prefs our voices, not only as to foftnefs and loudness, but in respect of máfical tone. Thefe inflections, however, feem to affect fentences rather than fingle words; nor are they, as far as I can difcover, directed in any degree by the accentuation of fyllables. Many confiderations feem to fupport what this doctrine of the ancient accents naturally fuggefts, that the fpeaking of the ancients was much more nearly allied to recitative, than the elocution of modern times. I shall mention only the circumftance related by Cicero of Caius Gracchus. It was his practice to be attended, when he fpoke in public, by a musician with an ivory flute, whofe bufinefs was to affift him in the regulation of his voice. Such an attendant would very much perplex and diftrefs a modern fpeaker.' Accent feems to be the most unstable part of the English language: we can all remember words differently accented from the prefent practice, and many might be collected, which are ftill fluctuating, with their accent unfettled. In order, therefore, to point out, as far as may be practicable, the general nalogy of our language in this respect, and to supply some hints to those who wish to form a proper notion of this branch of orthoepy, he lays down rules for placing the accent, and fubjoins the exceptions. It has been generally faid and believed, that it is conformable to the genius of the English pronunciation, to throw back the accent, as far as poffible from the end of a polyfyllable. Our author very properly explodes this notion, and fays, It has corrupted our fpeech with many barbarous and unpleafing founds, which are in reality repugnant to its analogy: fuch as, ácademy, réfractory, pérfunctory, cóntemptible, &c. which no ear can bear without being offended. It is high time then, that this falfe notion fhould be controvertéd, and the farther ill effects of it prevented. The third part contains the general rules of quantity, and their exceptions. Quantity is the word generally adopted by grammarians to exprefs the relative length of fyllables. Thofe which pafs off rapidly are called short; thofe, in the utterance of which the voice is evidently more retarded, are called long. The author, however, rightly obferves, that fyllables denominated fhort are discovered to differ greatly from one another; and thofe which are reckoned long, appear to be by no means equal in length. In treating of quantity he difmiffes the ancient ideas, and confiders merely the length and fhortness of vowels, which is all that materially affects our pronunciation. Among the rules of quantity he lays down the following: I. A vowel followed by a confonant in the fame fyllable is hort, as bat, těûtify, kill, ŏrgan, butler. II. A vowel which ends a fyllable in an accented penultima is long, as bacon, gēnus, trifle, cōgent, &c. III. A mute e, fubjoined to a fingle confonant, makes the preceding vowel long, as bat, bate, bid, bide. IV. A vowel in an accented antipenultima, though not followed by a confonant in the fame fyllable, is fhort, as grătify, editor, o'rigin. Thefe In the laft inftance the author follows this rule in the divifion of words; namely, That every fyllable ends with a vowel, unless two confonants, or a double one, follow it; as ba-son, ba-ron.' But this divifion is groundless and absurd, and has a tendency to produce a falfe pronunciation. words fhould be divided as they are pronounced, bar-on, grat i-fy, ed-i-tor, or-i-gin. If so, the fourth rule of quantity ought to be abolished, and likewise a long lift of exceptions'; fuch as bă-lance, bă-nifh, că-bin, dă-mage, hă-bit, tă-lent, &c. which should be differently divided. The fourth part contains a lift of words, fpelt, and accented alike, yet differently pronounced; a lift of colloquial corruptions and contractions; inftances of a fluctuating orthography in our language; and examples of the difference between ancient and modern accentuation. We fhall fubjoin fome examples of the laft. "A'cademy: Our court fhall be a little ácademy. Shakf. Love's Lab. Loft. Here Dr. Johnfon appears to have been misled by the current opinion concerning the nature of the English accent; for he fays of this word, that it was,, "anciently and properly accented on the first fyllable, but now frequently on the second.” 1 • Advértife: Wherein he might the king his lord advértife. Shaksp. As I by friends am well advértifed. Shakfp. To one that can my part in him advértife. Id. Meaf. for Meal. As I was then Advertising, and holy to your bufinefs. Id. ib.. Hence advertisement is the ancient accentuation : My griefs are louder than advertisement. Shaksp. Much Ado." • Apoftolic: Or where did I at fure tradition ftrike, Provided it were still apoftolic. Dryd. Hind and Panth. Again: -In vain, alas, you seek Th' ambitious title of apiftolic. Dryd. Hind and Panth. Many divines, in reading the Nicene Creed, fay, "one ca tholic and apoftolic church." This is wrong; for, befides the ill effect of the jingle of the fimilar terminations fo accented, it is not adviseable to break unneceffarily into the analogy of the words in -ic. Catholic is indeed an allowed exception, but apoftolic is not; and many who read it apoftolic in that place, call it apofblic when it occurs elsewhere!' Critique. So lately as when Pope wrote, this word was not diftinguished by the accent from critic: But you with pleafure own your errors paft, And make each day a critique on the laft. Eff. on Crit. 1. 570. Alfo, Not that my quill to critiques was confin'd. Johnfon does not even diftinguish these two words by the orthography, but spells both critick; which is furely a fault, confidering that they are now pronounced, as well as accented, differently. Efay, fubftantive: That loft, he keeps his chamber, reads essays. B. Johnfon, Epigr. xii. Yet modeftly he does his work farvey, Repairs fo well our old Horatian way. Rofc. Eff. on Tran. Verfe. Johnson fays, "the accent is used on either fyllable." But I believe the accent here exemplified is now perfectly obfolete.' Perfume, both verb and fubftantive: Than in the perfum'd chambers of the great. Three April perfumes in three hot Junes burn'd. And in fome perfumes there is more delight. Hen. IV. A&t iii. But in the following paffage we find the accent of the verb placed as it now is used: The canker blooms have full as deep a dye As the perfumed tincture of the rofes. Shakfp. Sonnet 54. Now gentle gales Fanning their odoriferous wings, dispense Native perfumes, and whifper whence they ftole Thofe balmy fpoils.