CHAPTERS 
 
 ON 
 
 ENGLISH METEE.
 
 ILonDon: 0. J. CLAY AND SONS, 
 
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 CHAPTEES ON 
 
 BY 
 
 JOSEPH B. MAYOK, M.A. 
 
 HONORARY FELLOW OF 8T JOHN'S COLLEGE, CAMHRIDGE. 
 
 SECOND EDITION 
 REVISED AND ENLARGED. 
 
 CAMBRIDGE: 
 
 AT THE UNIVERSITY PRESS. 
 1901
 
 CCambrtoge 
 
 PRINTED BY J. AND C. F. CLAY 
 AT THE UNIVERSITY PRESS
 
 PREFACE TO THE FIRST EDITION. 
 
 MY attention was first drawn to the exact study of English 
 prosody many years ago in lecturing on Shakespeare to classes 
 both male and female. As a rule I found those who attended 
 the classes devoid of any but the vaguest idea of metre ; and I 
 knew of no book which I could recommend to them as giving 
 an entirely satisfactory account of the matter, the books of the 
 highest authority seeming to me to start from assumptions 
 which were inconsistent with the practice of English poets from 
 the time of Shakespeare downwards. I endeavoured to point 
 out these inconsistencies and, at the same time, to give the 
 outline of what I thought to be a truer system, in three papers, 
 which were read before the London Philological Society be- 
 tween the years 1874 and 1877. The substance of those papers, 
 greatly modified and expanded, appears in the chapters which 
 follow, numbered I. to v. vni. xi. ; the remaining chapters are 
 altogether new. 
 
 My own views have naturally undergone some change in 
 the interval which has elapsed since the first paper was written. 
 For instance, I have now no doubt (see examples from Shelley 
 in p. 242) that we must recognize the substitution of tribrachs 
 for iambs in English blank verse, a point which was still an
 
 VI PREFACE. 
 
 open question to me when pp. 71 and 75 were written. I am 
 now less disposed to agree with Dr Abbott in his attempt 
 to explain away Shakespeare's trisyllabic feet by the process 
 of slurring, than I was when I wrote my paper on Macbeth 
 (pp. 174 foil.). On the other hand, I have given in p. 200 the 
 reasons which have finally decided me to adopt Dr Abbott's, 
 rather than Mr A. J. Ellis's view, in reference to the feminine 
 caesura, of which I had spoken doubtfully in my earlier paper. 
 As far as I know, these are the only points in which any dif- 
 ference of view will be found ; should there be any others, a 
 reference to the Index will at once enable the reader to 
 compare together all that is said on any given subject. 
 
 There is another matter on which I should like to add a 
 word to what is stated in the text. Prof. H. Sidgwick, who 
 has most kindly looked over some of the proof-sheets, suggests, 
 in reference to the chapter on Metrical Metamorphosis, that 
 it would be well to make it more clear to the reader, that 
 it is not a mere verbal question, whether, for instance, a line 
 should be called an iambic with initial truncation or a trochaic 
 with final truncation; and asks me how I would propose to 
 answer "the real and interesting aesthetic question, whether 
 the type (i.e. the normal line) so far predominates in the 
 reader's mind, that he feels the particular line (which departs 
 from the normal line) rather as a variant than as a distinct 
 change of type." To this I would reply (1) that my chief 
 aim will be accomplished, if I can get my readers to observe 
 the different metrical effects of the lines which they read, 
 and to describe them in clear and definite terms, and that 
 this will not be interfered with, even though we should allow 
 of alternative expressions for the same fact ; (2) that a certain 
 number of variants have now become established, as it were, by 
 universal consent, such as the feminine iambic and truncated
 
 PREFACE. Vll 
 
 trochaic ; (3) that when a question arises about the scansion of 
 a line which cannot be referred to any such recognized sub- 
 class, it is not ordinarily a matter of indifference which of two 
 possible explanations we shall adopt, but that we have first 
 to compare such a line with the other lines of the poem in 
 which it occurs, and see whether we can discover any similar 
 irregularities, as for instance in regard to Milton's use of the 
 double trochee (p. 38); and must reject any theory which will 
 not suit all such irregular lines. (See the discussion in pp. 86, 
 87, 92 on the metre of Christabel.) (4) that in cases where 
 nothing can be absolutely decided from a comparison of the 
 rest of the poem or of other similar poems, the choice between 
 two possible explanations of a verse must in the last resort rest 
 with the educated taste of the reader. It is not enough simply 
 that the ear should be naturally sensitive to the harmonies of 
 sound ; the ear must have been accustomed to the particular 
 metre or rhythm, or it will not be able to appreciate it rightly. 
 No doubt it is possible that, even so, differently constituted 
 minds and ears may be differently affected by the same break or 
 change in the rhythm. In such a case I should be inclined to 
 say with Home Tooke ' truth is what each man troweth ' ; the 
 accurate explanation will be that which accurately expresses 
 each man's own feeling of the rhythm of the line. 
 
 I have given my book the title of Chapters on Metre in 
 order to show that it makes no pretence to completeness. I have 
 not attempted to deal, otherwise than incidentally, either with the 
 aesthetic or the historic side of metrical investigation. I have 
 barely touched on such matters as alliteration and rhyme : I 
 have not ventured to pronounce an opinion as to the origin and 
 early history of our metres. What I have endeavoured to do is 
 to ascertain by a process of induction the more general laws of
 
 Vlll PREFACE. 
 
 our modern metre, and to test the results on a variety of in- 
 stances. I wish very much that some competent scholar would 
 take up that historical side of the question which I have left 
 untouched. To mention only one part of it, I do not know 
 where to find a really careful investigation of the growth of 
 accentual Latin verse. It would have been admirably done by 
 the ever-to-be-lamented Munro, if he had chosen to turn his 
 attention to it. I remember hearing long ago a paper read by 
 him before the Cambridge Philosophical Society, in which he 
 drew attention to the importance of the accent as colouring 
 the rhythm even of the quantitative verse of the Augustan 
 age. Thus he contrasted the rude sing-song of the soldiers at 
 Caesar's triumph, 
 
 Ecce Caesar nunc triumphat qui subegit Gallias, 
 
 where the verbal accent corresponds throughout with the stress 
 of the quantitative metre, and such a line as that of Virgil, 
 
 Itdliam fdto pr6fugus Lavinia venit, 
 
 where the poet studiously opposes the accent to the metre. 
 
 What may be the earliest specimen of pure accentual verse 
 in Latin I am unable to say. We are told by Christ (Metrik der 
 Griechen und Romer, p. 402) that Ritschl considered the mill- 
 song of the Lesbian women (a\et, fj,v\a, aXet) to be an early 
 example of accentual metre in Greek. In Latin the Instructiones 
 of the barbarous Commodianus (flourished about the middle of 
 the third century) is usually named as the first specimen of 
 accentual verse, but his metre is almost as indifferent to accent 
 as it is to quantity. The example quoted by Dr Donaldson in 
 his Latin Grammar is a poem on two of the Diocletian martyrs 
 commencing 
 
 Dtiae quaedam rtfemntur R6mae natae feminae.
 
 PREFACE. IX 
 
 Whatever may be the date of the earliest existing specimen, 
 there can be no doubt that the feeling for quantity had long 
 before died out among all but the learned few, and that such 
 verses for instance as the irregular Phalaecians addressed to 
 Alexander Severus (Lamprid. c. 38) would be ordinarily read 
 as accentual iambics corresponding to the hendecasyllabic of 
 modern Italian, our own 5-foot feminine. 
 
 Pulchrum \ quod vi\des ease nos\trum re\gem 
 Quern Sy\rum te\tvlit \ propa\go pul\chrum, 
 Vena\tus fa\cit et \ lepus \ come\sus 
 De quo \ contin\uum \ capit \ lepo\rem. 
 
 Hence I am unable to place implicit confidence in the assertion 
 of Zarncke, that the origin of this metre cannot be traced 
 further back than the Romance poets 1 . 
 
 In conclusion I have to return my hearty thanks to Mr 
 A. J. Ellis for allowing me to make free use of various papers 
 on metre, to Dr Furnival and Prof. Paul Meyer of Paris for 
 much helpful information, and to Mr Roby and Prof. Sidgwick 
 for valuable criticisms and suggestions. 
 
 October 1886. 
 
 1 'Der fiinff'iissige Iambus, als Zelmsllbler oder Eilfsilbler erscheinend, ist nicht 
 vom Alterthume uns uberliefert...Als selbststfindiger Rhythmus erscheint der Vers 
 nirgends (i.e. neither in Latin nor in Greek),' p. 3. See below Appendix A.
 
 Note to the Second Edition. 
 
 The second Edition has been revised throughout and en- 
 larged by the addition of a Chapter on the Metrical Systems 
 of Dr Skeat and Mr Robert Bridges, originally addressed to the 
 Philological Society ; a Chapter on Shelley's Metre, originally 
 read before the Shelley Society ; and a Chapter on the English 
 Hexameter, which appears here for the first time. 
 
 I cannot send forth this new edition without paying a last 
 tribute to my old friend Prof. Henry Sidgwick, to whom I am 
 deeply indebted not only for the interest which he took in 
 my metrical studies, but also, far more, for the very great 
 assistance I received from him during the last year of his life 
 in preparing for the Press the Second Part of the Exploratio 
 Philosophica of our common friend, John Grote, who was also 
 his own predecessor in the Chair of Moral Philosophy at 
 Cambridge. 
 
