Strike-for altars and your your fires, Strike-for the green graves of your sires, They fought-like brave men, long and well, His few surviving comrades saw His smile, when rang their proud hurrah, Then saw in death his eyelids close Come to the bridal chamber, Death! Which close the pestilence are broke, The groan, the knell, the pall, the bier, But to the hero, when his sword For thou art Freedom's now, and Fame's One of the few, the immortal names, That were not born to die. Halleck. Now when fair morn orient in Heaven appear'd, Up rose the victor Angels, and to arms The matin trumpet sung: in arms they stood Of golden panoply, refulgent host, Soon banded; others from the dawning hills Look'd round, and scouts each coast light arm'd scour His adamantine coat gird well, and each So warn'd he them, aware themselves, and soon Instant without disturb they took alarm, On every side with shadowing squadrons deep, VANGUARD, to right and left the front unfold; ADAM and EVE's Morning Hymn. These are thy glorious works, Parent of good! Almighty! thine this universal frame, Milton Thus wondrous fair; thyself how wondrous then! In these thy lower works; yet these declare Sure pledge of day, that crown'st the smiling morn And nourish all things; let your ceaseless change His praise, ye winds, (that from four quarters blow, Bear on your wings and in your notes his praise. E Ye that in waters glide, and ye that walk To hill or valley, fountain or fresh shade, Milton. Having thus indicated the manner in which the different kinds of composition should be read, I shall next give some diections for reading the following rhetorical figures, viz: Irony, Exclamation, Interrogation, Climax, Repetition, Anticipation, Concession, Apostrophe, Antithesis, Vision, Simile, Personiication, and Description. Irony signifies the use of words contrary to their common meaning, and ought to be pronounced with a sharp tone, and a circumflex on the emphatic words. But you, forsooth, are very wise men, deeply learn'd in the doctrines of Christ; we weak, contemptible, mean persons, but you strong and gallant. Hammand's paraphrase of 1 Cor. 4 chap. 10 v. Fair sir, you spit on me on Wednesday last, You call'd me dog, and for these courtesies I'll lend you thus much monies. Merchant of Venice. 2. Exclamation shews that the mind is labouring with some emotion, and should generally be read with a higher pitch than usual on the exclamatory words. I stand in the presence of Almighty God, and of the world; and I declare to you, that if you lose this charter, Never! no, never will you get another! We are now, perhaps, arrived at the parting point. Here, even here, we stand on the brink of fate! Pause-pause-for heaven's sake pause! Morris' Speech. Hor. Look, my lord, it comes! Ham. Angels and ministers of grace defend us! Hamlet. O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! how unsearchable are his judgments, and his ways past finding out! Romans. 3. The Interrogation, when properly pronounced, is one of the most powerful engines in the whole arsenal of oratory. It requires great warmth, just inflection, and strong emphasis. I will make you this offer, said Cicero to Plancius; choose any one tribe you please, and she w as you ought, by whom it was bribed: but if you cannot, (and in my opinion you will not even attempt to do it,) I will shew you how you gained it. Is this a fair contest? will you engage on this ground? is it an ópen, honourable challenge to you? Why are you silent? why' do you dissèmble? why do you prevaricate? I repeatedly insist on this point, I urge you to it, press it, require it; nay demand it. I Whát,, (said he to Tubero,) did that naked sword of yours mean in the battle of Pharsalia? at whose breast was its point aimed? What was then the meaning of your arms, your spirit, your eyes, your hands, your árdour of soul? what did you desire, what wish for ? As these questions have the nature of a climax, each succeeding one should be pronounced higher and louder than the preceding; and the word demand, in the last example but one, in a lower and louder tone than all. |