a?
X-
HISTORY OF ENGLISH RHYTHMS.
IN TWO VOLUMES,
VOL. I.
It is said, by such, as professe the mathematicall sciences, that all things stand by proportion, and that without it nothing could stand to be good or beautiful.
Puttenham, Arte of English Poesie, Lib. ii. c. 1.
J. B. NICHOLS AND SON, 25, PARLIAMENT STREET.
A HISTORY OF
ENGLISH RHYTHMS
BY EDWIN GUEST Esq. M.A.
FELLOW OF CAIUS COLLEGE, CAMBRIDGE.
VOL. I.
LONDON WILLIAM PICKERING
1888.
$
V,
NOTICE TO THE READER.
Owing to circumstances, which need not be de- tailed, the first Volume was printed off, two years before the greater part of the second Volume went to the press, and indeed before it was written. This may account for a seeming inaccuracy as regards dates ; and will make it necessary for the reader, when he meets with the phrases, " a short time since," " two or three years ago," &c. to allow for the time, which has elapsed since they were written. Perhaps too it may serve, in some measure, as an apology for the additional notes at the end of each volume. Two years could hardly pass away, without the author seeing reason to modify much that he had advanced, upon a subject so novel and so extensive as the present one.
CONTENTS OF VOLUME I.
BOOK I.
Chap. I. Rhythm defined, 1. Verse measured either by time or accent, 2. General arrangement of the subject, ib.
Chap. II. The voice, 4. The vocal letters, 6. The whisper- letters, 9. Imitative sounds, 12.
Chap. III. A syllable defined, 22. The French e final, 24. The English e final, 26. The e of inflexion, 29. Initial syllables omitted, 35. The initial be, 36. The initial dis, 38. Vowel combinations, 39. The vowel before nasals and liquids, 47. The vowel before some one of the close letters, b, p3 d, t, g, k, 63. The vowel before dentals, 66. The vowel before sibi- lants, 67. Coalition of words, 69.
Chap. IV. Accent defined, 76. Primary and secondary accent, 78. Accent after a pause, 79. Verbal accent, how affected by constructional. Accent slurred over in construction, ib. Emphasis, 82. Accents of construction, 83. Verbal accent, foreign, 90. Verbal accent, English, 99.
Chap. V. Quantity defined, 105. Length of English vowels, how indicated by their orthography, 106. Quantity, as an index of English rhythm, 111. Quantity, as an embellishment of rhythm, 114.
Chap. VI. Rhime defined, 1 16. Rhime, perfect, alliterative, vowel, consonantal, late alliterative, and common, 117. Rhime, double and triple, 118. Final rhime, 119. Middle rhime, 124. Sectional rhime, 125. Inverse rhime, 136. Alliter- ation, 140. Unaccented rhime, 144. Doubly accented rhime, 146.
Chap. VII. The pauses, 148. The final pause, 149. The middle pause, 152. The sectional pause, 154. The stops final, middle, and sectional, 157.
BOOK II.
Chap. I. English rhythms, their origin, 163. The character of certain rhythms, and their fitness for poetical expression, 167. History of English rhythms, 174. Elision, 178. Arrange- ment of the subject, 183.
Vlll CONTENTS.
Chap. II. Verses consisting of a single section, 185. Verse two accents, 186. Verse of three accents, 188.
Chap. III. Verse of four accents, 190. Verses beginning with section 1, 194 — with section 1 7, 196 — with section 2, 198 — with section 2 /, 200 — with section 5, 203 — with section 5 Z, 207— with section 6, 208— with section 6 I, 210.
Chap. IV. Verse of five accents, two in the first section, 214. Verses beginning with section 1, 216 — with section 2, 221. with section 5, 225 — with section 6, 231 — with section 9, 233.
Chap. V. Verse of five accents, three in the first section, 234. Character of these rhythms, 235. Verses beginning with section 1, 238 — with section 2, 243 — with section 3, 246 — with section 4, 248 — with section 5, 249 — with section 6, 252— with section 7, 253.
Chap. VI. The verse of six accents, 255. Verses beginning with section 1, 258 — with section 2, 260 — with section 3, 263 — with section 5, ib. — with section 6, 267— with section 7, ib. — with section 8, 268 — with section 9, 269.
Chap. VII. Verses containing a compound section, 270. Verses of six accents, with compound section, 271. Verses of seven accents, beginning with the compound section, 277. Verses of seven accents ending with the compound section, 279. Verses of eight accents, with compound section, 283. Verses of nine or more accents, with compound section, 286.
Chap. VIII. The sectional pause, its origin, 287. How indicated, 290. Verses containing the section 1 . p, of two accents, 291 — the section 1 11. p, of two accents, 293 — the section 5p, of two accents, 295 — the section 5 I. p, of two accents — the section 5 11. p, of two accents, 299 — the section 1 p, of three accents — the section 1 /. p, of three accents — the section 3. p, of three accents — the section 5 p, of three accents — the section 7 p, of three accents — the section 7 /. p, of three accents. Writers upon " rhythmus."
Note (A). The Letters, 313. Note (B). Accentuation, 314. Note (C). Secondary accents, 3 1 6. Note (D). Rhiine, ib. Note (E). Versification, 317.
ERRATA TO VOL. I,
Page line 4, 20, for squeaking, read shrill. 8> 7, /or Enrope, read Europe.
8, 14, for ends, read edges.
9, 25, see note (A). 10, 5, see note (A).
10, 31, see note (A).
11, 17, for yardn , read yard . 14, I, for has, read is.
21, 28, dele the full stop after verses. 25, 1,/br ganto, read gan to.
25, 18, for we find this syllable preserved also in the plural, read we find also this termination furnished with two syllables in the plural. [28, 20, after helle, read (the gen. of hel).
30, 7, dele and it seems to have been occasionally used as the accusative
singular, just as the datives of the personal pronouns invaded the province of their accusatives.
31 , 9, for knabe, read cnapa.
34, 36, for in three words, read in three cases.
37, 9, for angynnan, read onginnan.
38, 13, for twelfth, read thirteenth.
38, 23, for subjection | , read subjection.
45, 24, after to, insert the mark of accentuation.
50, 29, for
Fal|len cher|ub to be weak| : is mis|era|ble read
Fal|len cherjub : to be weak | is mis|era|ble. 50, dele note * — a memorandum for the author's own guidance, which,
by some blunder, found its way into the text. 55, 14, /or meditation, read mediation.
57, 1,/br seventeenth century read sixteenth and seventeenth centuries.
58, 3, for In the Anglo-Saxon and early English dialects such a combi-
nation was common, and in the latter was expressed by the French ending re, read In some of our Old English dialects such a combination was common, and was expressed by the French ending re.
63, 12,/or
Shot man|y at me | withj :fi\erce intent) read
Shot man|y at | me with :fi\erce intent|
64, 19, for we have the same verb, &c. read the same verb seems to be, &c.
65, 32, for
For she | had great | doubts] : of his saf|ety| read
For she | had great| : doubts | of his saf|ety|
66, \6,for eomth, read comth.
67, 4,/or She read The.
IX ERRATA.
Page line
68, 9, for Sometimes s and t belong to different syllables, read Some-
times the vowel was elided, in cases where, according to modern pronunciation, the s and t are given to different syllables.
69, 33, for courtsy read curtsy.
78, 26, for two or more syllables, read three or more syllables.
79, 4, for Temple Gode, read Tempel Gode. 79, 10, for seltmiht-ne, read eelmiht-ne.
84, 11, see note (B.) 86, 5, see note (B.) 94, 28, for
And U|na wan|dring : in ] woods and \forrests\ read
And U|na wan|dring in| : woods | and forrests] 100, 24, for blackbirds|, read black birds|. 102, 29, for sawykkytly, read sa wykkytly. 107, 28, for tenth and twelfth, read eleventh and twelfth. 109, 4, for all cases, read almost every case.
109, 27, The asterisk referring to the note, should have followed the word
tongue.
110, 19, for upheld, read upholden.
111, 18, see note (A.)
113, 20, dele the same rhythm has been employed as above, but. See
note (E).
114, 17, for Establishment, read Embellishment.
116, 15, for may be divided into, read will be considered as made up of. 119, 9, for dip] adays, read dip\adays.
119, 10, for Stag|yn7e, read Stag\yrite.
119, 22, for form, read, adopt.
120, 16, see note (D).
121, 30, for supposed to have been tampered with, read supposed to have
been a mere corruption.
125, 24, for never, read seldom.
131, 34, for ad, read and.
133, 13, for Ex MS. read The Grave-song.
133, 22, for loud, read lond.
134, 21, for Seafowl, read Seafola.
135, 14, for " tinkling," read " jingling."
142, 11, for ninth, read tenth.
143, 1, dele on last | leg|dun : lath|um leod|um. All the best MSS. have
lathum theodum. 143, 23, for ninth, read tenth. 143, 28, for reign, read sera.
145, 11, for
Frynd|sind hie min[e georn|e : holde on hyrahyge-sceaftum read
Frynd | sind hie min[e georn|e Holde on hyra hyge-sceaftum.
146, 20, for Facundi, read Fsecundi. 154, 1, see note (E.) 160, 11, for Glories, read Glo|ries. 164, 2, for shenest, read sheenest.
164, 34, a third rule was omitted by mistake. See note (E).
165, 2, see note (E.) 165, 12, for are, read is.
167, 11, for it would have been impossible, read still it would have been
impossible. 173, I, for leodum, read theodum.
ERRATA. X!
Page line
174, 35, for fourth, read fifth.
175, 38, The authority of Bede, &c. The passage in Bede, referred to, is
for several reasons obscure, but, on further consideration I would say, cannot possibly bear the inference which is here drawn from it.
177, 2, for with the forms of metrical verse, read with the forms of a
later and more artificial system.
178, 31, for ballad stanza, read ballet-stanza.
179, 8, on the whole should have been printed in italics.
191, 8, The words or short should have been in Roman letters. 195, 20, dele Sweart|e swog'an : sses | upstig'on. See note (B).
195, 30, dele Lifjes bryt|ta : leoht | forth cum|an. See note (B).
196, 1, dele thsegn|ra sinjra : thser | mid wses|an. See note (B). 196, 16, dele stream | as stod|on : storm | up gewat|. See note (B). 196, 19, see lathle cyrm|don : lyft | up geswearc|. See note (B).
200, 25, dele ferjede and ner|ede : fif|tena stod|
201, 9, dele deop | ofer dun|um : sse dren|ce flodj 204, 2, dele and Re|tie| : ric|es hirdje. See note (E).
207, 17, for fontome, read fantome.
208, 4, for 5 11 : 6, read 5 11 : 9.
211, 1, dele In set|ting and sow|ing : swonke| full sorje
214, 18, denote (E).
217, 1 1, for wh, read who.
217, 23, for siththau, read siththan.
217, 24, dele this and the following line. See note (C).
218, 2, dele this line. See note (C).
219, 20,/brfraet | wum, read frset|wum.
220, 5, for
Pipes trompes : nakers and clarionnes That | in the bat|aille : blow | en blod|y sowen|es read
Pip|es tromp|es : nak'ers and clar|ionjnes That in the bataille : blowen blody sownes
221, 23, for
the | sio | tid | gelomp|, read
tha | sio tid | gelomp|. 223, 17, dele gar (urn aget|ed : gum|a north |erna|. See note (C). 223, 20, dele up|pe mid eng|lum : ec|e stath|elas|. See note (C).
223, 25, dele this line for the same reason.
224, 9, dele the example from the Samson Agonistes. Its rhythm has
for its index 21 : 5/, not 21 : 1. 229, 10, dele Besloh | syn sceath|an : sig|ore and'| geweal|de. See note (B). 229, 24, for
The swerd flaw fra him : a furbreid on the land
Wal|las was glad| : and hynt | it sone | in hand|, read
The swerd | flaw fra | him : a furjbreid on | the land|
Wallas was glad, and hynt it sone in hand. 232, 26, dele Which him | after cur|sed : for his | trangres|sion|
232, 28, for the sections 9 : 91, read the sections 9, 91.
233, 8, dele 10 : 5 is a regular verse of the triple measure. 239, 1 and 4, for Wharton, read Warton.
241, 20, dele sit|tan let|e ic hin[e : with | me sylf|ne.
245, 23, after the words whose ear was so delicately sensitive, read unless
it were that assigned in p. 227. 253, 15, for Nud, read Mid.
Xll
ERRATA.
Page line
256, 18, for generally, read always. As to the nature of the modern
French alexandrine, see note (G).
257, 6, for Described by all men, read Describing all men.
262, 10, denote (G).
263, 11, for iheot, read ibeot.
272, It should have been noticed, that the examples, quoted in this-
chapter, have been arranged generally according to the au- thors, as the number of varieties was too scanty to render the mode of subdivision, hitherto followed, advisable. The index 51 : 1 c. : 5 should also have preceded the 5th, 6th, and 7th examples, quoted in this page, and 2:51:1 the ninth.
272, 30, dele The sea | and un|frequenjted desjerts : where | the snow dwells | .
274, 13, for gewendam, read gewendan.
275, 15, after the words But to bring in St. Peter, read (as Milton has
done).
278, 4, for other, read others.
278, 11, for as yet wide | land, read as yet wide land.
278, 19, for the last verse, read the last verse but one.
281, 9, for 7 : 1 : 9 1 c, read 71:1:91c
283, 15, the notation, used in this chapter, readily adapts itself to verses of six or seven accents, but when a verse contains eight or more accents, the reader must be furnished with some further intimation than is given by the mere numerical index, before he can hope to follow its rhythm. Even in tracing the rhythm of a verse which contains only six or seven accents, he will require the like assistance, if the middle pause of the com- pound section fall in the midst of a word. But, in both these cases, I believe the index, followed by such explanation, to afford the shortest and readiest means of pointing out the rhythm.
283, 32,/or 7 : 3 : 6 11. c. read 8 1 : 1 1 : 7 1. c.
284, 30,/or 21 ! 1 1 c : 11 : 1 1. c. read 21 : lie : 11 : I.e.
286, 18, in this last example the accents are properly eleven, not twelve. Thaes lean|es the | he him on | thamleohjte gescyr|ede : thon|ne
let'e he | his hin|e lang|e weal|dan. and there may even be a question, if we should not read thonjne letje he his hin|e, and, by this elision of the vowel, reduce the number to ten.
294, 22,/or O Troy | Troy | Troy|, read O Troy | Troy Troy|.
300, 3, for The section 1 . p. is occasionally found in Anglo-Saxon poems, of the first class, read The section 1 p, of the first class, is oc- casionally found in Anglo-Saxon poems.
305, 27, for lord ys, read lordys.
307, 23, after the word verse put a full stop in place of the semicolon, and then read Owing to the license, which certain of our poets allow themselves in the management of their pauses, there is danger, &c.
311, 1 , for mor eattention, read more attention.
I I
CHAPTER I.
RHYTHM
in its widest sense may be denned as the law of succession. It is the regulating principle of every whole, that is made up of proportional parts, and is as necessary to the regu- lation of motion, or the arrangement of matter, as to the orderly succession of sounds. By applying it to the first of these purposes we have obtained the dance ; and sculp- ture and architecture are the results of its application to the second. The rhythmical arrangement of sounds not articulated produces music, while from the like arrange- ment of articulate sounds we get the cadences of prose and the measures of verse.
Verse may be denned as a succession of articulate sounds regulated by a rhythm so definite, that we can readily foresee the results which follow from its application. Rhythm is also met with in prose, but in the latter its range is so wide, that we never can anticipate its flow, while the pleasure we derive from verse is founded on this very anticipation.
As verse consists merely in the arrangement of certain sounds according to a certain rhythm, it is obvious, that neither poetry nor even sense can be essential to it. We may be alive to the beauty of a foreign rhythm, though we do not understand the language, and the burthen of many an English song has long yielded a certain pleasure, though every whit as unmeaning as the nonsense verses of the schoolboy.
In considering the general character of any proposed metre, we should have especial regard to three circum-
VOL. I. 11
2 RHYTHM. B. I.
stances ; first to the elements, which are to be arranged ; secondly to the accidents, by which these elements are dis- tinguished ; and thirdly to the law of succession, by which the arrangement is effected.
In making verse, the elements subjected to the rhythm, may be either syllables, or verses, or staves. The only accidents, which need be noticed as of rhythmical value, are three, the time or quantity, the accent, and the modifica- tion of the sound.
Rhythm may be marked either by the time or the ac- cent. In the great family of languages which has been termed the Indo-European, and which spread from the Ganges to the Shannon, three made time the index of their rhythm, to wit the Sanscrit, Greek, and Latin ; all the the others adopted accent. It is remarkable that those dialects which now represent the Sanscrit, Greek, and Latin, have lost their temporal and possess merely an ac- centual rhythm. We are able in some measure to follow the progress of this change. So gradual was it in the Greek, that even as late as the eleventh century there were authors who wrote indifferently in either rhythm. The origin, however, of accentual verse, as it now prevails in those languages, is by no means clear. Whether it were borrowed from the northern invader, or were the na- tural growth of a mixed and broken language, or merely the revival of a vulgar rhythm, which had been heretofore kept under by the prevalence of one more fashionable and perhaps more perfect, are questions I shall pass by, as being at least as difficult as they are interesting.
ARRANGEMENT OF THE SUBJECT.
Having premised thus much as to the meaning of our terms, I will now lay before the reader the course I shall follow in tracing the progress of our English rhythms. In the second book we shall consider the rhythm of indivi- dual verses; and in the third the rhythm of particular pas-
C. I. ARRANGEMENT OP THE SUBJECT. 3
sages, or, to speak more precisely, the flow of several verses in combination ; while the fourth book will be de- voted to the history of our staves, that is, of those regular combinations, which form as it were a second class of ele- ments to be regulated by the rhythm.
The book which opens with the present chapter is little more than introductory, but the matters discussed in it are of high importance to the right understanding of the sub- ject. In the next chapter we shall consider the different modifications of sound, with a view to the aid they afford us in embellishing and perfecting the rhythm. In the third we shall inquire what constitutes a syllable, and discuss the nature of accent in the fourth, and of quantity in the fifth. The various kinds of rhime will be the subject of the sixth chapter, and in the seventh and last we shall treat of the rhythmical pauses.
b 2
THE VOICE.
CHAPTER II.
THE VOICE.
If we drop a small heavy body into still water it forms a circular wave, which gradually enlarges and loses itself upon the surface. In like manner, if one hard body strike against another — as the cog of a metal wheel against a quill — a wave is formed in the air which expands on all sides round the point of contact. When this wave reaches the ear, it produces on that organ the sensation of sound.
If now the wheel be turned round, so that the cogs strike against the quill in succession, several concentric waves are produced, following each other at equidistant periods of time ; and if the velocity be such that there are more than thirty sound-waves in a second, the sensation produced by one lasts till another enters the ear, and a continuous sound is the result. This continuous sound is called a tone or musical note.
As we increase the number of sound-waves, the tone changes its character, and is said to become sharper. When more than six thousand enter the ear in a second, the tone becomes so sharp and s<^ueakmg as to be no longer perceptible by organs constituted like our own.
The wave which thus produces the sensation of sound, differs widely in origin from that which moves along the surface of the water. The latter is formed by the vertical rising of the watery particles, and as these fall again in obedience to the force of gravity, they drive upwards those next adjoining. The motion of the particles is thus per- pendicular or nearly so to the direction of the wave's motion. The air-wave is formed by the condensation as
C. I. THE VOICE. o
well as by the displacing of the particles, and the moving power in this case is elasticity. The airy particles are driven on a heap, till the force of elasticity becomes greater than the impelling force, and they are driven back to their former station. The neighbouring particles are then similarly acted on, and a slight motion or vibration in the same line of direction as that in which the sound- wave is travelling, takes place in all the particles. On the size of this vibration depends the loudness of the sound.
The tones of the human voice are produced by the vibra- tions of two membranes, which have been called the vocal ligaments. These are set in motion by a stream of air gushing from the lungs, and we can at pleasure regulate the sharpness and the loudness of the sound produced. The mechanism, by which this is effected, has been lately made the subject of some very interesting speculations.*
If two elastic membranes stretched upon frames so as to leave one edge free, be placed opposite to each other, with the free edges uppermost, and a current of air pass between them from beneath, they will be differently affected according to their inclination towards each other. If they incline from each other, they will bulge inwards, if towards each other, they will bulge outwards, if they be parallel, they will vibrate. Now the wind-pipe is con- tracted near the mouth by a projecting mass of muscles called the Glottis. The edges of the Glottis are mem- branes, and form the vocal ligaments. Ordinarily these membranous edges are inclined from each other, and con- sequently no vibrations take place during the passage of the breath; but by the aid of certain muscles, we can place them parallel to each other, when they immediately vibrate and produce a tone. With the aid of other, mus- cles, we can increase their tension, and thereby the sharp- ness of the tone, and by driving the air more forcibly from the lungs, we may increase its loudness. The tone thus
* See Mr. Willis's papers in the Cambridge Philosophical Transactions,
„
o THE LETTERS. B.
formed is modified by the cavities of the throat, nose, and mouth, These modifications form the first elements of articulate language, or the letters.
VOCAL LETTERS.
It has been shown * that the note of a common organ reed may take the qualities of all the vowel-sounds in succession. This is effected by merely lengthening the tube, which confines the vibrations. It would seem, there- fore, that the peculiar characters of the different vowels depend entirely on the length of the cavity, which modifies the voice.
In pronouncing the long a in father, the cavity seems barely, if at all, extended beyond the throat; in pro- nouncing the au of aught, it reaches to the root of the tongue, and to the middle of the palate in pronouncing the long e of eat ; the sound of the long o in oat, requires the cavity to be extended to the lips, which must be stretched out to form a cavity long enough to pronounce the u in jute.
Every addition to the length of the tube or cavity, affects in a greater or less degree the character of the tone. The possible number of vowel-sounds therefore, can have no limit ; but as there are rarely more than seven or eight in any one language, we may conclude that the human ear is not readily sensible to the nicer distinctions.
In pronouncing the vowels a and e, as they sound in ale and eel, we narrow the cavity by raising the tongue to- wards the palate, while in pronouncing a, au, o, as they sound in father, aught, oat, the cavity is broad and open. These two sets of vowels have accordingly been distin- guished as the narrow and the broad vowels.
Next to the vowels, the letters which have spread most widely, are the three,
b, d, g.
* By Mr. Willis.
C. I. THE LETTERS. /
as pronounced in ab, ad, ag. If we try to dwell upon the consonants which end these words, we find ourselves unable to do so but for a short time, and even then it requires some muscular exertion. In each of the three cases the tone seems to be modified by a closed cavity, no aperture being left for the breath to escape by. In pro- nouncing b, the lips are closed, and the vibrations are con- fined to the throat and mouth; in pronouncing d, the tongue is raised to the palate, and the throat and hinder portion of the mouth are the only open cavities ; in pro- nouncing g, the tone seems to be modified merely by the hollow of the throat. We shall call these letters from the circumstances of their formation the close letters.
The letters b, d, g have a very near connexion with the three nasals
m,n, ng.*
The only difference in their formation is, that in pro- nouncing the latter, the breath passes freely through the nostril. With this exception the organs are disposed pre- cisely in the same way for pronouncing m, n, ng, as for pro- nouncing b, d, g. As the nostril affords a free passage for the breath, we may dwell on these letters during a whole respiration.
v, dh.f have the strongest affinity to b and d. The peculiarity of their formation lies in the free passage of the breath through the interstices of the upper teeth To the edge of these teeth we raise the lip in pronouncing v, and the tongue in pronouncing dh, instead of joining the lips, or raising the tongue to the palate. As these teeth form part of the enclosure which modifies the voice, the breath may pass between them, and we may dwell upon the letters during a whole respiration, as is seen in pronouncing the words av, adh.
* This character represents the sound which ends such words as loving, telling, &c. t dh represents the vocal sound of th as heard in the, their, those, &c.
O THE LETTERS.
w, y,
are never heard in pronunciation except at the beginning of a syllable and before some other vowel. They seem merely to represent the short vowels i and u (as heard in put and pit), melting into their several dipthongs. They are generally considered as consonants ; but if the y of your be a consonant, so must also be the e of Europe.
I, r.
The peculiarity in the formation of these letters is a certain trembling or vibration of the tongue, whence they may be called the trembling letters. In pronouncing I the tongue is raised to the palate, as in forming the letter d, but the breath is allowed to escape between it and the side teeth, and thereby causes the loose ep^s of the tongue to vibrate. In pronouncing the letter r the tongue is raised towards the palate without touching it, and the breath in passing causes it to vibrate.
These tremblings or vibrations of the tongue are quite distinct from the vibrations of the voice, and may be pro- duced during a whisper when the voice is absent.
The only two vocal sounds which remain to be consi- dered are
z, zh*
In pronouncing z the tongue is raised to the palate in nearly the same position it occupies in pronouncing e, save that, instead of lying hollow so as to form a tube or funnel for the voice, the surface rises in a convex shape and leaves but a narrow slit or aperture between it and the roof of the mouth. By lengthening the aperture we get the sound of zh. These letters may be called the sibilants or hissing letters.
* By the character zh is represented the sound of z in azure.
C. I. THE LETTERS. »
WHISPER LETTERS.*
Hitherto we have spoken only of vocal letters, or, in other words, of the different modifications of the voice. If the vocal ligaments be so inclined to each other as not to vibrate, the emission of breath from the lungs produces merely a whisper. This whisper may be modified in like manner as the voice, by similar arrangements of the organs ; and every vocal sound has its corresponding whisper-sound, that might, if custom had so willed it, have constituted a distinct letter.
It is, however, doubtful if there ever was a language which had its whisper letters perfect. In our own the number of whisper letters is nine. The three close let- ters, the two dentals or teeth-breathing letters, the two sibilants, and the letter w, have each of them their whis- per letters, and the aspirate h is the ninth.
Vocal letters. Whisper letters.
b p
d t
g k
v f
dh th
z s
zh sh
w wh h
We have lost all distinction between dh and th in our spelling, though we still distinguish them in pronunciation, as is seen at once in comparing the sound of th in this, then, clothes, to loathe — with its sound in thistle, thin, cloths, loath.
* The distinction here taken between vocal and whisper letters appears to me important. I once thought it was original ; but in conversing on this subject with a respected friend, to whose instructions I owe much, I found his views so nearly coinciding with my own, that I have now but little doubt the hint was borrowed.
10 TEE LETTERS.
The distinction also between the connected letter sounds zh and sh does not appear in our orthography, though at once sensible to the ear in comparing the sound of azure with that of Asliur.
That wh represents the whisper sound of w will, I think, be clear, if we compare the initial sounds of where, when, while, with those of were, wen, ivile. It is probable that in the Anglo-Saxon hwcer, hwen, hwile, the iv may- have been vocal, and the h may have represented a distinct breathing ; but it would be difficult to account for the change of hw into wh, which took place at so early a period (perhaps as early as the 12th century), unless it in- dicated a change in the pronunciation ; and this change would naturally be to the whisper sound of the w.
In this view of the case w may put in a fair claim to the title of consonant. If the true definition of a vowel be, that it is a letter which makes any part of a word, into which it enters, a distinct syllable, then w has clearly no right to the title of vowel. Nor can we reasonably call the initial sounds of were, wen, wile dipthongal, unless we allow the initial sounds of where, when, while, to be dip- thongs also. But were this so, we should have part of a dipthong a mere whisper while the other part remained vocal. Our w then, amid a choice of difficulties, may, perhaps, be allowed the title of consonant ; but the same reasoning does not apply to the y. The latter, I think, can only be considered as a letter indicating the initial sound of a dipthong.
The whisper sounds of the two liquids /, r, constitute two distinct letters in Welsh, and in several other lan- guages. I am also inclined to think that the Latin rh, if not the Greek p, indicated merely the whisper sound of the r.
That these letters p, t, k,f, &c. are the whisper sounds of b, d, g, v, &c. may, I think, be shown without much difficulty. If we try to pronounce the words ab, ad, ag, av, &c. in a whisper they cannot be distinguished from ap,
C. I. IMITATIVE SOUNDS. 1 1
at, ak, af, &c. Again, the vibrations of the organs, which are obvious while we are pronouncing a vocal letter, cease immediately we change to the whisper sound; but the disposition of the organs remains unchanged. Thus, in pronouncing the v of av, if we change to a whisper, the vibrations of the lips and teeth cease; and without any change in the position of the organs we find ourselves pronouncing f.
The number then of English consonantal sounds, if we consider w as one, amounts to twenty-two ; whereof thirteen are vocal and nine mere whisper sounds.
The vowels are eleven in number. The long a, e, o, u, as heard in father, reel, roll, rule ; au and a as heard in aught, ate ; and the short a, e, i, o, u, as heard in pat, pet, pit, pot, put. The dipthongs are twelve, ei, oi and ou, as heard in height, hoity, out ; and eleven others formed by prefixing y to the eleven vowels. These are heard in the following words, yard^t, yean, yoke, yule, yawn, yare, yap, yell, yif, yon, young.
Having said thus much on the formation of our ele- mentary sounds, we will now consider in what way and to what extent they may be rendered useful, in embellishing and perfecting the rhythm.
If, as is often the case, besides the idea which the usage of language has connected with certain words, there are others which are naturally associated with the sounds or with the peculiarities of their formation, it is obvious, that the impression on the mind must be the most vivid, when the natural associations can be made to coincide with such as are merely artificial and conventional. In all languages there are certain words in which this coinci- dence is perfect. In our own we have hiss, kaw, bah, and a few others, in which the natural sound so closely re- sembles the articulate sound which represents it, that many have fallen into the error of supposing the latter a mere imitation of the former. The number, however, of these imitative sounds in any language is but scanty, and
12 IMITATIVE SOUNDS. B. I.
the assistance they render is both obvious and vulgar. The delicate perceptions of the poet demand the gratifica- tion more frequently than it is supplied by the ordinary resources of language. It is by the command which he possesses over this noblest of all gifts (after reason) that he seeks to obtain it.
In the next section we shall trace some of the artifices which have been adopted to arrive at these imitative sounds; and afterwards enquire how far the peculiarities which attend the formation of our letters, as regards the disposition and action of the organs, can assist us in the fit and suitable expression of the thought.
IMITATIVE SOUNDS.
" There is found," says Bacon, " a similitude between the sound, that is made by inanimate bodies, or by animate bodies that have no voice articulate, and divers letters of articulate voices ; and commonly men have given such names to those sounds as do allude unto the articulate letters ; as trembling of water hath resemblance to the letter I ; quenching of hot metals to the letter z ; snarling of dogs with the letter r ; the noise of screech owls with the letter sh, voice of cats with the dip thong eu, voice of cuckoos with the dip thong ou, sounds of strings with the dipthong ng" — Century I.
When we pronounce the letter /, the breath in escaping under the side teeth presses against the yielding tongue, which may be considered as fixed at its root and tip. The tongue, like other flaccid bodies in similar circum- stances, vibrates with a slow and uncertain trembling. This strongly resembles the motion of water. " Run- ning waters," Bacon elsewhere observes, " represent to the ear a trembling noise, and in regals, where they have a pipe they call the nightingale pipe, which con- taineth water, the sound hath a continual trembling ; and children have also little things they call cocks, which have
C. I. IMITATIVE SOUNDS. 13
water in them, and when they blow or whistle in them they yield a trembling noise." It is in this inequality of trepidation, that the resemblance above alluded to seems chiefly to consist. Our great poets afford us many beau- tiful examples ; in the Witches' song we almost hear the bubbling of the cauldron ;
For a charm of powerful trouble, Like a hell broth boil and bubble. All. Double, double toil and trouble, Fire burn and cauldron bubble.
Not less happy are the following passages,
Gloster stumbled, and in falling Struck me, that thought to stay him, overboard Into the tumbling billows of the main. R. 3.
Fountains, and ye that warble as ye flow, Melodious murmurs, warbling tune his praise.
P.L.
The hypothesis that has been ventured as to the origin of the resemblance, thus noticed by Bacon, is strengthened by observing, that our poets always affect this letter, whenever they have to describe a yielding wavy motion. The tye, which links such an association with the letter /, is obvious.
Part huge of bulk,
Wallowing unwieldy, enormous in their gait, Tempest the ocean. P. L. 7.
Some of serpent kind, Wond'rous in length and corpulence, involved Their snaky folds. P. L. 7.
The one seem'd woman to the waist, and fair,
But ended foul, in many a scab/ fold
Voluminous and vast. P. L. 2.
R, though a trembling letter, has a character of sound differing in many particulars from that of /. In the first place it has a narrow sound, not unlike e, while that of /
14 IMITATIVE SOUNDS. B. I.
ir»s a decidedly broad one. In the second place the vi- brations, instead of being slow and uncertain like those of /, are quick and decided. Its sound was likened, even by Roman critics, to the snarling of the dog ; but it has a resemblance to any narrow sound, which is broken in upon by short quick interruptions. Hence its power in expressing harsh, grating, and rattling noises.
In the two first of the following examples, the roll of a liquid mass is beautifully contrasted with the harsh rattle of rock or shingle, on which it is supposed to act.
As burning iEtna from his boiling stew
Doth belch out flames, and rocks in pieces broke,
And ragged ribs of mountains molten new,
En wrapt in cole-black clouds. F. Q. 1 . 1 1. 44.
As raging seas are wont to roar,
When wintry storm his wrathful wreck does threat, The rolling billows beat the ragged shore.
F. Q. 1. 11. 21.
With clamour thence the rapid currents drive Towards the retreating sea their furious tide.
P. L.
As an aged tree
Whose heart-strings with keen steel nigh hewen be,
The mighty trunk, half rent with ragged rift,
Doth ro/Zadown the rocks and fall with fearful drift.
F. Q.
And she whom once the semblance of a scar Appall'd, an owlet's larum chill'd with dread, Now views the column- scattering bay'riet jar.
Childe Harold, 1.
On a sudden open fly
With impetuous recoil, and jarring sound
Th' infernal doors, and on their hinges grate
Harsh thunder. P. L. 2.
The brazen throat of war had ceas'd to roar,
All now was turn'd to jollity and game. P. L. 1 1.
C. I. IMITATIVE SOUNDS. 15
The raven himself is hoarse,
That croaks the fatal enterance of Duncan
Under my battlements. Macbeth.
Such bursts of horrid thunder.
Such groans of roaring wind and rain, I never Remember to have heard. Lear.
The sounds represented in the three last examples are not only harsh and grating, but deep and full ; the narrow- sound of the r is therefore corrected by the broad vowels in roar, hoarse, groans, &c.
Bacon likens the sound of z to the quenching of hot metals, and that of sh to the noise of screech owls. The fact is that the sounds represented by z, zh, s, sh, are all more or less sibilant, and accordingly have a greater or less affinity to any sound of the like character. Now there are a variety of noises, which though not absolutely hisses, yet approach near to them in the sharpness and shrillness of their sound, as shrieks, screeches, the whistling of man or other animals. All these resemble more or less the hissing sound of the sibilants.
They saw — but, other sight instead ! a crowd
Of ugly serpents ; horror on them fell
And horrid sympathy ; for what they saw
They felt themselves now changing ; down their arms
Down fell both spear and shield, down they as fast,
And the dire hiss renew'd. P. L. 10.
Dreadful was the din
Of hissing through the hall, thick swarming now
With complicated monsters, head and tail,
Scorpion and asp, and amphisboena dire,
Cerastes horn'd, hydras and elops drear,
And dipsas, not so thick swarm d once the soil,
Bedropt with blood of gorgon. P. L. 10.
The hoarse night-raven, trump of doleful drere, The leather-winged bat, day's enemy, The rueful strich still waiting on the bier, The whistler shrill that whoso hears doth die.
F. Q. 2. 12. 36.
\G IMITATIVE SOUNDS. B. I.
By whispering ivinds soon lull'd asleep.
V Allegro.
The breezy call of incense-breathing morn,
The swallow twitt'ring from her straw-built shed,
The cock's shrill clarion, or the echoing horn, No more shall rouse them from their lowly bed.
And with sharp shrilling shrieks do bootless cry.
F. Q. 2. 12.36.
Now air is hush'd, save where the weak-ey'd bat, With short shrill shriek flies by on leathern wing.
Collins s Evening.
It will be observed that in several of these examples the sharp sound of the sibilant is strengthened by that of the narrow vowels, long e and short i. These vowels are sometimes used with effect even by themselves.
The clouds were fled,
Driv'n by a keen north wind, that blowing dry Wrinkled the face of deluge. P. L. 10.
The threaden sails,
Borne with th' invisible and creeping wind, Draw the huge bottoms through the furrow'd sea.
H 5. 3. Chorus.
I
The broad vowel sounds on the contrary, long «, au, long and short o, together with the broad dipthong ou, are used to express deep and hollow sounds ;
A dreadful sound,
Which through the wood loud bellowing did rebound.
F.Q. 1. 7. 7.
His thunders now had ceas'd
To bellow through the vast and boundless deep. P. L.
All these and thousand thousands many more,
And more deformed monsters thousand fold,
With dreadful noise and hollow rombling sound
Came rushing. F. Q. 2. 12. 25.
C. II. IMITATIVE SOUNDS. 17
As the sound of waters deep,
Hoarse murmurs echoed to his words applause.
P. L. 5.
The very expression a hollow sound shows how close is the association of a hollow space with depth and fullness of sound. Hence the broad vowels are sometimes used to express mere breadth and concavity.
So high as heav'd the tumid hills, so low Down sunk a hollow bottom, broad and deep.
P. L. 7.
Hell at last,
Yawning received them whole, and on them closd.
P. L. 7.
The observation of Bacon relative to the sound of ng may be generalized in like manner. There is no doubt that all the three nasals have a close affinity to any deep low sound ; such as a hum, a murmur, or the twang of a musical string slowly vibrating. The reason I take to be the distinctness with which the vibrations of the voice are heard in pronouncing these letters, and the low deep tone in which they are generally spoken.
Through the foul womb of night
The hum of either army stilly sounds.
H 5. 4. Chorus.
The shard- borne beetle with his drowsy hums
Hath rung night's yawning peal. Macbeth.
Where the beetle winds
His small but sullen horn^ As oft he rises mid the twilight path Against the pilgrim borne in heedless hum. Collins.
The iwm-cock hummd wi' lazy drone,
The kye stood rowtin i' the loan. Burns.
Where each old poetic mountain
Inspiration breath'd around,
Every shade and hallowed fountain
Murmur d deep a solemn sound. Gray.
VOL. I. C
18 IMITATIVE SOUNDS. B. I.
Even Johnson, notwithstanding the ridicule he has thrown upon enquiries of this nature, has admitted that particular images may be " adumbrated by an exact and perceptible resemblance of sound." But the law of resemblance — that first great law of association — is not to be confined thus narrowly. If the mere sound of the words hiss and bah recall the cry of the animal, so may the muscular action, which the organs exert in pronouncing the words struggle, wrestle, call up in the mind the play of muscle and sinew, usual in those encounters. Wherever there is resemblance there may be association. We will now enquire what means our poets have used to fix their associations in the reader's mind, more especially in those cases, in which the connecting link has been the disposition or the action of the organs.
In the first place, we may observe that in making any continued muscular effort, we draw in the breath and com- press the lips firmly. Now this is the very position in which we place the organ s; when pronouncing the letters b, p. I have no doubt that to this source may be traced much of the beauty of the following verses.
Behemoth, biggest born of earth, upheavd
His vastness — P. L. 7
The mountains huge appear Emergent, and their broad bare backs upheave Into the clouds. P. L. 7 .
The envious flood Kept in my soul, and would not let it forth, But smother'd it within my panting bulk, Which almost burst to belch in the sea. R 3. 1.4.
But first from inward grief
His bursting passion into plaints thus pourd.
P.L. 9.
Who thrusting boldly twixt him and the blow, The burden of the deadly brunt did bear.
F. Q. 4. 8. 42.
A grievous burthen was thy birth to me.
R3. 4.
C. II. IMITATIVE SOUNDS. 19
When the mind is seiz'd with fear and amazement, the lips open and voice fails us. If the surprize be sudden, a whispered ejaculation escapes, suppress'd almost as soon as utter'd. In this way I would account for that combi- nation of letters st, which Spenser and others of our older poets affect, whenever they have to describe this feeling. Its fitness for the purpose seems to lie in the sudden stop, which is given by the t to the whisper sound of the s — letters, be it observed, which are formed without the agency of the lips.
The giant self dismayed with that sound In haste came rushing forth from inner bow'r, With staring countnance stern, as one astound, And staggering steps, to weet what sudden stour Had wrought that horror strange and dared his dreaded pow'r.
F. Q. 1. 8. 5.
Stern was their look like wild amazed steers, Staring with hollow eyes and stiff upstanding hairs.
F. Q. 2. 9. 13.
He answer'd not at all, but adding new
Fear to his first amazement, staring wide
With stony eyes, and heartless hollow hue,
Astonish 'd stood. F. Q. 1. 9. 24.
When too the sinews are overstretched, or shaken with sharp and jerking efforts, the same kind of broken breath- ing generally follows the strain upon them. The sound too is harsh and grating. Hence, in part at least, the effect produced by the combinations st, str, in the follow- ing passages ;
Staring full ghastly like a strangled man,
His hair uprear'd, his nostrils stretched with struggling,
His hands abroad display'd, as one that grasp'd
And tugg'd for life. H 6.
But th' heedful boatman strongly forth did stretch
His brawny arms, and all his body strain.
F. Q. 2. 12. 21.
20 IMITATIVE SOUNDS. B. I.
There is little doubt, however, that the chief link of as- sociation in these passages is the difficult muscular action, which is call'd into play in the prounciation of str.
Under the influence of fear the voice sinks into a whis- per. Hence in describing that passion, or such conduct as it generally accompanies — deceit or caution — we find the whisper-letters peculiarly effective.
With sturdy steps came stalking on his sight
A hideous giant, horrible and high. F. Q. 1. 7- 8.
The knight himself e'en trembled at his fall, So huge and horrible a mass it seem'd.
F. Q. 1.12.55.
So daunted when the giant saw the knight, His heavy hand he heaved up on high.
F.Q. 1.7. 14.
And pious awe, that feard to have offended. P. L.
His fraud is then thy fear, which plain infers
Thy equal fear that my firm faith and love
Can by his fraud be shaken and seduc'd. P. L. 9.
Fit vessel fittest imp of fraud in whom
To enter, and his dark suggestions hide. P. L. 9.
The whisper letters p, t, are sometimes used at the end of words with great effect, in representing an interrupted action. The impossibility of dwelling upon these letters, and the consequently sharp and sudden termination which they give to those words into which they enter, will suffi- ciently explain their influence.
Till an unusual stop of sudden silence
Gave respite. Comus.
Sudden he stops, his eye is fixd, away !
Away ! thou heedless boy. Childe Harold, 1.
All unawares
Fluttering his pinions vain, plumb down he dropt Ten thousand fathom deep. Par. Lost, 2.
The pilgrim oft
At dead of night, mid his orisons, hears
C. II. IMITATIVE SOUNDS. 21
Aghast the voice of time ! disparting tow'rs, Tumbeling all precipitate, down dasJid, Rattling aloud, loud thundering to the moon.
Dyers Ruins of Rome. Little effort is wanted, as Johnson once observed, to make our language harsh and rough. It cost Milton no trouble to double his consonants, and load his line with rugged syllables, when he described the mighty conflict between his angels.
But soon obscur'd with smoke allheav'n appear'd
From those deep-throated engines belch'd, whose roar
Embowell'd with outrageous noise the air
And all her entrails tore, disgorging foul
Their dev'lish glut, chain'd thunderbolts and hail
Of iron globes. P. L. 6.
But when he chose, he could also glide upon his vowels and make his language as smooth as the Italian.
And all the while harmonious airs were heard. P. L.9.
With all that earth or heaven could bestow
To make her amiable, on she came. P- L. 9. The serpent sly
Insinuating wove with Gordian twine
His braided train. P. L.
Milton's verses, however, lose half their beauty when thus insulated. It is a remark of Cowper, that a rough line seems to add a greater smoothness to the others ; and no one better knew the advantages of contrast than Milton, There can be little doubt that many of his harsher verses-^ some of which contain merely a bead-roll of names, were introduced for the sole purpose of heightening the melody of the lines which followed.
22 SYLLABLE. B. I.
CHAPTER III.
SYLLABLE.
The definition of a scientific term is seldom aided by its etymology. According to the Greek derivation, a syllable means a collection of letters, according to the Celtic* a ver- bal element. The first of these must have suggested to Priscian his well-known definition. The Latin gramma- rian pronounces a syllable, to be a collection of letters bear- ing the same accent, and formed by one impulse of the breath. Scaliger, more simply, and I think more sen- sibly, defines it to be a verbal element falling under one accent.
The objection which attaches to both these definitions is the vagueness of the word accent. Among the Greeks and Latins accent meant tone, with us it means something widely different . There are also Greek syllables which receive both a grave and a sharp tone. It is true we call this union of the tones a circumflex, but this is merely an evasion of the difficulty ; or rather, we should say, it is a loose expresssion, on which an erroneous definition has been grounded. I am also far from sure that our English accent in all cases pervades the syllable. On some letters the stress is certainly more obvious than on others. These difficulties might be avoided, by defining a syllable to be a word or verbal element, which for rythmical pur- poses is considered as having only one accent.
* In Welsh, eb is an utterance ; fraetheb an oration, fraeth eloquent ; direb a proverb, dir true ; galareb a voice of mourning, galar mourning ; yraetheb a climax, graeth a step ; silleb an elementary part of speech, a syl- lable, sill an element. Hence the Norman syllabe, and our English syllable.
C. 111. SYLLABLE. 23
Properly, every syllable ought to have a distinct vowel sound. Such is the rule which prevailed in the Greek and Latin, and I believe also in our earlier dialect. At present it is different. Thus the word heaven is now con- sidered as of two syllables, though it has but one vowel, the second syllable consisting merely of a consonantal sound.
It is probable that in the earlier periods of our language there was no such thing as a syllable thus merely conso- nantal. It is certain that the critics of Elizabeth's reign thought a vowel essential, and though many syllables were held to be doubtful, yet in all such cases there prevailed a difference of pronunciation, as to the number of the vowel- sounds. At present we have many words, such as hea- ven, seven, &c. which are used in our poetry sometimes as monosyllables, sometimes as dissyllables, yet in neither case have more than one vowel- sound. The only differ ence in the pronunciation is, that we rest somewhat longer upon the final consonant, when we use them as dis- syllables. There can be little doubt that at an earlier pe- riod these words would, in such a case, have been pro- nounced with two vowel-sounds, heav-en, sev-en, &c. as they still are in some of our provincial dialects.
It is not quite easy to say, why all the early systems of syllabification should be thus dependent upon the number of the vowel-sounds. Every letter, except p, t, k, may be dwelt upon during a finite portion of time, and if we also except b, d, g, the consonants may be lengthened just as readily as the vowels. There is therefore only a partial objection to the system, which should even divide a word into its literal elements. If we excepted the six letters b, d, g,p, t, k, and joined them in pronunciation to those immediately preceding or succeeding, I can see no a priori objection to a system even thus simple. Musical com- posers take this liberty without scruple in adapting words to music, and often split a monosyllable into as many parts as it has letters.
2\ FRENCH K FINAL. B. I.
The probable reason is the much greater importance of the vowel in the older dialects. In those languages which had a temporal rhythm, verse must have been spoken in a kind of recitative ; and such to this day is the manner in which the Hindoos recite their Sanscrit poems. The more grateful sound of the vowels would naturally point them out as best fitted for musical expression, and on these the notes would chiefly rest. Again, the tendency of language is to shorten the vowels. Most of our present short vowels were pronounced by the Anglo-Saxons with the middle * quantity, and some with the long. Those knots of consonants too, which are so frequent in our language, unloose themselves as we trace them upwards. The vowels reappear one after the other, and as we advance we find their quantity gradually lengthening. There are dissyllables which expand themselves, even within the Anglo-Saxon period, tc six syllables, and the number might be doubled, if we traced them still further by the aid of the kindred dialects. This accumulation of conso- nants and shortening of the vowel made the voice rest the longer on the consonantal portion of the word, and seems at length to have paved the way for consonantal syllables.
In tracing the gradual extinction of our syllables, I shall first call the reader's attention to the final e. The loss of the initial syllable will then be considered; and afterwards the case of those vowels which have at any time melted into diphthongs, or have otherwise coalesced into one syllable. The loss of the vowel before different consonants will then be matter of investigation ; and we shall conclude the chapter by noticing such syllables as are formed by the coalition of two or more distinct words.
FRENCH e FINAL.
The following are instances of French substantives which retained their final e after they were introduced into our language ;
* See chap. v.
C. III. FRENCH E FINAL. 25
Upon her knees she ganto falle,
And with | sad coim\tenan\ce : knel|eth still|,* Till she had herd, what was the lordes will.
Chau. The Clerkes Tale.
As to my dome ther is non that is here Of El oquen\ce: that | shall be | thy pere|.
Chau. The Frankeleins Prologue.
Than had|de he spent| : all | his philos\ophi\e , Ay Questio quid juris ! wolde he crie.
Chau. Prologue. And God that siteth hie in Magistee, Save all this com\payni\e : gret | and smal|e, Thus have I quit the miller in his tale.
Chau. The Reeves Tale.
Till Erewyn wattir fysche to take he went, Sic fan\tasi\e : fell | in his | intent.]
We find this syllable preserved q1sct4tH^ plural, ' And min | ben al|so : the mal\adi\es col|de, The derke tresons and the castes olde.
Chau. The Knightes Tale. He was a jangler and a gollardeis, And that | was most| : of sin|ne and har|lotri|es, Wei coude he stelen corne and tollen thries.f
Chau. Prologue.
We also have the e, which closes the French adjective.
This ilke noble quene
On her shoulders gan sustene Both the armes, and the name Of tho | that had|de : larg\e fam|e.
Chau. House of Fame.
* The vertical line always follows an accented syllable, and the colon (:) indicates the place of the middle pause, of which we shall have to say more in Chapter VII.
t Thriea is always a dissyllable in Chaucer.
26 ENGLISH E FINAL. B. I
A larg\e man| he was | : with ey|en step|e, A fairer burgeis is ther non in Chepe.
Chau. Prologue to Cant. Tales.
His conferred sovereignty was like
A larg\e sail| : full | with a foresight wind|
That drowns a smaller bark. Fletcher, Prophetess.
In rotten ribbed barck to passe the seas,
The for|raine landes| : and straung\ie sites | to see|
Doth daungers dwell. Tuberville to his Friend P.
ENGLISH e FINAL.
The most frequent vowel endings of Anglo-Saxon substantives were a, e, u. All the three were, in the fourteenth century, represented by the e final. We meet, however, with substantives in e which have two, and in some cases three, Anglo-Saxon substantives cor- responding to them ; and when we find all the three end- ings in Anglo-Saxon, it is difficult to say which is repre- sented by the e. Even when we only know of one Anglo- Saxon ending, there is always a possibility of the others existing, though they may not have fallen within the com- pass of our reading. 1 shall first give examples of the e which answers to the Anglo-Saxon a.
Ail the Anglo-Saxon nouns in a are masculine, and belong to what Rask terms the first declension, as nama a name, tima time, mona the moon.
And hast bejaped here duk Theseus,
And fals|ely chang|ed hast| : they nam\e thus| —
Chau. The Knightes Tale.
A knight ther was, and that a worthy man, That fro | the tim\e : that | he firste | began | To riden out, he loved chivalrie, Trouth and honour, fredora and curtesie.
Chau. Prologue. His sadel was of rewel bone, His bridel as the sonne shone,
Or as | the mon\e light|.
Chau. Sire Thopas.
C. III. ENGLISH E FINAL. 27
The Anglo-Saxon nouns in e belong to various genders and declensions. A great number of them are feminines and neuters belonging to the first declension. Among the feminine nouns are sunne the sun, heorte the heart, rose the rose ; eare the ear, is neuter. There are also mascu- line and neuter nouns in e, which belong to other declen- sions.
Thus the day they spende
In rev|el, till| : the son\ne gan | descend|e.
Chau. The Clerkes Tale. And thus | with good | hope : and | with hert\e blith| They taken their leave.
Chau. The Knightes Tale.
Fresher than the May with flowres newe
For | with the ros\e col|our : strof | hire hew|e.
Chau. The Knightes Tale.
He smote me ones with his fist,,
For that I rent out of his book a lefe,
That | of the stroke| : myn er\e wex | al defe.|
Chau. The Wif of Bathes Prol. Nouns in u were generally feminine, as scolu school, Ivfu love, sceamu shame, lagu law ; but there were also some masculines belonging to another declension, as sunu a son, wudu a wood, &c.
Full soth | is sayde| : that lov\e ne | lordship| Wol nat, his thankes, have no felawship.
Chau. The Knightes Tale. It is | a sham\e : that | the pe|ple shal| So scornen thee. Chau. The Second Nunnes Tale.
With empty womb of fasting many a day Receiv|ed he | the law\e : that | was writ | en With Goddes finger, and Eli wel ye witen — He fasted long. Chau. The Sompnoures Tale.
No maister sire quod he, but servitour,
Though | I have had | in schol\e : that | honour|.
Chau. The Sompnoures Tale.
Befor|e hire stood | : hire son\e Cup|ido| Upon his shoulders winges hadde he two.
Chau. The Knightes Talc.
28 ENGLISH E FINAL. B. I.
And as she cast her eie aboute,
She sigh clad in one suite a route
Of ladies, wher they comen ride
A|longe un|der : the wood\de sid|e. Gower.
We also have the Anglo-Saxon ending the, a distinct syllable.
And wel I wot withouten help or grace
Of thee, | ne may | my streng\the : not | avail |le.
Chau. The Knightes Tale. I preise wel thy wit, Quod | the Frank|elein : considering | thy you\the So felingly thou spekest, sire, I aloue thee As to my dome, ther is non that is here In eloquence that shall be thy pere.
Chau. The Frankeleines Prol.
Such of these endings as survived till the sixteenth cen- tury changed the e for y, and were gradually confounded with the adjectives of that termination. There can be little doubt that the helly and woody of the following extracts wrere the Anglo-Saxon helle and wudu.
Free Helicon and franke Parnassus hylls Are hel\ly hauuts| : and ranke | pernic|ious ylls|. Baldwin M. for M. Collingbourne, 2.
The sat|yrs scorn | their wood\y kind|,
And henceforth nothing fair but her on earth they find.
Fairy Queen. There were a few Anglo-Saxon adjectives, which ended in e, as ge-trewe true, newe new.
A trew\e swink|er : and | a good | was he|,
Living in pees and parfite charitee. Chau. Prologue.
And swore | his oth| : as | he was trew\e knight|.
Chau. The Knightes Tale. She was wel more blissful on to see Than is | t\i2new\e: per|jenet|e tree.
Chau. The Miller es Tale. An adverb was also formed from the adjective by the addition of an e-} a formation which nourished in the time
I
c# hi. THE E OF INFLEXION. 29
of Chaucer, and cannot be considered even now as obso- lete. The e has indeed vanished, and the word, thus robbed of a syllable, is considered merely as the adjective used adverbially. It is, however, the legitimate though corrupt descendant of the present adverb, and such root has it taken in the language, that not all the efforts of our grammarians have been able to weed it out.
And | in a cloth | of gold | : that brigh\te shone |, With a coroune of many a riche stone, Upon hire hed, they into hall hire broughte.
Chan. The Clerkes Tale.
Command | eth him| : and/as|te blewe | the fire|.
Chau. Chanones Yemannes Tale.
Wei | coude he sit|te on hors | : and/aj/r|e rid|e.
Chau. The Prologue.
There is, however, one caution to be given. The super- lative of the adjective ends in ste, that of the adverb in st.
A knight ther was, and that | a worthy man, That | fro the tim|e : that | he firste | began| To riden out, he loved chivalrie.
Chau. Prologue.
THE e OF INFLEXION.
In the history of literature there are few things more remarkable than the position which is now occupied by Chaucer. For the last three centuries he has been read and praised and criticised, yet neither reader, eulogist, or critic, have thought fit to investigate his language. When does he inflect his substantive ? when his adjective ? These are questions, which obtrude themselves in the study of every language, yet who has ventured to answer for our early English ?
One of the difficulties in the way of this enquiry, is the number of dialects, which prevailed in the country from the eleventh to the fifteenth century. There is a wide distinction between the language of Layamon and of Chaucer, yet it is by no means easy to say whether this
30 THE E OF INFLEXION. B. I.
marks a difference of dialect, or is merely the change which our language underwent in the course of two cen- turies. I shall therefore confine myself to the dialect of our earliest classic, and notice the language of other writers, only as they serve for the purposes of illustration.
In the time of Layamon the dative singular in e still survived, and it seems to have been occasionally used as the accusative singular, just as the datives of the personal pronouns invaded the province of their accusatives. I suspect this dative had become obsolete before the time of Chaucer ; yet there are lines which it is difficult to account for without its assistance. Thus, in the couplet which opens the poem,
Whanne that April with his shoures sote
The drought of March had perced to the rote —
there is little doubt that rote is a dissyllable, for it rhymes with sote, which seems clearly to be the plural adjective agreeing with shoures. Now the common form of this substantive is a monosyllable rot, and unless rote be its dative we must conclude there is another substan- tive rote of two syllables — a conclusion which, though I would not contradict it, seems improbable. If however Chaucer used the dative, it must have been so rarely as much to lessen the value of this discussion.
There seems to be no doubt that Chaucer used the old genitive plural in a, the final vowel being represented, as in other cases, by e. We find in old English menne, horse, othe, answering to the Anglo-Saxon manna, horsa, atha, the respective genitives plural of man, hors, and ath. Tueye feren he hadde
That he with hi in ladde
Al|le rich|e menn\e son|es, And alle suythe fey re gomes.
Geste of King Horn. For ye aren men of this molde, that most wide walken And knowen countries and courtes, and menye kinne places, Both princ|es pal|eis : and pou|re men\ne cot|es.
Piers Plowman.
C. III. THE E OF INFLEXION. 31
Everie year this freshe Maie
These lustie ladies ride aboute, And I must nedes sew her route In this manner, as ye nowe see, And trusse her hallters forth with me, And | am but | her hors\e knav|e.
Gower. Confessio Amantis. That is, " and. I am only their horses' groom." — in Anglo- Saxon, heora horsa knabe.
We now come to a verse which both Urry and Tyrwhitt have done their best to spoil. Chaucer begins his exqui- site portrait of the Prioress with these lines ; Ther was also a nonne a Prioresse, That of hire smiling was ful simple and coy, Hire gret|est oth\e : n'as | but by | seint Loy. Where othe is the genitive plural after the superlative, " her greatest of oaths." The flow of the verse is as soft as the gentle being the poet is describing. But its beauty was lost on the Editors. They seem to have shrunk from making othe a dissyllable (a reluctance that would be per- fectly right if that word were in the nominative), and so, without the authority of a single manuscript, they intro- duced this jerking substitute;
Hire gret|est othe | : n'as | but by Seint | Eloy| — a change which not only mars the rhythm of one of the sweetest passages that Chaucer ever wrote, but also brings us acquainted with a new saint. " Sweet Saint Loy " was well known, but I never met with St. Eloy in English verse.*
The plural adjective takes e for its inflexion, as the Anglo-Saxon endings would lead us to expect. In illus- trating this and the following rules, I shall, as much as possible, select examples which contain the adjective both
* When the English guns swept off the famished Frenchman as he was gathering his muscles, Churchyard tells us
Some dearly bought their muscles evry week, Some sacrifisde their horse to swete Saint Loy.
Sieye of Leith, 7. Lindsay, indeed, in one of his poems, has written the word at full length Eloy, but, I have little doubt, elided the e in pronunciation.
32 THE E OF INFLEXION.
with and without its inflexion. The reason for so doing is obvious.
Men loveden more derknessis than light, for her werkis weren yvele, for ech man that doeth yvel hateth the light.
Wiclif. Jon. 3. In these lay a gret multitude of syke men, blinde, crokid, and drye. Wiclif, Jon. 5.
A frere there was, a wanton and a mery, A limitour, a ful solemne man, In all the orders foure is non that can So much of dalliance and fayre language — His tippet was ay farsed full of knives And pin|nes for to giv|en :fayr\e wiv|es.
Chau. Prologue. In ol\de day|es : of | the king | Artour, | Of which that Bretons speke gret honour.
The Wif of Bathes Tale. When the adjective follows the definite article the, or the definite pronouns this, that, or any one of the posses- sive pronouns, it takes what is called its definite form. In the Anglo-Saxon, the definite adjective differs from the other in its mode of declension ; in the old English the only difference is the final e.
How may ony man entre into the house of a strong man, and take awei his vessels, but first he bynde the stronge man, &c.
Wiclif, Matt. 12.
At Leyes was he, and at Satalie,
Whan | they were won|ne : and in [ the gret\e see|
At many a noble armee had he be. Chau. Prologue.
Wel| can the wis\e po|et : of | Florenjce,
That highte Dant, speken of this sentence.
Chau. Wif of Bathes Tale.
And up | he rid|eth : to | the high\e bord|.
Chau. The Squiers Tale.
Sike lay this husbondman, whos that the place is. — O der|e mais|ter : quod | this sik\e man|, How have ye faren sin that March began.
Chau. The Sompnoures Tale.
C. III. THE E OF INFLEXION. 33
White was hire sraok, and brouded all before, And eke behind, on hire colere aboute, Of coleblak silk, within and eke withoute. The top|es of | : hire whit\e vol|uper|e Were of the same suit of hire colere.
Chau. The Miller es Tale.
These rules prevail very widely in the Gothic dia- lects. They will not, however, explain all the cases in which the definite adjective is used, either in the Anglo-Saxon or in the old English dialect. The subject is too difficult and extensive to be discussed here. We will, however, no- tice one rule, which may be of importance to the gram- mar of both these languages. The passive participle, and those adjectives which partake of its character, may, I think, be treated at any time as indeclinable. We shall find many examples, when we examine the rhythms of our Anglo-Saxon poets.
