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A System of Oratory; Delivered in a Course of Lectures Publicly Read at Gresham College, London
A System of Oratory Delivered in a Course of Lectures Publicly Read at Gresham College London Author:John Ward General Books publication date: 2009 Original publication date: 1759 Notes: This is a black and white OCR reprint of the original. It has no illustrations and there may be typos or missing text. When you buy the General Books edition of this book you get free trial access to Million-Books.com where you can select from more than a million book... more »s for free. Excerpt: LECTURE XLVIII. Of the Voice. HAVING in my laft difcourfc treated on the nature of pronunciation in general, its great ufe to an orator, and the methods taken by the antients in order to attain it; I now precede to confider the parts of it feparately, which are voice and geftiire, and (hall begin with the former. Voice is one kind of founds. Now the influence of founds, either to raife or allay our paffions, is evident from mulic. And certainly the harmony of a fine dif- courfe, well and gracefully pronounced, is as capable to move us, if not in a way fo violent and extatic, yet no lefs powerful, and more agreable to our rationaF faculties. As my prefent bufinefs will be to offer fome confiderations, for the juft and decent management of the voice, it may not be improper in the firfl place to obferve in general, what nature does, when free and unconftrained. As perfons are differently affected, when they fpeak; fo they naturally alter the tone of their voice, tho they do riot attend to it. It rifes, finks, and has Lect.has various inflexions given it, accor- iding to the prefent ftate and difpofition of the mind. When the mind is calm and fedate, the voice is moderate and even; when the former is dejected with forrow, the latter is languid; and when that is inflamed by paflion, this is raifed and elevated. It is the orator's bufinefs therefore to follow nature, and to endeavour, that the tone of his voice appear natural and unaffected. And for this end, he muft take care to fuit it to the nature of the fubject j but ftill fo as to be always grave and decent. Some perfons continue a dif- courfe ...« less