 Hort gone, Seeley gone, Sidgwick gone to me and to 
 many others, how dimmed is the glory of the Cambridge that 
 we knew ! 
 
 om nep (J)yAAuiN reNeni roiHAe KAI 
 October 1901.
 
 TABLE OF CONTENTS. 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 Introduction. 
 
 PAGE 
 
 A scientific treatment of the subject of metre is possible and is desirable. 
 Scientific analysis must be kept apart from historical research and 
 aesthetical criticism. Distinction between prose and verse. Use of 
 classical terms in reference to English metre defended. Scansion by 
 feet the basis of scientific analysis. Principles of metrical classifica- 
 tion. Questions which the metrist has to answer . . . 1 11 
 
 CHAPTER II. 
 
 Antiquarian A-priorism. 
 
 Dr Guest's metrical system is based on the assumption that our modern 
 verse should conform to the laws of Anglo-Saxon metre. His normal 
 iambic line, with its two sections and its fixed pauses, is not recog- 
 nized by our greatest poets, who place their stops where they like, and 
 substitute freely trochees, pyrrhics, spondees and trisyllabic feet for the 
 iamb. Dr Guest's theory compels him to condemn what is universally 
 approved and approve what is universally condemned . . . 12 33 
 
 CHAPTER III. 
 
 Logical A-priorism. 
 
 Dr Abbott starts with the true normal line, but is slow to see how it 
 is modified and varied in the practice of the poets. Through his 
 unwillingness to admit that other feet can be substituted for the iamb 
 he is driven to disyllabize monosyllables, to lay stress on unaccented 
 syllables, and to allow of extra-metrical syllables in almost any part 
 of the line 3446
 
 xii TABLE OF CONTENTS. 
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 
 Aesthetic Intuitivism. 
 
 PAGE 
 
 Mr J. A. Symonds despairs of metrical analysis and would substitute 
 an aesthetic analysis in its place. His various inconsistencies. His 
 challenge to scan certain lines accepted 47 53 
 
 CHAPTER V. 
 
 Natural or A-posteriori System. 
 
 Mr A. J. Ellis recognizes that the normal heroic line is rare in practice; 
 that the number of syllables is often greater than ten, and the number 
 of accents generally less, but sometimes more, than five. The stress 
 denoted by the accent is not always the same. Illustrations from 
 Milton and Byron. For the purpose of full analysis Mr Ellis dis- 
 tinguishes nine degrees of force, length, pitch, weight, and silence, 
 giving altogether forty-five varieties of stress, and exemplifies these in 
 some verses of his own. Limit of variation from the normal weak- 
 strong (iambic) foot. Further illustrations from Milton. Criticisms 
 on Mr Ellis's remarks, especially in reference to the limit of substitution 
 of other feet for the iamb. Mr Masson finds pyrrhic, trochee, spondee, 
 anapaest, dactyl, tribrach, cretic, amphibrach, antibacchius in Milton. 
 His instances of the last four disputed. Mr Keightley on Milton's 
 obligations to Italian verse, especially as regards certain uses of the 
 trochee, and the hypermetric syllable at the caesura . . . 54 77 
 
 CHAPTER VI. 
 
 Metrical Metamorphosis. 
 
 Difficulty of determining the metre of separate lines apart from the poems 
 to. which they belong. This arises partly from substitution of one 
 foot for another, partly from the addition of a hypermetrical syllable, 
 at the end in the case of iambic and anapaestic metres, at the 
 beginning in the case of trochaic and dactylic; partly from initial 
 truncation in iambic and anapaestic, and from final truncation in 
 trochaic and dactylic metres. More rarely we find examples of internal 
 truncation. It is owing to this principle of metamorphosis that four- 
 foot iambic and trochaic metres so readily pass into one another, 
 and that anapaestic lines are sometimes mistaken for amphibrachic. 
 Metres may also be disguised by an unmetrical division of the lines. 
 Symbols used for scansion 78 95
 
 TABLE OF CONTENTS. Xlll 
 
 CHAPTER VII. 
 
 Two recent Metrical Systems. 
 
 PAGE 
 
 'Milton's Prosody' by Mr B. Bridges. His account of the earlier metre 
 of Paradise Lost, and of the later metres of Paradise Begained and 
 Samson. Objections to his use of the word elision and to his 
 scanning of the choruses in Samson. His doctrine of the Miltonic 
 ' fictions.' His principle, that metre is determined by the number 
 of stresses irrespective of the number of syllables, tested by his own 
 dramas, 'The Feast of Bacchus' and 'Nero.' Dr Skeat's accent 
 groups, 'Tone,' 'Ascent,' 'Cadence,' 'Extension.' His classification 
 of the varieties of the five-foot iambic line is arbitrary and incom- 
 plete. He considers that the amphibrach is the only trisyllabic 
 foot used in English, denying the use both of the dactyl and the 
 anapaest 96120 
 
 CHAPTER VIII. 
 
 Naming and Classification of Metres. Illustrations from Tennyson. 
 
 Examples of trochaic verses, truncated, complete, and hypermetrical, 
 varying in length from two to eight feet. Substitution of iambs or 
 dactyls for trochees. How the different trochaic lines are combined in 
 poems. Iambic metres, truncated, complete, and hypermetrical, varying 
 in length from two to seven feet. Substitution of trochee, anapaest, 
 and dactyl for iamb. How the different iambic lines are combined in 
 poems. Anapaestic metres, truncated, complete, and hypermetrical, 
 varying in length from one foot to eight feet. Verses divided into 
 sections with occasional internal truncation. Substitution of iamb for 
 anapaest. How the different anapaestic lines are combined in poems. 
 Difficulty of distinguishing between truncated anapaestic and truncated 
 dactylic. Dactylic metres rare. Poems in mixed metres, regular or 
 irregular ; e. g. trochaic and iambic, iambic and anapaestic, trochaic 
 and dactylic. Classical metres, hendecasyllabic and alcaic . . 121 145 
 
 CHAPTER IX. 
 
 Naming and Classification of Metres. Illustrations from 
 the Hymn-book. 
 
 Explanation of the metrical terminology of the Hymn-book. Iambic 
 stanzas of four lines classed according to the length of the lines, 
 with special varieties noted. Iambic stanzas of more than four lines 
 similarly classed. Trochaic, dactylic, and anapaestic stanzas similarly 
 divided and classed. Mixed metres : iambic and trochaic, iambic and 
 dactylic, iambic and anapaestic, trochaic and dactylic, trochaic and 
 anapaestic. A riddle 146 156
 
 xiv TABLE OF CONTENTS. 
 
 CHAPTER X. 
 
 Blank Verse of Surrey and Marlowe. 
 
 PAGE 
 
 Harshness of Surrey's rhythm. He freely admits a trochee or anapaest in 
 any foot, and has often two trochees or anapaests in succession. His 
 commonest pause is after the 4th syllable, but we also find a pause 
 after the 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 9th syllables, and he not unfrequently 
 omits either the middle or final pause or both. Pauses which divide 
 the feet have a harsh effect when the preceding syllable is accented. 
 Uses feminine ending, broken lines and Alexandrines. Gascoyne's 
 rule as to iambic metre. Marlowe more regular in accentuation 
 than Surrey. Sometimes begins with a monosyllabic foot. Unusual 
 pronunciation of proper names. Corrupt lines. He occasionally 
 disyllabizes monosyllables, especially those which contain an r or I. 
 Anapaests are common in any part of the line. Dactyls occur in the 
 1st and 4th feet. Trochees are common in the 1st foot, and in the 
 2nd and 3rd after a stop, but otherwise rarer than in Surrey. His 
 pauses are usually at the end of the line and after the 4th or 6th 
 syllable, but he also has the harsh dividing pause after an inverted 
 accent 157167 
 
 CHAPTER XI. 
 
 Shakespeare's Blank Verse. Macbeth. 
 
 Syllabic variation of metre (1) by way of defect, in fragmentary and de- 
 fective lines. Instances of the former in rapid dialogue, and also at the 
 beginning, middle, and end of longer speeches. The latter may be 
 explained by change of pronunciation, or by a significant pause, or by 
 intentional lengthening of a long syllable. Syllabic variation (2) by 
 way of excess, in extra-metrical syllables at the end of the line or after 
 the caesura, or by superfluous syllables, sometimes elided or slurred, 
 sometimes forming trisyllabic feet, or Alexandrine verses. Accentual 
 variation by substitution of pyrrhic, spondee or trochee. Mr Ellis re- 
 fuses to admit the Common Section, seeing no reason for completing 
 Shakespeare's short lines. He considers that the recognition of the 
 trisyllabic foot renders unnecessary the assumption of slurring, as well 
 as of an extra-metrical syllable in the middle of the line . . 168 193 
 
 CHAPTER XII. 
 
 Shakespeare's Blank Verse. Hamlet. 
 
 Examples of pyrrhic, spondee and trochee in all parts of the line. 
 Feminine ending used more frequently in the less poetical passages. 
 The extra syllable is often a monosyllable. The admission of the
 
 TABLE OF CONTENTS. XV 
 
 PAGE 
 
 trisyllabic foot will not account for all the cases of feminine caesura. 
 Anapaests are found in all the feet, dactyls rarely except in the first. 
 Doubt as to the existence of Alexandrines in Hamlet. Kemarks on 
 defective and fragmentary lines 194 205 
 
 CHAPTER XIII. 
 
 Modern Blank Verse. Tennyson and Browning. 
 