Of the old English verb, as used by Chaucer, it may be observed, that the first person singular and the three per- sons plural of the present tense end in e; so also the im- perative mood and the infinitive ;
I put\te me | : in thy | prOtec|tion,|
Diane ! and in thy disposition. Chau. Knightes Tale.
In olde dayes of the king Artour,
Of which | that Bret|ons spek\e: gret | honour|.
Chau. Wif of Bathes Prologue. Than longen folk to gon on pilgrimages, And palmers for to seken strange strondes, To ser\ve hal|wes : couth | in sun|dry lond|es.
Chau. Prologue.
The past tense generally ends in de or ede, but some- times it is the same as the participle in d or ed. I believe these two forms of the perfect to be independent, and not derived the one from the other. We shall not stop to discuss the question, but I cannot pass by the strange hypothesis of Tyrwhitt. That critic supposes the de to be the same as ed9 with a transference of the vowel ; representing in
VOL. I. D
34 THE E OF INFLEXION.
short the ending intermediate between the old termination and the present. Every one, who has opened an Anglo- Saxon grammar, knows, that de is the old and proper ter- mination of the perfect, and though I will not assert that the other was never used by the Anglo-Saxons (indeed, I think I have actually met with it in one or two instances), yet every English scholar is aware, that it was only a short time before Chaucer, that it played any considerable part in our language.
As I have more than once spoken of Tyrwhitt, in terms very different from the eulogies which are commonly paid him, I would make one observation. I admit that when an art is in a state of advancement, such as is the present state of English criticism, it is disingenuous to dwell upon the casual blunders, or the minute inaccuracies of those who have preceded us. Tyrwhitt deserves our thanks for the manly experiment of editing our oldest classic, and for accumulating a decent share of general knowledge, to serve for his occasional elucidation. But what can we say of an editor who will not study the language of his author ? — of one, who having the means of accuracy (at least to a great extent) within reach, passes them by, and judges of Chaucer's grammar in the fourteenth century by that of Pope in the eighteenth ? A Dane or Norwegian, with a competent knowledge of Anglo-Saxon, would have been a better judge of Chaucer's syntax than his English editor.
That Chaucer sometimes dropt the e final is certain. Hire is always a monosyllable, whether it represents the A.S. hire (her) or the A. S. heora (their). It was also lost in other cases when it followed r, and perhaps when it fol- lowed other letters, though I would not assert as much, without the benefit of a better edition than Tyrwhitt's. Many French writers in the fifteenth and sixteenth centu- ries discarded their e final ; some more generally than others. Marot, who wrote in the reign of Francis, dropt it in three words, and in three only. The day will no doubt come, when we shall be able to give a list of all the words, in which Chaucer has taken the same liberty.
c. in. 35
INITIAL, SYLLABLE.
In the present section, we shall treat of such initial syl- lables as have occasionally disappeared from our language, and will begin with the initial vowel ;
He'll woo | a thousand : 'point | the day | of mar|riage,
Make friends, invite, yes and proclaim the bands,
Yet never means to wed. Taming of the Shrew, 3, 1.
I'll not | be tied | to hours | : nor 'poinded times|.
Same, 3, J .
And keep | the time | I 'point | you : for | I'll tell | you A strange way you must wade through.
Fletcher. The Mad Lover, 4, 3.
That I am guiltless of your father's death,
It shall | as lev|el : to | your judg|ment 'pear\,
As death doth to your eye. Hamlet, 4, 4.
No faith | so fast, | quoth she | : but flesh | does 'pair\, Flesh may impair, quoth he, but reason can repair.
F.Q. I. 7. 41. The wrath|ful win|ter: 'proch\ing on | apace|, With blustering blasts had all ybarde the treene.
Sackville. M. for Mag. The Induction.
His owne dear wife, whom as his life he loved, Hee durst | not trust, | : nor 'proche | unto | his bed|.
Sackville. M.for M. Buckingham, 53.
When he had done the thing he sought,
And as | he would | : 'com\plisht and com|past all.
Sackville. M.for M. Buckingham, 53.
Therefore have done, and shortly spede your pace, To 'quaynt \ yourself | : and com|pany | with grace |.
Barclay Schip of Foles.
Lay fear aside, let nothing thee amaze,
Ne have | despaire | : ne 'scuse | the want | of time|.
Higgins. M. for Mag. King Alhanact, 2.
I shifted him away,
And laid | good 'sense \ : upon | your cc|stacy|.
Othello, 4. 1.
i) 2
36 INITIAL SYLLABLE.
J. I.
From temple's top where did Apollo dwell, I 'sayd | to flye : | but on | the church | I fell).
Higgins. M for Mag. King Bladud,2i
Several verbs, even at this day, are used sometimes witht and sometimes without the vowel, as to espy, to escape, to establish, &c.
There are also substantives that throw away the vowel. Apprentice has been pronounced prentice from the days of Chaucer to the present ; apothecary, also, and imagination, not unfrequently lost their first syllables ;
Be | not abused | with priests] : nor 'poth\ecar\ies,
They cannot help you. Fletcher. Valentlnian, 5.2.
Thus time we waste and longest leagues make short,
Sail seas in cockles, have and wish but for't,
Mak|ing to take | : your 'magnifications \
From bourn to bourn, region to region. Per. 4. 4.
My brain, methinks, is as an hourglass,, Wherein | my 'mag\ina\tions : run | like sands |.
Ben Jonson. Every Man in his Humor, 3. 3.
Words compounded with the old preposition a, often lost it in pronunciation ;
My lord, I shall reply amazedly,
Half sleep, \ half wak|ing : but | as yet | I s\vear|
I cannot truly say how 1 came here. M. N. D. 4.1.
But home-bred broiles call back the conquering king, Warres thun|der 'bout \ : the Britjaine coasts | doth ring|. Niccols. M. for M. Arthur. The Argument.
THE INITIAL be.
This prefix is found elided in the works of almost all our dramatists, but in some cases there is reason to be- lieve, that the word which is represented thus shorn of a syllable, is in fact the root of the compound, instead of being its remnant. We find 'long not unfrequently writ- ten for belong, and sometimes we have the word written at full length, although the rhythm requires but one
C. III. INITIAL SYLLABLE. 37
syllable. Now, even in Chaucer's time, long was used in the same sense without the prefix, or any mark of elision ; and, as both Dutch and Germans have lang-en, to reach at, the probability is that long is an independent verb. Gin, though sedulously written 'gin, and sometimes begin by modern editors, may also be traced back to the times of Wiclif and Chaucer. I do not however recollect meet- ing with it in Anglo-Saxon ; another of its compounds, angynn-an, being generally used. The elisions which fol- low are among the least doubtful ;
Let pit|y not | be believ\ed : there | she shook |
The holy water from her heavenly eyes Lear, 4, 3.
And believe | me, gen | tie youth | : tis I | weep for | her. Fletcher. Loyal Subject. 5, 2.
Now, Sir, if ye have friends enow, Though re|al friends| : I b'lieve | are few|, Yet if your catalogue be fu',
I'se no insist j But gif ye want ae friend that's true,
I'm on your list. Burns Epistle to Lapraik.
Those domestic traitors, bosom-thieves,
Whom custom hath call'd wives ; the readiest helps
To betray | the head|y hus|bands : rob | the eas|y.
Ben Jonson.
So Demophon, Duke of Athenes,
How he forswore him falsely,
And trai\ed Phil|lis wick|edly|. Chau. House of Fame.
O belike | his maj|esty | : hath some | intent | That you should be new christened in the Tow'r.
Richard 3, 1 . 1 .
Yet even in these cases there may be doubts as to the elision of any syllable. The Germans have trieg-en, to betray, why should not we have to tray? The b'lieve however of Burns points clearly to the loss of a syllable, supposing that the word is, as it ought to be, written ac- cording to the pronunciation.
38 INITIAL SYLLABLE. IJ. I.
There are also certain adverbs and prepositions which are commonly written as though they had lost this prefix, 'fore, 'cause, &c. These, however, are found as monosyl- lables in some of our earliest English authors, and it would perhaps be safer to consider them as distinct words, and to write them accordingly.
We shall have less trouble with the prefix dis, than with the one we have just considered. Most of the words, into which it enters, have been derived from foreign sources, and their origin carefully traced and ascertained. Still, however, their is difficulty in fixing upon the date of the corruption. It is undoubtedly of a very early antiquity, and probably of the twelfth century.
Each bush | a bar | : each spray | a ban|ner ' splay ed,\ Each house a fort our passage to have stayed.
Mirr.for Mag.p. 414.
A storm
In | to a cloud | of dust | . 'sperst \ in the air | The weak foundations of that city fair.
Spenser. Visions of Bellay. And 'sdainy'id pride | : and wiljful ar|rogance.
Spenser. Mother Hubbard's Tate. I 'sdained | subjection | : and | thought one | step high|er Would set me highest. P. L. 4. 50.
And king Ardreus, tyrant vile ! His aged father 'stroyde.
Higgins . M for M. King Porrex. When | he is 'strest \ : than | can he swim | at will|, Great strength he has, both wit and grace there till.
Wallace.
Hee thought by cruell feare to bring
His subjects under, as him liked best,
But loe | the dread | : wherewith | himself | was 'strest.
Sackville. M.for M. Buckingham, 39. Labour had gien it up for good, Save swains their folds that beetling stood, While Echo, listning in the wood,
Each knock | kept 'stinct\ly counting. Clare.
C. III. VOWEL COMBINATIONS. A<)
But as he nigher drew he easily Might 'seem \ that it | was not| : his sweet|est sweet|.
F. Q. 3.10.22.
I once thought that the disciple of the following verse fell under the present rule, and was to be pronounced 'sciple,
And bitter penance with an iron whip Was wont him once to disciple every day.
F.Q. 1. 10.27. but elsewhere, when used as a word of three syllables, Spenser accents it dis\ciple\, and we often find it written disple in the early part of the sixteenth century. Such was doubtless its pronunciation in the line before us.
It may be observed here, though it does not strictly fall under the present head of our subject, that Shakespeare has used 'tide for decide,
To 'cide | the quar|rel : are | impan|eled
A host of thoughts. Sonnet 46.
VOWEL COMBINATIONS.
We are now to consider such syllables, as are rendered doubtful by the meeting of two vowel sounds. We will begin with those which contain the sounds represented by ay' and ow\
There were many dissyllables in the Anglo-Saxon, which contained in the first syllable the diphthong m, fol- lowed by a g. All these have now lost the g, and become monosyllables, as fceger fair, stager stair, snaegel snail.
We learn, from the mode of spelling that prevailed some centuries back, and from the pronunciation which still lingers in our provinces, that the first change was that of the g into a y, fayer, stayer, &c. &c. The next step seems to have been to drop the y, and pronounce the words fa-ir, sta-ir, &c, and to this mode of pronunciation our present orthography was accommodated. They finally became monosyllables.
40 VOWEL COMBINATIONS.
There were other words which had also g for the mid- dle letter, and a or u in the first syllable ; these generally turned the g into w, as agen own, fugel fowl ; a use of the w which was already known to the Anglo-Saxon, for example, mfeower four. By degrees the w was dropt, and after some further time these words also became mono- syllabic.
The dissyllables containing y and w seem to have been once so numerous in our language, that many words, both English and foreign, were adapted to their pronunciation, and thus gained a syllable ; scur, A. S. became shower, and fleur, Fr. became flower. Change of pronunciation has again reduced them to their original dimensions.
And soft ] unto | himself | : he say\ed fie ! | Upon a Lord, that woll have no mercie.
Chau. The Knightes Tale.
Beseeching him | : with pray\er and | with praise|.
Spenser. F. Q. 1. 5. 41.
Nor crab|bed oaths | : nor pray\ers make | him pause|.
Hall. Satires 3. 6.
She's com|ing up | the sta\irs : now | the mus|ic —
Fletchers Valentinian, 2.5.
The light whereof
Such blaz|ing brightness : through | the a\er threw|, That eye mote not the same endure to view.
F. Q. 1.8. 19.
Save hazell for forks, save sallow for rake, Save hul|ver and thorn | : thereof Jla\il to make|.
Tusser. April Husbandry.
So spake | th' archan|gel : Mi\chael | then paus'd|. P. L. 12.
Or on | each Mi\chael \ : and La|dy day| Took he deep forfeits for each hour's delay.
Hall. Sat. 5. 1
Where | is thy pow\er then| : to drive | him back|.
R. III. 4. 4.
C. III. VOWEL COMBINATIONS. 4 I
End|ing in | : a show\er still| When the gust has blown its fill
II Penseroso.
So man|y ho\urs : must | I tend ( my flock |,
So man|y ho\urs : must | I take | my rest|,
So man|y ho\urs: must | I con|template|. H 6, 2. 4.
Let ev|ery hil|lock : hefo\uer feet wide], The better to come to on every side.
Tusser. March Husbandry.
Yet where, how, and when ye intend to begin, Let evjer the fin|est be first | somen in|.
Tusser. October Husbandry.
I wol myselven gladly with you ride,
Right | at min ow\en cost | : and be | your guid|e.
Chaic. Prol.
When the long o or its equivalents, were followed by a short vowel, Milton often melted them into a diphthong, in cases which have not been sanctioned by subsequent usage ;
Or if Sum's hill
Delight | thee more | : or Sil\oas brook, | that flow'd| Fast by the oracles of God. P. L. 1.
And with more pleasing light
Shad\owy sets off | the face | : of things |, in vain|
If none regard. P. L. 5.
Why dost thou then suggest to me distrust, Knowing who | I am | : as I | know who | thou art| ?
P. R. 1.
The feljlows of | his crime | : the followers rath|er.
P. L. 1.
THE SYLLABLES l\ e\ u\
When the long i is followed by a short vowel, the latter is elided among the vulgar even to this day. There is no mispronunciation which now strikes the ear more offen- sively ; yet little more than a century ago, and it must have been general.
42 VOWEL COMBINATIONS. B. I.
And all the prophets in their age shall sing, Of great | Messiah | shall sing| : Thus laws | and rights| Established, &c. PL. 12.
March | to your sev|eral homes | : by Nio\bes stone |.
BenJonson. Cyntheas Revels, 5. 11.
'Tis worse than murder
To do | upon | respect| : such vio\lent outjrage.
Lear, 2. 1.
God in judgment just,
Subjects | him from | without | : to vio\lent lords. |
P.L. 12.
The mouse | may some | time help | : the lion | at neede|, The lyttle bee once spilt the eagles breed.
Dolman. M for M. Hastings, 21.
Your several colours, Sir,
Of | the pale cit|ron : the | green lion | the crow|.
B.Jons. The Alchemist, 22. AVho tore | the lion\ : as | the lion tears | the kid|.
Samson Agon.
Half on foot,
Half flying | behoves | him now| : both oar | and sail|.
P. L. 2. With flowers fresh their heads bedeckt,
The fairies dance in fielde, And wanton songs in mossye dennes, The Drids | and Sat|yrs yielde|.
Googes Zodiake of Life. Taurus.
His knights | grow rio\tous : and | himself | upbraids | us On every trifle. Lear, 1.3.
The noise
Of riot | ascends| : above | their loft|iest tow'rs|. P. L. 1.
Pluck the lin'd crutch from the old limping sire, With | it beat out | his brains | : pie\ty and fear| Decline, &c. T. of A. 4. 1.
Is pie\ty thus | : and pure | devo|tion paid| ?
P.L. 11.
C. III. VOWEL COMBINATIONS. 43
Thy words with grace divine
Imbued | bring to | their sweet (ness : no | satie\ty
P. L. 8.
And | with satie\ty seeks| : to quench | his thirstj —
T. of the Shrew, 1.1.
Who, having seen me in my worst estate,
Shunn'd | my abhorr'd | socie\ty : but | now findjing Who 'twas that so endur'd, with his strong arms He fasten'd on my neck. Lear, 5. 3.
For so|litude | sometimes| : is best | socie\ty. P. L. 9,
as well might recommend
Such sol|itude | before | : choic|est socie\ty.
P.R. 1. 303.
These verses of Milton have bewildered the critics. Mitford and Todd both give to society four syllables. The former reads the verse with six accents,
For sol|itude | sometimes| : is best | soci|ety| the latter ends it with two unaccented syllables, For sol|itude | sometimes | : is best | soci|ety.
Neither of these rhythms is to be found in the Par. Lost. There is little doubt that Tyrwhitt scanned these lines in the same way as Todd. He talks of Milton using the sdrucciolo ending in his heroic poems. These are the only verses which in any way countenance such a notion.
The elision of the vowel after the long e is rare.
For when, alas ! I saw the tyrant king
Content not only from his nephues twayne
To rive | worlds blisse| : but al|so all | worlds being\,
Sans earthly gylt ycansing both be slayne,
My heart agrisde that such a wretch should raigne.
Sackville. M.forM. Buckingham, 49.
As being | the con|trary| : to his | high will|
Whom wc resist — P. L I.
44 VOWEL COMBINATIONS.
Seeing too | much sad|ness : hath | congeal'd | your blood |.
T. of the Shrew, Induction, 2.
The elision after the long u is still more rare,
Full many a yeare the world lookt for my fall,
And when I fell I made as great a cracke
As doth an oak, or mighty tottring wall,
That whirling wind | doth bring| : to ruin | and wracke.
Churchy arde. M.for M. Wolsey, 69.
When the short i or short e was followed by a, as it sounds in pate, Milton and his contemporaries sometimes melted the vowels into a diphthong ya. In modern prac- tice we carefully distinguish between them.
With tears
Watering the ground, and with our sighs the air Frequenting, sent from hearts contrite, in sign Of sor|row unfeign'd| : and hu\milia\tion meek| —
P. L. 10.
To conquer Sin and Death, the two great foes,
By hu\milia\tion : and | stong suf|fe ranee | — P. R. I.
Let me
Interpret for him, me his advocate
And pro\pitia\tion: all | his works | on me|
Good or not good ingraft. P. L. 12.
Instructed that to God is no access
Without | mediator: whose | high of |fice now|
Moses in figure bears. P. L. 12.
Then | doth the thea\tre: ech|o all | aloud, | With glorious noise of that applauding crowd.
HalV s Sat. 1.3.
In the country, even to this day, the accent is thrown upon the middle syllable, thea\tre, but the word is always pronounced as having three syllables.
When the short i or short e was fohWed by a short vowel, they often formed two syllables in cases where we now always melt them into a diphthong, or elide the first vowel.
C. III. VOWEL COMBINATIONS. 45
A broche of gold ful shene,
On which was first ywriten a crowned A,
And af [ter, a|mor vin|cit : om\nla\. Chau. Prol.
But | the captiv'd| : Acra\sia | he sent|, Because of travel long, a nigher way. F. Q. 3. 1. 2.
Five summers have I spent in farthest Greece, Roam|ing clean through | the bounds| . of A\sia\.
Com. of Errors, 1.1.
The vines | and the o\siers : cut | and go set], If grape be unpleasant, a better go get.
Tusser. February Husbandry.
Himself | goes patch'd| : like some | bare cot\tyer\, Lest he might aught the future stock appeire.
Hall. Sat. 2.
He vaunts his voice upon a hired stage,
With high|-set steps| : and prince|ly car\riage\.
Hall. Sat. 1.3.
When the words end in ence, ent, or an, the additional syllable now sounds very uncouthly.
Well coude he fortunen the ascendent
Of | his imag|es : for | h\s pa\tient\. Chau Prol.
Th' unskil|ful leech| : mur|dered his^a|^'en/|,
By poison of some foul ingredient. Hall. Sat. 2. 4.
Contrary to : the Rodman an\cients\,
Whose words were short, and darksome was their sense.
Hall. Sat. 3 book. Prol.
WThose seep | ter guides | : the flow|ing o|raztf|.
B. Jon. Cynthia's Rev. 55.
No airy fowl can take so high a flight — Nor fish can dive so deep in yielding sea — Nor fearful beast can dig his cave so low — As | that the air| : the earth | or o|ceaw,| Should shield them from the gorge of greedy man.
Hall, Sat. 3. 1.
But by far the most common instance of this resolution of syllables occurs in our substantival ending ion. From
I
46* VOWEL COMBINATIONS. B.
the 14th to the 17th century this termination expanded into two syllables whenever the verse required it.
Full swe|tely| : herd|e he confes\sion\,
And pleas|ant was| : his ab\solu\tion\. Chan. Prcl.
He can the man that moulds in secret cell
Un|to her hap|py : man\sion | attain|. F. Q. 2. 3. 4. 1.
'Tis the list
Of those that claim their offices this day
By cus|tom of | : the cor\ona\tion\. H 8, 4. 1.
My muse would follow those that are foregone, But can|not with| : an Eng|lish pin\ion\.
Hall. Sat 3. Prol.
-
Before we close this section I would add a word or two respecting the diphthong ea. This diphthong, though its representative still keeps its place in our orthography, has long since been obsolete. In our provinces, however, where it still lingers, we often hear it resolved into a dissyllable, e-at, gre-at, me-at, &c. I have watched with some care, to see if it ever held the place of a dissyllable in our poetry, as in such case our Anglo-Saxon and early English rhythms might be seriously affected. My search has not been successful, and the result has been a strong conviction, that the ea, which so freqently occurs in our Anglo-Saxon poems, was strictly diphthongal.
I think, however, that in one or two instances this reso- lution of the diphthong has actually taken place, as in the following stave,
Now shall the wanton devils dance in rings,
In ev|ery mead| : and ev|ery he\ath hore|, The elvish fairies and the gobelins,
The hoofed satyrs silent heretofore.
Hall. Elegy on Dr. Whitaker.
This English diphthong will, of course, not be con- founded with the ea that occurs in certain French words, and which was not unfrequently resolved into two syl- lables.
C. III. NASALS AND LIQUIDS. 4,
That ther n' is erthe, water, fire, ne aire, Ne cre\atur\e : that of | hem ma|ked is| That may me hele or don comfort in this.
Chau. The Knightes Tale.
NASALS AND LIQUIDS.
The subjects of the present section are the nasals m, n, ng, and the liquids / and r. Of these letters two, namely, n and /, occasionally form consonantal syllables ; the re- maining three cannot form a syllable without a vowel. The following are instances of the vowrel having been dropt and the syllable lost.
But always wept, and wailed night and day As blas|ted blosm J thro heat j : doth lan|guish and | decay|.
F. Q. 4. 8. 2,
Amongst them all grows not a fairer flower
Than is | the bloosm\ : of come|ly cour|tesy|,
Which, though it on a lowly stalk do bovver,
Yet brancheth forth in brave nobility. F. Q. 6. 4.
The short vowel was sometimes elided before the m, even when the consonant was found in another syllable.
Hewn | out of ad\amant rock| : with eng|ines keen|.
F.Q. 1. 7.33.
As if | in ad\amant rock | it had | been pight|.
F.Q. 1. 11. 25. Legitimate Ed|gar : I | must have | your land|. L. 1.2. Far be the thought of this from Henry's heart, To make | a sham|bles : of I the parliament housej.
3H6, 1. 1.
They | were a feare| : un|tothe en|myes* eye.|
Churchyard. Siege of Leith.
I profess
Myself | an en\emy : to | all oth|er joy|. Lear, 4. 4.
* This author always makes enemy a dissyllable, and spells it as in the text.
48 NASALS AND LIQUIDS. B. I.
So spake | the en\cmy : of | mankind, | enclos'd|
In serpent. P. L. 9.
And next to him malicious Envy rode
Upon a rav'nous wolf, and still did chaw
Between | his cank|red teeth| : a ven\omous toad|.
F. Q. 1. 4. 30. These things did sting His mind | so ven\omously\ : that burn|ing shame| Detains him. Lear, A. A.
And what have kings that privates have not too, Save cer\emony\ : save gen|eral cer\emony\, And what | art thou| : thou i]dol cer\emony\ —
Henry 5, 4. 1 .
On the other hand we now always drop the penultimate e of French words in ment, which once formed an inde- pendent syllable.
Thus by on assent
We ben | accord | ed : to | his jug\ement\. Chau. Prol.
And who | that wol| : my jug\ement | withsay|,
Shall pay for all we spenden by the way. Chau. Prol.
For of his hands he had no government,
Ne car'd | for blood | : in his | aveng\ement\.
F. Q. 1. 4. 34. Then many a Lollard would in forfeitment, Bear pa'per fagjgots : o'er | the pav\ement\. Ball Sat.
He came | at his| : command\ement | on hi|e, Tho' sente Theseus for Emilie.
Chau. The Knightes Tale. The wretched woman whom unhappy hour Hath now | made thrall| : to your | command\ement\.
F. Q. 1. 2. 22.
The word regiment is now also generally made a dis- syllable, though we occasionally hear it pronounced with three syllables, as in the verses,
The re\giment\ : was wil|ling and j advanc'd|.
Fletcher. oadicea, 2. 4.
C. III. NASALS AND LIQUIDS. 49
The reg\iment\ : lies half | a mile | at least |
South from the mighty power of the King. R 3, 5.3,
M, we have said, cannot form a syllable without a vowel. This rule holds both as regards our spelling and our pro- nunciation ; but one or two centuries ago the termination sm was often pronounced som, as it is among the vulgar to this day.
Great Solomon sings in the English quire,
And is become a new-found sonnetist,
Singing his love, the holy spouse of Christ,
Like as she were some light-skirts of the East,
In migh|tiest i?ik\hornis\ms : he | can thith|er wrest] .
Hall. Sat. 1. 8.
All this | by syl\logis\m true;
In mood and figure he would do. Butlers Hudibras.
Enthu\sias\m s past | redemption Gone in a galloping consumption.
Burns Letter to John Goudie.
These words should have been written as pronounced, inkhornisom, syllogisom, &c.
N is one of the two letters, which form consonantal syllables. It is difficult to say when it first obtained this privilege, but it could hardly have been so early as the reign of Elizabeth. In that reign, Gabriel Harvey ob- jected to Spenser's use of heaven, seven, &c. as dissyllables, the same not being " authorized by the ordinarie use and custom." He would have them written and spoken " as monosyllaba, thus, heavn, seavn, &c." I think there- fore that heaven, seven, &c. were commonly pronounced then, as now, with only one vowel ; and that when Spen- ser and his contemporaries made them dissyllables, they imitated an obsolete, or rather a provincial dialect, and pronounced them with two vowels. This latter mode of pronunciation has left traces behind it; even yet we may occasionally hear heav-en, sev-cn, &c. among the vulgar.
VOL. i. e
50 NASALS AND LIQUIDS. B. I.
There are four terminations into which n enters, an, en, in, on ; of these en is now merely consonantal,* as in even ; an and on, sound like un, as in Roman, reason ; and in retains its proper sound as in griffin. Our poets use en as a syllable whenever it suits their convenience; though, generally speaking, the only difference in the pronuncia- tion is a lengthening of the n. The terminations an, on, and in, are now commonly used as syllables; although Milton and some of his contemporaries elide the vowel, and tack n to the preceding syllable, when their rhythm requires it.
Heavens | is the quar|rel : for | heaven s substitute] Hath caus'd his death. R 2, 1.2.
Ed | ward's seven sons| : whereof [ thyself | art one,|
Were | as seven phi|als : of | his sa|cred blood, |
Or seven | fair branch |es : springing from | one root| .
R 2-, 1.3.
And Palamon, this woful prisoner,
Was risen, | and rom|ed : in | a chambre | on high| .
Chau. The Knight es Tale.
Seems another morn
Risen | on mid noon| : some great | behest | from heaven | To us perhaps it brings. P. L. 5.
In an|y case| : that migh|te/a//6w|, or hap|pe.
Chau. Prol.
Fallen cher|ub to^be weak| : is mis|era|ble. P. L.
One of our leading reviews scanned the last verse thus,
Fal|len cher|ub, to be weak| : is mis|era|ble.
and Mitford almost laughs at the notion of heav'n and giv'n being pronounced as monosyllables !
The following are examples of the termination on,
* This is too unqualified ; even educated men often pronounce risen, chosen, with two) syllables, rizun, chozun, &c.
C. III. NASALS AND LIQUIDS. 51
Fardest * from him is best
Whom reason \ hath e|quall'd : force | hath made | supreme | Above his equals. P. L. 1 .
Charon \ was afraid] : lest thirs|ty Gul|lion| Should have drunk dry the river Acheron. Hall. Sat. 3. 6.
There is sometimes the same elision of the vowel, and the same loss of a syllable, in the middle of a word ; And thereto had he ridden no man ferre, As wel | in Cristen\dom : as | in Heth|enes|se, And ever honoured for his worthinesse. Chau. Prol. Though | of their names| : in heaven\ly rec|ords now | Be no memorial. P. L. 1.
My curse upon your whinstane hearts,
Ye Edinburgh gen | try ! A tithe o' what ye waste at carts,
Wad stow'd his pantry.
Burns. It may be here observed, that the elision of the vowel is generally the first step towards corruption. Ed'nburg was merely introductory to E1enboro\
The short vowels were also very frequently elided before n, when that letter began the following syllable.
Un|to ourselves :| it hap\neth oft | among|.
Drayton. M. for M. Cromwell, 1 20.
My council swaied all,
For still | the king] : would | for the card\nall callj.
Drayton. M.for M. Wolsey, 35.
They are but blinde that wake when fortune sleeps, They worke in vayne that strive with streame and tide, In doub|le guide | they dwell | : that dest\nye keeps |.
Drayton. M. for M. Wolsey, 1 7.
Dest\iny by death | : spoiled fee|ble nature's frame|.
Hall. Elegy on Dr. Whitaker.
* Our Editors will not believe that even Milton could write English ; and "correct" his fardest, perfet, and other barbarisms of the like kind, without the least hint to the reader.
b2
..
52 NASALS AND LIQUIDS. B. I
Pride pricketh men to flatter for the prey, T'oppresse | and poll | : for maint\nance of | the sarae|.
Chalm. M. for M. Northfolke, 8.
And each
In oth|er's countenance read | : his own | dismay. P. L. 2.
I was despisde, and banisht from my bliss, Discount\naunste, fayne | : to hide | myself | for shame |.
Higgins. M. for M. King Emerianus.
Wisdom in discourse with her
Los|es discount\enanc d : and | like fol|ly shows|. P. L. 8.
Ignom'ny was further corrupted into ignomy ;
Thy ig\nomy | : sleep with | thee in | thy grave |.
1 HA, 5. 4.
Hence broth |er lack|ey : ig\nomy | and shame]
Pursue thy life. Tro. and Cress. 5.
When the termination en followed r, it often formed a syllable, in cases where the vowel is now elided, as boren, toren, &c.
Eke Zealand's pit|eous plaints | : and Holland's tor\en hair. Spenser. Mourning Muse of Thestylis.
When ng followed the short i at the end of a word or syllable, the vowel appears sometimes to have been elided among our dramatists ;
Having nei|thersub|ject : wealth, | nordi|adem|. 2 H 6, 4. 1.
Sometimes he angers me
With telling | me of | the mold- | warp : and | the ant.
HA, 3, I. Buckingham, doth York | : intend ] no harm | to us | ?
2H6, 5. 1.
Humphrey of Buckingham : 1 1 accept | thy greeting.
2H6, 5. 1. Why Buckingham is | the traijtor : Cade | surpris'd | ?
2 H 6, 4. 8.
— — My Lord Cobham, With whom | the Ken|tish men | : will willing\ly rise|.
3H6.
C. III. NASALS AND LIQUIDS. 53
This oath | I willing\ly take | : and will | perform |.
3 H6, 1.1.
Our dramatists use a very irregular metre, and are therefore not the safest guides in a matter of this kind ; but when we find a word recurring again and again, in situations where our prevailing rhythms require the sub- traction of a syllable, I think we may fairly conclude such to have been the pronunciation of the poet.
L, I believe, in pronunciation no longer follows any consonant at the end of a word or syllable excepting d, t, r. In the language of the present day, we generally hear a short u before it. The difference between it and the letter n in this respect must, I think, be obvious if the pronun- ciation of evil be compared with that of heaven. The first sounds clearly with two vowels e-vul, but if we were to pronounce the latter hev-un it would at once strike us uncouth and vulgar.
In the Anglo-Saxon, / was very generally used without a vowel, as adl sickness, swegl the sky, susl sulphur. In the early English we changed this mode of spelling, and adopted the French ending le in the place of /, writing settle, for instance, instead of the A. S. sell. We have preserved this orthography, except in cases where I fol- lows r, although we have since changed the pronunciatioi .
We will first give examples in which the vowel has been elided, and a syllable lost in consequence ;
What evil | is left | undone | . when man | may have | his will | ? Man ever was a hypocrite, and ever will be still.
Tussers Omnipotence of God. Each home-bred science percheth on the chair, While sa|cred arts | : grovel | on the ground|sel bare|.
Hall. Sat. 2. 3. Foul devil, | for God's | sake hence : | and trouble | us not|.
R3, 1. 2. But when to sin our biass'd nature Jeans, The care|ful devil \ : is still | at hand | for means|.
Dryden. Abs. % Arch.
54 NASALS AND LIQUIDS. B. I.
This noble | exam|ple : to | his shepe | he yaf|. Chau. Prol.
So noble | a mas|ter fallen | : all gone|, and not|
One friend to take his fortune by the arm,
And go along ? T. of A. 4. 1.
When this advice is free, I give, and honest,
Pro | bal to think |ing : and | indeed | the course |
To win the Moor again. Othello, 2. 3.
Probal is found in all the early editions, and is clearly a corruption of probable. It shows, if any proof were wanting, that the French ending able, was commonly used by our early English writers as one syllable. Such was it considered by Chaucer, who makes the word able corre- sponding to the French^ habile, a dissyllable. Milton made this ending one or two syllables, as best suited his verse, and such was the common practice of his contem- poraries. At present it is always pronounced abul, and of course fills the place of two syllables. When it was so used by our early English poets, they seem, at least in some cases, to have accommodated their spelling to it • to have written, for example, fabill for fable, and delectabill for delectable. This orthography, and in all probability the pronunciation which corresponded with it, prevailed chiefly in the North.
And thus with fained flattery and japes
He made | the per|sone : and | the peple | his apes|.
Chau. Prol. Anon | ther is | a noise | : of peple | begone|. Chau. Prol.
There was also a nonne, a prioresse,
That | of her smil|ing : was | ful simple | and coy|.
Chau. Prol.
The wisest heart
Of Solomon he led by fraud to build
His tem|ple right | against | : the temple | of God) P. L.
And his next son, for wealth and wisdom fam'd, The clouded ark of God, till theu in tents Wand|ering, shall in | a glo|rious : temple | enshrine|.
P.L. 12.
C. III. NASALS AND LIQUIDS. 55
This house
Is little, | the old | man : and | his peo|ple can | not
Be well bestowed. Lear, 2. 4.
Oft fire is without smoke,
Peril | without show | : therefore your har|dy stroke|,
Sir knight, withold. F. Q. 1. 1. 12.
Of son|dry dou|tes : thus they jangle | and tret|e.
Chau The Squieres Tale.
Wer't | not all one | : an emp|ty eagle | were set |
To guard the chicken from a hungry kite,
As place Duke Humphrey for the King's Protector ?
2H6, 3.1.
And | for this mir\acle : in | conclu|sion|, And by Custance's meditation, The king, and many another in that place, Converted was, thanked be Cristes grace.
Chau. Man of Lawes Tale.
Contempt, that doth incite
Each single- [sol'd squire | : to set | you at | so light).
Halls Sat. 2. 1.
How, | Sir ! this gent\man : you | must bear | withal |.
B. Jons. Alchemist, 1.1.
Where nought but shadowy forms were seen to move,
As Idle\ness fanc|ied in | her dream|ing mood|. Thomson.
I 'd rath|er hear |: a braz|en candle\stick turn'd.
1 #4,3,1.
In the quartos we have can-stick, which appears to have been a common corruption in the time of Shakespear. In like manner, from ev'l and dev'lcome ill and deil ; and there can be no doubt that gent'man, by a further corrup- tion, has become our slang term gemman. Thomson seems to have made idleness a dissyllable, in imitation of Spenser, whose stanza he had adopted.
The short vowels, when they formed independent sylla- bles before /, were frequently elided, and even at the pre- sent day the same license is occasionally taken.
-a T
56 NASALS AND LIQUIDS. B. I
. What ,can you say to draw
A third | more op\ulent : than | your sis|ter ? Speak |.
Lear, 1.1.
Beef | that erst Herc\ules* held| : for fin | est fare|.
Hall Sat. III. 3.
Particular pains| : particular thanks | do ask|.
B. Jons. Cynthia s Revels, V. 11.
Thus was the building left
Ridic\ulous, and | the work| : confu|sion nam'd|.
P.L. 12.
And approve
The fit | rebuke| : of so | ridic\ulous heads|.
B. Jons. Cynthia's Revels, V. 1 .
Over there may flie no fowl but dyes
Choakt | with, the pest\lent sav|ours : that | arise|.
Sackville. M. for M. Induction 3 1 .
Keep safe|ly and war\ily : thy ut|ter most fence|.
Tusser. Sept. Husbandry.
In worst | extremes | : and on | the perilous] edge|
Of battle. P.L.I.
The sun who scarce uprisen
Shot par\al ell to | the earth| : his dew|y ray|. P. L. 5.
No ser|vant at tajble : use sauc\ly to talk). Tusser.
The shot was such there could no sound of drum me Be easily heard | the time| : I you | assure|.
Churchyard. Siege of Leith.
For I in publique weal
Lorde Chanc\lour was| : and had | the great | broad seal|. Drayton. M.for M. Wolsey, 37. His amner too he made mee all in haste, And threefolde giftes he threwe upon me still, His couns\lour straight| : like|wise was Wol|sey plaste|. Drayton. M.forM. Wolsey, 15.
* Hence Shakespeare's Ercles.
f Hence parlous, so common among our Elizabethan writers.
C. III. NASALS ANIX LIQUUDS. 57
Some of our poets of the*seventeenth. centurj^pro- nounced the vowel, in cases where it is now rejected. So neither this travell may seem to be lost, Nor thou | to repent | of this tri\fling cost|. Tusser.
Tum\bling all| : precipitate | down dash'd|.
Dyers Ruins of Rome. Which | when in vain| : he tride | with struggling, \ Inflam'd with wrath his raging blade he heft.
F.Q.I. 11.39. Let sec|ond brothjers : and | poor nes\tlings\ Whom more injurious nature later brings Into this naked world, let them assaine To get hard pennyworths. Hall. Sat. 2. 2.
And as | it queinte| : it mad|e a.whis\teling\, As don these brondes wet in her brenning.
Chau. The Knightes Tale.
My eiyes these lines with tears do steep,
To think | how she| : through guile|ful hand\eling\, Is from her knight divorced in despair.
F.Q. 1.3. 2. Both star|ing fierce| : and hold|ing i\dely\ The broken reliques of their former cruelty.
F. Q. 1. 2. 16. For half | so bold\ely\ : can ther | no man| Sweren and lien as a woman can.
Chau. The Wif of Bathes Prol But trew\elij\ : to tel|len at|te last|, He was in church a noble ecclesiast. Chau. Prol.
For trew\ely\ : comfort | ne mirth [e is non| To riden by the way, dumbe as a ston. Chau. Prol.
Some words, in the North of England and in Scotland, re- tain the short vowel, when it follows an r, even to this day. That done | the ear\l : let|ters wrote| Unto each castle, fort, and hold, &c.
Flodden Field. 4/5. Ye'll try | the war\ld : soon | my lad |. Burns.
Twas e'en, the dew|y fields were green,
On ev|ery blade | : the pear\ls hungj. Burns.
58 NASALS AND LIQUIDS. B. I.
In the modern pronunciation of our language, r follows no consonant at the end of a word or syllable. In «&e Anglo, .fcaxon-fmff ftffly English dialects such a combina- tion was common, and in thn lnttnr was expressed by the French ending re. In all these cases we now interpose a short u before the r, and though we retain the spelling in a few instances, as in acre, sepulcre, mitre, &c. yet these words are always pronounced with the short vowel, akur, sepulkur, mitur, &c.
We will, as before, begin with those cases in which the final syllable has been lost ;
And Palamon
Was risen | and rom|ed ; in | a chambre | on high|, In which he all the noble citee sigh.
Chau. The Knightes Tale.
As Christ | I count | my head | : and I | a member | of his|, So God I trust for Christes sake shall settle me in bliss.
Tussers * Belief.
Every tedious stride I make,
Will | but remember | me : what | a deal | of world |
I wander. R 2, 1.3.
N' is creature living
■
That ever | heard such | : anoth|er wai|menting|.
Chau. Knightes Tale. I must | not suffer \ this : yet | 'tis but ] the lees j And settlings of a melancholy blood. Comus.
Deliver ) us out | of all : this be|sy drede|. Chau. Clerkes Tale. Th' Allgiver | would be | unthank'd | : would be | unprais'd|.
Comus. And where | the river | of bliss | : through midst | of heav|en Rolls o'er Elysian fields. P. L. 3.
And he hadde be sometime in Chevachie In Flandres, \ in Ar|tois : and | in Pic|ardi|e.
Chau. Prol.
* The extreme precision of Tusser's rhythm renders his authority, in a case of this kind, of great value.
C. III. NASALS AND LIQUIDS. 59
By water j he sent | them home | : to ev|ery land. |
Chan. Prol.
Her glor|ious glitter | and light | : doth all | men's eyes | amaze |.
F. Q. 1. 4. 16.
In proud rebellious arms
Drew after | him the ] third part | : of heav|en's sons[.
P. L. 2.
And after into heaven ascend he did in sight, And sit|teth on | the right | hand there | : of God | the father\ of might. Tussers Belief.
If | by your art, | : my dea|rest/aMer, | you have|,
Put the wild waters in this roar, allay them. Tempest, 1 , 2-
Three vollies let his memory crave
O' pouth'r | an lead, |
Till Echo answer from her cave,
Tarn Samson's dead. Burns.
Whether sayest | thou this | in er|nest : or | in play ? |
Ckau. The Knightes Tale,
See wher \ their bas|est met|al : be | not moved).
Julius Caesar, 1. I.
Either thou | or I | or both | : must go | with him|.
R. and J. 3. 1 .
And neither | by trea|son : nor [ hostility | To seek to put you down.
We have one of the best proofs of the elision, in the further corruptions such words have undergone, ov'r be- came o'er, ev'r ere, oth'r or, wheth'r whe'r; and in those dialects which are so intimately connected with our own, as almost to make part of the same language, we find these letters similarly affected. Thus in the Frisicf aer is father, moar mother, broer brother, foer fodder. With a slight change in the orthography, we find the same words in the Dutch. This seems to point clearly to a similar cause of corruption in all these dialects. The elision of the vowel I believe to have been the first step.
As this final syllable is so important an element in the
60 NASALS AND LIQUIDS. B.
regulation of our rhythms, one or two more instances o its loss may, I think, be useful ;
In his rising seem'd
A pillar | of state | : deep | in his front | engrav|en Deliberation sat. P. L. 2.
Who shall go
Before ) them in | a cloud | : and pillar | of fire|.
P.L. 12
Studjied the grammar | of state | : and all | the rules].
B. Jons. Cynthia's Revels, 3. 4.
Check
This hid|eous rash|ness : or answer | my life, | my judg|ment.
Lear, 1.1. In the following examples the vowel is elided at the end of a syllable ;
Tie | up the liber\tine : in | a field | of sweets).
A. and CI. 2. 1. What trowen ye that whiles I may preche, And winnen gold and silver for I teche, That | I wol liv|e in pover\te : wil|fully|.
Chau. The Pardoneres Tale. Take pover | ties part | : and let | prowde for|tune go|.
Sir T. More. Book of Fortune.
My king|dom to | : a beggar\ly den|ier|,
I do mistake my person all this while. R 3, 1.2.
In the next examples the elided vowel is found in a different syllable from that of the r;
Since ped|dling bar\barisms ; gan | be in [ request].
Hall. Sat. 2. 3.
And specially from every shires ende
Of Eng|lelond | : to Canterbury | they wend |e.
Chau. Prol.
So born I was to house and land by right, But in a bagg to court I brought the same, From Shrews\brye toune | : a seate | of an|cient fame|. Churchyard. Tragicall Discourse, 69.
C. III. NASALS AND LIQUIDS. 61
Des\perate revenge | : and bat|tle dan|gerous|. P. L. 2.
And I | the while | : with sprits | welny | bereft|, Beheld the plight and pangs that did him strayne.
Sackville. M. for M. Buckingham, 87.
The cap|tain notes | : what sol|dier hath | most spreet\.
Churchyard. Trag. Disc. 64.
You that could teach them to subdue their foes,
Could or[der teach | : and their | high sprits | compose|.
Waller. Panegyric. For this infernal pit shall never hold Celes|tial spirits | in bon|dage : nor | the abyss J Long under darkness cover. P. L. 1.
Tendering the previous safe|ty : of | my prince|. R. 2,\. 1.
Of daunt|less cour|age : and | considerate pride|. P. L. 1.
On some apparent danger seen in him
Aim'd | at your high|ness : no inveterate mal|ice. R 2, 1.1.
Turning our tortures into horrid arms
Against | the tort\urer : when | to meet | the arms |
Of his almighty engine he shall hear
Infernal thunders. P. L-.
Of corm\rant kinde | : some cram|med ca|pons are|,
The moer they eat the moer they may consuem.
Churchyard. Tragicall Disc.
Tim\orous and sloth|ful : yet j he pleas'd | the ear|. P. L. 2.
Hum\orists and hypjocrites j : it would | produce], Whole Raymond families and tribes of Bruce.
Dryden. Mac Flecknoe.
A re|creant | : and most | degen\erate trai|tor. R 2, 1.1.
The second verse quoted from Milton, is thus scanned by Tyrwhitt;
Celes|tial spir|its in bon]dage nor | the abyss |, and is produced to show that the third foot sometimes contained three syllables !
In several cases, however, the vowel was retained where we now reject it ; and so common must have been this
62 NASALS AND LIQUIDS. B.
mode of pronunciation, that we find it followed in mam words which never properly contained an e. We fine other words which inserted the short vowel after the lon£ i or the long e, and thereby increased their dimensions bj a syllable.
As you liketh it sufficeth me, —
Then | have 1 got | the mais\terie | quod she| .
The Wif of Bathes T. 196.
Here | may ye see | wel : how | that gen\teri\e Is not annexed to possession.
Chau. The Wif of Bathes Prol.
I here confess myself the king of Tyre,
Who frigh|ted from| : his coun\try | did wed |
The fair Thaessa. Per. 5. 3.
Then to him stepping, from his arm did reach Those keys, | and made | himself | : free en\terance\ .
F. Q. 1.8. 3
The raven himself is hoarse That croaks | the fa|tal : entrance | of Dun|can, Under my battlements. Macbeth.
That he is dead, good Warwick, 'tis too true, But how | he died | God knows| : not Hen\ry\ .
2 H6, 3. 1.
The Fm\peress, | the mid|wife: and | myself | .
Titus And. 4. 2.
■ Crying with a loud voice,
" Jesus maintain your royal Excellence," With " God | preserve | : the good | Duke Hum\phrey\ ."
2H6, J. 1.
Excepting none | : but good | Duke Hum\phrey\ .
2 f/6, 1. 1.
Courage yields
No foot J to foe | ; the flash|ing/|re flies|, As from a forge. F. Q. 1. 2. 17.
The prattling things are just their pride, That sweet|ens all | : their fi\re side| . Burns.
C. III. THE CLOSE LETTERS. 63
Sluttery to such neat excellence displayed Should make | desi\re : vo|mit emp|tiness| .
Cymbeline, 1.7.
A gen | tie man | of Ty\rei my | name Per|icles.
There 's many a soul
Shall pay [ full de\arly | : for this | encoun|ter.
1 H4, 5. 1.
Arcite unto the temple walked is Otfi\erce Mars | : to don | his sac|rifice| .
Chau. The Knightes Tale.
Their God himself, griev'd at my liberty, Shot manly at! me ^with^v : fi\erce intent |
F. Q. 1. 9. 10.
THE CLOSE LETTERS.
In the present section we shall discuss the remaining letters of our alphabet, and will begin with the close letters. Of these there are six, b, p, d, t, g, k.
Adjectives in able and ible are sometimes pronounced as if the first vowel were elided. It is extremely difficult to say when this corruption first began. In the following verses,
Some time to increase his horrible cruelty The quicke with face to face engraved he.
Sackville. M.for M. Buckingham, 43.
Let fall
Your horrible pleasure. Here I stand your slave.
Lear, 3. 2.
it is clear that horrible is a dissyllable, but whether the i should be elided, and the word pronounced horrble, or ible should be pronounced as one syllable, may be doubted. As, however, we know that ible was often pronounced as one syllable, and have no distinct evidence that the pre- sent corrupt pronunciation was then prevalent, it would be safer, perhaps, to retain the vowel.
64 THE CLOSE LETTERS.
The loss of the vowel before g or c is very rare,
Nor the time nor place
Will serve | our long | : inter\gator\ies. See | Posthumus, &c. Cymbeline, 5. 5.
Thou ev|er young | : fresh, lov'd, | and dedicate woo|er.
T. of A. 4. 3. And now and then an ample tear roll'd down Her del\icate cheek | : it seem'd | she was | a queen | Over her passion. Lear.
Perfum|ed gloves | : and dedicate chains | of am|ber.
B. Jons. Every Man out of his H. 2. 4.
The elision before d and / is far more common.
The participle and preterite in ed, was often pronounced in our old English without the vowel. In Anglo-Saxon the participle ended sometimes in od or ed, sometimes in d simply. I do not, however, find that the elisions in our old English correspond with the latter class of Anglo- Saxon verbs ; on the contrary, in some couplets, as in the following, v*% have the same verb both a monosyllable and a dissyllable,
For | in this world | : he lov\ed no | man so|, And he | loved him | : as ten|derly | again |.
Chau. The Knight es Tale. Good milch-cow and pasture good husbands provide, The residue good hus| wives : know best | how to guide | .
Tueser. April Hush.
The King, at length, sent me beyond the seas, Embas\tour then | : with mes|sage good | and greate| .
Drayton. M.forM. Wolsey, 14.
Know Cade | we come J : ambass\adours to | the Com|mons —
2H6, 4.8.
m.
He|roes and her|oines shouts | : confusd\ly rose| .
Popes Rape of the Lock.
Edmund, I arrest thee
On cap | ital treason : and | in thy | arrest |
This gilded serpent. Lear, 5. 3.
C. III. THE CLOSE LETTERS. 65
— I arrest thee, York,
On cap\ital trea|son : gainst | the King | and Crown [.
2H6,5. 1.
Needs | must the ser|pent now | : his cap\ital bruise| Expect with mortal pain. P. L. 12.
They all are met again,
And are | upon | : the Med\iterra\nean flote|
Bound sadly home for Naples. Tempest, 1.2.
The rest | was mag\nanim\ity : to | remit].
Samson Agon.
Pro|per deform | ity shows | not : in | the fiend|
So horrid as in woman. Lear, 4. 2.
Human\ity must | perforce | : prey | on itself |.
Lear, 4. 2. He knew not Caton, for his wit was rude, That bade | a man | shulde wed|e : his si\militude\.
Chau. The Miller es Tale.
Would | the nobil\ity : lay | aside | their ruth|,
And let me use my sword, I'd make a quarry. Cor. 1.1.
Whose parents dear whilst equal destinies
Did run aboute, and their felicities
The favourable heavens did not envy,
Did spread | their rule | : through all | the terr\itories\,
Which Phison and Euphrates floweth by.
F. Q. 1. 7. 43.
Sorrow
Would be | arar\ity: most | belov'd | if all]
Could so become it. Lear, 4. 3.
There is, however, one word in ty, which now always drops its penultimate vowel, though such vowel was re- tained as late as the 17th century.
For she | had greati] doubts | j of his saf\ety\.
1 F.Q. 1. 11. 13.
Nor fish can dive so deep in yielding sea, Though The |tis self | : should swear | her saf\ety\.
Hall. Sat. 3. I.
VOL. I. P
66 b. I.
THE DENTALS.
We now come to the dental letters, f and th. She's gone | a manifest ser[pent : by | her stingj-
Sam. Agon. Scarf | up the pit\iful eye | : of ten|der day| —
Macbeth, 3. 2.
Hast thou, according to thy oath and bond, Brought hith|er Hen|ry Her\eford: thy | bold son| ?
R 2, 1. 1.
Eth, the ending of the third person singular, often lost its vowel. In the Anglo-Saxon the third person ended in ath, eth, or th, and the last ending was most prevalent. Many of our old English verbs, which formerly ended in ath, elided the vowel; though such pronunciation was more usual in those verbs, which took th for their Anglo- Saxon termination : think! th, lifth, gifth, eom'th, &c. were probably the direct descendants of the elder forms, thincth, lith, gifth, cymth, &c.
Drowned in the depth
Of depe desire to drinke the guiltlesse bloud,
Like | to the wolf | : with greed |y lookes ( that lepth\
Into the snare.
Sackville. M. for M. Buckingham, 5.
High God, in lieu of innocence,
Imprinted hath that token of his wrath,
To shew | how sore | : blood -guilt |iness | he hafth\.
F. Q. 2.2.4. His sub [tie tongue | : like drop|ping hon|ey melfth\ Into the Heart, and searcheth every vein, That ere he be aware, by secret stelth, His power is reft. F.Q. 1. 9. 31.
This contraction prevailed very generally among the poets of the West. It occurs no less than five times in the following simile from Dolman,
C. III. THE SIBILANTS. 6f
So raid the vale the greyhound seeing stert His fearful foe pursuth, before she flerfth, And where she turnth, he turrith her there to beare, fhe one prey prick th, the other safeties fear.
M.for M. Hastings 24.
THE SIBILANTS.
In discussing the sibilants, the first question relates to the contraction of es, the ending of the plural and of the genitive singular. There is no doubt that this syllable was occasionally contracted before the time of Chaucer, and by that author frequently ;
For him | was lev|er han | : at his | beddes head|,
A twenty bokes clothed in black or red
Than robes rich, &c. Chau. Prol.
In mor|tal bat\tailes : had|de he ben | fiften|e.
Chau. Prol.
It is still used when the substantive ends in a sibilant, and even in other cases was occasionally met with as late as the early part of the seventeenth century ;
— Arose the doughty knight All heal|ed of ] his hurts | : and woun\des wide|.
F. Q. 1. 12.52.
Were I great Sir Bevis,
I would | not stay j his com|ing : by [ your leav\es.
B. and Flet. Knight of the Burning Pestle.
Farewell | madame | : my Lord\es worth|y moth|er.
Sir Thomas More.
Until he did a dying widow wed,
Whiles | she lay dot|ing : on | her death\es bed|.
Hall. ' Sat. 4, 1.
No contraction was more common than that of the superlative.
It was the owl that shriek'd, the fatal bellman That gives | the stern st | good night | : he is | about | it.
Macbeth, 2. 2.
¥ 2
I
I
68 THE SIBILANTS. B.
Or | when they meant | : to fare | the firist | of all | They lick'd oak-leaves besprent with honey-fall.
Hall. Sat. 3. 1.
Thus | the greatest man | : in Eng|land made | his end|.
Drayton. M.forM. Cromwell, 131 .
So farre my princes prayse doth passe The fa\moust queen e | : that ev|er was|.
Puttenham. ~Parthenid.es, 16,
Sometimes s and t belong to different syllables ;
She has in her
all the truth of Christians,
And all | their constancy | ; mod\esty was made |
When she was first intended. Fletcher Valentinian, 1. 1.
Wilt | thou then serve | the Phil\istine : with | that strength |, That was expressly given thee to annoy them. Samson Agon.
F the dead of night
The ministers for | the pur | pose : hur|ried thence |
Me and thy crying self. Temp. 1 . 2.
To plainness honour's bound
When maj\sty stoops | to fol|ly : reverse | thy doom|.
Lear, 1.1.
In the following examples the vowel belongs to an in- dependent syllable ;
I had | in house | : so man|y of\sars still | Which were obayde and honour'd for their place, That carelesse I might sleepe or walke at will.
Drayton. M.forM. Wolsey, 26.
A silver flood
Full | of great virjtues : and | for medicine good|.
F. Q. 1.2. 29.
Her grace is a lone woman
And ve|ry rich | : and if | she take | a,phant\'sie She will do strange things.
B. Jons. The Silent Woman, 1 . 2.
Our pow'r
Shall do | a court\esy : to [ our wrath, | which men|
May blame, but not control. Lear, 3. 7.
C. III. COALITION OF WORDS. 69
In his raging mind
He curs'd | all court\sy : * and | unru|ly wind|.
Hall. Sat. 3.5.
With blood | of guilt|less babes | : and in\nocents true|.
F. Q. 1. 8.35.
The in\nocent prey | : in haste | he does | forsake |.
F. Q. I. 6. 10.
In death | avow|ing : the in\nocence of | her son|.
F. Q. 1. 5.39.
Sluic'd | out his in\nocent soul | : through streams | of blood |.
R2, 1. 1. Bidding the dwarf with him to bring away The Sar\azens shield | : sign | of the con|queror|.
F. Q. 1.2.20.
And Brit]on fields | : with Sar\azens blood | bedy'd|.
F. Q. 1. 10. 7.
COALITION OF WORDS.
We have now only to consider those cases in which a syllable has been lost by the meeting of two words.
The synalsepha or coalition of two vowels, is now tole- rated in very few instances. We may elide the vowel of the definite article before its substantive, and sometimes, though more rarely, the vowel of to before its verb; but the ear is offended, if the to is made to coalesce with a narrow vowel as, f insist, or the article with a broad one, as in the verses,
So spake | the apotfate an | gel : tho' | in pain|.
1 P.L.I.
The earth cum|ber'dand | the wing'd | air: dark | withplumes|.
Comus.
Formerly this union of the vowels was far more general. Chaucer melts the final e into the following word without
* As from phanVsie came fancy, so from courVsy came clurtsy.
70 COALITION OF WORDS. B. I.
scruple, and in some cases the Anglo-Saxons took the same license. We also find Chaucer occasionally using the same liberty in other cases. His successors (fully alive to the convenience) followed his example, till Milton pushed this, as every other license, to the utmost. So frequently does it occur in the works of this poet, that several critics, among others Johnson, have given him credit for its invention, or rather, we should say, its in- troduction, for they suppose it borrowed from the Latin. We will first give instances where the final vowel is narrow ;
It is | reprev|e : and contrary of | honour | For to be hold a common hasardour.
Chau. The Pardoneres Tale.
And thereto he was hardy, wise, and rich, And pit|ous| : and just | and al\way ylich\e.
The Squieres Tale
And you that feel no woe when as the sound
Of these my nightly cries ye hear apart,
Let break | your soun|der sleep | : and pit\y augment\.
Spenser. August.
As marks | to which | : my 'ndeav\ours steps | should bend|.
B. Jons. Cynthia's Revels, 6. 10. Stif |ly to stand | on this| : and proud\ly approve\ The play, might tax the maker of self-love.
B. Jons. JEpil. to Cynthia's Revels. Pas|sion and ap|athy| : and glor\y and shame |. P. L. 2. In the following examples the final vowel is broad,
Then was gret shoving bothe to and fro, To lift him up and muckle care and wo, So unweil\dy was| : this se|ly pal|led gost|.
The Manciples Prologue. And with | so exceeding fu|ry : at | him struck |, That forced him to stoop upon his knee.
F. Q. 1.5. 12.
C. III. COALITION OF WORDS. 71
Her doubtful words made that redoubted knight
Suspect | her truth| : yet since | no untruth | he knew|
Her fawning love with foul disdainful sprite
He would not shew. F. Q. 1. 1. 53.
No ungrate\ful food| : and food | alike | those pure|
Intelligential substances require,
As doth your rational. P. L. 5.
Ang|uish and doubt | and fear| : and sor \rov) and pain|.
P. L. 1.
Vouchsafe with us
Two on\ly who yet| : by sov|ran gift | possess] This spacious ground, in yonder shady bower To rest. P. L. 5.
The pronoun it not only coalesces with a vowel, as be't, o't, &c. but sometimes also with a consonant, as is't, witfit, &c.
If the ill spirit have so fair a house,
Good things | will strive | to dwell | witKt.
Tempest, 1. 2.
You taught | me lan|guage : and | my prof |it ont \
Is I know how to curse. Tempest, 1 . 2.
If he may
Find mercy in the law, 'tis his ; if none,
Let | him not seeKt | of us | : by day | and night |
He's traitor to the height. H 8, 1.2.
I say | it is | not lost | : Fetch' t | let me see | it. —
Othello, 3. 4
His sword
Hath | a sharp edge | : its long, | and it may | be said | It reaches far. H 8, 1. 1.
We find yt before a vowel in 'tis, and even before a con- sonant in the passage —
Which done, quoth he, " if outwardly you show Sound, | H not avails | : if in|wardly | or no|."
Drayton. M.for M. Cromwell, 1 67.
72 COALITION OF WORDS. B. I.
To also coalesces very freely with the word that follows it, whether verb, substantive, or pronoun.
When | she was dear [ to us : we | did hold | her so|.
Lear, 1. 1.
Martied your roy|alty : was wife | to your place],
Abhorr'd your person. Cymbeline, 55.
For | a short day | or two | : retire | to your own | house.
Fletcher. Loyal Subject, 2 1 .
Who well them greeting, humbly did request, And ask'd | to what end | they clomb | : that heav'n|ly height]
F. Q. 1. 10. 49.
From whence to England afterward I brought,
Those slights of state deliver'd unto me,
Inf which | were then | : but verjy few | that sought].
Drayton. M.forM. Cromwell, 38.
To whom thus J the por] tress : of | hell-gate J replied|.
P. L. 2.
Since you prove so liberal
To refuse \ such means | as this | : maintain | your voice | still 'T will prove your best friend.
Fletcher. Loyal Subject, 2. 1. The frier low lowting, crossing with his hand, T speak ] with contrition, quoth | he : I | would crave].
Drayton. M.forM. Cromwell, 104.
His is frequently joined to the preceding word, as are also the verb is and conjunction as.
Pond|ering on his voy|age : for | no nar|row frith |
He had to cross. P. L. 2.
