142 Philosophical Society of London. 



passions therein delineated : it would be departing from the 

 intention of the Ode. It is required only that the student 

 should bear in mind, while he echoes the sense, that the 

 expression of his voice and gesture is for the iiiforviation 

 only of the auditor: consequently his whole deportment 

 should assume the air of communication. If the repeater 

 be only a reader, then his relation to the original action will 

 be more remote : He will not be supposed to have seen the 

 circumstance ; consequently his expression of the passion 

 should be proportionably less animated. Yet, although 

 * the pasje prescribed ' before him must, in some measure, 

 restrain the manner of the reader, it becomes him to infuse 

 a resemblance of character into his delivery; otherwise the 

 whole will be blended into one uniform, monotonous ex- 

 pression of tranquillity. 



" In reading, the signs of passion are not so forcibly ex- 

 pressive as in repealing from memory; and for reasons ap- 

 pearing perfectly analogous to nature. A reader cannot be 

 supposed to know what turn of thought an author may 

 have taken, until he has actually rounded his period. He is 

 only in possession of the growth of idea, or, in other lan- 

 guage, of the meaning of such portions of words, forming 

 parts of a p.eriod, as through the medium of the auditory 

 organ may be clearly conveyed to the mind. Now, when 

 ■we consider the nature of some of these portions, and the 

 aptitude of the mind to receive impression of completion 

 however false in jioint oflot!;ical accuracy, we shall be more 

 fully convinced of the propriety of what is now advanced j 

 viz. that it is highly requisite for the reader to restrain his 

 feelings. . For as a written theme," continued Mr.W. " as 

 opposed to oratory, is produced by more deliberate acts of 

 the mind; so should reading, as opposed to the higher 

 tranches of elocution in the various modes of utterance, 

 bear no more than suitable proportions of energy and pa- 

 thos." 



From these and subsequent observations the lecturer de- 

 monstrated, that, as in narrating the prol)ahle motives of a 

 transaction, description of the act would be irrelevant ; so, 

 in describing the apparent feeling of the actor in such trans- 

 action, it would jiot be decent for the orator to assume his 

 attitude or supposed gesture. 



*' The peculiar properties," resumed the lecturer in his 

 seventh discourse, "of Narration, Description, and Imita- 

 tion, and their relation to each other, being recognized, will 

 enable the student to ascertain the distinct characters of 

 Expression." Dividing, theu^ this Expression into two 



grand 



