"Shall an inferior magistrate, a governor, who holds his whole power of the Roman people, in a Roman province, within sight of Italy, bind scourge, torture with red hot plates of iron, and at last put to the infamous death of the cross, a Roman citizen!"

"High on a throne of royal state, which far
Outshone the wealth of Ormus and of Inde;
Or where the gorgeous East, with richest hand,
Showers on her kings barbaric pearl and gold,
Satan exalted sat."

In the foregoing, the monotone adds much to the dignity of the composition. The examples which follow present a striking contrast:-to read them with the monotone would inake them insipid and disgusting:

"What the weak head with strongest bias rules,
Is pride, the never failing vice of fools."

"With passions unruffled, untainted by pride,
By reason, my life let me square;

The wants of my nature are cheaply supplied;
And the rest are but folly and care."

VI. Modulation.

By Modulation is understood that pleasing variety in the management of the voice, which constitutes a graceful delivery. It is one of the most important acquisitions of a good speaker, and at the, same time the most difficult to define.-In an extended sense, it may be understood as including every modification of which the voice is capable. It is easier to point out the defects in modulation than to define the constituents of its excellence:-Of those we shall notice a few. But in order to be fully understood, we will caution the learner against confounding high with loud, and low with soft sounds. A person may pronounce a word in a voice hardly audible, and again very loud, upon the same key, or equally low. He may do the same upon a key equally high. This distinction between pitch and volume of sound, must be clearly understood. Let the following line,

"Shall Rome be taken while I am Consul?"

be read on a low key note, and with a small voice. Let it be repeated several times in succession, a little louder each time, without varying the pitch or key note, and the difference will be very apparent.

This distinction being understood, the first prominent defect in modulation that we shall notice, consists in inflating the lungs at the beginning of each sentence, and pouring out a volume of sound, which in every stage of progression is graduated by the stock of breath on hand. The first part of the sentence, therefore, is uttered with a loud voice, and generally upon a high key; but terminates in a low and feeble close. This manner of reading, which is common, is illustrated by the following example.-The capital letters represent the greatest strength of sound. which gradually falls away to the italic:

"GENTLENESS IS THE GREAT AVENUE TO MUTUAL enjoyment, AMIDST THE STRIFE OF INTERFERING INTERESTS, IT TEMPERS THE VIOLENCE OF CONTENTION, AND KEEPS ALIVE the seeds of harmony. IT SOFTENS ANIMOSITIES, RENEWS ENDEARMENTS, AND RENDERS THE COUNTENANCE OF MAN a refreshment to man."

Another great defect in modulation arises from an unskillful effort to avoid the monotone. It consists in a periodical elevation of the voice, both in pitch and volume, on one or more words in every sentence; while it gently undulates upon the rest, varying but little from the monotone. Let the words in small capitals in the following example, be pronounced with a fuller voice, and on a higher key than the rest, and this manner of reading will be exhibited.

"Our sight is the MOST perfect, the MOST delightful of all our senses. It fills the mind with the largest VARIETY of ideas. converses with its objects at GREATEST distance, and continues the longest in action without being TIRED or satiated with its proper enjoyments."

There is one other manner of reading deserving of notice. It is sometimes adopted in the pulpit, from the mistaken notion that it adds solemnity to the subject matter. It consists in adopting two tones of voice, generally two or four notes distant from each other, and pronouncing every word upon these notes changing alternately from one to the other. The difference between this manner, and that exhibited in the last example, is, that' in this, several words are often sounded upon the higher note in succession, and on the remaining words there is no variation from the monotone. This manner may be exhibited by reading the words in Roman letters, in the example following, in a strictly monotonous manner, and the words in Italic a minor third, or tone and semitone above them :

"I tell you though you, though all the world. though an angel from heaven, should declare the truth of it, I would not believe it."

The learner will find much benefit in practicing upon examples like the foregoing by doing it understandingly, he will be led to the discovery of his own peculiarity of manner, if he have any, and be able to apply the correctve.

VII. The reading of Verse.

The same rules may in general be observed in the reading of verse, that apply to prose. There is, however, a peculiar charm in poetry, which entitles it to a few additional remarks.

First--Although the beauty of poetry consists in the smoothness and harmony of its numbers, the poetic measure should not be permitted to destroy the sense by usurping the proper emphasis or accent. We sometimes hear sentences like the following, read thus :

"False elo-quence, like the prismatic glass.

Its gaudy colors spreads on every place."
"And felt, from lov'd ones far away

An exile from Ameri-ca."

In some cases, when the metrical and the customary accent do not unite upon one syllable, they can both be indulged, as in the following :

"Our su-preme foe in time may much relent."

It is a general rule, however, that neither the rights of the customary accent, nor the emphasis, should be infringed.

There are two kinds of pauses which belong to poetry: the casural pause, which falls about the middle of the line, and the pause at the end of it. In poetry in which the cæsural pause unites with a division made by the sense, the line is harmonious, as in the following:

"Warms in the sun, I refreshes in the breeze,
Glows in the stars, and blossoms in the trees,
Lives through all life, extends through all extent,
Spreads undivided, operates unspent."