Go tell | the Duke | and his wife \ : I'd speak | with them|.
Lear, 2. 1. A blink | o' rest's | a sweet j enjoy |ment. Burns.
They're nae | sae wretched s: ane | wad think|, Though constantly on poortith's brink. Burns.
Burns has more than once joined the verb to the word that followed instead of preceding it,
C. III. COALITION OP WORDS. 73
I doubt na whiles that thou may thieve, What then ? poor beastie thou maun live, A daimen icker in a thrave
'Sa sma' | request,] I '11 get a blessin wi' the lave,
And never miss't. Burns.
Verbs beginning with w sometimes elided it, and coal- esced with the word preceding, thus, in old English, we have nas for ne was, not for ne wot, nere for ne were, &c.
And by that Lord that cleped is St. Ive,
Nere | thou our bro'der: shuld| est thou | not thriv|e.
Chau. The Sompnoures Tale.
I tell | you to | my grief | : he was base|ly mur|der'd.
Fletcher. Valentinian, 4. 4.
You were best | to go | to bed | : and dream | again |.
2 H6, 5. 1.
Make | it not strange | : I knew | you were one | could keep | The butt'ry hatch still lock'd. Alchemist, 1.1.
Wit|ness these wounds | I do | : they were fair|ly giv'n|.
Fletcher. Bonduca, 1. 1.
/ would, we would, &c. are still commonly pronounced I'd, we'd, &c. yet we often find them written at full length, in places where the rhythm only tolerates one syllable.
It would be useless to point out the coalition of the verb have with the personal pronouns. We, however, are constantly meeting with these contractions written at full length, we have, you have, &c. for we've, you've, &c.
The first personal pronoun seems to have been occa- sionally omitted before its verb, as in the phrases, 'pray thee, 'beseech thee, &c. I suspect it was omitted more frequently than the texts warrant us in asserting.
1 honour him
Even | out of your | report | : But 'pray | you tell | me Is she sole child to the King ? Cymb. 1.1.
Your voic|es, Lords, | 'beseech | you : let | her will| Have a free way. Oth. 1. 3.
74 COALITION OF WORDS. B. I.
I presume ( she's still ) the same ( : I would | fain see | her. Fletcher. Loyal Subject, 5. 2.
And, Father Card'nal, I have heard you say. That we shall see and know our friends in heaven, If that | be so | : i" shall see | my boy | again |.
King John, 3. 4.
The article the was frequently pronounced tti, and more particularly when it followed a preposition. The same pronunciation still prevails in the north. In Carr's Craven Dialogues, we meet with ith', otK , toth\ forth', byth', &c. also anth' and auth', &c. for and the, all the, &c. Amongst the rest rode that false lady faire, The foul Duessa, next unto the chair Of proud | Lucif |era | : as one | otK train |.
F. Q. 1. 4 37.
And the Rom|ish rites | : that with ] a clear|er sight] The wisest thought they justly did reject, They after saw that the received sight Not altogether free was from defect.
Drayton. M.forM. Cromwell, 97 '.
— The flames
Driven backwards slope their pointing spires, and roll'd In bil|lows leave, | ithe * midst) : a hor|rid vale|. P. L.
While the}o\\ly Hours | : lead on | propitious May|.
Milton. Sonnet.
Whose shrill saint's bell hangs in his lovery, While the rest | are dam|ned : to | the plumb |ery|.
Hall. Sat. 5.1.
The fox was howling on the hill,
And the dis|tant ech|oing glens | reply]. Burns.
ItK and otti are often written i'the, o'the. This is a common but gross blunder. In the first place the vowel is not elided, and, secondly, the prepositions are written as if contracted from in and of; but i and o are independent
* This is, I believe, the only instance of such contraction in the P. L.
C. III. COALITION OF WORDS. 75
prepositions, which may be traced back through every cen- tury to the times of the Heptarchy.
In giving the many extracts I have quoted, I have scru- pulously adhered to the spelling of my authors, or rather of their editors : Tyrwhitt's Chaucer, Steevens's Shakespeare, and Todd's Milton have been chiefly referred to, Tonson's Spenser, and either Gifford's or Tonson's Ben Jonson.
76 ACCENT.
CHAPTER IV.
ACCENT,
As the word is now used, means the stress which is laid upon a syllable during pronunciation ; and in a more restricted sense, that particular stress, which defines the rhythm of a verse or sentence. The latter might perhaps be termed the rhythmical accent. It is of merely relative importance, and may be either one of the strong or one of the weak accents in the sentence ; but must be stronger than that of any syllable immediately adjoining. We shall mark the rhythmical accent, as in the last chapter, by placing a vertical line after the accented syllable.
It has been matter of dispute, what constitutes the stress which thus distinguishes the accented syllable. Mitford, who deserves attention both as a musician and a man of sense, has entered deeply into this inquiry, and concludes with much confidence that it is merely an in- creased sharpness of tone. Wallis, who is at least an equal authority, assumes it to be an increase of loudness. I cannot help thinking that the latter opinion is the sounder one.
There are two reasons, which weigh strongly in my mind against the conclusion of Mitford. It is admitted on all hands, that the Scots give to the accented syllable a grave tone. Now, if our English accent consisted merely in sharpness of tone, it would follow that in the mouth of a Scotchman our accents would be misplaced. This, however, is not so ; the accents follow in their pro- per place, and our verses still keep their rhythm, though
C. IV. ACCENT. *J*J
pronounced with the strange intonations of a Fifeshire dialect.
Again, in a whisper there can be neither gravity nor sharpness of tone, as the voice is absent ; yet even in a whisper the rhythm of a verse or sentence may be distinctly traced. I do not see what answer can be given to either of these objections.
But though an increase of loudness be the only thing essential to our English accent, yet it is in almost every instance accompanied by an increased sharpness of tone. This, of course, applies only to the prevailing dialect. The Scotchman, we have seen, pronounces his accented syllable with a grave tone, and in some of our counties I have met with what appeared to be the circumflex. But the Englishman of education marks the accented syllable with a sharp tone ; and that in all cases, excepting those in which the laws of emphasis require a different intonation.
Besides the increase of loudness, and the sharper tone which distinguishes the accented syllable, there is also a tendency to dwell upon it, or, in other words, to lengthen its quantity. We cannot increase the loudness or the sharpness of a tone without a certain degree of muscular action ; and to put the muscles in motion requires time. It would seem, that the time required for producing a per- ceptible increase in the loudness or sharpness of a tone, is greater than that of pronouncing some of our shorter syllables. If we attempt, for instance, to throw the accent on the first syllable of the verb become, we must either lengthen the vowel, and pronounce the word bee\come, or add the adjoining consonant to the first syllable, and so pronounce the word bec\ome. We often find it covenient to lengthen the quantity even of the longer syllables, when we wish to give them a very strong and marked accent* Hence, no doubt, arose the vulgar notion, that accent al- ways lengthens the quantity of a syllable.
It is astonishing how widely this notion has misled
78 ACCENT. B. I.
men, whose judgment, in most other matters of criticism, it would be very unsafe to question. Our earlier writers, almost to a man, confound accent with quantity; and Johnson could not have had much clearer views on the subject when he told his reader that in some of Milton's verses, " the accent is equally upon two syllables together and upon both strong, — as
Thus at their shady lodge arrived, both stood,
Both turrid, and under open sky adored
The God that made both sky, air, earth and heaven."
Every reader of taste would pronounce the words stood, turn'd, with a greater stress, than that which falls upon the words preceding them. But these words are at least equal to them in quantity; and Johnson fell into the mistake, at that time so prevalent, of considering quantity as identical with accent. Even of late years, when sounder notions have prevailed, one who is both critic and poet, has declared the word Egypt to be the only spondee in our language. Surely every one would throw a stronger accent on the first syllable than on the second !
In every word of two or more syllables there is one, which receives a stronger accent than any of the others. This may be called the verbal accent, as upon it depends the accentual importance of the word. When the word contains "fcwp or more syllables there may be a second accent ; this, of course, must be subordinate to the first, and is commonly called the secondary accent.
When a word of three syllables has its primary accent on the first, our poets have, in all ages, taken the liberty of giving a secondary accent to the third syllable, if their rhythm required it. Thus harmony, victory, and many others of the same kind, are often found in our poetry with the last syllable accented. The rule applies to words of any number of syllables, provided the chief accent falls on the last syllable but two.
An ignorance of this principle has led the Danish phi-
C IV. ACCENT. 79
lologist Rask, into much false criticism. He objects to the Anglo-Saxon couplet,
Getim|brede| He built
Tempjji Gode. To God a temple.
because the first verse has but one accent ; and supposes that heah, or some such word, may have been omitted by the transcriber. The verse, however, has two accents, for a secondary one falls on the last syllable de. He pro- nounces another verse, consisting in like manner of one word, cel\miht-ne, to be faulty, and for the same reason ; he even ventures to deny the existence of such a word in the language, and would substitute celmightig-ne. Now, in the first place, cel\might-ne\ may well form a verse of two ac- cents, supposing a secondary accent to fall on the last syl- lable; and secondly, there are two adjectives almight and almighty ; the first is rare in Anglo-Saxon, but is often met with in old English, and beyond a doubt is used in the verse last quoted.
A word of four syllables can hardly escape a secondary accent, unless the primary accent is on one of the middle syllables, when it falls under the same rule as the trisyl- lable. If it end in ble, it is occasionally pronounced with one accent, as disputable; but I think the more general usage is, to place a secondary accent on the last syllable, dis\putable\.
A word of five syllables, if accented on the first, cannot have less than two, and may have three, accents. We may pronounce the following word with two accents, incon- solable, or with three in\consol\able\. When the accent falls on one of the middle syllables, the word may, in some instances, take only one accent, as indis \putable.
When two syllables are separated by a pause, each of them may receive the accent, the pause filling the place of a syllable. In the verses
Vir|tue, beautie and speech| : did strike] — wound | —charm Myheart|— eyes|— ears| : with won]rler, love,| delight^
80
ACCENT.
B. I.
l<Kj^i*X
strike, wound, charm, heart, eyes and ears, are all of them accented, though only separated by a pause.
It is probable, that at one time every stop, which sepa- rated the members of a sentence, was held, for rhythmical purposes, equivalent to a syllable. At present, however, it is only under certain circumstances that the pause takes a place so important to the rhythm.
As no pause can intervene between the syllables of a word, it follows that no two of its adjacent syllables can be accented. There was however a period, when even this rule was violated. After the death of Chaucer, the final e, so commonly used 'by that poet and his contemporaries, fell into disuse. Hence many dissyllables became words of one syllable, mone became moon, and sunne sun ; and the compounds, into which they entered, were curtailed of a syllable. The couplet,
Ne was she darke, ne browne, but bright Andclere | as is | : the mon\e light\.
Romaunt of the Rose.
would be read, as if mone light were a dissyllable ; and as the metre required two accents in the compound, they would still be given to it, though less by a syllable. By degrees this barbarous rhythm became licensed, though it never obtained much favour, and has been long since exploded. Spenser has left us some examples of it.
Per. All as the sunny beam so bright, Wil. Hey | ho | the sun\-beam\ !
Per. Glanceth from Phoebus' face outright, Wil. So love into my heart did stream.
Per. Or as Dame Cynthia's silver ray, Wil. Hey | ho | the moon\-light\ !
Per. Upon the glittering wave doth play, Wil. Such love is a piteous sight !
We have said that the rhythmical accent must be stronger than that of any syllable immediately adjoining.
€. IV. ACCENT. 81
When the verbal accent is both preceded and succeeded by an unaccented syllable in the same word, it is, of course, independent of the position such word may occupy in a sentence. But when the accent falls on the first or last syllable, it is not necessarily preserved, when the word is combined with others ; or — to vary the expression — the verbal accent is not necessarily the same as the accent of construction. Thus the word father has an accent on its first syllable, but in the lines
Look], father, look|, and you'll laugh ] to see ]
How he gapes | and glares | with his eyes | on theej.
such accented syllable adjoins a word, which has a stronger stress upon it, and consequently loses its accent. The verbal accent, however, can only be eclipsed by a stronger accent, thus immediately adjoining. The license, which is sometimes taken, of slurring over an accent, when it begins the verse, is opposed to the very first principles of accentual rhythm. In Moore's line,
Shining on|, shining on|, by no shad|ow made ten|der.
The verbal accent of shining is eclipsed, in the second foot, by the stronger accent on the word on ; but in the . first it adjoins only to an unaccented syllable, and there- fore remains unchanged. It is true, that by a rapid pro- nunciation, and by affixing a very strong accent to the third syllable, we may slur it over ; but, in such case, the rhythm is at the mercy of the reader ; and no poet has a right to a false accent, in order to help his rhythm. Neither length of usage, nor weight of authority, can justify this practice.
When a verse is divided into two parts or sections, by what is called the middle pause, the syllable, which follows such pause, is in the same situation as if it began the verse, and cannot lose its accent, unless it be suc- ceeded by a more strongly accented syllable. In this case, however, the same license is often taken as in the last, particularly in the triple metre. vol. i. c
82 EMPHASIS. E
As Emphasis and Accent are too often confounded, I shall add a few words on the nature of the former, and endeavour to shew, in what particulars they resemble, and in what they are distinguished from each other.
A very common method of pointing out an emphatic word or syllable is by placing a pause, or emphatic stop, before it. There is little doubt that this pause was known from the earliest periods of our language, and that it had a considerable influence in regulating the flow of our earlier rhythms. It is still common, and indeed in almost hourly use.
When I burned in desire to question them further, they made themselves — air, into which they vanished.
Macbeth, 1.5.
If the accent be on the first syllable, our expectation is not only excited by the pause, but the accent becomes more marked ; and as the importance of a word depends on that of its accented syllable, the word itself stands the more prominently forward in the sentence. This method of heightening the accent is sometimes used, even when the first syllable is unaccented, and when consequently the pause must fall in the midst of the word. Thus we hear some persons who spell, as it were, the words pro-digious, di-rectly, in order to throw the greater stress on the second syllable. One result, that follows from this mis-pronun- ciation, is a tendency to fix, in some degree, the pause on the first syllable, and thereby to lengthen its vowel.
Another method of marking the emphasis, is a strength- ening of the accent, without any precedent stop. We have seen, that under such circumstances the speaker is apt to dwell upon the accented word or syllable. Hence we sometimes find, that the emphatic word lengthens its quantity. When the vulgar wish to throw an emphasis on the word little, they pronounce it leetle.
But the chief difficulty occurs, when the emphatic
C. IV. ACCENT OF CONSTRUCTION. 83
syllable adjoins upon one, which ought, according to the usual laws of construction, to be more strongly accented. In such a case, we very commonly have a transference of the accent. In Shakespeare's verse,
Is | this the | Lord Tal|bot : unc|le Glos|ter ?
1 H 6, 3. 4.
the emphasis, which is thrown on the article, gives it an accent, stronger than that of the word either preceding or succeeding. Sometimes, however, it would seem, that we distinguish the emphatic syllable by mere sharpness of tone ; and leave the stress of the voice, or in other words the essential part of the accent, on the ordinary syllable. Thus in Spenser's line,
Flesh | may impair, | quoth she | : but rea|son can | repair\.
F.Q. 1. 7.41.
both the rhythm, and the common laws of accentuation will have the last syllable of repair accented ; but the pur- poses of contrast require that the first syllable should be emphatic. The stress therefore falls on the last syllable, and the sharp tone on the first. In the same way must be read Milton's verses,
Who made I our laws | to bind | us : not | himself].
Sam. Agon. Knowing who | /am[: as I | know who | thou art|.
P.R. 1.
In some cases a very intimate acquaintance with a poet's rhythm is necessary, to know whether he intended to mark his emphasis by a transference of the accent, or by mere change of intonation.
ACCENT OF CONSTRUCTION.
This branch of our subject may perhaps be treated most advantageously, if, in each case, we first state the lawT, which has been sanctioned by the general usage of our language ; and then notice such violations of it, as have arisen from making it yield, instead of adapting it, to the laws of metre.
Q2
84 ACCENT OF CONSTRUCTION. B. I.
Of all the words that may be used in the construction of an English sentence, the articles are the least important. In the greater number of cases, in which they are now met with, they are useless for any purposes of grammar, were unknown to our older dialects, and still sound strangely in the ears of our country population. The circumstances, which justify their accentuation, are accordingly rare ; yet by the poets of the 16th century they were sometimes ac- cented even more strongly than their substantive.
Skill which practice small Will bring, | and short|ly make | you : a | maid Mar|tiall|.
F. Q. 3. 3. 53.
This man is great,
Mighty and fear'd j that lov'd, and highly favour'd j
A third | thought wise | and vir|tuous : a | fourth rich},
And therefore hon|our'd : a | fifth rare|ly fea|tur'd.
Ben Jonsons Every Man out of his Humour.
Yet full | of val|our : the | which did | adorn | His meanness much — F. Q. 6. 3. 7.
This is noted
And generally | : whoev|er the | king fa|vours, The Cardinal will instantly find employment, And far enough from Court too.
#8,2. 1.
But a more common fault — one of which even Pope was guilty — is the accentuation of the article when it occurs before the adjective.
Defence | is a | good cause| : and heav'n | be for | us.
Comus. See the heavy clouds down falling, Amd bright Hesperus down calling The | dead night | : from un|der ground |.
Fletcher. Faithful Shep. 2. 2.
The | poor wight| : is al|most dead| On the ground his wounds have bled.
Fletcher. Faithful Shep. 3. 1 .
She | was not the | prime cause | : but I | myself |.
Samson,
1
C. IV. ACCENT OF CONSTRUCTION. 85
The treacherous col|ours: the | fair art | betray|, And all the bright creations fade away.
Pope. Essay on Criticism.
In words | as fash|ions : the | same rale | will hold|.
Pope. Essay on Criticism.
There is, however, one position of the article, which seems to warrant its accentuation, even when not em- phatic. It is that, which leaves it adjacent only to un- accented syllables. In the language of ordinary life the article, even in this case, is seldom accented. The words a revolver would be pronounced with a stress of voice, re- gularly increasing to the third syllable. But, in the mea- sured language of composition, no words can be slurred over, or run the one into the other ; and it seems not only venial, but even more correct and proper, to accent the article a \ revol\ter. For these reasons I would not ob- ject to the following verses,
A murd|'rer, a j revolver : and | a viljlain.
Samson.
I pray'd for children, and thought barrenness In wed|lock a | reproach| : I gain'd | a son|.
Samson.
Still | to the last | it rank les : a | disease |.
Byron. Ch. Harold, 2.
Who with the horror of her hapless fate Hastily starting up, like men dismay'd Ran af|ter fast | to res | cue : the | distressed maid|.
F. Q. 6. 3. 24.
The latter verse is however open to objection on another ground. When a verse, or section of a verse, begins with an accent, such accent should never be a weak one.
A word must necessarily be of less importance than that whose relations it merely indicates; hence the ac- centuation of the preposition above its noun, is offensive.
86 ACCENT OF CONSTRUCTION. B. I.
Opprest with hills of tyranny cast on virtue
By | the light fan|cies of | fools : thus | transported.
Ben. Jons. Cynthia's Revels, 5.4
' — Foretasted fruit,
Profan'd | first | by the ser|pent : by \ him first], Made common. P. L. 9.
■ Else had the spring
Perpetual smil'd on earth, with verdant flow'rs, Equal in days and nights, except to those Beyond | the po|lar cir|cle : to | them day | Had unbenighted shone. P. L. 10.
In the two extracts from Milton, the pronouns require an emphasis, which makes the false accentuation still more glaring.
All words which qualify others, as adjectives, adverbs, and others of the same class, receive a fainter accent than the words qualified.
It has been observed,* that when " a monosyllabic ad- jective and substantive are joined, the substantive has the acute, and the adjective the grave, unless the adjective be placed in antithesis, in which case the reverse happens." This rule might have been stated more generally. The primary accent of the adjective ought always, when not emphatic, to be weaker than that of the substantive. But when the reviewer states this law to have been " observed by all our best poets," and censures Darwin and his con- temporaries as its first violators, he is lauding our earlier writers most unfairly. If authority, in a case like this, were of any weight, it might easily be found ;
Help'd | by thermit | pow'r : of [ the vir|tuous moon|.
Fletcher. Faithful Shepherdess, 2. 2.
Lest | the great | Pan : do | awake [. Same, 1.1.
* Ed. Rev. No. 12. Art. 10.
C. IV. ACCENT OF CONSTRUCTION. 87
Thy chaster beams play on the heavy face
Of all | the world] : mak|ing the blue | seasmile|.
Fletcher. Faithful Sheph. 2. 1.
I think a traitor —
No ill | words ! let | his own | shame: first | revile | him.
Fletcher. Bonduca, 2. 4.
The dominations, royalties, and rights
Of this | oppressed boy| : this | is thy el|dest sora's | son,
Unfortunate in nothing but in thee. K. John, 2. I.
Hath any ram
Slipt | from the fold| : or young | kid lost | its dam| }
Comus.
The more correct schools of Dryden and Pope care- fully avoided this error, but our modern poets are not so scrupulous. The faults of the Elizabethan writers are more readily caught than their beauties ;
Decipit exemplar vitiis imitabile.
The possessive pronoun falls of course under the same law as the adjective ; but when coupled with an adjective receives the weaker accent. The violation of this rule is but too common among those writers to whom allusion has been made.
In wine | and oil | : they wash|en his | wounds wide|.
F. Q. 1. 5. 17.
And dark|some dens|, where Ti|tan : his j face nev|er shows|.
F.Q.2. 5.27.
That | I may sit] : and pour | out my | sad sprite |
Like running water.* Fletcher. Faithful Shepherdess, 4.4.
The sweeping fierceness : which his soul betray'd, The skill ] with which | he wield|ed : his | keen blade|.
Byron. Lara.
* This verse of Fletcher has even more than his usual proportion of blun- ders. With proper accents it would belong to the triple measure. That | I may sit | and pour out | my sad sprite | .
88 ACCENT OF CONSTRUCTION. B. 1.
And then | as his | faint breath|ing : waxjes low|.
Byron. Lara.
It is doubtless under the same law, that the word own takes the accent after the possessive pronouns; a rule which is violated by Pope in the very couplet in which he de- nounces the critics ;
Against | the po|ets : their | own arms | they turn'd|, Sure to hate most the men from whom they learn'd.
Essay on Criticism.
Another law of English accentuation is, that the per- sonal and relative pronoun take a fainter accent than the verb.
And mingling them with perfect vermily, That like | a lively sang|uine: it | seem'd to | the eye|.
F. Q. 3. 8. 6.
That sea beast
Leviathan, whieh God of all his works
Crea|ted hu|gest : that | swim th' o[cean's flood |. P. L.
Such is certainly the right scanning of this puzzling line, for the first and all the early editions elide the vowel. We may hence see the danger of printing Milton without eli- sions. As the line stands in the modern editions, every reader would accent it thus,
Crea|ted hu|gest : that swim | the ocean's flood] .
No one would be bold enough to risk a false accent, in order to avoid an awkward and spiritless rhythm.
It remains to consider the law, which regulates the accents of a sequence.
When two or more words of the same kind follow each other consecutively, they all take an equal accent. If they are monosyllables, a pause intervenes between every two. It is probably for this reason, and on account of the great number of English monosyllables, that we find such fre- quent violations of a law so obvious and important.
C. !V. ACCENT OF CONSTRUCTION. 89
Fear, sick|ness, age | : loss, la|bour, sor|row, strife], Pain, hun|ger, cold | : that makes | the heart | to quake, And ever fickle fortune rageth rife. F. Q. 1. 9. 44.
So shall | wrath, jeal|ousy | j grief, love, | die and | decay |.
F. Q. 2. 4. 35.
Infer|nal hags | : cen\ta.urs, fiends, hip|podames|.
F. Q. 2. 9. 50.
The hectick,
CoM*,lep|rosie | j or some | such loath'd | disease].
Ben Jon. Every Man out of his Humour, 1 . 3. I am | a man | : and ] I have limbs \, flesh, blood|, Bones, sin|ews and | a soul| : as well ] as he|. Same, 2. 4.
Where he gives her many a rose Sweeter than the breath that blows, The leaves | j grapes, ber|ries : of | the best|.
Fletcher. Faithful S hep 1.3.
High climbing rock, deep sunless dale, Sea, des|ert, what | : do these | avail| ?
Wordsworth. White Doe of Rylstone.
False accentuation very often leads to ambiguity. In the last passage, there might be a question, whether the au- thor did not mean the sea-desert, the waste of ocean.
When the words are collected into groups, this law of sequence affects the groups only, and not the individuals. Thus I think there would be no fair objection to the mode in which Byron accents the verse,
Young old \, high low |, at once | : the same | diversion share].
Ch.Har. 1.
Nor to Milton's famous line,
Rocks, caves\,lakes,fens\, bogs, dens,\* : and shades | of death].
This last verse has been variously accented. Mitford accents the first six words, thus making it a verse of eight accents, though Milton wrote his poem in verses of five.
* Den means alow woody bottom, such as often marks a stream or water course ; hence it is coupled with boy.
90 VERBAL ACCENT. FOREIGN. B. I.
The same law will hold when the words are in groups of three together.
Before we close this section, it should be observed, that the rule, which we have applied to the article, is a general one. There is no word, however unimportant which may not be accented, when it lies adjacent only to unaccented syllables. We have already given examples where the ar- ticle is accented ; to add others would be useless.
VERBAL ACCENT. FOREIGN.
The accentuation of foreign words, naturalized in our language, has always been varying ; one while inclining to the English usage, at another to the foreign. We will first treat of proper names, which have come to us, either mediately or immediately, from the Latin. At present, we give them Latin accents, when they have all their syl- lables complete ; and English accents when they are mu- tilated. But nothing was more common, down to the end of Elizabeth's reign, than to find the perfect Latin word wiih its accents distributed according to the English fashion ;
Till | that the pal|e : Sat\urnns | the col|de That knew so many of aventures olde.
Chau. The Knightes Tale. Sat\urnus thon|e : sund|-buende het|on. Saturnus him sea-dwellers hight. Alfred.
Such one was once, or once I was mistaught,
A smith | at Vul\canus \ : own forge | up brought|.
Hall. Satires, 2. 1.
In Sterres, many a winter ther beforen,
Was writ | the deth | : of Hec|tor, Ach\illes\ —
Chau. The Man of Lawes Tale.
Hit gesoelde gio : on sume tide Thset Au\lixes | : un|der-ha3f |de Thaem Ceesere : cvnericu twa.
( . iv. VERBAL, ACCENT. FOREIGN. 91
It fell of yore, upon a time,
That Aulixes * had under
The Kaiser kingdoms two. Alfred.
Befor|e hire stood | : hire son|e Cu\pido\, Upon his shoulders winges hadde he two.
Chau. The Knightes Tale.
Waer|on iE|gypte : eft | on-cyr|de.
Again were the Egypte turned back. Ccedmon.
These writers give us the Latin accents, whenever it suits their rhythm.
During the 14th century we got even our Latin from the French. Latin names were, accordingly, often used with French accents, and that to the very end of the 16th century.
Fayr|est of fayr|e : o la|dy min | Venus\, Daughter of Jove and spouse of Vulcanus.
Chau. The Knightes Tale.
The dreint | Lean|dre : for | his faire | Hero\,
The teres of Heleine, and eke the wo
Of Briseide. Chau. The Man of Lawes Tale.
Hec|tor and Her|cules | : with false | Juno\,
Their minds did make them weave the webb of woe.
Mir r. for M. Egelred,3.
Of Lu|creceand | : ofBab|ylon | Thishe\, The swerd of Dido, for the false Enee.
Chau. The Man of Lawes Prol.
A cranny'd hole or chink,
Through which | these lov|ers : PyVamus and | Thisby\ Did whisper often very secretly. M. N. Dream, 5.1.
Shakespeare elsewhere accents it This\by; he doubtless put the old and obsolete accent into the mouth of his " mechanicals," for the purposes of ridicule.
French accent was particularly prevalent in such words, as had been robbed by our neighbours of one or more syl- lables.
* That is, UHsm's.
92 VERBAL ACCENT. FOREIGN. B.
Thou glader of the mount Citheron, For thil|ke lov|e : thou had|dest to | Adon\, Have pitee. Chau. The Knightes Tale.
Ambitious Sylla : and stern Marius, High Cae|sar, great | Pompey | : and fierce | Anton|ius|.
F. Q. 1.5.39.
Him thought | how that | : the wing|ed god | Mercu\ry Beforne him stood, and bad him to be mery.
Chau. The Knightes Tale.
All such words we now accent after the English fashion, Pom\pey, Mer\cury, Di\an, &c.
When the last syllable of a French word does not con- tain the e final, it almost invariably takes the accent; in English words, the accent is generally upon the first. Now the " makers" of the 14th century, in raising our lan- guage once more to the dignity of courtly verse, unhappily, but very naturally, had recourse to the dialect, which had so long been used for the purposes of poetical expression. In Skinner's phrase, " cart-loads " of French words were poured into the language. These for the most part had a doubtful accentuation, English or French, as best suited the convenience of the rhythm. This vicious and slovenly practice may be traced as late as to the reign of Elizabeth. In the following instances of French accentuation, I shall in each case take, first the words of two syllables, and then those of three or more ;
A pren|tis whil|om dwelt | : in our | citee\,
And of a craft of vitailers was he. Chau. The Cokes Tale.
So meek a look hath she,
I may | not you | devis|e : all hire | beautee\,
But thus much of hire beautec tell I may. Chaucer.
For quhar | it fail|eys : na wertu\
May be | off price | : naoff | walu\. The Bruce, 3/1.
For well thou wost thyselven veraily, That thou | and 1 | : be damjned to | prison\ Perpet|uel | : us gain|eth no | raunson\.
Chau. The Knightes Tale.
C. IV. VERBAL ACCENT. FOREIGN. 93
And when that he well dronken had the win, Then | wold he spek|en : no | word but | Lat'm\.
Chau. Prol.
This I was thin oath| : and min | also | certain\, I wot it wel thou durst it not withsain.
Chau. The Knightes Tale,
For which thy child was in a crois yrent, Thy bliss|ful ey|en saw| : all his | turment\.
Chau. M. of Lawes Tale.
And, sikerly, she was of fair disport, And ful | plesant\ : and a|miable | of port|.
Chau. Prol.
He durste make avaunt,
He wis|te that | a man| : was re\pentant\. Chau. Prol.
Of all God's works, which do this world adorn,
There is no one more fair and excellent,
Than is man's body both for power and form,
Whiles it is kept in sober government,
But none | than it| : more foul | and in\decent\
Distemper'd through misrule. F. Q. 2. 9. 1.
Some words in n still accent the last syllable, but in that case lengthen the vowel, as saloon, dragoon, cartoon, divine, &c. Many words too are spelt with the long i, though now pronounced with the short, as sanguine, &c.
Ther n' is | ywis| : no ser|pent so | cruel\, When man tredeth on his tail, ne half so fel.
Chau. The Sompnoures Tale.
The par|dale swift| : and | the ti|ger cruell], The antelope and wolfe, both fierce and fell.
F. Q. 1. 6. 24.
Caus'd | him agree| : they might [ in parts | equal\,
Divide the realm, and promist him a gard
Of sixty knights, on him attending still at call.
Higgins. M.for M. Queen Cor dila, 17.
94 VERBAL ACCENT. FOREIGN.
It were, | quod he| : to thee | no gret | honour], For | to be false| : ne | for to be | traltour].
Chau. The Knight es Tale.
Our governour,
And | of our tal|es: jug|eand re\portour\. Chau. Prol.
Beyond | all past | exam|ple: and \ future]. P. L.
The other adjectives in ure are still accented on the last syllable, as obscure, secure, mature, &c.
She | was so char|itable| : and so | pitous],
She wold wepe if that she saw a mous
Caught in a trappe. Chau. Prol.
Mighty Theseus,
That | for to hun|ten: is | so de\sirous\.
Chau. Knightes Tale.
Adjectives in ose, ise, use, still take the accent on the last syllable, as verbose, precise, obtuse, &c.
That telleth in this cas,
Tal|esof best | sentenc|e: and most | solas]. Chau. Prol.
I you | forgev|e all hol|ly : this | trespas].
Chau. Knightes Tale.
How should, alas !
Silly old man that lives in hidden cell,
Bid|ding his beads | all day| : for his | trespass],
Tydings of war and worldly trouble tell ? F. Q. 1.2. 20.
By pol|icy| : and long | process \ of time|. P. L. 2.
But subtle Archimago when his guests
He saw divided into double parts,
And U | na wand | 'ring: in | woodsjand tforrests], &c.
' F. Q. 1. 2. 9.
If a French word end with the final e, the penultimate syllable is always accented. When such word was brought into our language, the final e was either dropt or changed into y. The accent fell accordingly either on the last, or the penultimate syllable.
The ending ie once formed two syllables with an accent
C. IV. VERBAL ACCENT. FOREIGN. 95
on the i. This accent long kept its place even when the e was lost ;
Quod The|seus| : hav|e ye so gret | envi\e Of my honour, that thus complain and crie.
Chau. The Knightes Tale.
Before | her stan|deth : dan|ger and J envy\, Flattery, deseeyt, mischeife, and tyranny.
Sir T. More. Boke of Fortune.
There may minstrels maken melodie,
To drive | away| : the dull | melan \choly\. F. Q. 8. 5. 3.
The following examples will be ranged in the like order ; first, those words which retained the e final, and afterwards those in which it had been lost ;
Wei coud he play on a giterne,
In all | the toun| : n' as brew|hous ne | tavern\e That he ne visited. Chau. Milleres Tale. In forme and reverence,
And shorte | and quicke|: and full | of high | senten\ce.
Chau. Prol. That this | Soudan | : hath caught ] so gret | plesan\ce To han | hire fig|ure : in J his re\membran\ce, That all his lust, and all his besy care, Was for to love hire. Chau. Man of Lawes Tale.
This se|ly car|penter| : had gret | merveil\le Of Nicholas, or what thing might him aile.
Chau. Milleres Tale. And led | their life| : in gret | trawaill\, And oft | in hard| : stour off | bataill\.
The Bruce, 1, 23. Aud ov|er his hed| : ther shin|en two | figur\es Of sterr|es, that | ben clep|ed : in | scriptures, That on Puella, that other Rubeus.
Chau. The Knightes Tale. Thin | is the vic|torye : of | this av\entur\e, Full blisftil in prison macst thou endure.
Chau. The Knightes Tale.
96 VERBAL ACCENT. FOREIGN.
And do | that I | to mor|we: may lian | victor\ie, Min be the travaille, and thin be the glorie.
Chan. The Knightes Tale.
Ther saw I many another wonder storie,
The which | we list|e: not draw|en to | memo\rie.
Chau. The Knightes Tale. To put in wryt a suthfast storie, That | it lest ay | forth : in | memo\ry.
The Bruce, 1. 14.
For who|so mak]eth God| : his ad|versa|ry, As | for to werk|en : an|y thing in | eontra\ry Of his will, certes, never shal he thrive.
The Chanones Yeomannes Tale.
Wei coude he rede a lesson or a story,
But al|der-best | he sung| : an of\ferto\ry. Chau. Prol.
And over all ther as profit shuld arise,
Cur|teis he was| : and low|ly of | servis\e. Chau. Prol.
For in the land ther n' as no craftes man, He por|treiour| : ne car|ver of | imag\es, That Theseus he gaf him mete and wages.
Chau. The Knightes Tale.
A notched had|de he: with | a brown | visag\e, Of wood | craft coud|e he wel| : all|e the usag\e.
Chau. Prol.
: gret | is thin av\antag\e,
More than is min that sterve here in a cage.
Chau. The Knightes Tale.
And as thou art a rightful Lord and Juge, Hegev|e us ney|ther: mer|cie ne | refug\e.
Chau. The Knightes Tale.
With us | ther was| : a doc|tour of j phisik\e,
In all this world, ne was ther none him like
To speke of phisike. Chau. Prol.
Manie
Engendered of | humours| : melan\cholik\e, Beforn|e his hed : in | his ce\\e fan\tastik\e.
Chau. The Knightes Tale.
C. IV. VERBAL ACCENT. FOREIGN. 97
One of our souls had wander'd in the air,
Ban|ish'd this frail | sepul\chre : of | our flesh|. R 2, 1. 3.
But all | be that | he was| : a phil\oso\phre,
Yet hadde he but litel gold in coffre. Chan. Prol.
Again | his might : ther gainjen non | obstacles, He may | be clep|ed : a god | for his j mira\cles.
m Chau. The Knightes Tale.
A the|atre| : a pub|lick re\cepta\cle For giddy humor and diseased riot.
Ben Jon. E. Man in his Humour. 2. 1 . As | in a vault| : an an|cient re\cepta\cle.
R. and J. 4. 3. Let par|adise| : a re\cepta\cle prove] To spirits foul. P. L 11.
Chaucer generally makes the ending acle but one syl- lable ; and perhaps it may be a question if it ever fills the place of two syllables in his writings. The same remark applies to the endings able and ible ; but as it would be dangerous, without the assistance of a better edition, to lay down any positive rule upon the subject, I shall fol- low the usual practise in dividing them.
I can|not saine| : if that | it be | possible, But Ve|nus had | him ma|ked : in\visi\ble, Thus sayth the booke. Chau. Legende of Dido.
Of his diete mesurable was he,
For it was of no great superfluitee,
But | of vast nour|ishirg| : and di\gesti\ble.
His study was but litel on the Bible. Chau. Prol.
For all afore that semed fair and bright, Now base | and con\tempti\ble : did | appear]
F.Q. 4. 5. 11.
For possible is, sin thou hast hire presence, And art a knight, a worthy and an able, That | by some cas|, sin Fortune is | changeable Thou maiest to thy desir soinetin e attaine.
Chau, T/ir Knightes 'Vole
VOL. I. JJ
98 VERBAL ACCENT. FOREIGN. B.
Stor|yss to rede| : are de\lita\bill9
Supposs that thai be nocht bot fabill|. The Bruce, 1.1.
Your fair discourse hath been as sugar, Mak|ing the hard | way : sweet | and de\lecta\ble.
R 2, 2. 3. It can | not but | arrive | : most ac\cepta\ble.
B. Jojis. Ev. Man out of his Humour, 1.1.
Let us not then pursue
By force impossible, by leave obtained
Un\accepta\ble : though | in heaven |, our state |
Of splendid vassalage. P. L. 2.
With huge | force andj : in\supporta\ble main]. F. Q. 1. 7. 11 And won|dred at| : their im\placa\ble stoarj. F.Q.4,9. 22.
There are also certain substantives in our language, which are closely connected with the past participle of the Latin ; these long retained their Latin accent on the last syllable.
Introduce
Law | and edict | on us| : who | without law |
Err not. P. L. 5.
Strongly drawn
By this | new-felt | affec|tion : and | instinct\. P. L. 10.
Wooing poor craftsmen with the craft of smiles
As't were | to ban|ish : their | affects | with him|. R 2, 1. 4.
Mostug|ly shapes| : and horr|ible | aspects\, F. Q. 2. 12. 23.
And | for our eyes| : do hate | the dire | aspect]
Of civil wounds. R2, 1. 3.
His words | here en|ded : but | his meek | aspect ,
Silent yet spake. P. L. 3.
Milton also accents the first syllable^ as\pect, but the older writers, almost invariably, give us the Latin accent. Dr. Farmer at once declared against the genuineness of "The Double Falsehood/' which Theobald and others had ascribed to Shakespeare, because this word was always found accented on the first syllable. This was bold, but warrantable criticism.
C. IV. VERBAL ACCENT. 99
VERBAL ACCENT. ENGLISH.
One of the most important rules is that, which bids us accent the root, whether verb or substantive, more strongly than in its inflection ; as in the words, lov\est, lov\eth, lov\ing, lov\ed, smit\eth, smiting, smit\ten, fox\es, ox\en, chil dren.
The old ending of the present participle was occasionally accented, during the 14th and 15th centuries; and some- times, though more rarely, the modern termination ing.
And | such thyn]ges : that are | likand \
Tyll man|nys her|ing: ar| plesand]. Bruce, 1. 10.
The scaith
That | toward thaim | : was ap\perand,\
For that at the King of England
Held swylk freyndschip. Bruce, J. 85.
Wherefore laude and honour to such a king, From dole | ful daun|ger us so | defending].
Dingley. M.forM. Flodden F.
Under this head may be ranged our verbal substantives, whether denoting the agent, as lover, or the action, as loving. These endings, however, in old English, were not unfrequently accented.
And knew well the tavernes in every towne,
And ev|ery host|eler| : and gay | tapster\e,
Betjter than a | lazer| : or a | begger\e. Chau. Prol.
For ther was he nat like a cloisterere,
With thred|bare cope| : as is | a poor | scholer\e,
But he was like a maister or a pope. Chau. Prol.
The mount of Citheron,
Ther Ve|nus hath| : hire principal | dwelling],
Was shew|ed on | the wall| : in pur\treying\. Chau.
A ! fredome is a noble thing,
Fre|dome mayss man] : to haiff | liking]. Bruce, 1. 225.
For na|ture hath | not ta|ken : his beginning \ Of no partie, ne cantel of a thing. Chau Knighte* Tale.
h2
100 VERBAL ACCENT. ENGLISH.
..
To the same rule maybe referred the adjectives of com- parison ; and such adjectives as are formed by adding the common terminations to a substantive, though Barbour has sometimes accented the last syllable of the adjective iny.
And gyff that ony man thaim by
Had on|y thing] : that wes | worthy]. Bruce, 1. 206,
That be othir will him chasty
And wyss | men say | is : he is | hap^y]. Bruce, 1. 123.
The same rule and the same exception hold in respect to adverbs derived from adjectives.
For aft feynying of rybbaldy
Awail|yeit him| : and that | gretly\. Bruce, 1. 242.
Ik bard never, in sang naryme,
Tell | of a man | : that swa | smertly \
Eschewyt swa gret chewalry. Bruce, 2. 574.
The next law governs the accentuation of such com- pounds, as consist of a substantive and some word that qualifies it; whether it be an adjective, or a substantive, preposition, or other word used adjectively. This lawr is the reverse of that, which regulates the accents of a sen- tence. The latter requires the substantive to be accented, but in the compound the accent falls upon the adjective; we should say for instance — all | blackbirds | are not black- birds. From the 14th to the 16th century this rule was fre- quently, and is still occasionally, violated. The only ex- ception, however, which has fixed itself in the language, is the word mankind. Milton accented it sometimes on the first, and at other times on the second syllable, but the latter now always takes the accent. The accent was most fre- quently transposed in those words which ended with a long syllable, especially if it contained the long i, as insight, moonlight, sun-rise. When the last syllable con- tained a short vowel sound, the accent was occasionally? but rarely, misplaced. In such cases, the false accentua- tion is now particularly offensive.
C. IV. VERBAL ACCENT. ENGLISH. 101
The drooping night thus creepeth on them fast, And | the sad humour: load|ing their | eyelids\t As messenger of Morpheus, on them cast Sweet slumb'ring dew, the which to sleep them bids.
F. Q. 1 1.36. Trebly augmented was his furious mood With bitter sense of his deep-rooted ill, That flames | of fire | he threw | forth: from | his large | nostril\.
F. Q. 1. 11. 22.
As for | the thrice | three-an|gled: beech | nutshell ,
Or chesjnuts arm'ed husk| : and hid | kernel\. Hall. Sat. 3. 1.
Hire mouth full smale and thereto soft and red
But sik|erly| ; she had | a fayr | forehead]. Chau.Prol.
The compounds ending in dom, hood, ship, ness, ess, also belong to the same rule. Most of these endings con- tained two syllables in our old English dialect, and often took the verbal accent.
The angyr, na the wrechet dome,
That | is cowp|]yt : to foule | thyrldome\*
The Bruce, 1. 236.
Ful soth | is Sayed| ; that lov[e ne ] lordship \ Wol nat his thankes have no felawship.
Chau. The Knightes Tale.
That | is to sayn| : trouth, hon|our, and | manhe\de, Wisdom, humblesse, estat, and high kindrede.
Chau. The Knightes Tale.
Throw his douchti deed,
And throw | his owt|rageous | manheid\. Bruce, 2. 557.
Joy|e after wo|: and wo | af|ter gladnes\se
And shew|ed him J ensainjple : and J likenes\se. Chau.
In'ot | whe'r she| : be wom|an or | goddes\sey
But Venus is it sothly, as I gesse. Chau. The Knightes Tale.
Another class of compounds consist of a noun, and a proposition, that governs and, as it were, overrides it; the
* Harbour also accents this word on the first syllable.
102 VERBAL ACCENT. ENGLISH.
substantive underground, and adjective underhand, may afford us examples ; they differ widely in their character from such compounds as undergrowth and undershot. If we call the latter adjectival compounds, the others may be termed the prepositional. There can be little doubt that, at one period, the preposition only preceded and go- verned a substantive, but the analogy was soon extended to adjectives and even verbs.
The rules, which regulate the accentuation of these compounds, are very irregular. The tendency of our language has been, of late years, to throw the accent on the noun, or word governed by the preposition ; though I suspect the latter generally received it, in our earlier and purer dialects.
The prefix un, at present, is never accented by correct speakers ; but in the old English we find it far more ge- nerally accented than the following syllable. Shakespeare and Milton almost always accent uncouth on the first syl- lable, and we find its vulgar representative uncut, accented in like manner; while the modern uncouth accents the second syllable. Many other instances might be brought, to show the difference between the old and the modern pronunciation of these compounds.
The prefix mis was, in all probability, at first a prepo- sition. In modern usage it is very seldom accented, but in our old writers frequently.
That folk,
Throw thar | gret mis\chance : and | folly],
War tretyt than sawykkytly,
That thar fays thar jugis war. Bruce, 1. 221.
But who conjur'd —
Rablais drunken revellings.
To grace | the mis\rule : of | our tav]ernings| ?
Hall. Sat. 2. 1.
Verbs, compounded of a verb and preposition, accent
C. IV. VERBAL ACCExXT. ENGLISH. 103
the former; but in our older writers we find the rule often violated.
The for\lorn maid| : did | with loves long|ing burn .
F. Q. 1. 6. 22. Speak, Cap]tain, shall | I stab; : the for\lorn queen| ?
2H 6,4. 1. If either salves, or oils, or herbs, or charms, kfor\done wight | : from door | of death | mote raise |.
F. Q. 1. 5.41.
Perdition
Take me for ever, if in my fell anger
I do | not out\do : all | exam|ple ; where)
Where are the ladies ? Fletcher. Bonduca, 3. 5.
With plum|ed helm] : thy slay|er be\gins threats]. Lear, 4. 2.
His obedience
Impu|ted be\comes theirs|: by faith | j his mer|its
To save them, not their own, though legal, works. P. L. 12.
We | do approve | thy cen|sure : be\loved Cri|tes.
B. Jons. Cynthia s Revels, 5.11.
Certain prepositions are compounded of a preposition and some other word which is governed by it. The verbal accent now always falls upon the latter, but in our older writers it often fell upon the preposition.
A viscount's daughter, an earl's heir,
Be\sides what| : her vir|tues fair]
Added to her noble birth. Milton.
Sweet ] is the coun|try : be\cause | full of rich|es.
2H 2,5.7.
These declare
Thy good|ness be\yond thought] : and pow'r | divine|.
P. L. 5.
That make | no difference : be\twixt cer|tain dy|ing
And dying well. Fletcher. Bonduca, 2. 1.
And saw the shape
Still glor|ious, be\fore whom| : awake | I stood|. P. L. 8.
104 VERBAL ACCENT. ENGLISH. B. I,
We are strong enough,
If | not too man|y : be\hind yon|der hill),
The fellow tells me, she attends weak-guarded.
Fl. Bonduca, 3. 5.
Where val|iant Tal|bot : a\bove hu|man thought |
Enacted wonders. 1 H 6, 1 . 1 .
And ev|er a\gainst : eatjing cares|
Lap me in soft Lydian airs. L' Allegro.
Nor walk by noon,
Nor glittering twi|light : with\out thee | is sweet|. P. L. 4.
■ The place unknown and wild
Breeds dread|ful doubts] : oft fire | is with\out smoke}.
F.Q. 1. 1. 12.
To answer thy desire
Of knowledge with\in bounds[ : beyond | abstain|
To ask— P. L. 7.
Adverbs which are formed by adding a preposition to the words vjhere and there, as wherein, whereby, &c. ; therein, thereby, thereof, &c, were often accented on the first syllable by Spenser, Shakespeare, and Milton ; but now take the accent on the last.
The adverbs compounded with all, as always, also, &c, now take the accent on the first syllable, but were often accented by our old poets on the second.
It should be mentioned before we close the chapter, that many words which accent the first syllable, when used as substantives, accent the last, when used as verbs, as fore\cast, up\start, overthrow, &c, to forecast], to up- start-, to overthrow], &c.
C. V. QUANTITY. 105
CHAPTER V.
QUANTITY.
It has been much disputed, if there be such a thing as quantity in the English language ; and more learning has been shown in the discussion, than either good sense or good temper. In matters of this kind, many a difficulty will give way before a clear definition. We will therefore first endeavour to fix the meaning of the word.
The Greeks and Latins distinguished between the actual and the metrical quantity of a syllable. As far as regarded the purposes of metre, all their syllables were divided into two great classes, the long and the short. But when they looked to the actual quantity, they felt no difficulty in making nicer distinctions ; in holding for example the first syllable of in-clytus shorter than the first of in-felix, the first syllable of es-sem from sum, shorter than the first syl- lable of es-sem from edo. In all these cases the first syllables were metrically long ; but in one set of cases the vowel was long, in the other it was short.
Now whether our metre depend upon quantity or not, we clearly have no metrical distribution of syllables ; and therefore can have no metrical quantity, in the sense in which these words have just been used. But the notion that is generally attached to the word quantity, is that which is connected with its metrical value. In this sense, therefore, it may fairly be said, that we have no quantity in the English language.
On the other hand, nobody will deny that in English, as in every other language, there are some syllables which
106 QUANTITY.
are longer, that is, which usually require a longer time foi pronunciation, than others. Every addition of a consonant must, of necessity, lengthen the syllable; whether th( consonant be added at the beginning of the word, as in the examples ass, lass, glass, or at the end, as in ask, asks, ask'st. In both cases the last syllable is longer than the second, and the second than the first ; or, — if we choose s( to express it — the latter syllables have each of them longer quantity than the one preceding.
Before we examine the connexion between quantity thus defined, and our English rhythms, it will be useful, if not necessary, to make a few remarks upon the quantities our English vowels ; for though, strictly speaking, we have neither long nor short syllables, we have most certainly both long and short vowels.
ORTHOGRAPHY OF THE VOWELS.
In all languages, custom must decide what increase oi quantity shall constitute a distinct letter. Most languages range their vowels, as respects time, under two heads, the long vowels and the short; but others, as some of the Irish dialects, range them under three, the long, the mid- dle, and the short vowels. There are reasons for believ- ing, that this division prevailed, at least partially, in the Anglo-Saxon.
The long quantity was marked by Anglo-Saxon writers in two ways ; either by placing over the vowel our present acute accent, as in god good, ful foul, which were thus distinguished from God God, and ful full ; or by actually doubling the vowel, thus, god was sometimes written good. This latter mode of distinguishing the long quantity still remains, and even of the former some traces were left as late as the sixteenth century. Several writers, 'in Eliza- beth's reign, expressed the sound of the long e by ee, and wrote wee and feete for our modern we and feet.
When the vowel had no such accent, and was followed by not more than a single consonant, it seems, in the
C. V. ORTHOGRAPHY OF THE VOWELS. 107
Anglo-Saxon period, to have represented its ordinary or middle time ; when it was followed by a double consonant, or its equivalent,* it must have indicated its shortest time ; when followed by two different consonants, it was probably a matter of doubt, which of the two, the ordinary or the short time, was meant to be expressed. My rea- sons for believing that a double consonant was meant to indicate a short vowel, are the following.
It has been a notion very widely entertained, that ac- cent lengthens the quantity of a syllable ; and to a certain extent, this notion may be well founded. We cannot accent the first syllable of bedight, without lengthening its vowel, or adding to it the following consonant bed\ight. If we wish to keep the short e, and also to preserve the last syllable entire, we must dwell on the d, or in effect double that consonant, and pronounce the word bed\dight. This, I take it, was the origin of the double consonant. Hence, I believe, came that important rule, one of the first established, and the longest retained in our ortho- graphy, which orders us to double the final consonant of an accented syllable, when the vowel is a short one.
This rule, though for the most part well understood, and well observed by Anglo-Saxon writers, gave rise to a mode of spelling, which has worked sad confusion in our English orthography. As the short vowel of an ac- cented syllable doubled the final consonant, it came at length to be an established rule, that a double consonant always denoted a short vowel. Hence, in the tenth and twelfth centuries,f we find the consonant frequently doubled, even in unaccented syllables; and so firmly was the system established in the beginning of the thirteenth,
* By the word equivalent , I mean any combination of letters, which serves as a substitute for a duplicated letter. Both in Anglo-Saxon and in modern English, there seems to have been an aversion to the doubling of certain consonants. In modern orthography, we represent a double k by cfc, a double ij or eh by <hj or tch.
t There are a few instances of such spelling in Anglo-Saxon MSS.
108 ORTHOGRAPHY OF THE VOWELS.
that we have a long poem, called the Ormulum, in
the consonant is always doubled, whenever it follows a
short vowel ; is and it being written iss and itt.
This peculiar mode of spelling has been ascribed, by- some to the ignorance of the writer, by others to the rudeness of a provincial dialect, by a third party to the harsh and rugged pronunciation of an East-English Dane ! Whatever we may say to the charge of rudeness, that of ignorance must rest with the critic. The author adopted his system designedly, and warns his transcriber not to violate it. Though inconvenient, it is at least consistent ; in this particular, indeed, superior to any of those which have succeeded it.
To the same principle may be traced the vicious spell- ing, that is found in many English words, and particularly in our monosyllables; for example, in sea-gull, set-off, bliss, dull, buff, &c. It is rather singular, that though we write full with two /'s, yet with something like an appre- ciation of the old rule, which limits the duplication to an accented syllable, we get rid of the superfluous / when the word is compounded, and write hopeful, sinful, &c.
The law, we have just been examining, gave rise to a second, which has had, if possible, a still greater influence in deranging the orthography of our language. As the doubling of the consonant indicated a short vowel, so by the converse rule a single consonant must have indicated a long one ; and the vowels must have been long in the following dissyllables, mone the moon, time time, name a name. Now in the Anglo-Saxon there was a great num- ber of words, which had, as it were, two forms ; one end- ing in a consonant, the other in a vowel. In the time of Chaucer, all the different vowel-endings were represented by the e final, and so great is the number of words which this writer uses, sometimes as monosyllables, and some- times as dissyllables with the addition of the e, that he has been accused of adding to the number of his syllables, whenever it suited the convenience of his rhythm. In his
C. V. ORTHOGRAPHY OF THE VOWELS. 109
works we find hert and herte, bed and hedde, erth and erthe, &c. In the Anglo-Saxon we find corresponding duplicates, the additional syllable giving to the noun, in all cases a new declension, and in most a new gender. Jn some few cases, the final e had become mute, even be- fore the time of Chaucer; and was wholly lost in the period which elapsed between his death and the accession of the Tudors. Still, however, it held its ground in our manuscripts, and ure our, rose a rose, &c, though pro- nounced as monosyllables, were still written according to the old spelling. Hence it came gradually to be consi- dered as a rule, that when a syllable ended in a'; single consonant and mute e, the vowel was long.
Such is clearly the origin of this very peculiar mode of indicating the long vowel ; and it seems to me so obvious, that I always felt surprise at the many and various opi- nions that have been hazarded upon the subject. We could not expect much information from men, who, like Tyrwhitt, were avowedly ignorant of the early state of our language; but even Hicks had his doubts, whether the final e of Anglo-Saxon words were mute or vocal; and Rask, notwithstanding his triumph over that far superior scholar, has fallen into this, his greatest blunder. Price, whose good sense does not often fail him, supposes this mode of spelling to be the work of the Norman, and the same as the " orthography that marked the long syllables of his native tongue." As if the e final were mute in Norman French !*
One of the results, which followed the establishment of this second principle, was the saving of many of our mono- syllables from the duplication of the final consonant. If the presence of the mute e indicate a long vowel, by the converse rule its absence must indicate a short one. If the vowel be long in white, pate, and rote, it must be short in whit, pat, and rot.
* Warton's History of English Poetry, Diss. 1. note p. cii.
110 ORTHOGRAPHY OF THE VOWELS. B. I.
It appears, therefore, that there have been no less than four systems employed at different periods, to mark the quantity of our English vowels. In the first, the long time was marked by the acute accent; in the second, by a doubling of the vowel ; in the fourth, by the mute e; while the third system indicated the short time by a doubling of the consonant, and conversely, the long time by a single consonant. In modern practice, the three last systems are, to a certain degree, combined. It would be matter of rather curious inquiry, to trace the several classes of syllables which are subject to their respective laws; and the gradual steps by which the later systems have intruded on the older ones.
These observations may show, how inapplicable to our tongue are the laws, which regulate the quantity of the Greek and Latin. Our earlier critics — a Sydney or a Spenser — talked as familiarly of vowels long by position, as though they were still scanning their hexameters and pentameters ; and would have upheld the first syllable of hilly as long, despite the evidence of their own senses. The same principles have been acquiesced in, though not openly avowed, by later writers ; and Mitford has even given us directions to distinguish a long syllable from a short one. His system is a mere application of Latin rules to English pronounciation, without regard to the spelling. So far it is an improvement upon that of his predecessors ; but it is forgotten that the laws of Greek and Latin quantity were for the most part conventional, and derived their authority from usage. Custom with us has laid down no rules upon the subject, and without her sanction all rules are valueless.
We have hitherto denominated certain vowels long and short, as though we considered the only difference between them to be their time ; as though, for instance, the vowel in meet differed from that in met only in its being longer. The truth is, they are of widely different quality. The spelling of many words has remained unchanged, for a
C. V. ORTHOGRAPHY OF THE VOWELS. Ill
period, during which we have the strongest evidence of a great change in our pronunciation. When the ortho- graphy of the words meet and met was settled, the vowels in all probability differed only in respect of time ; but they have now been changing for some centuries, till they have nothing in common between them, but a similarity in their spelling.
In the present state of our language, we have five vowel sounds, each of which furnishes us with two vowels. Though the vowels, thus related to each other, differ only in respect of time, the spelling but rarely shows us any connexion between them.
Short Vowels. |
Long Vowels. |
Fathom. |
Father. |
Merry. |
Mary. |
Pill. |
Peel. |
Poll. |
Pall. |
Poll. |
Pool. |
The vowels o and u, as they occur in note and nut stand alone, as do also the different dip thongs.
QUANTITY AS AN INDEX OF ENGLISH RHYTHM.
It has been said that our English rhythms are governed by accent ; I, moreover, believe this to be the sole prin- ciple that regulates them. Most of our modern writers on Versification are of a different opinion. I have seen the title of a book* which professed to give examples of verse measured solely by the quantity, but have been unable to procure it. Mitford, too, after dwelling on the great importance of accent, seems half to mistrust the conclusions he has come to ; for he adds, strangely enough, and not very intelligibly, " variety is allowed for the quan-
* Verse measured with a regard solely to the length of time required in the pronunciation of syllables, the accent and emphasis being entirely unnoticed. Richard Edwards. 1813. 12mo.
112 QUANTITY AS AN INDEX OF RHYTHM. B. I.
tities of syllables, too freely to be exactly limited by rule. A certain balance of quantities, however, throughout the the verse, is required, so that deficiency be no where striking. Long syllables, therefore, must predominate." I do not feel the force of this inference, and much less do I acknowledge it, as one of the essentials of our u heroic verse." Verses may be found in every poet that has written our language, which have neither a balance of quantities, nor a predominance of long syllables ; and it asks but little stretch of imagination to suppose a case, in which the predominance of short quantities, so far from being a defect, might be a beauty.
One of our leading reviews has stated, that, " inde- pendent of accent, quantity neither is nor ought to be neglected in our versification." In this, if I understand it rightly, I agree. The time is, occasionally, of great im- portance to the beauty of a verse, but never an index of its rhythm. I suspect, however, that the reviewer looked upon quantity in a more important light. He gives us the following stave, in which the " long syllables" are arranged as they would be in a Latin sapphic, with an accentual rhythm, such as is often met with in our dramatic poets. The object is to show, that such " coincidence of temporal metre" gives a peculiar character to the verse, notwith- standing the familiar arrangement of the accents.
O liquid streamlets to the main returning, Murmuring waters that adoun the mountains, Rush unobstructed, never in the ocean, Hope to be tranquiL
The following stave is then given with the same accen- tuation, and the same pauses, to show how " a difference of quantities will destroy the resemblance to Latin sap- phic."
The headlong torrent from its native caverns Bursting resistless, with destructive fury Roars through the valley, wasting with Its deluge Forests and hamlets.
C. V. QUANTITY AS AX IXDEX OF RHYTHM. 113
I cannot help thinking, that the reviewer has deceived himself. I do not believe one man in a hundred would be sensible of the artful collocation of the long syllables in the first stave. True it is, that in both these staves, the verse has a peculiar character ; but one, I think, quite inde- pendent of the quantity. The sameness of the rhythm would alone be sufficient for this purpose. There is no doubt also a great difference in the flow of the two stanzas, but this too, I think, is in a very slight degree owing to the difference in their quantities. The first stave is made up of easy and flowing syllables, while the latter is clogged throughout with knots of the most rugged and unyielding consonants. The mere difficulty of pronunciation might account for that difference of flow, which the reviewer attributes solely to the difference of the quantities.
It is not, however, denied, that the effect may be partly owing to the change in the quantity. There is no doubt that such a change will sometimes force itself upon our notice in a very striking manner. In the staves that fol- low, the same rhythm has been employed as above, but any jostling of consonants has been studiously avoided ;
The busy rivulet in humble valley Slippeth away in happiness ; it ever Hurrieth on, a solitude around, but Heaven above it.
