253. Supposing, in reference to the above passage, that it was a well-known fact, that many of the arts had been made use of for the improvement of our manners, then it is obvious, that the word "painting" should receive the strong emphasis; for an intimation would then be given to the hearer, that he is supposed to understand that other arts are made use of to the improvement of our manners, though painting is not.

254. The emphasis which has now been described, is determined by the sense, and is always fixed and invariable.

EMPHASIS OF FORCE.

255. The third kind of emphasis to be described is that of force. This emphasis takes place when the words suggest no antithesis. It is variable, depending on the force of feeling and the conception and taste of the reader, and is used whenever he wishes to make a vivid and forcible impression. It is appropriately used in impassioned utterance, to show the intensity of feeling, and to give force and coloring to the thoughts. Emphasis of force requires the downward inflection, prolonged quantity, and sometimes the addition of the "tremulous movement," or other expressive agencies of speech. This emphasis being very much a matter of taste, no rule can be laid down which will suffice for its universal application.

EXAMPLES.

256. Will you do what I have proposed?—No, I will not: whatever may have been your expectations with regard to my intentions, you may be assured that I will not do it.

257. It was irksome beyond description; it was intolerable.

258. O, it was impious; it was unmanly, poor, and pitiful. Gracious Heaven! what had these poor people done?

259. Sir, I warn you! do not dare to lay your hand on the constitution.

260. Down, soothless insulter! I trust not the tale!

261. Accursed, may his memory blacken,

If a coward there be that would slacken.

262. They say that they have bought it. Bought it! Yes:Of whom? Of the poor, trembling native, who knew that refusal would be vain.

WEAK EMPHASIS.

263. The last kind of emphasis to be described is the weak emphasis. As there are many sentences which require the falling inflection, to give force to the expression when there is no antithesis; so there are many which require the rising inflection, to express what is weak and inconsiderable, though there is equally an absence of antithesis. In the application of this emphasis, it will be necessary to consider whether the sense is positive or negative, expressive of what is strength or weakness.

264. When we bear in mind that the rising inflection is to denote what is weak, inconsiderable, negative, conditional, mysterious, surprising, and uncertain, we shall easily learn to apply the weak

EXAMPLES.

265. Mr. Smith called this morning.-Indeed! What did he want? - O, he only called to ask us how we did.

266. The paths of glory lead but to the gravel.

267. I have done the deed. Didst thou not hear a noise? I heard the owl' scream, and the crickets/

268. But wherefore art not in thy shop to-day?

cry.

Why dost thou lead these men about the streets?

-

Truly, sir, to wear out their shoes, to get myself into more work'.

269. I tell you Banquo's buried: he cannot come out of his grave. Come, come, give me your hand: what's done cannot be undone.

Weak and Insignificant.

270. Life's but a walking shadow,

a poor player', That struts and frets his hour upon the stage, And then is heard no more: it is a tale

271. Cast thy bread on the waters, for thou shalt find it after many days!.

272. That is, if thou wilt wait many days.

Uncertainty or Doubt.

273. I am glad your grace has made the right use of it. —

I hope I have.

274. One day he lighter seemed, and they forgot

The care, the dread, the anguish of their lot.
They spoke with cheerfulness, and seemed to think-
Yet said not so- "Perhaps he will not sink."

Mysterious and strange.

275. My lord, I think I saw him yesternight.

Saw? who?

My lord, the king, your father.

The king, my father!!

REMARKS ON PAUSE.

276. PAUSE, in reading or speaking, is a suspension of the voice between words, phrases, and sentences, and is virtually a constituent of expression, whether we regard thoughts or feelings. The points used in books have reference merely to the grammatical structure of the language; and their use in denoting the pauses in reading is merely incidental, and consequently they are insufficient guides, inasmuch as they do not denote all the pauses which are necessary in good reading.

277. They are also insufficient guides in another respect they do not indicate the duration of time suitable to all varieties of passages in which they are placed. This will be apparent to any one who shall attempt to establish a ratio of relative length between the different grammatical points, or even to assign a given quantity to any one of them, when it occurs frequently in a long paragraph:

278. The necessity of additional pauses to those specified by the points in the grammatical construction, will be apparent when we utter naturally and forcibly a simple sentence, whose principal parts, together with their adjuncts of specification and limitation, are so closely connected in sense as not to admit of a point between them. This may be illustrated by the following paragraph :

279. To the skeptic, all the events of all the ages of the world are but a scattered crowd of useless and indigested materials. In his mind, all is darkness, all is incomprehensible. The light of prophecy illuminates not to him the obscurity of ancient annals.

He sees in them neither design nor operation, neither tendencies nor conclusions.

280. It is admitted, that the above passage can be read without pausing, or even without drawing the breath, except at the grammatical points; but who does not perceive that the utterance will be much more embarrassed, uncertain, and indistinct, and the whole effect much less forcible, than it would be, if, according to rules hereafter to be laid down, a pause were made at each place denoted by a dash, as in the following arrangement?

281. To the skeptic all the events of all the ages of the world are but a scattered crowd of useless and indigested materials. In his mind all is darkness — all — is incomprehensible. The light of prophecy — illuminates — not to him the obscurity of ancient annals. He sees in them- neither design-nor operation - neither tendencies. nor conclusions.

282. The necessity of assigning a greater quantity of time to a grammatical point, occurring in one part of a sentence, than it should receive when it occurs in another part of the same sentence, may be illustrated by the following passage:

283. Whether this have been the case or not, I am too much a stranger to the interior transactions of this country to decide. But it seems to me that, were I a president of the United States, I would glory in going to the Indians, throwing myself on my knees before them, and saying to them, "Indians, friends, brothers, O! forgive my countrymen!"

284. Every one must perceive that the sentiment, in the last clause of the above passage, would be much more forcibly expressed, if a longer pause were made after the phrase "saying to them," and also after the words "Indians, friends, brothers,"