LESSON I. The Prodigal Son. [Tell the story simply, being especially careful to speak to your audience, raising the eyes from the book, as directed in Lesson III. At first you will have to take more time for this than is necessary for expression; but consider that the beginner in any art must practise slowly until he gains facility, and that a perfectly natural manner of reading can be attained in no other way.] A certain man had two sons: and the younger of them said to his father, Father, give me the portion of thy substance that falleth to me." And he divided unto them his living. And not many days after the younger son gathered all together, and took his journey into a far country: and there he wasted his substance with riotous living. And when he had spent all, there arose a mighty famine in that country; and he began to be in want. And he went and joined himself to one of the citizens in that country; and he sent him into his fields to feed swine. And he fain would have been filled with the husks that the swine did eat; and no man gave unto him. But when he came to himself he said, "How many hired servants of my father's have bread enough and to spare, and I perish from hunger! I will arise and go to my father, and say unto him, 'Father, I have sinned against heaven and in thy sight: I am no more worthy to be called thy son: make me as one of thy hired servants." " And he arose, and came to his father. But while he was yet afar off, his father saw him, and was moved with compassion, and ran, and fell on his neck, and kissed him. And the son said unto him, "Father, I have sinned against heaven, and in thy sight: I am no more worthy to be called thy son!" But the father said to his servants, "Bring forth quickly the best robe, and put it on him; and put a ring on his hand and shoes on his feet; and bring the fatted calf, and kill it, and let us eat and make merry: for this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found." And they began to be merry. Now his elder son was in the field: and as he came and drew nigh to the house, he heard music and dancing. And he called to him one of the servants, and inquired what these things might be. And he said unto him, "Thy brother is come; and thy father hath killed the fatted calf, because he hath received him safe and sound." But he was angry, and would not go in: and his father came out and entreated. But he answered and said to his father, “Lo, these many years do I serve thee, and I never transgressed a commandment of thine: and yet thou never gavest me a kid, that I might make merry with my friends: but when this thy son came, which hath devoured thy living, thou killedst for him the fatted calf." And he said unto him, "Son, thou art ever with me, and all that is mine is thine. But it was meet to make merry and be glad: for this thy brother was dead, is alive again; was lost, and is found." -New Testament. LESSON II. Hamlet's Instruction to the Players. [Study in phrasing.] Speak the speech, I pray you, as I pronounced it to you-trippingly on the tongue; but if you mouth it, as many of our players do, I had as lief the town-crier spake my lines. Nor do not saw the air too much with your hand, thus; but use all gently: for in the very torrent, tempest, and, as I may say, whirlwind of your passion, you must acquire and beget a temperance, that may give it smoothness. Oh! it offends me to the soul, to hear a robustious periwig-pated fellow tear a passion to tatters—to very rags-to split the ears of the groundlings: who, for the most part, are capable of nothing but inexplicable dumb shows and noise. I would have such a fellow whipped for o'erdoing Termagant :* it out-herods Herod. Pray you, avoid it. Be not too tame, neither, but let your own discretion be your *Termagant, the fiend, and Herod, were evil characters in the popular "miracle plays." They were acted in a most boisterous manner. tutor. Suit the action to the word; the word to the action; with this special observance-that you o'erstep not the modesty of nature: for anything so overdone is from the purpose of playing; whose end, both at the first and now, was, and is, to hold, as 'twere, the mirror up to nature;-to show virtue her own feature; scorn her own image; and the very age and body of the time his form and pressure. Now this, overdone or come tardy off, though it make the unskilful laugh, cannot but make the judicious grieve; the censure of which one, must, in your allowance, o'erweigh a whole theatre of others. Oh! there be players, that I have seen play, and heard others praise, and that highly, not to speak it profanely, that, neither having the accent of Christians, nor the gait of Christian, pagan, or man, have so strutted and bellowed, that I have thought some of nature's journeymen had made men, and not made them well-they imitated humanity so abom. inably. Shakespeare. LESSON III. The Duel. [For avoiding "sing-song" style of delivery.] In Brentford town, of old renown, there lived a Mr. Bray, Said Mr. Bray to Mr. Clay: "You choose to rival me, And court Miss Bell, but there your court no thoroughfare shall be. "Unless you now give up your suit, you may repent your love; Said Mr. Clay to Mr. Bray: "Your threats I quite explode; I, who have shot and hit bulls' eyes, may chance to hit a sheep's." Now gold is oft for silver changed, and that for copper red; give When they were dead, they thus should have two seconds still to live. To measure out the ground not long the seconds then forbore, Now all was ready for the foes; but when they took their stands, Fear made them tremble, so they found they both were shaking hands. Said Mr. C. to Mr. B.: "Here one of us may fall, And, like St. Paul's Cathedral now, be doomed to have a ball. "I do confess I did attach misconduct to your name; If I withdraw the charge, will then your ramrod do the same?” Said Mr. B.: "I do agree-but think of Honor's Courts! If we go off without a shot there will be strange reports. "But look, the morning now is bright, though cloudy it begun; LESSON IV. Charge of the Light Brigade. Half a league, half a league, Half a league onward, All in the valley of death Rode the six hundred. "Forward, the Light Brigade! Charge for the guns!" he said: Into the valley of death ‘Forward, the Light Brigade!" Cannon to right of them, Volleyed and thundered: Stormed at with shot and shell, Into the jaws of death, Into the mouth of hell, Rode the six hundred. Flashed all their sabres bare, Charging an army, while All the world wondered! Plunged in the battery-smoke, Right through the line they broke: Cossack and Russian Reeled from the sabre-stroke, Shattered and sundered. Then they rode back; but not Not the six hundred. Cannon to right of them, Cannon to left of them, Cannon behind them |