The Art of Rhetoric, Book 3 · Part 2
Of Pronunciation.
PRonunciation is an apte orderinge bothe of the voyce,Vtteraunce it is. countenaunce, and all the whole bodye, accordynge to the worthines of suche woordes and mater as by speache are declared. The vse hereof is suche for anye one that liketh to hauehave prayse for tellynge his tale in open assemblie, that hauing a good tongue, and a comelye countenaunce, he shalbe thought to passe all other that hauehave the like vtteraunce: thoughe they hauehave much better learning. The tongue geueth a certayne grace to euerye matter, and beautifieth the cause in like maner, as a swete soundynge Lute muche setteth forthe a meane deuised Ballade. Or as the sounde of a good instrumente styrreth the hearers, and moueth muche delite, so a cleare soundyng voice comforteth muche our d…intie eares, with muche swete melodie, and causeth vsus to allowe the matter rather for the reporters sake, thē the reporter, for the matters sake. Demosthenes therfore,Demostenes saiyng of pronunciation. that famouse Oratour beyng asked what was the chiefest point in al Oratorie, gaue the chiefe and onelyonly praise to Pronunciation, being demaunded, what was the seconde, and the thirde, he stil made answere, Pronunciation, and would make none other aunswere, till they lefte askyng, declaryng hereby that Arte without vtteraūce can dooe nothyng, vtteraunce without Arte can dooe right muche. And no doubte that man is in outwarde apparaunce halfe a good Clarke, that hath a cleane tongue, and a comely gesture of his bodie.Aeschines. Aeschines lykewyse beyng bānished his countrie through Demosthenes, when he had redde to the Rhodians his owne Oration, and Demosthenes aunswere thereunto, by force wherof he was bannished, and all they marueiled muche at the excellencie of the same: then (ꝙ Aeschines) you would hauehave marueiled muche more if you had heard hymselfe speake it. Thus beyng cast in miserie & bannished for euer, he could not but geue suche great reporte of his most deadly and mortal ennemy.
¶The partes of Pronunciation.
PRonunciation standeth partely in fashionyng the tongue, and partely in framyng the gesture.
The tongue, or voice is praise worthie, if the vtteraunce be audible, strong, and easie, & apte to order as we liste. Therfore they that mynde to gette praise in tellyng their minde in open audience must at the first beginnyng speake somwhat softely, vse meete pausyng, and being somewhat heated, rise with their voice, as the tyme & cause shal best require. Thei that hauehave no good voices by nature, or cannot wel vtter their woordes, must seeke for helpe elswhere. Exercise of the bodie, fastyng, moderacion in meate, and drynke, gaping wyde, or singyng plaine song, & counterfeityng those that do speake distinctly, helpe muche to hauehave a good deliueraunce. Demosthenes beeyng not able to propronounce the first letter of that Arte whiche he professed, but would say, for, Rhethorique, Letolike, vsed to put litle stones vnderunder his tongue, & so pronounced, whereby he spake at lengthe so plainely as any man in the worlde coulde doe. Musicians in England hauehave vsed to put gagges in childrēs mouthes that they might pronounce distinctely, but nowe with the losse and lacke of Musicke, the louelove also is gone of bringyng vp children to speake plainely. Some therebe that either naturally,Faultes in pronunciation or through folie hauehave suche euill voices & suche lacke of vtteraunce, & suche euil gesture, that it muche defaceth all their doynges. One pipes out his woordes so small through defaulte of his wynde pype, that ye woulde thinke he whisteled. An other is so hource in his throte, that a man woulde thynke he came lately from scouryng of harnesse. An other speakes, as though he had Plummes in his mouthe. An other speakes in his throte, as though a good Ale crūme stacke fast. An other ratles his wordes. An other choppes his wordes. An other speakes, as though his wordes had neede to be heaued out with leauers. An other speakes as though his wordes shoulde be weyed in a ballaunce. An other gapes to fetche wynde at eueryevery thirde woorde. This man barkes out his Englishe Northrenlike with Isay, and thou ladde. An other speakes so finely, as though he were brought vp in a Ladies Chamber. As I knew a Priest that was as nice as a Nonnes Henne, when he would saie Masse, he woulde neuer saie Dominus vobiscum, but Dominus vobicum. In like maner as some now wil say, the Commendementes of God, blacke vellet, for Commaundementes and blacke veluet. Some blowes at their noistrelles. Some sighes out their wordes. Some synges their sentencies. Some laughes altogether, when they speake to any bodie. Some gruntes lyke a Hogge. Some cackels lyke a Henne, or a Iack Dawe. Some speakes as thoughe they shoulde tel a tale in their sleeue. Some cries out so loude, that they would make a mans