- Par. Loft, iv. 158.' This is only a bort fpecimen of our author's lift, which is curious and useful, and perhaps the first of the kind that has been attempted. Though we may probably differ from this learned writer in fome points which he has difcuffed in this treatife, yet we freely applaud his performance in general, as calculated to do eminent fervice to English literature, by exhibiting a greater variety of critical obfervations on the pronunciation of our language, than we have met with in any former publication. Eleanora : Eleanora: from the Sorrows of Werter. TH Small 8vo. 55. fewed. Robinson. HERE is no work more captivating than the Sorrows of Werter. Its warm animated language, the ftrong expreffive feelings of a heart, torn with anguifh, and of refolution weakened by diftrefs, allures with irrefiftible power; with: a power which we fear has fometimes led the reader of a congenial foul to a fimilar fate. On these and many other accounts, it is poifon to a mind diseased; and may contribute with the proud man's contumelies,' or the 'pangs of despised love,' to hurry a despairing wretch to the extreme verge. The volumes before us feem to be defigned as an antidote to the poifon ; but, like other antidotes, may come too late they are certainly not dangerous; and they poffefs a power of attraction by the fame means, and in a degree little inferior, to the Sorrows of Werter. The story is founded on a fhort fentence in the latter work: Werter, before his acquaintance with Charlotte, was attached to Julia; and her fifter Leonora fips of the intoxicating draught, under the guife of friendship. Fatal delufion! but though fo often fatal, the phantom continues to allure and to Betray. The unfortunate Leonora carries the wound in her heart, and it rankles amidst the gaieties of a court, and the fplendours of a midnight ball. Werter is fuppofed culpable in cherishing this fond delufion; but he leaves her without an explanation. He retires to the fatal spot, where he fees Charlotte, and finishes his love only with his life. The event is communicated to Leonora, and fnaps the thread, already weakened by the continuance of a violent, but hopeless, paffion. This is a fhort outline of the novel, which is related with much address, and an intimate acquaintance with the human heart. It is an interefting ftory; and the Epifode of Bertha and Conrade, and the little Hiftory of Claude and Ifabella,. are extremely beautiful. We think we perceive a moral, which we wish had been more pointedly infifted on. Men are often faulty in appearing particularly attentive, without defigning. to become lovers; and on the other hand women are often too credulous. There is an attractive power which frequently hurries us beyond ourselves it is a momentary delirium, a temporary intoxication, which, though in itself a fault if purfued, in the more ferious moments, would lead to a crime more dangerous than the mode of conduct fo generally ftigmatized as difhonourable. In the fituation of Leonora, the attentions of Werter were defenfible, and fhe ought to have reflected, that her paffion began before the death of Julia. May this guard fome fond female against a too eafy belief! As we can extract the following pleafing allegory, with little violence to the story, we shall infert it as a specimen. How many happy hours have we paffed in this bowerhours never to be recalled-with what winged fpeed ye flew ! and now every leaf spoke to my heart.-The disposition of the boughs, which hung neglected, or only caught up here and there by the tendrils of a vine which had made its way through the lattice-had fomething fo mournful, fo pathetically touching in their appearance, that I could not withstand the fenfations they raised in me.-I was overpowered by the weight of my afflictions-why is it that forrow takes fuch ftrong hold upon me? Is calamity to be my guide through life?I am not naturally of a melancholy turn; there was a time when chearfulness danced before me-Hope was on my right-hand and Contentment on my left. I gave myself up to their protection-we rushed giddily after our conductress.— Through what flowery paths fhe led us ! whatever we faw was worthy of our attention, every trifle amufed us. At the altar of Religion we bowed our heads, our hearts hailed her as our fuperior patronefs-we offered gratefully our vows at her fhrine. She received our facrifices, and fmiled on us with that benignity which can exalt the human heart to such a pitch of fublimity. My friend, we met with Love; he feduced Chearfulness from us, and he supplied her place ;-at first we fcarcely perceived the change; but we had not wandered long, when the boy grew captious.-Hope trembled and turned pale. She faw, and warned me of my danger: Love ftruck at her, and she fled. Contentment vanished. I would have followed, but with artful, with flowery bands he detained me. How foft, how gentle, he was then to me ;-but foon, what a tyrant did he become! What would I not have given to have broken my fetters !-yet now-that Despair has driven him from my heart-am I more at ease ?—I am convinced we know not what is beft for us, and our part is, only to fubmit with refignation to the events which the Moft High fhall judge we are capable of fupporting.' MONTHLY CATALOGUE. POETRY. The Disbanded Subaltern: an Epifile from the Camp at Lenham. Second Edition. Is. 6d. Flexney. WE gave fome account of this very pleafing performance in volume lvi. page 148. It is now enlarged and improved. Rational |