The lonely tarn that sleeps upon the mountain, Breathing a holy calm around, drinks ever Of the great presence, even in its slumber Deeply rejoicing :
The striking difference in the flow of these two stanzas is almost entirely owing to the difference of their quantities.
Before we close this section, I would make an observa- tion on a passage in the review last quoted, which, though it relate to a foreign language, has an indirect bearing on the question now before us. The law of French verse, as regards quantity, is stated to be — the thirteenth
VOL. I. I
114 QUANTITY AS AN INDEX OF RHYTHM. B. I.
syllable short, the sixth long. Now a French verse can never take a thirteenth syllable, unless it consist of the short vowel sound, which is usually indicated by the e final; and as this is the shortest syllable in the French language, the critic risked little, in laying down the first part of his canon. The latter part, I think, is not cor- rect. A strong accent indeed falls on the sixth syllable, but every page of French poetry contains syllables so situated, which cannot, with any show of reason, be classed among the long syllables of the language.
This notice may be useful as showing that, as regards the French, no less than our own tongue, the rhythms that depend on accent are independent of quantity. I believe the same remark might be extended to every living language from India westward.
QUANTITY AS AN ESTABLISHMENT OP RHYTHM.
Our great poets certainly have not paid the same atten- tion to the quantity of their syllables, as to the quality of their letter-sounds. Shakespeare, however, seems to have affected the short vowels, and particularly the short i, when he had to describe any quickness of motion. Therefore do nimble-phrion'd doves draw love, And, therefore, has the wind- swift Cupid wings.
R.SfJ. 2.5.
The nimble gunner
With linstock now the dev'lish cannon touches —
H5.3, Chorus.
Milton also sometimes aided his rhythm by a like atten- tion to his quantities, •
And soon
In order, quit of all impediment,
Instant, without disturb they took alarm, P. L. 6.
In the following verses long syllables predominate. A poor, infirm, weak and despised old man. Lear, 3. 2. Unweildy, slow, heavy and pale as lead. R. 8$ Jul.
The lowing herds wind slowly o'er the lea. Gray.
C. V. QUANTITY AS AN ESTABLISHMENT OF RHYTHM, 1 15
Through glades and glooms the mingled measure stole, Or o'er some haunted stream with fond delay
Round a holy calm diffusing,
Love of peace, and lonely musing,
In hollow murmurs died away. Collins.
Where Meander's amber waves
In ling'ring lab'rinths creep. Gray.
Lo ! where Moeotis sleeps, and hardly flows The freezing Tanais through a waste of snows.
The last example is said to have been Pope's favourite couplet ', but his reasons for the preference are by no means obvious. The voice, to be sure, lingers with the river ; but why so many sibilants ?
1 2
1 16 RHIME. B. I.
CHAPTER VI.
RHIME,
is the correspondence, which exists between syllables, containing sounds similarly modified.
When the same modification of sound recurs at definite intervals, the coincidence very readily strikes the ear; and when it is found in accented syllables, such syllables fix the attention more strongly, than if they merely received the accent. Hence we may perceive the importance of rhime in accentual verse. It is not, as is sometimes as- serted, a mere ornament; it marks and defines the ac- cent, and thereby strengthens and supports the rhythm. Its advantages have been felt so strongly, that no people have ever adopted an accentual rhythm, without also adopting rhime.
Every accented syllable contains a vowel; hence a rhiming syllable may be divided into three parts — the initial consonants, or those which precede the vowel, the vowel itself, and lastly the final consonants. Rhime may be divided into different kinds, accordingly as one or more of these elements correspond.
The first species is the perfect rhime, or that which requires a correspondence in all the three. It is called by the French the rich rhime, and by that people is not only tolerated but sought after. With us it has been very generally discountenanced.
The second kind is alliteration, or that in which only the initial sounds correspond. It pervades all our earlier poetry, and long held control over our English rhythms. AVe do not, however, stop here to discuss its properties ;
C. VI. RHIME. 117
we shall content ourselves merely with one observation. Rask tells us, that when the rhiming syllables of an Anglo- Saxon verse began with vowels, such vowels were, if pos- sible, different. This rule, which was first laid down by Olaus Wormius, appears to be a sound one. It seems to me a simple deduction from one more general. The alli- terative syllables of an Anglo-Saxon verse rhimed, I be- lieve, only with the initial consonants. In very few instances have I found the vowels corresponding. When the initial consonants were wanting, the law of alliteration was looked upon as satisfied, and the vowels, now become the initial letters, were found to be different.
The third and fourth kinds of rhime are the vowel and consonantal. The former, which required only a corres- pondence in the vowels, was once common among the Irish ; but has never been adopted into English verse. The latter rhimed only with the consonants. It was well known to our ancestors and the kindred races of the north : Olaus Wormius exemplifies it in the following quo- tation from Cicero : " non docti sed facti." When both the final and the initial consonants correspond, it may be called, for distinction's sake, the full consonantal rhime.
In the fifth kind of rhime, the vowels correspond and also the initial consonants ; in the sixth, the vowels and final consonants. The former has been generally con- founded with alliteration. It was principally affected by those poets, who wrote after the subversion of our regular alliterative rhythms, and may perhaps be conveniently de- signated as modern alliteration. The latter is our common
o
rhime, of which we have too much to say elsewhere, to dwell upon it here.
We have hitherto assumed the rhime to be confined to a single accented syllable. Sometimes, however, it reaches to the following syllable, and occasionally to the two following syllables. In such case the supernumerary syllable or syl- lables must be unaccented. The rhime, when thus ex- tended, takes the names of double and triple rhime.
118 RHIME.
It has ever been a rule in our prosody, that, when the
rhime becomes double or triple, the unaccented syllables
must rhime perfectly. King James, in his " Reulis and
Cautelis," warns you " quhen there fallis any short syl-
labis after the lang syllabe in the line, that ze repeit
thame in the lyne quhilk rymis to the uther, even as ze set
them downe in the first lyne, as for exempyll ze man not
say
Then feir nocht
Nor heir ocht.
Bot
Then feir nocht
Nor heir nocht.
repeating the same nocht in baith lynis ; because this syl- labe nocht nather serving for cullour nor fute is bot a tayle to the lang fute preceding." The " Reule " is better than the reason. It is but too often violated. Even Chaucer, for the most part so careful in his rhimes, has sometimes broken it. In his roguish apology for the in- discreet disclosures of his Sompnour, he tells us,
Of cursing ought eche guilty man him drede,
For curse wol sle right as assoiling saveth,
And al|so war|e him : of | a signif|ica|u*Y.* Prologue.
Clare, the Northamptonshire poet, whose poems in general show great facility, has tried his hand at the triple rhime ;
Then come J ere a min\uies gone,
For the long summer s day Puts her wings | swift as lin\nets on
For hieing away; Then come | with no doublings near
To fear a false love, For there's noth|ing without \ thee, dear, Can please in Broomsgrove, &c.
* A writ issuing out of Chancery to enforce obedience to the Ecclesiastical Courts.
C. VI. FINAL RHIME. 11!)
But one of the commonest and most offensive blunders is the misplacing of the accent, as in the following couplet of Swift,
But as | to comjic A\ristoph\anes
The rogue | too vic|ious and too | prophane \ is.
Another, almost as offensive, and perhaps more common, is the ending one of the rhimes with an accented syllable.
Proceed | to Tragjies : first | JLurip\ide$ (An au|thor where | : I somejtimes dip | adays,) Is nght|ly cenjsured: by | the Stag|#rite Because | his num|bers : do | not fudge \ aright.
The last syllables of the adverbs ought to be accented, adays\, aright\. If the reader wish for more examples of the triple rhime, he may consult Swift's letter to Sheridan, from which I have quoted. Out of more than a dozen couplets he may find two or three rhiming decently.
FINAL RHIME,
or that which occurs at the end of a verse, is now almost the only one recognised in our language. It is, however, in all probability, foreign in its origin, and made its way amongst us slowly and with difficulty. As this opinion has been controverted, I will lay the reasons, which led me to form it, briefly before the reader.
In the first place, I know of no poem, written in a Gothic dialect with final rhime, before Otfrid's Evangely. This was written in Frankish, about the year 870. The rhiming Anglo-Saxon poem, which Conybeare discovered in the Exeter MS. can hardly be older than the close of the tenth century; and though other poems contain rhiming passages, I doubt if any of them existed before the ninth. Now we have many rhiming Latin poems written by Englishmen, some as early as the seventh century. This seems to show, that the use of final rhime was familiar to the scholar, before it was adopted into the vernacular language. It may be asked, whence the Latinist
120 FINAL RHIME.
got his rhime, unless from the Gothic conquerors of the empire, as the Romans were confessedly ignorant of it. I would answer, in all probability from the Celtic races; who appear to have retained no small portion of their language, even amid all the degradation of Roman and Gothic servitude. The earliest poems of the Irish have final rhime, and we know that the Welsh used it, at least as early as the sixth century. Some of the Welsh poems have a rhythm strongly resembling that of the early Romance poems. Final rhime is found in both, and was in all pro- bability derived from one common source.
A second reason, that has led me to this opinion, is the peculiar flow of Anglo-Saxon verse. Final rhime has been called a " time-beater;" it separates each verse from the others by a strongly marked boundary, and has ever a ten- dency to make the sense accommodate itself to these arti- ficial pauses. We find this to be the case even in those alliterative poems, which were written after final rhime had been introduced among us. The verse generally ends with the line, as if the new rhythm had completely over- spread the language But in the Anglo-Saxon rhythms, we find the sense running from line to line, and even pre- ferring a pause in the midst of a verse. I incline there- fore to think, though the subject is one of difficulty, that final rhime first originated with the Celtic races, that it was early transferred to the Latin, and from thence came gradually into our own language.
The only final rhime, that has been tolerated in our language, is of the sixth kind, or that which requires a correspondence both in the vowels and final consonants. This law is not always observed in those specimens of final rhime, which have come down to us from the Anglo- Saxons. We do not always find the vowel sounds iden- tical, nor the final consonants always corresponding. But when we remember that these verses have never more than three accents, that they are subject to the law of alliteration, and sometimes also contain internal rhime,
C. VI. FINAL RIIIME. 121
that the rhiming syllables, moreover, are sometimes as many as eight or nine in number, we may see reason rather to admire the skill of the poet, than to blame his negligence. When, however, the verse was lengthened and alliteration banished, we had a fair right to expect greater caution, and very rarely indeed does Chaucer disappoint us. His rhimes are, for the most part, strictly correct. The writers who succeeded him seem to have been misled by the spirit of imitation. Many syllables, which rhimed in the days of Chaucer and Gower, had no longer a sufficient correspondence, owing to change of pronunciation. Still, however, they were held to be legi- timate rhimes upon the authority of these poets. Hence arose a vast and increasing number of conventional rhimes, which have since continued to disfigure our poetry. Pope used them with such profusion, that even Swift remon- strated with him on his carelessness.
Another source of these conventional rhimes was the number of dialects, which prevailed during the 15th and 1 6th centuries. Some of the Elizabethan writers honestly confined themselves to one dialect, and wrote the same language that they spoke. Others, and among them some of our greatest, allowed themselves a wider license, and, when hard-pushed for a rhime, scrupled not at taking it from any dialect which could furnish it. Spenser sinned grievously in this respect, and grievously has he answered for it. He has been accused of altering his spelling to help his rhime ! The charge is silly enough, and to a sensible man carries its own refutation with it. In a large proportion of these cases, the word supposed to have been tampered with, is found to be still flourishing in our country dialects. His real offence, however, was a serious one. It introduced a vagueness into our pronunciation, under which the language is still suffering.
The following passage from Puttenham may help to make this matter clearer. " There cannot be in a maker a fowler fault than to falsifie his accent to serve his
122 FINAL RHIME.
cadence, or by untrue orthographie to wrench his word* to help his rime, for it is a sign that such a maker is not copious in his own language, or (as they are wont to say) not half his crafts maister ; as for example, if one should rime to this word restore, he may not match him with doore or poore, for neither of both are of like terminant either by good orthographie or by naturall sound, there- fore such rime is strained ; so is it to this word ram, to say came, or to beane, den, for they sound nor be written alike, and many other like cadences, which were superfluous to recite, and are usual with rude rimers, who observe not precisely the rules of prosodie. Neverthelesse in all such cases, if necessitie constrains, it is somewhat more tolerable to help the rime by false orthographie, then to leave an unpleasant dissonance to the ear, by keeping true orthographie and losing the rime; as, for example, it is better to rime dore with restore, then in his truer ortho- graphie, which is doore, &c."
Notwithstanding some inconsistency of expression, the critic's meaning is, on the whole, tolerably clear. He pre- fers a spelling and a pronunciation, different from those generally used, to a false rhime. He would have doore spelt and pronounced dore, though such spelling and pro- nunciation were vulgar and unfashionable, whenever it was made to rhime with restore. It is singular that the provincial pronunciation has now got the upper hand; although we still spell the word door, we pronounce it dore.
While upon this subject, it may be observed, that s and th are used in our language, to represent both a whis- per and a vocal sound; and these sounds often rhime conventionally. Such rhime may fully satisfy the eye, but it is most offensive to the ear.
In the fat age of pleasure, wealth, and ease,
Sprung the rank weed, and thrived with large increase.
Pope. Essay on Criticism.
C. VI. FINAL RHIME. 123
Soft o'er the shrouds aerial whispers breathe, Which seeui'd but zephyrs to the train beneath.
Pope. Rape of the Lock.
The rliiming syllables, we have seen, must have a cor- respondence between the vowels and the final consonants; but here the correspondence ceases \ no perfect rhime can be allowed. Puttenham warns his reader against rhiming such words as constraine and restraine, or aspire and respire ; " which rule, neverthelesse, is not well observed by many makers for lacke of good judgment and a delicate ear." It was sometimes violated by Chaucer, and fre- quently by Pope. The blunders of no writer, however eminent, should weigh with us as authority. The perfect rhime always sounds strangely to the ear, and in some cases most offensively so.
The final rhime may be single, double, or triple. In the rhiming Anglo-Saxon poem, above alluded to, we have all the three. Chaucer seems to have preferred the double rhime ; the letter e, or some one of its combinations, form- ing, for the most part, the unaccented syllable. The poets of Elizabeth's reign had no objection to the double rhime ; but it was seldom used by Dryden, and still more rarely by Pope. The latter, in Johnson's opinion, was never happy in his double rhimes, excepting once in the Rape of the Lock. The following couplet is, no doubt, alluded to ;
The meeting points the sacred hair dissever From the fair head for ever and for ever !
The triple rhime is properly an appurtenant to the triple measure. In our common measure it is hardly ever found, and seems opposed to the very nature of the rhythm. There are instances indeed, in which the triple rhime closes our common verse of five accents, but it is then always a professed imitation of a foreign model, the sdrucciolo rhime, — as in that stanza of Byron,
9
124 MIDDLE RHIME.
Oh | ye immor|tal Gods| : what is | iheog\ony ?.
Oh | thou too mor|tal man| : what is | philanthropy ?
Oh ! world | that was | and is| : what is | cosmogony
Some peo|ple have | accused | me : of [ misanthropy,
And yet | I know | no more| : than | the mahog\any
That forms J this desk| : of what | they mean| — \ycan\thropy
I comprehend, for without transformation
Men become wolves on any slight occasion.
Don Juan, 9. 20
The affectation has no other merit than its difficulty.
MIDDLE RHIME,
I
or that which exists between the last accented syllables of the two sections, may be considered as the direct off- spring of final rhime. In the Anglo-Saxon poem already mentioned, each section rhimes, and becomes to many purposes a distinct verse. But when the rhiming syl- lables were confined to the close of what had been the alli- terative couplet, this couplet became the verse, and it was then necessary to distinguish between the middle rhime, if any such wrere introduced, and the regular final rhime, which shut in the verse.
This middle rhime was most frequently introduced into verse of four accents. In the stanza of eight and six, as it has been termed, it was very common. In the J 6th cen- tury it was employed by learned bishops, and on the most sacred subjects; but not with the approbation of Putten- ham. That critic was of opinion that " rime or concord is not commendably used both in the end and middle of a verse ; unlesse it be in toyes and trifling poesie, for it sheweth a certain lightness either of the matter or of the makers head, albeit these common rimers use it much." The poems of Burns show, that it still keeps its hold upon the people; and Coleridge, who wrote for the few, has used it, and with almost magical effect ;
C. VI. MIDDLE RHIME. 125
And now there came both mist and snow,
And it grew wond'rous cold, And ice J m<ist-high\ : came floating by\
As green as emerald.
The ice was here, the ice was there,
The ice was all around, It crack'd | and growl 'd\ : and roar'd | and howl'd\,
Like noises in a s wound.
When, as is sometimes the case, the middle rhime occurs regularly, it would perhaps be better to divide the line.
SECTIONAL RHIME,
is that which exists between syllables contained in the same section. It was well known to all the early dialects. According to Olaus Wormius, the consonantal rhime will suffice in the first section; but in the second, there must be a correspondence both between the vowels and the final consonants. The same rule applies to Anglo-Saxon verse.
The origin of this law will, I think, be obvious, when we recollect, that sectional rhime was not a substitute for alliteration, but merely an addition to it. Now in the first section, there was always a probability of finding two alli- terative syllables,* and as a section never contained more than three, and generally but two accented syllables, if the common sectional rhime were added to the alliteration^ this could hardly be effected without a perfect rhime. In some few cases, such has really been the result of this union; but, in general, they avoided it by aiming only at consonantal rhime. In the second section, where there was generally but one alliterative syllable, a closer corres- pondence was required.
In tracing the several kinds of sectional rhime, it will be convenient to class them according to the different sec- tions in which they occur.
* See the section headed alliteration in the present chapter.
I
]26 SECTIONAL RHIME. B. I
When the section begins with an accent, it will be re- presented by the figures 1, 2, 3, 4, accordingly as each couple of adjacent accents are separated by one unaccented syllable, or the first, the second, or both couples are sepa- rated by two unaccented syllables.
When the section begins with one unaccented syllable, it will, under the like circumstances, be designated by 5, 6,7, 8; and by 9, 10, 11, 12, when it begins with two unac- cented syllables.
When the section ends with one or two unaccented syl- lables, we shall represent such ending by subjoining / or 11 to the figure, indicating such section, thus — 1 /. 2 11.
We will now arrange our rhimes, and begin with such as are found in the section of two accents.
The section 1. was at all times rare, it generally occurs as the last section of a verse.
But he that in his deed was wiss, Wyst thai assemblyt : war \ and quhar\.
The Bruce, 2. 268. But he has gotten to our grief
Ane to succeed him, A chiel wha'll soundly : buff | our beef],
I muckle dread him. Burns-
11. was common, and often contained the sectional rhime in Anglo-Saxon.
Sar | and sor\ge : susl throwedon.
Pain and sorrow and sulphur bore they. Cced.
Stunede seo brune Yth \ with oth\re : ut feor adraf On wendel-sae : wigendra scola.
Dash'd the brown
Wave, one 'gainst other ; and far out drave
On Wendel-sea, the warrior bands. Alfred.
Strong waes and rethe
Se the woetrum weold : ivreah | and theah\te Manfoethu beam.
C. VI.
SECTIONAL RHIME.
127
Strong was he and fierce
That wielded the waters ; he cover'd and o'erwhelm'd The children of wrath. Ccedmon.
According to rule, we find both vowels and final conso- nants rhiming in the second section.
Section 2. is sometimes, but rarely, found containing rhime.
Skill | mixt with will\ : is he that teaches best. Tusser.
Will | stood e for skill\ : and law obeyed lust ;
Might | trode down right\ : of king there was no feare.
Ferrers. M. for M. Somerset, 38.
The section 2l. was very commonly rhimed, particu- larly by the Anglo-Saxon poets. The rhime was mostly double, and sometimes perfect,
Frod\ne and god\ne : faeder Unwines.
The wise and good father of Unwin. Traveller s Song.
Ac hi halig god
Fer\ede and ner\ede : fiftena stod Deop ofer dunum : sse drence nod Monnes elna.
But them holy God
Led and rescued ; fifteen it stood
Of man's ells, high o'er the downs — Sea-drenching flood.
Fold waes adaeled
Ccedmon.
W(et\e'rof w^|rum : tham the waniath gyt Under faestenne.
Earth was parted
The waters from the waters, — those that yet won Under the firmament. Ccedmon.
Swil\cum and swil\cum : thu meant sweatole ongitan. By such and such things thou mayst plainly see, &c.
Alfred.
Light\ly and bright\ly : breaks away
The morning from her mantle grey. Byron.
128
SECTIONAL RIIIME.
What will you have ? Me or your heart again ? Nei\ther of ei\ther : I remit both twain.
L.L.L. 5.2.
This rhiming section not unfrequently closed the couplet in Anglo-Saxon verse.
Tha wseron gesette : wid\e and sid\e.
They were y-set wide and far. Cadmon.
Garsecg theahte
Sweart synnihte : wid\e and sid\e Wonne wegas.
Ocean cover'd
Black with lasting-night, wide and far
Wan pathways. Ccedmon.
Ofer lichoman : l<en\ne and sccn\ne.
Over the body weak and sluggish. Alfred.
The rhiming section wide and side became, like many of the others, a household phrase. It still survives in some of our northern dialects.
The section 5 was often selected for the rhime by our later poets.
By leave | and love\ : of God above,
I mean to shew, in verses few,
How through the brecrs my youthful years
Have run their race. Tusser.
Her look | was like\ : the morning's star. Bums.
It is too much we daily hear
To wive | and thrlve\ : both in one year. Tusser.
To feede | my neede\ : he will me leade
To pastures green and fat -} He forth brought me, in libertie,
To waters delicate. Yet though | I go\ : through death his wo, &c.
Archbishop Parker. He to7d | the gold] : upon the board. Heir of Linne.
i
C. VI. SECTIONAL RIIIME. 129
They ruslid | and pusKd\ : and blude outgush'd.
Burns. Sheriff Muir. Let other poets raise a fracas 'Bout vines | and wines\ : and drunken Bacchus.
Burns. Scotch Drink.
And then to see how ye' re negleckit, How huff'd j and cuff,d\ : and disrepeckit.
Burns.
We will now proceed to the verse of five accents.
Herein my foly vaine may plain appear
What hap | they heape\ : which try out cunning slight.
Higg. M. for M. King Bladud.
He staid | his steed\ : for humble miser's sake.
F. Q. 2. 1. 9. At last | when lust\ : of meat and drink had ceas'd.
F. Q. 2. 2. 39.
These kites
That bate \ and beat\ : and will not be obedient.
Tarn, of the Shrew, 3.1.
I' 11 look | to like\ : if looking liking move.
R. Sf J. 1 . 3.
The hous thai tuk, and Southeroun put to ded ; Gat nane \ bot ane\ : with lyff out of that sted.
Wallace, 9. 1655. Yet none \ but one\ : the scepter long did sway, Whose conquering name endures until this day.
Niccols. M.for M. Arthur, 5. Thus might \ not right] : did thrust me to the crown.
Blennerhasset. M.for M. Vortigern, 13. They playde J not pray ed\ : and did their God displease.
Blennerhasset. M.for M. Vortigern, 16.
In fight | and flight] : nigh all their host was slayne.
Higgins. M.for M. King Albanact, 40.
For hoape \ is sloape\ : and hold is hard to snatch, Where bloud embrues the hands that come to catch.
Higgins. M.forM. King For re j, \ 8. VOL. I. K
130 SECTIONAL RHIME.
...
I made them all, that knew my name, aghast — To shrinke | and slinke\ : and shift away for fear.
Higgins. King Morindas, 4.
Their spite\t their might\ : their falsehood never restes.
Baldwin. M.for M. Rivers, 34. Ne can | the man] : that moulds in secret cell, Unto her happy mansion attain. F. Q. 2. 3. 41.
No reach | no breach\ : that might him profit bring, But he the same did to his profit wring.
Spens. Mother Hubbard's Tale.
He hath won
With/ame | &name\ : to Caius Marcius j these
In honour follows Coriolanus. Cor. 2. 1 .
With cuffs | and ruffs\ : and farthingales and things.
Tarn, of the Shrew, 5. 3,
All this division
Shall seem | a dream\ . and fruitless vision.
M. N. D. 3. 2.
Vvhen shall you see me write a thing in rhime ? Or groan \ for Joan\ ? : or spend a minute's time In pruning me 1 When shall you hear that I Will praise a hand, a foot, a face, an eye, A gait\, a state\ ; a brow, a breast, a waist?
L L. L. 4. 3. The rhime is much less common in the last section of a verse.
Bid those beware : who weene \ to win |
By bloudy deeds the crown, Lest from the height: they feele \ the fall \
Of topsye turvye down.
Higg. M.for M. King Porrex.
Good husbandmen : must moil J and toil \ .
Tusser. Then ye may tell : how pell \ and mell\, By red claymores and muskets knell, Wi dying yell, the tories fell And whigs, &c. Burns. Sheriff Muir.
C. VI. SECTIONAL RHIME. 131
With foul reproaches and disdainful spight
He vilely entertains : and will | or nill\,
Bears her away. F. Q. 1. 3. 43.
51. was often rhimed by the Anglo-Saxon poets, but rarely by their successors.
Gegrem\ed grym\me : grap or wrathe —
Grimly enraged he seized in wrath — Ccedmon.
Ne maeg his aerende
His bod\dL beod\an : thy ic wat he inc abolgen wyrth.
Nor may his herald, His errand do ; therefore, I wot, with you enrag'd he'll be.
Ccedmon. To rule the kingdom both wee left and fell, To war\ring, jar\ring: like two hounds of hell.
Higgins. M.forM. King Forrex, 5.
And will | you, nill \ you : I will marry you.
Taming of the Shrew, 2. 1.
Section 6. also was often rhimed by our old writers.
With swordes | and no wordes] : wee tried our appeale.
Ferrers. M.forM. Gloucester, 18.
In the bed as I lay,
What time | strake the chime\ : of mine hour extreme, Qytprest | was my rest : with mortal affray, My foes j did unchse\ : 1 know not which way, My chamber doors.
Ferrers. M.for M. Gloucester, 60.
Dredge with a plentiful hand,
Lest weed \ stead of seed\ : overgroweth thy land.
Tusser.
A wand \ in thy hand\ : though thou fight not at all, Makes youth to their business better to fall. Tusser. Then up \ with your cup\ : till you stagger in speech, And match \ me this catch\ : though you swagger and screech, Ad drink \ till you wink\ : my merry men each.
W. Scott.
k 2
132 SECTIONAL RHIME. B. I.
To teach and unteach\\ in a school is unmeet,
To do and undo\ : to the purse is unsweet. Tusser.
Both bear | and io\bear\ : now and then as ye may, Then " Wench ! God a mercy" thy husband will say.
Tusser.
This rhiming section sometimes ends the verse.
But hold to their tackling : there do | but a/<?w|.
Tuiser.
Like a demigod here ; sit J | in the sky\. L. L. L.
To feel only looking : on fair est of fair\.
L. L L. 2. 2.
The section 61. seems to have been a very favourite one for the double rhime. It is only found in verse of the triple measure, or its predecessor the " tumbling verse."
So many as love me, and use me aright,
With treas\ure and pleas\ure : I richly requite. Tusser.
Who car\eth nor spar\eth : till spent he hath all,
Of bob\bing nor rob\bing : be careful he shall. Tusser.
Not car\ing nor fear\ing : for hell nor for heaven.
Tusser.
He noy\eth, destroy\eth : and all to this drift,
To strip his poor tenant. Tusser.
Tithe du\ly and true\ly : with hearty good will,
That God and his blessing may rest with thee still. Tusser.
So due\ly and true\ly : the laws alway to scan, That right may take his place.
Ferrers. M.for M. Tresilian, 2 1 .
So catch\ers and snatch\ers : toil both night and day, Notn°edy but greedy : still prolling for their prey.
Ferrers. M.for M. Tresilian, 11.
Then shaking and quak\ing : for fear of a dream, Half wak\ed all nak\ed : in bed as I lay — My foes did unclose, I know not which way, My chamber dores.
Ferrers. M.for M. Gloucester, 60.
C. VI. SECTIONAL, RHIME. 133
The Sections with three accents rhime much more rarely than those with two. They differ also from the latter in admitting various dispositions of the rhiming syllables. The rhime will be ranged under the first, second, or third class, accordingly as it exists between the two first ac- cented syllables, the two last, or the two extremes.
Section 1.
Sundry sorts of whips, As disagreement : healths | or wealths | decrease'.
Baldwin. M.forM. Rivers, 18.
The | wes bold \ gebyld\ : er thu eboren were. For thee was a dwelling built ere thou wert born.
Ex MSS.
Gasta weardum : haef |don gleam | and dream\.
For the spirit-guards — : They had light and joy. Ccedmon.
For all our good descends from God's good will, And of our lewdnes : spring|eth all | our ill\.
Higgins. M.forM, Lord Ireng las, 10.
Section ll.
Tha com ofer foldan : fus sithian Mcer\e mer\gen thrid|da: naeron metode, Tha gyta wid loud, &c.
Then gan o'er earth quickly advance,
The great third morn, nor had the Maker
As yet wide land, &c. Ccedmon.
Cweth se Hehsta: hat\an sceol|de Sat\an.
Quoth the Highest, Satan he should hight. Ccedmon.
Section 2.
Some magician's art,
Amid 1 thee or charmed \ thee strong : which thou from heav'n, Feignd'st at thy birth was giv'n thee, in thy hair.
Samson.
If no mishap men's doings did assail,
Or | that their acts | and facts] : were innocent.
Higgins. M. for M. King Malin, 1 .
134 SECTIONAL RHIME. B. I.
Hap|ly to wive | and thrive\ : as best I may.
Tarn, of the Shrew, 1. 2.
We | will have rings | and things\ : and fine array.
Tarn, of the Shrew, 2. 1.
Yet | she loves none | but one\ : that Marinel is hight.
F. Q. 3. 5. 8.
But Florimel with him : un|to his bowr \ he bore\.
F. Q. 3. 8. 36.
Section 21.
In sumptuous tire she joy'd herself to prank,
But | of her love | to ftw|ish : little have she thank.
F. Q. 2. 2. 36.
And said he wolde
Hire lemman be : wheth|er she wol\de or nol\de.
Chau. Man of Lawes Tale.
Section 3/.
Thus | they tug\ged and rug\ged : till it was ner nyght.
Turnament of Tottenham. Hav|e I twy\es or thry\es : redyn thurgh the route. Same.
Sec\can soh|te ic and Bec\ can : Seafolan and Theodoric. Secca sought I and Becca, Seafowl, and Theodric,
Travellers Song.
The section 5. is much more frequently used for this purpose, particularly with rhime of the third class.
1st Class.
This blade \ in bloud\y hand| : perdy I beare.
Higg. M. for M. King Morindas, 1 .
And fair\\y fare \ on foot | : however loth.
F. Q. 2. 2. 12.
But honour, virtue's meed,
Doth bear \ the/azV|est flower | ; in honourable seed.
F. Q. 2. 3. 10.
We little have : and love \ to live \ in peace|.
Higgins. M.for M. King Morindas, 5.
C. VI. SECTIONAL RHIME. 135
Still needes I must repented faults forerunne, Repent and tell : the fall \ a.ndfoile | I feltj.
Blenerhasset. M.forM. Vortigem, 10.
A faire persone : and strong | and yong \ of ag|e,
And full of honour, and of curtesie. Chau. Clerkes Tale.
2nd Class.
Rather let try extremities of chance, Than enter|j0m|ed praise\ ; for dread to disavaunce.
F. Q. 3. 11. 24.
Rocks, caves|, lakes, Jens\, bogs, dens\ : and shades of death.
P. L. 2.
Milton here uses rhime to strengthen his accent. His verse wanted such aid,, and he has applied it skilfully. His contempt for these " tinkling'' sounds never led him to reject them, where they could do good service.
Traistis for trewth : thus was | thai ded | in deed\.
Wallace, 11. 184.
What lucke had I : on such | a lot j to light\.
Hlgg. M.forM. King Locrinus ,18.
1 made thy heart to quake, When on thy crest : with migh|ty stroke | I strake\.
Higg. M. for M. Lord Nennius, 24.
So lightly leese they all : which all | do weene | to wiu\.
Baldwin. M.forM. Tresilian, 1.
3rd Class.
He all their ammunition,
And feats \ of war | defeats. Samson.
They broyles j at sea|, the toiles\ : I taken had on land.
Higg. M.forM. King Brenner s, 15. And I amongst my mates, the Romish fryers, felt, More joye \ and less | anoye\ -. than erst in Britain brave.
Higg. M. for M. Cadwallader.
And load j upon | him laid\ : his life for to have had.
F. Q. 3. 5. 22.
136* SECTIONAL RHIME. B. I.
Their arm\onr help'd | their harm\ •. crush'd in and bruised.
P. L. 6.
Seeing the state : unsfeac?|fast how | it stode\.
Sackville. M.for M. Buckingham, 12.
My rule my riches, royal blood and all,
When fortune frownde : thefel\\er made | my fall],
Sackville. M.for M. Buckingham, 108.
What horse ? a roan, a crop- ear is it not ?
It is my lord ; That roan | shall be | my throne\.
\H4,2. 3.
Section 51. is rarely rhimed.
And do I hear my Jeanie own
That equal transports move her ? I ask for dearest life alone,
That I | may live | to love | her. Burns.
Some apology may be due for such an overflow of au- thority. It should be remembered, that these rhiming sections are of the very essence of our vernacular poetry. They form the poetical idiom, the common stock — of which the Anglo-Saxon Scop and the Maker of Elizabeth's reign alike availed themselves. From the sixth to the six- teenth century, we find the same rhimes again and again recurring in our poetry; and even when banished from what, in courtesy, we call polite literature, we find them still lingering in the songs of the people. Some of them can boast an antiquity, which alone ought to secure them our respect; and others have sunk so deeply into our language, that all who pay attention to philology, must feel an interest in tracing their origin.
INVERSE RHIME
is that which exists between the last accented syllable of the first section, and the first accented syllable of the se- cond. It appears to have flourished most in the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries. I do not remember any instance of it in the Anglo-Saxon, but it is probably of native
C. VI. INVERSE RHIME. 137
growth. A kindred dialect, the Icelandic, had, at an early period, a species of rhime closely resembling the present — the second verse always beginning with the last accented syllable of the first. It is singular that the French had, in the sixteenth century, a rhime like the Ice- landic, called by them la rime entrelassee. The present rhime differed from both, as it was contained in one verse. The rhime was sometimes of the sixth kind, and sometimes consonantal ; but, in the great majority of instances, it was perfect. The inverse rhime is, I believe, the only one in our language that has ever affected a perfect correspond- ence between the rhiming syllables.
We will begin with the verse of four accents.
These steps | both reach\ : and teach | thee shall |
To come | by thrift] ; to shift | withal|. Tusser.
Some lucky find a flow'ry spot,
For which they never toil'd nor swat,
They drink | the sweet\ -. and eat | the fat|.
Burns to J. S. Where with intention I have err'd,
No other plea I have, But thou | art good\ : and good\uess still | Delighteth to forgive. Burns.
Take you my lord and master than,
Unless | mischance] : mhchanc\eth me|,
Such homely gift of me your man. Tusser to Lord W. Paget.
The pi|per loud\ : and loud\er blew|,
The dancers| quick\ -. and quick\er flew|. Burns.
O Henderson the man ! the brother !
And art ] thou gone\ : and gone | for ev|er ! Burns.
May prudence bless enjoyment's cup,
Then rap|tur'd^| : and sip ! it up|. Burns.
The rhime is generally double when the verse is in the triple measure.
Be greedy in spending and careless to save, And short|ly be need\y : and read\y to crave|.
Tusser. January Husbandry.
I
138 INVERSE RHIME. B. I.
His breast | full of ran\cour : like can]ker to fret|, His heart like a lion his neighbour to eat.
Tusser, Envious Neighbour. Your beauty's a flow'r in the morning that blows, And withjers the fas\ter : the fas\ter it grows |. Burns.
Come pleasure or pain,
My worst | word is wel\come : and wel\come again|.
Burns. In the verse of five accents the inverse rhime is most frequent, when there are two accents in the first section.
In such | ?l plight] : what might | a la|dy doe'.
Higg. M. for M. Queen Estride, 26.
And let | report] : your /or/ |itude | commend |.
Higg. M.for M. King Brennus, 85.
His baser breast, but in his kestral kind,
A pleasing vein of glory vain did find,
To which his flowing tongue and troublous spright
Gave | him great aid] : and made | him more | inclin'd|.
F. Q. 2. 3. 4-
She must | lie here] : of mere | neces|sity|.
L.L.Lost, 1. 1.
We plough | the deep] : and reap | what oth|ers sow|.
Waller.
The following are instances of consonantal and perfect rhimes.
The rich and poor and ev'ry one may see, Which way | to love] ; and live | in due { degree ].
Higgins. M.for M. King Albanact.
When I am dead and rotten in my dust,
Then gin | to live\ : and leave \ when oth|ers lust|.
Hall to his Satires.
For God | is^/WI ; injustice will | not thrive|.
Higg. M.for M. King Humber.
Thus made | of might] : the mi^|iest | to wring|.
Baldwin. M.for M. Rivers, 25.
C. VI. INVERSE RHIME. 139
I fol|low'd/as*| : but/as*|er did | he fly|. M. N. D. 3. 2.
For all | I did\ : I did | but as | I ought|. F. Q. 2. 1. 33.
For he | was flesh] : all flesh | doth frailty breed|.
F. Q.2. 1.52.
Weak | she makes strong\ -. and strong | thing doth increase |.
F. Q. 2. 2.31. If | you were men\ : as men | ye are | in show|, You would not use a gentle lady so. M. N. D.3. 1.
Vows | are but breath] : and ftratM | a vajpour is|.
Love's Labour Lost, 1.1.
Folly in wisdom hatcht
Hath wisdom's warrant, and the help of school And wit's | own grace\ : to grace | a learn |ed fool|.
L. L. Lost, 5. 1.
O hap|py love\ ; where love ] like this | is found |.
Burns s Cottar s Saturday Night.
This rhime is much more rare, when the first section contains three accents.
Herein | my foljly vayne\ : did playne \ appear|.
Higgins. M.forM. King Bladud.
And | by my father's love\ : and leave \ am arm'd |
With his good will and thy good company. T. of the S. 1. 1 .
But wheth|er they | be taen\ -. or slain \ we hear | not.
R 2, 5. 6. That brought [ into | this world\ : a world \ of woe|.
P. L. 9.
For | it is chaste | and pure\ : as pur\est snow|.
F. Q. 2. 2. 9. For | 'tis a sign | of love\ : and love \ to Rich|ard, Is a strange brooch in this all-hating world. R 2, 5. 5.
The double rhime is very rare in the verse of five accents.
The musis freedorne graunted them of elde,
Is barde ; | slye rea\sons : trea\sons high | are held].
M.for M. CollitigboHrn.
140 INVERSE RHIME. B. I
The inverse rhime was not unfrequent in the verse o: six accents. Spenser loved to close with it his beautifu and majestic stanza.
Whereby | with eas|y payne\ : great gayne \ we did | outfet|. Baldwin. M.for M. Trisilian, 8.
He nev|er meant | withtoor<&| : but swords | to plead | his right|.
F. Q. 1. 4. 42.
By subjtilty | nor slight] : nor might \ nor might|iest charm|.
F. Q. 1. 11.36.
And what | I can | not quite\ -. requite | with u|sury|.
FQ. 1.8.27.
So good|ly did | beguile\ ; the guil\er of | his prey|.
F. Q. 2. 7. 44. Therefore | need mote | he live\ : that liv\mg gives | to all|.
F. Q. 3* 6. 47. And made | that cap|tives thrall\ ; the thrall | of wick|edness|.
F. Q. 2. 4. 1 6.
— Tried in heaviest plight Of la|bours huge | and hard\ ; too hard | for hu|man wight].
Milton. The Passion.
ALLITERATION.
The laws which regulate the Anglo-Saxon verse, have been the subject of much speculation. Rask claims the merit of their discovery, and does not affect to hide his triumph over the blindness and stupidity of our country- men. The opinions of Hickes, Conybeare, and Turner, are submitted to review, and dismissed with an air of very superior scholarship. The extreme deference, with which these claims have been listened to, and the acquiescence which has been paid to them in this country, is the best proof I have met with of that ignorance, with which he and other foreigners have thought fit to charge us.
According to Rask, the law of Anglo-Saxon alliteration is this. In every alliterative couplet, there must be three syllables (and no more) beginning with the same letters,
C. VI. ALLITERATION. 14]
two in the first section, and one in the second. If the rhiming syllables begin with vowels, such vowels should if possible be different. Each of the three syllables must take the accent. He gives for example the two couplets ;
Tha waes after wiste There was after the feast
Wop up a-hafen. A cry rais'd.
ifotenas and ylfe, Giants, and elves,,
And orceas. And spectres.
He adds that sometimes in short verses there is but one rhiming letter in the first section.
Now the first thing that strikes us, is, that these are the rules which Olaus Wormius laid down for the regulation of Scandinavian verse. The passage is familiar to all who interest themselves in these matters, and was quoted by Hickes. The merit then of Rask must lie in their appli- cation. Do the same rules apply to the Anglo-Saxon as to the Icelandic verse?
In the later poems — those of the tenth and eleventh century — these rules partially hold; and I think more closely in the old English poems, which were contempo- rary with the great mass of Icelandic literature. But the flower of Anglo-Saxon literature was of much earlier date, and here the rules fail in the majority of instances. More than two-thirds of the couplets with four accents, and of the couplets with five more than one-half, have only two rhiming syllables. Even of the couplets with six accents, there is a large proportion in the like predicament. We find also in many couplets more than three alliterative syllables. I cannot think that much merit was due for the application of a principle, that fits thus loosely.
These rules had been long recognised as applicable to Icelandic verse. They were not only laid down by Olaus Wormius, but also in the Hattalykia or Metre-key, the well-known Icelandic prosody, composed in the thir- teenth century. Several writers had also recognised Anglo-Saxon verse as alliterative, though no one had dis-
142 ALLITERATION. B.
covered the laws which governed its alliteration. We have examined the rules which Rask has proposed for this purpose, and will now venture to lay down others, which we think may be trusted to with greater safety.
1st. Every alliterative couplet had two accented sylla- bles, containing the same initial consonants, one in each of the two sections.
2ndly. In a large proportion of instances, particularly in the longer couplets, the first section contained two such syllables. This custom gradually became so prevalent, that after the ninth century it may be considered as the general law.
3rdly. Sometimes, though rarely, the second section had two rhiming syllables.
4thly. The absence of initial consonants satisfied the alliteration. As a correspondence in the vowels seems to have been avoided, these syllables generally began with different vowels, when the initial consonants were wanting.
Rask has broadly stated, that the second section cannot admit two rhiming syllables, and has ventured to impugn the conclusions of such a man as Conybeare, because they were opposed to this " law of alliteration." I therefore give the following examples in proof of the third rule.
Cwsedon that hie rice : rece mode
Ag\an wol|dun : and | swa eath\c meah|ton.
Quoth they in wrathful mood, that they the kingdom
Would have, and that with ease they might. Ctedmon.
Tha Aulixes : leafe hsefde
Thrac\ea cyn|ing: that | he thon\an mos|te.
When Ulysses had leave
Thracia's king that he might thence — Alfred.
Rathe was gefylled
Heah | cyning|es hces\ : him | was hal\\g leoht.
Quick was fulfill' d
The high-king's hest : around him was holy light. Ctedmon.
C. VI. ALLITERATION. 143
On last | /<?<7|dun : lath\um leod\um. At foot they laid on the loathed bands.
Brunanburgh War Song.
The number might easily be increased ; but the reader can do this for himself, when we come to the considera- tion of our Anglo-Saxon rhythms.
In the longer species of verse, when the couplet con- tained more than six accents, three rhiming syllables in one section were common, both in the first section, and in the second.
Alfred used occasionally three rhiming syllables in the first section, when the couplet contained six, and even when it contained five accents. But such instances are rare.
We also find couplets in which the alliteration is, as it were, double — the same two letters beginning accented syllables in the second section, as in the first. Such in- stances are far from unfrequent. The coincidence, how- ever, may be accidental.
It should be observed, that in Ceedmon and the earlier poets, the initial consonants are not always rhimed cor- rectly. They seem satisfied if the first consonants corres pond, and often make s rhime with sw or sc. After the ninth century, there was in general a more accurate cor- respondence.
In the alliterative poems of the thirteenth and four- teenth centuries, we find the vowels corresponding much more frequently than in Anglo-Saxon. So much was this kind of rhime affected by the writers, who ushered in the reign of Elizabeth, that we have elsewhere called it " mo- dern alliteration. " Alliteration indeed, as a system, had long been banished to the North, but every " maker" was hunting after rhime, initial or final, and thus came the last improvement upon the simple alliteration of our ancestors.
But when ambition bleared both our eyes, And hasty hate\ : had brotherhode bereft.
Higg. M.for M. King Forrex, 5.
144 ALLITERATION.
What hart | so hard\ : but doth abhorre to hear.
Francis Segar. M. for M. Richard, 1 .
Not ra^w|ing but rag\mg : as youth did him intice.
Baldwin. M.forM. Tresilian, 16.
Enregister my mirrour to remaine,
That princes may : my vic\es vile \ refraye|.
Higg. M.forM. KingIago,S.
Devyded well: wejoint\ly did | enjoy \
The princely state. Higg. M.forM. King Forrex, 4.
But since thy outside looks so fair and warlike,
And that thy tongue : some say | of breed\mg breathes],
Lear, 5. 3.
Wave | rolling af[ter wave\ : where way | they found].
P. L. 7.
UNACCENTED RHIME.
Hitherto we have assumed that the accent always falls upon the rhiming syllable. There is little doubt, that Olaus Wormius wished to provide against a violation of this rule, when he laid it down, that the rhiming syllables of a section must not follow each other immediately. There is, however, one exception, an exception which seems to have arisen from the slender dimensions of an Anglo-Saxon verse, or, as we have hitherto termed it, alliterative couplet. Into verses of this kind, containing only four accents, some poets managed to crowd final rhime, middle rhime, sectional rhime, and alliteration. This could hardly be effected unless the unaccented syl- lables were put in requisition, as in the following passage ;
Flah | mah wit|eth : fan | man hwit|eth Burg | sorg bit|eth : bald | aid thwit|eth, Wroec \foec writh|ath : wrath\ath smit|eth, &c.
The javelin-man fighteth, the archer
The borough-grief biteth,
The vengeance-hour flourished!, the anger-oath smiteth.
C. VI. UNACCENTED RHIME. 145
We have one or two instances of this rhime even in Caedmon, which shews, that the difficulty of joining al- literation and sectional rhime had made the invention fami- liar at a very early period.
on thone eaguin onwlat Stihth\-frihth cyn|ing: and tha stowe beheold Dreamalease.
On it with eyes glanced The stalwart king ; and the place beheld All joyless. Cadmon.
Frynd \ sind hie J min|e geornje : holde on hyra hyge-sceaftum, Friends are they of mine right-truly, faithful in their heart's deep-councils. Caedmon,
In like manner, the narrow dimensions of their verse drove the Icelanders to a similar invention. The rhiming syllables, however, were differently disposed of. The first syllable bore the accent and the alliteration ; the second, which of course was unaccented, rhimed with some ac- cented syllable in the same section, and generally with the second alliterative syllable. The rhime was consonantal. This difference of the rhime, together with the different position of the syllables, must have produced effects widely different in the two languages. Perhaps we might infer, that the unaccented rhime was invented, at a period subsequent to the separation of the two races.
In the early part of the sixteenth century, there were instances, in which writers — some of great merit — actually closed their verse with a rhime between unaccented sylla- bles. This arose, no doubt, from the prevalence of the " tumbling verse." of which we shall have more to say hereafter, and which at one time threatened to confound all our notions of rhythmical proportion. Of all our writers of reputation, Wyat most sinned in this way. In some of his smaller pieces, nearly one-fourth of the rhimes are of this nature.
VOL. I. L.
146 DOUBLY-ACCENTED RHIME. B. I.
Right true it is and said full yore ago,
Take heed | of him| : that by | the back | thee claw|eth,
For none is worse than is a friendly foe.
Though thee | seme good| : all thing | that thee | deli|teth,
Yet know | it well| : that in | thy bos|ome crep'eth ;
For man|y aman| : such fire | oft times | he kind|leth,
That ] with the blase|; his beard | himself | he sing|eth.
In the above stanza Wyat intended to rhime claweth, deliteth, crepeth ; and also the words kindleth and singeth.
In the following stave he rhimes other with higher ;
But one | thing yet| : there is | above | alloth|er,
I gave him winges whereby he might upflye,
To hon|our and fame| : and if | he would | to high|er
Than mortal things above the starry skye.
There are also cases in which an unaccented syllable is made to rhime with one accented.
She reft | my heart| : and I | a glove | from her\,
Let us see then( : if one | be worth | the oth|er. Wyat.
And Bacchus eke| : ensharps | the wit | of some\, Facun|di cal|ices| : quern non | fece|re diser|/wm.
Higg. M.for M. King Chirunus, 2.
DOUBLY-ACCENTED RHIME
.
seems to owe its origin to the lavish use of the su stantives in ion. The facilities of rhime afforded by the endings ation, ition, &c., were too great to be resisted, and they wTere used with such a profusion, as to make a great and certainly not a favourable impression on the language. Now ion was sometimes used as one syllable, and then the rhime became double, a\tion; sometimes as two syllables, and then the rhime was thrown on the- last, a\tion\. Sometimes the poet began his rhime with the first syllable, even when he resolved ion into two.
What nedjeth gret|er ; dijlafojftW ?
I say by treatise and ambassatrie,
And | by thepop|es : me|dia|^'o«|
They ben accorded. Chau. Man of Lawes Tale.
C. VI. DOUBLY-ACCENTED RHIME. 14/
A band | thai maid| : in prew|a \\lu\sion\, Al | thair pow|er : to wyrk | his confu\sion\.
Wallace, 11. 205. When | they next wake| : all this [ (\\vis\ion\, Shall seem ] a dream| : and fruit|less vis\ion\.
M. N. D. 3. 2. Ifgra|cious si|lence : sweet | ntten\tion\, Quick sight | and quic|ker : a.\)])ve\hen\sion, (The lights of judgment's throne) shine any where, Our doubtful author hopes to find them here.
B. Jons. Prol. to Cynthia s Revels.
The double accent quickly passed to other terminations.
Her name was Agape, whose children werne, All three | asone| : the first | hight Pri\amond\, The sec | ond Da'! amottc( : the young|est Tri\amond .
F.Q. 4.2. 41.
Skip|per, stand back| : 'tis age | that nour\isheth\, But youth | in la|dies' eyes| ; that flour \ishsth\.
Tarn, of the Shrew, 2. 1.
A serious blunder was sometimes the result of this prac- tice. There are examples, among the early Elizabethan writers and their immediate predecessors, where ion is resolved into two syllables in one line, while, in the one corresponding, it follows the last legitimate accent of the verse ; so that we must either increase the proper number of accents, or falsify the rhime. Even Spenser was guilty of this fault ;
Who soon as he beheld that angel's face, Adorn'd | with all : divine | per/<?c]^'orc|, His cheered heart eftsoons away gan chase Sad death|, revi|ved : with | her sad | inspection, And feejble spir|it ; injly felt | refec\tion, As wither'd weed through cruel winter's tine, That feels | the warmth | : of sun|ny beams | reflec Hon, Lifts up his head, that did before decline, And gins to spread his leaf before the fair sunshine.
F. Q. \. 12. 3 1.
l 2
I
148 THE PAUSES. B. I.
CHAPTER VII.
THE PAUSES,
which serve for the regulation of the rhythm, are three in number; the final, middle, and sectional. The first occurs at the end of a verse, the second divides it into two sections, and the third is found in the midst of one of these sections. It is of great importance, that these pauses should not be confounded with such, as are only wanted for the purposes of grammar, or of emphasis. To keep them perfectly distinct, we shall always designate the latter as stops.
There is no doubt, that our stops were at one time identical with our pauses. In the Anglo-Saxon poems, we find the close of every sentence, or member of a sen- tence, coincident with a middle or final pause. In the works of Caedmon and other masters of the art, we find even the sectional pause so placed as to aid the sense ; though I never knew a regular division of a sentence, which thus fell in the midst of a section.
In the present chapter, we shall first examine the pauses in their order — final, middle, and sectional — and endeavour to settle the limits, which mark out their posi- tion in a sentence. We will then ascertain in what places of the verse the stops may fall; or, in other words, how far the punctuation of a verse has, at different periods, been accommodated to its rhythm.
THE FINAL PAUSE.
In the Anglo-Saxon, there does not appear to have been any distinction made between the middle and final pauses.
C. VII. THE FINAL PAUSE. M9
The sections, whether connected by alliteration or not, were always separated by a dot, and were written continu- ously, like prose. In the old English alliterative poems, we find the alliterative couplet, or the two sections that contained the alliteration, written in one line, like a mo- dern verse. In these poems also we find a marked dis- tinction between the two pauses, but the Anglo-Saxons — so far at least as regarded the pause — appear to have con- sidered each section as a separate verse.
As a general rule, we may lay it down, that the final and middle pauses ought always to coincide with the close of a sentence, or of some member of a sentence. This rule may be best illustrated, by noticing such violations of it, as have at different periods been tolerated in our poetry.
Perhaps there never was a greater violation of those first principles, on which all rhythm must depend, than placing the final pause in the midst of a word. Yet of this gross fault Milton has been guilty more than once-
Cries the stall-reader " Bless me ! what a word on A title page is this," and some in file Stand spelling false, till one might walk to Mile- End Green. Sonnet.
And fabled how the serpent, whom they call'd Opheon, with Eurynome the wide- Encroaching Eve perhaps, had first the rule Of high Olympus. P. L. 10.
All must remember the ridicule, which was thrown upon this practice in the Anti-Jacobin ; but Creech, in the hap- less translation to which it is said the envy of Dryden urged him, had in sober earnest realized the absurdity.
Pyrrhus, you tempt a danger high,
When you would tear from angry li-
Oness her cubs. Hor. Odes, 3. 20.
There are many verbs followed by prepositions, which must, for certain purposes, be considered as compounds ; and although, in some cases, words may be inserted be-
150 THE FINAL PAUSE.
tween such verbs and their prepositions, yet they will not admit the pause.
With that he fiercely at him flew, and laid
On hideous strokes, with most importune might.
F. Q. 6. 1 . 20. Go to the Douglas, and deliver him Up to his pleasure, ransomless and free. 1 HA, 5. 4.
Which from meane place in little time was grown Up unto him, that weight upon him laid • And being got the nearest to the throne, He the more easly the great kingdom swaid.
Drayton. M.forM. Wolsey, 43.
Another serious fault is committed, when the final pause immediately follows and separates a qualifying word from the word qualified ; as when it thus separates the substantive from its adjective, or other word of like nature.
He joined to my brother John the olde Duches of Norfolk, notable of fame.
Baldwin. M.for M. Rivers, 27. „
He answer'd nought at all, but adding new
Fear to his first amazement, staring wide
Astonish'd stood. F. Q.
Sir, if a servant's
Duty with faith may be called love, you are More than in hope, you are possess'd of it.
B. Jons. Ev. Man in his H. 2. 3.
More foul diseases than ere yet the hot
Sun bred, thorough his burnings, while the dog
Pursues the raging lion.
Fletcher. Faithful Shepherdess, 1 . 2.
As where smooth Zephirus plays on the fleet
Face of the curled streams, with flow'rs as many
As the young spring gives. Fl. Faithful Shepherdess.
And God created the great whales, and each
Soul living, each that crept, which plenteously
The waters generated. P. L 1 .
C. VII. THE FINAL PAUSE. 1 1 1
To judgment he proceeded on the accus'd
Serpent, though brute ; unable to transfer
The guilt on him who made him instrument
Of mischief. P.L. 10.
First in the East the glorious lamp was seen
Invested with bright beams, jocund to run
His longitude through Heav'ns high road ; the gray
Dawn, and the Pleiades before him danc'd. P. L. 7.
Even the Anglo-Saxon poets occasionally placed the pause between the adjective and its substantive.
Stunede seo brune
Yth with othre : ut feor adraf On Windel sae : wigendra scola.
Dash'd the brown
Wave, one 'gainst other, and far out-drave
On Wendel-sea the warrior bands. Alfred.
Again, the pause should not occur immediately between the preposition and the words governed by it.
What did this vanity,
But minister communication of
A most poor issue? H 8, 1. 1.
Read o'er this,
And after this, and then to breakfast with What appetite you have. H 8, 3. 2.
When any of the personal pronouns immediately follow the verb, either in the dative or objective case, the con- nexion is too close to admit this pause between them.
I more desirous humbly did request
Him shew th' unhappy Albion princes yore.
Higg. M.for M. Induction.
At length I met a nobleman, they calVd Him Labienus, one of Caesar's friends.
Higg. M. for M. Lord Nennius, 29
At hand they spy
That quicksand nigh, with water covered,
But by the checked wave they did descry
It plain, and by the sea discolored. F. Q. 2. 12. 28.
152 THE MIDDLE PAUSE.
Much better
She ne'er had known pomp ; though it be temporal,
Yet if that quarrel fortune do divorce
It from the bearer, 'tis a suff'rance panging
-As soul and body parting. H 8, 1.3.
And did not manners and my love command Me to forbear, to make those understand,
I would have shown
To all the world, the art which thou alone Hast taught our language.
Beaumont to B. Jons, on his Fox.
Let it suffice thee that thou know'st
Us happy, and without love no happiness. P. L. 8.
For from my mother's womb this grace I have
Me given by Eternal destiny. F. Q. 2. 3. 45.
When, however, the pronoun becomes emphatic by antithesis, or when it loses its character as pronoun, and has no reference to any antecedent, this position of the final pause is much less offensive. Yet even in this case caution is necessary.
Here Nature, whether more intent to please
Us, or herself with strange varieties — Denham.
It is a walk thick set with many a tree, Whose arched bowes ore hed combined bee, That nor the golden eye of heaven can peepe Into that place, nor yet when heaven doth weepe, Can the thin drops of drizeling rain offend Him, that for succour to that place doth wend.
Niccols. M.for M. Induction.
THE MIDDLE PAUSE
is, in great measure, under the control of the same laws, as regulate the position of the final pause. But as the former has long ceased to have any visible index, and as its very existence has been the subject of doubt and spe- culation, we find the violations of these laws proportion- ably more frequent. We have indicated the place of the
C. VII. THE MIDDLE PAUSE. 153
middle pause by the colon (:), which must be familiar to the reader, as marking the divisions of our ecclesiastical chaunts.
Whether English verse of four accents ought, in every case, to have a middle pause, is a question of difficulty which may be considered hereafter. There can be little doubt, that every verse with more than four accents ought to have the pause. We find this to be the case with the alliterative couplets of the Anglo-Saxons, with the allite- rative verses of our old English poems, and with those more regular rhythms, which, chiefly under the patronage of Chaucer, were established in their room. It was not till the middle of the fifteenth century that the dot, which indicated the middle pause, began to be omitted in our manuscripts, and no edition of Chaucer or his contem- poraries can be perfect without it.
There are many instances, and some of high authority, in which the middle pause falls in the midst of a word. These, however, should not be imitated.
And negligent securitie and ease Unbrid|led sen\:sual\itie | begat|.
Drayton. M. for M. 98.
Thy ang|er un\:appeas\able | still rag|es.
Samson Agonistes*
Some rousing motions in me which dispose To some|thing ex\:traor dinary [ my thoughts].
Samson Agonistes.
It would be easy to crowd the page with verses of six accents, in which this middle pause, if it exist at all, must divide a word. But the writers of the sixteenth century used a verse of six accents, formed on a very different model from the ordinary one — to wit, containing two sec- tions, one of four, the other of two accents. This dif- ference of origin will, of course, account for the different position of the middle pause.
The following are instances in which the middle pause seems to be badly placed.
154 THE SECTIONAL PAUSE. B. I.
And Re\tie\ : ric\es liyr|de
And of Retia's realm the ruler. Alfred.
He for despit, and for his tyrannic, To don | the ded\ : bod\ies a vil|lani|e Of all our lordes, which had been yslawe,
Hath all the bodies on an hepe ydrawe. Chau. Knightes Tale. O Pallas goddesse Soverayne Bred out | of great\ : Ju\piters brayne].
Puttenham Parth. 16. AndUjna wan|dring in\ : woods | and forrestsj. F. Q. \ 2. 9. But Phlegeton is son of Herebus and Night * ButHer|ebus | son of\ ; Eter\nity | is hight|. F. Q 2, 4. 41. Pleasure the daughter of\ : Cu\pid and Psy|ehelate|.
F. Q. 3. 6. 50.
SECTIONAL PAUSE.
We have said that, in Anglo-Saxon verse, the stops, which closed a sentence or a member of a sentence, were always coincident with a middle or final pause. We never meet with these stops in the midst of a section. The sectional pause had, in all probability, a very different origin. In Csedmon we find it before words, on which it is evidently the poet's intention to throw a powerful em- phasis. Perhaps we may infer, that the sectional pause was originally a stop, that served the purposes of em- phasis, as the others were stops which served the pur- poses of construction.
Whatever were its origin, we find the sectional pause well known and widely used in the earliest dawn of our literature. It is common in Caedmon, and in Conybeare's rhiming poem it is found in many sections together.
Treovv | tel|gade : Tir | wel|gade
Blaed | blis|sade ;— f
Gold | gearjwade: Gim | hwear|fade.
* This is not the only verse in the Faery Queen which has six accents when it ought to have five. Like the Mneid., this noble poem was left un- finished.
t A section missing.
C. VII. THE SECTIONAL PAUSE. 155
The tree shot forth branches ; Glory abounded j
Fruit blessed us ;
Gold deck'd us ; Gems en wrapt us.
We shall not here range in order the sections, which have admitted the pause ; a chapter will be devoted to that purpose in the second book. At present we shall merely give one or two songs, in which the sectional pause has been studiously affected. The first is by Sir Philip Sydney. The verses are represented as having been " with some art curiously written."