eares ake to heare thē. Some …oughes at eueryevery worde. Some hēmes it out. Some spittes fier, they talke so hotely. Some makes a wrie mouthe, and so they wreste out their wordes. Some whynes lyke a Pig. Some suppes their wordes vp as a poore man doth his porage. Some noddes their head at eueryevery sentence. An other winckes with one iye, and some with both. This mā frowueth alwaies when he speakes. An other lookes …uer as though he were mad. Some cannot speake, but thei must go vp and doune, or at the lest be stirryng their feete as though they stode in a cockeryng Bote. An other wil plaie with his cappe in his hande, & so tel his tale. Some when they speake in a great companie, will looke al one way, as I knewe a reader in my daies, who loked in lyke sorte when he redde to Scholers, whome one thought to disappoint of suche his constant lookes: and therefore against the nexte daie he painted the Deuil with hornes vponupon his heade in the selfe same place where the Reader was wont alwaies to looke, the whiche straunge monster when the reader sawe, he was half abashed, and turned his face an other way. Some pores vponupon the grounde, as though thei sought for pynnes. Tullie telles of one Theophrastus Tauriscus, who is saide to declaime arsee versee. Some swelles in the face & sill…s their chekes ful of wynde, as though they would blow out their woordes. Some settes forth their lippes two ynches good beyonde their teeth. Some talkes as thoughe their tongue went of patyns. Some showes al their teeth. Some speakes in their teeth altogether. Some leates their wordes fall in their lippes, scant openyng theim when they speake. There are a thousand suche faultes emong menne bothe for their speache, and also for their gesture, the whiche if in their young yeres they be not remedied, they will hartely be forgotte when they come to mans state. But the rather that these faultes may be redressed: I hauehave partly declared heretofore the righte vse of vtteraunce, and nowe I mynde by Goddes helpe to shewe the right vse of gesture.
¶Vvat is gesture.
GEsture is a certaine comely moderacion of the countenaunce,Gesture what it is. and al other partes of mans body, aptely agreeyng to those thynges whiche are spoken▪ That if wee shall speake in a pleasaunt matter, it is meete that the loke also should be chereful, and al the gesture stirryng thereafter. The heade to be holden vpright, the forehead without frownyng, the browes without bendyng, the nose without blowyng, the iyes quicke and pleasaunt, the lippes not laid out, the tethe without grennyng, the armes not muche cast abrode, but comely set out, as time, and cause shal best require: the handes somtymes opened, and sometimes holde together, the fingers pointyng, the brest laid out, and the whole body stirryng altogether with a seemely moderacion. By the whiche behauiour of our body after suche a sorte, we shal not onelyonly delite men with the sight, but perswade them the rather the truth of our cause.
Q. Hortensius had suche delite to vse comely gesture,Hortensius. & had suche grace in that behaulfe: that I doubt whether men had a greater desire to see hym, than they had to heare hym. His countenaunce so wel agreed with his wordes, and his woordes were so meete for his contenaunce, that not onelyonly he did please the iudgement of his hearers, and contented their mynde: but also he pleased their iyes, and delited their eares, so muche as could be wished.
Tullie saith well: The gesture of man, is the speache of his bodie, and therfore reason it is, that lyke as the speache must agree to the matter, so must also the gesture agree to the mynde. for, the iyes are not geuen to man onelyonly to se, but also to shewe, and set forth the meanyng of his mynde, euen as vntounto a Bore are geuen briselles: to a Lyon, the taile: to a horse, his cares: whereby their inclinacions and soubdeine affections are sone espied. When we see a man loke redde in the iyes, his browes bent, his teeth bytyng his vpper lip, we iudge that he is out of pacience. Therefore as we ought to hauehave good regarde for the vtteraunce of our wordes, so we ought to take hede that our gesture be comely, the whiche bothe beyng wel obserued, shal euerease fame and gette estimacion vniuersally.
But heare an end. And now as my wil hath been earnest to doe my beste: so I wishe that my paines may bee taken thereafter. And yet what needes wishyng, seeyng the good will not speake euill, and the wicked can not speake well. Therfore beyng staied vponupon the good, and assured of their ientle bearyng with me: I feare none, because I stande vponupon a saufe grounde.
¶Faultes escaped in thenprintyng.
FOlio .viii. line .xxxii.i. reade, vaunte.
Fol .xxxiii. lyne .i. Reade, or doe we.
Fol .lxxvi. line .vii.i. respecte.
Fol .lxxvi. line .viii. iester.
Fol .lxxxi. line .vii. seme.
Fol .lxxxvi. line .xv.ii. Rhetorician.