be rash in its violation; nor should the composer of what is to be spoken or sung be remiss in his attention to it."

At that period of youth when the voice begins to break and to assume the manly tone, no violent exertion should be made; but the voice should be spared until it becomes confirmed and established. Neither, according to this rule, should the voice, when hoarse, if it may be avoided, be exerted at any time.

If a boy would give himself the chance of having a contralto, establishing his constitution, and making his fortune, let him begin to think and take heed from fourteen; for a cold will break the voice before the time of nature, omissions of singing often but not too long at a time will sink it, and vicious gratifications may ruin it and the constitution before the age of manhood. The singer may with more safety indulge at thirty, when the constitution of man is fixed, or even at forty, than at eighteen, when nature is in a state of growth and immaturity; though, indeed, many young proficients in music have made a shameful and speedy end, who have promised fair in the beginning; and might have proceeded happily, but, setting off with over much sail and too strong a tide, suffered shipwreck in the channel before they could well get out

to sea.

Some things are found serviceable to the voice, and are used by modern singers; they may be 'equally advantageous to a public speaker. Warm mucilaginous and diluting drinks, in case of dryness of the fauces, or slight hoarseness, barleywater and tea, preparations of sugar, sugar-candy. barley-sugar, and the various sorts of lozenges, which modern ingenuity prepares so elegantly: a new egg beat up is reckoned the best substance for immediately clearing the voice, and is preferred by the Italian singers. Garlic is much used, notwithstanding its offensive odour. The great means of improving the voice, as in all other improvements, is constant and daily practice. The professional exercise at the bar, the senate, and the stage, if properly attended to, with a view to improvement, may suffice for the orator of our times; but the ancients, besides this, were in the daily practice of preparatory declamation ;-their rule was, after proper bodily exercise, to begin at the lowest tones of their voices, and gradually to the highest. This was called anaphonesis, and sometimes the paan and munio; the munio; the former the exercise of the voice in the highest pitch, the latter in the lowest. They used to pronounce about five hundred lines in this manner, which were committed to memory, in order that the exertions of the voice might be the less embarrassed.

It is a great and general mistake among the players at rehearsal, as the common practice is, to mutter over their parts inwardly, and keep in their voices, with a misimagined purpose of preserving them against their evening acting: whereas the surest natural means of strengthening their delivery would be to warm, dephlegm, and clarify the thorax and windpipe, by exerting (the more frequently the better) their fullest power of utterance, thereby to open and remove all hesitation, roughness, or obstructions, and to tune their voices, by effect of such continual exercise, into habitual mellowness, and ease of compass and inflexion; just from the same reason that an active body is more strong and healthy than a sedentary one.

The second rule has been anticipated, which is bodily exercise. The ancients recommend walking a certain space before breakfast-about a mile. Riding on horseback we do not find recommended or practised as mere exercise. In order to strengthen the voice, Mr. Sheridan advises, that any person who has fallen into a weak utterance should daily practise to read and repeat in a large room, in the hearing of a friend. His friend should be placed, at first, at such a distance as he may be able to read in his usual manner; the distance is then gradually to be increased, till he shall be so far from him that he cannot be heard beyond him

without straining. There should his friend hear the most part of his declamation: and through this practice should he proceed step by step daily; by which he may be enabled to unfold his organs, and regularly increase the quantity and strength of his voice. Perhaps the same practice might more easily and effectually be made in the open air, as every speaker cannot conveniently obtain the use of a room of the requisite dimensions.

Mr. Walker's rules for strengthening the voice are excellent and practicable. His general principle is, that, in order to strengthen the higher tones of the voice, such passages should be practised as require the high tones. These are particularly a succession of questions, ending with the rising inflexion. For the middle tones, passionate speeches requiring them should be practised; and for bringing down the voice, which is apt to run wild, and not to be in our power when long continued above, the succeeding sentence is to be begun (if the subject admit) and delivered in a lower tone.

VIII.

DISEASES FROM SINGING AND PUBLIC SPEAKING, WITH THE DISORDERS OF THE VOICE.

DR. RAMAZZINI, in his Latin treatise on diseases incident to Professions, has devoted a chapter to those incident to exertions of the voice in either singing or public speaking; and his work has lately been translated and much enlarged by M. Patissier of Paris. The most important remarks of these authors, as well as of others who have written, together with the observations we have ourselves made, on the subject, we shall now lay before our readers.

CONSEQUENCES OF OVER-EXERTION OF THE VOICE.

In the directions which we gave for improving and strengthening the tone of the voice, we particularly stated, that the exercise of singing, or public speaking, drives a greater supply of blood to the organs exerted. Now, this tide of blood may, according to circumstances, either contribute to strengthen the voice, or to produce inflammation of the throat. All depends on the strength of the