Vir|tue, beau'ty, and speech| ; did strike,] wound], charm],
My heart|, eyes], ears\ ; with won|der, love|, delight|,
First|, sec\ond, last| ; did bind|, enforce^ and arrae|,
His workes|, showes\, suites] : with wit|, grace, and|* vows might].
Thus hon]our, lik|ing, trust| : much \,farre], and deep], Held], pearst], possest| : my judgjment, sense | and will|, Till wrong], contempt], deceit| ; didgrowe|, steal], creep], Bandes|,/a|vour, faith | ; to break|, defile|, and kill|.
Then griefe], unkind |ness, proofe| : tooke|, kind]\ed, taught |, Well ground|ed, no|ble, due| : spite], rage], disdain|, But al | alass | in vayne| : my mind|, sight], thought], Doth him |, his face|, his words| : leave|, shun], refraine|.
For nothjing, time1, nor place] : can loose|, quench], ease \ Mine own | embrac|ed, sought| : knot], fire], disease|.
Arcadia. Lib. 111.
The curiosity of these verses is much greater than their merit. The "art" consists in transforming the stops, which separate the words of a sequence, into sectional pauses.
This kind of experiment seems to have been a favourite one in the sixteenth eentury. Spenser, in one of his eclogues, had already written what he called a Roundle, in which the " under-song" had a sort of jerking liveli- ness imparted to it, by the free use of these sectional pauses. The piece has very little poetical merit, but is u curiously written."
False accentttatfcm.
156 THE STOPS. B.
Per. It fell upon a holy Eve,
Wil. Hey | ho| : hol|iday| !
Per. When holy Fathers wont to shrive,
Wil. Now | gin|neth : this roun|delay !
Per. Sitting upon a hill so high,
Wil. Hey | ho| : the high | hill| !
Per. The while my flock did feed thereby,
Wil. The while the shepherds self did spill !
Per. I saw the bouncing Bonnibel,
Wil. Hey | ho| : Bonjnibel|, &c. &c.
Shakespeare has left us a happier specimen.
Come away | come away | death\ ! And in sad cypress let me be laid ; Fly away | fly away j breath\, I am slain by a fair cruel maid.
Not a flower | not a flower | sweet | On my black coffin let there be strown, Not a friend | not a friend J greet j My poor corpse where my bones shall be thrown.
Twelfth Night, 2. 4
THE STOPS
may be divided, like our pauses, into final, middle, anc sectional.
In Anglo-Saxon poems, the full stop falls indifferently at the end, or in the middle of an alliterative couplet. Of the two, the middle stop seems to have been preferred. In this particular, the Anglo-Saxon rhythms resemble the more ancient German, and are widely distinguished from the Icelandic. The latter, almost invariably, close their period with the couplet, like our own alliterative poems of the twelfth and thirteenth centuries. As no Icelandic poem can be satisfactorily traced to an earlier date than these English poems, we may conclude, that the northern rhythms were influenced by the same causes, and affected at the same time, and in the same manner, as those of the more southern dialects.
C. VII. THE STOPS. 157
In the metre, used by Chaucer and his school, we ge- nerally find the middle stop subordinate to the final ; but our dramatists, whose dialogue required frequent breaks in the rhythm, gave to the middle stop all its former im- portance. The poets of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries run their lines one into the other, even when they were writing what has been called the heroic couplet — a license that was very slowly corrected by the example of Waller, Denham, and above all of Dryden. The last poet, in his rhiming tragedies, broke his lines without scruple, and avowedly for the purposes of dramatic effect 5 but in his other works he very rarely indulges in this liberty.
Johnson lays it down as a rule, that, in the midst of a verse, a full stop ought not to follow an unaccented syl- lable ; but that a stop which merely suspends the sense, may. He would object therefore to the rhythm of the following passage.
So sung
The glor|ious train [ ascen\ding : He | through Heav'n|
That open'd wide her blazing portals, led
To Gods eternal house direct the way. P. L. 7.
But, amid all the license of the sectional stop, a rule like this is mere hypercriticism.
It is not easy to trace the steps, by which the sectional stop obtruded itself so generally into English verse. It is probable, that when the alliterative system, upon which our rhythms had been so long modelled, was done away with, much license prevailed as to the position of the middle pause; and consequently of the stop, that was coincident with it. When a more settled rhythm again brought it under rule, the ear had been too much accus- tomed to such new termination of the period, to take offence at the occasional violation of a law which had been so long neglected. When our dramas came into vogue, the necessities of the dialogue must also have had
158 THE STOPS. B. I.
great influence. A single verse was sometimes parcelled out between three or four speakers, and frequently into as many sentences. Milton, therefore, had full range to gratify even his passion for variety. Had he used this liberty with more discretion, he would have laid the litera- ture of his country under yet greater obligations.
A very favourite stop with Shakespeare was the one before the last accented syllable of the verse. Under his sanction it has become familiar, though opposed to every principle of accentual rhythm.
Rich conceit
Taught thee to make vast Neptune weep for aye
On | thy low grave| : on faults | forgiv|en. Dead]
Is noble Timon. T. of A. 5. 5.
And so his peers upon this evidence
Have found | him guil|ty : of | high trea|son. Much\
He spoke and learnedly for life, &c. H8, 2. 1.
Loud | as from num|bers; with | out numjber, sweet
As from blest voices uttering joy. P. L. 3.
The humble shrub
And bush | with friz|zled hair| : implicit. Last]
Rose as in dance the stately trees. P. L. 7.
When there is a syllable between the stop and the last accent, it does not strike the ear so abruptly.
I such a fellow saw
Which made | me think | a man] : a worm] ; my sin\
Came then into my mind. Lear, 4. 1.
Pipes that charm'd
Their pain | ful steps | : o'er | the burnt soil|, andnoiv] Advanc'd in view they stand. P L 1.
Thai for joy and pite gret
Quhen that thai with thar falow met
That thai | wend had| : bene dede| ; for thi
Thai welcummyt him mar hartfully. Bruce, 2. 904.
VII.
THE STOPS. 159
A stop much favoured by Milton, is that which occurs after the first syllable, when it takes the accent. Harry to Harry shall, hot horse to horse, Meet] and ne'er part| ; till one | drop down | a corse|,
1 HA, 4. 1. Though need make many poets, and some such As art and nature have not better'd much, Yet ours for want, hath not so lov'd the stage As he dare serve th' ill customs of the age — To make a child, now swaddled, to proceed Man* | and then shoot | up : in | one beard | and weed|. Past threescore years
Ben Jons. Prol. to Every Man in his Humour. Had you, some ages past, this race of glory Run\, with amaze|ment: we | had heard | your sto|ry.
Waller's Panegyric.
• Not to me returns
Day\, or the sweet | approach | : of ev'n | or morn|.
P. L. 3.
Death his dart
Shook\, but delay 'd | to strike | : though oft | invok'd|.
P. L. 9.
Hypocrites austerely talk,
Defaming as impure, what God declares
Pure\, and commands | to some| : leaves free | to all).
P.L.
A stop, which is found in Chaucer, sometimes follows the second syllable when the verse begins with an accent.
They weren nothing idel,
The fomy stedes on the golden bridel Gnaw\ing, and fast] : the armjurers | also | With file and hammer pricking to and fro.
Chau. The Knightes Tale.
The statue of Mars upon a carte stood
Arm\ed, and look|ed grim| : as he | were wood|.
Chau. The Knightes Tale.
* This is the celebrated passage which contains, as is generally apposed, the sneer upon Shakespeare.
160 THE STOPS. B. I.
For the time I study
Vir\tue, and that [ part: of | philosophy | Will I apply, that treats of happiness, By virtue specially to be atchieved.
Tarn, of the Shrew, 1.1.
— ■ Night with her will bring
Si\lence, and sleep | : listening to thee | will watch|.
P. L. 7.
His heart
Distends with pride, and hardening in his strength
Glories ; for nev|er since| : creajted man|
Met such embodied force. P. L. 1.
This stop, however, like the last, can never close a period.
When the first accent falls on the second syllable, it is very commonly followed by a stop.
It were, quod he, to thee no gret honour
For to be false, ne for to be traytour
To me\, that am| : thy cous|in and | thy broth |er.
Chau. The Knightes Tale. For it of honour and all virtue is The root |, and brings | forth: glo|rious flow'rs | of fame].
F. Q. 6. 2. With such an easy and unforc'd ascent, That no stupendous precipice denies Access\, no hor|ror : turns | away | our eyes|.
Denham. Cooper s Hill. Are there, among the females of our isle, Such faults | at which : | it is j a fault | to smile | ? There are\. Vice once| : by mod|est na|ture chain'd| And legal ties, expatiates unrestrained. Pope's Sat. 7.
This stop was by no means rare in the verse of four accents.
Bot for pite I trow greting
Be na thing bot ane opynnyng
Off hart\, that schaw|is : the tenjdernyss |
Off rewth that in it closyt is. The Bruce, 2. 92G.
C. VII. THE STOPS.
161
When he gives her many a rose
Sweeter than the breath, that blows
The leaves], grapes, ber|ries •. of | the best|.
Fletcher. Faithful Shepherdess.
Nor let the water riding high,
As thou wad'st in, make thee cry,
Andsob\, but ev|er : live | with me|,
And not a wave shall trouble thee. Fletcher. Fa. Sh. 2. 1.
Our poets sometimes place a stop after the third syl- lable, but I think never happily.
The clotered blood for any leche craft Corrum\peth, and | : is | in his bouk|eylaft|.
Chau. The Knightes Tale.
Of the blod real
Of The\bes, and | : of susjtren two | yborne|.
Chau. The Knightes Tale,
What in me is dark
Illu\mine, what | is low| : raise | and support1. P. L. 1.
How he can
Is doubt] ful, that | he nev[er : will], is sure |. F.L.I.
If I can be to thee
A po\et, thou| : Parnas|sus art | to me|.
Denham. Cooper s Hill. Why then should I, encouraging the bad, Turn reb\el, and| • run pop|ular|ly mad| ?
Dry den. Abs. fy Arch.
This stop is also found in verse of four accents. The lord off Lome wounyt tharby, That wes capitale ennymy To the king for his emys sake Jhon Com\yn; and| : thoucht | for to tak| Wengeance. The Bruce, 2. 400.
Mortals, that would follow me,
Love Vir\tue, she| : alone | is free|. Comus.
Oft in glimm'ring bow'rs and glades
He met | her, and| : in se|cret shades |
Of woody Ida's inmost grove. U Penseroso.
VOL. I. M
162
THE STOPS.
B. I.
When we see how nearly the freedom of our elder poets approached to license, we may appreciate, in some mea- sure, the obligations we are under to the school of Pope and Dryden. The attempts to revive the abuses, which they reformed, have happily, as yet, met with only partial success.
163
BOOK II
CHAPTER I.
ENGLISH RHYTHMS. THEIR ORIGIN.
Our Anglo-Saxon poems consist of certain versicles, or, as we have hitherto termed them, sections, bound together in pairs by the laws of alliteration. In some few instances, of comparatively modern date, the bond of union is the final rhime; but generally speaking, this rhime is an addition to the alliteration, and not a substi- tute for it. In Icelandic poems we sometimes find a section occurring without its fellow 5 but I have never met with such a case in Anglo-Saxon verse, unless where there has evidently been a section missing.
For the most part these sections contain two or three accents, but some are found containing four or even five. The greater number of these longer sections may be divided into two parts, which generally fulfil all the con- ditions of an alliterative couplet ; and in some manuscripts are actually found so divided. Whether every section of more than three accents be compound, may perhaps be matter of doubt. There are certainly many sections of four accents, which can have no middle pause, unless it fall in the midst of a word ; for example,
m 2
164 ENGLISH RHYTHMS. THEIR ORIGIN. R. II.
Tha spraec | se of |ermod|a cyn|ing : the eer vvses engla scynost. Then spake the haughty king, that erewhile was of angels shenest.
Ctedmon.
and in the Icelandic verse of four accents, the middle pause is of rare occurrence. But this is not decisive as to their origin ; for if a compound section were once ad- mitted, we cannot expect it would still retain all the pe- culiarities of an alliterative couplet. As many of these sections are obviously compound, it would perhaps be safer to refer them all to an origin, which is sufficient for the purpose, than to multiply the sources of our rhythms, without satisfactory authority.
Such verses and alliterative couplets, as contain a com- pound section, may well furnish matter for a distinct chapter. We shall, at present, consider those only, which are composed of simple sections.
We have seen, that two accented syllables may come together, if they have a pause between them. This pause, which has been termed the sectional pause, was admitted into the elementary versicle. The verses, however, or alliterative couplets, which contain the sectional pause, are of a character so peculiar, that they may be considered apart from the others, not only without injury to the ge- neral arrangement, but with much advantage to the clear understanding of the subject. We shall, at present, then consider only such verses, as are formed of two simple sections, and do not contain any sectional pause. Thus restricted, the elementary versicle or section is formed according to the following rules.
1. Each couple of adjacent accents must be separated by one or two syllables which are unaccented, but not by more than two.
2. No section can have more than three, or less than two accents.
These rules are directly at variance with those which Rask has given. According to him, all the syllables be- fore that, which contains the alliteration, form merely " a
C. I. ENGLISH RHYTHMS. THEIR ORIGIN. 165
complement," and take no accent. In the following sec- tion, to which Conybeare would have given five accents,
(En|ne hsef |de he swa | swith|ne geworht|ne One had he so mighty wrought.
no accent falls on the first six syllables, and the allitera- tive syllable swith is the first which is accented ! What notion Rask attached to the word accent, I am at a loss to conjecture.*
When the section begins with an accent, we shall repre- sent it by the figures 1, 2, 3, 4, accordingly as each couple of adjacent accents are separated by one unaccented syl- lable, or as the first, the second, or both couples are sepa- rated by two unaccented syllables.
When the section begins with one unaccented syllable, we shall, under like circumstances, designate it as 5, 6, 7, 8; and by 9, 10, 11, 12, when it begins with two unac- cented syllables.
When the section ends with one or two unaccented syllables, we shall represent such ending by subjoining /, or //, to the figure indicating such section ; thus, 1 Z, 2 //.
The section of two accents is capable but of two forms, when it begins abruptly, to wit, 1 and 2 ; but as these may be lengthened, and doubly lengthened, they produce six varieties. It is capable of six other varieties, when it begins with one unaccented syllable, and of the like number when it begins with two. Hence the whole number of possible varieties is 18.
The section of three accents may take all the twelve forms, and as these may be lengthened and doubly length- ened, its number of possible varieties is 36*.
Our verses of two and three accents consist merely of the simple sections ; but the verse of four accents is the
* The attempt, which the same critic has made, to trace the early Gothic rhythms, and the Latin hexameter to a common source, appears to me equally fanciful. They that would follow Greek and Latin prosody to the fountain-head, must attack the Sanscrit.
166 ENGLISH RHYTHMS. THEIR ORIGIN. B. II.
representative of the short alliterative couplet, containing two sections, each of two accents. The number then of all the possible varieties is the product of eighteen multi- plied into itself, or 324. In like manner, the verse of six accents is composed of two sections, each containing three ; and the number of possible varieties is the product of thirty-six multiplied by itself, or 1296. The possible varieties of the verse with five accents is also 1296 ; to wit, 648 when the first section has two accents, and the like number when it has three.
Of this vast number, by far the larger portion has never yet been applied to the purposes of verse. Probably the rhythms, that would result from some of the combina- tions, would be too vague, and others too abrupt and un- even in their flow, to yield that pleasure which is always expected from measured language. But there are doubt- less many combinations, as yet untried, which would satisfy the ear; and it is matter of surprise, that at a time when novelty has been sought after with so much zeal, and often to the sacrifice of the highest principles, that a path so promising should have been adventured upon so seldom.
When the accents of a section are separated by two un- accented syllables, the rhythm has been called the triple measure ; and the common measure, when they are only separated by a single syllable. It was a favourite hypo- thesis of Mitford, that these two were the roots, from whence had sprung all the varied measures of our lan- guage ; and that they were immediately connected with the common and triple times in music. Were the opinion as sound as it is ingenious, we should find these metres standing out in more distinct and bolder relief, the deeper we penetrated into the antiquity of our rhythms. But, on the contrary, we find all our older poems exhibiting a rhythm of a composite and intermediate character ; and it is not till a period comparatively modern, that the com- mon and triple measures disentangle themselves from the
C. I. ENGLISH RHYTHMS. THEIR ORIGIN. 167
heap, and form, as it were, the two limits of our English rhythms. There can be no doubt — for we have contem- porary evidence of the fact — that Anglo-Saxon verse was sung to the harp ; perhaps it may be granted, that the common and triple times in music were then well-known and familiar, but Mitford's error lay in assuming, that every syllable had its own peculiar note. The musical composer of the present day does not confine each syl- lable to a single note, and we have no reason for sup- posing that the Anglo-Saxon was more scrupulous. Had he been so, it would have been impossible to have recited Anglo-Saxon verse with a musical accompaniment, whe- ther in the common, or in the triple time.
ENGLISH RHYTHMS. THEIR CHARACTER.
As there is always a tendency to dwell upon the ac- cented syllable, cceteris paribus a verse will be pronounced the more rapidly, the smaller the number of its accents. Hence the triple metre is more suited to light themes, and the common metre to those of a more stately charac- ter. With the masters of the art, the rhythm ever accom- modates itself to the subject. We find it changing, as far as its range will allow, from the triple to the common measure, or from the common to the triple, as the subject changes from the lively to the sad, from motion to repose, or the contrary. The White Lady's song will afford us an example of the first change,
Mer|rily swim | we, the moon | shines bright], Down|ward we drift | through shadjow andlight|, Un|der yon rock | the ed|dies sleep| Calm | and si\lent, dark \ and deep\. W. Scott.
and the song of " my delicate Ariel" of the second.
Where | the bee | sucks, there | suck I|, In | a cows|lip's bell | I lie| ; There | I couch|, when owls | do cry|. On | the bat's | back I | do fly|
168 ENGLISH RHYTHMS. THEIR CHARACTER. B. II.
Af|ter sum|mer mer|rily|.
Mer\rily, mer\rily, shall \ I live now\,
Un\der the blos\som that hangs | on the bough\.
Tempest, 5. 1.
If there be & given number of accents, this change of rhythm will, of course, bring with it an increased number of syllables. This probably misled Pope. He seems to have thought, that, to represent rapid motion, it was suf- ficient to crowd his verse with syllables ; and for this pur- pose he even added to the number of his accents ! Who can wonder at his failure ?
Not so when swift Camilla scours the plain. Flies | o'er th' unben|ding corn| : and skims | along | the main|.
The character of the triple measure may, however, be best illustrated by an example, in which it has been mis- applied. A worthy and a pious man describes the guilt and fears of the sinner, in the following jingle ;
My soul | is beset|. With grief | and dismay| j I owe | a vast debt| And noth|ing can pay|.
I must | go topris|on, Unless | that dear Lord|, Who died | and is ris|en, His mer|cy afford|.
With what a different rhythm does his " friend" clothe the subject !
My for|mer hopes | are fledj My ter|ror now | begins | ; I feel | alas | : that I | am dead] In tres | passes | and sins|.
Again, as the pronunciation of an accent requires some muscular exertion, a verse is generally the more energetic, the greater the number of its accents. Hence, other things being equal, a verse increases in energy, as its rhythm approaches the common measure, and a verse of
C. I. ENGLISH RHYTHMS. THEIR CHARACTER. 169
the common measure is most energetic, when it begins and ends with an accented syllable. Hence in great measure the beauty of the following war-song ;
Quit 1 the plough | : the loom|, the mine|, Quit | the joys | : the heart | entwine |, Join | our broth |ers : on | the brine |, Arm |, ye brave],: orslav|ery|.
For | our homes| : our allj, our name|, Blast | again | : the ty| rant's aim|, Britain's wrongs | : swift ven|geance claim |, Rush | to arms| : or slav|ery|. Again, what stern energy has Cowper breathed over the spirit of the warrior queen !
When | the Brit|ish : war|rior queen|, Bleed |ing from| : the Ro|man rods|, Sought | with an | : indig|nant mien|, Coun|sel of | : her coun|try Gods|, &c.
How different the rhythm from that, in which he intro- duces the heart-broken wretchedness of the slave,
Wide o|ver the trera|ulous sea|, The moon | shed her man | tie of light |, And the breeze | gently dy|ing away|, Breath'd soft | on the bos|om of night |, &c.
Sometimes a verse of the triple metre begins with an accented syllable, or as we shall hereafter term it, begins abruptly. If it be short, so that the accented syllables be equal, or nearly equal, in number to the unaccented, it combines considerable force and energy with great rapidity of utterance, and is in some cases wonderfully effective.
Thus | said the ro|ver To's | gallant crew|, Up | with the black | flag Down | with the blue|,
Fire | on the main |- top,
Fire | on the bow|,
Fire | on the gun |- deck,
Fire | down below |. w- Scott.
170 ENGLISH RHYTHMS. THEIR CHARACTER. B. II.
When the verse increases in length, the energy with which it begins soon dies away into feebleness ; its rapi- dity, however, remains uninjured. Byron has chosen it, and not unhappily, to embody the tumultuous feelings and passions, and the sad forebodings, which hurried through the soul of Saul before his battle with the Phi- listine.
War|riors and chiefs | should the shaft | or the sword | Pierce | me in lead|ing the host | of the Lord|, Heed | not the corse |, though a king's |, in your path|, Bur|y your steel j in the bosjoms of Gath|.
Thou | who art bear|ing ray buckjler and bow|, Should the sol|diers of Saul | look away | from the foe|, Stretch | me that mo|ment in blood | at thy feet|, Mine ] be the doom | which they dared | not to meet|.
Fare|well to oth|ers, but nev|er we part|, Heir | to my roy|alty, son | of my heart|, Bright | is the dijadem, bound [less the sway|, Or king|ly the death | that awaits | us to-day |.
When a verse or section opens with an accent, followed by two unaccented syllables, the rapid utterance, imme- diately preceded by muscular exertion, produces in some cases a very striking effect. Force, unless counteracted, always produces motion; the mind, almost instinctively, links the two together 5 and such a flow of rhythm will fre- quently raise the idea, not merely of power, but of power in energetic action. Hence in great measure the beauty of the two examples last quoted.
The effect, however, of this particular rhythm is more felt in those metres, which approach nearer to the com- mon measure, and so afford us the advantages of contrast.
The gates that now
Stood open wide: belch|ing outrage|ous flame)
Far into Chaos— P. L. 1 0.
A sea of blood : gush'd | from the ga|ping wound |.
F. Q. 1.8. 16.
C. I. ENGLISH RHYTHMS. THEIR CHARACTER. 17 1
— Then shall this mount
Of Paradise, by might of waves be mov'd
Out | of his place | : push'd | by the horn|ed flood|.
P.L.W.
So steers the prudent crane
Her annual voyage, borne on winds ; the air Floats | as they pass| : fann'd | with unnum|ber'd plumes|.
P. L. 7.
In the common measure, this particular rhythm may ;o sometimes express, very happily, a sudden change of iling or of situation.
I '11 give thrice as much land
To any well-deserving friend —
But in the way of bargain, mark ye me
I'll cavil on the ninth part of a hair.
Are | the indentures drawn| ? : shall J we be gone| ?
1 #4,3. 1. O fairest of creation ! last and best Of all God's works, creature in whom excell'd Whatever can to sight or thought be form'd Holy, divine, good, amiable or sweet, How | art thou lost| : how | on a sud|den lost| ! P. L. 9.
Occasionally, similar effects are produced by making two unaccented syllables follow the second accent in a section ;
On a sudden open fly
With | impet|uous recoilj : and jarring sound
Th' infernal doors. P. L. 2.
'Tis an unruly and a hard-mouth'd horse —
'Twill no unskilful touch endure,
But flings | wri|ter and read|er too| : that sits not sure.
Cowley.
Again, sameness or similarity of rhythm may be made to answer several important purposes. It may be used to bring out more forcibly the points of a contrast ;
Ay | if thou wilt | say ay| : to my | request|,
No | if thou wilt j sayno| : to my ( demand|. 3 H 6, 3. 2.
172 ENGLISH RHYTHMS. THEIR CHARACTER. B. I
Not sleeping to | engross| : his i|dlebod|y
But pray|ing to | enrich| : his watchjful soul|. R 3, 3. 7.
It will also aid in calling up in the mind the idea o succession ;
So man|y ho|urs : must | I tend | my flock , So man|y hojurs : must | I take | my rest|, So man|y ho|urs: must | I con|template|, &c. 3 H 6, 2. 5.
0|ver hillj : o|ver dale|,
Tho|ro flood| : tho|ro fire|,
0|ver park| : o|ver pale|,
Tho|ro bush | : tho|ro brier |,
I must wander, &c. M. N. D.
Milton often represented in this way, a multitudinous succession. He used, for the same purpose, a recurrence of similar sounds, and sometimes mere alliteration ;
An|guish and doubt | and fear| : and sor|row and pain|.
P.L. 1. With ru|in up|on ru|in : rout | on rout|, Confu|sion worse | confoun|ded — P. L, 2.
O'er shields | and helms| : and hel|med heads | he rode|.
P. L. 6. Well have we speeded, and o'er hill and dale For|est and field [ and flood | : tem|ple and tow'er|, Cut shorter many a league. P. R.3.
The peculiar nature of Anglo-Saxon poetry allowec great scope for the recurrence of the same rhythm, anc the ear of the Anglo-Saxon poet seems to have been most sensitively alive to its beauty. In those parallelisms, as Conybeare has termed them, which form so striking a feature of their lyric poems, we find the rhythm evidently formed upon the same model. It often rises and falls, in the two passages, with a flow and with pauses almost identical.
When the accent is strongly marked, the rhythm has a precision, which often gives it much force and spirit. Alliteration is sometimes used for this purpose ;
C. I. ENGLISH RHYTHMS. THEIR CHARACTER. 17^
On last | leg|dun : lath|um leod|um. At foot they laid on the loathed bands.
The Brunanburgh war-song.
Courage yields
No foot | to foe | : the flash ing n|er flyes|
As from a forge. F. Q. 1. 2. 17.
When, on the contrary, the rhythm rests on weak and secondary accents, it has that character of languor and feebleness, which Milton seems to have affected, whenever he had to describe an object of overwhelming dimension or difficulty.
Insu|pera|ble height| : of lof|tiest shade|,
Cedar and pine and fir — P. L. 4.
A dark
Illim|itajble o|cean : with|out bound|. P. L. 2.
■ Craggy cliff that overhung
Still | as it rose| : impossible | to climb|. P. L. 4.
Here | in perpet|ual : ag|ony | and pain|. P.L. 2.
So he | with dif |ficul|ty : and la[bour hard |
Mov'd on|, with dif |ficul|ty : and la|bour he|. P. L. 2.
Csedmon and other Anglo-Saxon poets generally marked an emphatic word by means of the sectional pause. They generally prefaced in this way the name of the Deity.
Tha woe|ron geset|te : wid|e and sid|e
Thurh | geweald| — god\es : wul|dres bearn|um.
They were y-set, wide and far,
Through the power of God, for the sons of Glory. Ccedmon.
Among later writers, we occasionally find the middle pause used for the like purposes ;
With huge | force and| : ew|supporta|ble might |.
F. Q. 1. 7. 11.
Firm they might have stood
Yet fell | j remem|ber and| : fear \ to transgress|. P. L. f>.
174 ENGLISH RHYTHMS. B. II.
ENGLISH RHYTHMS. THEIR HISTORY.
It may be doubted, whether the earliest rhythms, that were known to our Race, were accentual or temporal. We have poems written by Englishmen as early as the seventh century, and others which were probably written in the fourth ; and in none of these are found the slightest traces of a temporal rhythm. But we must remember, that the Goths were a people very differently situated from those, which regulated their metres by the laws of quantity. The Hindoos, Greeks, and Latins, were settled races; and were not till a late period in their history, subject to any of those convulsions, which change the character and fortunes of a people. The other tribes, which formed the Indo-European family — the Celts, the Goths, the Slaves — appear almost from the first as migra- tory hordes ; and traversed one-fourth of the earth's cir- cuit as fugitives or invaders. It is possible, that these fearful changes may have wrought the same revolution in their poetry, that their own invasions seem afterwards to have effected in the prosodial systems of Greece and Rome.
Again, there can be little doubt, that the Greek and Latin metres were mere varieties of the Sanscrit; and that the three races derived their rhythms from one com- mon source. Now the early Gothic dialects, in their syn- tax and their accidence, approach the Sanscrit full as nearly as do the Greek and Latin ; it is probable, there- fore, that they may at; one time have no less resembled the Sanscrit in their prosody.
As, however, no temporal rhythms are to be found in our literature, this is an inquiry rather curious than use- ful. A more important question is — what are the forms in which accentual rhythm made its first appearance amongst us.
If the Song of the Traveller were composed in the fourth century, there must have been great variety of
C. I. ENGLISH RHYTHMS. THEIR HISTORY. 175
rhythm even at that early period ; as there certainly was in the seventh century, when Ceedmon wrote. It is, how- ever, probable, that the earliest rhythms were of a simpler and more uniform character. The short verses, which are found in the Anglo-Saxon war-songs, have at once a character of simplicity, and one which shows most strik- ingly the advantages of the initial rhime or alliteration. Most of the alliterative couplets have only four accents — very few indeed have so many as six. The second sec- tion, almost invariably, begins with an alliterative sylla- ble, and in most cases the first section also. Hence the flow of the rhythm is abrupt and forcible ; or, to use lan- guage more familiar than correct, it is generally trochaic or dactylic.
The abrupt commencement of the second section was doubtless the chief reason, why the middle pause was so important in Anglo -Saxon poetry. The sharp and sud- den division between the two sections was well fitted for the termination of a period; and we accordingly find more sentences ending in the middle, than at the end of a couplet. This is a very striking peculiarity of Anglo- Saxon verse.
When writing on more serious subjects, the Anglo- Saxon poet generally lengthened his rhythms, and fre- quently employed couplets of six or even seven accents. The sections also more commonly began with unaccented syllables ; but the middle pause still retained its impor- tance.
When a section contained three or more accents, it generally approached more nearly to the common measure, than to the triple ; but that the flow of the triple measure was neither unknown nor altogether disfavoured, is clear from several passages in the Song of the Traveller. In most cases, however, the rhythm was not sufficiently continuous, to give it that marked and peculiar character which is observable — and sometimes very obtrusively so — in modern versification.
The authority of Bede seems to be decisive against
17(> ENGLISH RHYTHMS. THEIR HISTORY. B. II.
Anglo-Saxon metre, meaning by that word any law, which confines the rhythm within narrow bounds, either as to the number of syllables or of accents. Our scholars were probably the first to bend the neck to the yoke ; and the ecclesiastical chants seem to have been the chief means of spreading it among the people.
Accentual rhythms with four accents were in frequent use, among our latinists, at a very early period ; but were not adopted into our vernacular poetry till the twelfth century. The influence of this new metre was very widely felt, even in our alliterative poetry. One of the distinctions between the rhythm of Layamon and of his Anglo-Saxon predecessors, is the great number of rhiming couplets formed upon this model.
But the accentual verse of fifteen syllables, formed after the Tetrameter Iambic Catalectic, and which overspread the Greek and Latin churches in the eleventh and twelfth centuries, worked the greatest changes in our English rhythms. The long verses of six or seven accents, in which were written the Lives of the Saints, and so many other works of the twelfth and thirteenth centuries, were its direct descendants; and, through these, we may connect it with our psalm metres, and other varieties of what are sometimes called our Lyric Measures. Their influence also on our alliterative poetry produced, in the thirteenth century, that variety, which we have designated as the Old English alliterative metre. In this metre, the verses had seldom less than six, and generally seven ac- cents, of which the first section contained four ; whereas, in Anglo-Saxon verse, the section which contained the four accents was generally the second. The middle pause too, was invariably subordinate to the final. The rhythm inclined very generally to the triple measure. In this metre were written some of our best, though least known, romances, and some of our finest satires. It lingered in Scotland, and in the north of England, till the reign of Elizabeth.
After alliteration, as a system, had been lost, some
C.I. ENGLISH RHYTHMS. THEIR HISTORY. 1/7
writers wished to unite the utmost license of alliterative rhythm with the forms of metrical verse. Hence, we had lines of four, five, or six accents, and which contained every variety of rhythmical flow, arranged in staves, fre- quently of the most complex structure. I have bor- rowed a term used by a royal critic, and called these slovenly verses the " tumbling" metre. Skelton and many of his contemporaries patronised it.
The short and rhiming couplets of four, five, or six accents, in which some of our earlier romances were writ- ten— King Horn, for example — seem to be the lineal de- scendants of the rhiming Anglo-Saxon poems. They differ from their predecessors, merely in dropping the allitera- tion, and confining the rhime within narrower limits ; the rhythm is but slightly changed. The same short verses are found, strongly affected by foreign influences, in the lays and virelays of the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries ; and there can be little doubt that the "short measures" of Skelton, " pleasing only the popular eare," which Put- tenham so strongly inveighs against, were handed down by tradition, as the genuine representatives of the same venerable stock.
Our heroic verse, as it has been called of late, was for- merly known by the more homely appellation of ridiny rhime. It was familiarly used by our countrymen, in their French poems, as early as the 12th century; but Hampole, or whoever was the author of the Pricke of Conscience, appears to have been the first who wrote in it any English poem of consequence.
Chaucer strictly confined this rhythm to five accents, but certainly allowed himself great freedom in the number of his syllables. His rhythm, however, always approaches that of the common measure, and is widely different from the impudent license of the tumbling metre. The writers of Elizabeth's reign, though they introduced the Alexan- drine, tied the verse of five accents to greater precision ; ;iiid in this they were followed by Milton. The school of
VOL. I. M
)JS ENGLISH RHYTHMS. THEIR HISTORY. B. II.
Dryden and Pope narrowed its rhythm yet more ; and as they left it, it has since continued.
This slight notice may prepare the reader for the use of certain term's, which it has been found convenient to employ in the following chapters. Before, however, we proceed, I would call his attention to a subject, very nearly connected with the one before us, and upon which, as it seems to me, very serious mistakes have prevailed of late years.
ELISION.
From the fourteenth to the sixteenth century, the pro- nunciation of our language varied much in different coun- ties. In some the shorter vowels were very generally elided, in others they were scrupulously preserved. Some writers always pronounced the following words with two syllables, enmye, destnye, victry, counslour, &c. and wrote them accordingly; while others, who sometimes gave them an additional syllable, wrote them either with a mark of elision en'my, or in full enemy. The right to drop a syllable is claimed by our modern poets, in many hundreds of instances ; but whether the spelling should warn the reader of their intention to exercise such right, has been doubted.
As this is, in some degree, a question of orthography, which is so much a matter of convention, we will first inquire what has hitherto been the prevailing usage.
During the reign of Elizabeth, we find the orthography far more generally accommodated to the rhythm in poems of a strict and obvious metre, than in those where the rhythm was loose — in the poems of Churchyarde, Gas- coigne, and other writers of the ballad stanza, than in the works of our dramatists. We may conclude, therefore, that the printers were at that time ready to assist, and, as far as their knowledge went, actually did assist the reader in the scansion of the verse.
Shakespeare, it is well known, never printed his works ;
C. I. ELISION. 17i>
the first folio, now, in more than one sense, dear to the collector, was edited by the players. We cannot expect that the orthography would be more attended to than the sense, which is often obscure and even unintelligible. We may find the same word spelt two and even three dif- ferent ways in the same page ; the contracted word is often found written at full length, and the word which has its full quota of syllables, is found contracted. But, on the whole, there is evidently a wish to spell according to the pronunciation.
The Paradise Lost was printed during the blindness of Milton, under the supervision of his nephew. Some classes of words had their contractions indicated, and others not ; for instance, the elision of the final vowel is noticed in the article, but not in other words. Bentley observes that Milton " in thousands of places melts down the vowel at the end of a word, if the following word begins with a vowel. This poetical liberty he took from the Greeks and Latins;* but he followed not the former, who strike the vowels quite out of the text, but the latter, who retain them in the line, though they are absorbed in the speaking/' Therefore to help " such readers as know not, or not readily know where such elision is to take place,' ' he marks such vowels with an apostrophe. He seems also to have distinguished between words, that regularly elided the short vowel, and those, which did so only occasionally, writing weltring without an apostrophe, but conq'ror with one. Milton's next editor, Newton, somewhat varied the orthography. He warns the reader of the elision of the short vowel after the long one, as in Wo7, being, &c, and wrote prison, reason, instead of Bentley's pris'n and reas'n. Later editors " have endea- voured to deserve well of their country," by clearing Mil- ton's page of these deformities. The merit of the task cannot well be less than its difficulty.
• Rentley was a C4reek scholar, but certainly not an English one ; see p. 70.
N 2
180 ELISION.
It would not be difficult to assign a motive for the strong feeling, that has prevailed during the last half cen- tury, against the old and " barbarous" orthography. Though Tyrwhitt objected to Urry's mode of marking the final e when vocal, swetl, halve, &c, as u an innovation in ortho- graphy,'' and " apt to mislead the ignorant reader, for whom it only could be intended" he must have been con- scious, that upon this subject (perhaps the most difficult that can be submitted to an English scholar) no reader could be more ignorant than himself. But there was little fear of criticism, and who would volunteer a confession of igno- rance ? Even Gifford, whose stern good sense, and aus- tere honesty might, one would have thought, have stemm'd the current, boasts of rescuing Jonson from u the un- couth and antiquated garb of his age 5" * and when editing Massinger, prides himself upon the " removal of such barbarous contractions, as conq'ring, ad'mant, ranc'rous, ign'rant, &c." Yet it would be easy to point out many hundreds of verses, the right reading of which, owing to these " silent reforms," has ever since been a mystery to the general reader ; and some, which I suspect, it would have puzzled the editor himself to have scanned cor- rectly.
Those who object to the "syncopes and apocopes," belong chiefly to two classes. In the first place, there are some, who presume upon the reader's knowledge, and think with Tyrwhitt, that he who knows not where to contract the es and the ed, that is, the terminations of the plural and of the perfect, " had better not trouble his head about the versification of Chaucer." There are others, who think the elision or the pronunciation of the
* He proceeds with strange inconsistency, and a singular forgetfulness of what was the real usage of the time, to observe " The barbarous contrac- tions therefore, the syncopes and apocopes which deformed the old folios (for the quartos are remarkably free from them) have been regulated, and the appearance of the poet's page assimilated in a great degree to that of his contemporaries, who spoke and wrote the same language as himself."
C. I. ELISION. 181
vowel a matter of indifference, and that if the ear be not offended by any " cacophony," the rhythm must be satisfied.
I would submit to the first of these classes, the three following lines, which were once brought forward to show that our heroic verse would admit three syllables, in any one of the three first feet ;
Ominous | conjecture on the whole success.
P. L. 2. 123. A pil|lar of state | deep on his front engraven.
P. L. 2. 302.
Celestial spir|its in bon|dage nor the abyss.
P. L. 2. 658.
and also the two lines, which Bishop Newton quotes, to prove that our heroic verse would admit either a " dactyle" or an " anapcest;"*
Hurl'd headlong flaming from th' ethereal sky. P. L. 1. 45. Myriads though bright ! if he whom mutual league —
P. L. I, 87.
Now, if the most admired of Milton's editors were ignorant of the real number of syllables contained in the words, ethereal and myriads ; if a critic of Tyrwhitt's reputation did not know that ominous, pillar, and spirit were to be pronounced om'nous, pill'r, and sp'rit ; can we fairly expect such knowledge to flash, as it were by intuition, upon the uninstructed reader ?
Of late years, however, the fashionable opinion has been, that in such cases the vowel may be pronounced without injury to the rhythm. Thelwall discovered in Milton " an appogiatura, or syllable more than is counted in the bar," and was of opinion that such syllables " con- stitute an essential part of the expressive harmony of the best writers, and should never in typography or utterance
* The reader need hardly be told how confused are the Editor's notions upon the subject of accent and quantity.
182 ELISION.
B. II.
be superseded by the barbarous expedient of elision." He marks them with the short quantity, and reads the following verses one with twelve, and the other with thirteen syllables !
Covering the beach, and blackening all the strand. Dry den. Ungrateful offering to the immortal powers. Pope.
But there are men, entitled to our respect, whose writ- ings, to a certain extent, have countenanced this error. Both Wordsworth and Coleridge use certain words, as though they still contained the same number of sylla- bles, as in the time of Shakespeare. Thus they make delicate a dissyllable, yet would certainly shrink from pronouncing it deVcate. The associations connected with this Shakespearian dissyllable were doubtless the mo- tive; but they are purchased much too dearly if the rhythm be sacrificed. The pettiness of the delinquency cannot be pleaded; for if a short and " evanescent " syl- lable may be obtruded, so may also a long one.
That the poets and critics of Elizabeth's reign did not entertain the same opinion on this subject, as their editors, is certain. " This poetical license," Gascoigne observes, " is a shrewde fellow, and covereth many faults in a verse, it maketh wordes longer, shorter, of mo syllables, of fewer — and to conclude, it turkeneth all things at pleasure ; for example — orecome for overcome, tane for taken, power for powre, heavun for heavn, &c." Gabriel Harvey, after en- tering his protest against the use of heavn, seavn, eleavn* evn, divl, &c, as dissyllables, the same being contrary to the received pronunciation of the day, proceeds, " Marry, I confesse, some wordes we have indeed, as fayer either for beautiful or for a marte, ayer both pro aere and pro hserede, for we say not heire, but plaine aire* for him to,
I
* The old English ei/r a son, answering to the Dutch oir an offspring, was first spelt with an h, during the 16th century ; the pedantry of the age, of course, seeing nothing but a Latin original, hares. In like manner, our modern man of travel writes suit with an e, suite; though the word has formed part of our vulgar tongue since the days of Alfred.
C. I. ELISION. 183
(or else Scoggins's aier were a poor jest), whiche are com- monly and maye indifferently be used either wayes. For you shall as well and as ordinarily heare fayer as /aire, and aier as aire, and both alike, not only of dyvers and sundrie persons, but often of the very same ; otherwhiles using the one, otherwyles using the other ; and so died or dyde, spied or spide, tryed or tryde, fyer or fyre, myer or myre, with an infinite number of the same sorte, some- time monosyllaba, sometime polysyllaba." He also ob- jected to some of Spenser's "trimetra" (that is, English verses written on the model of the Trimeter Iambic) that they had a foot too many, unless it were " sawed off with a payre of syncopes, and then should the orthographie have testified so muche ; and instead of heavenli vir- ginals, you should have written heavnli virgnals, and again, virgnals againe in the ninth, and should have made a cur- toll of immerito in the laste, &c." Hence it is clear that the " barbarous contractions M so much inveighed against, are not chargeable upon the ignorance of the printer; they form part of a system of orthography, deliberately adopted by men of education, to suit a particular state of our language ; and it seems to be as absurd, to exchange these peculiarities of spelling for those of modern date, as it would be to pare down the language of Homer to the Atticism of the Tragedians. The blunders of the trans- criber and printer consisted chiefly in misapplying the orthography of the day; it is the duty of an editor (and sometimes not an easy duty) to correct these blunders, and not to shrink from the responsibility, under the pre- tence of purifying the text. The works of Burns have the spelling accommodated to the rhythm ; why not those of Shakespeare and his contemporaries ?
ARRANGEMENT OF THE SUBJECT.
In the next chapter we shall consider those verses which consist of a single section ; or, in other words, our verses of two and three accents. The third chapter will
184
ARRANGEMENT OF THE SUBJECT.
B. II.
be devoted to the verse of four accents ; the fourth to such verses of five accents, as contain two in the first section ; and the fifth to such verses as contain three. The sixth chapter will discuss the verse of six accents. In the seventh we shall consider those verses which con- tain a compound section; and in the last, those which admit the sectional pause.
c. ii. 185
CHAPTER II.
VERSES CONSISTING OF A SINGLE SECTION.
In certain staves, we meet with lines containing only one accent. These in the 13th and 14th centuries seldom contained more than one or, at most, two syllables ; and seem to have been known by the expressive name of bobs, that is pendants. They will be noticed in the last book ; for in no point of view can they be considered as verses. The same may be said of the lines containing one accent and three syllables, which some of our modern poets have patronized ;
Hearts beat|ing At meet|ing, Tears starting At parting.
It would be absurd to call these lines verses. Two of them, if joined together, would form the section G I. with the double rhime — a rhiming section, which, for ages has been familiar to our poetry. They ought to have been written accordingly.
VERSE OF TWO ACCENTS.
The section 1. of two accents is rarely met with as an independent verse. The cause was evidently its short- ness. Shakespeare, however, has adopted it into that peculiar rhythm, in which are expressed the wants and wishes of his fairy-land. This rhythm consists of abrupt verses of two, three, or four accents ; it belongs to the common measure, and abounds in the sectional pause*
I
186 VERSE OF TWO ACCENTS. B. II.
Under Shakespeare's sanction, it has become classical, and must now be considered as the fairy dialect of English literature.
On | the ground |
Sleep sound,
I'll | apply |
To | your eye|, Gentle lover, remedy.
When | thou wak'st|,
Thou tak'st
True J delight |
In | the sight | Of thy former lady's eye. M. N. D. 3. 2.
The section 1 I. was common in those short rhythms, which abounded in the 16th century under the patronage of Skelton, Drayton, and others their contemporaries. Campion actually wrote a madrigal in this measure, which he called the Anacreontic ;
Foljlowe, fol|lowe, though | with mis|chiefe arm'd | like whirle|-wind now | she flies | thee ; time | can con|quer loves | unkind|nes j love | can al|ter times | disgrac|es ; till | death faint | not then, | but fol|lowe.
2.
Could | I catch | that nimb|le tray[ter skorn|full Law|ra, swift|-foote Law|ra, soone | then would | I seeke | avenge | men t ; what's | th' avenge | ment ? ev'n | snbmisse|ly pros]trate then | to beg | for merjcye.
C. II. VERSE OF TWO ACCENTS. 187
Sections 2. 2 I. are not uncommon ;
The steel we touch,
Forc'd ne'er so much,
Yet still removes
To that it loves,
Till there it stays ;
So | to your praise |,
I turn ever ;
And though never
From you moving
Hap|py so lov|ing. Drat/ton.
But the Section 5. was, as might have been expected, the chief staple of these short rhythms ;
Most good | most fair|
Or things | most rare|
To call | you's lost|,
For all | the cost|
Words can bestow
So poor|ly sho\v|
Upon | your praise),
That all | the ways|
Sense hath | come short |. Drayton.
Section 6. was sometimes met with ;
1.
Pleasure it ys
To here I wys
The birds syngynge !
The dere | in the dale|,
The shepe | in the vale| ,
The corne spryngyng,
2 Gods purveyance For sustenance, It is for man ! &c.
Ballet, written about 1500.
I8S
VERSE OF THREE ACCENTS.
The Sections 1 . and 1 /. with three accents are fre quently met with. There is one kind of metre in whicl these verses occur alternately. It has been revived da Moore ;
Fill the bumper fair, Ev'ry drop we sprinkle, O'er the brow of Care, Smooths away a wrrinkle, &c.
The Section 2. is not ^infrequently mixed up with th< other Sections of three accents ;
Thus, while we are abroad,
Shall | we not touch I our lyre| ?
Shall | we not sing | an ode| ?
Shall that holy fire,
In us that strongly glow'd,
In this cold air expire ? Drayton.
Milton has given us one specimen of 3 1.
Sabrina fair Lis|ten w;here | thou artsit|ting Under the glassy, cool, translucent wave,
In twisted braids of lilies knitting The loose train of thy amber-dropping hair.
Comus.
The Sections 5. and 51. have been alternated; they form a very pleasing metre ;
1. Ere God | had built | the moun| tains, Or rais'd | the fruitful hills}, Before | he fill'd | the fountains, That feed | the run|ning rills , In me | from ev|erlas|ting The won|derful | I AM Found pleasures nev|er wast|ing, And Wis|doin is | my name|.
C. II. VERSE OF THREE ACCENTS. 189
2.
When, like | a tent | to dwell | in,
He spread | the skies | abroad |,
And swath'd | about | the swelling
Of o|cean's migh|ty flood],
He wrought | by weight | and measure,
And I | was with | him then ,
Myself | the Father's pleas|ure,
And mine | the sons | of men|. Cowper. Prov. 8.
The Section 5 /. was much favoured during the 1 6th century. We have songs, some of good length, entirely composed of it, though, generally speaking, it occurred at intervals.
Section 9. is of constant occurrence in our old ballads and popular songs ;
Over Otter cap hill they cam in,
And so dowyn | by Rod|clyffe crage|, Upon Grene Leyton they lighted down,
Styrande many a stage. Battle of Otterburn.
Burns often used it, as in his humourous song on John Barleycorn;
They 've ta'en a weapon long and sharp,
An' cut him by the knee, Then tied him fast upon a cart
Like a rogue | for for|gerie|
'T will make a man forget hi3 woe,
'T will heighten all his joy, T will make the widow's heart to sing
Tho' the tear | be in | her eye|.
This verse has very little to recommend it.
190 VERSE OF FOUR ACCENTS.
CHAPTER III.
VERSE OF FOUR ACCENTS,
In the present chapter, we shall consider our verses of four accents as made up of two sections, and range them according to the order of the combinations.
This is not an artificial law, invented for the mere pur- poses of arrangement ; it is the model upon which the great majority of these verses have been actually formed. The construction of the Anglo-Saxon couplet of four ac- cents is rendered obvious to the eye, by the use of the rhythmical dot; and that the verse or couplet of four accents was formed in the same manner as late as the thirteenth century, is clear from Layamon, and other poets of that period. That the adoption of foreign metre brought with it into our language many verses, which neither had, nor were intended to have, the middle pause, may perhaps be granted ; but that our poetry quick- ly worked itself clear from such admixture is no less certain. The critics of Elizabeth's reign insist upon the middle pause almost unanimously. They differed some- times as to its position, and did not entertain the clearest notions as to its nature or its origin; but all seem to have acknowledged it as a necessary adjunct of English verse.
Gascoigne tells us, there are " certain pauses or restes in a verse, which may be called ceasures, whereof I would be loth to stand long, since it is at the discretion of the writer, and they have beene first devised (as it would seem) by the musicians ; but yet thus much I will adven- ture to write, that in a verse of eight syllables the pause
C. III. VERSE OF FOUR ACCENTS. 11)1
will stand best in the middest, &c." In like manner, Sir Philip Sidney represents English verse, unlike the Italian or Spanish, as " never almost" failing of the " caesura or breathing place 5" and King James has urged its impor- tance on his reader, and with reasoning that good sense might adopt even at the present day. " Remember also to make a sectioun in the middes of everie lyne, quhethir the line be long or short." If the verse be of twelve or fourteen syllables, the section ought specially to be " othir a monosyllabe, or the hinmest syllabe of a word, always being lang," for if it be " the first syllabe of a polysyl- labe, the music schall make zou sa to rest in the middes of that word, as it schall cut the ane half of the word fra the uther, and sa shall mak it seme twa different wordis, that is botane." He thinks indeed the same caution not neces- sary in the shorter lines, because " the musique makes no rest in the middes of thame ;" but would have " the sec- tioun in them kythe something longer nor any uther feit in that line, except the second and the last/' His mis- take, in considering the middle pause merely as a rest for music, led him to confine his rule thus narrowly. The verse of four accents he divided like Gascoigne.
It is clear, I think, that in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries the middle pause was looked upon as essential ; and that the verse of four accents was still formed of two sections, as in the Anglo-Saxon period. When we meet with such verses as the following ;
Guiding the fiery : -wheeled throne The cherub Con : templation.
I do not see how we can treat them otherwise than as false rhythm ; or if the middle pause be disowned, at least require that they should not intrude among verses of a different character and origin. If the poet make no ac- count of the pause, let him be consistent, and reject its aid altogether. If he prefer the rhythm of the foreigner, let him show his ingenuity in a correct imitation, and not
192 VERSE OF FOUR ACCENTS. B. IT.
fall back upon our English verse, when his skill is ex- hausted. Both foreign and English rhythm are injured, by being jumbled together in this slovenly and inartificial manner.
In ranging our verses of four accents, we shall take the different sections in their order, and place under each the verses, of which such section forms the commence- ment. We shall then take the section lengthened and doubly lengthened. The same order will regulate the second sections of each verse. Thus we shall begin with the verses 1:1, 1:1/, I: III; 1:2, 1:2/, 1 : 2//, &c, and then proceed to 2:1, 2:1/, 2 : III; 2 : 2, 2:2/, 2:2//, &c.
VERSES BEGINNING WITH SECTION 1.
The verse 1:1, is met with in our old romances; and occurs so often in the fairy dialect of the sixteenth cen- tury, as to form one of its most characteristic features. It is now obsolete, but was occasionally used during the last century.
He bethought him nedely,
How | he might| : veng|ed bej
Of that lady fair and fre. The Squyr of low degre, 293.
Where the place ? upon the heath,
There | to meet| : with | Macbeth|. Macbeth, 1.1.
0|ver hill] : o|ver dale|,
Tho|ro bush | : tho|ro brier |,
0|ver park| : o|verpale|,
Tho|ro flood| : tho]ro fire|,
I do wander ev'ry where,
Swifter than the moon's sphere. M. N. D. 2. 1 .
Yet | but three | : come | one more|, Two of both things make up four. Here | she comes | : curst | and sad| : Cupid is a knavish lad, Thus to make poor females sad.
M. N. D. 3. 2.
C. III. VERSE OF FOUR ACCENTS. 193
There be berries for a queen,
Some | bered| : some | be green|. Fletcher sF. Sh. 1. 1.
I J must go| : I | must run|,
Swifter than the fiery sun. F. Sh. 1.1.
There | I stop| : fly | away|
Ev'ry thing, that loves the day j
Truth ] thathath| : but | one face],
Thus I charm thee from the place. F. Sh. 3. 1.
Some | times swift| : some | times slow|
Wave succeeding wave they go,
A various journey to the deep,
Like human life to endless sleep. Dyers Grongar Hill.
In the last extract the verse rather pleases than offends, for the dreaminess of the reflection suits well with its asso- ciations. Indeed, the poet's whole landscape is mere fairy-land. In the following example, I am by no means sure that the line ought not to be read with three accents. But when we see the pronoun me accented in the seventh line; and remember the light imaginative style of the poetry ; and above all, how deeply Milton had drunk in the rhythms of Fletcher ; the balance will probably turn in favour of the four accents.
O'er the smooth enamell'd green, Where no print of foot hath been, Fol|low me | : as | I sing|,
And touch the warbled string,
Under the shady roof
Of branching elm star-proof, Follow me ; 1 will bring you where she sits, &c. Arcades.
This is the only instance of the rhythm in Milton. The verse 1 : 1 is rarely found lengthened; and then al- most always in our old romances. vol. i. o
194
VERSES BEGINNING WITH SECTION 1
B. II.
Welcum ertou Ring Arthoure Of al this world thou beres the flour *Lo|rd King| : of | all king|es And blessed be he that the bringes. Gwaine and Gawin.
1 : 2. and 1:2/. are rare.
See the day begins to break,
And | the light | : shoots | like a streak |
Of subtle fire. Fl. Fa. Sheph. 4. 4.
See his wound again is burst,
Keep | him near| : here | in the wood|,
Till I have stopp'd these streams of blood. Same, 5. 2.
Bar|ons, knights] : squiers | one and aJle|.
Skeltoris Elegy. Dior|-boren| : dys|iges folc|es. Alfred.
In quoting from Anglo-Saxon poems, translated in the third book, no English version will be given. To make such version intelligible, it would often be necessary to quote long passages.
1:5. has been used in English poetry, for the last six centuries.
Haste | thee n\mph| : and bring | with thee|
Quips | and cranks|: and wan|ton wiles|,
Nods | and becks| s and wreath|ed smiles|,
Such | as hang| : on Heb|e's cheek|, &c. L 'Allegro.
Les|ser than| : Macbeth | and great|er Macbeth, 1. 3.
Look | not thou | : on beaujty's charm|ing,
Sit | thou still | : when kings | are arm|ing,
Taste | not when| : the wine | -cup glis|tens,
Speak | not when| : the peo|ple lis | tens,
Stop | thine ear| : against | the sing|er,
From the red gold keep thy finger,
Vacant heart, and hand, and eye,
Easy live, and quiet die. Walter Scott.
* Lord is here a dyssyllable, Lawerd, A. S.
C. III. VERSES BEGINNING WITH SECTION 1. 195
I : 9. is occasionally found in our ballads and old ro- mances.
The queyne duelt thus in Kildroiney,
And | the king) : and his com|pany|
Wandryt emang the hey mountains. The Bruce, 2. 763.
As the section 1. is rare in Anglo-Saxon verse, we have as yet met with few alliterative couplets ; but many are found beginning with the lengthened section 1 /.
VERSES BEGINNING WITH SECTION 1 /.
1 /: 1. has for ages, been well-known to our poetry; when lengthened it forms one of the commonest couplets in our Anglo-Saxon poems.
And | the milk | maid : sing|eth blithe]
And | the mow|er : wets | his scythe|. L Allegro.
The Anglo-Saxon couplets will be classed according to the alliteration, beginning with one that rhimes all the four syllables. The number, ranged under each head, will give the reader some notion of the comparative frequency of their occurrence in Anglo-Saxon verse ;
Sweart|e swog|an : saes | upstig|on. Ccedmon.
hel|le heof |as : heard|e nith|as. Ccedmon.
wer|leas wtr|od : wal|dend senjde. Ccedmon.
graes | ungren|e : gar|seeg theah te. Ctedmon.
Scir|um scim|an : scip|pend ur|e. Ccedmon
hord | and ham|as : het|tend crun|gon.
Brunanburgh War-song.
waeg | liden|dum : wae|tres bro|gan. Ccedmon.
eorth|an tud|dor : eall | acwel|de. Ctedmon.
heaf |od eal|ra : heah | gesceaf |ta. Casamdn.
lif|es bryt|ta : leoht | forth cum|an. Ccedmon.
lif |es brytjta : leoht | woes asr|est. Ccedmon.
form | an sith|e : fyl|dc hel|le. Ccedmon.
Crec|a ric|es : cuth | waes wid|e. Alfred.
Crec|a drih|ten : campjsted sec|an. Alfred. o 2
196 VERSES BEGINNING WITH SECTION 1 /. B. II
thaegn|ra sin|ra : thaer | mid waes|an. Alfred.
Tha | Aulex|es : leaf |e haef|de. Alfred.
For | auld stor|ys : that | men red|ys,
Represents to them the dedys
Of stalwart folk. The Bruce, 1. 19.
Earth's increase, and foison plenty,
Barns | and gangers : nev|er emp|ty,
Vines | with clus|tring : bunch|es grow|ing,
Plants | with good|ly : bur|den bow|ing.
Spring | come to | you : at | the farthest,
In | the verjy : end j of har|vest.
Scarcity and want shall shun you
Cer|es' blesjsing : so | is on | you. Tempest, 4. 1 .
1 / : 2. is found in Anglo-Saxon, but very rarely in English ;
stream|as stod|on : storm | up gewat. yth | with oth|re : ut | feor adraf|.
yth|a wr£ec|on : an|leasra feorh|. lath | e cyrm|don : lyft | up geswearc. for | mid fearm|e : faer|e ne mos|ton. ham | and heah|setl : heof|ona ric|es. wul|dres eth|el : wroht | wses asprung|en. drig|e stow|e : dug|otha hyrd|e. mon|na swith|ost : man|egra thiod|a.
Will | he woo | her ? : ay | or I'll hang | her.
T. of the Shrew, 1. 2.
1 / : 5. was a well-known couplet in Anglo-Saxon. It was very common in our old romances, and was still flourishing as late as Elizabeth's reign. It must now be considered as obsolete;
Oht | mid eng|lum : and or|leg nlth|. Cced.
Mi |en ser|est : him arn | on last). Cad.
wrath|um weorp|an : on wil|dra lic|. Alf.
Ag|amem|non : se eal|les weold|. Alf.
C. III. VERSES BEGINNING WITH SECTION 1/. 197
Sceot|ta leod|a : and scip|-flotan|.
Brunanburgh War-song.
nym | the heo | waes : ahaf|en on'. Cad.
Storyss to rede are delitabill,
Supposs that thai be nocht but fabill.
Than | suld stor|yss : that suth|fast wer|,
And thai war said in gud maner,
Haive doubill plesance in heryng ;
The first plesaunce is the carpyng,
And | the toth|ir : the suth|fastnes|
That schawys the thing right as it wes ;
And | such thing|is : that are | likand|
Tyll mannys heryng are plesand. The Bruce, 1.1.
Set me a new robe by an olde,
And | coarse cop | par : by duck | ate gold|,
An ape unto an elephante,
Bruck|le byr|all : by di|amante|,
Set | rich ru|by : to redd | emayle|,
The raven's plume to peacoke's tayle,
There shall no less an oddes be scene
In myne,from everye other queene. Putt. Parth. 15.
When I build castles in the air,
Void 1 of sor|row : and void | of care|.
Burton, Anat. of Mel.
Wel|come wel|come : ye dark | blue waves |. Byron.
The lengthened verse is more rare ;
Seow | and set[te : geond sef |an mon|na. Ex. MSS.
Wil|le burn [an : on wor|uld thring|an. Cced.
Verses beginning with 1 //. are occasionally met with, but chiefly in the tumbling verse ; for instance III: l. •
With | him man j fully : for | to fight|.
M.for M. Flodd. Fielde, 2.
With | such ho|liness : can | you do | it. H 6, 2. 1.
It would be useless to mark down every variety, which has been stumbled upon by the writers of such licentious metre as the tumbling verse. Those verses only, which
198 VERSES BEGINNING WITH SECTION 2. B. II.
occur often enough to give a character to the rhythm, will be noticed.