But when the cæsural pause requires a place which the sense denies to it, a difficulty occurs. The only alternative in such cases is to regard the sense, and let the poet be answerable for the consequences. The following presents a case of this kind :—

"I sit, with sad civility I read."

Here the sense requires the pause after sit, and it would do it violence not to observe it, although the melody would require it after sad, where the sense denies the least suspension of the voice.

In reading blank verse, the sense often requires no pause at the end of the line; but the best writers on this subject agree, that however intimately connected one line may be with the next following in sense, there should be a sufficient suspension of the voice at the end to ena ble a hearer to distinguish one line from another. The following wil illustrate it :

"O! blest of Heaven, whom not the languid songs

Of luxury, the syren! not the bribes

Of sordid wealth, nor all the gaudy spoils

Of pageant honor, can seduce to leave

Those ever bloothing sweets, which, from the store..
Of Nature, fair Imagination culls,

To charm the enlivened soul."

WALKER, in speaking of this pause, says,-" The affectation which most writers of blank verse have of extending the sense beyond the line, is followed by a similar affectation in the printer, who will often omit a pause at the end of a line in verse, when he would have inserted one in prose; and this affectation is carried still farther by the reader, who will run the sense of one line into another where there is the least opportunity for doing it, in order to show that he is too sagacious to suppose that there is any conclusion in the sense, because the line concludes."

When the vowels e and o in poetry are apostrophized, their sounds should not be entirely omitted; but should be spoken in a manner so light, as easily to unite with the following syllable. The following is an example:-

"But of the two less dang'rous is th' offense,
Who durst defy th' omnipotent to arins."

NEW ENGLISH READER.

PART I.

PIECES IN PROSE.

CHAPTER I.

SELECT SENTENCES.

SECTION I.

THE great business of man, is, to improve his mind and govern his manners.

The whole universe is his library; conversation living studies; and remarks upon them are his best tutors.

Learning is the temperance of youth, the comfort of old age, and the only sure guide to honor and preferment.a

Aristotleb says, that to become an able man in any profession whatever, three things are necessary,--which are, nature, study, and practice.

To endure present evils with patience, and wait for expected good with long suffering, is equally the part of the christian and the hero.

Adversity overcome, is the highest glory; and willingly undergone, the greatest virtue: sufferings are but the trials of gallant spirits.

It is a Spanish maxima-he who loses wealin, osea much; he who loseth a friend, loseth more; but he who loseth his spirits, loseth all.

There is no man so contemptible, but who, in distress, requires pity. It is inhuman to be altogether insensible to another's misery.

Envyf is fixed only on merit; and, like a sore-eye, is of fended with every thing that is bright.

Never employ yourself to discern the faults of others; but be careful to amend and prevent your own.

a Pre-fer'-ment, advancement to office.
b Ar-is-to'-tle, a wise man of Greece.
c Ad-vers'-i-ty, affliction, calamity.

d Max'-im, an established principle.
e In-sens'-i-ble, destitute of feeling.
fEn'-vy, pain excited by another's
prosperity.

There is an odious spirit in many persons, who are better pleased to detect a fault, than commend a virtue.

The worthiest people are most injured by slanderers; as we usually find that to be the best fruit, which the birds have been picking at.

If some are refined, like gold, in the furnace of affliction, there are many more, who, like chaff, are consumed in it. Sorrow, when it is excessive, takes away fervor from piety, vigor from action, health from the body, light from reason, and repose from the conscience.

The expectation of future happiness, is the best relief of anxious thoughts, the most perfect cure of melancholy, the "guide of life, and the comfort of death.

Fear unruly passions more than the arrows of an enemy; and the slavery of them more than the fetters of a conqueror. It is more prudent to pass by trivial offenses, than to quarrel for them: by the last you are even with your adversary, but by the first above him.

Restrain yourself from being too fiery and flaming in matters of argument. Truth often suffers more from the heat of its defenders, than from the argument of its opposers. Nothing does reason more right, than the coolness of those who offer it.

When a man loses his integrity, he loses the foundation of his virtue.

A contented mind is a continual feast; and the pleasure of the banquet is greatly augmented, by knowing that each man may become his own entertainer.

Senecad says, there is no difference between possessing a thing, and not desiring it.

Be very cautious of speaking or believing any ill of your neighbors; but be much more cautious of making hasty reports of them to their disadvantage.

Upon whatsoever foundation happiness is built, when that foundation fails, happiness must be destroyed; for which reason, it is wisdom to choose such a foundation for it, as is not liable to destructive accidents.

We must never undervalue any person. The workman loves not that his work should be despised in his presence. God is present every where, and every person is his work.

What good is it to the blind, that his parents could see? What benefit is it to the dumb, that his grandfather was eloquent ? Even so, what is it to the mean, that their predecessors were noble?

a O'-di-ous, hateful, very offensive, b Ex-cessive, exceeding just limits. e Trivi-al, small, trifling.

d Sen'-e-ca, a Roman philosopher.
e Li'-a-ble, subject, responsible.
f El-o-quent, speaking with elegance.