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beginning with a part only of a foot, and by neglecting the first fyllable that the hexameters be fcanned by anapæfts, and the iambics by trochaic feet*; though it is manifeft, that Horace confidered dramatic verses, as confifting of iambic feet +.

Saint Auftin labours much in search after a reafon in nature for the divifion, he affigns, as neceffary to verfe; but what he advances for this purpose, is too abfurd and ridiculous to be here enlarged upon .

THE

* Ibid. c. 5.

+ Art. poët. v. 251. His scheme is to find fomething to be called an equality in the unequal divifion of the verse.

If a verfe of any kind confift of fuch an odd number of half feet, fuppofe feven, that the number being divided as near, as may be, in the middle, the greater half will be even: then, because each of the parts will be made up of an equal repetition of the number two, excepting that in the odd part there will at last remain only an unit to answer the last two of the other part; the equality, which feems here to be loft, is to be reftored by confidering, that every number is one number, and that unit multiplied by any number produces only the multiplier; therefore unit may be allowed to fupply the place of any other number.

If the odd number of half feet be of the other kind, fuppofe nine, where the major half is odd, fuch meafures are metres, and not verfe; because their two parts cannot be reduced to equality by this means.

If the number of half feet is even, suppose eight, and is divided according to his rule, as near as may be, in the middle fo, as to avoid a real equality, that is, in

THE next thing to be confidered in relation to the different kinds of verfe is their respective lengths. Metre and verse differ from fimple rhyth mus in this, that rhythmus in fpeech is every orderly fucceffion of long and short syllables, which will pass agreeably over the ear; but metre and verse is such rhythmus confined within a short compafs, and fucceffively repeated. In like manner verses differ from one another, not only by the diverfity of their movement, but also as they are longer or fhorter. We find fhort verses beft fitted for fong. Thus amongst the ancient odes very frequent ufe is made both of trochaic and iambic verses, but seldom of any exceeding the number of four feet. Such, as confift of more feet, are very

uncommon.

this example into five and three; here two and three compofing the first part, and two and one the fecond, the fancied equality is recovered because of the relation, in which unit stands to the number three in com1 mon with that, it was fhewn to bear to all numbers whatever.

The like trick would have accounted for the divifion of hexameters and trimeters confifting of twelve half feet into five and feven; but these are dignified with a more fubtle fpeculation; for having divided the number seven into four and three according to his former conceit of equality, he then finds his defired equality in these verses, because the number four taken four times makes fixteen, and the number three taken three times makes nine, which two numbers together amount to twenty five equal to five times five. De mufic, 1. 5. C. 7, &c.

uncommon. The iambics confifting of fix feet were chofen by dramatic writers for the difcourfive part of their works, as making a confiderable advance towards profe. This, I think, furnishes a reason, why the iambic measure of five feet (which is the verse of our narrative poetry) is the fitteft for that purpose of any measure hitherto used with fuccefs in our language. This verfe was not wholly in disuse amongst the ancients. It bears the name of Alcman, the firft Lyric poet*, whose works are loft; but we find also some very few instances of the fame verse in Pindar †, and even of the verse with an additional fyllable called verfus Hipponactius. Since therefore we are to confider verse for recital, as a medium between fong and profe discourse, this verfe, longer than those commonly used in song, yet not fo long, as those of fix feet, which were intended to bear a great degree of affinity with profe, is the properest measure for that kind of poetry. The ancients indeed do not appear to have used this verse for that purpose, the fix feet of the dactylic measure compofing a

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v. 6.

Κάλλισον αἱ μεγαλοπόλιες ̓Αθῆναι. Pyth. 7. seq. 1.

more fonorous verfe, and fufficiently removed from profe to answer the fame intention.

THE measures or rhythmus of our verse has not been fo much confidered by writers on this fubject, as it ought to have been; though Dr.Wallis in his Grammar of the English language has exprefly proved, that we make use both of iambic and trochaic verfes*. And these lines are an example both of the dactylic, and of each species of the anapæftic measures above mentioned †.

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Because he could find no word to come pat in. What has caufed our measures to be fo little at tended to, I fuppofe, is the uncertainty in the quantity of the greatest part of our fyllables. This must ever fruftrate all attempts to introduce the ancient hexameters into our narrative poetry; for that verfe being composed of a discretionary mixture of two different feet, we feldom can be led by the found of the words into the true movement of each verfe. However all our fyllables are not promifcuous. Triffino, a famous Italian poet, and an early

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early writer on the measures of their verfe, lays down this rule; that as the ancient feet were determined by the quantity of the fyllables only, in his language they are determined by the accent This is equally true in our tongue, and for this reafon, that whereas the ancient accent is reprefented to be only a variation in the tone of the voice, and had no relation to the quantity of the fyllable, ours is conftantly attended with an emphasis, which implies greater length in the fyllable. Hereof our fongs are a proof; for whenever in the tune a long note, or an equivalent number of short ones are not fet to the fyllables, whereon the emphafis or accent is laid in reading, the movement of the tune appears evidently to differ from that of the verfe. But however, as each fingle word has but one accent, if no fyllable were admitted into verse in the place of a long one, but what was accented in profe, all polyfyllable words would be excluded from the greatest part of our verfe. Therefore moft other fyllables are used as common, and in verse are read upon occafion with fome degree of emphasis, whereby they receive the power of long ones. Though all our fyllables do not well admit fuch lengthening out: feveral of our monofyllable particles, except

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sì come i Greci, et i Latini formavano i loro piedi di fillabe brevi e lunghe, così noi gli formiamo di gravi et acute; e come effi facevano, che 'l Jambo avelle la prima breve, e la feconda lungha, così noi facemo che lambo abbia la prima grave e la feconda acuta, &c. Poëtic. divifion. 2. De i piedi. §

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