The English Reader, Or, Pieces in Prose and Poetry, Selected from the Best Writers

Bat if it shall happen that words which have such a strict and intimate connexion, as' not to bear even a momentary separation, are divided from one another by this cæsural pause, we then feel a sort of struggle between the fenfe and the found, which renders it difficult to read fuch lines harmoniously. The rule of proper pronunciation in fuch cases, is to regard only the pause which the sense forms; and to read the line accordingly. The neglect of the cæfural paufe may

make the line found somewhat unbarmonioufly; but the effect would be much worse, if the fenfe were facrificed to the found. For instance, in the following line of Milton,

" What in me is dark, « Illumine ; what is low, raise and support." the sense clearly dictates the pause after illu mire, at the end of the third syllable, which, in reading, ought to be made accordingly; though if the melody only were to be re. gårded, illumine should be connected with what follows, and the pause not made till the fourth or sixth syllable. So in the following line of Pope's Epistle to Dr. Arbuthnot,

“ I fits with sad civility I read." The ear plainly points out the cælural pause as falling af ter fad, the fourth fy Hable. But it would be very bad reading to make any pause there, so as to feparate fad and civility. The fense admits of no other paufe than after the second syllable fit, which therefore must be the only pause made in reading this part of the sentence.

There is another mode of dividing some verses, by introducing what may be called demi-cæsuras, which require very flight paufes ; and which the reader should manage with judgment, or he will be apt to fall into an affected

fing-rong mode of pronouncing verses of this kind. The
following lines exemplify the demi-cæfura.

“ Warms' in the sun'', refreshes in the breeze,
“ Glows' in the stars", and blossoms' in the trees ;
“ Lives' through all life", extends' through all extent,

“ Spreads' undivided", operates' unspent.”
Before the conclusion of this introduction, the Com-
piler takes the liberty to recommend to those teachers,
who may favour his compilation, to exercise their pupils
in discovering and explaining the emphatic words, and
the proper tones and pauses of every portion aligned them
to read, previously to their being called out to the per-
formance. These preparatory lessons, in which they
should be regularly examined, will improve their judg-
ment and taste ; prevent the practice of reading without
attention to the subject ; and establish a habit of readily
discovering the meaning, force, and beauty, of every fen-
tence they perafe.

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