Verses beginning with Section 2.21. were always rare. The lengthened verse is found in Anglo-Saxon ;
All the commownys went him fra,
That | for thair Hff| : war | full fain|
To pass to the Inglis pes again. The Bruce, 2. 304.
He that keeps nor crust nor crumb,
Wear|y of all| : shall j want some|. Lear, 1. 4.
Man|ftehthu bearn| ; mid|dan geard|es. Cved.
Au|lixes mid| : an | hund scip|a. Alf.
Com | ane to| : ceol|e lith|an. .Alf.
VERSES BEGINNING WITH SECT. 2.
2. 2. is now seldom met with ; the lengthened verse is a common Anglo-Saxon couplet;
We | did observe] : cou|sin Aumerle|,
How far brought you high Her'ford on his way ?
R 2, 1. 6.
1. Still | to be neat | : still | to be drest|, As you were going to a feast, Still to be powder'd, still perfum'd, Lady, it is to be presum'd, Though art's hid causes are not found, All is not sweet, all is not sound.
2. Give | me a look | : give | me a face|, That makes simplicity a grace $ Robes loosely flowing, hair as free, Such sweet neglect more taketh me Than all th' adulteries of art, They strike the eyes, but not the heart.
B Jons. Epicome, 1.1.
And | to the stack) : or | the barn door|,
Stoutly struts his dames before. L Allegro.
C. III. VERSES BEGINNING WITH SECTION 2. 199
Come | to my bowl| : come J to my arms|,
My friends, my brothers. Burns.
Wraec|licne ham| : weorc|e to lean|e. Cced.
Tro|ia burh| : til | urn gesith|um. Alf.
Thrie|rethre ceol| : thaet | bith that maesjte. Alf.
Hcel|etha bearn| : hoef|don tha moeg|tha. Alf.
The verse from L' Allegro is, I believe, the only one written by Milton in this rhythm.
The verse 2 : 5, has long been one of the standard verses.
Where | the great sun| : begins | his state |.
L Allegro.
Ere | the first cock| : his mat|in rings|. L 'Allegro.
2 : 6. was very common in the tumbling verse.
King | without realme| : lo now | where T stand|.
M. for M. King James, 3.
Now | am I bond| : sometime | I was free|. Same, 5.
Whom | should I blame| : I found | that I sought|.
Same, 7.
Pray | we that God| : will grant ] us his grace|.
Flodden Field, 6.
Sone | then the gunnes| : began | a new playj. Same.
And | the vaunt-garde | : togeth|erare gone|. Same.
And | the luce-head| : that day | was full bent|. Same.
This is one of those verses which belong to the triple measure; and though never used by Cowper, and those who have left us the happiest specimens of that rhythm, is far from uncommon in the works of our later poets. 2 : 9. is only found in the tumbling verse ;
In | the vaunt-garde| : forward fast | did hye|.
M.forM. Flod.F. 6.
fiive | the Scots grace| : by King Jem|yes full [ -
Same, 25.
200 VERSES BEGINNING WITH SECTION 2 I. B. II.
If | the whole quere : of the mus|esnine|.
Skeltons Elegy.
2 : 10. is also found in the tumbling verse. It falls within the rhythm of the triple measure, and is constantly used by all the writers of that metre.
And J the whole powre| : of the earle | of Darby |.
M. for M. Flod. Field, 1 4.
To | the French king] : yf he list | to take heed|.
M. for M. Kg. James, 1 2.
No | 'tis yourfoolj : wherewith I | am so tak|en.
Ben Jons. Fox, 1.2.
The verse 2 I: 1. is very common. When lengthened it forms an Anglo-Saxon couplet.
Un|der the haw | thorn: in | thedale|. L Allegro.
Drug|on and dyd|on : driht|nes wil|lan. Ccedmon.
Theod|en his theg|nas : thrym|mas weoxjon. Cadmon.
Dior|e gecep|te : drih|ten Crec|a. Alf.
Cyn|inges theg|nas : cys|pan sith|than. Alf.
iE|thelstan cyn|ing : eor|ladrih|ten. War Song.
Min|ton forloet|an : leof|ne hlaf|ord. Alf
Yet | thou art hig|her : far [ descended. IlPenseroso.
2 1:2. was very common in Anglo-Saxon, but always rare in English, and may now be considered as obsolete.
Beorht | and gebla3d|fast : bu|endra leas|. Cced.
Fer]ede and ner|ede : fif|tena stod[. Cad.
Her cheeke, her chinne, her neck, her nose, This | was a lyl|ye : that | was a rose|.
Puttenham. Parth. 7. Terns easy for his easye tides, Built all along with mannours riche, Quin|borows salt | sea: brack|ish Grenewich|.
Parth. 16.
C. III. VERSES BEGINNING WITH SECTION 2 I. 201
Through | the sharp haw | thorn : blows | the cold wind|.
Lear t 3. 4. seom|odon sweart|e : sith | e ne thorf|ton Cad.
ma3g|en-craeft mic|el: mod|a gehwilc|es. Alf.
eal|de geguin|ge: eal|le forhwerf|de. Alf.
haef|don hi mar|e : mon|num gelic|es. Alf.
21: 5. is also common in Anglo-Saxon, but very rare in English.
deop | ofer dun|um ; sae dren|ce flod|. Cad.
gief|eth at gu|the : thon gar|getrum|. Ex. MSS.
wearth | under wolc|num : for wig|es heard. Alf.
lath|wende her|e : on lang|e sith|. Cad.
cyn|inges doh|tor : sio Cir|ce wses|. Alf.
Where|foreIfear | me: that now | I shall).
M.forM. Kg. James 7.
Leavinge the land thye bellsire wan
Too the barbarous Ottoman,
And | for grief chaung|ed: thy ho|ly haunt|.
Putt. Parti. 1 6- God|-bearn on grund[um : his gief|e bryt|tath. Ex. MSS. Tha | gytawid | land: ne weg|as nyt|te. Cad.
And|reccan spraec|e : gelic|ne ef|re. Alf.
It is seldom we find, in such short rhythms as the present, the alliteration fall on the second accent of the last section. Rask's " complement " would assist but little in the scan- ning of such a verse.
21: 6. belongs to the triple measure, and, like all those verses which have the rhythm running continuously through both sections, is often met with in that metre. This verse was common in the tumbling metre ; and also, when lengthened, in the early English alliterative poems.
Thus | for my fol|ly ; I feele | I do smarte|.
M.for M. Kg. James, 3.
202 VERSES BEGINNING WITH SECTION 2 /. B. II.
By | mine own fol|ly : I had | a great fall]. Same, 7 .
Which | for their mer|its : in field | with me fell [ .
Same, 9.
Ad|juva pa|ter: then fast | did they cry|.
M.forM. Flod. Field, 6.
Nes|til iloc|ed: hu long | hit the wer|e.
The Death-song.
Brougt | up a bul|le : wit bish|opes seel|es. P. Ploughman.
Com|en up knel|ing : to kisjsen his bul|le. Same.
Serjauntis it seemed : that serven at barre,
Plet|en for pen|yes : and pound|es the law|e,
And nougt for love of oure lord. P. Ploughman.
Tis | a good hear|ing: when chil|dren are to|ward, But | a harsh hear|ing: when wom|en are fro|ward.
. T. of the Shrew, 5 . 2.
21:9. and 2 1: 10. are also found in this rhythm. Yet ) I beseech | you : of your char|ity|.
M.for M. Kg. James, 15. With j the Lord Con|iers : of the north | country |.
M.for M. Flod Field, 7. Pres|ed forth bold|ly : to withstand | the might|,
Skeltons Elegy. Eche | man may sor | row: in hisinjward thought|.
Same, 24. That | a king crown |ed : an earle durst | not abide|.
M. for M. Flodd. Field, 5 . And | our bolde bil|men : of them slewe | mony one|.
Same, 15. Fled | away from | him : let him lie | in the dust|.
Skeltons Elegy. Of the verses beginning with 2 //. there is one^ 2 11.: 2. which has been adopted into the triple measure. It was well known to our tumbling verse.
Contrary to | mine othe: solemnly made|.
M.for M. Kg. James, 6.
C. III. VERSES BEGINNING WITH SECTION 5. 203
Vanquished in fielde | I was : to | the rebuke|. Same, 7-
Lord ) whom thou fa|vourest : win|neth the game|.
Same, 8.
VERSES BEGINNING WITH SECTION 5.
The verse 5 : 1 . is often found in old English poems. It did not become obsolete till after the reign of Elizabeth.
He warneth all and some
Of everiche of hir aventures.
By avisions, or by figures
But that | our flesh| : hath | no might |
To understand* it aright. Chau. House of Fame.
And sum | thai put| : in | prisoun
For owtyn causs or exchesoun. The Bruce, 1. 280.
Her eyes, God wott, what stuff they arre,
I durst be sworne eche ys a starre ;
As clere | and brightej : as | to guide |
The pilot in his winter tide. Puttenham. Parth. 1 7.
Gentle breath of yours my sails
Must fill, or else my project fails,
Which was | to please | : Now | I want |
Sp'rits to enforce, &c. Tempest, Epilogue.
Now my charms are all o'erthrown,
And what strength I have 's my own,
Which is | most faint| : now | t'is true |
I must be here confined by you,
Or sent to Naples. Tempest, Epilogue.
The lengthened verse was common in Anglo-Saxon, but rare in the later dialects.
stod deop | and dim| : driht|ne frem|de. Cad.
thurh dright|nes word| : dceg | genem|ned Cad.
sum heard | geswinc| : hab|ban sceol|dan Cad.
thurh hand|-mo;gen| : hal|ig drih|ten. Coed.
Query understands
204 VERSES BEGINNING WITH SECTION 5. B. II.
tha seg|nade : self|a drih|ten Cad.
and Re | tie | : ric|es hyrd|e. J If
on fif|el stream| : fam|ig bos|ma. Alf
thaet Aujlixes| : un|derh9ef|de. Alf.
ou mor|gen tid | : moer|e tunc|gol. War Song.
For by Christ lo thus it fareth
It is | not all| : gold | that glar'eth. Chau. House of Fame.
And mo curious portraitures,
And queint manner of figures
Of gold work, than I saw ever j
But cerjtainly| : I | n'ist nev|er
Where that it was. Chau. House of Fame.
Each by as was a little cherry,
Or as | I think | : a | strawberjry.
Puttenham. Prin. Paragon.
The verse 5:2. was never common, and is now almost obsolete.
Of flcesc|- homan| : flod | ealle wreah|. Cad.
To gyr|wanne| : god|lecran stol|. Cad.
Thow that besides forreine affayres,
Canst tend | to make| : yere|Iy repay res |
By summer progresse, and by sporte,
To shire | and towne| : cit|ye and porte| —
Thow that canst tend to reade and write
Dispute | , declame,| : ar|gewe, endyte,|
In schoole and universitye,
In prose and eke in poesye, — Puttenham. Parth. 1 6.
And he | good prince| : hav|ing all lost)
By waves from coast to coast is tost. Pericles, Proi. 2.
By Pan ! I think she hath no sin
She is | so light| : lie | on these leaves|,
Sleep that mortal sense deceives
Crown thine eyes. Fl. Faith. Sh. 5. 2.
And from her fair unspotted side
Two blis|sful twins | : are | to be born |
Youth and Joy : so Love hath sworn. Comus.
C. III. VERSES BEGINNING WITH SECTION 5. 205
Of these | am I| : Coi|la my name|. Burns.
The lengthened verse is not more common.
On foeg|e folk| : feow|ertig dag|a Cad.
On wen | del soe| : wigjendra scol|a Alf.
Se lic|ette | : lit|lum and mic|lum Alf.
Advise
Forthwith | how thou| : oughtst | to receive | him.
Sams. Agon.
The king
Is wise and virtuous, and his noble queen Well-struck | in years| : fair | and not jeal|ous.
R3, 1. 1.
The verse 5:5. has always been common in English poetry ; in Anglo-Saxon it is found but rarely.
And as | I wake| : sweet Music breathe |
Above, | about,, | : or un|derneath|. II Penseroso.
Ne wil|le ic leng| : his geonjgra weorth|an. Cad.
Sweet bird | that shun'nst| : the noise | of fol|ly
Most mu|sical| : most melancholy. II Penseroso.
5 : 6*. is only met with in the tumbling verse.
This no|ble earle| : full wise|ly hath wrought|.
M.for M. King James, 3.
Whereof | the Scots | : were right | sore afrayde|.
M.for M. Flodd.F. 19-
Fy fy | for shame | : their hearts | were too faint |.
Skeltoris Elegy.
In the same licentious metre, we meet with the section 5: <).
The Per|seout| : off Northum|berlande|,
And a vow to God made he, That he wolde hunte in the Mountains
Of Cheviat within dayes thre. Chevy Chase.
In se|sons pastj : who hath harde | or scene,
Skeltoris Elegy, 4.
206 VERSES BEGINNING WITH SECTION 5.
The fa|mous erle| : of Northum|berIand|. Same, 16.
Also with 5 : 10.
Hee cryde | as he| : had been stikt | with a swerdj.
M.for M. King James, 2.
From high | degree| : to the low|est of all|. Same, 7.
Now go | thy ways | : thou hast tam'd | a curst shrew |
T. of the Shrew, 5. 2.
VERSES BEGINNING WITH SECTION 5 /.
The verse 51: 1. is common. The lengthened verse is also found in Anglo-Saxon.
In notes with many a winding bout
Oflin|ked sweet|ness : long | drawn out|. L Allegro.
ge|gremmed grim | me : grap | on wrath |e. Cced.
sceop nih|te nam|an : nir|gend ur|e. Cced.
gestath|elod|e : strang|um miht|um. Cced.
on mer|e flod|e : middurn weorthan. Cced.
Tho2t on | tha tid|e : theod|a aeg|hwilc. Alf.
That hie | with driht|ne : da3l|on miht|on. Cced.
Ac him | se moer|a : mod | getwaef|de. Cced.
But hail | thou God|dess : sage | and ho|ly. H Penseroso.
5 1:2. occurs very rarely, except in our old romances and the tumbling verse. The lengthened verse may also be found in Anglo-Saxon.
Tharfor thai went til Abyrdene
Qhuar Nele the Bruyss come, and the queyn
And oth|ir lad|yis : fayr ] and farand j
Ilkane for luff off thair husband. The Bruce, 2. 320.
Both law | and na|ture : doth J me accuse|.
M. for M. King James, 4 And in | fowle man|er : brake | their aray|.
M.for M. Flod. Field, 14. What fran|tick fren|sy : fyll | in youre brayne|.
Skeltoris E leg i/, H.
C. III. VERSES BEGINNING WITH SECTION 5 /. 207
To sum|um deor|e : swilc|um he aer|or. Alf.
His with |er brec| can: wul|dor gesteal|dum. Cced.
51: 5. was always rare, and may now be looked upon as obsolete.
geond fol|en fyr|e : and fser|-cyle(. Cad.
A noble hart may haiff nane ess,
Na ellys nocht that may him pless,
Gyfffre|dome fail|yhe : for f re | liking |
To yharnyt our all othir thing. The Bruce, 1. 232.
He is promis'd to be wiv'd
To fair | Marijna : but in | no wise |
Till he had done his sacrifice. Pericles, 5. 2.
But I | will tar|ry : the fool | will stay |
And let the wise man fly. Lear, 2. 4.
Come hith]er, hith|er : my lit|tle page|
Why dost thou wail and weep ? Byron.
Why this | a fon|tome : why that | orac|les
In'ot | but who | so : of these miracles
The causes know, &c. Chau. House of Fame.
5 1: 6. is only found in the tumbling verse.
With four|score thousand : in good|ly array|.
M. for M. King James, 2.
That roy|all rel|ike : more prec|ious than golde|. Same, 6.
Fulfyld | with mal|ice : of fro | ward intente|.
Skeltons Elegy, 4.
Let dou|ble del|inge : in the | have no place |. Same, 25.
In me | all one|ly : were sett | and comprisyde|. Same, 23.
Alas | those pleasures : be stale | and forsak|en.
Ben. Jons. Fox, 1. 2.
51 : 1 0. is also to be found in the same barbarous rhythm.
St Ctttjberdfl l);m|uer : with the bish |ops men bolde|.
M.for M. Flod. Field, 6.
208 VERSES BEGINNING
Sir Ed | ward Stan | ley : in the reare|-warde was he|.
Same j 14.
In this rhythm we may also find verses beginning with 5 //., for instance 5 11: 2. and 5 11: 6.
I knew | not ve|rily : who | it should be|.
M.for M. King James, 2.
That vilaine hast|arddis : in their fu|rious tene|.
Skelloris Elegy, 4.
The first of these belongs to the triple measure, and is common.
The class of verses beginning with the section 6, is now almost obsolete, and in none of the better periods of our literature did these rhythms meet with much favour. They are not often found in Anglo-Saxon ; and though they occur more frequently, they are still rare in the Old English alliterative metre. In our ballads they are common ; and, as might be expected, they abound in the tumbling verse. The few which belong to the triple measure, have alone survived in modern usage.
VERSES BEGINNING WITH SECTION 6.
The verse 6 : 1 . though its rhythm be abrupt and awk- ward, was used both by Gower and Chaucer — doubtless because it fell within the orthodox number of eight sylla- bles.
And that his shipes dreint were
Or el|es ylost| : he | n'ist where | Chau. Ho. of Fame.
6' : 2. though of the triple measure, is only found in the tumbling verse and some of the later alliterative poems. The sharp and sudden stop between the two sections, is probably the cause why they have been so little favoured.
Of Scotland he sayde| : late | I was king].
M. for M. King James, 2.
Quhyt, ssem|lie and soft| : as | the sweet liljies. Dunbar.
C. III. VERSES BEGINNING WITH SECTION 6". 209
6' : 5. is also confined to our old romances and the tumbling verse.
Durst nane of Wales in battle ride
No yhet fra ewyn fell, abide
Castell or wallyt town within
That he | ne suld lyff| : and lym|mes tyne|.
The Bruce, 1. 108.
That us | to withstand | : he had | no might|.
M.forM. Flod. Field, 1.
The fajther of wit| : we call | him may|. Same, 1 1.
Beseech|ing him there| : to show his might |. Same, 17.
The verse 6: G. belongs to the triple measure, and is used without scruple even by the most careful writers of that metre.
With sorjowful sighes| : as ev|er man herde|.
M.for M. King James, 2.
With crowne | on my head| : and scep|ter in hand|.
M.for M. K. James, 2.
The breateh | of myne oath| : I did | not regarde.
Same, 10.
That aef jre undon| : the wul|e tha dur|e. Death Song.
For Py|thagores sake| : what bod|y then took j thee,
Ben. Jons. Fox, 1 2.
The first of these verses was very common in the early half of the 16th century. Many short poems were en- tirely composed of it. It seems, however, to have fallen into disuse shortly afterwards ; for Gascoigne, who regrets the exclusive attention that was paid in his time to the common measure, tells his reader, " we have used in time past other kindes of meeters, as, for example, the fol- lowing :
No wight in this world : that wealth can attaine, Unless he believe : that all is in vain."
VOL. I. J'
210 VERSES BEGINNING WITH SECTION 6 I. B. II.
This metre was afterwards revived.
6 : 9. was rarely met with except in the tumbling verse ;
I purposed war| : yet I fain|ed truce|.
31. for M. K.James, 4.
Thus did | I Frenche Kinge| : for the love | of thee|.
Same, 4.
To suf |fer him slain | : of his mor|tall foe|.
Skelton. El. 6.
Thus gat | levyt thai| : and in sic | thrillage|,
Bath pur and thai of hey perage. The Bruce, 1. 275.
6 : 10. and 6:11. are two of the commonest verses in the triple measure. They are also of constant occurrence in the tumbling verse ;
In this | wretched world| : I may no | longer dwell|.
M.for M. K. James, 14.
Our her | aid at armes| : to King Jem | ye did say|.
M.for M. Flodd. Field, 4.
With all | the hole sorte| : of that glor|ious place|.
Skelton s El. 31.
As per|fightly as| : could be thought | ordevys|ed.
Same, 23.
VERSES BEGINNING WITH SECTION 6 /.
61: 1. and 61:2, are extremely rare, but when lengthened are found both in Anglo-Saxon and in our later alliterative meters ;
Thai kyssit thair luffis, at thair partyng,
The King | wmbethocht | him : off | a thing|,
That he fra thaim on fute wald ga. The Bruce, 2. 747-
geslog|on set saec|ce : sweord|a ec|gum. War Song.
Of aed|ragehwaen|e : ego |r stream | as. Cced.
C. III. VERSES BEGINNING WITH SECTION 6 /. 211
In set | ting and sow|ing : swonke* | full sore|.
P. Ploughman. But japers and Jang|lers : jud|as chil|dren. Same.
These verses of ten syllables are the shortest that are found in Piers Plowman. They are rarely met with in alliterative poems of a later date ;
His sore | exclamations : made | me afferde|.
M.for M. K James, 2. And held | with the com|mons : un|der a cloke|.
Skeltoris El. 11. Tha wser|on geset|te : wid|e and sid|e. Cad.
And rawyt | with his rag|emen : ring|es and broch|es.
P. Ploughman. In glot|enye God | wote : gon | they to bed|de. Same.
6 I: 5. is almost peculiar to the tumbling verse;
Yet were | we in nom|ber : to his | one three].
M.for M. K.James, 8. I trowe | he doth nei|ther : God love | nor dread |.
Same, 12. That buf |fits the Scots | bare : they lacjked none|.
M. for M. Flod. Field, 20. But by | them toknow|lege : ye may | attayne|.
Skeltons El. 19.
61: 6. belongs to the triple measure, and as the rhythm runs continuously through the line, it has survived the tumbling verse, of which it once formed one of the most striking features. The lengthened verse is found in Piers Plowman.
In peac|eable man|er : I rul|ed my land|.
M.for M. Kg. James, 2.
• The e is, I believe, a blunder of the transcriber.
p 2
212 VERSES BEGINNING WITH SECTION 6 /. B. II.
Full friend|ly and faith|ful : my sub|jects I fand|.
Same. 3.
Full bold|ly their big|men : against | me did come|.
Flod. Field. 17.
Your hap | was unhap|py : to ill | was your spede|.
Skeltoris El. 9.
'Twas I | won the wag|er : though you | hit the white |, And be]ing a win|ner : God give | you good night|.
Tarn, of the Shrew, 5. 2.
And len|eth it los|elles : that lech|erye haun|teth.
P. Ploughman. There hov|ed anhund|red : in hoav|es of selk|e. Same.
Which soul | fast and loose [ Sir : came first | from Apol|lo.
B.Jons. Fox, 1. 2.
61:9. and 61: 10. are only found in the tumbling verse and some of the most slovenly specimens of the triple measure ;
Ye had | not been a|ble : to have said | him Nay|.
Skeltoris El. 10.
And could | not by fals[hode : either thrive | or thie|.
M.for M. Kg. James, 9.
For sor|rowe and pi|ty : I gan nere | to resorte|. Same, 4.
Now room | for fresh game|sters : who do will | you to know.|
B. Jons. Fox, 1. 2.
As blithe | and as art|less : as the lambs | on the lea|, A.nd dear to my heart as the light to my ee.
Burns. Auld Rob Morris.
Of the verses beginning with 6 11. we have one 611: 2. which still keeps its station in our poetry. It belongs to that class of verses, which have the triple rhythm running through both sections. This was doubtless the cause of its surviving. It is found occasionally in the tumbling verse ;
C. III. VERSES BEGINNING WITH SECTION 6 //. 213
Bothe temporal and spiritual : for | to complayne|.
Skeltons EL 26.
Why then | thy dogmatical : si|lence hath left | thee — Of that | an obstreperous : law|yer bereft | me.
B. Jons. Fox, 1. 2.
In the same loose metre, we sometimes meet with such a verse as 611: 10.
The Bar|on of Kil|lerton : and both As|tones were there|.
M.for M. Flodd. Field, 10.
214 VERSE OF FIVE ACCENTS. B. II.
CHAPTER IV.
VERSE OF FIVE ACCENTS.
Our verse of five accents may be divided into two sec- tions, whereof one contains two, and the other three ac- cents. Accordingly as it opens with one or other of these sections, the character of its rhythm varies materially. We shall in the present chapter pass under review those verses, which begin with the section of two accents.
Before, however, we proceed, I would make one or two observations on a subject, which has already been touched upon in the opening of the last chapter. Gascoigne thought that in a verse of ten syllables, the pause would " be best placed at the ende of the first four syllables." He adds, however, soon afterwards, " In rithme royall it is at the writer's discretion, and forceth not where the pause be until the end of the line." Now as the stanza, known by the name of the rhythm royal, was borrowed from the French, this strengthens an opinion already mooted, that, with the other peculiarities of foreign metre, the flow of its rhythm wras introduced into our poetry. But that it quickly yielded to the native rhythm of the language is clear, no less from the versification of such poets, as have survived to us, than from the silence of contemporary critics. Gascoigne is the only writer who alludes to this license — a strong proof that it was not generally recognised even as a peculiarity of the rhythm royal.
C. IV. VERSE OF FIVE ACCENTS. 215
In most of the manuscripts I have seen, containing verse of five accents, the middle pause is marked ; though not so carefully, as in the alliterative poems of the same age. Below are the first eighteen lines of Chaucer's Prologue, from MS. Harl. 1758, and MS. Harl. 7333. The first ma- nuscript gives both the middle and the final pauses.
Whan that April . wit his shoures swote .
The drought of Marche . hath perced to the rote .
And bathed every veyne . in such licoure .
Of whiche virtue . engendred is the floure .
And Zephyrus eke . with his swete breth
Enspired hath . in everie holt and heth .
The tender croppes . and the yong sonne.
Into the ram . his half cours ronne .
And smale fowles . maken melodye .
That slepen all the nyght . with open eye .
So pricketh hem nature . in here corages .
Than longen folk . to gon on pilgrimages .
And palmers for to seke . straunge strondes
To serve halwes . couthe in sondry londes .
And specialy . from everie schires ende .
Of Englond . to Canterburye thei wende.
The holy blissfull martyr for to seke.
That, hem hath holpen . when that they were seke.
Whanne that Aperyll wit his shoures swoote The drowht of Marche hathe perced to the roote And bathed every veyne . in suche likoure Of wiche vertue . engenderid is the floure Whenne Zephyrus eke . wit his swete brethe Enspiryd hathe in every holt and hethe The tendre croppes . and the yownge sonne Hathe in the rame . his halfe cours eronne And smale foules . maken melodye That slepen al the night wit open eye So prickethe hem nature . in thaire courages Thanne longer folkes to gon on pilgrimages And palmers eke . to seke straunge strondes To serve halwes . cowthe in sundrye landis
216' VERSE OF FIVE ACCENTS. B.
And speciallye . frome every shyres ende
Of England to Canterburye thei wende
The hooly blyssfulle martyr. ffor to seke
That hem hathe holpon . whanne that thei were seke.
The occasional omission or misplacing of the dot, is perfectly in keeping with the general inaccuracy of these two copies. Indeed, in MS. Harl. 7333, the pause, when inserted, is often nothing more than a mere scratch of the pen. Still, as it seems to me, we can only come to one conclusion, in examining these manuscripts 5 namely, that each verse was looked upon as made up of two sections, precisely in the same way as the alliterative couplet of the Anglo-Saxons.
VERSES BEGINNING WITH SECTION 1,
are of very rare occurrence. They are chiefly used by dramatists. We shall begin with the verse 1 : 2.
Have I not heard these islanders cry out,
Vive | le roi| : as J I have bank'd | their towns|.
King John, 2.
I O | that's well : fetch | me my cloke | mycloke|.
B. Jons. Ev. M. in his Humor, 2, 3.
Hold, shepherd, hold ! learn not to be a wronger
Of | your word | : was | not your promise laid|
To break their loves first ? F. Faith. Sheph. 4.3.
1 : 5. is more common.
Like a pilgrime which that goeth on foote,
And hath none horse to relieve his travaile,
Whote dry and wery, and may find no bote
Of | wel cold | : whan thrust | doth him | assaile^ —
Right so fare I. Lydgate. Fall of Princes.
Then as a bayte she bringeth forth her ware, Siljver, gold,| : riche perle|, and prec|ious stone].
Sir T. More. Boke of Fortune.
C. IV. VERSES BEGINNING WITH SECTION 1. 217
Barkloughly castle call you this at hand ?
Yea, | my lord| : how brook | your grace | the air|.
R 2, 3. 2.
Delights and jolly games
That shepherds hold full dear, thus put I off;
Now | no more | : shall these | smooth brows | be girt|
With youthful coronals. Fl. Fa. Sheph.
Thrice from the banks of Wye,
And sandy-bottom'd Severn have I sent him
Bootless home | : and weath|er beat | en back|. 1 H 4, 3. 1.
Ja|el wh |: with hos|pita|ble guile]
Smote Sisera sleeping. Sampson Agon.
Chaucer affords us a few instances of the same verse lengthened ;
Ther n'as quicksilver, litarge, ne brimston,
Boras, ceruse, ne oile of tartre non,
Ne | ointment| : that wol|de clen|se or bit|e,
That him might helpen of his whelkes white. Chau. Prol.
Verses beginning with the section 1 /. abound in Anglo- Saxon ; they are also met with in Chaucer and the writers of the fifteenth century, but were rarely used after that period, except by our dramatists.
sec|ga swat|e : sith|thau sun|ne up|. War Song.
won|nan weeg|e : wer|a eth|el-land|. Cced.
wael|-grim wer|um : wul|dor cyn|inges. Cced.
gas|tas geom|re : geof|on death |e hweop|. Cced.
sid | and swegl|-torht : him | thaer sar | gelamp|. Cced.
beot | forbors|ten : and | forbyg|ed thrymj. Cad.
torh|te Tyr|e : and | his torn | gewraic|. Cced.
wiht | ge\vor|den : ac | this wid|a grund|. Cced.
won|ne weg|as : tha | wees wul|dor torhtj. Cced.
Up | from eortli |an . thurh | his ag|en word|. Cced.
sid | aet som|nc : tha | gesund|rod waes|. Cced.
micljum spcd|uiu : mct|od cng|la hehtj. Cced.
218 VERSES BEGINNING WITH SECTION 1 /. B. II.
mid|dan geard|es : met|od af|ter sceaf|. Cced.
stith | ferhth cyn|ing : stod | his hand] -geweorc|. Cced.
or | geword|eu : ne | nu en|de cymth|- Cced.
gas|ta weard|um : hse|don gleam | anddream|. Cced.
mon|nesel|na : that | is m8e|ro wyrd|. Cced.
Wal|dend ur|e : and | geworh|te tha|. Cced.
Ag|an woljde : tha | wearth ir|re God|. Cced.
The grete clamour and the waimenting
Which that the ladies made at the brenning
Of ) the bod|ies : and | the gret|e honour |
That Theseus the noble conqueror
Doth to the ladies. Chau. Knightes Tale.
Thou mightest wenen that this Palamon
In | his fight|inge : wer|e a wood | leon|.* Knightes Tale.
No more of this for Goddes dignitee
Quod | oure hos^te : for | thou mak|est me|.
So weary, &c. Chau. ProL to Melibeus.
Like | a Pil|grime : which | that goeth | on foote|.
Lydgate.
Thus | fell Ju|lius: from | his migh|ty pow'r|.
Sir T. More. Boke of Fortune.
Up the foresayle goes,
We fall on knees, amid the happy gale,
Whych | by God's | will: kind | and calmejly blowes|.
Gascoigne. Journey into Holland.
Tut ! | when struckst | thou : one | blow in | the field | ?
2H 6, 4. 7.
The other again
Is | my kins | man : whom | the king | hath wrong'd|.
R 2, 2 2.
When comes such another ?
Nev|er ! nev|er ! ; come|, away away| ! Jul . Cces. 3. 2.
* Tyrwhitt very unnecessarily inserts an as to eke out the metre " were as a wood leon "
CIV. VERSES BEGINNING WITH SECTION 1/. 219
But hast thou yet latched the Athenian's eyes, With | the love | juice : as | I bid | thee do|?
M. N. D. 3. 2.
O | this learn |ing : what I a thing | it is|.
0 | this wood | cock : what | an ass | it is|.
T. of the Shrew, 1. 2.
1 thank my blessed angel, never, never, Laid | I pen|ny : betjter out | than this].
B. Jons. E. M. out of his Humor, 1.3. Let him that will ascend the tott'ring seat Of | ourgran|deur : and | become | as great | As are his mounting wishes ; as for me Let sweet repose and rest my portion be.
Sir M. Hale, from Seneca.
0 ] that tor|ment: should | not be | confin'd |
To the body's wounds and sores ! Samson.
The lengthened verse is more rare.
Ag|an wol|dun : and | swa eath|e meah|ton. Cad.
Wyrd | raid weeg|e : thaer | ser waeg|as lag|on Cad.
Fus | on froet | wum : hoef|de foec|ne hyg|e. Cad.
■ — Let me think we conquer' d —
Do|, but so | think : as | we may | be con|quer'd.
Fl. Bonduca, 1.1.
Hear | me cap|tain : are | you not | at leisjure. I H 6,5. 3.
1 / : 2- is rarely met with after the 15th century, save in the works of our dramatists.
bselc | forbig|de : tha | he gebolg|en wearth|. Cced.
And ran with all thair mycht,
To ] the fech|taris : or | thai com ner | that place', Of thaim persawyt rycht weill was gud Wallace.
Wallace, 11. 105.
That deemst of things divine,
As | of hu|man, : that | they may al|ter'd be|, And chang'd at pleasure for those imps of thine.
F.Q. 4. 2. 51.
Gatlta weard|as : tha | he hit gear|e wis|te. Cad.
220 VERSES BEGINNING WITH SECTION 1 /. B. II.
Spenn | mid spong|um : wis|te him sprae|ca fel|e. Cad.
Keep your words to-morrow,
And | do something: wor|thy your meat| j go guide | 'em And see 'em fairly onward. Fl. Bonduca, 2. 3.
Pipes, trompes, : nakers and clarionnes
That | in the bat|aille : blow | en blod|y sown|es.
Chau. Knightes Tale.
1 1: 5. seems at one time to have been recognised, as a standard verse of ten syllables. It fell, however, into almost total disuse, during the reign of Elizabeth.
Fa|um foljmum : and him | on faethm | gebraec|. Cad,
Scip|pend us|ser: that he | that scip | beleac|. Cad.
Nymph|es faun|es: and Am|adry|ades|.
Chau. Knightes Tale.
Adam el|dest : was grow | and in | courage|,
Forthward rycht fayr, auchtene yer of age,
Large of persone ; bath wiss worthi and wicht
Gude | king Rob|ert : in his | time mad | him knycht |
Lang | tyme ef|tir ; in Bruc|es werris | he haid |
On Engliss men mone gud iorne maid. Wallace, 3. 45.
Full | gret slauch|ter : at pit|te was | to se|,
Of | trew Scot|tis : oursett | withsut,|elte|. Same, 1. 110.
■• His rebell children three, Henry and Richard, who bet him on the breast Jeff|rey one|ly : from that | offence | was free|„ Hen|ry dy|ed : of Eng|lands crown | possest|, Rich|ard liv|ed: his fa|ther to | molest|, John J the young|est: pect still | his father's eye|. Whose deedes unkind the sooner made him die.
Ferrers. M.forM. Glocester, 14,
For having rule and riches in our hand, Who durst gaynesay the thing that we averd ? Will | was wis|dom : our lust | for law | did stand|.
Sackville. M.forM. Buckingham, 37.
CIV. VERSES BEGINNING WITH SECTION 2. 221
Idolatrye from deepe devotion,
Vul|gaire wor|shippe : from worldes | promo|tion|.
Puttenham. Parth.
Mar|riage, unc|le : alass | my days | are young|,
And fitter is my study and my bookes. 1 H 6, 5. 1.
There is one verse in the P. L. which at first sight would seem to fall within the present law.
Tasting concoct, digest, assimilate, And | corpor|eal : to in|corpor|eal turn].
But when we remember the licence which Milton al- lowed himself in the position of his pauses, and also that an emphasis falls on the first syllable of incorporeal, I think there can be little doubt but he read it as the verse 3:5.*
And | corpo|real to in | : corpojreal turn|.
1/: 6. is exceedingly rare, and seems to have ended its career in the tumbling verse.
A band thai maid in preua illusion
At | thair pow|er : to work | his confu|sion|.
Wallace, 11.205.
VERSES BEGINNING WITH SECTION 2.
2 : 1 is met with in the writers of the 1 5th century, and in our dramatists.
Ten | winter full| : the | sio|tid | gelomp|. Alf.
Learne what is virtue, therein is great solace. Learne | what is truth| : sad]ness and | prudence].
Barclay . Schip of Foles.
Rich|esse, honour,] : welth | and aun|eestry|, Hath me forsaken, and lo now here I ly.
Sir T. More. Ruful Lamentation.
Poilson'd, ill fare] ! : dead| ! forsook| ! cast otT|!
Kg. John, 5, 5.
Nay | if you melt| : then | will she | run mad|. 1 H4, 3. I,
* See ch. 5,
222 VERSES BEGINNING WITH SECTION 2 /.
Break | open doors| : nothjing can | you steal],
But thieves do lose it. T. of Athens, 4. 3.
No more the company of fresh fair maids,
And wanton shepherds be to me delightful,
Nor the shrill pleasing sound of merry pipes,
Under some shady dell, when the cool wind
Plays | on the leaves | : all | be far | away|
Since thou art far away. Fl. Faithful Shep. 1.1.
Help'd by the great pow'r of the virtuous moon
In [ her full light | : oh | you sons* | ofearth|,
You only brood unto whose happy birth
Virtue was given, &c. Fl Faithf Shep. 2. 1.
In Ireland have I seen this stubborn Cade
Oppose himself unto a troop of kernes —
And in the end, being rescued, I have seen him
Ca|per upright| j like | a wild | Moris]co. 2 H 6, 3. 1.
2:2. has always been one of the standard verses in the metre of 5 accents.
Oth|ers apart| : sat | on a hill | retir'd|. P. L. 2.
Cur|teis he was| : low|ly and ser|visa|ble.
Chau. Knightes Tale.
2:3. was never used by Dryden and his school, nor indeed were any of those verses, which included the section 3. I cannot help thinking that good taste was shown in rejecting them, even though sanctioned by Spenser and by Milton.
But the good knight, soon as he them can spy
For | the cool shade| : thith|er has|tily got). F. Q. 1. 2. 29.
Fee|bly she shriek'd| ; but | so fee|bly indeed|,
That Britomart heard not. F. Q. 474.
Thou with thy lusty crew
False titled sons of gods, roaming the earth
Cast | wanton eyes| ; on | the daughters of men|.
P. R. 2. 180.
* That is, the plants which the speaker had just gathered.
C. IV. VERSES BEGINNING WITH SECTION 2 /. 223
He who receives
Light | from above | : from | the foun|tain of light |,
No other doctrine needs. P. R, 4. 289.
2:5. has been one of our standard verses of five ac- cents since the days of Chaucer.
But rich he was of holy thought and werk ;
He | was also| : a lern|ed man | a clerk |
That Cristes gospel trewely wolde preche. Chau. Prol.
Some | to whom Heav'n| : in wit | has been | profuse | Want | as much more| : to turn | it to | its use|. Pope.
Crea|ture so fair| : his rec|oncile|ment seek|ing. P. L. 10.
VERSES BEGINNING WITH SECTION 2 /.
2 1 : 1 . has been common in our poetry from the earliest period, and is still counted among the standard verses of 5 accents.
Met|od on mon|num : merje swith|e grap|. Cad.
gar|um aget|ed : gum|a nor|therna|. War Song.
glad | ofer grun|das : god|es con|del beorht|. Same.
up|pe mid eng|lum : ec|e stath|elas(. Ex. MS.
rod|or aroer|de : and | this rum|e land|. Cad.
som|od on sand|e : nys|ton sor|ga wiht|. Cad.
dael | ongedwil|de ; nol|don dreog|an leng|. Cad.
sta?lg|ne gestig|an : sum | maegstil|ed sweord|.
Ex. MS. sing|an and sec|gan : tham | beth snytjtru-craeft.
Ex. MS. word|cwithe writ|an : sum|um wig|es sped|. Same.
leoht | sefter thys|trum : heht | tha lif|es weard|. Cad.
flot|an andsceot|ta : thaer | gefloem|cd wearth|. War-song.
A clerk ther was of Oxenforde also
That | unto log | ike : had|de long | ygo|. The Knightes Tale.
224 VERSES BEGINNING WITH SECTION 2 /. B. II.
Whence | and what art | thou : ex'(ecra|ble shape|. P.L. 2. wlit|e gewem|med : heo | on wrac|e sith|than. Cad.
gnm|-rinca gyd|en : cuth|e galjdra fel|a. Alf
beor|nas forbred|an : and | mid bal|o craf|tum. Alf.
Thra|cia cyn|ing : thaet | hi thon|an mos|te. Alf.
wid|e eteow|de: tha | se wul|dor cyn|ing. Cad.
One | that lusts af|ter : ev|'ry sev|eral beaujty.
Fl. Faith. Sh. 1.2. And with malicious fury stir them up Some | way or oth|er : still far |ther to | afflict | thee.
Samson Agonistes.
21 : 2. is met with chiefly in the works of our dramatists. It is not found in the " heroic verse " as used by Dryden and Pope.
God liketh not that men us Rabbi call Nei|ther in mar|ket : ne | in your larg|e hall|.
Ch. Sompnoures Tale. Know|and the wor|schip : and | the gret no|bilnace| Of him quhilk sprang that tym in mony place.
Wallace, 11. 268. Whiles | I in Ire|land : nour|ish a migh|ty band|.
2H 6, 3. 1. Keep | his brain fum'ing : £p|icure[an cooks | Sharpen with cloyless sauce his appetite. A. and C. 2. 1.
Write | them together : yours | is as fair | a name|.
Jul. Cas. 1.1.
If aught propos'd —
Of difficulty or danger could deter
Me | from attempting : where|fore do I | assume |.
These royalties ? P. L. 2.
Ic | the ma?g eath|e : eal|dum and leas|um spel|lum. Alf.
iE|fter toal|dre : thaes | we herin ne mag|on. Cad.
Let | me not think | on't : frail|t,y thy name | is wom|an.
Hamlet, 1.1.
C. IV. VERSES BEGINNING WITH SECTION 5. 225
Where | is our un|cle ? : what | is the mat|ter, Suf|folk ?
2H6, 3. 2. Give | me the map | there : know | that I have | divid|ed In three our kingdom. Lear, 1.1.
21: 5. like all those verses which had a supernumerary syllable between the sections, was rejected by Dryden and his imitators.
Lag|o mid lan|de : geseah | tha lif|es weard|. Cad.
God|es forgym|don: hie hyr|a gal | beswaec|. Cad.
Draw | near to for | tune : and la|bour her | to please |, If that ye thynke yourselfe to wel at ease.
Sir T. More. Boke of Fortune.
Give | me the dag|gers : the sleeping and | the dead |
Are but as pictures. Macbeth, 2. 2.
In vain thou striv'st to cover shame with shame,
Or | by evasions : thy crime j uncov|er'st more|. Samson.
Har|pies or hy'dras ; or all | the monjstrous forms |
Twixt Africa and Ind. Comus.
Fyr|ena frem|man : ac hie | on frith|e lif|don. Cad.
I hear a knocking
At | the south en | try : retire | we to | our cham|bers.
Macbeth.
VERSES BEGINNING WITH SECTION 5.
5 : 1 . is very rare. The cause is evidently the sharp and abrupt division between the two sections.
Thaem Cae|scre| : cyn|e ric|u twa|. Alf.
And he that is approv'd in this offence,
Though he hath twinn'd with me, both at a birth,
Shall lose | ine. What! : in | a town | of war|,
To manage private and domestic quarrels ! Othello, 2 3.
Shapes of grief
Which, look'd on as it is, is nought but shadows
Of what | is not. | : Then, | most gra|cious queen |
More than your lord's departure weep not. R 2, 2. 2.
And weor'|thodon| : swa | swa wul|drcs cyn|ing. Alf.
Thahe|an lyft| : thajse e|gor her|e. Cad.
VOL. I. Q
226 VERSES BEGINNING WITH SECTION 5. B. II.
Yea, look'st | thou pale| J let | me see | the writ|ing.
R 2, 5. 2. The King of heav'n forbid our lord the king Should so with civil and uncivil arms Be rush'd \ upon| ! : thy | thrice nojble cousjin Harry Bolingbroke doth humbly kiss thy hand. R 2, 3. 3.
5 : 2 has been common in our verse of ten syllables from the days of Chaucer.
This Pal'amonj : when | he these word|es herd|, Dispitiously he loked and answer'd. Knightes Tale.
And Phoebus, fresh as bridegroom to his mate,
Came dan|cing forth[ : shaking his dew|y hair|. F. Q. 1. 5. 2.
False el|oquence| : like | the prismat|ic glass |
Its gau;ly colours spreads on every place. Pope.
Self displeas'd
For self | offence | : more J than for God | offen|ded. Samson.
Some of our later critics, and among others Johnson, have recorded their objections to any verse which ends with the section 2. Pemberton, the friend and panegyrist of Glover, considers the measure of the verse
And tow'rd | the gate| : roll|ingher bes|tiall train|.
as faulty ; because the third foot is " a trochee." He would correct it thus,
And rol|ling tow'rd | the gate | : her bes|tiall train! .
The alteration seems to me anything but an improve- ment. The uneven flow of Milton's line, is far better adapted to express a " rolling " motion, than the continuous rhythm of his presumptuous critic.
5 : 3. was last patronized by Milton. Its revival is hardly to be wished for.
Als bestiall thar rycht cours till endur
Weyle helpit ar be wyrkyn of natur,
On fute and weynge ascendand to the hycht
Conser|wed weillj : be | the ma|kar of mycht|. Wallace, 3.
The par|dale swift| : and | the ty|ger cruell|,
The antelope and wolf both fierce and fell. F. Q. 1. 6. 26.
C. IV. VERSES BEGINNING WITH SECTION 5. 22*]
His book enjoys not what itself doth say,
For it shall never find one resting day,
A thousand hands shall toss each page and line,
Which shall be scanned by a thousand eyne,
That sab| bath's rest| : or | the sab|bath's unrest |
Hard is to say, whether's the happiest.
Hall, upon the " Book of the Sabbath." Tis true I am that sp'rit unfortunate Who leag'd with millions more in sad revolt Kept not my happy station, but was driven With them | from bliss| : to | the bot|tomless pit|.
P. L. 12.
Eternal wrath
Burnt af|ter them| : to | the bot|tomless pit . P. L. 6.
In his own image he
Crea|ted thee| : in | the im|age of God |
Express. P. L. 7.
There can, I think, be little doabt, that Milton saw in this rhythm a certain fitness for his subject. The reader is almost forced to dwell on the preposition which begins the seeond section ; otherwise he may miss the accent, and sink the line into a miserable verse with only four accented syllables. This resting place serves the purpose of an emphatic stop, and seems to have been intended to give force to the words which follow, " the bottomless pit," " the image of God."
5 : 5. is one of the standard verses of 5 accents.
Fro cneo|-maecum| : that hie | on cam|pe oft|.
War Song.
And wek|e ben| : the ox|en in | my plow|, The remenant of my tale is long enow.
Chau. The Knightes Tale.
And hor|rid woods| : and si|lence of | this place| And ye | sad hours| : that move | a sul|len pace).
Fl. Fa. Sheph. 44.
And pi|ous awe| : that fear'd | to have | offen|ded. P. L. 5.
Q2
228 VERSES BEGINNING WITH SECTION 5. B. II.
This verse is occasionally found doubly lengthened, in the works of our dramatists.
He must | not live! : to trum]pet forth | my in|famy.
Per. 1 1 .
And hence we do conclude
That what|so'er| : hath flex|ure and | humid|ity.
B.Jon. E. M. out of Im H. Prol.
5 : 6. seems rarely to have been used after the 15th century, even by our dramatists.
Schyr Ran|ald had| : the Per|cey's protec|tioun |
As for all part to bear remissioun. Wallace, 1. 333,
Twa yeris thus with myrth Wallace abaid
Still un|to Frans| : and mon|y gud jor|nay maid|.
Wallace, 11. 144. How fi ] ery | : and for|ward our ped|ant is|.
T. of the Shrew, 3. 1.
5 / : 1 . has always been among the standard verses of five accents ;
A merchant was | ther : with | a forked berd|,
In mottelee, and high on hors he sat,
And on his head a Flaundrish bever hat. Chau. Prol.
What stronger breast|-plate : than | a heart | untain|ted.
2 H 6, 3. 2.
With all his host
Of reb|el an|gels : by | whose aid | aspir|ing
He trusted to have equall'd the Most High. P. L. 1,
The following is an instance of the verse doubly length- ened;
If that my cousin King be King of England,
It must | be gran|ted : I J am Duke | of Lancaster.
R 2, 2. 3. 5 I. 2. fell into disuse after Milton's death ;
And with that word he caught a great mirrour, And saw that chaunged was all his colour ;
C. IV. VERSES BEGINNING WITH SECTION 5 /, 229
And saw | his vis | age : all | in anoth|er kind|,
And right anon it ran him in his mind. The Knightes Tale.
Sound drums | and trumpets : bold|ly and cheer |fuUy|.
12 3,5.3.
The guilt|less dam|sel : fly|ing the mad | pursuit|
Of her enraged step-dame. Comus.
My voice thou oft hast heard, and hast not fear'd.
But still rejoic'd ; how is it now become
So dread | ful to | thee ? : That | thou art na|ked, who|
Hath told thee ? P. L. 10.
Besloh | syn sceath|an : sig|ore and | geweal|de. Cad.
Let grief
Convert | to angjer, blunt | not the heart | enrage | it.
Macb. 4. 3.
When flame | and fu|ry : make | but one face | of hor|ror.
Fletch. Loy. Subj. 1. 3.
Gentle to me and affable hath been
Thy condescension : and | shall be hon|our'd ev|er
With grateful memory. P. L. 8.
5 / : 5. did not survive Milton j
Sterres that ben cleped in scriptures
That on | Puel|la : that oth|er Ru|beus|. This God of armes was araied thus —
Chau. The Knightes Tale.
The swerd flaw fra him : a furbreid on the land,
Wal|las wasglad| : and hynt | it sone | in hand|. Wallace.
Then mayst | thou bold|ly : defy | her turn|ing chaunce], She can thee neither hinder nor advance.
Sir T. More. Boke of Fortune.
Now, broth|er Rich|ard, : Lord Hastings, and | the rest|.
3 H 6, 4. 7. And to the ground her threw ; yet n'old she stent Herbitt|er rail|ing : and foul | revil|ement|. F. Q. 2. 4. 12.
Or search'd the hopeful thicks of hedgy rows For bri|cry ber|ries : or haws | or sowr|er sloes |.
Hall. Sat. 3. 1 .
230 VERSES BEGINNING WITH SECTION 5 //. B. II.
How are you join'd with hell in triple knot,
Against the unarm'd weakness of one virgin,
Alone | and help|less ! : is this | the con|fidence|
You gave me, brother ? Comus.
Ah ! fro|ward Clar|ence : how ev|il it | beseems | thee
To flatter Henry. 3 H 6, 4. 7.
Farewell my eagle ! when thou flew'st whole armies
Have stoop'd | below | thee : at pas [sage I | have seen | thee
Ruffle the. Tartars. Fl. Loyal Subj. 1. 3.
Byron has given us one instance of the verse 5 /: 5. but rather through negligence than of set purpose ;
I see | before | me : the glad jia| tor lie|. Childe H. 4.
5 1:6. is very rare. It prevailed chiefly in the 15th century ;
Schyr Ran|ald Craw|ford : beho|wide that tyme | be thar|, For he throw rycht was born schirref of Air. Wallace, 4. 5.
Verses beginning with 5 11. are occasionally found in Chaucer, and are not unfrequent in our dramatists. Mas- singer particularly affected this double lengthening of the first section.
511: 1.
They teach their teachers with their depth of judgment,
And are | with arguments : a ble to | convert
The enemies of our Gods. Mass. Virg. Martyr, 1.1.
When that the Knight had thus his tale told
In all | the com|paynie : n'as | ther yong | ne old|,
That he ne said it was a noble storie.
Chau. The Milleres Prol. It is the Prince of Wales that threatens thee, Who nev|er prom[iseth ; but | he means | to pay|.
1 H 4, 5. 4. To meet | Northumberland : and | the Prel|ate Scroop |.
Same, 5.5.
Verses beginning with the sections 6*. and 61. were certainly used by Chaucer ; though, in the present condi-
C. IV. VERSES BEGINNING WITH SECTION 6. 231
tion of his works, it is difficult to say to what extent. They were very common in the century, which succeeded his death, but in the 16th century fell rapidly into disfavour. They are found but rarely even in the plays of our dra- matists, though I suspect that Shakespeare's editors have silently corrected the rhythm of many verses, which, as Shakespeare wrote them, contained the obnoxious section# The rare occurrence of these verses in Anglo-Saxon is matter of some surprise.
6: 1.
Me lif [es onlah| : se | this leoht | onwrah). Rhiming Poem.
6: 2. And as | he was wont| : whis|tered in | mine eare|.
M.for M. Kg. James 1.
Was not Richard of whom 1 spake before
A rebell playne untill his father dyed,
And John likewise an en'my evermore
To Rich|arde againe| : and | for a reb|ell tried | ?
Ferrers. M.for M. Gloucester, 8.
6: 5.
Off cornekle qhuat suld I tarry long,
To Wal|lace agayne| : now brief jly will | 1 gang|. Wallace.
Yet are mo fooles of this abusion, Whiche of wise men despiseth the doctrine, With mowes, mockes, scorne and collusion, Rewarding rebukes| : for their | good dis|cipline|.
Barclay. Schip of Foles.
On Hol|yrood day| : the gal|lant Hot|spur there|,
Young Harry Percy and brave Archibald
At Holmedon met.
Lord Marshall command| : our of jficers | at arms|,*
Be ready to direct these home alarmes. R 2, 1.1.
6 : 6. is only found in very loose metre, like that of the tumbling verse ;
* Fol. Ed. 1623. In the modern Editions the word Lord is omitted.
232 VERSES BEGINNING WITH SECTION 6 I. B. II.
Hereaf|ter by me| : my successors may | beware |.
M.for M. Kg. James 6. Preserve | the red rose| : and be [ his protec|tion|. Same.
Verses beginning with the section 6 I. are occasionally met with, but rarely after the middle of the 16th century.
61: 1. I wonder this time of the yere
Whennes that swete savour cometh so, Of ros|es and lil|ies : that J I smel|le here|.
Chau. The second Nonnes Tale.
O heartless fooles haste here to our doctrine, For here | shall I she we | you : good | and veri|tie|, Encline | and ye find | shall : great | prosper |itie|, Ensu|ing the doc|trine : of | our fa|thers olde|, And godly lawes in valour worth much gold.
Barclay. Schip of Foles.
His soldiers spying his undaunted courage,
A Tal|bot, a Tal|bot : cried out | amain|. 1 H 6, 1 . 1 .
6 1: 2. It also proved full often is certayne, That they | that on moc|kers : al|way their min|des cast1, Shall of all other be mocked at the last.
Barclay. Schip of Foles.
61: 5.
Take ye example by Cham the son of Noy, Which laugh | ed his fa|ther : un|to deris|ion|, Which him | after cur|sed : for his | transgres|sion|.
Barclay. Schip of Foles.
Verses beginning with the sections 9:9/. are sometimes, though rarely, met with in our dramatists.
9: 5. We may boldjly spend] : upon | the hope | of what| la to come in. H 4, 3. 1.
The people of Rome, for whom we stand,
A special party have by common voice,
C. IV. VERSES BEGINNING WITH SECTION 9. 233
In election for| : the Ro|raan Em|pery|,
Chosen Andronicus. Tit. And. 1.1.
In a char|iot of | : ines|tira|able val|ue. Pericles, 2. 4.
9 1: I I.
Tell him, if he will,
He shall ha' | the gro| grans : at | the rate | I told | him.
B. Jons. E. M. in his Humour, 2. 1 .
10 : 5. is a regular verse of the triple measure.
234
CHAPTER V.
We have now to consider those verses of five accents, which have three accented syllables in the first section ; and shall begin with observing upon certain peculiarities of their rhythm; more especially such as distinguish them from the class of verses^ we have just passed under review.
There was, at one time, much vague and unprofitable speculation as to the best position of the middle pause — an indeterminate problem, which admits of several an- swers. Gascoigne thought the pause would be " best placed" after the fourth syllable; King James preferred the sixth. The latter objects specially to the fifth, be- cause it is " odde, and everie odde fute is short." John- son's objection to the middle pause, when it follows an unaccented syllable, has been already noticed ; he would tolerate it when the sense was merely suspended, but not when it closed a period.
There are certainly many sentences, which ought to end with a full and strongly marked rhythm; and, as certainly, others in which a feeble ending, so far from a defect, may be a beauty. I consider it a beauty in the very verse which Johnson has quoted to prove it the con- trary ;
He with his horrid crew
Lay vanquish'd, rolling in the fiery gulph Confounded though immortaZ. But his doom Reserv'd him to more wrath, &c.
When we are told, that such " a period leaves the ear unsatisfied," we must remember, that Johnson's ear was educated to admire the precise, but cold and monotonous
C. V. VERSES OF FIVE ACCENTS. 235
rhythm of Pope. As to its leaving the reader " in ex- pectation of the remaining part of the verse," I cannot see in what consists the objection.
There are also sentences, which ought to end slowly and with dignity ; but there are others, which may with equal propriety end abruptly.
Whether the pause, then, be best placed after the sec- tion of two, or of three accents; whether after an ac- cented or an unaccented syllable; must depend entirely on the circumstances of each case. It may be granted, that the "noblest and most majectic pauses" are those which follow the fourth and sixth syllables, and more especially the sixth ; and though the latter ought not to be preferred, because it makes " a full and solemn close," yet it deserves our preference, whenever such a close is necessary. There is certainly something imposing in that " complete compass of sound," to which Johnson listened with so much pleasure, when the pause followed the sixth syllable. Those who are familiar with his favourite rhythms, will readily understand " the strong emotions of delight and admiration" with which he professes to have read the following passages ;
Before the hills appear'd or fountains flow'd, Thou with th' eternal wisdom didst converse, Wisdom thy sister, and with her didst play In presence of th' almighty Father, pleas'd With thy celestial song.
Or other worlds they seem'd, or happy isles, Like those Hesperian gardens, fara'd of old, Fortunate fields and groves, and flow'ry vales, Thriee happy isles ! But who dwelt happy there He staid not to inquire.
He blew
His trumpet, heard in Orel) since, perhaps When God descended j and perhaps once more To sound at gen'ral doom.
From the importance which Milton attached to '• apt numbers," it is clear that the poet and his critic differed
236* VERSES OF FIVE ACCENTS. B. II.
no less in theory than in practice. The former moved with majesty, whenever his subject required it; the latter loved the pomp of words for its own sake. The one wished to suit his rhythm to his matter ; the other too often swelled out a thought, which could ill bear it, in order to fill a rolling and a stately period.
We have seen that several of our modern critics, and among them Johnson, objected to any verse, whose second section began abruptly. As the objection is sup- ported by examples, which belong to the class of verses we are now considering, a few observations upon it will not, I think, be altogether out of place. It is said, that the injury to the measure is remarkably striking, when the " vicious verse" concludes a period.
This delicious place
For us too large $ where thy abundance wants Partakers, and uncropt : falls | to the ground |.
His harmless life
Does with substantial blessedness abound,
And the soft wings of peace : cov|er him round|,
In the first of these verses, I can only see those " apt numbers," which Milton affected beyond any other poet that has written our language. But Cowley is indefensi ble. Instead of accommodating the flow of his verse the subject, he has expressed his beautiful thought in th( most jerking line his measure would allow. Giving all his attention to the smoothness of his syllables, he seems to have forgotten his rhythm.
The whole, however, of Johnson's criticism is founded on false premises. When he denounced the verses last quoted, as gross violations of " the law of metre," he had set out with assuming, that the repetition of the accent u at equal times," was " the most complete harmony of which a single verse is capable." Our mixed rhythms were merely introduced for the purposes of variety ; to relieve us from the weariness induced by " the perpe-
C. V. VERSES OF FIVE ACCENTS. 237
tual recurrence of the same cadence," and to make us " more sensible of the harmony of the pure measure." This notion is not of modern date ; for so early as the sixteenth century, Webbe had laid it down, that " the natural course" of English verse ran "upon the Iambicke stroke;" and that "by all likelihood it had the origin thereof." He might have been taught sounder doctrine by his contemporary Gascoigne. This critic laments that they were fallen into such " a plain and simple manner of writing, that there is none other foote used but one," and that such " sound or scanning continueth through the whole verse." He admires " the libertie in feete and measures" used by their Father Chaucer ; and tells his reader, that " whosoever do peruse and well consider his works, he shall find, although his lines are not alwayes of one self-same number of syllables, yet being read by one who hath understanding, the longest verse, and that which hath most syllables in it, will fall to the eare cor- respondent to that which hath fewest syllables in it; and likewise that which hath in it fewest syllables, shall be founde yet to consist of wordes, that have such natu- rall sounde, as may seeme equal in length to a verse, which hath many moe syllables of lighter accents."
There can be no doubt, that our heroic metre was from the first a mixed one; and though, owing to various causes — chiefly to the prevalence of false accentuation — it has approached nearer and nearer to the common measure, yet to narrow its limits, beyond what is neces- sary for the security of the accent, is to impair its beauty no less than its efficiency.
Our verses of five accents begin much more commonly with sections 1 . and 1 /. when the pause follows the third accent, than when it follows the second. The greater length of the section, and the more continuous flow of the rhythm, is doubtless the cause.
238 VERSES BEGINNING WITH SECTION 1. B. II.
1 : 1/. is met with in Anglo-Saxon, but in English verse hardly ever.
Se | the W3e|trum weold| : wreah | and theah|te. Cad.