 Comparison of Milton, Tennyson and Browning in regard to the position 
 of the pauses, the use of the feminine ending, and the substitution of 
 other feet for the iamb. A favourite effect of Tennyson's is where 
 the word ends on the short syllable of the iamb, giving a general 
 trochaic or feminine rhythm. Double trochee occurs occasionally in 
 Tennyson, and often in Browning. Examples of trisyllabic feet, 
 tribrach as well as anapaest and dactyl. Peculiar effect of pause 
 after inverted accent. Appropriateness of rhythm to the thought. 
 Unstopped lines. Other examples of unusual rhythm. Excellences 
 and defects of Browning's rhythm 206 218 
 
 CHAPTER XIV. 
 
 Shelley's Metre. 
 
 His text very corrupt. Classification of his poems under four heads, 
 Iambic, Trochaic, Anapaestic, Dactylic. Licenses as to Pause, 
 Extra-metrical Syllables, Truncation, introduction of trisyllabic feet 
 into disyllabic metre, Inversion of Accent, Excess or Defect in the 
 number of Accents, spondee, cretic, bacchius, rnolossus, pyrrhic, 
 tribrach, Eesolution of monosyllables, coalescence of disyllables. 
 Aesthetic effect of these variations. Peculiarities of Shelley's rhymes. 
 Stanzaic irregularities. Alliteration. Traces of the influence of 
 Southey, Pope, Wordsworth, Milton, Shakespeare, Coleridge. Com- 
 parison between the utterances of Beatrice in the Cenci and Cassandra 
 in the Agamemnon. Emendations of some of Shelley's lines . . 219 259 
 
 CHAPTER XV. 
 
 The English Hexameter. 
 
 Development of the Elizabethan hexameter. Discussion as to whether 
 it should be governed by quantity or accent. Earlier trial of the 
 hexameter in other countries. Disuse of the English hexameter 
 after the 16th century. Its reappearance at the end of the 18th 
 in imitation of Voss and Goethe. How it differs from the hexameter 
 of the ancients. Hexameters of Coleridge, Southey, Hookham Frere,
 
 xvi TABLE OF CONTENTS. 
 
 PAGE 
 
 Longfellow, Whewell, Clough. Merits and defects of the latter: his 
 unfortunate experiment in the quantitative hexameter. The best 
 English hexameters are those by Hawtrey and Kingsley. Matthew 
 Arnold and Tennyson on the Hexameter. Later examples by 
 Calverley and T. Ashe. Mr W. J. Stone's defence of the quanti- 
 tative hexameter. Examples of the Pentameter by Whewell and 
 Clough and Mr W. Watson 260293 
 
 APPENDIX A. 
 
 Mr H. Nicol and Prof. Paul Meyer on the Old French decasyllabic 
 metre. Abstract of Zarncke's essay on the 5-foot iambus of Lessing 
 and Schiller . . 294301 
 
 APPENDIX B. 
 
 Technical Terms of Greek and Eoman Prosody .... 302304 
 
 INDEX , 305308 
 
 Corrigenda. 
 
 p. 71, 11. 21, 22, transfer 'bacchius' and ' anti-bacchius '. 
 
 p. 157, 1. 14, for ' p. 53 ' read 'p. 51'. 
 
 p. 191, 1. 23, omit bracket after 'dev'lish'. 
 
 p. 228, 1. 4 up, for 'iambic' read 'iamb'.
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 INTRODUCTORY. 
 
 THERE are persons to whom system generally is a bugbear, 
 and to whom systems of prosody are especially distasteful. 'The 
 object of rhythm and metre,' they argue, 'is to please the ear. 
 If they fail to do this, they fail of their object, and nothing 
 is gained by showing that they are conformable to certain rules 
 of grammarians. The final authority rests, not with the gram- 
 marian, but with those for whom the poet sings.' It may be 
 answered that, just in the same way, the primary object of 
 the musician and painter is to afford pleasure to the eye and 
 ear. If they fail in this, they too fail in their object. But 
 none will deny the importance of theory and rules in these 
 branches of art, both for training the artist in the means by 
 which he may attain his end, and for educating the hearer 
 and spectator to appreciate a higher and more refined order of 
 beauty. Or we might take our illustration not from an art, 
 but from a science, such as botany. The use of botany is to 
 enable us to describe in exact and definite terms the different 
 characteristics of plants, to arrange and classify all that is 
 known about them, and to reduce the various phenomena to 
 their simplest types and laws. So the use of prosody is to 
 supply a technical language by which to describe each specimen 
 of verse brought before us ; to distinguish the different kinds of 
 verse, to establish a type of each, by reference to which 
 existing varieties may be compared, and finally to state the 
 laws of composition which have been observed by those whom 
 the world recognizes as poets. Then from this we may draw 
 practical rules of art for the poet or the reader. 
 
 M. M. 1
 
 2 ON ENGLISH METRE. 
 
 No doubt, when the subject matter of the science or art is 
 one with which our affections are more or less intimately 
 connected, there is a natural shrinking from what may appear 
 to be a cold-blooded analysis of that which excites our admi- 
 ration or love. At best, we think we can gain nothing by 
 it. Like the speaker in ' Maud ' we are inclined to say 
 
 a learned man 
 May give it a clumsy name, 
 Let him name it who can, 
 Its beauty would be the same. 
 
 But we are moreover suspicious of any attempt to explain 
 how it is that a poet produces his results. We prefer to accept 
 the poem as a pure inspiration wakening up an answering 
 inspiration in our own minds. We regard the use of analysis 
 as a perfidious attempt to rob us of inspiration and leave us 
 in its stead a studied expertness in certain tricks of art. But 
 this is really a total misconception of what is aimed at in 
 metrical analysis. It only deals with the outer vesture of 
 poetry; it teaches us to look more closely at this, to notice 
 its forms and colours and ornaments, just in the same way as 
 a very slight knowledge of botany enables us to observe the 
 distinguishing beauties of ferns or other plants. It may also go 
 on to show how the inner spirit of poetry reveals itself in 
 its outer vesture, how rhythm and metre correspond to varying 
 moods of feeling and so on, but it makes no pretence to explain 
 the creative inspiration of the poet ; on the contrary it enlarges 
 our idea of its operation and thus tends to enhance our admi- 
 ration and delight, just as the teaching of botany or drawing not 
 only quickens the eye for the external features of a landscape, 
 but vastly increases the imaginative and emotional enjoyment 
 of natural scenery. 
 
 Connected with this dislike to the application of scientific 
 terms and methods to poetry, as injurious to its spirit and feeling, 
 there is the dislike sometimes felt by persons of fine ear to 
 the mechanical process of scanning. Partly they despair of 
 explaining by rule, or representing by a scheme, the rich undu- 
 lation of sound of which the ear is cognizant. This is an objec- 
 tion to which all science is liable. As Bacon says, " subtilitas
 
 INTRODUCTORY. 3 
 
 naturae subtilitatem argumentandi multis partibus superat." 
 And partly there is an aristocratic confidence in their own 
 poetic instinct, and a suspicion and contempt for knowledge 
 slowly gained by training and effort. Yet, we all know, science 
 the tortoise quickly outstrips the hare intuition. Singing by 
 ear is no match for singing from notes. Refined aesthetic 
 sense or tact may judge instinctively of the quality of this 
 or that verse, as melodious or the opposite, but this tact passes 
 away with the individual who possessed it. Science translates 
 quality into a quantitative scale ; rudely, it is true, at first ; 
 but each step gained is a gain for mankind at large, and forms 
 an ever new vantage-ground for the investigations of each 
 succeeding generation. 
 
 We may assume then that a scientific treatment of the 
 subject of metre is possible and is desirable. The next question 
 is, how far has this desirable end been already achieved ? 
 I shall endeavour to answer this in the following chapters by 
 a careful examination of the metrical systems which possess 
 the highest authority and are most in esteem at the present 
 day ; and in order to make my criticisms more generally in- 
 telligible, I shall commence with a brief sketch of what I hold 
 to be the natural or truly scientific system. 
 
 A subject like prosody lends itself to three different kinds of 
 treatment in consequence of its connexion with history on the 
 one side and aesthetics on the other. One of the dangers which 
 the prosodiari or metrist has to guard against is the mixing 
 up of these different methods of treatment. Thus Dr Guest 
 in his History of English Rhythms sets before himself as his 
 main object, to trace out the development of one rhythm or 
 metre from another, and to exhibit the varieties of rhythm 
 which characterize each poet and each period, a very interest- 
 ing and important branch of inquiry. But this simple inquiry 
 into matter of fact is rendered almost valueless by the arbitrary 
 assumption that the greater part of the development of English 
 metre has been illegitimate. The rule of verse laid down by 
 our Anglo-Saxon ancestors is treated as a rule of faith, binding 
 on their unfortunate successors to the end of time. No right 
 of private judgment is allowed either to poets or to readers. 
 
 12
 
 4 ON ENGLISH METRE. 
 
 Verses, however pleasing to the modern ear, are denied to 
 be metrical at all, or else twisted and mangled to suit the 
 usage of five centuries ago ; just as a modern sentence might 
 be condemned as ungrammatical, because it could not be 
 explained on antiquarian views of syntax. A confusion of a 
 different kind is found in other writers on metre (of whom Mr 
 J. A. Symonds may be taken as an example), who deprecate any 
 attempt to name or count the feet in a verse, provided its 
 rhythm satisfies their ear and is in harmony with their idea 
 of the poet's feeling. No good can be done until we clear our- 
 selves of these confusions. The first thing which the metrist 
 should set himself to ascertain in regard to any verses submitted 
 to him is the existing ri, the actual phenomenon ; what is 
 the normal line of the metre ? how does each particular verse 
 depart from this type ? Then he may go on to investigate 
 the TTOIOV, the melody and expressiveness of the verse, and the 
 means by which these qualities are attained. And lastly he 
 may investigate the irois, observe how any particular metre 
 has come into existence, what metrical effects each poet has 
 borrowed from others, and what he has added for himself. 
 
