284 



ON VOICE AND LANGUAGE ; 



the mode by which the responses of many of the oracles of former times. 

 were dehvered by the priests and priestesses to the credulous muhitude 

 around them. And although this able writer has not fully succeeded in 

 estabhshing his point, it must be allowed by every one that no art, while 

 it continued occult, could better answer the purpose of such a sort of im- 

 position ; for an adept in the science is capable of modulating and inflecting 

 his voice with so nice a dexterity, as not only to imitate, with equal ac- 

 curacy, the cries of dogs, cats, infants, and persons in distress, together 

 with every modification of articulate speech, but apparently to throw the 

 mimic sound from whatever quarter he chooses : from the ceiling or roof 

 of a house ; the corner of a room ; the mouths, stomachs, or pockets of 

 any of the company present ; from their hands or feet, from beneath a 

 hat or a glass, or from a wooden doll. A humorous artist of this kind is 

 said to have amused himself some years ago, by frequenting the fish-mar- 

 ket at Edinburgh, and making a fish appear to speak, and give the lie to 

 it^ vender in her own gross phrasing, upon her affirming that it was fresh, 

 and caught in the morning ; the fish quaintly replying as often as she so 

 asserted, that it had been dead for a v/eek, and that she knew it. 



This singular art has given rise to a variety of extraordinary tales, and 

 some of them of a very amusing kind. The following, which I copy 

 from M. Bordeau, a learned critic of the sixteenth century, is of this 

 description, and I will for once break through our accustomed gravity in 

 order to give it you. 



The gallant Francis L of France, had an equally gallant and very shrewd 

 Talet de chambre, of the name of Lewis Brabant, who was also a most 

 skilful ventriloquist. Lewis Brabant had the misfortune to fall desperately 

 in love with a young, very beautiful, and very wealthy heiress, whose father 

 forbad his addresses in consequence of the disparity of his condition. The 

 father, however, died soon after, and the courageous lover, unsubdued 

 by a first repulse, was determined to try his fortune a second time, under 

 favour of the new state of circumstances, and to see whether it would 

 not be possible, up6n a severe push, to call to his aid the art of ventrilo- 

 quism, in which he was so considerable an adept. 



He accordingly waited upon the mother as soon as decency would allow, 

 and once more submitted his proposals. But faithful to the views of her 

 deceased husband, the mother of the young lady made no scruple of once 

 more giving Lewis Brabant a direct refusal. While, however, she was in 

 the act of doing so, a low, hoUov/, sepulchral voice was heard by herself, 

 and by every friend who v/as with her, and which was instantly recognised 

 as the voice of the deceased, commanding her to give her daughter's hand 

 immediately to Lewis Brabant, whom the piteous spirit afiirmed he now 

 knew to be a most worthy and excellent man, and considerably wealthier 

 than he had taken him to be when alive ; adding, at the same time, that 

 he was at that moment suffering a part of the pains of purgatory for having 

 ill-treated, by his refusal, so exemplary a man ; and that he would not be 

 released from them till his widow had consented. 



All was mute astonishment ; but Lewis Brabant appeared more as- 

 tonished than the rest. He modestly observed, that whatever his merits 

 or his virtues might be, he had no. idea that they were worthy of being 

 commemorated by a voice from the grave ; but that nothing could give 

 him more pleasure than to be made the happy instrument of extricating 

 the okl gentleman from the pains of purgatory, which it seemed he was 

 suffering on his account. There was no doubt as to the voice ; and con- 



