vided even by a femipause, run by that means much the more fweetly. Nec gemere aërea | ceffabit | turtur ab ulmo. Again, Quadrupedante putrem fonitu quatit | ungula cam pum. Again, Eurydicen toto || referebant | flumine ripe. 'The reafon of these observations, will be evident upon the flighteft reflection. Betwixt things fo intimately connected as fenfe and found in pronunciation, to find difcordance is unpleasant to the ear; and for that reafon, it is a matter of importance, to make the musical paufes coincide as much as possible with those of the fenfe. This is requifite, more especially, with refpect to the paufe. A deviation from the rule is lefs remarkable in a femipaufe, which makes but a flight impreffion. Confidering the matter as to modulation folely, it is indifferent whether the pauses be at the end of words or in the middle. But when we carry the fenfe along, nothing is more difagreeable than to find a word split into two parts, neither of which feparately have any meaning. This bad effect, though it regard the fenfe only, is by an eafy tranfition of ideas transferred to the found, with which the fenfe is intimately connected; and by this means, we conceive a line to be harsh and grating to the ear, which in reality is only fo to the understanding *. To the rule which places the paufe after the 5th portion, there is one exception, and no more. * See chap. 2. part 1. fect. 4. fo If the fyllable fucceeding the 5th portion be fhort, Pupillis quos dura premit cuftodia matrum In terris oppreffa | gravi fub religione Et quorum pars magna fui; quis talia fando 11. Formofam refonare doces Amaryllida fylvas to Agricolas, quibus ipfa || procul difcordibus armis If this paufe, poftponed as aforefaid to the fhort fyllable, happen alfo to divide a word, the melody by thefe circumftances is totally annihilated: witnefs the following line of Ennius, which is plain profe. Romæ mania terrullit impiger Hannibal armis.. Hitherto the arrangement of the long and fhort fyllables of an Hexameter line and its different paufes, have been confidered with respect to melody. But to have a juft notion of Hexameter verse, these particulars must alfo be confidered with refpect to fenfe. There is not perhaps in any other fort of verfe, fuch a latitude in the long and fhort fyllables. This circumftance contributes greatly to that richness of modulation which is remarkable in Hexameter verfe; and which makes Aristotle pro nounce nounce, that an epic poem in any other fort would not fucceed*. One defect however must not be diffembled. The fame means that contribute to the richness of the melody, render it less fit than feveral other forts for a narrative poem. With regard to the melody, as above observed, there cannot be a more artful contrivance, than to close an Hexameter line with two long fyllables preceded by two fhort. But unhappily this conftruction proves a great embarraffinent to the fenfe; as will be evident from what follows. As in general there ought to be a ftrict concordance betwixt every thought and the words in which it is dreffed, fo in particular, every clofe in the fenfe, complete and incomplete, ought to be accompanied with a fimilar clofe in the found. In the compofition of profe, there is fufficient latitude for applying this rule in the ftrictest manner. But the fame ftrictnefs in verfe, would occafion infuperable difficulties. Some share of the concordance betwixt thought and expreffion, may be juftly facrificed to the melody of verfe; and therefore during the courfe of a line, we freely excufe the want of coincidence of the mufical pause with that of the fenfe. But the clofe of an Hexameter line is too confpicuous to admit a total neglect of this coincidence. And hence it follows, that there ought to be al ways fome pause in the sense at the end of every Hexameter line, were it but fuch a pause as is marked with a comma. It follows alfo, for the fame reason, that there ought never to be a full clofe in the fenfe but at the end of a line, because there the modulation is clofed. An Hexameter line, to preferve its melody, cannot well permit any greater relaxation; and yet in a narrative poem, it is extremely difficult to keep up to the rule even *Poet cap. 25. ! with thefe indulgences. Virgil, the greateft poet for verfification that ever exifted, is forc'd often to end a line without any clofe in the fenfe, and as often to close the fenfe during the running of a line; though a clofe in the melody during the movement of the thought, or a clofe in the thought during the movement of the melody, cannot fail to be difagreeable. The accent, to which we proceed, is not lefs effential than the other circumftances above handled. By a good ear it will be difcerned, that in every line there is one fyllable diftinguishable from the reft by a strong accent. This fyllable making the 7th portion, is invariably long; and in point of time occupies a place nearly at an equal distance from the paufe which fucceeds the 5th portion, and the femipaufe, which fucceeds the 8th: Nec bene pro meritis | capitûr nec | tangitur ira Non fibi fed toti genitum fe credere mundo Qualis fpelunca || fubito com | mota columba In these examples, the accent is laid upon the laft fyllable of a word. And that this is a favourable circumstance for the melody, will appear from the following confideration. In reading, there muft be fome pause after every word to feparate it from what follows; and this paufe, however fhort, fupports the accent. Hence it is, that a line thus accented, has a more fpirited air, than where the accent is placed on any other fyllable. Compare the foregoing lines with the following. Alba Alba neque Affyrio || fucâtur | lana veneno Again, Panditur interea || domus ômnipotentis Olympi Again, Olli fedato | refpondit | corde Latinus In lines where the paufe comes after the short fyllable fucceeding the 5th portion, the accent is displaced and rendered lefs fenfible. It seems to be split into two, and to be laid partly on the 5th portion, and partly on the 7th, its usual place; as in Nuda genu, nodôque | finûs col | le&ta fluentes Formofam refonâr || docês Amarelyllida sylvas Befide this capital accent, flighter accents are laid upon other portions; particularly upon the 4th, unless where it confifts of two fhort fyllables; upon the 9th, which is always a long fyllable; and upon the 11th, where the line concludes with a monofyllable. Such conclufion, by the by, leffens the melody, and for that reafon is not to be indulged uniefs where it is expreffive of the fenfe. The following lines are marked with all the accents. Ludere quæ vêllem calamo permîfit agrefti Et duræ quêrcus fudâbunt rôfcida mella Parturiunt montes, nascêtur rîdiculûs mus Inquiring |