502 
JOURNAL OF THE PLYMOUTH INSTITUTION. 
In a preface to the poetical examples, the lecturer indicated the 
way in which verse ought to be read, strongly insisting upon the 
preservation of rhythm and music, without which it was apt to 
make a more disagreeable impression upon an audience than the 
dullest prose. He also objected to the voice being dropped too 
low in cadences, which habit tended to prevent the last words of 
many lines from being heard at all, even at short distances. 
Before he read the scene from Shakespeare, he defended it from 
objections of improbability and contrariety to nature, urged against 
it by certain critics, by bringing to the notice of the meeting the 
historical marriage of the Cid Campeador, Ruy Diaz de Bivar, to 
Donna Ximena, which took place under circumstances similar to 
those of Richard and Anne, though the manner of wooing adopted 
by the great captain was very different from that of the crafty 
Yorkite prince. He added, in support of the probability of 
such a wooing as that of Richard being successful, that the poet's 
acquaintance with the female sex most probably led him to the 
knowledge that there were women who could be dazzled and 
fascinated by it. Before leaving his desk, the lecturer offered 
some respectful and guarded observations upon the too general 
neglect of elocution by the clergy, in the course of which he 
represented, that the impressiveness of the liturgy, lectionary, and 
Bible could not be kept up, nor congregations be made to listen 
to them attentively, unless more spirit and unction were exhibited 
in their services ; that sermons also required to be skilfully and 
tellingly enunciated ; that the neglect so much complained of 
arose chiefly from habit and custom ; and that, were it to dis- 
appear, nearly all the reproaches of coldness, apathy, &c. heaped 
upon our Anglican establishment by its enemies, would fade into 
silence, like the wail of disappointed wolves, while the attendance 
and attention of congregations would be amazingly increased. 
