Imágenes de páginas
PDF
EPUB

They conquer'd, but Boz- | zaris | fell,|
77 Bleeding at | every vein.7|77|77|
His few surviving | comrades 77 saw 71
His smile, when rang their proud | hurrah, I
And the red field was won;99

Then saw in | death

his eyelids | close |

Calmly, as to a | night's re- | pose,

Like flowers at | set of sun. 791991

Friends,

6.

ANTONY'S ORATION OVER CESAR'S BODY.

|

Romans, Countrymen! |77| Lend me your

ears; 17777.1

I come 99199

The evil,

to bury Cæsar, not to praise | him. |

that men

that men do, | lives | after them; 1771 The good is oft in- terred with their bones: 9.91 So let it be with | Cæsar! | 777 The noble | Brutus | Hath told you, | Cæsar was am- bitious. If it were so, it was a grievous | fault; || And grievously hath | Cæsar | answered it. 1771

Here, | under leave of
(For Brutus is an
So are they all, all
Come Ito speak

Brutus and the rest,
honourable | man, | 7
honourable | men ;)
in Cæsar's funeral.

91

91991

He was my friend, |77| faithful and just to me: 1771 But Brutus says he was am- | bitious;|77|.

And Brutus is an honourable | man. |77|77|

[ocr errors]

91991

He hath brought | many | captives | home to | Rome,
Whose ransoms did the general | coffers | fill:
Did this in | Cæsar seem am- bitious? 77
When that the poor have cried, || Cæsar hath | wept;|77|

[blocks in formation]

Yet Brutus says he was am- | bitious;

[ocr errors]

Was this am- 1

[ocr errors]

And sure, he is an honourable man. 771

I speak not

to dis- | prove | what | Brutus | spoke; | speak | what I do know. 99199

But here I am to
You all did love him once; 77 not without cause:
What cause with- | holds you | then, to mourn for him?

991

O judgment,
And men

me:

My heart

thou art | fled to | brutish | beasts, have lost their | reason! 7777 Bear with

is in the coffin | there with | Cæsar; | And I must pause till it come | back to me. 791991

But yesterday, the | word of | Cæsar | might |

Have stood against the world! now lies he | there, | 717 And And none so | poor to do him | reverence. 77

991 O masters!

if I were dis- | pos'd to | stir |

Your hearts and minds to mutiny and rage, |

I should do Brutus wrong, and Cassius wrong; Who, you all know, are honourable | men. 1771 991

I will not do them | wrong: 177|77|I| rather | choose | To wrong the | dead, | to wrong my self and you, Than I will wrong such honourable men. 9 1 9 9 1

But here's a parchment
I found it in his closet;
Let but the commons | hear
(Which, pardon me,

And they would go
And dip their | napkins |

I

with the seal of | Cæsar: |
77 'Tis his | will:

this testament, 771
do not mean to read)-
and | kiss | dead | Caesar's wounds,
in his sacred | blood; |
for memory, |
within their wills, |
legacy, |

Yea, beg a hair of him And dying, mention it 777 Be- queathing it as a Unto their issue. 17717

rich

If you have tears, pre- | pare to shed them | now, | 1771 You all do know this mantle:

The first time | ever | Cæsar | put it | 'Twas on a summer's evening in his That day he overcame the | Nervii:

I re-member

on; 791

tent;

[ocr errors]

Look, in this | place | ran | Cassius' | dagger | through!|771

991

|

See what a | rent | the | envious | Casca I made: 17717741

Through this the well be- | loved | Brutus | stabbed,
And as he plucked his | cursed steel a- | way |
Mark how the | blood of | Cæsar | followed it! | 7717971

771

This was the most un- | kindest cut of all: |

For when the noble | Caesar | saw him | stab, |
In- gratitude, more | strong than traitor's | arms, |
Quite vanquished him: 77 then | burst his mighty | heart; |
991

And in his mantle, || muffling up his | face |77|
Even at the base of | Pompey's | statue, |

7717(Which all the while feil. 1771771

ran | blood,) || great | Cæsar |

my countrymen! 1771771 and all of us, fell down, flourished | over us. 7 1 9 7 1

O what a fall was there,
Then I, and you,
Whilst bloody treason
Oh! now you weep;
The dint of pity;
991

and I per- | ceive you | feel, these are gracious | drops, |77|

Kind souls; 7 what | weep you when you but be- | hold Our Cæsar's vesture wounded?|77|77| Look you | here!