Tha | wses soth | swa eer| : sibb | on heof|num. Cad.
sith|than wid|e rad| : wolc|num un|der. Cad.
swang | that fyr | on twa| : feond|es craef|te. Cad.
niht|a oth|er swilc| : nith | wses reth|e. Cad.
1 : 2. is also rare.
Hu|bert keep j this boy| : Phil|ip make up|, My mother is assailed in her tent,
And ta'en I fear. Kg. John, 3. 2.
vVul|der-faes|tan wic| : wer|odes thrym|me. Cad.
syn|nihte | be seald| : sus|le gein|nod. Cad.
o|fer sealt|ne sae| : sundjwudu drif|an. Ex. MS.
0|ferhyd|ig cyn| : eng|la of heof|num. Cad.
1:5. is not unfrequently used by the writers of the fifteenth century, and by our older dramatists. On | his lif|dagumj : gelic|ost wses| On | thaem eg|londe| : the au|lixes|.
Zeph|irus | began| : his mor|ow courss| ;
The swete vapour thus fra the ground resourss.
Wallace,
Serve | her day | and night| : as rev|erently| Upon thy knees as any servaunt may, And, in conclusion, that thou shalt win thereby, Shall not be worth thy service I dare say.
Sir T. More. Boke of Fortune.
Sound trumpets and set forwards combatants.
Stay| ! the king | hath thrown^ : his warjder down|.
R 2, 1.3. First that he lie upon the truckle bed, Whiles his young master lieth o'er his head, Sec|ond that | he do| : on no | default|, Ever presume to sit above the salt. Hall. Sat. 2. 6.
C. V. VERSES BEGINNING WITH SECTION 1. 239
Wharton reads the line thus, Second that he do, upon no default.
I have nothing but a modern reprint at hand to refer to ; but have little doubt that Wharton has been tam- pering with his text. His motive for doing so is an obvious one. By changing the preposition he gets at once the orthodox number of syllables ; though the ac- cents still remain inflexible.
Or | thon eng|la weardj : for of|erhyg|de. Cced.
Gif|um grow|ende| : on god|es ric[e. Cced.
Lif|es leoht | fruma| : on lid|es bos|me. Cced.
On j thahat|an hell| : thurh hyg|eleas|te. Cced.
Hit | gessel|de gio| : on sum|e tidje. Alf. I sometime lay here in Corioli,
At | a poor | man's house | : he us'd | me kind|ly.
Cor. ]. 9. Let's to the sea-side, no !
As well to see the vessel that's come in,
As | throw out | our eyes| : for brave | Othel|lo. Oth. 2. I.
Examples that may nourish
Neglect and disobedience in whole bodies —
Must not be play'd withal ; nor out of pity
Make | a gen|eral| s forget | hisdu|ty. Fl. Bonduca, 4.3.
O | how come|ly' itis| : and how | reviving. Samson.
This lengthened verse forms the great staple of Cam- pion's "Trochaic measure." The following "epigram'' will serve as a specimen.
Cease J fond wretch | to love| : so oft j delud|ed, Still | made ritch | with hopes| : still un|reliev|ed, Now | fly her | delaies| : she, that] debat|eth, Feels | not true | desire| : he that|* deferred Oth|ers time | attends| : his owne | betray|eth. Learn | t' affect | thyself | : thy cheekes | deform |ed With pale care, revive with timely pleasure ;
* This is false accentuation, but was certainly intended by the author.
240 VERSES BEGINNING WITH SECTION 1/.
Or with scarlet heate them, or by painting Make thee lovely, for such arte she useth, Whom | in vayne | so long| : thy fol|ly lov|ed.
1 1 : 1 . was used by Chaucer and his school, and also by our dramatists. The lengthened verse was common in Anglo-Saxon ;
How longe Juno thurgh thy crueltee. Wilt | thou war|rein Theb|es : the | citee|.
Chau. The Knightes Tale. Hath not two beares in their fury and rage, Two | and for | tie children : rent | and torn|, For they the prophete Heliseus did scorne ?
Barclay. Schip of Foles. Al|exan|der I|den : that's | my name|. 2 H 6, 5. 1.
And thus do we of wisdom and of reach,
By indirections find directions out,
So | by for|mer lec|ture : and | advice|,
Shall you, my son. Hamlet, 2. 1.
Twelve | years since, | Miran|da : twelve | years since], Thy father was the Duke of Milan. Temp. 1. 2.
Some late editors tell us to make the first years a dis- syllable ;
Twelve ye|ars since, | Miranjda : twelve | years since]
Thus | much for | your an|swer : for | yourselves], Ye have lived the shame of women, die the better.
Fletch. Valentinian, 1 . 2.
Out !
Out | ye sluts | , ye fol|lies : from | our swords |,
Filch our revenges basely? Fletcher. Bonduca,3. 5.
Fletcher's editor, in 1778, adds a third out, which he has " no doubt was dropt by the compositor or trans_ criber ; "
Out!
Out, out I ye sluts | ye fol|lies, &c.
While | their hearts | were jo|cund : and | sublime|,
Drunk with idolatry, &e. Samso?i.
C. V. VERSES BEGINNING WITH SECTION I /. 241
How reviving
To | the sp'rits | of just | men : long | oppress'dl.
Samson.
flu|gon for|tigen|de : foer | onget|on. Cad.
hyht|lic heof |on tim|ber : hol|mas dael|de. Cad.
And | thurh of |erraet|to : eal|ra swith|ost. Cad.
And | he eac | swa sam|e : eal|le moeg|ne. Alf.
Wul|dor sped|um wel|ig : wid|e stod|an. Cad.
Ac | hi for | thaem yrm thum : eard|es lys te. Alf.
On | gesac|um svvith|e : sel|fes mih|tum. Cad.
heo|ra cyn|e cyn|nes : cuth | is wid|e. Alf.
Of |er heof |on stol|as : heag|um thryra|mum. Cad.
Wol|don her|ebleath|e : hara|as fin|dan. Cad.
0|fer la go flod|e : leoht | with thys|trum. Cad.
that | he God|e wol|de : geong]erdom|e. Cad.
that | he God|e wol|de : geong|ra vveorth|an. Cad.
Cwaed|on that | heo ric|e : reth(e mod|e. Cad.
Oth|thaet him | gelyf |de : leod|a un|rim. Alf
Oth|thaet him | ne meah|te : mon|na ae|nig. Alf.
sit|tan let|e ic hin|e : with | me sylf |ne. Cced.
Is | this the | Lord Tal|bot : unc|le Glos|ter ? 1 H 6, 3. 4.
He shall not this day perish, if his passions May | be fed | with mu|sic : are | they read|y ?
Fletch. Mad Lover, 4. \.
11:2. is common in Anglo-Saxon, but very rare in English ;
un|der eorth|an neoth|an : ael|mihtig God|. Cced.
thon|ne cymth | on uh|tan : aes|terne wind|. Cced.
wses | thaes Job|es fae|der : God | eac swa he|. Alf. See | him pluck | Aund|ius : down | by the hair). Cor. I. 3.
heow|on heath|olin|de : ham era laf|um. War Song. vol. i. u
242 VERSES BEGINNING WITH SECTION 1 /. B. II.
Sith|than her|ewos|an : heof|on orgaef|on. Cad.
Of | thaem mod|e cum|ath : mon|na gehwil|cum. Alf.
Thset | he to | his ear|de : sen|ige nys|te. Alf.
Ac | he mid thaem wif|e : wun|ode sith|than. Alf.
A large proportion of Alfred's verses have the alliterative syllables thrown back to the very end of the section. The same peculiarity is sometimes met with in the works of Caedmon and other Anglo-Saxon poets. This appears to me fatal to Rask's theory. If all the syllables, which occur before the alliterative syllable, form merely " a compli- ment/' and take no accent, we shall have some hundreds of sections with only one accented syllable ; a result which, according to Rask himself, is opposed to the very first principles of Anglo-Saxon verse.
1 /: 5. was at no period common ;
selc|ne aefjter oth|rum : for ec|ne God|. Alf.
What | an al|tera|tion : of hon|our has|
Desperate want made ! T. of Athens.
But I am troubled here with them myself, The rebels have assay' d to win the Tow'r — But | get you | to Smith|field : and gath|er head|.
2 H 6, 4. 5.
Thses [ the heo | ongun|non: with God | e win | nan. Cad.
The verse 2 : 1 . is sometimes found lengthened in Anglo- Saxon, but is very rarely met with in English ;
Thon|ne se hal|ga God| : hab|ban mih|te. Cad.
Wel|come, ye war|like Goths, : wel|come Lu|cius.
Tit. And. 5. 3.
2 : 2. is one of the standard verses of five accents, but was little favoured by Dryden and his school. Seldom as they use it, it is much more rarely that they use it happily. Its properties have been discussed at length in the opening of this chapter.
C. V. VERSES BEGINNING WITH SECTION 2. 243
For the love of God, that for us alle died,
And as I may deserve it unto you,
What | shall this re|ceit cost*| ? : tel|leth me now|.
Chau. Chanones Yemannes Tale.
This mighty man, quoth he, whom you have slain,
Of | an huge gi|antess| : whil|om was bred|. F. Q. 4. 8. 47.
And | for Mark An|thony| : think | not on him|.
Jul. C<es. 2. 1. There to converse with everlasting groans — Ag|es of hope|less end| : this | would be worse|. P. L. 2.
He unobserved
Home | to his mother's house| : priv|ate return'd|. P. R. 4.
Is | the great charm | that draws | : all | to agree |.
Pope. Essay.
Brut|us is no|ble, wise| : val|iant and hon|est, Caesar was migh|ty, bold| : roy|al and lov|ing.
Jul. Ctes. 3. 1.
Where | may she wan|der now| : whith|er betake | her ?
Comus.
2:5. was well known in Anglo-Saxon, and has always been among the standard verses of five accents.
Laed|de ofer lag|u stream| : saet lan|ge thaer|. Alf.
He | tha gefer|ede| : thurh feon|des craeft|. Cad.
A Frankelein was in this compaynie,
White was his berd ne as the dayesie,
Of | his complex | ion | : he was | sanguin|,
Wei loved he by the morwe a sop in win. Chau. Prol.
And | the world's vie | tor stood | : subdued | by sound|.
Pope.
wer|ige wun|edon| : and we|an cuth|on. Cad.
hear|ran to hab|bane| : ic maeg | mid han|dum. Cad.
Short was his goun, with sieves long and wide, Wei | coude he sit|te on hors| : and fair|e rid|e.
Chau. Prol.
Query, c.onte ? R 2
244 VERSES BEGINNING WITH SECTION 2. B. II
One | that doth wear | himself| : away | in lone|ness,
Fl. Faith. Shep. 1. 2. Till | an unu|sual stop| : of sud|den si|lence. Comus.
2:6. is found in the alliterative metre ;
Lew|yd men lik|ed wel| : and lev|ed his spech|e.
P. Ploughman.
2 1: 1. is one of the standard verses of five accents.
Whil|om as ol|de stor|ies : tei|len us|, Ther was a duk, that highte Theseus.
Chau. Knightes Tale.
Then | shall man's pride | and dul|ness : com|prehend| His action's, passion's, being's, use and end. Popes Essay.
For | thaem he wees | mid rih|te : ric|es hyr|de. Alf.
Give | not yourself | to lonejness: and | those grac|es Hide from the eyes of men. Fl. Faith. Sheph. 1 . 2.
2 / : 2. seems to have been last patronised by Milton.
Stath|olas eft | geset|te : swegl|-torhtan seld|. Cad.
We 're fellows still
Serv|ing alike | in sor|row : leak'd | is our bark|,
And we poor mates stand on the dying deck
Hearing the surges threat. T. of A.
I | shall remem|ber tru|ly: trust | me I shall |.
Fl. Loy.Subj.l.l.
But J for that damn'd ] magic|ian : let | him be girt|
With all the grisly legions. Comus.
Nyl|ehe aeng|um an|um: eal|le gefyl|lan. Ex. MSS.
21: 5. fell into disuse at the same time as the verse last mentioned.
Be't | as your Gods | will have | it : it on|ly stands|
Our lives upon to use our strongest hands. A. and C. 2. 1.
Bet|ter at home | lie bed | -rid : not on|ly i|dle, Samson.
Inglorious.
C. V. VERSES BEGINNING WITH SECTION 21. 245
Come, | for the third, | Laer|tes : you do | but dally.
Hamlet, 5. 2.
Let other men
Set up their bloods for sale, mine shall be ever Fair | as the soul | it car|ries : and un| chaste nev|er.
Fl. Fa. Shep. 1. 2.
2 I: 61. was not uncommon in our early English rhythms.
daer | thu bist fest | bedyt|e : and daeth | hefth tha caeg|e.
Death-song.
Cov|eyten nawt | to con|tre : to car|ien about|e.
P. Ploughman.
2 11: 1. may be found in some of our dramatists.
Nor caves nor secret vaults,
No nor the pow'r they serve, could keep these Christians Or | from my reach | or punishment: but | thy mag|ic Still laid them open. Massinger, Virg. Martyr, 1. 1.
The verses beginning with the sections 3. and 3 /. de- serve attention, as being in the number of those which strikingly characterize the rhythm of Milton. To a mo- dern ear the flow of these verses is far from pleasing, nor can I readily see what was their recommendation to one, whose ear was so delicately sensitive. Whatever might be the motive, he certainly employed them more pro- fusely than any of his contemporaries.
3: I.
Tha | was waest|mum aweaht| : world | onspreht|.
Rhiming Poem.
3: 2.
How | if when | I am laid) : in|to the tomb|
I wake before the time ? R. and J. 4. 3*
The mighty regencies
Of seraphim and potentates and powers,
246 VERSES BEGINNING WITH SECTION 3. B. II.
In | their trip | le degrees| : re|gions to which|
All thy dominion, Adam, is no more
Than what this garden is to all the earth. P. L. 5,
Both ascend
In | the vis | ions of God| : It | was a hill|
Of Paradise the highest P. L 11.
Ir|recov|'rably blind] : to |tal eclipse |. Samson.
Fel]low, come | from the throng,| : look | upon Cae|sar.
Jul. Cces. 1. 2.
3 : 5. and 3:5/.
This gud squier with Wallace bound to ryd,
And Edward Litill his sister sone so der,
Full | weill graith|it in till| : thar ar|mour cler|.
Wallace, 3. 57.
Or he decess,
Man|y thousand in field] : shall make | thar end|.
Wallace, 2. 348.
Heg|eit of | an huge hicht] : with haw|thorne tree]is.
Dunbar.
And eke wild roaring bulls he would him make
To tame, and ride their backs, not made to bear,
And | the roe|bucks in flight| : to o|vertake|. F. Q. \. 6. 24.
Who | then dares | to be half] : so kind | again | ? For bounty that makes Gods, does still mar men.
T. of A. 4. 2.
Lead | me to | the revolts | : of Eng|land here|.
Kg. John, 5. 4.
Dominion hold
0]ver fish | of the sea| : and fowl | of th' air|. P. L. 7. 533.
And for the testimony of truth, hast borne U|niver|sal reproach| : far worse | to bear| Than violence. P. L. 6. 33.
I come thy guide
To | the gar|den of bliss] : thy seat | prepar'd|.
P. L. 8. 299.
C. V. VERSES BEGINNING WITH SECTION Si. 247
Hoarse echo murmur'd to his words applause,
Through | the in|finite host| : nor less | for that)
The flaming seraph fearless P. L 5. 872.
• — From their blissful bow'rs
Of amarantine shade, fountain or spring,
By | the wa|ters of life] : wher'eer | they sat|,
In fellowship of joy, the sons of light
Hasted. P. L. 11 78.
True image of the Father, whether thron'd In | the bos|om of bliss| : and light | of light|
Conceiving, or remote from Heav'n P. R. 4. 595.
U|niver|sally crown'd| : with high|est prais|es.
Samson Agon.
Milton used just as freely the verses that begin with the lengthened section.
31: 1.
This j Valer|ian corrected : as | God wold|,
Answer'd again. Chau. 2nd Nonnes Tale.
Then to the desert takes with these his flight,
Where still from shade to shade the son of God
Af,ter for|ty days' fasjting : had | remain'd|. P. R. 2. 240.
Victory and triumph to the son of God,
Now entr'ing his great duel, not of arms
But | to vanquish by wis]dom: hel|lish wiles|.
P.R. 1. 176.
• Is this the man
That | invin|cible Sam | son : far | renown'd|,
The dread of Israel's foes — Samson Agon.
Can this be he,
That heroic that renown'd Ir|resis|tibleSam|son : whom | unarm|ed| No strength of man or fiercest wild beast could withstand ?
Samson Agon.
And through his side the last drops, ebbing slow,
From the red gash full heavy one by one,
Like | the first | of a thun|der :-show'r|, and now|
The arena swims before him. Chllde Harold. C. 4.
248 VERSES BEGINNING WITH SECTION 4.
31:2.
With gentle penetration, though unseen,
Shoots J invisible vir|tue : e'en | to the deep|. P. L. 3.
There are very few verses that begin with the sectior 4. Not only is its length unwieldy, but the very markec character of its rhythm prevents it from uniting readil} with other sections. It is sometimes found in our ole English alliterative poems ;
4:9/.
Lov|ely lay | it along| : in his lone|ly den|ne.
William and the Werwolf. 41:2.
Fra|grant all ful | of fresche ojdours : fyn|est of smelle'.
Dunbar. 5:1. has always been rare.
This yellow slave —
Will knit and break religions — place thieves And give them title, knee, and approbation With senators on | the bench | : this | is it|, Which makes the wappencd widow wed again.
T. of A. 4. 3.
Whether to knock against the gates of Rome,
Or rudely visit them in parts remote,
To fright | them ere | destroy. | : But | come in|,
Let me commend thee first to those, that may
Say yea to thy desires. Cor. 4. 5.
Love is not love,
When it is mingled with respects, that, stand
Aloof | from th' en | tire point | : will | you have | her
Lear. 1.1.
I defy thee,
Thou mock|-made man | of straw| : charge | home, sir|rah.
Fl. Bonduca, 4. 2.
5 : 2. is one of the standard verses of five accents.
A sherjeve had]de he been| : and | a contour|,
Was no wher swiche a worthy vavasour. Chau. Prul.
C. V. VERSES BEGINNING WITH SECTION 5. 249
Instruct | me, for | thou know'st,| : thou | from the first| Wast present. P. L. 1.
We canjnot blame | indeed| : but | we may sleep).
Pope. Essay on Criticism.
One fatal tree there stands, of knowledge called, Forbidjden them | to taste| : know | ledge forbid |den !
P. L. 4.
At Sessions ther was he lord and sire
Ful of | ten times | he was| : knight | of the shire|.
Chau. Prol.
5:5. is also one of the standard verses of five accents.
And though he holy were and vertuous,
He was | to sin|ful men| : not disjpitousj. Chau. Prol.
Learn hence | for an|cient rules | : a just | esteem |.
Popes Ess. on Crit.
He dies | and makes | no sign| : O God | forgive | him.
H6.
The fel|lows of | his crime| : the fol|low'rs rath|er. P. L. 1.
The following is an instance of the verse 5 : 5 11.
Will you permit that I shall stand condemn'd
A wan|d'ring vag'abond| : my rights | and royalties,
Plucked from my arms perforce ? R. 2, 2. 3.
5:6. was seldom used after the fifteenth century.
The faithful love that dyd us both combyne,
In mariage and peasable concorde,
Into your handes here I cleane resigne
To be | bestowed | upon|: your children and mine|.
Sir T. More. Ruful Lament.
And was | a big | bold barn I : and brem]e of his ag|e.
William and the Werwolf.
And whan | it was | out went| : so wel | hit him lik|cd.
Same.
250 VERSES BEGINNING WITH SECTION 5 /. B. II.
5 : 10. is very rare.
Kath'rine the curst,
A ti ] tie for | a maidj : of all ti|tles the worst [.
Tarn, of the Shrew, 1. 2.
5 1 : 1. is one of the standard verses of five accents.
Befelle that in that season, on a day
In South|wark at | the Tab|ard : as | I lay] — Ch. Prol.
These leave the sense, their learning to display, And those | explain | the mean|ing : quite | away|.
Pope's Ess. on Criticism.
From every shires ende
Of Englelond to Canterbury they wende
The ho|ly blis|ful mar|tyr : for | to sek|e. Chau. Prol.
His greedy wish to find,
His wish | and best | advantage : us | asun|der. P.L.9.
51:2. and 5 Z : 5. were seldom used after the time of Milton.
You have gone on and fill'd the time
With most | licen|tious meas|ure : mak|ing your will]
The scope of Justice. T. of A. 5.4.
I heard | thee in | the gar|den: and | of thy voice|
Afraid, being naked hid myself — P. L. 10.
Obey | and be | attentive : canst | thou remem|ber
A time before we came into this cell ? Temp. 1. 2.
5/: 5.
Thou and I
Have forjty miles j to ride | yet: ere din|ner time].
1 Hen. 4, 3. 3. For in | those days | might on|ly : shall be | admir'd|.
P.L. 10.
And from thy work
Now res|ting bless'd | and hal|low'd: the sev|enth day|.
P. L. 7. The morn|ing comes | upon | us: we'll leave | you, Bru|tus.
Jul. Cas. 2. 1.
C. V. VERSES BEGINNING WITH SECTION b 11. 251
Began
To loathe j the taste | of sweet|ness : whereof | a lit|tle More than a little, is by much too much. Hen. 4, 5. 2.
51: 61: is met with in the old English alliterative rhythms.
For son|e thu | bist lad|lic : and lad | to iseon|ne.
Death Song.
'In ab|yte* as | an her|mite : unho|ly of werk|es.'
P. Ploughman.
I slom|bred on | a slep|yng : it svvy|ed so mer|y.
P. Ploughman.
Verses that begin with the section 5 //. are met with, not only in the tumbling verse, but occasionally also in our dramatists. They give a loose and slovenly cha- racter to the rhythm, and were very properly rejected by Spenser, and by Milton.
511: 1.
Who wears | my stripes | impress'd ] on him : who | must bear| My beating to the grave. Cor. 5. 5.
5 11:2.
It may | be I | will go | with you : but yet | I '11 pause |.
Ric. 2, 2. 3.
A sovereign shame | soel|bows him : his own | unkind|ness.
Lear, 4. 4.
Verses beginning with the sections 6. 61. 6 11. were rarely used even by our dramatists. Byron, whose neg- ligent versification has never yet been properly censured, has given us one or two examples of the verse 6:2. To slip a verse of this kind into a modern poem, is little better than laying a trap for the reader.
* This is clearly a mistake for habyte, which gives us the proper alli- teration.
252 VERSES BEGINNING WITH SECTION 6. B. II.
6 : 2.
I have so much etidur'd, so much endure,
Look on J me, the grave | hath not] : chang|ed thee morje
Than I am chang'd for thee. Manfred.
6 : 5.
And there | by the grace | of God| : he was | prostrate |.
M.for M. Flodden Fielde, 8.
He conquered all the reyne of feminie,
That whilom was ycleped Scythia,
And wed|ded the fresh je quene| : Ippol|ita|.
The Knightes Tale.
The sen|ate hath sent | about| : three sev|eral quests |
To search you out. Othello, 1 . 2.
6 : 6.
And man|y a dead|ly stroke] : on him | there did light|
M.for M. Flodd. Fielde, 8.
611: 61.
Qui loq|uitur tur|piloq|uium : is Lujcifer's hin|e.
P. Ploughman.
Verses beginning with the sections 7- and 7 & are very rarely met with, except in the old English alliterative metre.
7:6.
With that | in haist | to the hege| : so hard | I inthrang|.
Dunbar
Quhairon j ane bird | on a branch | : so birst | out hernot|is.
Same.
Jl:2l.
To hav|e a li|cense and leav|e: at Lon|don to dwel|le.
Piers Ploughman.
Upon | the mid|summer ev|en : mer|riest of nichjtis.
Dunbar.
C. V. VERSES BEGINNING WITH SECTION 7- 253
71:61.
The hel|ewag|as beoth lag|e : sid-wag|as imheg|e.
Death Song.
Verses beginning with the section 8. are no less rare than those which begin with section 4. They must of necessity approach close on the confines of the triple measure ; but verses belonging to that measure would, in most cases, be of a most unwieldy length, if they con- tained five accents. They are, however, occasionally found in the alliterative metre, and there are some very curious specimens in the Anglo-Saxon poem, called The Traveller.
8 I : 1 //.
Mid Wen|lum ic waes | and mid Waer|num : and | mid YVic|ingum.
Song of the Traveller.
Nud Seax|um ic waes | and mid Syc|gum : and | mid Svvaerd|- werum. Song of the Trav
Mid Fronc|um ic waes | and mid Frys|um : and mid Frum|- tingum. Song of the Trav.
Mid Eng|lum ic waes | and mid Swaef|um : and | mid On|enum.
Song of the Trav.
Mid Rug|um ic waes | and mid Glom|mum: and | mid RuniJ- walum. Song of the Trav.
Mid Creac|um ic waes | and mid Fin|num : and | mid Caes|ere.
Song of the Trav.
811:1 11.
Mid Gef|thum ic waes | and mid Win|edum : and | mid Gef|- legum. Song of the Trav.
8 // : 6.
Of falsjnesse of faslting of les|inges : of vow|es ybrokej.
P. Ploughman.
Verses beginning with the section 9. form a very slovenly rhythm, but are occasionally found in the works of our dramatists.
254 VERSES BEGINNING WITH SECTION 9. B. II.
9 : 5.
Tis a wonjder by | your leave | : she will | be tam'd | so.
T. of the Shrew, 5. 2. 91: L.
As an arrow shot
From a well-|experjienced ar]cher: hits | the mark]
His eye doth level at Per. 1.1.
We gave way to your clusters
Who did hunt | him out | o' th' cit|y : But j I fear|
They'll roar him in again. Cor. 4.6.
c. vi. '255
CHAPTER VI.
VERSE OF SIX ACCENTS.
Formerly the verse of six accents was the one most commonly used in our language ; but for the last three centuries it has been losing ground, and is now merely tolerated, as affording a convenient pause in a stave, or as sometimes yielding the pleasure of variety.
The place it once filled in English literature would give it some degree of importance, even though it had never been one of our classical rhythms ; but its importance is greatly increased, when we recollect the period when it most flourished, and the writers by whom it was chiefly cultivated. Poems in this metre ushered in the sera of Elizabeth ; and no one can look with other feelings than respect upon the favourite rhythm of a Howard, a Sid- ney, and a Drayton.
The verse of six accents is frequently met with in our Anglo-Saxon poems, and also in the alliterative poems of the fourteenth century. But the psalm-metres were chiefly instrumental in rendering it familiar to the people ; and doubtless gave it that extraordinary popularity, which for a time threw into the shade all the other metres of our language.
It must, however, be acknowledged, that our verse of six accents is much inferior to the verse of five. Though of greater length, its rhythm has a narrower range, and a flow much more tame and monotonous. Its pause ad- mits little change of position, and though in the number
256 VERSE OP SIX ACCENTS. B. II.
of its possible varieties it equals the verse of five accents, yet many of these have a length so inconvenient, as to render them very unfit for any practical purpose. It is also more difficult to follow a diversified rhythm in the section of three, than in the shorter section of two accents. A verse, therefore, which admits only the former, cannot safely allow the same license to the rhythm, as one which contains the latter. Accordingly, our metre of six accents departs in very few instances from the strictest law of the common measure.
The name of Alexandrine has been given to this verse, not only in our own, but also in foreign countries. The origin of the term has been questioned ; but I see little reason to doubt the common opinion, which traces it to the French Romance of Alexander. This once famous " Geste" was the work of several authors, some of whom were English. Its verse in many respects resembles the modern French Alexandrine, but generally contains six accents.
Of late years the Alexandrine has kept a place in Eng- lish literature, chiefly by its introduction into our heroic verse. This intermixture of rhythms was unknown to Chaucer, and seems to have been mainly owing to the influence of the tumbling metre. The poets of the seven- teenth century introduced the Alexandrine, sometimes singly, sometimes in couplets or triplets, and in some cases used it for whole passages together. It would be difficult to defend this practice, on any sound principles of criticism; but the intrusive verses are occasionally introduced so happily, the change of rhythm is so well adapted to change of feeling or of subject, that criticism will probably be forgotten in the pleasure of the reader. On this ground, the following passage seems to me to have a fair claim on the forbearance of the critic, though it will hardly meet with his approval. Sheffield thus describes, or rather professes his inability to describe, the nature of genius.
C. VI. VERSES OF SIX ACCENTS. 257
A spirit that inspires the work throughout, As that of nature moves the world about j A flame that glows amidst conceptions fit Ev'n something of divine and more than wit ; Itself unseen, yet all things by it shown, Described by all men, but described by none. Where dost thou dwell ? What caverns of the brain Can such a vast and mighty thing contain ? When I, at vacant hours, in vain thy absence mourn, Oh, where dost thou retire ? And why dost thou return Sometimes with powerful charms to hurry me away, From pleasures of the night, and business of the day ?
Essay on Poetry.
The writers of our old English alliterative metre used the Alexandrine with the utmost freedom, as also did our dramatists ; but it was rejected by Milton, and has ever since been considered as alien to the spirit of English blank verse.
Verses of six accents beginning with the section 1, are rarely found, except in our Anglo-Saxon poems, and the works of our dramatists ; Milton, however, has occasion- ally used them in his Samson.
1 : 1 . is well-known to the Anglo-Saxon, but is hardly ever met with in English verse.
heah|-cyning|es haes| : him | was hal|ig leoht]. Cad.
thurh | his an|es craeft| : of|er oth|re ford|. Ex. MSS.
him | seo win | geleah| : seth|than wal|dendhis. Cad.
Hath | he ask'd | for me| ? Know | you not | he has| ?
Macb. 1. 7.
of|er rum|ne grund| : rath|e waes | gefyl|led. Cad.
Tha | seo tid | gewat| : of]er tib|er sceac|an. Cad.
Ne | waes her | tha giet| : nym | the heol|ster scead|o.
Cad.
By alternating the verse 1:1. with the common heroic verse, Campion formed what he calls his elegiac metre. vol. i. s
258 VERSES BEGINNING WITH SECTION 1. B. II.
It seems to have been his intention to imitate the rhythm of Latin elegy ; if so^ the attempt must be considered as a failure.
Comstant to none, but ever false to me ! Trai|ter still | to love| : through | thy false | desires |,
Not hope of pittie now, nor vain redress Turns | my grief | to tears | : and | renu'd | laments |,
So well thy empty vowes and hollow thoughts Wit|nes both | thy wrongs| : and | remorse|les hart| —
None canst thou long refuse, nor long affect, But | turn'stfeare | with hopes| : sor|row with | delight|,
Delaying and deluding ev'ry way Those | whose eyes | were once| : with | thy beau|ty charm'd|.
1 : 2. is also rare.
Whose mention were alike to thee as lieve As | a catch | polls nst| : un|to a bankrupts sleeve |.
Hall. Sat.
O | ye Gods | ye Gods| : must | I endure | all this| ?
Jul. Cces. 4. 3.
Well | what remledy] ? : Fen|ton, Heav'n give | thee joy|.
M. W. of Windsor, 5. 4.
The verse 1 : 5. is somewhat more common.
Take pomp from prelatis, magistee from kingis, SoVemne circumstance | : from all | these world|lye thingis], We walke awrye, and wander without light, Confoundinge all to make a chaos quite.
Puttenham Parth.
O | despite|ful love| : uncon|stant wom|ankind| !
T. of the Shrew ; 4. 1 .
Saf|er shall | he be| : upon | the san|dy plains |
Than where castles mounted stand. H. 6, 1 .
We'll | along | ourselves| : and meet | them at | Philip|pi.
Jul. Cces.
Vir|tue as | I thought| : truth, du|ty so | enjoining.
Samson Agon.
C. VI. VERSES BEGINNING WITH SECTION 1 /. 259
Verses beginning with the lengthened section are more commonly met with. The verse 11. 1 . was used as late as the 16th century.
And | thurh of|ermet|to : soh|ton oth|er land|. Ceed.
Gan enquire
What stately building durst so high extend Her lofty tow'rs, unto the starry sphere, And | what un|knovvn na|tion : there | empeo|pled were].
F. Q. 1. 10. 56.
Let [ me be | recorded : by | the right |eous Gods|,
I am as poor as you. T. of A. 4. 1.
The Duke of Norfolk is the first, and claims
To be high Steward j next the Duke of Norfolk
He | to be | Earl Mar | shall : you | may read | the rest).
H. 8, 4. 1.
Set|te sig|eleas|e ; on | tha sweart|an hel|le. Cced.
Gif | he to | thaem ric|e : wses [ on rih|te bor|en. Alfred.
He | nom Sum|erset|e : and | he nom | Dorset|e.
Layamon.
And | tha men | within|nen : oht|liche | agun|nen.
Layamon.
. These evils I deserve j and more,
Acknowledge them from God inflicted on me Just|ly, yet | despair | not : of | his fin|al par|don.
Samson Agon.
ll. 5. is met with in the Anglo-Saxon, and also in the old English alliterative poems.
hsef]don heor|a hlaf|ord : for thon|e heah|stan God|. Alfred. On | tha deop|an da|la : thaer he j to deof|le wearth|. Cad. Heh|ste with | tham herjge : ne mih|ton hyg|eleas|e. Cted.
Rasdlan on I this ric|e : swa me | that riht | ne thinc|eth.
Cced.
And | hi wil|tun scir',e : mid with|ere | igrat|te. Layamon.
s 2
260 VERSES BEGINNING WITH SECTION 2. B. II.
Gif | me mot j ilas|ten : that lif | a rair|e breos|ten.
Layamon.
Ther j lai the | Kaiser|e : and Col|grim his | iver|e.
Layamon.
Hiz|ed to | the hiz|e : bot het|erly | they wer|e.
Gaw. and the Green Knight.
In | a somjer ses|on : when sof|te was | the sun|ne.
P. Ploughman.
Verses, which begin with the sections 2. and 2 I. have been widely used in English poetry. Some of their va- rieties have survived in modern usage.
2 : 1. is found in our dramatists.
Was | not that no|bly done| : ay | and wise|ly too|.
Macb. 3. 6.
How long should I be, ere I should put off To | the lord Chancellors tomb| : or | the Sheriffs posts|.
B. Jon. 3. 9.
This young Prince had the ordering
(To crown his father's hopes) of all the army — Fash|ion'd and drew | em up| : but | alas | so poor|ly, So raggedly and loosely, so unsoldier'd, The good Duke blush'd. Fletcher. Loy. Subj. 1 . 1
If there can be virtue, if that name
Be any thing but name, and empty title,
If | it be so | as fools | : have | been pleas'd | to feign it,
A pow'r that can preserve us after ashes
Fletcher. Valentinian, 1. 2.
2 : 2. is still common.
Both | for her no|ble blood| : and | for her ten|der youth|.
F. Q. 1. 1.50.
Throw out our eyes for brave Othello,
Ev'n | till we make | the main| : and | the aer|ial blue|
An indistinct regard. Othello, 2. 2.
C. VI. VERSES BEGINNING WITH SECTION 2. 261
The verse 2 : 5, like the last, is used even at the present day.
And | by his on|ly ayde| : preserv'de | our princ|es right|.
M.for M. Flodd. Fielde, 24.
Ban|ish'd from liviing wights| : our wear|y days | we waste|.
F. Q. 1.2.42.
Whi|ther the souls ) do fly : of men | that live | amiss|.
F. Q. 1. 2. 19. Where | they should live | in woe | : and die | in wretch|edness(
F. Q. 1. $.46.
Then | by main force | pull'd up| : and on | his shoul|ders bore| The gates of Azza. Samson Agon.
Knych|tisar cow|hybyis| : and commons pluk|kis crawis|.
Gaw. Doug. Prol. to 8 Eneid. So | did that squire | his foes| : disperse | and drive | asun|der.
F. Q. 6. 5. 19.
Yet | were her words | but wind| : and all | her tears | but wat|er. F. Q. 6. 6. 42.
Upon the British coast, what ship yet ever came, That not of Plymouth hears, where those brave navies lie, From cannons thund'ring throats, that all the world defy, Which | to invas|ive, spoilj : when th* En|glish list { to draw|, Have check'd Iberia's pride, and held her oft in awe ?
Dray ton s Poly- olbion.
The verse which follows appears to be doubly length- ened ;
We have this hour a constant wish to publish
Our daughters sev'ral dow'rs, that future strife
May | be prevented now| : the princ|es France | and Bur'gnndy
Long in our court have made their am'rous sojourn.
Lear, 1.1.
VERSES BEGINNING WITH THE SECTION 2 l.
Johnson has given it as his opinion that the Alexandrine " invariably requires a break at the sixth syllable." This, he tells us, is a rule which the modern French poets never
262 VERSES BEGINNING WITH SECTION 2/. B. II.
violate; and he censures Dryden's negligence in having so ill observed it. But the French and English Alexan- drines have little in common save the name, and to rea- son from the properties of the one to the properties of the other, is very unsafe criticism. The former may have four, five, or six accents ; the latter never has less than six. In the number of their syllables they approach more nearly to each other ; but their pauses are regulated by very different laws. The English pause* divides the accents equally, but the French pause has frequently two on one side, and three on the other. Again, in French the pause must divide the syllables equally, but not neces- sarily so in English. Johnson's acquaintance with the English Alexandrine seems to have been very limited; in one place he even represents it as the invention of Spenser.
Dryden only followed the last mentioned poet, in using Alexandrines beginning with a lengthened section. Such verses are also found in every page of our drama- tists ; and are full as common in the works of our earlier poets. Pope seems to have imitated Drayton in rejecting them ; and as Johnson formed all his notions of rhyth- mical proportion in the school of Pope, we have an easy clue to the criticism, which gave rise to these observa- tions.
21: 1.
hwset | sceal ic win | nan cwaeth | he : nis|me wih|te thearf.
Cad.
Rapt | in eter|nal si|lence : far | from en|emies|.
F. Q. 1. I. 4!.
Up | to the hill | by He|bron : seat | of gi|ants old|.
Samson Agon. 2 1:51.
Lis|ta and tha|ra la|ra : he let | heo that | land bu|an. Cad.
* This observation does not apply to those verses of six accents, which contain a compound section ; see ch. 7. But such rhythms have long since been obsolete.
C. VI. VERSES BEGINNING WITH SECTION 5. 263
The sections 3. and 3 I. but seldom open an English verse, whatever be the number of its accents. When there are six accents, such a verse is rarely, if ever, met with after the 15th century.
3: 1.
Swa | mec hyht|-giefu heold| : hyg|e dryht | befeold|.
Rhiming Poem.
3:5 1.
Wen|te forth | in here way| : with man|y wis|e tal|es.
P. Ploughman. This | was heor|e iheot| : ar heo | to Bath|e com | en.
Layamon.
31:11.
I | was wer|y forwan|dred : wenjte me | to res|te.
P. Ploughman.
31: 3.
Mon|y mar|vellus mat|er : nev|er mark[it nor ment|.
Gaw. Doug. Prol. to Eneid.
He | nom al|le tha lon]des : ni | to tha|re sa stron|de.
Layamon.
Verses beginning with the sections 5. and 5 /. are by far the most common of our modern Alexandrines. They are also well known in old English poetry, but are rare in Anglo-Saxon.
5:1.
I know | you're man | enough] : mould J it to | just ends|.
Fletch. Log. Subj. 1.3.
5: 2.
Such one | was I|delness| : first | of that com|pany|.
F. Q. 1. 4. 20.
To gaze J on earth|ly wight| : that | with the night | durst ride).
F. Q. J. 5. 32.
264 VERSES BEGINNING WITH SECTION 5. B. II.
Then gins | hergriev|ed ghost| : thus | to lament | and mourn|.
F. Q. 1. 7.21.
Or by the girdle grasp'd they practice with the hip, The forward, backward falls, the mar, the turn, the trip, When stript into their shirts each other they invade, Within ] a spa|cious ringj : by | the behol|dersmade|.
• Drayton.
Which men | enjoy |ing sight| : oft [ without cause | complain [.
Samson Agon.
This and much more, much more than twice all this Condemns [ you to | the death| : see | them deliv|er'do|ver To execution. R. 2, 3. 2.
The dominations, royalties, and rights
Of this | oppressed boy : This | is thy el|dest son's | son
Unfortunate in nothing but in thee. K. John, 2. 1.
5 : 3 is only found in old English.
I muv|it furth | alane| : qhen | as mid | ni cht wes past |.
Dunbar s Midsummer Eve.
Quod he | and drew [ nie down| : derne | in delf | byane dyke|.
Gaw. Doug. Prol. to Eneid 8.
His seel | schul nat | be sent| : to | dyssey|ve the pejple.
P. Ploughman.
5: 5.
Owho | does know ] the bent[ • of wom|an's fan[tasy| >
F.Q. 1.4. 24.
In shape [ and life | more like j : a mon|ster than | aman|.
F. Q. 1. 4. 22.
He cast | about | andsearch'd| : his bale|ful books [ again|.
F.Q. 1.2.2.
And hel|mets hew|en deep| ; shew marks | of ei|thers might |.
F Q. 1.5.7.
This is the verse, which Drayton used in the Poly- olbion. Other varieties are occasionally introduced, but
C. VI. VERSES BEGINNING WITH SECTION 5. 265
rarely — too rarely, it may be thought, to diversify the tameness and monotony of the metre. Of the fifteen verses which open the poem, fourteen belong to the pre- sent rhythm ; yet, notwithstanding this iterated cadence, there is something very pleasing in their flow. Much of this, however, may arise from mere association.
Of Al|bion's glo|rious isle| : the won|ders whilst J I write], The sun|dry varjying soils| : the pleasures in|nnite|, Where heat | kills not ] thecold| : nor cold | expels | theheat|, The calms | too mild|ly small] : nor winds | too roughjly great|, Nor night | doth hin|der day] : nor day | the night | doth wrong], The sum|mer not | too short| : the winjter not j too long] — What help | shall I | invoke| : to aid | my muse | the while| ?
Thougen|ius of | the place! : this most | renown |ed isle], Which liv|edst long | before] : the all|-earth-drown|ing flood], Whilst yet | the earth | did swarm| : with her | gigan|tic brood|, Go thou | before j me still | : thy cirj cling shores | about], Direct | my course | so right] : as with | thy hand | to show| Which way | thy for|ests range |: which way | thy riv|ers flow| Wisegen|ius ! by | thyhelp| : that so | I may | descry| How thy fair mountains stand, and how thy vallies lie.
Drayton's Poly-olbion.
The lengthened verse was also common.
So long | as these | two arms] : were a|ble to | be wrok|en.
F.Q. 1.2. 7.
And drove | away | the stound| : which mor] tally | attack'd | him.
F. Q. 6.3. 10.
Oft fur|nishing | our dames | : with In|dia's rar'st | devicjes, And lent J us gold | and pearl] : rich silks | and dain|ty spic|es.
Drayton.
Verses beginning with the lenghtened section, were common till the end of the seventeenth century. Dray- ton, however, rejected them, and they were proscribed by Johnson.
266 VERSES BEGINNING WITH SECTION 5 /. B. II.
Some spa|ris nowjthir spiritual : spous|it wyffe | nor ant|.
Gaw. Doug. Prol. Eneid, 8.
A may|ny of | rude vil|lyans : made | him for | to blede|.
Skeltoris Elegy. Whose sem|blance she | did car|ry : un|der feigjned show|.
F. Q. 1. 1,46.
But pin'd | away | in ang|uish : and | self-will'd | annoy |.
F. Q, 1. 6. 17.
More ug|ly shape | yet nev|er : liv|ing crea|ture savv|.
F. Q. 1.8. 48.
And oft | to-beat | with bil|lows: beat|ing from | the main).
F. Q.\. 12.5.
■ Whom unarm 'd
No strength | of man |, or here | est : wild | beast could | withstand |.
Samson.
And with | paternal thun|der : vin|dicates his throne|.
Dryden.
The last verse is the one specially objected to by Johnson. 5 I : SI.
And wer|eden | tha rich|e : with | than stron|ge Childrich|e.
Layamon.
5 1 : 5. like all those verses, which have a supernume- rary syllable in the middle, was rarely used after the fifteenth century. It was, however, sometimes met with in our dramatists.
Of drev|illing | and drem|ys : what do|ith to | endyte| ?
Gaw. Doug. Prol. Eneid 8.
Ful rude | and ry|ot res|ons : bath roun|dalis | and ryme|.
Same.
Na lau|bour list | they luik | till : thare luf|is are | burdlyme|.
Same.
Yet shame|fully | they slew | hira : that shame | mot them | befall | . Skellons Elegy.
C. VI. VERSES BEGINNING WITH SECTION 7- 2^7
And furth | he wul|de bug|en : and Bath|en al ] belig|gen.
Layamon.
Ah swa | me hel|pen drih|ten : thae scop | thaes dai|es lih|ten.
Layamon.
Despise ] me if | I do | not : Three great | ones of | the cit|y,
In personal suit to make me his lieutenant,
Oft capp'd to him. Othello, 1.1.
Verses beginning with the sections 6 and 6 I. are found in the old English alliterative metre. 6: 1.
Quha spor|tis thame on | the spray | : spar|is for | na space).
Gaw. Doug. 6: 61.
As an|cres and her|metis| : that hol|de hem in | here sel|les.
P. Ploughman.
That Na|ture ful no|bilie| : annam|ilit fine | with flou|ris.
Dunbar. 6:91.
So glit|terit as | the gowd| : wer their glor|ious | gylt tres|ses.
Dunbar. 61: 5.
Syth Char|ite hat | be chap|man: and chef ) to schriv|e lord|es.
P. Ploughman.
Unclosed the ken|el dore| : and cal|de hem | ther out|e.
Gaw. and the Green Knight.
In the same metre may also be found verses beginning with the sections 7 and 7 l- 7:U.
The brem|e buk|kes also| : wit | her brod|e paum|es.
Gaw. and the Green Knight.
By that | that an|y day-lizt| : lem|ed up|on erth|e.
Gaw. and the Green Knight.
I say | a tour | in a toft| : tryc|lyche | imaked.
P. Ploughman.
268 VERSES BEGINNING WITH SECTION 8. B. II.
7:3/.
And get]en gold | wit here gle| : sin|fullich|e y trow|e.
P. Ploughman. 7:5.
So thoch|tis thret|is in thra| : our bres|tis o|ver thort|.
Gaw. Doug.
The schip|man schrenkjis the schour| : and set|tith to | the schore|. Gaxv. Doug.
With such | a crak|kande cry| : as klif |fes had|den brus]ten|.
Gaw. and the Green Knight.
Of al|le manjer of men] : the men|e and | the rich|e.
P. Ploughman.
I drew | in derne | to the dyke| : to dirk|en af|ter myrth|is.
Dunbar. 71:1.
I wene | thou bid|dis na bet|tir : bot | I breke | thy brow|.
Gaw. Dougl. Ill 21.
Ich wol|le wurth|liche wrek|en ; al|le his with|er-ded|en.
Layamon. 71:31.
And sum | me put | hem to pryd|e : apar|ayleth | hem there afjtur.
P. Ploughman.
71:51
Bot in|compe|tabil cler|gy : that Chris|tendome | offend|dis.
Gaw. Doug.
Verses beginning with sections 8. and 8 I, are very rare. They are found, however, in the Song of the Traveller. 8:5/.
That trav|yllis thus | with thy boist| : qwhen bern|is with | the bourd|is. Gaw. Doug.
81:11.
Mid Hron|um ic wass | and mid Dean|um: and | mid heath|o- Reom|um. Trav. Song.
C. VI. VERSES BEGINNING WITH SECTION 9, 269
Mid Scot|tum ic waes | and mid Peoh|tum : and | mid Scridje- Fin|nnm. Trav. Song.
Verses beginning with sections 9. and 9 /. are also rare. Ben Jonson has used them once or twice in that strange medley of learning, coarseness, and extravagance, with which the three sycophants amuse the crafty epicure, their master. We have the verses 9 : J, and 9:9. in the first four lines.
Now room for fresh gamesters, who do will you to know, They do bring | you neither play| : nor U|niver|sity show| j And therefore do intreat you, that whatsoever they rehearse May not fare | a whit | the worse | : for the false | pace of [ the verse | . The Fox, 1. 2.
There are also verses in Piers Ploughman, which may be read, as if they began with the section 9. But I have doubts, if the custom, now so prevalent, of slurring over an initial accent, were practised at so early a period. If this license be allowed, we may give to the following line the rhythm 91: 21.
All in hop|e for | to hav|e : hev|ene rich|e blisjse.
270 VERSES WITH A COMPOUND SECTION. B. II.
CHAPTER VII.
VERSES WITH A COMPOUND SECTION.
The origin of those sections which have more than three accents, has already been matter of discussion ;* in the present chapter we shall consider them all as com- pound. This will enable us, at once, to double the range of our notation.
Every section of four, five, or six accents, may be re- presented as an Anglo-Saxon couplet -, and if we add a c to the figures, which denote the rhythm* we shall be in no danger of confounding a compound section, with the couplet to which it probably owes its origin. Thus we may represent the section
Then | den heo | his hal|ige word|
by the formula 1 : 6. c. — assuming that the middle pause of the couplet followed after the third syllable. I have already stated my belief, that the hypothesis, which has been started, as to the nature and origin of these com- pound sections is the true one; but whether true or false, there can be little doubt as to the convenience of the notation.
VERSES OF SIX ACCENTS
may be ranged under two heads, accordingly as they be- * SeeB. 2. ch. 1,3, and 4.
C. VII. VERSES OF SIX ACCENTS. 27 1
gin or end with the compound section. Those which belong to the latter class are rare in Anglo-Saxon ; but common in our psalm metres, and all those rhythms which were derived from, or influenced by them. They are, however, seldom met with after the sixteenth century.
1 : 6. c : M.
Heo waeron leof gode
Then|den heo | his hal|ige word| : heal|dan wol|don.
They were dear to God,
While they his holy word would keep. Ccedmon.
2 I : ML c : 6.
No man ys wurthe to be ycluped kyng,
Bot|e the hey|e kyng | of hev|ene : that wrog|te al thing|.
R. Glou. 322.
5 : 5.c : 6.
About|e seint | Ambros|e day| : ido | was al this|, Tuelf hundred in zer of grace, and foure and sixti iwis.
R. Glou. 546.
Lewelin prince of Walis robbede mid is route The erl|es lond | of Glou|cetre| : in Wal|is about|e.
R. Glou. 551.
5 : 6. c : 6 /.
So ho|ly lyf | he lad|de and god| : so chast | and so clen|e
That hey men of the lond wolde hem alday mene
That hii nadde non eyr bytwene hem. R. Glou. 330.
6 : 5.c : C.
And wel vaire is offringe to the hey weved* ber And suth|the ofte wan | he thud|er com| : he off|rede ther|.
R. Glou. 545.
Weved is the Anglo-Saxon wigbed, an altar.
272 VERSES OF SIX ACCENTS. B. II.
5 : 5 I. c : 6 I.
And ris|en up | wit rib|audy|e : tho rob|erdes knav|es.
P. Ploughman. 51: 51 c : 61.
To syn|ge ther|e for sym|ony|e : for sil|ver is swetje.
P. Ploughman. 5 : 5.c: 5.
Who with his wisdom won, him strait did chose Their king | and swore | him fe|alty| : to win | or lose|.
F. Q. 2. 10. 37.
Yet secret pleasure did offence impeach, And won|der of | antiq|uity| : long stop'd | his speech|.
F. Q. 2. 10. 68. As well | in cur|ious in|struments| : as cunning lays | .
F.Q. 2. 10.59.
Theycrown'd | the secjond Con |stan tine | : withjoy|ous tears|.
F. Q. 2. 10. 62.
How he | that lady's lib|ertie| : might en |terprise|.
F. Q. 4. 12. 28.
Their hearts | were sick, | their eyes | were sore| : their feet were lame|. F. Q. 6. 5. 40.
Gracious queen
More | than your lord's | departure weep | not: more's | not seen | . R. 2, 2.
Verses ending with section 2, are chiefly found in the works of our dramatists.
lis l*i? : 21.
Art | thou cer|tain this | is truej : is | it most cer|tain.
Cor. 5.4.
The sea | and un[frequen|ted des|erts : where | the snowdwells|.
Fletcher, Bonduca, 4. 3.
Verses which end with the compound section are much more common in Anglo-Saxon, than in the later dialects. They yielded to the favourite rhythms of our psalm-
C. VII. VERSES OF SIX ACCENTS. 2/3
metres; and though their popularity revived in some measure during the sixteenth century, they have since fallen into almost total neglect.
Ceedmon frequently made both his sections begin ab- ruptly, and for opening the couplet preferred the section 2 1.
11:51:11. c. Hie liabbath me to hearran gecorene,
Rof|e rin|cas : mid swil|cum maeg | man rsed | gethen[can.
They have me for Lord y-chosen,
Warriors famous ! with such may man council take ! Cad*
21:2: 5.6'.
Gif 'hit eower aenig maege
gewendan mid wihte : that hie word Godes
lar|e forke|ten : son|a hie him | the lath|ran beotlij.
If any of you may
Change this with aught — that they God's word
And lore desert — soon they to him the more loath'd will be.
Cad.
Thaem he getruwode wel
Thaet hie his giongerscipe : fyligen wolden
Wyr|cean his wil|lan : for | thon he him | gewit | forgeafj.
In whom he trusted well
That they his service would follow,
And work his will — for that he gave them reason — Cad.
21 : 2 : 5 /. c.
Gif ic a^nigum thegnc : theoden madmas
Gear|a forgcef|e : then]den we on | tham god|an ric|e
Geso2l|ige Scjet|on : and haefjdon ur|c set|la geweald).
If I to any thane lordly treasures
Gave of yore — while we in that good realm
Sat happy and o'er our seats had sway Cad.
The last of these verses has the rhythm (M :51:2c. It will be observed that in all these examples the allite- ration falls on the third accented syllable of the second VOL. i. t
2*J\ VERSES OF SIX ACCENTS. B. II.
section. According to Rask, all the preceding syllables form the f* complement ; " they are to be uttered in a softer and a lower tone, so that the first accent may al- ways fall on the alliterative syllable. Were this theory true, the rhythm of Anglo-Saxon verse would be poor indeed !
Sometimes, though rarely, we find the alliteration falling upon other syllables ; and occasionally we have even two alliterative syllables in the second section.
2 / : 1 / : 11. c.
Hyge hreoweth : that hie heofon rice
Ag|an to al|dre : gif | hit eo|wer ae|nig maeg|e
Gewendara mid wihte.
Rueth my heart, that they heaven's realm
Possess for ever ! If any of you may
This change by aught, &c. Cad.
Though not unknown to the old English dialect, these verses are so rarely met with in the interval which elapsed between the Anglo-Saxon period, and the sixteenth cen- tury, that we shall pass at once to the rhythms of the Faery Queen.
5 : 5 : 5.c.
You shame|fac'd are| : but shame|fac'dness | itself | is she|.
F. Q. 2. 9. 43.
By which she well perceiving what was done, Gan tear her hair, and all her garments rent, And beat | her breast| : and pit|eously | herself | torment |.
F. Q. 6. 5. 4,
For no demands he stay'd But first | him loos'd| : and afterwards | thus to | him said | -
F. Q. 6. 1. 11.
The common metre of six accents, which spread so widely during the sixteenth century, seldom tolerated a verse with a compound section. The reluctance to ad- mit these verses was strengthened by the example of Drayton, who rigidly excluded them from the Polyolbion.
C. VII. VERSES OF SIX ACCENTS. 275
There are, however, a few poems, in which they are ad- mitted freely enough to give a peculiar character to the rhythm. One of these poems is the Elegy written by Brysket, (though generally ascribed to Spenser,) on the death of Sir Philip Sidney. It has very little poetical merit, but deserves attention, as having undoubtedly been in Milton's eye, when he wrote his Lycidas. From it Milton borrowed his irregular rhimes, and that strange mixture of Christianity and Heathenism, which shocked the feelings and roused the indignation of Johnson. It may be questioned, if the peculiarity in the metre can fairly be considered as a blemish. Like endings, recur- ring at uncertain distances, impart a wildness and an ap- pearance of negligence to the verse, which suits well with the character of elegy. But to bring in St. Peter hand in in hand with a pagan deity is merely ludicrous ; it was the taste of the age, and that is all that can be urged in its excuse. Still, however, the beauties of this singular poem may well make us tolerant of even greater absurdity. No work of Milton has excited warmer admiration, or called forth more strongly the zeal of the partizan. The elegy on Sir Philip Sidney will afford us a specimen of rather a curious rhythm ; and at the same time enable us to judge of Milton's skill in changing the baser metal into gold. It should be observed, that, in some editions, the sections are written in separate lines, as if they formed distinct verses.
THE MOURNING MUSE OF TIIESTYLIS.
Come forth, ye Nymphs ! come forth, forsake your wat'ry bowers, Forsake your mossy caves, and help me to lament j Help | me to tune | my dole|ful notes| : to gur|gling sound| Of Liffie's tumbling streams, come let salt tears of ours, Mix with his waters fresh : O come, let one consent Joyn | us to mourn | with wail|ful plaints! : the dead|ly wound | Which fatal clap had made, decreed by higher powers The dreryday, in which they have from us yrent The noblest plant that might from east to west be found,
T 2
'2J6 VERSES OF SEVEN ACCENTS. B. II.
Mourn, mourn great Philip's fall ! mourn we his woeful end, Whom spiteful death hath pluckt untimely from the tree, Whiles yet his years in flowre did promise worthy fruit, &c.
Up | from his tomb| : the migh|ty Cor|ine|us rose|,
Who cursing oft the Fates that his mishap had bred,
His hoary locks he tare, calling the Heavens unkind ;
The Thames was heard to roar, the Reyne and eke the Mose,
The Schald, the Danow's self this great mischance did rue,
With torment and with grief their fountains pure and clear
Were troubled and | with swelling floods| : declar'd | their woes |
The Muses comfortless, the Nymphs with pallid hue.
The Sylvan Gods likewise came running far and near ;
And, all with tears bedew'd and eyes cast up on high,
O help, O help, ye Gods ! they ghastly gan to cry.
O change the cruel fate of this so rare a wight,
And grant that nature's course may measure out his age.
The beasts their food forsook and trembled fearfully,
Each sought his cave or den this cry did them so fright,
Out from amid the waves by storm then stirr'd to rage,
This cry did cause to rise th' old father Oceau hoar ;
Who grave with eld and full of majesty in sight
Spake | in this wise| : Refrain,| quoth he, | your tears | andplaints|,
Cease these your idle words, make vain requests no more ;
No humble speech nor mone may move the fixed stint
Of Destiny or Death ; such is his will that paints
The earth with colours fresh, the darkest skyes with store
Of star|ry lights] : and though j your tears | a heart | of fiint|
Might tender make, yet nought herein they will prevail.
Whiles thus | he said] : the no|ble Knight | who gan | to feel]
His vital force to faint, and death with cruel diut
Of dire|ful dart| : his mor|tal bod|y to | assail],
With eyes lift up to Heav'n, and courage frank as steel,
With cheer|ful face| : where val|our livejly was | exprest],
But humble mind, he said, O Lord, if ought this frail
And earthly carcass have thy service sought t'advance,
If my desire hath been, still to relieve th' opprest ;
If justice to maintain, that valour I have spent
Which thou me gav'st : or if henceforth \ might advance
Thy name, | thy truth,] then spare ] me, Lord| : if thou | think best)
C VII. VERSE OF SEVEN ACCENTS. 277
Forbear these unripe years. But if thy will be bent,
If that j prefixed time | be come| : which thou | hast set|,
Through pure and fervent faith I hope now to be placed
In th' everlasting bliss, which with thy precious blood
Thou purchase did for us. With that a sigh he fet,
And straight a cloudy mist his senses over-cast ;
His lips waxt pale and wan, like damask roses bud
Cast from the stalk, or like in field to purple flowre,
Which languisheth being shred by culter as it past.
A trembling chilly cold ran through their veins, which were
With eyes brimfull of tears, to see his fatal home, &c.
VERSES OF SEVEN ACCENTS
May be divided, like those of six, into two classes, ac- cordingly as they begin or end with the compound section. Both these classes were known to the Anglo-Saxons ; but under the influence of the psalm metres the latter gra- dually gave way, in the same manner as the corresponding rhythm in the metre of six accents. It was, however, very freely used by certain of our poets, during the six- teenth and seventeenth centuries ; more especially by Phaer and Chapman.
We will first take the verses that begin with the com- pound section. Csedmon generally opened the first sec- tion with an accent, and the second with an unaccented syllable.
1 / : \Lci2lL
And moste ane tid : ute weorthan
Wes|an an|e win|ter stun|de : thon|ne ic mid | this wer|ode
And might I one season outfare
And bide one winter's space ! then I with this host — Cced.
1 r 6 h c : 8.
hael|eth helm | on heaf|od aset|te : and thon|e full heard|e geband| Hero's-helm on head he set, and it full hard y-bound. Cced.
2 : 5. c : 5.
War|iath inc | with thon|e Wccstm| : ne wyrth | inc wil|nagied| Be ye both ware of that fruit, nc let it goad your lust. Cad.
278 VERSES OF SEVEN ACCENTS. B. II.
21:21 c : 5 1.
Lag|on tha oth|re fynd ] on tham fy|re : the aer | swa feal|a hsef]doii Gewinnes with heora waldend.
Lay the other fiends in fire, that erewhile had so fele
Strife with their Ruler. Cad.
21: 5 1. c : 5 1.
■ Naeron metode
Tha | gytawid|londneweg|asnyt|te : ac stod | bewrig|en faes|te Folde mid flode.
Nor had the Maker
As yet wide | land,, nor pathways useful ; but fast beset With flood earth stood. Cad.
51: 1 I. c : 5 I. Tha spraec | se of|er mod|a cynjing : the a?r | wees eng|la scyn|ost. Then spake the haughty king, that erewhile was of angels sheenest.
5 : 5 /. c : 4 I.
Se feond | raid his | gefer|um eal|lum : feal|lon tha u|fon of heof|num The fiend with all his feres fell then on high from heaven.
