Speak the next line with a long, heavy tone, as you will thereby express its meaning with greater force. A long, long year, one month and day, He dwelt on English land; Nor once in thought or deed would stray, For Bryan he was tall and strong, The two next verses descriptive of Percene's beauty, to be read with a glow of tender expreffion. But who the countless charms can draw, That grac'd his mistress true? Such charms the old world feldom faw, Nor oft I ween the new. Her raven hair plays round her neck, Her cheeks red dewy rofe-buds deck, Soon as his well-known fhip the fpied, She caft her weeds away; And to the balmy fhore fhe hied, All in her beft array. In fea-green filk fo neatly clad, Her hands a handkerchief display'd, Your whole manner in reading the two foregoing verfes and the fix following lines, ought to have nothing that can lead the hearer in the leaft to expect the fad catastrophe of the ballad. He must be raised to the highest pitch in the expectation of hearing an account of the happy meeting of the two lovers, as, by fo doing, the melancholy contraft will come with its full force and effect. Her fair companions, one and all, And almost touch'd the land; Be peculiarly anxious in your method of reading the two next lines, as if eager to arrive at that part descriptive of the expected happy meeting. Then thro' the white furf did fhe hafte To clafp her lovely fwain; Here comes the fhocking change. Your voice muft fall, and your looks affume an affecting melancholy.-Make a confiderable pause, ere you proceed with— When ah! a fhark bit thro' his waift, His heart's blood dy'd the main. If you ftop after the word "hark," the line will be more impreffive. He fhriek'd! his half fprang from the wave, And foon it found a living grave, The next line in a very affecting manner. And ah! was feen no more. Now hafte, now hafte, ye maids, I pray, She falls, fhe fwoons, fhe dies away, Now each May-morning round her tomb, Ye fair, fresh flow'rets ftrew; We fhall conclude this part of our volume with a charming fong of a moral tendency, written by Dr. Hawkefworth. Read it with a clear, regular-toned voice, and with due deliberation. A MO A MORAL THOUGHT. THRO' groves fequefter'd, dark, and still, With languid murmurs fteals along.. Awhile it plays with circling fweep, let my years thus devious glide, When labour tires, and pleasure palls,. And mingles with eternity.. The close of this fong ought to be emphatically and deliberately read. HYMNS. Hymans having been always confidered as coming under the denomination of Lyric compofitions, it would be a defect in this part of our Mifcellany to omit the infertion of a few of those which have been the most admired. Mr. Addison and Dr. Watts have particularly diftinguished themfelves in this fpecies of writing; but we think fome examples from thofe of the firft will answer better the purpose of the fcholar's practice in reading, than from thofe of the latter.— We shall begin with the following celebrated one, written by Mr. Addison, which was fo finely read by Fordyce, the famous preacher, from whom Mr. Garrick often declared he gained more instruction in the art of speaking, by attending his preaching, than from any other perfon he ever heard. When this popular divine was about to begin the following Hymn, he uniformly caft a most respectful look upwards, and then proceeded with an awful tone fuitable to the folemnity of the subject. THE fpacious firmament on high, With all the blue ethereal sky, And fpangled heavens, a fhining frame, The next line in a lower key, with peculiar folemnity Their Great Original proclaim. Th |