That cruel serpent. On me exercise not
Thy hate for this misery befallen;

On me already lost, me than thyself

More miserable! Bōth have sinn'd; but thou
Against God only; I against God and thee,
And to the place of judgment will return,
There with my cries importune Heaven, that all
The sentence, from thy head removed, may light
On me, sole cause to thee of all this woe;
Me, me only, just object of his ire!

RATE.

RATE refers to movement, and 18 QUICK, MODERATE, or SLOW.

1. QUICK RATE is used to express joy, mirth, confusion, violent anger, and sudden fear; as,

1. Away! away! our fires stream bright Along the frozen river,

2.

3.

And their ǎrrowy sparkles of brilliant light
On the forest branches quiver.
Away! away to the rocky glen,

Where the deer are wildly bounding!
And the hills shall echo in gladness again,
To the hunter's bugle sounding.

The lake has burst! The lake has burst!

Down through the chasms the wild waves flce:
They gallop along, with a roaring song,

Away to the eager awaiting sea!

4. And there was mounting in hot haste: the steed,
The mustering squadron, and the clattering car
Went pouring forward with impetuous speed,
And swiftly forming in the ranks of war.

2. MODERATE RATE is used in ordinary assertion, narration, and description; in cheerfulness, and the gentler forms of the emotions; as,

1. When the sun walks upon the blue sea-waters,

Smiling the shadows from yon purple hills,

We pace this shōre,-I and my brother here,
Good Gerald. We arise with the shrill lark,
And both unbind our brows from sullen dreams;
And then doth my dear brother, who hath worn
His cheek all pallid with perpetual thought,
Enrich me with sweet words; and oft a smile
Will stray amidst his lessons, as he marks
New wonder paint my cheek, or fondly reads,
Upon the burning page of my black eyes,
The truth reflected which he casts on me:-
For he is like the sun,-giving me light;
Pouring into the caves of my young brain.
Knowledge from his bright fountains! Thus it is
I drink in the starry truth. Science and Art,

And Learning pale, all crown my thoughts with flowers;
And Music waiteth on me, sad and sweet;

And great Imagination, for my sake,

Lets loose her dreams, and bids her wonders flow

By me, until I talk in poetry!

2. Warriors and statesmen have their meed of praise,
And what they do, or suffer, men record;

But the long sacrifice of woman's days
Passes without a thought, without a word;
And many a lofty struggle for the sake

Of duties sternly, faithfully fulfill'd—

For which the anxious mind must watch and wake,
And the strong feelings of the heart be still'd—
Goes by unheeded as the summer wind,

And leaves no memory and no trace behind!

Yet it may be, more lofty courage dwells

In one meek heart which braves an adverse fate,

Than his whose ardent soul indignant swells

Warm'd by the fight, or cheer'd through high debate. The soldier dies surrounded: could he live,

Alone to suffer, and alone to strive?

3. SLOW RATE is used to express grandeur, vastness, pathos, solemnity, adoration, horror, and consternation; as,

1.

2.

3.

O thou Eternal One! whose presence bright
All space doth occupy, all motion guide;
Unchanged through time's all-devastating flight;
Thou only God! There is no God beside!
The curfew tolls the knell of parting day;

The lowing herd winds slowly o'er the lea;
The plowman homeward plods his weary way,
And leaves the world to darkness and to me.
Roll on, thou deep and dark-blue ocean-roll!
Ten thousand fleets sweep over thee in vain :
Man marks the earth with ruin-his control
Stops with the shore;-upon the watery plain
The wrecks are all thy deed, nor doth remain
A shadow of man's ravage, save his own,
When, for a moment, like a drop of rain,

He sinks into thy depths with bubbling groan,
Without a grave, unknell'd, uncoffin'd, aad unknown.

EXERCISE ON RATE.

Select a sentence, and deliver it as slow as may be possible without drawling. Repeat the sentence with a slight increase of rate, until you shall have reached a rapidity of utterance at which distinct articulation ceases. Having done this, reverse the process, repeating slower and slower. This exercise will enable pupils to acquire the ability to increase and diminish rate at pleasure, which is one of the most important elements of good reading and speaking.

SECTION V.-MONOTONE.

MONOTONE Consists of a degree of sameness of sound, or tone, in a number of successive words or syllables.

It is very seldom the case that a perfect sameness is to be observed in reading any passage or sentence. But very little variety of tone, or in other words, the MONOTONE, is to be used in reading either prose or verse which contains elevated descriptions, or emotions of solemnity, sublimity, or reverence. The

monotone usually requires a low tone of the voice, loud or prolonged force, and a slow rate of utterance.

EXERCISES.

1. Lord, thou hast been our dwelling-place in all generations. Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever thou hadst formed the earth and the world, even from everlasting to everlasting, Thou art God.

2. Then the earth shook and trembled; the foundations, also, of the hills moved, and were shaken, because he was wroth. There went up a smoke out of his nostrils, and fire out of his mouth devoured. He bowed the heavens, also, and came down, and darkness was under his feet; and he rode upon a cherub, and did fly; yea, he did fly upon the wings of the wind.

3. Man dieth, and wasteth away: yea, man giveth up the ghost, and where is he? As the waters fail from the sea, and the flood decayeth and drieth up, so man lieth down, and riseth not; till the heavens be no more, they shall not awake, nor be raised out of their sleep.

4.

5.

High on a throne of royal state, which far
Outshone the wealth of Ormus or of Ind,
Or where the gorgeous east, with richest hand,
Showers on her kings barbaric pearl and gold,
Satan exalted sat!

How reverend is the face of this tall pile,
Whose ancient pillars rear their marble heads,
To bear aloft its arch'd and ponderous roof,
By its own weight made steadfast and immovable,
Looking tranquillity! It strikes an awe
And terror on my aching sight: the tombs
And monumental caves of death look cold,
And shoot a chillness to my trembling heart.
6. Sky, mountains, river, winds, lake, lightnings! ye,
With night, and clouds, and thunder, and a soul
To make these felt and feeling, well may be
Things that have made me watchful: the far roll
Of your departing voices is the knell

Of what in me is sleepless,-if I rest.

7.

But where, of ye, O tempests! is the goal?
Are ye like those within the human breast?
Or do ye find, at length, like eagles, some high nest!
O thou Eternal One! whose presence bright

All space doth occupy, all motion guide;
Unchanged through time's all-devastating flight;
Thou only God! There is no God beside!
Being above all beings! Mighty One!

Whom none can comprehend and none explore;
Who fill'st existence with Thyself alone,-
Embracing all,-supporting, ruling o'er:

Being whom we call God—and know no more.

8. In thoughts from the visions of the night, when deep sleep falleth on men, fear came upon me, and trembling, which made all my bones to shake. Then a spirit passed before my face: the hair of my flesh stood up. It stood still, but I could not discern the form thereof: an image was before mine eyes: there was silence, and I heard a voice saying, Shall mortal man be more just than God? Shall a man be more pure than his

Maker?

SECTION VI-PERSONATION.

ERSONATION Consists of those modulations or changes of the voice necessary to represent two or more persons as speaking.

This principle of expression, upon the correct application of which much of the beauty and efficiency of delivery depends, is employed in reading dialogues and other pieces of a conversational nature. The student should exercise his discrimination and ingenuity in studying the characters of persons to be represented, fully informing himself with regard to their temperament, condition, and feelings,—and so modulate his voice as best to personate them.

EXERCISE.

He. Dost thou love wandering? Whither wouldst thou go? Dream'st thou, sweet daughter, of a land more fair?