The last verse approaches very nearly to the favourite rhythm of Chapman ; of which we have no less than five examples in the first six lines of his Iliad.
51: \. c: 5.
Achil|les bane|ful wrath | resound| : O God|dess ! that J imposed] Infinite sorrows on the Greeks : and many brave souls los'd From breasts } hero|ique, sent | them farre| : to that | invisible
cave | That no | light com | forts, and j their lims| : to dogs | and vul|tures
gave1. To all | which Jove's | will gave | effect| : from whom | strife
first | begunne| Betwixt | Atrid|es, king of men| : and The|tis' godjlike sonnc|.
Iliad, 1.
The same verse is also common in the translations of Phaer and Golding. Like Chapman also, these poets frequently begin the first section abruptly, and sometimes
C. VII. VERSES OF SEVEN ACCENTS. 2*J9
even the second; but they never allow themselves the liberty, which the latter so often takes, of opening a verse with the section 5 : 2. c.
5 : 2. c : 5.
This grace desir'd Vouchsafe | to me| ! paines | for my teares| : let these | ruaV
Greekes | repay | Forc'd with thy arrowes. Thus he pray'd, and Phoebus heard
him pray. And vext | at heart | down | from the tops| : of steepe | heaven
stoopt| ; his bow And quiver cover'd round his hands did on his shoulders throw And of the angrie deitye, the arrowes as he mov'd
Ratl'd about him . Iliad, 1.
5 : 2. c : 2
Jove's and Latona's Sonne, who fired against the king of men For contumelie shown his priest,, infectious sicknesse sent To plague the armie ; and to death, by troopes the soldier went Occa|sion'd thusj ; Chry|ses the priest] : came | to the fieete | to
buy| For presents of unvalu'd price his daughter's libertie, &c,
Iliad, 1. 5 : 2 I. C : 1 .
Thus Xan|thus spake| j a|blest Achil|les : now | at least | our
care | Shall bring thee off ; but not farre hence the fatal moments are Of thy grave mine. Iliad.
This kind of verse is sometimes used in Layamon, but more rarely than might have been expected. Robert of Gloucester has made it the great staple of his Chronicle. He uses a very loose rhythm, one of his sections approach- ing to the triple measure, while the other not unfrequently belongs to the strictest law of the common measure.
2:5. c : H. Eng|elond ys | a wel | god land| : ich ucnje of echje land best| Yset in the end of the world. Rob. Glouc p. 1.
280 VERSES OF SEVEN ACCENTS. B. II.
6 : 6. c. : 5 /. The Sax Jones and | the Eng|lisehe tho| : heo had|den al|on hon|de, Five and thritty schiren heo maden in Engelonde.
Rob. Glouc. p. 3.
He seems to have preferred opening his verse abruptly, and, like Ceedmon, generally began the second section with an unaccented syllable.
£v|erwyk | of fair|est wood|e : Lyn|colne of fair|est men|, Gran|tebrug|ge and Hon|tyndon|e : mest plen[te of | dep fen|, Ely of fairest place, of fairest scyte Rochestre, Ev|ene a|gayn Den|emarc ston|de : the con|tre of | Chiches|trei
Rob. Glouc. p. 6.
We have now to consider those verses which end with the compound section ; and will begin with some exam- ples furnished by Csedmon.
1 1 : 2 : 5 L <r-
forthon he sculde grund gesecan Heard|es hel|le wit|es : thaes | the he wann ] with heof|nes- waljdend.
therefore must he seek th' abyss Of dread hell-torment, since he warr'd with heavens-weilder.
C<ed.
21: 5 : 51. c. God sylfa wearth Miht|ig on mod|e yr]re ; wearp hin|e on | that mor|ther in|nan;
God's mighty self became At heart enraged ; he hurl'd him. to that murderer's den.
CW;.
2 1:51:1 I. c.
tliaer he haefth mon geworhtne ^Efjter his on|licnis|se : mid tham | he wil|e eft | geset|tan. Heofonarice mid hlutrum saulum.
C. VII. VERSES OF SEVEN ACCENTS. 281
there he hath man ywrought After his likeness ; with whom he wills again to people Heaven's realm with shining souls. Cad.
31: 5: 5l. c. hehs|ta heofjones wal|dend : wearp hin|e of | than he|an sto|le. The highest Heaven-wielder hurl'dhim from the lofty seat.
Coed. This kind of verse is to be found in Layamon.
To Bath|e com | the Kaise|re ; and | bilai | thene eas|tel ther|e, To Bath came the Kaiser, and beset the castle there. Lay.
2:6:6. c. Fer|de geond al | Scotland] : and set|te it an | his ag|ere hand|. He went through all Scotland, and brought it under his own hand.
Lay.
Phaer and Chapman also used similar rhythms ; the latter more sparingly than the former.
5 : 5 : 5. c.
Then for disdaine, for on themselves their owne worke Jove did
fling, Their sis|ter craw|lydfurth| : both swift | offeete | and wight | of
wing|, A mon|ster ghastjly great| : for ev|ery plume | her car|cas beares|, Like number leering eyes she hath, like number harckning eares.
Phaer.
Great Atreus' sonnes ! said he, And all | ye wellj-griev'dGreekes| : the Gods | whose hab|ita|tions
be|, In heavenly houses, grace your powers with Priam's razed town, And grant ye happy conduct home. Chapman.
Seed of the Harpye ! in the charge ye undertake of us, Discharge | it not | as when| : Patroc|lus ye | left dead | in field|.
Chapman.
Verses of seven accents are not unfrequently met with in the loose metre used by our dramatists. Such as begin
282 VERSES OF SEVEN ACCENTS. B. II.
with the compound section appear to have been most favoured. There can be little doubt that Shakespeare's text has suffered from the attempts, which have been made by his editors, to remove these seeming anomalies. Some- times we find a word dropt, or altered, and at other times the verse broken up into fragments, in order to bring it within the limits of the ordinary rhythms. For example, in the folio of 16*25, there is the following passage :
We speak no treason man, we say the King Is wise and virtuous ; and his noble Queen Well struck in years ; fair, and not jealous ; We say that Shore's wife hath a pretty foot,, A cher|ry lip|, abon|ny eye| : apas|sing pleas|ing tongue|, And the Queen's kindred are called gentlefolks. R 3, 1. 1.
The difference in the flow of the two last verses was certainly not accidental. The libertine sneer upon the wretched mistress, was to be contrasted with the bitter sarcasm levelled at more formidable, and therefore more hated rivals. But in the text, as " corrected" by Steevens, this happy turn of the rhythm is lost ;
We say that Shore's wife hath a pretty foot,
A cherry lip,
A bonny eye, a passing pleasing tongue,
And the Queen's kindred are called gentlefolks.
In Boswell's edition of Malone's Shakespeare we have the line written, as in the folio, with seven accents. But in neither of the editions do the notes give the reader the slightest hint of any interference with the text, either for the purposes of amendment or of restoration !
The poets of the seventeenth century occasionally intro- duced the verse of seven accents into their f* heroic metre." But the change of rhythm was too violent. The license hardly survived the age of Dryden.
Let such a man begin without delay, But he must do beyond what I can say,
C. VII. VERSES OP EIGHT ACCENTS. 283
Must above Milton's lofty flight prevail, Succeed | where great | Torqua|to : and | where great |er Spen|ser fail | . Sheffield. Essay on Poetry, 1st edition.
In the second edition this line was altered to give Mil- ton the preference, when it quietly settled down into an Alexandrine.
They meet, they lead to church, the priests invoke The pow'rs, and feed the flames with fragrant smoke, This done, they feast, and at the close of night By kindled torches vary their delight, These | lead thelive|ly dance| : and those | the brim|ming bowls | invite [ . Cymon and Iphegenia.
It will be observed that each of these verses ends with the compound section.
VERSES OF EIGHT ACCENTS.
The longest verse which has been used to form any- English metre, is the one of eight accents. This unwieldy rhythm was not unknown in the seventeenth century, and according to Webbe " consisteth of sixteen syllables, each two verses ryming together, thus :
Wher virtue wants and vice abounds, there wealth is but a baited
hooke To make men swallow down their bane, before on danger deepe
they looke."
Even at that period this metre was " not very much used at length." The couplet was more commonly divided into the stave of eight and eight) in which shape it is still flourishing in our poetry.
In his longer rhythms Caedmon not unfrequently inserts a couplet of eight accents ; of which five were sometimes given to the one section, and three to the other ; as,
7:3: 6 II. c.
Big stand|ath me strang|cgencat|as : tha | no \vil|lath me ict | tham
strith|c ges\vic|an, Haelethaa hardmode.
284 VERSES OF EIGHT ACCENTS. B. II.
By me stand liegemen strong, they that will not at the strife fail
me, Heroes stalwart. Ccedmon.
But in the great majority of cases the accents are equally divided, each section taking four. It is highly probable that this was owing to the ecclesiastical chaunts ; and that the Latin metre of four accents, which, if not invented, was chiefly cultivated by the celebrated Ambrose Bishop of Milan, had already begun to exercise an influence over our English rhythms.
1:51. c : ll:ll. c. Worh|te man | him hit | to wit [e : hyr|awor|uld waes | gehwyrf|ed, They wrought them this for punishment j their world was changed !
Cad. II: 1 /. c : 5 : 5 1. c.
Deor|e waes | he driht|ne ur|e : ne mih|te him | bedyrn|ed
weorth|an, That his engyl ongan ofermod wesan.
Dear was he to our Lord, nor might from him be hidden. That his angel gan to wax o'er-proud. Cad.
\l : ill. c : 2 : 5 I. c.
Gif | he brec|ath his | gebod|scipe : thon|ne he him | aboljgen wurth|ath.
If he break his commandment, then he gainst him enrag'd becomes.
Cad. 2:61 : 5 I: 6 I. He let him swa micles wealdan, Hehst|ne to him | on heof|ona ric|e : hsef|de he hin|e swa hwit|ne gehworht|ne.
He let him so mickle weild, Next to himself in heaven's realm ; he had him so purely wrought. —
Cced. 21: II. c : II: I I.e. Hwy sceal ic aefter his hyldo theowian, Bug|an him swil|ces geong|ordom|es : ic | mseg wes|an God | swa he|.
C VII. VERSES OF EIGHT ACCENTS. 285
Why must I for his favour serve — Bow to him with such obedience ? I may be God as he.
Cad.
Frynd synd hie mine georne, Holjde on hyr|a hyg|e-sceaf|tum : ic | maeg hyr|a hear|ra wes an.
Friends are they of mine right truly. Faithful in their hearts deep councils ; I may their liege lord be.
Cad.
5 : 5 /. c. : 5 / : 1 . c.
Ac niot|ath inc | thaes oth|res eal|les ; forl9et|ath thon|e aen|ne
beam. But enjoy ye all the other — leave ye that one tree. Cad.
5 : 511. c : I : 6 I. c.
Swa wyn|lic waes | his waestm | on heof|onum : that | him com | from
wer|oda driht|ne. So precious was the meed in heaven, came to him from the Lord of
Hosts. Cad.
6:51. c. : I 1 : 5 I. c.
iEnne haefde he swa swithne gehworthtne, Swa mihtjigneon | his mod | gethoh|te : he | let hin|eswa mic|les weal | dan.
One had he so mighty wrought, So powerful in his mind's thought — he let him so mickle wield.
Cad.
These verses are also to be found in the psalm metres of the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries. Robert of Glou- cester used them very freely in his Chronicle.
King Wyllam was to milde men debonere y nou, Ac to men that hym with sede to al sturnhede he drou, In chyrch|e he was | devout y nou| : vor hym | ne ssol|de non day|
abyd|e, That he | ne hur|de mas|se and mat|yns : and ev|eson [ and ech|e tyd|e. R. Glou.369.
286 VERSES OF NINE ACCENTS. B. II.
VERSES OF NINE ACCENTS.
Csedmon occasionally uses couplets, which contain nine, or even more than nine accents.
Ill 2 1. c. : 1 : 5. c.
And | heo al|le for|sceop drih|ten to dcof|lum : for | then heo | his
deed | and word| Noldon weorthian.
And them all the Lord transhaped to fiends, for that they his deed
and word, Would not worship. Cced.
3:61. c : 11: 111. c.
Het|e hsef|de he set | his hear]ran gewunnen : hyl|do haef|dehis| ferlor|ene.
Hate had he from his Lord y-won ; his favour had forlorn.
Cced,
In the following couplet we have as many as twelve accents.
And sceolde his drihtne thancian, Thaes lean|esthe | he him | on | tham leoh|te gescyr|ede: thonjne let|e he | his hinje lang|e weal|dan.
And should his Lord have thank'd For the portion he him in light had given, then had he let him long time weild it. Cad.
These long rhythms may be traced through our litera- ture, till they ended in the doggrel verses, which Shake- speare put into the mouth of his Clowns, and Swift used as a fit vehicle for his coarse but witty buffoonery. Their revival is hardly to be wished for.
C. VIII. THE SECTIONAL PAUSE. 28?
CHAPTER VIII.
THE SECTIONAL PAUSE
gives a character so very marked and peculiar to those rhythms into which it enters, as makes the consideration of them apart from the others, not only a matter of con- venience, but almost of necessity. We have, therefore, reserved the present chapter for tracing the history, and noticing the peculiarities, of those sections which admit the pause.
As to the origin of this pause, I have already ventured an opinion. I think it owes its existence, in our poetry, to the emphatic stop ; but as the question is one of diffi- culty, and as I may have occasion hereafter to refer to some of the reasons, which lead me to this conclusion, I make no apology for laying those reasons at some length before the reader.
In the earlier and primitive languages, we find the intonation of words a matter of very high importance. In the Greek and Latin, there are many words which have nothing else to distinguish them, but the tone ; thus the Latin ne, when it signified not, was pronounced with a sharp tone — when it signified lest, with a grave one ; or to speak with greater precision, it was pronounced, in the first case, more sharply than the ordinary pitch of the voice, and more gravely in the latter. In the Chinese, there are monosyllables, with no less than five distinct meanings, according to the tone which is given them;
288 THE SECTIONAL PAUSE. B. II.
and those, who have heard them pronounced by a native, will readily understand the immense resources, which may thus be placed within the reach of language. I am not, however, aware that these differences of tone have ever been applied to the purposes of construction. There does not seem to have been any relative and subordinate intona- tion in a sentence ; a word had its tone fixed, and this it retained, whatever its position.
Whether the metrical arsis heightened the tone of the syllable on which it fell, has been doubted. Bentley thought it did ; but later critics have seen reason to ques- tion his opinion ; and as it must often interfere with the verbal tone, their objections are entitled to much weight. There are, however, passages in the old grammarians, which favour the notion of there having been some change in the voice. May not the arsis have been marked by a stress, resembling our modern accent? If this were so, the change from the temporal to the accentual rhythm, in the fourth century, would .be natural and easy ; the same syl- lable taking the accent in the new rhythm, which (accord- ing to Bentley and Dawes) received the arsis in the old.
With this exception (if it be one), I know no instance in the Greek and Latin, where an alteration either in the tone or loudness of the voice, has been used for pur- poses of construction or of rhythm. The tone seems to have been a mere accident of the word ; and had no influence on the sentence, further than as it contributed to its harmony. The stress of the voice seems to have been employed solely for the purposes of emphasis j and was certainly considered by Quintilian as reducible to no system, for he leaves the learner to gather from expe- rience, " quando attollenda vel submittenda sit vox." Had the stress of voice been in any way dependent on the construction, its laws might have been readily ex- plained ) and would have certainly fixed the attention of a people who scrutinized the peculiarities of their language with so much care.
C. VIII. THE SECTIONAL PAUSE. 289
But though I can find no system of accents like our own, in these kindred languages, yet there are reasons for believing, that our present accentuation has been handed down to us from a very remote antiquity. We find it reduced to a system in our Anglo-Saxon rhythms ; and its wide prevalence in the other Gothic dialects, points clearly to an origin of even earlier date. The pre- cision of the laws, which regulated the accents in Anglo- Saxon verse, is one of the most striking features of their poetry. We find none of those licentious departures from rule,* which are so common in the old English, and are occasionally met with, even in our later dia- lect. It may be questioned, if any primary accent were doubtful f in the Anglo-Saxon ; at any rate, the limits of uncertainty must have been extremely narrow.
In modern usage, we sometimes hear a word accented, though it immediately adjoin upon an accented syllable ; especially when it contains a long vowel-sound. The rhythm of Sackville's line,
Their great | cru|elty : and the deepe bloodshed Of friends
is not without example, in the every-day conversation of many persons, who have accustomed themselves to a slow and emphatic mode of delivery. Were this practice generally sanctioned by that of our earlier and more perfect dialect, we might infer, with some plausibility, that our English ac- cents were at one time, like those of the Greek and Latin, strictly verbal ; and that the sectional pause was a conse- quence, which followed naturally from the system of ac- centuation, originally prevalent in our language. But
* The widest departure from the common rhythm of the language which the Anglo-Saxon poet allowed himself, was owing to the frequent use of the sectional pause. We shall have more to say on this head shortly.
f There are perhaps instances, in which the same sentence has been dif- ferently accentuated. But this may be owing to a difference of dialect* The Anglo-Saxon author is, I believe, always consistent with himsolf.
VOL. I. U
290 THE SECTIONAL PAUSE. B. II.
there are grounds for believing, that in the Anglo-Saxon the stress on the adjective was always subordinate to that on the substantive. In nine cases out of ten, it was clearly subordinate ; in no case is it found predominant ;* and when with the aid of the sectional pause, it takes the accent, there is, in the great majority of cases, an evident intention on the part of the poet, to use the pause for the purposes of emphasis — the substantive, in all proba- bility, still keeping the stronger accent. There are, in- deed, instances of the sectional pause, where it is cer- tainly not used as an emphatic stop ; but these, I believe, are, for the most part, found in poems of inferior merit, or in those artificial rhythms f which were probably in- vented in the course of the ninth and tenth centuries. They may perhaps be laid to the account of carelessness or of incapacity, and ranked with those cases, where the ordinary rhythm of the language has been made to yield to the rhythm of its poetry. These exceptions may shake, but I do not think they are sufficiently numerous to over- turn, the hypothesis that has been started.
Having thus given the reasons, which incline me to the opinion already stated as to the origin of the pause, I shall now proceed to range in order, those sections into which it enters. If we consider the pause as filling the place of an unaccented syllable, we may use nearly the same notation to indicate the rhythm, as hitherto. We have merely to show the presence of the pause, by the addition of a p. Thus the section we have already quoted from Sackville,
Their great | cru|eltie. would be represented by the formula, 5 //. p.
* When the adjective has a stronger accent than its substantive, it always forms part of a compound, and is no longer subject to inflexion, f Conybeare's rhiming poem, for example.
291
THE SECTION 1 p. OF TWO ACCENTS.
Sections, which admit the pause, may be divided into two classes, accordingly as they contain two or three accents. When the section contains only two, the pause cannot change its position, for it must fall between the accented syllables; but as the section may vary both its beginning and its end no less than three different ways, it admits of nine varieties. Of these six have established themselves in English literature, to wit, \.p. 1 1, p. 1 11. p. 5. p. 5 I. p. 5 //. p.
Whether the section I. p. were known in Anglo-Saxon, is a matter of some doubt. In Beowulf, there is the couplet,
Spraec|tha| : ides Scyldinga.
Spake then the Scylding's Lady
and in Csedmon, 148, we have,
Thy laes him westengryre> Har | haeth| : holtnegum wederum Oferclamme.
Lest them the desert- horror — The hoar heath — with deluging storms O'erwhelm.
The lengthened section, 1 /. p. is somewhat more com- mon;
Tha on dunum gessct — Earc | Nojes : the Armenia Hatene syndon.
Then on the downs rested Noah's arc — they Armenia Are hight. Cad. 71.
See also,
Feer | No|es. Cad. 66.
The section 1 p. was never common. It was chiefly used by our dramatists ; and more particularly in their faery dialect.
V 2
292
THE SECTION 1 . p. OF TWO ACCENTS. B. II.
On the ground
Sleep | sound | !
I '11 apply
To your eye, Gentle lover, remedy.
When thou wak'st,
Thou | tak'st|
True delight
In the sight Of thy former lady's eye. M. N. D. 3. 2.
Up and down, every where, I strew these herbs to purge the air, Let your odour : drive | hence | All | mists| : that dazzle sense. Fl. Fa. Sh. 3. 1.
Mark what radiant state she spreads In circle round her shining throne, Shooting her beams, like silver threads ; This | this | : is she alone,
Sitting like a goddess bright,
In the centre of her light. Arcades,
This is the only instance of the section in Milton, who doubtless borrowed it from Fletcher. The propriety of Shakespeare's rhythm will be better understood, if we suppose (what was certainly intended) that the fairy is pouring the love-juice on the sleeper's eye, while he pro- nounces the words, "Thou tak'st." The words form, indeed, the fairy's " charm," and the rhythm is grave and emphatic as their import. I cannot think, with Tyrwhitt, that the line would be improved, "both in its measure and construction, if it were written thus :
See | thou tak'st|."
I know not how the construction is bettered, and the correspondence, no less than the fitness of the numbers, is entirely lost. Seward, in like manner, took compassion upon the halting verses of Fletcher. His corrections af- ford us an amusing specimen of conjectural criticism.
Let your odour : drive \from henee|
All | miste*' : that dazzle sense !
C. VIII. THE SECTION i 11, p. OF TWO ACCENTS. 293
Fletcher, like Shakespeare, had a charm to deal with; and, to gain the same object, he used the same rhythm.
The sections 1 . p. and 1 I. p. are both of them to be found in Spenser's August ; but the strange rhythm which he adopted in his roundle can only be considered as an experiment. It would be idle to trace out every variety he has stumbled upon, in writing a metre for which he had no precedent, and in which he has had no imitator.
The section 1 //. p. is peculiar to the Anglo-Saxon. In that dialect it is met with, not only among the short and rapid rhythms of Beowulf, but also in the stately numbers of Csedmon ; and of all the pausing sections known to our earliest dialect, was the one most widely used. It is sin- gular it should so completely have disappeared from the early English. I do not recollect one single instance of it in that dialect.
We will begin with the couplet of four accents.
Tha | theah|tode : theoden ure. Cced.
Deop | dream jaleas : drib ten ure. Cced.
Beorn | bland|en feax : bill geslehtes.
Battle of Brunan burgh.
mod | mseg|nade : mine fsegnade. Rhim. Posm.
Har | Hil|derinc : hreman ne thorfte. War Song.
Sweart | synlnihte : wide and side. Cced.
Sweart | swith|rian : geond sidne grund. Cced.
Treow | tel|gade ; tel | wel|gade. Rhim. Poem.
Gold | gear | wade : gim | hwear|fade. Same.
Sine | sear|wade : sib | near|wade. Rhim. Poem.
Faege feollon : feld | dyn|ede. War Song.
Sar and sorge : susl | throw|edon. Cced.
Ellen eacnade : cad | beac|nade. Rhim. Poem.
haten for herigum : heo | ric|sode. Alf.
The following are instances of this section, when found in the couplet of five accents.
294 SECTION 1 //. p. OF TWO ACCENTS.
Hof | her|gode : hyge teonan wraec. Cced.
Word | weorthjian : haefdon wite micel. Cad.
Ofor holmes hrincg : hof | sel|este. Cad.
Tha com of er fold an : fus | sith|ian. Cad.
Wlite beorhte gesceaft : wel | lie | ode. Cad.
ealra feonda gehwile : fyr | ed|neowe. Cted.
The section 5 . p. was used by our dramatists in their faery dialect. It was also found in Sackville, and must, at one time, have taken deep root in the language, for it forms a striking feature in the staves of several popular songs.
0 Troy| ! Troy] ! : there is no bote but bale, The hugie horse within thy walls is brought, Thy turrets fall.
Sackville. M. for M. Induction, 65.
Let her fly, let her scape,
Give again : her own | shape|. Fl. Fa. Sh. 3. 1.
1 do wander every where,
Swifter than : the moons | sphere |. M. N. Dream.
Warton, in quoting Sackville, added a third Troy, without authority from the poet, or notice to the reader.
O Troy | ! Troy| ! Troy| ! there is no bote but bale.
The passages he has thus corrupted are more numerous, and the corruptions more serious than his late able editor suspected. They would have fully satisfied even the spleen of a Ritson, had it been his good fortune to have lighted on them. Steevens also, with that mischievous in- genuity which called down the happy ridicule of Gifford, thought fit to improve the metre of Shakespeare. He reads the line thus :
Swifter than the moon|es sphere|.
But the quarto of 1600, and the folio of 1623, are both against him. The flow of Shakespeare's line is quite in
C. VIII. SECTION 5. p. OF TWO ACCENTS. 295
keeping with the peculiar rhythm which he has devoted to his fairies. It wants nothing from the critic but his forbearance.
Burns, in his " Lucy," has used this section often enough to give a peculiar character to his metre.
O wat ye wha's : in yon | town|, Ye see the e'enin sun upon ? The fairest dame's : in yon | town|, That e'enin sun is shining on.
The sun blinks blithe : on yon | town), And on yon bonie braes of Ayr ; But my delight : in yon | town|. And dearest bliss is Lucy fair, &c.
Moore also, in one of his beautiful melodies, has used a compound stanza, which opens with a stave like Burns'. His stanza contains also other specimens of this section.
While gazing : on the moon's | light|, A moment from her smile I turn'd, To look at orbs : that, more | bright |, In lone and distant glory burn'd j But too | far| Each proud | star| For me to feel its warming flame, Much more | dear| That mild | sphere | Which near our planet smiling came ; Thus Mary dear ! be thou ray own,
While brighter eyes unheeded play, I '11 love those moonlight looks alone
Which bless my home, and guide my way.
The day ha 1 sunk : in dim | showers |, But midnight now, with lustre meek, Illumined all : the pale | flowers |,
Like hope that lights a mourner's cheek. I said |, (while] The moon's | smile | Play'd o'er a stream, in dimpling bliss)
2^6 SECTION 51. p. OF TWO ACCENTS. B. II*
" The moon | looks| On many brooks j " The brook can see no moon but this : " And thus, I thought, our fortunes run,
For many a lover looks on thee ; While, oh ! I feel there is but one, One Mary in the world for me !
Sir Jonah Barrington tells us, in his Memoirs, that this singular stanza belonged to a well-known Irish song, which was popular some fifty years since.
The section 5 7. p. was used from the earliest period to which we can trace our literature, down to the close of the sixteenth century. It is found in the almost perfect rhythms of Csedmon, and in the majestic stanza which we owe to the genius of a Spenser. Sackville used it with a profusion, which has given a very marked character to his metre ; and there are grounds for suspecting that it was not altogether unknown to Milton. My search, however, in the works of this poet has hitherto been without success.
Verses of four accents.
On last j leg|dun : lathum theodum. War Song.
The King | ef|tir : that he wes gane,
To Louch-lomond the way has tane. Bruce, 2. 800.
Stowe gestaefnde : thastod | rath|e. Cad.
Thaet hi that rice : geraeht | ha?f|don. Alf.
He is dead : and gone|, La|dy,
He is dead and gone 5 At his head a green grass turf,
At his heels a stone. Hamlet.
A year or two ago there was published a book of songs, written on the model of the exquisite little pieces, which are scattered through the works of our dramatists. Many of these songs are extremely beautiful \ but the author seems to have caught more happily the spirit * than the
* Certainly a much more important matter !
C. VIII. SECTION 5 I. p. OF TWO ACCENTS. 297
form of his originals ; to have followed the flow of thought and feeling much better than the rhythm. He must have been thinking of Shakespeare's metre when he wrote.
Lady sing no more,
Science is in vain,
Till | the heart | be touch'd|, Lady,
And give forth its pain.
But in the one stave. Lady forms an essential part of the rhythm, while it may be rejected from the other with- out doing it the slightest injury. It is, in fact, a mere pendant; and might as well have been written between the verses, as at the end of one of them.
The section 5 /. p. is also common in verses of five accents.
His freond | frith |o : and gefean ealle. Cced.
Our prince | Da]wy : the erle of Huntyntown Thre dochtrys had. Wall. 64. 45.
Compleyne | Lord|ys : compleyne yhe Ladys brycht, Compleyne for him, that worthi was and wycht.
Wall. 2. 226. The deepe | daun|ger : that he so soon did feare.
Sackville. M.for M. Buckm. 45.
Whom great Macedo vanquisht there in sight, With deepe | slaughter : despoiling all his pride.
Sackville. M.for M. Induction, 58.
When Hannibal, And worthy Scipio last in armes were sene, Before Carthago gate, to try for all The worlds | em|pire : to whom it should befall.
Sackville. M.forM. Induction, 60 '.
Her eyes | swoljlen : with flowing stremes aflote.
Sackville. Induction, L 3.
The hugiehostes, Darius and his power,
His kings|, princ|es : his pecres and all his flower.
Sack. Induction.
298 SECTION 5 I. p. OF TWO ACCENTS.
What could binde The vaine ] peo|ple : but they will swerve and sway.
Sack. Buckingham. 62.
Yet ween'd by secret signs of manliness, Which close appear'd in that rude brutishness, That he | whi|lom : some gentle swain had been.
F. Q. 4.7.45.
His land | mort|gag'd : he sea-beat in the way Wishes for home a thousand sithes a day.
Hall. Sat. 4. 6. Which parted thence, As pearls from diamonds dropt : in brief], sor|row Would be a rarity most belov'd, if all Could so become it. Lear, 4. 3.
With all my heart, good Thomas : I have], Thom|as, A secret to impart unto you.
B. Jons. Ev. M. in his H. 2. 3.
Make your own purpose How in my strength you please : for you|, Ed|mund, Whose virtue and obedience doth this instant So much commend itself, you shall be ours. Lear, 2. 1 .
Our dramatists very commonly placed a pause before the last accent, when they ended the verse with the name or title of the person addressed. There are three or four examples of this practice among the verses last quoted, arid we shall meet with others as we proceed further.
THE SECTION 5 11. p.
is found in the old English metre of four accents, and in the works of our dramatists. It wTas also used by other writers of the sixteenth century, more especially by Sack- ville. In the Anglo-Saxon it is of very rare occurrence, but is occasionally met with ;
Him tha secg hrathe: gewat | sith|ian.
Then a soldier quickly gan speed him. Cad. 94.
C. VIII. SECTION 5 11. p. OF TWO ACCENTS. 299
Whan corn ripeth in every steode,
Mury hit is in feld and hyde 5
Synne hit is and schame to chide j
Knightis wolleth on huntyng ride ;
Thedeor | gal|opith : by wodis side, &c. Alesaunder, I. 460.
Yet saw I Scilla and Marius where they stood
Their greate | cru|eltee : and the deepe bloodshed
Offrends. Sack. M for M. Induction.
O Jove ! to thee above the rest I make
My humble playnt, guide me that what I speake
May be thy will upon this wretch to fall,
On theej ! Ban|istaire : wretch of wretches all.
Sack. Buckingham, 92.
Remove | mys|terie : from religion,
From godly fear all superstition. Putt. Parth.
Have you yourselves, Somerset, Buckingham, Brave York|, Salisbury : and victorious Warwick, Receiv'd deep scars, &c. 2 H. 6, 1. 1.
O ! who hath done This deed] ? -No|body : I myself, farewell ! Othello, 5. 2.
But room I , fa|ery : here comes Oberon.
And here my mistress, would that he was gone !
M.N.D. 2. 1.
The verses 5 /. p : 5. and 5 //. p : 1. contain, each of them, ten syllables. This was doubtless the reason of the forbearance shown to them by our classical writers of the sixteenth century.
THE SECTION OF THREE ACCENTS.
In the section of three accents the pause may fall be- tween the first and second accented syllables, between the second and third, or in both these places. We might provide for these three possible contingencies by dividing the pausing sections (like the rhiming sections,*) into three classes. But, in fact, the two first classes are alone
* See pag«
300 SECTION I. p. OF THREE ACCENTS. B. II.
met with in our literature, none of our sections containing two pauses.*
THE SECTION l.jO.
is occasionally found in Anglo-Saxon poems, of the first class ;
Hremmas wundon, Earn | ses|es georn| ; waes on eorthan cyrm.
The ravens wheel'd around — The em, greedy for its prey j their scream was on the earth.
Battle of Maldon.
and very commonly of the second class, when lengthened ; Thurh [ geweald | God|es : wuldres bearnum Cced.
Waes | min dream | driht|lic : drohtad hihtlic.
Riming Poem. Thurh | his word | wes|an : waiter gemaene. Cced.
0|fer scild | scot|en : swilce scottisc eac. War Song.
Us | is riht | mic|el : thaet we rodera weard. Cced.
geomre gastas • waes | him gylp | for|od ! Cced.
modes mynlan : ojfer maegth [ guin|ge. Alf.
Sah to setle : thaer | lseg secg | maenjig. Cced*
Godes ahwurfon : haef|don gielp | mic|el. Cced.
gewendan mid wihte : that | hie word | God|es. Cced.
And glosed his Gospel : as | hem good | lik|ed. P. P.
Worching and wandring : as | the world | as|keth. P.P. It is nought by the bishop : that | the boy | prech|ed.
P.P. O there are divers reasons : to | dissuade|, broth |er.
B. Jons. Ev. M. in his H. 2. 1.
* Sydney has used them in the song quoted at page 155. But he adopted this singular rhythm, avowedly, as an experiment.
*
C. VIII. SECTION ll.p. OF THREE ACCENTS. 301
This section is sometimes, though but rarely, found doubly lengthened.
Mennisces metes : ac | he ma | luf|edon. Alf.
THE SECTION 2 /. p.
can only be of the second class. It is found both in Anglo- Saxon rhythms and in the old English alliterative metre, cwseth | that his lie | wer|e : leoht and scene. Cced.
Her sire Typhaeus was, who mad with lust, And drunk with blood of men, slain by his might Through incest her of his own mother Earth Whil|om begot|, be|ing : but half | twin of | that birth |.
F. Q. 3. 7. 47. I shop me into shrowdes : as | I a shepe | wer|e. P. P. There preched a pardonor : as ] he a preoste | werje.
P.P. And hadde leve to lize : al|le here lif | af|tur.
P.P.
What says the other troop ! : They | are dissolv'd|, hangpem.
Cor. 1. 1.
THE SECTION 3. p.
is more rare, but is occasionally met with ; and, of course, must be of the first class.
thrang | thrys|tre genip| : tham the se theoden self.
Cced.
heold | heof ona frea| : tha hine halig God. Cced.
— You shall elose prisoner rest,
Till that the nature of your fault be known
To the Venetian state : come | bring | him along|.
Oth. 5. 2.
Where be these knaves } What| ! no | man at door|, To hold my stirrup, nor to take my horse ?
T. of the Shrew, 4.1.
302 SECTION 5. p. OF THREE ACCENTS. B. II.
The section 5 p. is rare. It is found, however, in the old romance of Sir Tristrem, and was not unknown to the Anglo-Saxons.
The folk | stood | unfain | The folk stood sad
Befor that levedi fre, Before that lady free,
" Rowland my Lord is slain, •' Roland my lord is slain,
He speketh no more with me." He speaketh no more with me."
Tr'tstr. 1. 22.
TheDouke | an|swer'd then|, The Duke answer'd then, " I pray mi Lord so fre, " I pray my Lord so free,
Whether thou bless or ban, Whether thou bless or curse,
Thin owen mot it be." Thine own may it be."
Trist. 1. 77. haeste hrinon : ac hie | hal|ig God|. Cced.
hyge hreoweth : that hie | heof|on ric|e. Cced.
A modern poet has used this section in one of those songs which have been already mentioned, and which re- call, so vividly, the lyrical outpourings of our dramatists. The propriety of doing so may, however, admit of some question. Even in the sixteenth century, when the sec- tional pause was common, it was seldom introduced into a song, unless its place in the rhythm was marked out by some regular law. To introduce it at random now, when the pause is obsolete, seems little better than throwing a needless difficulty in the way of the reader. How many persons would read the following lines, for the first time, without a blunder ?
The brand is on thy brow, A dark and guilty spot, 'Tis ne'er to be erased, 'Tis ne'er to be forgot. The brand is on thy brow, Yet I must shade the spot, For who will love thee now If I | love | thee not| >
C. VIII. SECTION 5. p. OF THREE ACCENTS. 303
Thy soul is dark, is stain'd,
From out the bright world thrown,
By God and man disdain'd,
But not by me — thy own. The Felon s Wife.
The section 5.p, when lengthened, is met with of the second class, not only in the Auglo-Saxon, but also in the old English alliterative metre, and the works of our dra- matists. In this last division of our literature, we occa- sionally find it without the lengthening syllable.
In that it sav'd me, keep it. In like necessity, Which God protect thee from : it may | protect | thee|.
Per. 2. 1.
What shall I be appointed hours, as though belike I knew not which to take : and what | to leave, | ha| ?
Tarn, of the S. 1 . 1 .
Are bees
Bound to keep life in drones : and i(dle moths] ? No|.
Ben Jons. Ev. M. out of his H. 1. 3.
These examples, however, are very rare. The length- ened section is common.
Duk Morgan was blithe Duke Morgan was blithe
Tho Rouland Riis was doun, When Roland Riis was down,
He sent | his sonde | swith|e, He sent his mesenger quickly,
And bad all shuld be boun. And bade all should be boun.
And to his lores lithe, And to his hests attend,
Redi to his somoun, Ready at his summons,
Durst non again him kithe, Durst none against him strive,
Bot yalt him tour and town. But yielded him tow'r and town.
Tristr. 1. 24.
To sek|e seint | Jam|e : and seintes at Rome.
P. Ploughman.
But on | a May | Mor|we : upon Malverne hilles.
P. Ploughman.
Nay more | than this|, broth [cr : if I should speak,
He would be ready, &c. B. Jons. Ev. M. in his H. 2. I.
304 SECTION 5. p. OF THREE ACCENTS. B. II.
beorhte blisse : vvaes heor'ablaed | mic|el. Cced.
gaestes snytru : thy laes | him gielp | sceth|ae. Ex. MSS.
A love of mine \ I would : it were | no worse|, broth jer.
B. J. Ev. M. in his H.2.3.
Hark what I say to you : I must | go forth |, Thorn | as.
Same, 4. 3.
It may here be observed, that if the section of an Anglo-Saxon couplet take the pause, the alliteration almost always falls on the syllable which precedes it. If the allite- ration be double, it falls also (with very few exceptions) upon the syllable which follows the pause. These obser- vations will also apply to the old English alliterative metre.
THE SECTION 7 • P
admits of only one form. From the peculiar nature of the rhythm, the pause must fall between the first and se- cond accented syllables.
Of all those sections which contain the pause, this is the one which has played the most important part in our literature. It is rarely met with in the Anglo-Saxon, but was very generally used by our old English poets, by the poets of the Elizabethan eera, by Shakespeare, and by Milton. It is the only one of our pausing sec- tions which survived the sixteenth century, and it is found occasionally re-appearing even after Milton's death. Burns has used it once — probably the last time it has been patronized by any of our classical writers.
This section occurs so frequently, as to render necessary a more careful arrangement than we have hitherto found practicable. We shall begin with the verse of three ac- cents, of which several examples are found in the ro- mance of Tristrem.
C.VIII. SECTION 7 P> OF THREE ACCENTS. 305
The forster, for his rihtes, The forester for his rights
The left | shul|der yaf he|, The left shoulder gave he,
Wit hert | liv|er and lighjteSj With heart, liver and lights,
And blod till he quirre. And blood for his share.
Tristr. 1.46.
Mi fader me hath forlorn, My father hath me lost,
Sir Rohant sikerly, Sir Rohant truly,
The best | blow|er of horn|, The best blower of horn,
And king of venery. And king of venery.
Tristr. 1.49.
" Your owhen soster him bare" Your own sister bare him, The king | lith|ed him then|, — The king listened then — I n'am sibbe him na mar, I am akin to him no more,
Ich aught to ben his man. I ought to be his man.
Tristr. 1.
Among the verses of five accents, which contain this section, 7 P - 5 is the one the most commonly met with in our poetry. The orthodox number of its syllables, is doubtless one of the causes of its popularity.
1 have this day ben at your churche at messe,
And said a sermon to my simple wit,
Not all | af|ter the text : of ho|ly writ). Sompnoure's Tale.
The Mar | kep|ytthe post| : of that | willage| Wallace knew weill, and send him his message.
Wallace, 4. 3 GO.
He callyt Balyoune till answer for Scotland,
The wyss | lord ys gert him| : sonc brek | that band|.
Wallace, 1. 75.
And cry'd | mer|cy sir Knightj : and merjcy Lord|.
F. Q. 2. 1. 27.
At last J turn|ing her fear| : to fool|ish wrath],
She ask'd— - F. Q. 3. 7. 8.
Cupid their eldest brother, he enjoys
The wide [ king|dom of love| : with lord|ly sway|.
F. Q. 4. 10. 42. VOL. I. X
306* SECTION 7 P' OF THREE ACCENTS. B.
So peace | bejing confirm'd' : amongst | them all|,
They took their steeds— F. Q. 6*. 4. 39.
What man is he that boasts of fleshly might, And vain assurance of mortality, Which all so soon as it doth come to fight Against | spiritual foes| : yields by | and by|,
F. Q. I. 10. 1.
Let not light see my black and deep desires,
The eye | wink | at the hand| : yet let | that be|,
Which the eye fears, when it is done, to see. Macb. 1 . 4.
The owl | shriek'd | at thy birth : an e|vil sign|.
3 7/6,5. 6.
Be a man ne'er so vile,
', If he can purchase but a silken cover, He shall not only pass, but pass regarded j Whereas | let | him be poor| : and meanly eladj, &c.
B. J Ev. M.in his H. 3. 9.
But far | be | it from me| : to spill | the bbod|
Of harmless maids. Fl. F. Sh. 3. 1.
None else can write so skilfully to shew
Your praise | j ag'es shall pay| : yet still | must owe.
Geo. Lucy to Ben Jons, on the Alchemist.
Anon | out | of the earth | : a fa|bric huge|
Rose like an exhalation. P. L. 1.
A mind | not | to be chang d| : by place | or time|. P. L.
Bird, beast|, in|sect or worm| : durst en^ter none|. P. L. 4.
And when a beest is ded he hath no peine,
But man | af|terhis deth| : mote we|pe and plein|e.
Knightes Tale.
Writings all tending to the great opinion
That Rome | holds | of his name| : wherein | obscure|ly
Caesar's ambition shall be glanc'd at. /. Cces. 1 . 2.
But since, | time | andthetruth| : have wak'd | myjudg|ment.
B.J. Ev. M. in his H. 1. 1.
C. VIII. SECTION 7 p. OF THREE ACCENTS. ^07
The verse 7 p : 2 is more rare.
Yet saw I Silla and Marius where they stood Their greate crueltie, and the deepe bloudshed Of friends| j Cyr|us I saw| : and | his hostdead|.
Sackville. M.for M. Induction, 6' J . Tis good, | go | to the gate| : somejbody knocks|.
Jul. Cces. 2. 2 In rage|, deep | as the sea| : has|ty as firej. R.2, 1. 1.
So spake | Is|rael's true king] : and | to the fiend | Made answer meet. P. 12. 3. 440.
He speaks, | let | us draw near| : match jless in might], The glory late of Israel, now the grief. Samson Agon,
The section 7 p. is also found in the verse of six ac- cents ; 7 p ' 5 was the most usual combination.
She almost fell again into a swound, Ne wist | wheth|er above| : she were | or un|der ground|.
F. Q. 4. 7. 9.
I pray thee now, my son,
Go to them with this bonnet in thy hand,
Thy knee | buss|ing the stones] : for in | such business]
Action is eloquence. Cor. 3. 1.
Much care is sometimes necessary to discover this sec- tion, when it ends the verse ; owing to the license which certain of our poets allow themselves, in the management of their pauses. There is danger of confounding the mid- dle pause with the sectional. We shall first give exam- ples of the verse 2 : 7 P- and then of the verse 5 : 7 P-
Wal|lace scho said| : that full | worth|y hasbeyne|,
Than wepyt scho that pete was to seyne. Wallace, 2. 335.
Thre yer in pess the realme stude desolate, Quhair|for thair raiss| : a full | grew ous debate].
Wallace, 1.43.
When merchant-like I sell revenge,
Broke | be my sword] ! : my anna | torn | and defaced| !
211. (i, 4. J
308 SECTION j I. p. OY THREE ACCENTS. B.I.
h:7p<
Qhuasperd|, scho said| : to Saint | Marg|ret thai soclit] Qhua ser|wit hir|. Full gret | frend|schipe thai fand| With Sothran folk, for scho was of Ingland.
Wallace, 1. 283. And next in order sad, old age wee found, His beard | all hoare| : his eyes | hol|low and bleared |, With drouping chere still poring on the ground.
Sackville. M.forM. Induction, A3.
Thrice happy mother, and thrice happy morn..
That bore | three such | : three such | not | to be found.
F. Q. 4. 2. 41.
I should be still
Peering in maps for ports and piers and roads :
And every object that might make me fear
Misfortune to my ventures, out of doubt
Would make | me sad|. Salar. — My wind | cool|ing my broth]
Would blow me to an ague, when I thought
What harm a wind too great might do at sea.
M. of Venice, 1.1.
The lengthened section *l I. p. is as common as the one we have been considering. It has been used by Shake- spear as a complete verse.
If you dare fight to-day, come to the field,
If not | when | you have stom achs. Jul. Cces. 5. 1.
But it was the verse 7 I* P '• 1 that spread it most widely through our literature. In this verse it was used by our dramatists, and by Milton : and may be traced far into the eighteenth century.
For the dearth —
The Gods, | not [ the patric|ians: make | it, and|
Your knees to them, not arms must help. Cor. 1.1.
Must I of force be married to the County,
No, no|, this | shall forbid | it : lie | thou there |.
Rom. and Jul. 4. 2.
Your father were a fool
To give thee all, and in his waning age Set foot | un|der thy ta|ble : tut | a toy| !
Tarn, of the Shrew, 2. I.
C. VIII. SECTION *J I. p. OF THREE ACCENTS. 30.9
One that dares
Do deeds | worth|y the hur|dle : or | the wheel|.
B. Jons. Cynthia s Revels, 3. 4. More foul diseases than e'er yet the hot Sun bred | , thorough his burnings : while | the dog| Pursues the raging lion. Fl. Fa. Sheph. 1. 2.
Whose veins | like | a dullriv|er: far | from springs|
Is still the same, dull, heavy, and unfit,
For stream or motion. Fl. Fa. Sheph. 1 . 2.
And to despise, or envy, or suspect,
Whom God | hath | of his spec|ial : fa|vour rais'd|
As their deliverer. Sams.
— Light the day and darkness night,
He nam'd|, thus | was the first [ day: ev'n | and morn|.
P. L. 7. 252.
That all
The sentence, from thy head remov'd, may light
On me, the cause to thee, of all this woe,
Me, me | on ly, just ob|ject : of | his ire]. P. L. 10. 936.
Me also he hath judg'd, or rather
Me not|, but | the brute ser|pent : in | whose shape|
Man Ideceiv'd. P. L. 10. 494.
I go to judge
On earth | these | thy transgressors : but | thou know'st| Whoever judg'd, the worst on me must light. P. L. 10. 72.
Shall he | nurs'd | in the Peasant's : low|ly shed|, To hardy independence bravely bred, Shall he be guilty of these hireling crimes, The servile mercenary, Swiss of rhymes )
Burns' Brig of Ayr.
The following are instances of the same verse length- ened.
This ilke monk let olde thinges pace
And held | af|tir the new|e : world | the tracje. Chau. Prol.
Light
Sprung from the deep ; and from her native east To journey through the aery gloom began,
310 SECTION 11. p. OF THREE ACCENTS. B. JJ
Spher'd in a radiant cloud, for yet the sun Was not| ; she | in a c!oud|y : tab|erna|cle Sojournd the while. P. L. 7. 245.
Wherever fountain or fresh current flow'd,
I drank | , from | the fresh mil|ky : juice | allay |ing
Thirst. Samson Agon.
Surrey has given us an example of the verse 7 I. p : 5.
The fishes flete with newe repay red scale, The adder all her slough away she flinges, The swift | swal|low pursu]eth : the fly|es smale(-
Description of Spring.
These are the principal combinations in which the sec- tion 7 I* P' is met with. Others, however, have occasion- ally been found, more especially in the old English allite- rative metre. Thus Dunbar, in his " Twa mariit women and the wedo" gives us an example of the verse "J L p:2l.
I hard | un|der ane hol|yn : hewm|lie green hew|it.
Dunbar. Such examples, however, are rare.
Before I close a book, which treats thus fully of the rhythm of English verse, it may be expected that I should notice a series of works, which have been published dur- ing the last thirty years, on the same subject, by men some of whose names are not unknown to the public. These writers entertain a very humble opinion of those " prosodians," ** who scan English verse, according to the laws of Greek metre," and they divide our heroic line, not into five feet, but into six cadences ! They are not, how- ever, so averse to foreign terms, as might have been looked for. With them rhythm is rhythmus, and an elided syl- lable, an apogiatura. One of these critics assures us, that there are eight degrees of English quantity ; and if the reader should * deny that there is any such thing as eight degrees of it, in our language, for this plain reason, because he cannot perceive them/' it will be his duty to confide in the greater experience, and better educated ear
C. VIII. WRITERS UPON " RHYTHMUS." 311
of those, who have paid more attention to the subject ! I will not follow the example set by these gentlemen, when they speak of the poor " prosodian." It may be sufficient to say, that much which they advance, I do not understand, and much that I do understand, I cannot approve of.
VOL. I.
NOTES TO THE FIRST VOLUME.
(A.) The Letters.
In investigating the properties of our letter-sounds, I have wished to follow ray own observations rather than the authority of grammarians. It is not, however, easy entirely to free oneself from the influence of pre- conceived notions, and they have, in one or two instances, led me into statements that require correction.
Our grammarians tells us, that " r is never mute." Now, if I may trust my ear, r is not pronounced at the end of a syllable, unless the following syllable open with a vowel. It is said, that at the end of a syllable r is obscurely pronounced ; but I have observed, that a very slight pronuncia- tion of this letter has been sufficient to convict the speaker of being an Irishman, and that many who insist upon its pronunciation, drop it, imme» diately their attention is diverted, or their vigilance relaxed.
In ordinary speech, I believe the words burn, curb, hurt, lurk, 8fc. differ from bun, cub, hut, luck, Sfc. only in the greater length of the vowel-sound. If this be so, then instead of five (see p. Ill), there are six vowel-sounds in our language, each of which furnishes us with two vowels, accordingly as the quantity is long or short.
Again ; I would say that farther differs in pronunciation from father, only in the greater length of its first vowel. If so, there is one vowel- sound in our language, which furnishes us with three vowels. These are found respectively in the words fathom, father, farther. There are some languages, which thus form three vowels from almost every one of their vowel-sounds. See p. 106.
In p. 9, I have considered A as a letter. Our grammarians differ on this point, but I must confess that usage is against me. There is little doubt, that its old and genuine pronunciation was much like the palatal breathing of the Germans ; and such is the power which some persons still give to it. But the people altogether neglect h, and others look upon it merely as the symbol of aspiration. In like manner, wh is usually treated as an aspirated w. Such, however, is the unsettled state of our language, that I have known men who prided themselves on their accuracy and refinement in the pronunciation of these letters h, ivh, &c, and who nevertheless gave them three or four different properties, ere they had well uttered as many sentences.
There is a statement, too, in p. 10, which requires correction. The Latin rh and Greek p were certainly aspirated letter -sounds. The accounts of
314 NOTES.
their pronunciation, handed down to us by the old grammarians, are too explicit to leave any room for doubt upon the subject.
(B.) Accentuation.
The consideration of the laws, which regulate the accents of an English sentence, has occasioned the writer much difficulty. Instead of working his way gradually from results to principles, he has been obliged, owing to the nature of the materials he had to work with, first to assume principles, and then to deduce conclusions. The practice is common enough, though not the less dangerous on that account. The following notices will correct one or two mistakes, into which it has led him.
In p. 84, the definite and indefinite articles are placed upon the same footing. Now the latter originally was nothing more than the first cardinal number, and must, when placed in construction, have obeyed the same law as regards its accentuation. As the cardinal numbers were accented more strongly than the accompanying substantive (see vol, ii. p. 52. n. 5.), it follows that the examples quoted from Spenser and Jonson are instances rather of an obsolete than of a false accentuation, though such a mixture of the old with the new system is still open to objection.
The same observation will apply to the examples quoted in p. 86, from the Paradise Lost. Prepositions formerly took the accent before personal pronouns, and, indeed, still do so in some ef our provincial dialects ; the accentuation therefore is not, properly speaking, false, though it takes the reader by surprise, more particularly as an emphasis falls on the pronouns, in the two cases cited.
Again, in an Anglo-Saxon sentence, an adverb generally, and a proposi- tion occasionally, was placed before the concluding word, which, for the most part, was a verb. "When so placed, the adverb or proposition seems always to have taken a predominant accent. See Vol. ii. p. 54. n. 5. This rule has been generally observed in the text, though violated in the scansion of the following verses — here scanned according to what I conceive to be their true prosody.
Lif|es bryt|ta : leoht | forth | cuman
p. 193, 1. 30; and v. ii. p. 32, 1. 26. Sweart|e swog|an : sees | up | stigon
p. 193, 1. 20. Thegn|ra sin|ra : thaer | mid | wesan
p. 144, 1. 1. Stream | as stod|on : storm | up | gewat|
p. 196, 1. 16. Lrtth|e cyrm|don : lyft | up | geswearc|
p. 194, 1. 19.
With respect to the two lust verses some doubt may be entertained whe-
NOTES. 315
ther the accent on the substantive did not eclipse that on the adverb, but I incline to think not.
In Beowulf, I. 3637, is found the passage —
wseron her tela Willum bewenede : thu us wel dohtest
and in the translation, just published by Mr. Kemble, is the following note, " The alliteration is upon thu, and Thorpe therefore suggests bethenede.,J The proposed amendment is an ingenious one, but still I think it was some- what hastily adopted in the translation, for the chief alliterative syllable in the last verse is certainly wel not thu,
Wil|lum bewen|ede : thu | us wel | dohtest
In the preface (which exhibits much curious research and speculation, though I cannot agree in its conclusions) certain proper names are reduced, by a variety of hypotheses, to the following series ;
Woden. |
Beowa. |
Baldseg. |
Bed-Wiga. |
Ttetwa. |
Brand. |
Hwala. |
Geata. |
Freotho-gar. |
Hadra. |
God-wulf. |
Freothowine |
Iter-Mon. |
Finn. |
Wig. |
Here-Mod. |
Freawine. |
Gewis. |
Sceafa. |
Freothola. |
Esla. |
Sceldwa. |
Freothowalda. |
Elesa. |
" And here we have the remarkable and pleasing fact, that of all the twenty- four names, two only (Beowa and Tsetwa) do not stand in alliteration with one another, from which we may reasonably assume, that in times older than even these most ancient traditions, another and equivalent adjective stood in the place of Tcetwa." I have cpioted this statement, respecting the allitera- tion, which, it will be seen, is made the ground-work of an important infer- ence, in order to point out two oversights, that seem to have escaped the author. There is certainly no alliteration between Wo\den and Bed\-Wiga, nor between I\ter-Mon and IIe\re-Mod. In the last case, indeed, secondary accents may fall on the syllables Mon and Mod, but such accents cannot support an alliteration.
I know by experience how difficult it is altogether to avoid these over- sights. In the foregoing pages, I have (at least once) been guilty of the very same blunder. In p. 229. 1. 11, the accent of a common adjectival compound (see p. 102. 1. 4,) is misplaced. The verse should have been scanned thus,
Besloh | sin [ sceathan : sig|ore and | geweal|de
316 NOTES.
(C.) Secondary Accents.
The rule, in p. 78, denning the syllables on which the secondary accent may fall, is, I have no doubt, a correct one. But it is difficult to say, under what circumstances the Anglo-Saxon poet availed himself of the privilege. I incline to think, that when a word, accented on the last syllable but two, closed an alliterative couplet, no secondary accent was made use of, unless wanted to make up the two accents, without which no English sec- tion can subsist. When such a word closed the first section, and the two necessary accents were provided for, I think there was no secondary accent, except in cases where the second section began with an unaccented syllable. These two rules have been deduced chiefly from an examination of Csedmon's rhythms. They are laid down with some degree of diffidence, but they seem to agree so well with the general character of Anglo-Saxon rhythm, that I have not hesitated to correct (in the Errata) the scansion of any verse, in which they have not been observed.
(D.) Rhime.
The vowel-rhime (see p. 117), or, as it is termed by French and Spanish critics, the assonant rhime was common in the Romance of Oc, and all the kindred Spanish dialects, and is found in one (I believe only one) of our Anglo-Norman poems. It is clearly the Irish cornhardadh, though not sub- ject, in the Romance dialects, to the nice rules which regulate its assonances in the Gaelic.
The fact of there having been two kinds of final rhime in the Celtic, both of which are found in the Romance dialects that arose out of its ruins, and only one of which was ever adopted in the Latin " rhythmus," is a strong argument in favour of the view taken in p. 120 as to the Celtic origin of final rhime. It must, however, be confessed, that one of the arguments there used is somewhat strained. The influence, which final rhime exerted over our English rhythms, is certainly overrated. See Vol. ii. p. 295.
The perfect correspondence in the unaccented syllables of the double rhime (see p. 118) was sometimes dispensed with. The authors of the Alisaunder, of Havelok, and of other romances, written in the thirteenth century, occa- sionally contented themselves with a rhime between the last accented sylla- bles, and wholly neglected what King James calls the " tail." This must have been a recognised and legitimate kind of rhime, for the dullest ear would have been offended, if such correspondences as tent and deoniis, car- peth and harpe, were palmed upon it as regular double rhimes. See Vol. ii. p. 142.
It has been stated, in the course of this note, that the vowel or assonant rhime is the representative of the Irish cornhardadh. I believe there is another peculiarity of modern versification, which may be traced to the sister dialect ; for I have little doubt that some species of the bob (see Vol. ii. p. 341) represent the Welsh cyrch. These correspondences be-
NOTES. 317
tween the original and derivative tongues are valuable, and should, in all cases, be carefully investigated.
(E.) Versification.
In p. 164. 1. 30. were given two rules, whereby to form the elementary versicle. A third should have been added.
3. No section can begin or end with more than two unaccented syllables. It was to this third rule (by some mistake omitted in transcription) that the succeeding remarks were meant chiefly to apply.
The elision of the final e is occasionally a matter of much doubt. Ormin elided it, both before a vowel, and also before the h. In Anglo-Saxon verse, it was sometimes elided, sometimes not ; but whether the elision were re- gulated by rule, or left to the caprice or convenience of the poet, I cannot say. When quoting the verse in p. 165. 1. 3. it escaped my recollection, that this verse had already been scanned by Conybeare, and (as he elides one of the es) scanned differently from what appears in the text. The rea- soning, however, is but slightly affected by this oversight.
In many compound sections, besides the regular alliteration, which binds together the couplet, there is a kind of subordinate alliteration, which is confined to the section, and may therefore be called the sectional. In the following examples, the syllables, which contain the sectional alliteration, are written in italics.
Heard |es hel|le wit[es : thses | the he wan | with heof|nes wal\dend
See p. 280. Migtjig on mod|e ir|re : wearp | hine on | thset morjther m|nan
lb. Worh|te man j him hit | to wit|e : hyr\a. wor|uld wses | gaAwyrjfed
p. 284. Hearm | on this|se hel|le : wa\la ah|te ic . min|ra hanjda geweald\
p. 38.
Ne ) gelyf|e ic | me nu| . thses leohjtes fur|thor : thces | the him thinc\et\i
lang|e niot|an. Vol. ii. p. 42.
Forswap|en on | thas sweart|an mis|tas : swa | he us | ne mseg «n|ige syn|ne
gestael an. Vol. ii. p. 40.
Swa mig|tigne on | his mod|gethoh|te : he | let hin\e swa micjles weal|dan.
p. 285.
This sectional alliteration is worthy of notice on two accounts. First, it strengthens the hypothesis, advanced in p. 270, as to the origin of the com- pound section ; for, in most cases, the alliterative syllables are so distri- buted, as to give the compound section all the properties of an alliterative couplet. And, secondly, it countenances the opinion thrown out in Vol. ii. p. 278, that the solitary section, sometimes met with in Icelandic poetry, is merely the concluding portion of a compound section. If we suppose the
318
NOTES.
sectional alliteration b to fall in the latter part of a compound section, and the regular alliteration a in the first part, we might divide the whole couplet, so as to get an alliterative couplet and supernumerary section — the allitera- tive syllables being thus distributed ;
b b
I
The student may sometimes be led, owing to the sectional alliteration, to consider a compound section as a regular alliterative couplet. Perhaps the verses in Vol. ii. p. 52. 1. 4. and Vol. ii. p. GO. 1. 1. might have been better scanned, as follows,
He | wsesThra|cia-theod|a al|dor : and Rejtie-ricjes bird} a
Theet mod | mon[na sen|iges : eal|lunga to | him sefjre meeg | onwenjdan
The first of these couplets is bound together by a very weak alliteration {he and Jiirde) ; but still I think such a scansion of the verse preferable to the one given in the text, inasmuch as the latter makes the middle pause fall in the midst of the compounds Thracia-tltioda and Retle-rices — a mode of di- vision, which I believe is unexampled in Anglo-Saxon poetry.
From an observation in p. 214. it might be inferred, that the French verse of five accents had no middle pause. This is incorrect ; the French verse of four accents, like the rhythmus of the Iambic Dimiter, had none, but the verse of five accents always divided after the fourth syllable. See Vol. ii. p. 366. n. •
Before concluding this note it should be observed, that the stanzas in- serted in p. 113 have not " the same" rhythm as the stanzas quoted in p. 112. I shall not, however, trouble the reader with a second version of them. The reasoning, though certainly weakened, is still strong enough to bear the inference it was meant to support.
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