because it consists of three constituents; and two of them have the upward vanish.

The second form may be called the falling triad.

The third may be called the first Duad: because it has but two constituents; the first embracing the space of two tones. The fourth may be called the second Duad: because with only two constituents, the last occupies the place of two tones. The fifth may be called the Monad form of the cadence, from the space of the three constituents being executed on one syllable.

I do not expect the reader to be able at once to distinguish all these modes of the cadence: nor indeed is it necessary. Some of them, however, can not be mistaken. The prepared form when set before the falling triad, is the most complete close; and this is clearly separable from the monad, or what I call the feeble cadence, which gives the faintest indication of the period. I believe no ear will confound the effect of either of the triads, the monad and the prepared cadence.

I have little to say of the downward minor third; its expression, like that of its upward concrete movement, is plaintive; but as well as my ear informs me, it is not used for those purposes ascribed to the major third.

SECTION XXIII.

Of the Downward Second and Semitone.

I HAVE clased these intervals under the same head, on account of the limited extent of the remarks here made upon them. They have a high importance in speech, but it is principally as appendages to the rising movement of the same intervals, in that form of intonation which has been called the circumflex, but which, in the next section will be named the Wave.

The most remarkable use of the downward second or tone, is as the last constituent of the cadence, either in the diatonic or chromatic form. It may be applied also to the two other constituents and is used occasionally in plain melody, for the purpose of varying the impression of the rising second, which, in the history of that melody, was given as its characteristic.

The downward semitone is sometimes employed for the purpose of variety, in the current of a chromatic melody. It may also be applied to the first and second constituents of a chromatic cadence; the radical descent of this cadence being by the skip of a whole tone; and the downward vanish on the last or closing concrete, being through the space of that same second or tone.

In terminating the history of the downward intervals, I can not avoid pausing a moment in admiration at the simple and well adjusted means which nature has appointed for the multiplied combinations and apparent complexity of vocal expression. Nor can I look on these available means without taking in the prospect of that art which, in no distant day, must grow out of the development of the true elements of elocution. I have not extended the analysis, nor made applications of the principles founded thereon, to the entire detail of the subject; being contented to encourage others towards a work of greater range and precision by setting before them what is here accomplished