rying the terminations of nouns and verbs, both introduced a greater variety of liquid founds, and freed them from that multiplicity of little auxiliary words which we are obliged to employ ; and, what is of the greatest confequence, the inverfions which their languages allowed, gave them the power of placing their words in whatever order was most fuited to a mufical arrangement, All these were great advantages which they enjoyed above us, for harmony of period.

In the next place, the Greeks and Romans, the former especially, were, in truth, much more mu fical nations than we; their genius was more turn ed to delight in the melody of fpeech. Mufic is known to have been a more extenfive art among them than it is with us; more generally ftudied, and applied to a greater variety of objects. Several learned men, particularly the abbe du Bos, in his reflexions on poetry and painting, have clearly proved, that the theatrical compofitions of the anci ents, both their tragedies and comedies, were set to a kind of mufic. Whence, the Modos fecit, and the Tibiis dextris et finiftris, prefixed to the editions of Terence's plays. All fort of declamation and public fpeaking, was carried on by them in a much more mufical tone than it is among us. It approached to a kind of chanting or recitative. Among the Athenians, there was what was called the Nomic melody; or a particular measure prefcribed to the public officers, in which they were to promulgate the laws to the people; left by reading them with improper tones, the laws might be expofed to contempt. Among the Romans, there is a noted story of C. Gracchus, when he was declaiming in public,` having a musician ftanding at his back, in order to give him the proper tones with a pipe or flute. Even when pronouncing thofe terrible tribunitial harangues, by which he inflamed the one half of

the citizens of Rome against the other, this attention to the mufic of fpeech was, in thofe times, it feems, thought neceffary to fuccefs. Quintilian, though he condemns the excefs of this fort of pionunciation, yet allows a "cantus obfcurior" to be a beauty in a public speaker. Hence that variety of accents, acute, grave, and circumflex, which we find marked upon the Greek fyllables, to expreis, not the quantity of them, but the tone in which they were to be spoken: the application of which is now wholly unknown to us. And though the Romans did not mark thofe accents in their write

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ing, yet it appears from Quintilian, that they ufed them in pronunciation: Quantum, quale,' fays he, "comparantes gravi, interrogantes acuto "tenore concludunt." As mulic, then, was an object much more attended to in fpeech among the Greeks and Romans, than it is with us-as, in all kinds of public speaking, they employed a much greater variety of notes, of tones, or inflections of voice, than we ufe-this is one clear reason of their paying a greater attention to that construction of fentences, which might best fuit this musical pronunciation.

It is farther known, that, in confequence of the genius of their languages, and of their manner of pronouncing them, the musical arrangement of fentences, did, in fact, produce a greater effect in public fpeaking among them, than it could poffibly do in any modern oration; another reason why it deferved to be more ftudied. Cicero, in his treatife, entitled, Orator, tells us, "Conciones fæpe "exclamare vidi, cum verba apte cecidiffent. Id "enim expectant aures*." And he gives a remarkable inftance of the effect of a harmonious period

"I have often been witness to burfts of exclamation in the public affemblies, when fentences clofed mufically; for "that is a pleasure which the ear expects."

upon a whole affembly, from a fentence of one of Carbo's orations, spoken in his hearing. The fentence was, "Patris dictum fapiens temeritas filii

comprobravit." By means of the found of which, alone, he tells us, "Tantus clamor concionis ex"citatus eft, ut prorfus admirabile effet." He makes us remark the feet, of which these words confiit, to which he afcribes the power of the me lody; and thows how, by altering the collocation, the whole effect would be loit; as thus: "Patris "dictum fapiens comprobravit temeritas filii.” Now, though it be true that Carbo's fentence is extremely mutical, and would be agreeable, at this day, to any audience, yet I cannot believe that an English fentence, equally harmonious, would, by its harmony alone, produce any fuch effect on a British audience, or excite any fuch wonderful applause and admiration, as Cicero informs us this of Carbo produced. Our northern ears are too coarse and obtuse. The melody of fpeech has lefs power over us; and by our simpler and plainer method of utter ing words, fpeech is, in truth, accompanied with lefs, melody than it was among the Greeks and Romans*

