shades between these. 
‘testifying his admiration, she replied, 
712 
energy; it is only sufficient to pronounce 
it. Change your tone with every change 
of the sense. Never commence the 
following phrase in the same key in 
which the former one was concluded. 
Be careful to give their just value and 
proper extent to your tones, a meitt far 
more rare than is generally imagined ; 
€very expression has its own proper ac- 
cent. Manage the voice and its move- 
ments; it is principally by husbanding it 
that you will be enabled to shine at its 
expence. - 
** What do you wish to he? An orator? 
Be one in every thing, in your own cham- 
ber, in the street; nothing is stronger 
than habit, and 4ts effects are universal. 
In general we ought, if it be permitted 
to say so, to colour the words with the 
sentiments they are intended to produce. 
For example, in Massillon we find the 
foliowing passage : 
* Cet énfant auguste vient de naitre 
pour la perte, comme pour le salut de 
plusieurs.” It should be repeated thus : 
“< Cet enfunt auguste vient de naitre— 
pour la perte—comme pour le salut—de 
plusieurs.” In pronouncing la perte, ex- 
hibit on your countenance that grief na- 
turally arising from seeing men. cone 
demned; when you come to salut, let 
you features brighten with joy.” 
M. Thomas informed me that Made- 
moiselle Clairon was quite unhappy dur- 
ing the first ten years she appeared at 
the theatre ; she perceived that her mode 
of declaiming was not strictly natural, 
and that violent exclamations produced 
less effect than sympathetic and pene- 
trating accents. But what was she to 
do? All Paris was accustomed to her 
manner, and would have been shocked 
at. the alteration. She therefore re- 
paired to Bourdeaux, where she effected 
her new plan with prodigious success, 
and on her return to the capital was 
listened to with enthusiasm. Oue day, 
she sat down in a chair, and without 
speaking a word, or making a single 
gesture, by means of her face alone she 
described not only all the passions, such as. 
hatred, anger, indignation, indifference, 
sadness, grief,tove, &c. but all the slight 
On a bystander’s 
that she had studied anatomy on purpose, 
which had enabled her to know what 
muscles she ought to bring into action, 
"and that this, added to habit, had given 
her wonderful command-over them. 
Linguet assared me, that. he could 
never compose his speeches until the 
Retrospect of French Laterature—Miscellanies. 
two days previous to that on which he 
was to pronounce them. He did not 
possess the most natural delivery, but he 
was extremely graceful; he laic « stress 
on. certain words, which seemed like 
afrectation; but it was an ailectation 
that save delight. 
I prefer speaking to reading a speech, 
notwithstanding the practice of the udvo- 
cates of the ci-devant parliament of 
Bourdeaux. One ought always to have 
the appearance of creating the ideas 
on the spot. The notion of declaiming 
before inferiors in mental powers, and in 
talents, confers liberty, “assurance, and 
even grace. I once visited d’Alembert 
in hisegarreé, for surely his apartment 
deserved no other name. He was sur 
rounded by a circle of blue ribbons, 
ministers, ambassadors, &c. whom he 
despised ; and I was prodigiously struck 
on this occasion with the superiority 
which talents naturally confer on the 
possessor.* i 
Sensibility cannot be produced without 
detail; memory without activity, elo- 
quence without assurance, mingled with 
audacity, or grace without liberty. The 
“most astonishing thing about Le Kain 
‘was the perfect unison between his mo- 
tions, his gestures, his countenance, and 
his voice. He studied his parts pro- 
foundly; there was a character in parti- 
cular, at which he laboured during ten 
whole years. by 
‘There ‘is one remark with which I 
* The celebrated d’Alembert, in his youth 
possessed the talent of imitation in a wonder- 
ful degree. Dining one day with the Mar- 
guis de Lomellini, envoy from Genoa, he 
mimicked the voice,countenance, and manner, 
of Sarrazin, Quinaut-Dufresne, Poisson, é&e. 
with uncommon facility and truth; and, as 
they were not present, he caricatured their 
most trifling faults. Mademoiselle Gaussing 
a famous actress of that day, who happened 
to be one of the guests, begged to be taken off, 
and was not a little flattered at the illusion. 
On this, her companion, Mademoiselle Du- 
mesnil, insisted.on having hes turn ;. but 
young d’Alembert had not recited more, than 
seven or eight verses, in.one of her favourite 
characters, before she jumped from her chatr,. 
exclaiming‘ Ah! luok at my left arm— 
my ¢ursed left arm! I have been’ ten whole 
years endeavouring to correct its stiffness, 
without being able to accomplish it. JI per- 
ceive, sir, that nothing escapes you, and I 
here promise to make new efforts ; but pray 
do not refuse me your assistance, for you have 
too much practice not to be an excellent 
\masterindeclamation.” I had this anecdote 
from a friend of d'Alembert. i 
ow Te ‘shall 
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