 Treating the subject thus from the purely scientific side, 
 and deferring for the present all reference to historical or aesthe- 
 tical considerations, I start with the two fundamental questions, 
 What is the distinction between prose and verse ? How are 
 the different kinds of verse to be classified ? 
 
 As regards the first, I suppose all would agree in saying 
 that, in English, verse differed from prose in the regular 
 sequence of the accent or stress. Where the stress recurs in 
 obedience to a definite law, there we have verse. And the 
 kinds of verse are classified according to the intervals which 
 separate the accents, whether an interval of one syllable or of 
 two syllables, and according as the rhythm is ascending, i.e. 
 passing from an unaccented to an accented syllable, or descend- 
 ing, i.e. passing from an accented to an unaccented syllable. 
 We thus get the four simplest kinds of metres, ascending 
 disyllabic, descending disyllabic, ascending trisyllabic, and 
 descending trisyllabic : the metres commonly known as iambic, 
 trochaic, anapaestic, dactylic.
 
 INTRODUCTORY. 5 
 
 Here I am aware that I enter on debated ground. Mr A. J. 
 Ellis, in the course of his great work on English pronunciation, 
 proposes to consider what light is thrown upon the pronunciation 
 of Shakespeare's time by an examination of the rhymes, the 
 accents, and the number of syllables admitted in his verse. He 
 asserts that " the whole subject of English metres requires re- 
 investigation on the basis of accent." "The old names of measures 
 borrowed from Latin prosodists are entirely misleading, and 
 the routine scansion with the accent on alternate syllables is 
 known only to grammarians, having never been practised by 
 poets." 
 
 There are three points here for discussion : Are the classical 
 names to be given up ? Is the routine scansion unknown to 
 poets ? Is it, in any case, of use in the interests of education 
 and science ? 
 
 I cannot myself see that the use of the terms ' iambic,' etc., 
 is misleading. No one imagines them to imply that English 
 metre rests on a quantitative basis. The notion of quantity 
 altogether seems to me rather a puzzle to English people ; they 
 know what a long vowel is, but I doubt whether they would 
 recognize a long syllable such as ' strength ' where the vowel 
 was short. Again, it cannot be denied that there is to the ear 
 a strong resemblance between the rhythm of the English 
 accentual, and the Greek quantitative iambic and trochaic, and 
 it is certainly more convenient to speak of iambic than of 
 ascending disyllabic. The only other way in which I could 
 imagine the term misleading, would be if anyone were to 
 suppose that the rules of the Greek metre were applicable in 
 the English ; but this is so easily corrected that it hardly 
 seems worth notice 1 . 
 
 As to the second point, whether the routine scansion has 
 
 1 I find that Mr Ellis objects to the Classical nomenclature, rather in the 
 interests of Classical, than of English metre. His remarks on the above passage 
 are as follows. " It seems to me that the use of the classical names has arisen 
 from our not understanding them, that is, not having the feeling for what they 
 expressed, and that it is essential to our comprehension of the classical metres 
 to dissociate their terminology from that of modern metres which have nothing 
 in common with them." For a fuller discussion he refers to his Practical 
 Hints on the Quantitative Pronunciation of Latin.
 
 6 ON ENGLISH METRE. 
 
 ever been known to poets, i.e. whether poets have ever kept 
 strictly to the metre in their practice, it surely cannot be 
 denied that some of our poets (Chaucer among them) have 
 in some respects approached the routine scansion ; but I am not 
 concerned here either to maintain or to deny that they have 
 done so. What I would affirm is that it is impossible for the 
 routine scansion to die out, as long as there are children and 
 common people, and poetry which commends itself to them. 
 And I would also venture to say that it ought not to die out as 
 long as there are scientific men who will endeavour to bring 
 clearness and precision into our notions about poetry as about 
 other things. Routine scansion is the natural form of poetry 
 to a child, as natural to it as the love of sweet things or bright 
 colours: it is only through the routine scansion that its ear 
 can be educated to appreciate in time a more varied and com- 
 plex rhythm. No one who knows children can doubt this. 
 If example is wanted, it may be found in Ruskin's Praeterita, 
 p. 55, where the author speaks of a prolonged struggle between 
 his childish self and his mother " concerning the accent of the 
 " of in the lines 
 
 Shall any following spring revive 
 
 The ashes of the urn ? 
 
 "I insisting partly in childish obstinacy, and partly in true 
 "instinct for rhythm (being wholly careless on the subject both 
 " of urns and their contents) on reciting it with an accented of. 
 " It was not till after three weeks' labour that my mother got the 
 " accent lightened on the o/and laid. on the ashes, to her mind." 
 But any parent may test it for himself in children who have 
 a taste for poetry. Whatever effort may be made to teach 
 them to observe the true verbal accents and the stops, and 
 attend to the meaning and logic of the line, they will insist 
 on singing it to a chant of their own, disregarding everything 
 but the metrical accent, and are made quite unhappy if com- 
 pelled to say or read it like prose. And, after all, is this 
 not the right sense of the ^viv aetSe, and 'arma cano'? is 
 it not the fact that the earliest recitation of poetry was really 
 what we should consider a childish sing-song ? This becomes 
 still more probable when we remember that music and dancing
 
 INTRODUCTORY. 7 
 
 were frequent accompaniments of the earliest kinds of poetry, 
 the effect of which would undoubtedly be to emphasize and 
 regulate the beats or accents of the line ; just as in church- 
 singing now the verbal accent is ignored, if it is opposed to 
 the general rhythmical character of the verse. 
 
 But independently of the natural instinct of children to 
 scan, it seems to me that we need the division of the line into 
 metrical feet as the simple basis of all description and compari- 
 son of metres. The foot is the unit which by repetition consti- 
 tutes the line ; the syllable is a mere fraction, and no index to 
 the metre. On the other hand, to assume a larger unit, such as 
 Dr Guest's section spoken of in the next chapter, or the double 
 foot, the perpov, implied by the terms trimeter and tetrameter, 
 is contrary to the feeling of English verse, and the latter is 
 altogether unsuitable for the description of our heroic metre, 
 which in its simplest form has five equal beats, and in no way 
 suggests two wholes and a half. As regards the name 'foot,' for 
 which Mr Ellis would substitute 'measure,' it seems to me a 
 matter of little importance ; ' measure ' no doubt expresses its 
 meaning more clearly than the metaphorical ' foot,' but the 
 latter is in possession, while the former is generally understood 
 in a wider and more abstract sense. 
 
 I am in favour then of the scanning by feet, on the ground 
 that it is both natural and necessary, and also that it is scientific. 
 I should further urge it in the interests of practical education. 
 One good effect of the old plan of making all boys write Latin 
 verses was to give men some idea of versification and rhythm, 
 which women seldom have, unless gifted with specially good 
 ears. It is probable that in time to come Latin verse writing 
 will be less and less required, and it is at all events desirable 
 that a purely English education should enable people to enter 
 into and appreciate the beauties of English verse. For this 
 purpose, boys and girls should be practised in observing how 
 the mechanical pendulum swing of scansion is developed into 
 the magnificent harmonies of Milton ; they should be taught 
 to notice and explain the difference in rhythm of Dryden 
 and Pope, of Cowper arid Wordsworth, of Keats, and Shelley, 
 and Tennyson, and Browning.
 
 8 ON ENGLISH METRE. 
 
 Having thus stated how far I disagree with what I believe 
 to be Mr Ellis's meaning, I will state where I should go along 
 with him. I altogether object to putting a poet into the bed of 
 Procrustes. If the foundation of Milton's verse is, as I believe, 
 the regular five-foot iambic, yet it seems to me absurd to say 
 that we must therefore expect to find five regular iambics in 
 every line. Again, I can sympathize with Mr Ellis in his 
 objection to the classicists who would force upon us such terms 
 as choriambic and proceleusmatic to explain the rhythm of 
 Milton. I do not deny that the effect of his rhythm might 
 sometimes be represented by such terms; but if we really 
 imagine that by their use we shall be able to explain the music 
 of his poetry, we are attempting an impossibility, to express in 
 technical language the infinite variety of measured sound which 
 a genius like Milton could draw out of the little five-stringed 
 instrument on which he chose to play. 
 
 Returning now to our simplest genera, the disyllabic and 
 trisyllabic ascending and descending metres, how are we to 
 classify the varieties of these ? First we have the unmixed 
 species of each differing in the number of feet alone ; and of 
 these we have two subspecies, one in which the normal line 
 consists of so many perfect feet and nothing more, the other 
 where the law of the metre requires either the addition or the 
 omission of a short unaccented syllable at the beginning or 
 the end of the line. Of addition we have an example in what 
 is called the 'anacrusis' (back stroke), what Dr Abbott has 
 called the 'catch,' a name given to an unaccented hyper- 
 metrical syllable preceding the first foot of the line, as in 
 the old Latin Saturnian or its English equivalent the six-foot 
 trochaic, 
 
 1 The ) Queen was j in her | parlour | eating | bread and | honey j; 
 and again in the so-called feminine ending, by which is meant 
 
 1 This might be otherwise explained as made up of a three-foot iambic line 
 with feminine ending, followed by a three-foot trochaic. However, it may 
 serve for illustration. Other examples of anacrusis will be found in the chapter 
 on Classification of Metres under the head Trochaic.
 
