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Again:

Et duræ quêrcus fudabunt rôfcida mella.

Again:

Parturiunt montes, nafcêtur ridiculus mus.

Reflecting upon the melody of Hexameter verfe, we find, that order or arrangement doth not consti, tute the whole of it; for when we compare different lines, equally regular as to the fucceffion of long and fhort fyllables, the melody is found in very different degrees of perfection; which is not occafioned by any particular combination of Dactyles and Spondees, or of long and fhort fyllables, because we find lines where Dactyles prevail, and lines where Spondees prevail, equally melodious. Of the former take the following inftance:

Æneadum genitrix hominum divumque voluptas.

Of the latter:

Molli paulatim flavefcet campus arista.

What can be more different as to melody than the two following lines, which, however, as to the fucceffion of long and fhort fyllables, are conftructed precifely in the fame manner?

Spond. Dat. Spond. Spond. Dat. Spond.
Ad talos ftola dimiffa et circumdata palla.

Hor.

Spond. Dat. Spond. Spond. Daft. Spond.
Placatumque nitet diffufo lumine cœlum. Lucr.

In the former, the paufe falls in the middle of a word, which is a great blemish, and the accent is

disturbed

disturbed by a harsh elision of the vowel a upon the participle et. In the latter, the pauses and the accent are all of them diftin&t and full: there is no elifion; and the words are more liquid and founding. In these particulars confifts the beauty of an Hexameter line with refpect to melody and by neglecting thefe, many lines in the Satires and Epiftles of Horace are lefs agreeable than plain profe; for they are neither the one nor the other in perfection. To draw melody from these lines, they must be pronouuced without relation to the fenfe: it must not be regarded, that words are divided by pauses, nor that harsh elifions are multiplied. To add to the ac count profaic low-founding words are introduced: and which is ftill worfe, accents are laid on them. Of fuch faulty lines take the following inftances.

Candida rectaque fit, munda hactenus fit neque longa.

Jupiter exclamat fimul atque audirit; at in fe

Cuftodes, lectica, ciniflones, parafitæ

Optimus eft modulator, ut Alfenus Vafer omni

Nunc illud tantum quæram, meritone tibi fit.

Next in order comes English Heroic verse, which shall be examined under the whole five heads, of number, quantity, arrangement, paufe, and accent, This verfe is of two kinds; one named rhyme or metre, and one blank verfe. In the former, the lines are connected two and two by fimilarity of found in the final fyllables; and two lines fo connected are termed a couplet: fimilarity of found being avoided in the latter, couplets are banished. Thefe two forts must be handled feparately, because there are many peculiarities

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peculiarities in each. Beginning with rhyme or me tre, the first article fhall be difcuffed in a few words. Every line confifts of ten fyllables, five fhort and five long; from which there are but two exceptions, both of them rare. The firft is, where each line of a couplet is made eleven fyllables, by an additional fyllable at the end :

There heroes' wits are kept in pond'rous vafes,
And beaus' in fnuff-boxés and tweezer-cafes.

The piece, you think, is incorrect? Why, take it;
I'm all fubmiffion; what you'd have it, make it.

This licence is fufferable in a fingle couplet; but if frequent, would give difguft.

The other exception concerns the second line of a couplet, which is fometimes ftretched out to twelve fyllables, termed an Alexandrine line:

A needlefs Alexandrine ends the fong,

That, like a wounded fnake, drags its flow length along.

It doth extremely well when employed to close a period with a certain pomp and folemnity, where the fubject makes that tone proper.

With regard to quantity it is unneceffary to mention a fecond time, that the quantities employed in verfe are but two, the one double of the other; that every fyllable is reducible to one or other of these standards; and that a fyllable of the larger quantity is termed long, and of the leffer quantity bort. It belongs more to the prefent article, to examine what peculiarities there may be in the English language as to long and fhort fyllables. Every language has fyllables that may be pronounced long or fhort at pleasure; but the English above all

abounds

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abounds in fyllables of that kind: in words of three or more fyllables, the quantity for the most part is invariable: the exceptions are more frequent in diffyllables but as to monofyllables, they may, without many exceptions, be pronounced either long or fhort; nor is the ear hurt by a liberty that is rendered familiar, by cuftom. This fhows, that the melody of English verse must depend lefs upon quantity, than upon other circumftances: in which it differs widely from Latin verfe, where every fyllable, having but one found, ftrikes the ear uniformly with its accustomed impreffion; and a reader must be delighted to find a number of fuch fyllables, difpofed fo artfully as to be highly melodious, Syllables variable in quantity cannot poffefs this power: for though custom may render familiar, both a long and a fhort pronunciation of the fame word; yet the mind wavering between the two founds, cannot be fo much affected as where every fyllable has one fixed found. What I have further to fay upon quantity, will come more properly under the following head, of arrange

ment.

And with respect to arrangement, which may be brought within a narrow compafs, the English Heroic line is commonly Iambic, the first fyllable fhort, the fecond long, and fo on alternately through the whole line. One exception there is, pretty frequent, of lines commencing with a Trochæus, i. e. a long and a fhort fyllable: but this affects not the order of the following fyllables, which go on alternately as ufual, one short and one long. The following coup let affords an example of each kind.

Some in the fields of pure ether play.
And bafk and whiten in the blaze of day.

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It is a great imperfection in English verfe, that it excludes the bulk of polyfyllables, which are the moft founding words in our language; for very few of them have fuch alternation of long and fhort fyllables as to correfpond to either of the arrangements mentioned. English verfe accordingly is almoft totally reduced to diffyllables and monofyllables: magnanimity is a founding word totally excluded: impetuity is ftill a finer word, by the refemblance of the found and fenfe; and yet a negative is put upon it, as well as upon numlerlefs words of the fame kind. Polyfyllables compofed of fyllables long and fhort alternately, make a good figure in verfe; for example, offirvance, opponent, fenfie, pindaric, productive, prolific, and fuch others of three fyllables. Imitation, imperfection, misdemeaner, mitigation, moderation, obfervator, ornamental, regulator, and others fimilar of four fyllables, beginning with two fhort fyllables, the third long, and the fourth fhort, may find a place in a line commencing with a Trochæus. I know not if there be any of five fyllables. One I know of fix, viz. mifinterpretation: but words fo compofed are not frequent in our language.

One would not imagine without trial, how uncouth falfe quantity appears in verfe; not lefs than a provincial tone or idiom. The article the is one of the few monofyllables that is invariably fhort: obferve how harfh it makes a line where it must be pronounced long;

Again,

This nymph, to thể déftrüction of mankind.

Th' advent'rous bãion the bright lōcks ǎdmir'd.

Let it be pronounced fhort, and it reduces the melody almoft to nothing: better fo however than falle quantity.

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