2.  Thou slave! thou wretch! thou coward! 
   Thou little valiant, great in villainy! 
   Thou ever strong upon the stronger side! 
   Thou fortune’s champion, thou dost never fight
   But when her humorous ladyship is by
   To teach thee safety!  Thou art perjured too,
   And sooth’st up greatness.  What a fool art thou,
   A ramping fool; to brag, and stamp, and sweat,
   Upon my party! thou cold-blooded slave!

3.  God! thou art mighty!  At thy footstool bound,
   Lie, gazing to thee, Chance, and Life, and Death;
   Nor in the angel circle flaming round,
   Nor in the million worlds that blaze beneath,
   Is one that can withstand thy wrath’s hot breath. 
   Woe, in thy frown:  in thy smile, victory: 
   Hear my last prayer!  I ask no mortal wreath;
   Let but these eyes my rescued country see,
   Then take my spirit, all Omnipotent, to thee.

4.  O Thou eternal One! whose presence bright
     All space doth occupy, all motion guide,
   Unchanged through time’s all-devastating blight! 
     Thou only God, there is no god beside! 
   Being above all things, mighty One,
     Whom none can comprehend and none explore;
   Who fill’st existence with thyself alone,—­
     Embracing all, supporting, ruling o’er,—­
     Being whom we call God, and know no more!

QUANTITY AND QUALITY. (49)

Quantity, in reading and speaking, means the length of time occupied in uttering a syllable or a word.  Sounds and syllables vary greatly in quantity.  Some are long, some short, and others intermediate between those which are long or short.  Some sounds, also, may be prolonged or shortened in utterance to any desired extent.  Quantity may be classified as Long, Medium, or Short.

Directions for practice on long quantity.—­Select some word of one syllable ending with a long vocal or a subvocal sound; pronounce it many times in succession, increasing the quantity at each repetition, until you can dwell upon it any desired length of time, without drawling, and in a natural tone.

Remark.—­Practice in accordance with this direction will enable the pupil to secure that fullness and roundness of voice which is exemplified in the hailing of a ship, “ship aho—­y;” in the reply of the sailor, when, in the roar of the storm, he answers his captain, “ay—­e. ay—­e;” and in the command of the officer to his troops, when, amid the thunder of artillery, he gives the order, “ma—­rch,” or “ha—­lt.”

This fullness or roundness of tone is secured, by dwelling on the vocal sound, and indefinitely protracting it, The mouth should be opened wide, the tongue kept down, and the aperture left as round and as free for the voice as possible.