 INTRODUCTORY. 9 
 
 an unaccented hypermetrical syllable following the last foot of 
 the line, as in 
 
 Let's dry | our eyes | and thus | far hear | me Crom(well. 
 
 The omission of short syllables at the beginning or end of a 
 line is known as ' truncation.' It occurs most frequently in 
 trisyllabic metres. Thus in 
 
 Slow|ly and sad|ly we laid | him down | , 
 
 the first anapaest is represented by a monosyllable ; and in like 
 manner in 
 
 Merrily | merrily | shall I live | now | 
 
 the last dactyl is represented by a monosyllable. 
 
 Then we have the mixed species, in which the law of the 
 verse requires (not merely permits) the mixture either of the 
 ascending and descending, or of the disyllabic and trisyllabic 
 metres. 
 
 In the chapter on the metres of Tennyson I have endeavoured 
 to arrange all the varieties of his verse under the above heads ; 
 I will here only add a word as to the means by which one 
 particular kind of iambic verse, the heroic, is varied. The 
 normal rhythm is most clearly seen where the accents are 
 perfectly regular in number and in position, where the end 
 of each foot coincides with the end of a word, and the end of 
 the line coincides with a pause in the sense, especially if there 
 is no clashing between the length of the syllable and the 
 position of the accent. Such a normal line is 
 
 And swims | or sinks | or wades | or creeps | or flies |. 
 
 Of course a series of such lines would be intolerably monotonous 
 to all who have passed out of the stage in which sugar is the 
 most exquisite of tastes, and the most beautiful of faces that 
 which presents the sharpest contrast of red and white. It was 
 to avoid such monotony that the rule of the caesura was in- 
 troduced in Greek and Latin verse ; that we find great masters 
 of rhythm, such as Virgil and Milton, so careful to vary 
 the position of their stops; that the accents are multiplied,
 
 10 ON ENGLISH METRE. 
 
 diminished, or inverted, and the number of syllables lessened 
 or increased. Later on I propose to discuss the limits of such 
 variation. 
 
 The business then of the metrist in regard to any set of 
 verses submitted to him is, first, to ascertain the general type 
 of the verse, five-foot iambic, or whatever it may be, and further 
 to state whether it is metrically complete, or incomplete, owing 
 to final or initial truncation, or more than complete, owing to 
 anacrusis or feminine ending; in technical language, whether 
 it is acatalectic, catalectic, or hyper catalectic. He has then to 
 point out in each particular line, how far there has been a 
 departure from this general type in respect to the position of 
 the accents or the number of syllables, as by the substitution of 
 a trochee or an anapaest for an iamb, or, say, by the insertion 
 of an extra-metrical syllable in the middle of the line. He has 
 to notice the continuity or discontinuity of the rhythm as 
 determined by grammatical stops or other pauses; and the 
 smoothness or roughness of the rhythm as determined not only 
 by the smoothness or roughness of the separate syllables, the 
 crowding of consonants and so on, but by the relation of the long 
 and short syllables to the normal metrical accents, the grouping 
 of syllables into words, or phrases equivalent to a word, and 
 the division of the words into feet. He has also to notice 
 any special artifices employed by the poet to give harmony 
 to his verses, such as alliteration and rhyme. Lastly, in 
 reading the poem, the metrist has to pay due regard to the 
 rhetorical importance of each word or phrase without allowing 
 this to obscure the more properly metrical effects above de- 
 scribed. It may be well to illustrate my meaning, so far as 
 it can be done at this stage of our analysis, by examining the 
 following line of Marlowe's, 
 
 See where | Christ's blood | streams in [ the firjmament | . 
 
 This is a five-foot iambic with trochaic substitution in the 1st 
 and 3rd feet, and spondaic substitution in the 2nd. There is 
 a rhythmical pause after the 1st, 4th, and 5th syllables, and 
 strong rhetorical emphasis is laid on the 3rd and 5th syllables, 
 Christ's and streams, which are also very long and connected by
 
 INTRODUCTORY. 11 
 
 alliteration. In compensation the 6th and 7th syllables are 
 as short and weak as possible, and form one phrase with the 
 last word. 
 
 Having thus briefly stated what are my own views on the 
 subject of metre, I shall proceed in the chapters which follow 
 to examine the metrical systems of others, especially those of 
 Dr Guest and Dr Abbott.
 
 CHAPTER II. 
 
 ANTIQUARIAN A-PR1ORISM. 
 
 DR GUEST ON ENGLISH METRE. 
 
 DR GUEST'S learned work on the History of English Rhythms 
 was published in 1838. Though the book had become very 
 scarce, it was not reprinted during the author's lifetime ; and 
 it is therefore uncertain how far it can be considered to repre- 
 sent his final view on the subject of which it treats. Since his 
 death a new edition has appeared (in the year 1882) under 
 the very competent supervision of the Cambridge Professor of 
 Anglo-Saxon, who has made many corrections in detail, but 
 who probably did not feel himself at liberty to do what, I 
 think, was required, and recast it throughout. If the book 
 was to be reprinted, and no doubt it possesses permanent value 
 in its copious illustrations, it appears to me that it would have 
 been better to throw it into two separate treatises, one on the 
 history of the Early-English Language and Literature, and 
 the other on the history of English Metre down to the 16th 
 century, omitting altogether the reference to later metres. I 
 will not take upon me to say that, even as to our earlier 
 metres, Dr Guest would always have been a trustworthy guide. 
 I observe that in many instances his scanning of Anglo-Saxon 
 or Early-English metres is objected to by Professor Skeat, and 
 Dr Guest himself owns (p. 525) that he is unable to understand 
 the nature of Chaucer's versification, as to which the editor 
 says in a note ' thanks to the patient researches of Professor 
 Child and Mr Ellis and the grammatical rules of Dr Morris, 
 the scansion of Chaucer is now a tolerably easy matter.'
 
 ANTIQUARIAN A-PRIORISM. 13 
 
 My object, however, in these chapters, is not to trace the 
 historical development of English metres from their first be- 
 ginning, but to ascertain the laws of versification which have 
 been observed by the English poets generally during the last 
 three hundred years, and to lay down a simple and natural 
 system of scansion. It is from this point of view that I find 
 Dr Guest's book so entirely misleading and unsatisfactory ; and 
 as it comes out now under the apparent sanction of one of our 
 chief authorities, and is also referred to in the Cambridge 
 Shakespeare (vol. I. p. xvii.) as the best guide to the under- 
 standing of Shakespearian versification, I feel bound to state 
 plainly my reasons against it. I shall therefore endeavour to 
 show that the system there laid down is not only most per- 
 plexing for the ordinary reader, but that it insists on a rule 
 which has been obsolete for centuries, that it condemns, as 
 unrhythmical, verses which, I will venture to say, the great 
 majority of educated men find perfectly satisfying to their 
 ear, that it approves what to them appears mere discord, and 
 throws together lines regular and irregular, possible and im- 
 possible, in the most bewildering confusion 1 . 
 
 Dr Guest holds that our modern English metres should 
 conform in the main to the rules of the Anglo-Saxon verse ; 
 his account of which may be thus summarized. " Our Anglo- 
 Saxon poems consist of certain sections bound together in 
 pairs by alliteration. The pure elementary section cannot 
 have more than three, or less than two, accents. Each couple 
 of adjacent accents must be separated by not more than two 
 unaccented syllables ; but two accents may come together, if 
 the place of the intervening syllable is supplied by a pause, 
 
 1 The view stated in the text is shared by Dr Schipper (Englische Metrik 
 p. 2) : " Dr Guest macht die alteste Form englischer Poesie, namlich die 
 alliterierende Langzeile, oder vielmehr die rhythmische Section derselben, zur 
 Basis auch der spateren unter ganz anderen Einfliissen sich entwickelnden 
 englischen Verskunst und zieht aus dieser Voraussetzung dann natiirlich ganz 
 falsche Schliisse. Eine weitere Folge davon ist, dass es so verworren angelegt 
 und durchgefiihrt ist, dass man sich nur mit grosser Miihe, selbst wenn man 
 von seinem Gedankengange sich leiten lasst, hindurchfinden kann, und so ist 
 denn das Werk, trotz der grossen Fiille von Material, die es bietet, als ganzlich 
 veraltet und unbrauchbar zu bezeichnen."
 
 14 ON ENGLISH METRE. 
 
 called the sectional pause. When the accent is separated by 
 one syllable, the rhythm is called common measure; when by 
 two, triple measure. A section may begin (and similarly it 
 may end) with an accented syllable or with not more than 
 two unaccented syllables. There are three pauses which serve 
 for the regulation of the rhythm, final, middle and sectional. 
 The two former are necessary and essential, the third is ex- 
 ceptional. The final pause occurs at the end of a verse, the 
 middle pause divides it into two sections, the sectional pause 
 is found in the middle of one of these sections. 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 clause. We 
 never meet with a grammatical stop in the middle of a section. 
 The sectional pause seems to have been only used before words 
 on which it was intended to throw a powerful emphasis" 
 pp. 144161. 
 
 I proceed to test this doctrine of the sections, and I will 
 begin first with the final pause. Is this observed by our best 
 poets ? Dr Guest himself confesses that it is not (p. 145). 
 " There never was a greater violation of those first principles, 
 "on which all rhythm must depend, than placing the final 
 " pause in the middle of a word. Yet of this gross fault Milton 
 " has been guilty more than once." And he cites P. L. 10. 580, 
 as an example, 
 
 Ophion, with Eurynome, the wide- 
 Encroaching Eve perhaps, had first the rule 
 Of high Olympus. 
 