For these reafons, I am of opinion, that it is vain to think of bestowing the fame attention upon the harmonious ftructure of our fentences, that, was bestowed by thefe ancient nations. The doc trine of the Greek and Roman critics, on this head, has milled fome to imagine, that it might be equally applied to our tongue; and that our profe writing might be regulated by fpondees and trochees, andiambus's and pœons, and other metrical feet. But, firft,

"In verfu quidem, theatra tota exclamant fi fuit nna fyllaba ant brevior aut longior. Nec vero multitudo pedes novit, "nec ullos numeros tenet; nec illud quod offendit, aut cur, "aut in quo offendat, intelligit; et tamen omnium longitu dinum er brevitatum in fonis, ficut acutarum, graviumque vocum, judicium ipfa natura in auribus noftris collocavit.' CICERO, Orator. c. 51,

our words cannot be measured, or, at least, can be measured very imperfectly by any feet of this kind. For, the quantity, the length and thortnefs of our fyllables, is far from being fo fixed and subjected to rule, as in the Greek and Roman tongues; but very often left arbitrary, and determined by the emphafis and the fenfe. Next, though our profe could admit of fuch metrical regulation, yet, from our plainer method of pronouncing all fort of dif course, the effect would not be at all fo fenfible to the ear, nor be relished with fo much pleature, as among the Greeks and Romans: and, laftly, this whole doctrine about the meafures and numbers of profe, even as it is delivered by the ancient rheto ricians themselves, is, in truth, in a great meafure loofe and uncertain. It appears, indeed, that the melody of difcourfe was a matter of infinitely more attention to them, than ever it has been to the moderns. But, though they write a great deal about it, they have never been able to reduce it to any rules which could be of real ufe in practice. If we confult Cicero's Orator, where this point is difcuffed with the most minutenefs, we fhall fee how much thefe ancient critics differed from one another, about the feet proper for the conclufion, and other parts of a sentence; and how much, after all, was left to the judgment of the ear. Nor, indeed, is it pof fible to give precife rules concerning this matter, in any language; as all profe compofition must be allowed to run loofe in its numbers; and, accord ing as the tenor of a difcourfe varies, the modulation of fentences muft vary infinitely.

But, although I apprehend, that. this mufical arrangement cannot be reduced into a fyftem, I am far from thinking, that it is a quality to be ne glected in compofition. On the contrary, I hold its effect to be very confiderable; and that every one who studies to write with grace, much more who

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feeks to pronounce in public, with fuccefs, will be obliged to attend to it not a little. But it is his ear, cultivated by attention and practice, that must chiefly direct him. For any rules that can be given, on this fubject, are very general. Some rules, however, there are, which may be of ufe to form the ear to the proper harmony of difcourfe. I proceed to mention fuch as appear to me moft material.

There are two things, on which the mufic of a fentence chiefly depends. Thefe are, the proper diftribution of the feveral members of it; and the clofe or cadence of the whole.

Firft, I fay, the diftribution of the several members is to be carefully attended to. It is of importance to obferve, that, whatever is eafy and agreeable to the organs of fpeech, always founds grateful to the car. While a period is going on, the termination of each of its members forms a paufe, or reft, in pronouncing: and these rests fhould be fo diftributed; as to make the course of the breathing eafy, and, at the fame time, fhould fall at fuch distances, as to bear a certain mufical proportion to each other. This will be beft illuf trated by examples. The following fentence is from archbishop Tillotfon: "This difcourfe, concern

ing the eafinefs of God's commands, does, all a"long, fuppofe and acknowledge the difficulties "of the first entrance upon a religious course; except, only in those persons who have had the "happiness to be trained up to religion by the

eafy and infenfible degrees of a pious and vir"tuous education." Here there is no harmony; nay, there is fome degree of harfhness and unpleasantnefs; owing principally to this, that there is, properly, no more than one paufe or reft in the fentence, falling betwixt the two members into which it is divided; each of which is fo long, as Vol. I.

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