The length of pauses is only relative; the following marks distinguish four comparative degrees of duration: Longest (); long (); short (); shortest (').

PAUSES OF EMOTION.

237. The pauses of emotion cr of emphasis, as the term indicates, depend upon the expression which is to be given. language, and are not determined by the grammatical form, though sometimes coincident with the ordinary divisions of sense.

We have seen that in the pauses of sense there is a certain relative proportion as to the length; with the pauses of emotion this is not the case. A pause of some length is often used, either immediately before or after some word or phrase of peculiar importance, on which we wish to fix the attention of the hearer.

The pause before awakens curiosity or expectation; and the pause after refers the mind back to, or holds it upon, the last utterance. This may be called the emphatic pause. It produces a most striking effect, but, like all other strong emphasis, should not be used unless justified by the importance of the case.

And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these is, charity."

"And Nathan said unto David, Thou art the man."

"He woke to die!"

“But hush! | hark! | a deep sound strikes like a rising knell."

“Socrates died like a philosopher, but Jesus Christ like a | God,” (or like a God).

“As long as an armed foe remained in my country, I would never lay down my arms; no; never, never, || || never."

In all intensely impassioned language expressive of that labor of the mind which seems to choke and retard utterance, as in strong and suppressed grief, rage, etc., frequent pauses occur, arising from the necessity of deep inhalation and consequent expansion, to refill the lungs after the air has been driven from them. The necessary effort must be perceptible, and is an aid in natural expression.

The mental suffering causes a loss of the holding power, and we speak in the exhausting breath when only two or three words can be uttered in one expiration, and these remarkable inhaling pauses produce Broken Melody. We have an example of this in the language of Eve imploring Adam's forgiveness, as found in "Paradise Lost:”

"On me | exercise not

'Thy hatred | for this misery befallen,
On me already lost, me than thyself

More miserable! ¦ ¦ both | have sinned, but thou |
Against God | only, I || against God | and thee; ||
And to the place of judgment will return, ||
There with my cries importune Heaven, that all
The sentence from thy head removed, may light
On me, sole cause to thee | of all this woe,
Me, me only, just object of His ire!"

238. The sudden transitions from one state of feeling to another, which mark almost all passionative language, are in most all cases preceded by a pause. In all language, the pauses correspond in length with the character of the movement. When the movement is slow, as in awe, deep grief, solemnity, etc., the pauses are long; while in language of hasty passion or eager impatience, etc., or in gay and bright emotions, where the movement is rapid, the pauses are correspondingly short.

Considering pauses from another point of view, they may be regarded as almost universally the result of emphasis (and in some cases of accent) for every emphatic or

strongly accented word is a sort of central point or nucleus, around which others less impressive, and intimately related in sense, naturally cluster, the whole forming a group between pauses, unless several equally strong emphases succeed each other, when the words stand alone between pauses.

Sentences, then, whether simple, complex, compact, or loose, are composed of a number of words, which accents or emphases tie together, as it were, into groups resembling long words, to be marked off by a pause of greater or less extent. These have been termed oratorical portions or "oratorical words." They have been also called "emphasis words.” The following marked passages will illustrate the division of sentences on this principle-the italics indicate the emphasis:

“Alexander-at-a-feast surrounded-by-flatterers overcome-by-rage

heated-with-wine

led-by--a

concubine is-a-forcible-example that-the-conqueror-of-kingdoms may-have-neglected the-conquest-of-himself.”

"Is-it-not-monstrous,

But-in-a-fiction,

that--this-player-here, in-a-dream-of-passion,

Could-force-his-soul so-to-his-own-conceit.”

"If it -were--don, when-'tis-done, then--'t were well'Twere-done quickly: If-the-assassination

Could trammel-up-the-consequence, and—catch,—

With-his-suricase-success."

Correct grouping, which is effected by pausing, may be called the articulation of sentences. In the language of criticism, in the present day, it is not an uncommon thing to hear it spoken of as distinct articulation.

"He gave

EXERCISES IN PAUSING.

to misery all he had a tear,

He gain'd ¦ from Heaven— ¡'t was all he wish'd — || a friend.”

"Tis hard to part when friends are dear, |
Perhaps 't will cost a sigh, || a tear;

Then steal away, I give little warning, ||
Choose thine own time; ||

Say not good night; but in that happier clime |
Bid me good morning."

"Thy shores are empires | changed | in all | save thee-
Assyria, Greece, || Rome, || Carthage, || what are they?"

"Dark heaving, || boundless, || endless, || and sublime."

"The war is inevitable || — and let it come! || || I repeat it, || sir, || || let it come."

“If thou be'st he | —but O, || how fallen! || how changed!"||

66

Here lies the great,- | false marble! || Where? || ||
Nothing but sordid dust || lies | there."

"And his family! | but he is gone; || that noble heart | beats | no more." |

"This world, | 't is true,

Was made for Casar- but for Titus | too."

"Her neck is bared the blow is struck the soul is passed

away!!

The bright | the_beautiful | is now || || a bleeding piece of clay!"

"But come, thou goddess, | fair and free, |
In heav'n yclep'd | Euphrosyne, |

And of men | heart-easing Mirth;|
Whom | lovely Venus | at a birth, |
With two sister graces | more, |
To ivy-crowned Bacchus | bore."

"Hop, and Mop, | and Drap so clear, |
Pip, | and Trip, | and Skip, | that were |
To Mab their sovereign dear,—|

Her special maids of honor."

CHAPTER XXXI.

Rhythmus or Measure of Speech.

239. ALL speech is composed of a succession of heavy and light sounds, or accented and unaccented syllables, produced by the alternate action and reaction of the larynx, this organ being subject to the law of pulsation and remission common to all muscular effort.

From this peculiarity in the construction of language, it may be divided into rhythmical or accentual measures, as in music, containing a heavy and a light portion of sound, and being of about equal time value.

Taking the mark (A) to represent the heavy or accented sounds, and the mark (..) the light or unaccented, and the bars (1), as in music, to distinguish and sepa rate one measure from another to the eye, the pulsation and remission of the voice producing a measure may be illustrated as follows:

The pulsative act never occurs upon more than one syllable of a measure, because if two or more consecutive syllables are accented, or uttered with the pulsative action of the organ, there will unavoidably be either a remissive action at the termination, or a pause corresponding with the remission, by which the organs recover themselves after pulsation. Thus, if the word hunt be uttered twice. under accent there will be a perceptible hiatus between them corresponding to the remiss action, which pause or