 "Another serious fault is committed when the final pause 
 separates a qualifying word from the word qualified, e.g. 
 
 And God created the great whales, and each 
 Soul living, each that crept. P. L. 7. 391. 
 
 To judgment he proceeded on the accursed 
 Serpent, though brute. P. L. 10. 163. 
 
 " Or when it separates the preposition from the words governed 
 by it, or the personal pronoun from the governing verb, as : 
 
 Read o'er this, 
 
 And after this, and then to breakfast with 
 What appetite you have. H. VIII. 3. 2. 201.
 
 ANTIQUARIAN A-PRIORISM. 15 
 
 Let it suffice thee that thou know'st 
 Us happy, and without love no happiness." P. L. 8. 620. 
 
 This "serious fault," it may be observed, is one to which 
 Shakespeare became more and more prone in his later years. 
 In the earliest plays the sense very commonly closes at the end 
 of the line ; in the later his structure is more broken, and his 
 lines frequently close with unaccented syllables connected in 
 sense with what follows. 
 
 As to the rule that the end of the verse, the ' final pause,' 
 shall always coincide with the end of a sentence or clause, I find 
 on looking through the first fifty lines of the P. L., that, in 
 Pickering's edition, 34 out of the whole number have no final 
 stop, while 10 close with a comma, and only 6 with a more im- 
 portant stop. So again as regards the rule of the ' middle pause. 
 Put in more familiar language, this means that there should 
 be a stop, or at all events a break in the line, at the end of the 
 second or third foot, or in the middle of the third or fourth. 
 This is at any rate a rule easy of observance ; if it is really 
 essential to the rhythm, there is no excuse to be made for the 
 poet who neglects it. And so in fact Dr Guest feels. He 
 quotes (p. 149) with reprobation the lines 
 
 Unbridjled senjsual|ity | begat i . 
 
 Thy an|ger un|appeas|able | still ra(ges. 
 
 And in p. 185, after granting that " the adoption of foreign 
 metre brought into our language many verses which neither 
 had, nor were intended to have, the middle pause," he goes on 
 to say that " our poetry quickly worked itself free from such 
 admixture," and therefore, " when we meet (four-accent) verses 
 " such as the following : 
 
 Guiding | the fi|ery- wheel |ed throne | , 
 The cher|ub Con|templa|tion | , 
 
 " 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 account of 
 " the pause, let him be consistent and reject its aid altogether. 
 " If he prefer the rhythm of the foreigner, let him show his
 
 16 ON ENGLISH METRE. 
 
 " ingenuity in a correct imitation, and not fall back upon our 
 " English verse when his skill is exhausted. Both foreign and 
 " English rhythms are injured by being jumbled together in this 
 " slovenly and inartificial manner." Again, in p. 560, speaking 
 of Milton's use of the heroic verse, it is said, " He varied the 
 " flow of the rhythm and lengthened the sections ; these were 
 " legitimate alterations ; he split the sections and overlaid the 
 " pauses, and the law of his metre was broken, the science of his 
 " versification gone." 
 
 It may be worth while to add a few more examples of the 
 non-observance of this middle pause, by way of showing how 
 little it has been regarded by our best poets, and how far it is 
 from being essential to the beauty of the rhythm. Thus in 
 Ben Jonson's famous lines we have 
 
 That makes | simplicity | a grace | 
 Than all | the adul|teries | of art | 
 
 I should have added Milton's line 
 
 And ev|er a|gainst ea|ting cares | 
 
 but I observe that Dr Guest marks it as having a pause after 
 against (p. 101). It is at any rate an instance in point, as 
 showing that Milton did not think himself bound to break the 
 sense in the middle, any more than at the end of the line. 
 In the first fifty lines of P. L., I find that 22 are printed 
 without a stop in the central portion of the line, embracing 
 all the syllables at which the middle pause might occur. In 
 the first fifty lines of Pope's Essay on Man, there are 23 lines, 
 and in Tennyson's Morte d' Arthur 26 out of 50, without a 
 central stop. I do not mean to say that in all these lines 
 there is precisely the same pause after each of the central 
 syllables or words, but there are many of them in which 
 the poet seems to have aimed at a uniform unbroken rhythm, 
 perhaps by way of contrast to the broken rhythm of preceding 
 lines. 
 
 Such are : 
 
 I may assert eternal Providence, 
 
 And justify the ways of God to man. P. L. 1. 25.
 
 ANTIQUARIAN A-PRIORISM. 17 
 
 Or ask of yonder argent fields above. Pope, Ess. I 41. 
 
 A little thing may harm a wounded man. 
 
 Rose up from out the bosom of the lake. Morte cT Arthur. 
 
 So much for the rule that there must be a stop in the 
 middle, and at the end, of a line. I now proceed to consider the 
 converse rule, that there must be no sectional stop, i.e. no stop 
 except at the middle and the end. Here too Dr Guest has to 
 confess that the practice of the poets is against him. " 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." 
 Among the examples quoted of this objectionable rhythm is one 
 certainly of the most exquisite lines in the English language, 
 
 Loud, as from numbers without number, sweet 
 As from blest voices uttering joy. P. L. 3. 345. 
 
 Even the correct Pope sins in the same fashion, e.g. 
 
 And, to their proper operation, still 
 
 Ascribe all good, to their improper, ill. Essay, n 58. 
 
 Force first made conquest, and that conquest, law. in 245. 
 
 And Dry den in Abs. and Ach. 
 
 Thee, Saviour, thee the nation's vows confess, 
 And, never satisfied with blessing, bless. 
 
 and Tennyson in the Gardeners Daughter, 
 
 Divided in a graceful quiet, paused, 
 
 And dropt the branch she held, and turning, wound 
 
 Her looser hair in braid. 
 
 Dr Guest, in spite of his theory, does not seem to object 
 much to the stop'following the 8th syllable of the heroic line, 
 as in Milton P. L. 1. 10. 
 
 Or, if Sion hill 
 
 Delight thee more, and Siloa's brook, that flowed 
 Fast by the oracle of God ; I thence 
 Invoke thy aid. 
 
 Nor to the stop after the first accent, when it falls on the 
 2nd syllable, as in Pope's 
 
 Say first, of God above, or man below, 
 
 What can we reason, but from what we know? 
 
 M. M. 2
 
 18 ON ENGLISH METRE. 
 
 But he speaks of the stop after an accented first syllable, 
 or an unaccented second, following an accented first syllable, as 
 being alike inadmissible. 
 
 Of the former we have not only the magnificent examples 
 in Milton ; 
 
 Death his dart 
 
 Shook, but delayed to strike, . though oft invoked. P. L. 11. 491. 
 Grasping ten thousand thunders, which he sent 
 Before him, such as in their souls infused 
 Plagues ; P. L. 6. 830. 
 
 but even in Pope it is not uncommon, e.g. 
 
 Know, nature's children all divide her care. Essay, in 43. 
 Where, but among the heroes and the wise? Essay, iv 218. 
 
 Of the latter Milton makes a scarcely inferior use in the 
 lines 
 
 And now his heart 
 
 Distends with pride, and, hardening in his strength, 
 Glories. P. L. 1. 571. 
 
 On Lemnos, th' Aegean isle : thus they relate 
 Erring: P. L. 1. 746. 
 
 but Pope too admits this stop without scruple, provided the 
 pause is not so great as to complete the sense. 
 
 Passions, though selfish, if their means be fair, 
 
 List under reason and deserve her care. Essay, n 96. 
 
 In showing what Draconian justice Dr Guest deals out to 
 the poets who offend against his a priori rules, I do not mean 
 to deny that, in general, a more pleasing rhythm is obtained by 
 a pause in the middle or at the end of a verse, than by one 
 immediately after the first or before the last syllable ; but the 
 very fact that such a rhythm is usually avoided makes it all the 
 more effective, when the word thus isolated is felt to be weighty 
 enough to justify its position, as in the examples from Milton. 
 I hardly think the rhythm is justified in the lines which follow, 
 taken from Mr Swinburne's Marino Faliero : 
 
 Dedication St. n, 
 
 Pride, from profoundest humbleness of heart 
 
 Born, self-uplift at once and self-subdued 
 
 Glowed, seeing his face whose hand had borne such part.
 
 ANTIQUARIAN A-PRIORISM. 19 
 
 p. 18, 
 
 It does not please thee then, if silence have 
 Speech, and if thine speak true, to hear me praise 
 Bertuccio ? Has my boy deserved of thee 
 111? 
 
 p. 98, 
 
 How these knaves, 
 
 Whose life is service or rebellion, fear 
 Death ! and a child high-born would shame them. 
 
 If 
 
 Death seems so gracious in a great man's eyes, 
 Die, my Lord : 
 
 p. 117, 
 
 Let there be night, and there was night who says 
 
 That? 
 
 Nor now, nor then, nor ever now need that 
 
 Be. 
 
 Dr Guest continues (p. 156) "our poets sometimes place 
 a stop after the third syllable, but never I think happily." As 
 an instance he quotes 
 
 What in me is dark 
 Illumine, what is low raise and support. P. L. 1. 22. 
 
 Milton has this three times in his first ten lines, and even 
 Pope has it four times in ten lines (Essay, I 66 74). It is also 
 common with Tennyson. 
 
