which consist of several members, but form no complete sense before the close. It is a first principle of articulate language, that in such a case, the voice should be kept suspended, to denote continuation of sense.

The following are some of the cases to which the rule applies.

1. Sentences beginning with a conditional particle or clause; as,

แ If some of the branches be broken óff, and thóu, being a wild olive-trée, wert grafted in among them, and with them partakest of the root and fatness of the olive trée; boast not against the branches." "As face answereth to face in water, so the heart of man to

man."

In what Walker calls the inverted period,' the last member, though not essential to give meaning to what precedes, yet follows so closely as not to allow the voice to fall till it is pronounced.

2. The case absolute; as,

"His father dying, and no heir being left except himself, he succeeded to the estate." "The question having been fully discussed, and all objections completely refuted, the decision was unanimous."

3. The infinitive mood with its adjuncts, used as a nominative case; as,

"To smile on those whom we should cénsure, and to countenance those who are guilty of bad actions, is to be guilty ourselves." "To be pure in heart, to be pious and benévolent, constitutes human happiness."

4. The vocative* case without strong emphasis, when it is a respectful call to attention, expresses no sense com-

* I use this term as better suiting my purpose than that of our grammarians,nominative independent.

pleted, and comes under the inflection of the suspending pause; as,

Mén, brethren, and fathers,-hearken." "Friends, Rómans, countrymen !-lend me your ears."

5. The parenthesis commonly requires the same inflection at its close, while the rest of it is often to be spoken in the monotone. As an interjected clause, it suspends the sense of the sentence, and for that reason only, is pronounced in a quicker and lower voice, the hearer being supposed to wait with some impatience for the main thought, while this interjected clause is uttered; as, Know ye not, brethren, (for I speak to them that know the law,) that the law hath dominion over a man as long as he liveth ?" The most common exceptions in this case, occur in rhetorical dialogue, where narrative and address are mingled, and represented by one voice, and where there is frequent change of emphasis.

The same sort of exception may apply to the general principle of this rule, whenever one voice is to represent two persons, thus ;

If a brother or a sister be naked, and destitute of daily food, and one of you say unto them, Depart in peace, be ye warmed and fillèd; notwithstanding ye give them not those things which are needful to the body; what doth it pròfit?

Here the sense is entirely suspended to the close, and yet the clause introduced as the language of another, requires the falling slide.

Another exception, resting on still stronger ground, occurs where an antithetic clause requires the intensive falling slide on some chief word to denote the true meaning; as in the following example,-"The man who is in the daily use of ardent spirit, if he does not become a

drunkard, is in danger of losing his health and character." In this periodic sentence, the meaning is not formed till the close; and yet the falling slide must be given at the end of the second member, or the sense is subverted; for the rising slide on drunkard would imply that his becoming such, is the only way to preserve health and character.

In the foregoing rule, together with the VI. and IX, is comprised all that I think important in about thirty rules of Walker.

10] RULE V. Tender emotion generally inclines the voice to the rising slide.*

Grief, compassion, and delicate affection, soften the soul, and are uttered in words, invariably with corresponding qualities of voice. The passion and the appropriate signs by which it is expressed, are so universally conjoined, that they cannot be separated. It would shock the sensibility of any one to hear a mother describe the death. of her child, with the same intonations which belong to joy or anger. And equally absurd, would it be for a general to assume the tones of grief, in given his commands at the head of an army.

Hence the vocative case, when it expresses either affection or delicate' respect, takes the rising slide; as, "Jesus saith unto her, Máry." "Jesus saith unto him, Thóm"Sir, I perceive that thou art a prophet.""Sirs, what must I do to be saved?"

as.

This inflection prevails in the reverential language of prayer. The same slide prevails in pathetic poetry. Take an example from Milton's lamentation for the loss of sight.

In the first edition, this rule was expressed too strongly to coincide with the author's meaning, as explained in other parts of the work. It is corrected here, at the suggestion of a friend.

Thus with the year,

Seasons return; but not to me returns
Dáy, or the sweet approach of év'n or mórn,
Or sight of vernal bloom, or summer's róse,
Or flocks, or hérds, or human face divine;
But cloud instead, and ever during dark
Surround-me-

Another example may be seen in the beautiful little poem of Cowper, on the receipt of his mother's picture :

My mother! when I learn'd that thou wast dead,
Say, wast thou conscious of the tears I shed?
Hover'd thy spirit o'er thy sorrowing són,
Wretch even thén, life's journey just begún ?
I hear'd the bell toll'd on thy burial day,
I saw the hearse, that bore thee slow away,
And, turning from my nurs'ry windów, drew
A long, long sigh, and wept a last aḍièu.

In both these examples the voice preserves the rising slide, till, in the former we come to the last member, beginning with the disjunctive but,-where it takes the falling slide on cloud and dark. In the latter the slide does not change till the cadence requires it, on the last word, adieu.

11] RULE VI. The rising slide is commonly used at the last pause but one in a sentence. The reason is, that the ear expects the voice to fall when the sense is finished; and therefore it should rise for the sake of variety and harmony, on the pause that precedes the cadence. -Ex.

"The minor longs to be at àge, then to be a man of business, then to make up an estàte, then to arrive at honórs, then to retire." "Our lives, (says Seneca,) are spent either in doing nothing at all, or in doing nothing to the purpóse, or in doing nothing that we oùght to do."

FALLING INFLECTION.

The general principle suggested under Rule V, is to be borne in mind here. In the various classes of examples under the falling inflection, the reader will perceive the prevailing characteristic of decision and force. So instinctively does bold and strong passion express itself by this turn of voice, that, just so far as the falling slide becomes intensive, it denotes emphatic force. The VIII. IX. and X. rules will illustrate this remark.

12] RULE VII. The indirect question, or that which is not answered by yes or no, has the falling inflection; and its answer has the same.

This sort of question begins with interrogative pronouns and adverbs. Thus Cicero bears down his adversary by the combined force of interrogation and emphatic se

ries.

This is an open, honourable challenge to you. Why are you silent? Why do you prevaricate? I insist upon this point; I ùrge you to it; prèss it; requìre it; náy, I demand it of you.

So in his oration for Ligarius;

What, Tubero, did that naked sword of yours mean, in the battle of Pharsalia? At whose breast was its point aimed? What was the meaning of your arms, your spirit, your eyes, your hands, your ardour of sòul?

In conversation there are a few cases where the indirect question has the rising slide; as when one partially hears some remark, and familiarly asks; What is thát? Who is that?

The answer to the indirect question, according to the