iv)

PREFACE TO THE FIRST EDITION.

T HIS book derives its origin from a wifh expreffed by persons who have the conduct of fchools, that fuch a compilation might be published, as by means of a full page, and a small, yet very legible type, might contain, in one volume, a little English library for young people who are in the course of their education. A common-fized volume, it was found, was foon perused, and laid aside for want of novelty; but to supply a large school with a great variety, and conftant succession of English books, is too expenfive and inconvenient to be generally practicable; fuch a quantity of matter is therefore collected in this volume as muft of neceffity a good deal of time, and furnish a great number of new ideas before it can be read to fatiety, or entirely exhaufted. It may therefore very properly conftitute, what it was intended to be, a Library for Learners, from the age of nine or ten to the age at which they leave their school: at the fame time it is evident, upon inspection, that it abounds with such extracts as may be read by them at any age with pleasure and improvement. Though it is chiefly and primarily adapted to scholars at school; yet it is certain, that all readers may find it an agreeable companion, and particularly proper to fill up fhort intervals of accidental leifure.

fill

up

As to the Authors from whom the extracts are made, they are those whofe characters want no recommendation. The Spectators, Guardians, and Tatlers, have been often gleaned for the purpose of selections; but to have omitted them, in a work like this, for that reafon, would have been like rejecting the purest coin of the fullest weight, because it is not quite fresh from the mint, but has been long in circulation. It ought to be remembered, that though the writings of Addison and his coadjutors may no longer have the grace of novelty in the eyes of veteran readers, yet they will always be new to a rifing generation.

The greater part of this book, however, confifts of extracts from more modern books, and from fome which have not yet been used for the purpose of selections. It is to be prefumed that living authors will not be difpleafed that ufeful and elegant paffages have been borrowed of them for this book; fince if they fincerely meant, as they profefs, to reform and improve the age, they must be convinced, that to place their most falutary admonitions and sentences in the hands of young perfons, is to contribute most effectually to the accomplishment of their benevolent defign. The books themselves at large do not in general fall into the hands of fchool-boys; they are often too voluminous, too large, and too expensive for general adoption; they are foon torn and disfigured by the rough treatment which they ufually meet with in a great fchool; and indeed, whatever be the cause of it, they feldom are, or can be conveniently introduced: and therefore EXTRACTS are highly expedient, or rather abfolutely neceffary.

ADVERTISE.

(v)

ADVERTISEMENT TO THE SECOND EDITION.

TH

HE approbation with which the first edition of this book has been received by the Public, has operated as an encouragement to improve it. It has been judged proper to change the form and fize from a duodecimo to an octavo; not only for the fake of giving it a more agreeable appearance, but alfo of adding to the quantity and variety of the contents. Some extracts have indeed been omitted, to make room for new matter; but the additions, upon the whole, are very confiderable.

The utility of the collection is obvious. It is calculated for claffical fchools, and for those in which English only is taught. Young perfons cannot read a book, containing fo much matter, without, acquiring a great improvement in the English Language; together with ideas on many pleating fubjects of Taste and Literature; and, which is of much higher importance, they will imbibe with an increase of knowledge, the pureft principles of Virtue and Religion.

The book may be employed in various methods for the use of learners, according to the judgment of various inftructors. The pupils may not only read it in private, or in the fchool at ftated times, but write out paragraphs in their copy books; commit paffages to memory, and endeavour to recite them with the proper action and pronunciation, for the improvement of their powers of utterance. With refpect to the Art of fpeaking, an excellence in it certainly depends more on practice, under the fuperintendance of a mafter, than on written precepts; and this book profeffes to offer matter for practice, rather than fyftematic inftructions, which may be more advantageously given in a rhetorical treatife or To learn the practical part of fpeaking, or the art of managing the voice and gefture, by written rules alone, is like learning to play upon a mufical inftrumént, with the bare afliftance of a book of directions without a master.

vivâ voce.

The books from which thefe Extracts are taken, are fit for the young readers libraries, and may be made the companions of their lives; while the prefent compilation offers itself only as an humble companion at fchool. In the character of a companion, it has a great deal to fay to them; and will probably improve in the power of affording pleasure and inftruction, the more its acquaintance is cultivated.

ADVERTISEMENT TO THE THIRD AND FOURTH EDITIONS.

A

DESIRE to render this Book fingularly useful, and to deferve a continuance of that approbation with which it has been already received, has induced the Editor to enlarge and improve it in the prefent, as well as in every preceding

edition.

To the firft book a great variety of moral and religious extracts has been added, with a defign to furnish a falutary employment for fchools and fainilies on a day which affords peculiar leifure. In the fubfequent books have been inferted Orations, Characters, entertaining Efays on men and manners, pleafing paffages on Natural History, a collection of old Proverbs, and other pieces, conducive to the prime purpose of uniting the useful with the agreeable.

The volume thus improved, together with the enlarged edition of ELEGANT EXTRACTS IN VERSE, will, it is hoped, be highly agreeable to young perfons in their vacant hours, as well as ufeful to them in the claffes of a school, and under the tuition of a preceptor.

As the book unavoidably became large by fucceffive additions, it was judged proper to infert a Title Page and ornamental Defign, nearly in the middle, that it may be optional to the purchaser to bind the Collection either in one, or in two volumes, as may best correfpond with his own ideas of convenience.

vi

INTRODUCTION.

ON

PRONUNCIATION, OR DELIVERY.

FROM DR. BLAIR's LECTURES.