 I have thought it worth while to add these instances from 
 Pope, because Dr Guest is accustomed to refer to him as a model 
 of correct versification. Thus he ends his chapter on the stops 
 with the words " When we see how nearly the freedom of 
 " our elder poets approached to license, we may appreciate, in 
 " some measure 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" (p. 157). We may compare with this what is said 
 in p. 529, the meaning of which will become apparent as we 
 proceed : " The rhythm of Pope and Dryden differed from 
 " Milton's in three particulars. It always counted the lengthen- 
 ing syllable of the first section; it admitted three syllables 
 
 22
 
 20 ON ENGLISH METRE. 
 
 " only in the second foot of the abrupt section ; and it rejected 
 " the sectional pause." Milton's practice is stated just before : 
 " he did not always count the lengthening syllable of the first 
 " section. An abrupt section was furnished with a foot of three 
 " syllables the first section always, the second in all cases but 
 "those in which the first section had a lengthening syllable 
 "which was counted in the verse. The pausing section 7 p. 
 "was sometimes admitted as his first section, and is some- 
 " times found lengthened." [The Cimmerian darkness of the 
 last sentence had better be cleared up at once ; the rest will 
 explain itself as we go on. By ' pausing section ' Dr Guest 
 means a section in which a pause takes the place of an un- 
 accented syllable. His 'section 7' is of the form bAbAbbA 
 (A standing for accented, b for unaccented syllables). Hence 
 ' 7 p.' means that the second unaccented syllable is represented 
 by a pause (giving the form bA-AbbA), as in Milton P. L. 1. 
 253, which Dr Guest scans 
 
 A mind | not \ to be changed | : by place | or time | 
 
 the pause after mind, together with the monosyllable not, repre- 
 senting the 2nd foot. 
 
 A pausing section is lengthened when an unaccented syllable 
 is added at the end, as in P. L. 10. 71. 
 
 On earth | these \ thy transgres sors : but \ thou knowst | 
 
 According to Dr Guest's system the monosyllables these and 
 but, with the preceding pauses, stand for the 2nd and 4th feet ; 
 and the last syllable of transgressors is superfluous, a feminine 
 ending of the first section.] 
 
 In p. 531 other faults of Milton's verse are pointed out. 
 " The verbal accent is often disregarded and the same word 
 " variously accented even within the compass of a few lines." 
 " Milton's passion for variety too often endangers his metre. 
 " Not only do his pauses" (i.e. the places where Dr Guest thinks 
 there ought to be pauses, at the middle and end of the line) 
 " divide portions of the sentence, most intimately connected 
 " together, but frequently we have periods ending in the midst 
 " of a section, and sometimes immediately after the first, or 
 "before the last syllable of the verse." If beauty is thus
 
 ANTIQUARIAN A-PRIORISM. 21 
 
 procured, " it is a beauty beyond the reach of Milton's metre, 
 " a beauty therefore which he had no right to meddle with. 
 " Versification ceases to be a science, if its laws may be thus 
 " lightly broken." 
 
 We have already found that, in regard to the position of 
 stops, even our least adventurous poets have asserted the right, 
 which Dr Guest would deny them, of breaking the sense at 
 any point in the line. We proceed to examine the other alleged 
 divergences between the metres of Milton and Pope. The 
 former, it is said, did "not always count the lengthening 
 syllable of the first section." By this it is meant that Milton, 
 as he occasionally introduces a feminine ending of the line, e.g. 
 
 That durst | dislike | his reign | and me preferring, 
 
 so he admits a superfluous syllable after the section or half-line. 
 I have no wish to deny that lines may be found even in our 
 latest poets, which are evidently composed of two sections, and 
 in which the first and last foot of either section are allowed all 
 the privileges of the first and last foot of the line. Such lines 
 are Tennyson's long trochaics treated of in another chapter. 
 Whether Milton ever regarded his heroic verse as made up of 
 two sections may be doubted. Shakespeare was, I think, so far 
 conscious of the section, as occasionally to make it a pretext for 
 introducing an extra syllable. Mr A. J. Ellis does not grant even 
 this. He considers that all cases which have been explained 
 on this principle, are really examples of trisyllabic feet. And 
 no doubt, such an explanation is possible in by far the largest 
 number of instances. The question is really complicated with 
 two others, in which I think Dr Guest takes an erroneous view. 
 He regards it, not as a rare exception (such as we find in 
 Chaucer) but as a recognized and established variety of the 
 heroic line for a single accented syllable to take the place of 
 the iambic foot at the "beginning of a section, or after what he 
 calls the 'sectional pause.' To a section which thus commences 
 with an accent he gives the name of the 'abrupt section'; and 
 he thinks that it makes no difference to the regularity and 
 correctness of the verse, whether this first accent is separated 
 from the second by one unaccented syllable or by two. The
 
 22 ON ENGLISH METRE. 
 
 other question is as to the admissibility of trisyllabic feet. 
 As Dr Guest distinctly recognizes the 'triple measure,' one 
 would have thought there could have been no doubt on this 
 subject, but it would seem from several passages that, except 
 in what he calls the tumbling metre, he would desire to confine 
 it to his ' abrupt section.' If he is forced to admit its use 
 elsewhere, he indemnifies himself by denouncing it as licen- 
 tious ; but in general he seeks to explain away such examples 
 on the principle of elision. Thus in p. 37 he supposes believe, 
 betray, belike, to lose their first syllable in the lines 
 
 Let pi|ty not j be belie\ved there | she shook | Lear, 4. 3. 31. 
 
 To betray \ the head|y hus|bands rob | the ea(sy 
 
 B. Jons. Cat. 3. 3. 
 
 belike \ his niaj|esty | hath some | intent | R, III. 1. 1. 49. 
 
 Instances of two vowels compressed into one are given in 
 p. 41. 
 
 Knowing who | I am | as I | know who | thou art | P. R. 1. 355. 
 
 Half flying \ behoves | him now | both oar | and sail | 
 
 P. L. 2. 941. 
 
 Of riot | ascends | above ] their loft|iest tow'rs | P. L. 1. 498. 
 Without | media\tor whose | high of|fice now | P. L. 12. 239. 
 
 Instances of short vowel elided before m, in p. 47. 
 Legitimate Edjgar I | must have | your land | Lear, 1. 2. 15. 
 His mind | so ven\omously \ that burn|ing shame | Lear, 4. 3. 47. 
 before ng p. 52. 
 
 With telling \ me of | the rnold|warp and | the ant | 
 
 1 H. IV. 3. 1. 148. 
 
 This oath | I willing\ly take j and will | perform | 
 
 3 H. VI. 1. 1. 201. 
 
 before I or r pp. 55, 57. 
 
 A third | more op\ulent than j your sisters? Speak | Lear, 1. 1. 87. 
 Will but | remember \ me what | a deal | of world j R. II. 1. 3. 268. 
 
 Other examples of elision are 
 
 Her dedicate cheek | it seemed | she was | a queen j Lear, 4. 3. 13.
 
 ANTIQUARIAN A-PRIORISM. 23 
 
 Needs must | the ser|pent now | his cap\ital bruise | P. L. 12. 383. 
 Your kor\rible pleasure here | I stand | your slave | Lear, 3. 2. 18. 
 
 Of the last line it is said (p. 63), "It is clear that horrible 
 is a disyllabic but whether it should be pronounced horrble or 
 horribl' may be doubted : the latter is perhaps the safer." 
 
 Recourse is also had to ' synaloepha,' as in the following : 
 
 1 Pas|sion and ap|athy : and glo\ry and shame | P. L. 2. 564. 
 An|guish and doubt | and fear| : and sor\row and pain | P.L.I. 558. 
 No ungrateful food|: and food | alike | those pure | P. L. 5. 407. 
 
 The three following were quoted by Tyrwhitt to show that 
 the heroic verse admitted three syllables in any one of the first 
 three feet. 
 
 Ominous \ conjecture on | the whole | success | P. L. 2. 123. 
 A pil\lar of state | deep j in his front | engrav(en P. L. 2. 301. 
 Celest|ial spirits in bond|age nor | the abyss j P. L. 1. 658. 
 
 Dr Guest says on this (p. 175), "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 Hash, as it were by intuition, on the unin- 
 " structed reader ? Of late years, however, the fashionable 
 " opinion has been that in such cases the vowel may be pro- 
 " nounced without injury to the rhythm. Thelwall discovered 
 "in Milton an appoggiatura or syllable more than is counted in 
 " the bar, and was of opinion that such syllables constitute an 
 " essential part of the expressive harmony of the best writers 
 " and should never be superseded by the barbarous expedient 
 "of elision. He reads the following verses one with twelve and 
 " the other with thirteen syllables ! 
 
 Covering the beach and blackgning the strand. Dryden. 
 Ungrateful offering to the immortal powgrs. Pope. 
 
 " There are men entitled to our respect whose writings 
 " have, to a certain extent, countenanced this error. Both 
 
 1 I give Dr Guest's division of the pause ; by the bar he denotes that the 
 three lines. By the colon he marks preceding syllable bears the accent, 
 what he considers to be the middle
 
 24 . ON ENGLISH METRE. 
 
