laughter. The falling circumflex begins with the rising, and ends with the falling movement. This will appear in Hamlet's reply to his mother, Q. Hamlet, you have your father much offended. H. Madam, you have my father much offended. These movements of the voice have an important agency in forming the emphasis of scorn and irony. If you have writ your annals true, 'tis there, Flutter'd your Volsces in Corioli: And it came to pass at noon, that Elijah mocked them, and said, cry aloud; for he is a God: either he is talking, or he is pursuing, or he is on a journey, or peradventure he sleepeth, and must be awaked. SECTION II. Of Rhythmus. Rhythmus or melodious reading, signifies the uniform recurrence of accented syllables in a given time, called feet. Each foot begins with an accented, and ends with an unaccented syllable or more. But as there is not in the English language this regular alternation of accented and unaccented syllables, pauses are introduced to supply the deficiency. Thus, if in dividing a sentence into feet it should happen, as it often does, that the first word in the bar is unaccented, a rest or pause is introduced, and the remaining measure is filled with unaccented syllables: so that there shall be in each foot, really or artificially, one accented, and one or more unaccented syllables. And as every accented syllable must begin a bar, it often happens that the measure of the preceding foot, for the want of unaccented syllables, must be completed by the introduction of pauses. Thus in the Exile of Erin: 7 There came to the | béach7|7 a poor | éxile of | 'Erin, | 7 The | déw on his | thín 7 | róbe 7|7 was | heavy and | chill 7 7 For his country he sigh'd, 7 whén at | twilight re | páiring, | 7To wander a lóne 7 | 7 by the wind 7 | béaten | hill | That the ear requires rhythmus in reading poetry, no one will dispute. The regular alternation of heavy and light sound is absolutely indispensable. The most uncultivated speaker, in reciting the following lines of Pope, would be apt to imitate the following reading : 7 The | séas 7|7 shall | waste, 77 the skies in | smoke decáy 7 Rocks 7 | fall to dúst7|7 and | mountains | mélt a | way, 7 | 7 But fixed his | word, 77 his | saving | power 7 remains,7| 7 Thy | realm 77 for | éver | lasts, 7 | 7 thy | own mes | síah reigns. 7 But in reading prose, and less musical poetry, there would be a greater departure from rhythmus. The uncultivated reader in those instances would imagine there is no music. Such, however, is not the fact: for in every species of composition, there is more or less of this attribute; and reading is good or bad, in proportion to the exhibition of it. As the benefits of rhythmical reading consist, not merely in the improvement of the ear, the ease of the reader, and the pleasure it affords the auditor, but also of useful exercises in accentuation, and the delicate intermixture of light and heavy sound, it should be attended to with great assiduity. The following examples, if completely mastered, will contribute much to the formation of a taste and aptitude for rhythmical reading. 7 On | Linden | HOHENLINDEN. when the sun was | lów, 7 | 7 All | bloodless - lay the un | trodden | snów, 7| | 77 | 7 And | dárk as | winter | 7 was the | flów 7| 7 Of 'Iser rolling | rápidly. | 777 7 But Linden - sáw an | other | sight 7 | When the drúm 7 | béat 7 | 7 at | déad of | night 7 | 7 Bytórch 7 By | torch and | trúmpet | - | fast ar | ráyd7 Eách 7 horseman | drew his battle bláde, 7| furious every charger | neighed 7] jóin the | dreadful | révelry. | 777 ין shook the hills 717 with | thúnder | riven, | rúshed the | steed, 7|7 to | battle | driven, } d| loúder | 7 than the | bólts of | heaven, 7 | fláshed 7|7 the | réd 7|7 artillery, | rédder | yét 77 those | firés shall | glów 7, | Linden's hills of | blood stain'd | snów, 7| darker yét 77 shall | bé the | flów, 71 I'serrólling | rápidly. | 777 mórn; 7 7 but | scárce 7 yón 7 | lúrid | sún 71 pierce the war-clouds | rólling | dún ;7| re | fúrious | Fránk 7|7 and | fiéry | Hún 7 t7|7 in their | súlphurous | cánopy. |777 |rúsh to glory-17 or the | gráve : 7] 7|| Múnich - áll thy | bánners | wáve; 7] - | charge 7|7 with all 7|7 thy | chivalry. { féw shall párt 717 where | mány | méet, 7 | snów 7 7 shall be their winding | sheet; 7 d | évery | túrf 7 |7 be | néath their | feét 7| I tall | bé a | sóldier's | sépulchre. | 777 THE THUNDER STORM. BY MONTGOMERY. evéning's | brównest | shade; 7 | Where the | bréezes | play 77 by stealth, 7 e | forest- | cinctured | gláde, 7| ind the hermitage of | Health: 7| 7 While the noón-bright | móuntains | bláze, 7| O'er the sick and | súltry | plains, 7 Through the | dím 77 de lírious | aír, 7 | A'gonizing sílence | reigns; 7| 7 And the wánness | 7 of despair. 7| Nature | faints 77 with | fervent | héat ; 7| Ah! 77 her | púlse 7 | 7 has ceas'd to | béat. 7 | | Nów in deep and | dreadful | gloom, 7| Clouds on clouds 7|7 por | téntous | spread ;7 | Black 7 as if the | day of | doóm, 7| Húng o’er | nature’s | shrínking | héad. 7 | Ló,7 | 7 the | lightning | breaks from | hígh ;7| 7 As the Nature, startled | náture | | reéls, 7 | 7 At the judgment | 7 of his | éye 7| A'll the universe 7 would | die. 7 | | Brighter | broader | lightnings | flásh, 7| Hail and ráin, 7 | tem | péstuous | fall, 7 | Gód of vengeance 17 from a bóve, 7| While thine awful | bólts are | húrl'd, 7 | O', 77 remember | thóu 77 art love; 71 11 Spáre, 7|0', spáre 7 | 7a | gúilty | world. 7 | Stay thy | flaming | wrath a while; 7} See thy | bów of prómise | smíle. 7| Welcome | 7 in the | Eastern | cloúd 7 | Méssenger of mércy | still; 7 | Nów 7 ye winds 77 pro | claím a | loúd 7 | Peace on earth, 7|7 to | mán 7 good 7 | will, 7 } { Nature, God's re | pénting | child, 7 | 7 In the rosy | tinted | wést; 7 | Lord of all 7 | power | 7 and | might, 7 17 who art the author and | giver | 7 of all 7 | goód 7|7 things, | gráft in our hearts 7|7 the love of thy | náme, 7 | 7 in | créase in us | trúe re | lígion, nourish us with | áll 7 | goodness, | 7 and of thy | gréat7| mércy, keep us | 7 in the | sáme, 717 through | Jésus | Christ 717 our Lord. 7! For the farther discussion of this subject, I refer, with great pleasure, to Dr. J. Barber's Exercises in Rhythmus. As he is now preparing a new edition of this work, with considerable im |