I. OW much stress was laid upon Pronunciation, or Delivery, by the moft eloquent of all orators, Demofthenes, appears from a noted faying of his, related both by Cicero and Quinctilian; when being asked, What was the firft point in oratory? he answered Delivery; and being afked, What was the fecond? and afterwards, What was the third? he ftill an fwered, Delivery. There is no wonder, that he should have rated this fo high, and that for improving himself in it, he fhould have employed thofe affiduous and painful labours, which all the Ancients take fo much notice of; for, beyond doubt, nothing is of more importance. To fuperficial thinkers, the management of the voice and gefture, in public fpeaking, may ap pear to relate to decoration only, and to be one of the inferior arts of catching an audience. But this is far from being the cafe. It is intimately connected with what is, or ought to be, the end of all public fpeaking, Perfuafion; and therefore deferves the ftudy of the most grave and ferious fpeakers, as much as of those, whofe only, aim it is to please.

For, let it be confidered, whenever we addrefs ourselves to others by words, our intention certainly is to make fome impreffion on those to whom we speak; it is to convey to them our own ideas and emotions. Now the tone of our voice, our looks and gestures, interpret our ideas and emotions no lefs than words do; nay, the impreffion they make on others, is frequently much ftronger than any that words can make. We often see that an expref

five look, or a paffionate cry, unaccom panied by words, conveys to others more forcible ideas, and roufes within them ftronger paffions, than can be communicated by the moft eloquent difcourfe. The fignification of our fentiments, made by tones and geftures, has this advantage above that made by words, that it is the language of nature. It is that method of interpreting our mind, which nature has dictated to all, and which is understood by all; whereas, words are only arbitrary, conventional fymbols of our ideis; and, by confequence, muft make a more feeble impreffion. So true is this, that, to render words fully fignificant, they muft, almoft in every cafe, receive fome aid from the manner of Pronunciation and Delivery, and he who, in fpeaking, fhould employ bare words, without enforcing them by proper tones and accents, would leave us with a faint and indiftinct impreffion, often with a doubtful and ambiguous conception of what he had delivered. Nay, fo clofe is the connection between certain fentiments and the proper manner of pronouncing them, that he who does not pronounce them after that manner, can never perfuade us, that he believes, or feels, the fentiments themfelves. His delivery may be fuch, as to give the lye to all that he afferts. When Marcus Callidius accufed one of an attempt to poison him, but enforced his accufation in a languid manner, and without any warmth or earnestness of delivery, Cicero, who pleaded for the ac cufed perfon, improved this into an argument of the falfity of the charge, «An "tu, M. Callidi nifi fingeres, fic ageres ?"

tion.

The first attention of every public fpeaker, doubtless, must be, to make himfelf be heard by all thofe to whom he speaks. He must endeavour to fill with his voice the fpace occupied by the affembly. This power of voice, it may be thought, is wholly a natural talent. It is fo in a good meafure; but, however, may receive confiderable affiftance from art. Much depends for this purpose on the proper pitch, and management of the voice. Every man has three pitches in his voice; the high, the middle, and the low one. The high, is that which he ufes in calling aloud to. fome one at a distance. The low is, when he approaches to a whisper. The middle is, that which he employs in common converfation, and which he fhould generally ufe in public difcourfe. For it is a great miftake, to imagine that one must take the highest pitch of his voice, in order to be well heard by a great affembly. This is confounding two things which are different, loudness, or ftrength of found, with the key, or note on which we fpeak. A

* On this whole fubject, Mr. Sheridan's Lectures on Elocution are very worthy of being confulted; and several hints are here taken from

them.

fpeaker may render his voice louder, without altering the key; and we shall always be able to give most body, most persevering force of found, to that pitch of voice, to which in converfation we are accuftomed. Whereas, by fetting out on our higheft pitch or key, we certainly allow ourfelves lefs compafs, and are likely to strain our voice before we have done. We shall fatigue ourselves, and speak with pain; and whenever a man speaks with pain to himfelf, he is always heard with pain by his audience. Give the voice therefore full ftrength and fwell of found; but always pitch it on your ordinary fpeaking key. Make it a conftant rule never to utter a

greater quantity of voice, than you can afford without pain to yourselves, and without any extraordinary effort. As long as you keep within these bounds, the other organs of fpeech will be at liberty to dif charge their feveral offices with ease; and you will always have your voice under command. But whenever you tranfgrefs thefe bounds, you give up the reins, and have no longer any management of it. It is an ufeful rule too, in order to be well heard, to fix our eye on fome of the most distant perfons in the affembly, and to confider ourfelves as fpeaking to them. We naturally and mechanically, utter our word's with fuch a degree of ftrength, as to make ourselves be heard by one to whom we addrefs ourselves, provided he be within the reach of our voice. As this is the cafe in common converfation, it will hold alfo in public fpeaking. But remember, that in public as well as in converfation, it is poffible to offend by speaking too loud. This extreme hurts the ear, by making the voice come upon it in rumbling indiftinct maffes; befides its giving the fpeaker the difagreeable appearance of one who endeavours to compel affent, by mere vehcmence and force of found..

In the next place, to being well heard, and clearly understood, diftinctness of arti culation contributes more, than mere loudnefs of found. The quantity of found ne ceffary to fill even a large space, is fmaller than is commonly imagined; and with distinct articulation, a man of a'weak voice will make it reach farther, than the ftrongeft voice can reach without it. To this, therefore, every public fpeaker ought to found which he utters its due proportion, pay great attention. He must give every and make every fyllable, and even every letter in the word which he pronounces,