108 



On the Pf enunciation ef Greek and Latin Poetry. [Sept. 1, 



purpcfe. In fact, the obJeSiion may be 

 urgtd with equal propiifiy agaiiift the 

 way in wliich evciy Ensliflniian reads the 

 pceny ot his own tonoue : and I cannot 

 bur confider the adducing oF it, agaiiift 

 the piopoftd meiliod of reading dailical 

 veife, as a lliong piefuinption in favour 

 of il;e antiquiiy aid authority of that me- 

 thod. Anintdited woik on metres, at- 

 ttibuted to Trypho the grammniian, who 

 w.-js contemporary wih Auguftus, con- 

 tains fome exprcfs cautions a;ainft this 

 vicious praiTice. Does not this circuni- 

 ftance authorize the fuppofiti n, that the 

 mode of rending by quantity, of which the 

 b:!d habit cenfuied hy Trypho is a dege- 

 nerate iiT.itafin, was the approved and 

 tltabhflitd praftice cf the AuguHan age ? 

 —See the paflage in " Furgefson D/iwes," 

 p. 4.41, /141, and tlie places which will 

 p tfcntly be r. feired to i;i Clc-.rj, Diony- 

 fius of Hallcai naflTus, and Quintilian. 



2. This meihcd does not require that 

 emphafis, caoence; and due paufes, fliould 

 be facrifitcd to the oblervance of mere 

 quantity. On the ccntrary, an attentive 

 reader of cl-iffical poetry, endowed with 

 a portion ef fenfibility and tafte, will find 

 himfelf polTctfed of fume advantages frcm 

 the method propofed, eipecially in paf- 

 lages pcilfeftirg much pathos. 



3. In order to pronounce according to 

 quantity with confiftency and eafe, I have 

 found it nerelTiry to keep to the fimple 

 and uniform po>!iers cf the vowels, as 

 they are obierved by almoft every nation 

 in Europe oxeptcnr own. Without this 

 provifion we (hall find oiirfelves exceed- 

 ingly perplexed, if not totally baffled, in 

 lengt'i enirig and fliortening the three firll 

 vowels, en account cf the contradiflory 

 powers which they have when long and 

 when flicrt in t'iK Englifh language.— 

 Biffiop Horfley, in his " Efl'ay on Greek 

 and Latin Fiofody," ftiongly recommend- 

 ed the ac'option of this improvement witli 

 regard to the Gretk vowels j and the 

 fame arguments vviil apply to the Latin 

 fines. By this deviation from the coin- 

 mon powers of the Englidi vowels, we 

 not cniy fecure unifV^nniiy, arquire a fu- 

 perior power cf melody, and become in. 

 telligible to learned foreigners, but we 

 certainly exprefs tiie original founds of 

 thofe letters as enunciated in ancient 

 Greece and Rume. Let not this be 

 thought too high a pr.tenfion. It would 

 be r.o mean argximent in its favour, to 

 appeal to the xmiform praftice cf thofe 

 nations whofe languages are little more 

 tiian diakflsof the Latin. But the tefti- 

 mony of Dionyfius, whg precifely defcribes 



the organic formation of each vowel anj 

 confcnantj places the fuhjeft out of ail 

 queftion. — Vide Dionyf. Hal. de SiruElura 

 Or. p. 94—- 96. ed. Upton. 



If t'nis letter had not already extended 

 to a length far b:;yond my expectation, I 

 woul 1 urge the great advantages which 

 the fcholar will derive from the mode of 

 pronunciation which I take the liberty of 

 rec innienJing. A few lines, therefore, 

 mult lulhce. 



1. We fliall avoid the evils that have 

 been erunier,-tfd as attendant on the com- 

 mon praiTi.ce, and I'ecure the very impor- 

 tant advantages which are oppcfcd to 

 them. 



2. We fliall obtain a nioft gratifying 

 imorovement in the melody. Ifany con- 

 ttft this, we appeal to the ancients them- 

 felvcs, and (!efiie ourobjedlor t> refled on 

 the fX(]iiirKe nicety of attention which 

 tliey paid to the time of every fyllable they 

 uttered in reciting vetfes <r delivering 

 cralions. — Vide Ciceronis Orator, § 51, 

 53, 55. Dionyf. Hat. de StruSlurd Or. 

 § 17, 18. Suintil. L. ix. c. 5. 



3. it may be hoped that fo great an 

 addition to the pleafure of reading the 

 Greek and Roman poets will ftrongly ex- 

 cite the diligence of learners, and will 

 prove an allurement to their purfuit of 

 claffical ftudies in the future and bufy 

 years of life. So powerfully was Dr. 

 Warner imprelTed with this idea, that he 

 made it the very litle of his book — Metron 

 Arijhn ; or, a neiv Pleafure recommended, 



4. Nothing will conduce more com- 

 pletely to eftablidi a habit of familiarity 

 with the quantities of words. Hence the 

 fcholar, in reading verfe, will enjoy 3 

 quick perception of its beautiful mechar 

 nifm, and will acquire a ready faculty of 

 fonning a judgment on fufpeffed readings 

 ?.nd propoCed emendations ; and, if he 

 ever attempt to write Gieek or Latin po« 

 etry, he will be ilrongly guarded againft 

 falfe quantities, and will efcape the drudi 

 gery of turning over inceflantly his Dic- 

 tionary, Thefaurus, or Gradus. 



5. If the candid fcholar will duly con- 

 fider all the paiticulars, I hope he will 

 ndmit the afferiion, thit th« praiStice which 

 it is tha defign of this Paper to recom- 

 mend, is an approximation to the true 

 and ancient pronunciation. 



All the cbjcflionsto this method which 

 I have been able to colle6l, are thefe 

 three : 



" The labour of acquifiiion is more 

 than the valr.c of the piopoftd advan- 

 tages."— That labour is fo trivia; as to 

 be unworthy of coafiUcration by any youth 



who 