771771

Here is himself, |77| marr'd 771771

Good friends, sweet | friends,

To such a sudden flood of | mutiny.

They that have done this | deed, are honourable: |

What private | griefs

as you | see, | by | traitors. |

let me not | stir you up |

they have,

That made them

do it:

a- | las! I know not, | wise, and honour

able.

And will no doubt, 991

with reason | answer you. 771

I come not,

friends,

[blocks in formation]

they are

I am no orator, as Brutus is ; |
But as you

know me | all, a plain | blunt | man, |

That love my friend; 777 and ❘ that they | know | full |

well:

That gave me | public | leave to speak of him. 1777

[blocks in formation]

And | bid | them | speak | for me. |77|77| But were | I | Bru

tus,

And Brutus | Antony,

there were an | Antony | Would ruffle up your spirits, and put a tongue | In every wound of Cæsar, that should move | The stones of Rome | to rise in | mutiny. 791991

The preceding examples, including both poetry and prose, it is thought, will be sufficient to explain the principle embraced in this lesson, entitled the "Measure of Speech." The pupil should endeavour, in all his reading exercises, to form the sentences, whether of poetry or prose, into measures, for the purpose of reading with facility and without fatigue. The pauses or rests which occur in the imperfect measures will afford him an opportunity of taking breath at such intervals, that,

in the words of a modern writer, "Reading will cease to be laborious, and the sense will be rendered clear, as far as it is dependent on the capital point of the distribution of time or measure." The principle explained in this lesson, when well understood and judiciously applied, will make the pupil acquainted with the nature of all the different kinds of versification; for he will perceive that all the varieties of poetry (or verse) are dependent upon the regular succession of the various measures of speech.

On this subject the student may also read with considerable advantage the Lecture on "Vocal Expression," delivered at the Royal Academy of Music by Mr. Charles Lunn, on 17th May 1878.*

* Published by Lucas, Weber, & Co., 84 New Bond Street, price Is.

LECTURE XV.

Emphasis-Definition of the term-Its use and abuse-Illustrations-Varying Degrees of Emphasis-Selections for Practice-The Use of the Elements of the Forte and Piano in Elocution, and their varying Degrees-Selections for Practice-The Slur in Elocution-Its uses-Illustrations for Practice-Punctuation, Grammatical and Rhetorical-General Rules for Rhetorical Punctuation-Various Requisites in good Delivery-Expression, Attitude, Gesture-Orators of Antiquity-Plutarch's Anecdotes of Demosthenes and Cicero-Suggestions in reference to Attitude and Gesture in Public Speaking-Mistakes to be avoided-Quintilian on GestureMr. Smart's Classification of Gesture-Erasmus Darwin on the Expression of the Emotions.

A

N this Lecture I propose touching on several subjects, to all of which attention is necessary in order to speak or read correctly and effectively; and the first of these to which I shall direct your notice in that of Emphasis. What is Emphasis in Élocution? As I understand it, it consists in giving a certain amount of prominence, which may vary greatly in degree, to particular words, clauses, or sometimes, indeed, whole sentences, so as to make them stand out, as it were, in relief, or contradistinction to others, either implied or expressed. Emphasis, judiciously given, points out the precise meaning of a sentence, shows in what manner one idea is connected with or arises out of another, gives point to the several clauses of a sentence, and so conveys to the mind of the hearer, thoroughly and fully, the entire meaning or import of the whole. long, involved, and complicated sentence may be made to appear perfectly intelligible and perspicuous by the discriminating power of Emphasis. But to do this rightly, it is requisite that the reader should be perfectly acquainted with the exact construction and full meaning of every sentence in the composition he is reading. The eye must be trained to grasp (if I may venture on such an expression) the full meaning of the passage at a glance, and thus the mind will constantly be in advance of the voice. Dr. Enfield, nearly a century ago, most truly remarked that without this habit is thoroughly acquired, it is impossible to give those inflections and modulations of the voice and that variety of Emphasis which nature requires: and it is for want of this previous study, more perhaps than from any other cause, that we so often hear persons read with an improper emphasis, or with no emphasis at all, as a modern writer (the Rev. W. Cazalet) openly advo

« AnteriorContinuar »