A history of English rhythms

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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.

END OF VOL. I.

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