Positions vvherin those primitiue circumstances be examined, which are necessarie for the training vp of children, either for skill in their booke, or health in their bodie. VVritten by Richard Mulcaster, master of the schoole erected in London anno. 1561. in the parish of Sainct Laurence Povvntneie, by the vvorshipfull companie of the merchaunt tailers of the said citie

Chapter 10. Of lowd speaking. How necessarie, and how proper an exercise it is for a scholler.

THe exercise of the voice which in Latin they name vocife∣ratio, in Greek 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, as them 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, which were the training maisters, in English maye be tearmed ••owd spea∣king, of the height: for though it vse all the degrees, which be in the voice, yet is it most properly to take his name, of the lowdest and shrillest, as the most audible in sound, and ther∣fore fittest to giue the name, as all thinges els receiue theirs, of some one qualitie of most especiall note. The auncient Phy∣sicians entertaine it among exercises, bycause it stirreth the bulke, and all those instrumentes, which serue for the deliuerie of voice, and vtterance of speeche: bycause it aideth, dilateth and comforteth the lunges in his windworke, it encreaseth, cleanseth, strēgtheneth, and fineth the naturall heat: it maketh

the sound and soueraigne partes of the bodie strong and pure: and not lightly to be assailed by any disease: it mendeth the co∣lour, and cheareth the countenaunce. Now that it hath these properties they do proue by naturall argumentes. That it pra∣ctiseth and stirreth the inward partes, and vocall instrumentes, no man may deme, which will confesse, that the mouth alone, is the onely port and passage for speeche. That it encreaseth the naturall heat, the breath it selfe doth most euidētly declare, bycause it is alwaye exceeding warme, when one exerciseth the voice, it is so thronged and crusshed with taking in and letting out. That it cleanseth and cleareth, there be two causes to proue: the one is, bycause it maketh the flesh more fine and thinne, and smoother to the hand, not onely thorough stretching and straining the skinne, but by remouing excre∣mentes, which naturally thicken and make rugged. The other is, for that by mouing the vocall instrumentes the inward moy∣sture consumeth and wasteth, as it doeth appeare by that thicke and grosse vapour, which proceedeth out of his mouth that speaketh alowd, and other congealed excrementes re∣sting of olde in other passages, which this exercise expelled from the inward partes. That it both fines and strengthens the naturall heat, hereby it is more then plaine. For that the in∣ward vesselles and pipes be scoured thereby, and sundry su∣perfluities expelled both at the nose, and mouth, which as they darkened, weakned, and thickned the naturall heat, when they were within the bodie: so being dismissed themselues, they leaue it pure, fine, and strong, whereby the partes being sound and cleare more strength groweth on to healthward, and lesse to disease. Hervpon it falleth out, that this exercise of the voice, must needes be a singular helpe for them, which haue their inwarde partes troubled with moysture, and be of cold cōstitu∣tion, as also for such, as be troubled with weaknesse, or pew∣kishnesse of stomacke, with vomiting, or bytter rifting, with hardnesse of digestion, with lothing of their meat, with feeding that feedes not, with faintnesse, with naughty constitution, that corrupteth the blood, with dropsies, with painfull fetching their breath, or but then casely, when they sit vpright, with consumptions, with any long disease, in the breast or midrife,

with apostemes which are broken within the bulke, with quar∣tane agues, with fleame, and also for all those, which be on the mending hand, after sicknesse: for those that are troubled with the scurfe, or Egyptian lepre, called Elephātiasis, or whose bellies be so weake, as they cannot auoide, but watry and thin excrementes, for the hikup, for the voice, and her instrumentes, whether naturally resolued, or casually empaired.

Now as this exercise aduisedly, and orderly vsed, is verie good for those effectes in these partes, so rashly and rudely ventured vpon, it is not without daunger of doing harme, and cheifly to those which neuer vsed it before: it filleth the head and makes it heauie, it dulleth the instrumentes of the senses, which are in the head. It hurtes the voice, & breakes the smal∣ler veines, and is verie vnwholesome for such, as are subiect to the falling sicknesse, bycause it shaketh the troubled partes too sore: it is daungerous when one is troubled with ill, and cor∣rupt humours, or when the stomacke is cumbred, with great and euident crudities, and rawnes, bycause thorough much chafing of the breath, and the breath instrumentes, it disper∣pleth, and scattereth corrupt humours, thorough out the whole bodie. And as the gentle exercising of the voice, with oft en∣terlacing of graue soundes, is wholesome, so to much shrilnesse straynes the head, causeth the temples pante, the braines to beate, the eyes to swell, the cares to tingle. Further it is verie vnwholesom after meat, bycause the breath being chafed part∣ly by reason of late eating, partly by lowdnesse of the voice as it passeth thorough, gawlleth the throte, and so corrupteth the voice. It is also enemie to repletion, to wearinesse, to sensuali∣tie: for that in those people, which are subiect to those infir∣mities, the great & forcible straining of the voice, doth oftimes cause ruptures and conuulsions, so that the commodities, and incommodities of the exercise do warne the training maister to vse it wisely and with great discretion. The vse of it for the motion is this, that I haue said, but for the helpe of learning, it is to some other verie good and great purpose, to pronounce without booke, with that kinde of action which the verie pro∣pertie of the subiect requireth, orations and other declamatory argumentes, either made by the pronouncer him selfe, or

borowed of some other, but cheifly the hoatest Philippik, Ca∣tilinarie, and Verrine argumentes, and the rest of that race, ei∣ther out of many Greeke oratours, or our one and onely Latin Tullie, and whether ye list to prose alone, or to be bold with Poetes,* 1.1 and vse their meeter. Coelius Aurelianus an auncient Romane Physician, though borne at Sicca in Aphricke speaking of this exercise vseth these wordes. They did vtter their begin∣ninges or prohemes with a gentle and a moderate voice, their narrations, and reasoning discourses with more straining, and louder: their perorations, and closinges, with a discent, and fall of the voice. And is not that to my saying?

The manner of this exercise, which Antyllus a verie olde Physician doth shew in Oribasius,* 1.2 that wrate his bookes vnto Iulian the apostate, whose Physician he was, agreeth also with mine opinion. For hauing appointed certaine preparatiues for nimbling, and spreding the vocall powers, he sayth, that such, as exercised the voice, did first begin lowe, and moderatly, then went on to further strayning, of their speeche: sometimes drawing it out, with as stayed, and graue soundes, as was possi∣ble, sometimes bringing it backe, to the sharpest and shrillest, that they could, afterward not tarying long in that shrill sound, they retired backe againe, slacking the straine of their voice, till they fell into that low, and moderate tenour, wherwith they first began. Which wordes do not onely shew, that it was thus vsed, but also how the voice is to be vsed, in this exercise generally. But vpon what matter, and argument was all this paines bestowed? Those which were vnlearned said such things as they could remember, which were to be spoken aloud, and admitted any change of voice in the vttering, now harshe and hard, now smoothe and sweete. Those that were bookish reci∣ted either Iambike verses or Elegies, or such other numbers, which with their currant carie the memorie on, but all with∣out booke, as farre surmounting any kinde of reading. I haue dwelt the longer in this exercise, bycause it is both the first in rancke, and the best meane to make good pronouncing of any thing, in any auditorie, and therfore an exercise not im∣pertinent to scholers.

Notes

• * 1.1

  Libro 1. 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉. cap. 5. de furore.
• * 1.2

  Lib. 6. cap. 8. De sani. tuen.