 "Wordsworth and Coleridge use certain words, as though they 
 " still contained the same number of syllables, as in the time 
 "of Shakespeare. Thus they make delicate a dissyllable, yet 
 " would certainly shrink from pronouncing it del'cate." He adds 
 that the pettiness of the delinquency cannot be pleaded in de- 
 fence of this sacrifice of rhythm, for " if a short and evanescent 
 syllable may be obtruded, so may a long one." It is with 
 pleasure we read Prof. Skeat's note on the above : " On the 
 'contrary I think that the pettiness of the delinquency may 
 "be pleaded.... The true rule concerning trisyllabic feet is 
 " simply this, that the intrusive syllable should be as short and 
 " light as possible. A good example is Pope's favourite line 
 The freezing Tan|ais through | a waste | of snows | 
 
 " Here the intrusive syllable is the short a in Tanais and 
 " is very light and short, as it should be. It adds a great beauty 
 " to the verse, as may easily be perceived by reading Tannis and 
 "comparing the results 1 ." Prof. Skeat thinks the author must 
 have subsequently abandoned his theory, ' because,' he says, 
 ' examples of trisyllabic feet abound in the later part of the 
 book.' And he cites from p. 217 
 
 Write | them together : yours | is as fair [ a name | 
 
 Jul. Caes. 1. 2. 144. 
 
 Me | from attempting : where|fore do I | assume | P. L. 2. 450. 
 Let | me not think | on't: frail|ty thy name | is wom(an 
 
 Hamlet, 1. 2. 146. 
 
 But these all come under the category of the abrupt 
 section, in which Dr Guest has always admitted the triple 
 measure. Thus in the very line, in which he denies Tyrwhitt's 
 right to find a trisyllabic second foot, he has himself no diffi- 
 culty in recognizing a trisyllabic fourth foot, because it follows 
 an initial accent, i.e. a monosyllabic foot commencing a section : 
 A pillar | of state : deep in his front | engra(ven. 
 
 We do however find some instances which cannot be thus 
 explained as in pp. 166, 225, 239 and 240 : 
 
 That | invin|cible Samjson : far | renowned | 
 
 Like | the first I of a thun|der : show'r | and now | 
 
 1 Cf. also the editor's note on p. 51.
 
 ANTIQUARIAN A-PRIORISM. 25 
 
 In | their trip|le degrees] : relgions to which j 
 Shoots | invisible vir tue : e'en | to the deep | 
 With impet|uous recoil) : and jar|ring sound | 
 We may boldjly spend| : upon | the hope j of what | 
 In electjion forj : the Rojman emp ery | l 
 
 Then comes the question, whether the evidence adduced in 
 support of a superfluous syllable at the end of the first section, 
 may not be explained on the hypothesis of such a trisyllabic 
 foot in the middle of the line ; whether in fact there is any- 
 thing more to be said in its favour than for the extra syllable 
 which Dr Abbott admits before a pause in any part of the 
 Shakespearian line (S. G. 454), or the superfluous unem- 
 phatic syllable which he allows in any foot (S. G. 456). I 
 have treated of Shakespearian usage in another chapter. As 
 to Milton, I venture to say that, of all the numerous instances 
 cited by Dr Guest of an extra syllable before the middle pause, 
 there is not one which may not be more easily explained as a 
 trisyllabic foot. And the great advantage of such an expla- 
 nation is that it enables us to get rid of the monosyllabic foot 
 and all the exceptional rules which this necessitates. For in- 
 stance Dr Guest's complicated rule, " An abrupt section was 
 (by Milton) furnished with a foot of three syllables, the first 
 section always, the second in all cases but those in which the 
 first section had a lengthening syllable which was counted in 
 the verse," is exemplified in the lines 
 
 Othjers apart| : sat ] on a hill | retired | 
 A|ges of hope|less end] : this | would be worse | 
 Write | them together : yours | is as fair | a name | 
 Confoundled though | immorjtal : but j his doom | . 
 
 How far more simple does the metrical analysis become, as 
 soon as we recognize that the accentual trochee and anapaest 
 are permitted alternatives for the iamb, and that the middle 
 pause has no metrical effect. Marking the feet by bars, I find 
 in the line 
 
 1 I do not of course agree with Dr trochee in the last foot but one. The 
 Guest's scansion of these lines, except- fifth line may be read as beginning 
 ing the last two. The first four com- with trochee followed by dactyl, or 
 mence with a double trochee, of which the first foot is an anapaest, the re- 
 more hereafter : the third has also a maining feet iambs.
 
 26 ON ENGLISH METRE. 
 
 Others | apart | sat on | a hfll | retfred | 
 a trochee in the first and third feet ; and in 
 
 Write them | together, yours | is as fair | a ndme | 
 
 a trochee in the first foot and an anapaest in the fourth. 
 
 But Dr Guest not only admits a monosyllabic foot, when 
 it is followed by two unaccented syllables (which we have seen 
 to be his way of describing trochee followed by iamb), but 
 also when it is separated by one unaccented syllable from the 
 next accent. This is in fact his first rhythm (p. xvn.), which 
 he denotes by the formula AbA, and of which he cites as 
 examples : 
 
 Ja|el who | with hoslpita|ble guile | . p. 210. 
 
 Which ! by God's j will : kind j and calm|ly blows | . p. 211. 
 
 With | the love | juice : as j I bid | thee do | . p. 215. 
 
 For | the cool shade| : thith|er hastily got | . p. 215. 
 
 As | throw out | our eyes| : for brave | Othel|lo. p. 232. 
 
 So | by for|mer lec|ture : and | advice | . p. 233. 
 
 It is scarcely credible that any educated person could have 
 read these lines without suspecting some error ; but such is 
 the force of erroneous theory, that Dr Guest could actually 
 thus misread lines which are correctly given as follows, both in 
 Professor Skeat's notes, and in any editions which I have been 
 able to consult. 
 
 Jael | who with j i?thos|pitab|le guile | Sams. Ag. 989. 
 
 Which by | God's will | full kynd | and calm|ly blows | . Gascoyne. 
 
 With the | love juice | as I ] did bid | thee do | 
 
 M. N. D. 3. 2. 36. 
 
 For the | cool shade | him thithjer hast|ily got | F. Q. I 2. 29. 
 As to | throw out | our eyes | for brave | Othel(lo Oth. 2. 1. 36. 
 So by | my for|mer lec|ture and | advice | Hamlet, 2. 1. 64. 
 
 These are not by any means all the misquotations noticed 
 by the editor. Where the lines are rightly given, they are 
 frequently misscanned ; or else they are mispronounced or mis- 
 divided or were never meant to be complete verses. A very 
 small fraction remain which are probably corrupt, or in any
 
 ANTIQUARIAN A-PRIORISM. 27 
 
 case are so exceptional, that it is absurd to base a theory of 
 metre upon them. I give examples of each class, with Dr G.'s 
 scansion. 
 
 p. 209, 
 
 vive I le roi | : as | I have banked | their towers | . 
 
 Here vive ought to be read as a disyllabic, as is shown by 
 Dr Abbott, S. G. 489. 
 
 Several of the instances given contain exclamations, which 
 may be either extra-metrical, as p. 250, 
 
 ) ye Gods | ye Gods | must I | endure | all this | 
 or may be lengthened or repeated at pleasure, as in p. 211, 
 
 Tut! | when struck'st j thou: one | blow in | the field 
 
 | this learn | ing : what | a thing j it is | . 
 
 Others are intended to be fragmentary, as in 211, 
 
 Nev|er ! nev er ! : come I away | away | . 
 The scanning is in fault in pp. 234, 235, 
 
 See j him pluck | Aufid]ius : down | by the hair | 
 which properly begins with a trisyllabic foot, 
 
 See him pluck | Aufid|ius | down by | the hair | 
 and 
 
 What | an al|tera|tion of hon|our has | 
 
 where alteration has really five syllables and the line should 
 be divided 
 
 What an alt|era|tion | of ho nour has | . 
 
 The same unfortunate theory has converted five-foot iambics 
 into Alexandrines, as in p. 249, 
 
 Hath | he asked | for mej : know | you not | he has | 
 p. 292, 
 
 1 knew | not which j to take| : and what I to leave,] haj! 
 Bound | to keep life | in drones |: and idjle moths)? No|! 
 
 The first of these lines should be divided 
 
 Hath he | asked for | me know | you not | he has |
 
 28 ON ENGLISH METRE. 
 
 In the 2nd and 3rd we have extra-metrical exclamations ab- 
 surdly forced into the lines; indeed the 2nd is printed as 
 prose in the Globe edition. 
 
 p. 250 
 
 We'll | along | ourselves | : and meet | them at | Philip|pi 
 Vir|tue as I I thought |: truth du|ty so | enjoin |ing. 
 
 The former verse may either be read with an initial ana- 
 paest, or the first syllable of along disappears (see Abbott 460). 
 The latter commences with a trochee and anapaest, unless we 
 suppose with Dr Abbott that the 2nd and 3rd syllables run into 
 one. 
 
 We have thus seen that Milton knows nothing of abrupt 
 section and middle pause, and that the rhythmical effects, 
 described by Dr Guest under these names, are easily explained 
 by the fact that he admits freely trochaic and trisyllabic feet. 
 We will next enquire whether he admits a monosyllabic foot 
 under the guise of the ' sectional pause.' Before we can answer 
 this, we must examine Dr Guest's view of the concurrence of 
 accented syllables. He finds great fault with Dr Johnson for 
 suggesting that sometimes the accent is equally strong upon 
 two adjoining syllables, as (p. 75) 
 
 Thus at their shady lodge arrived, bdth stood, 
 Both turned. 
 
 " Here," it is said, " every reader of taste would pronounce 
 " the words stood, turned, with a greater stress than that which 
 " falls on the word preceding. But these words are at least 
 " equal in quantity, and Johnson fell into the mistake of con- 
 " sidering quantity identical with accent." On the contrary I 
 should say that every reader of common sense would feel that 
 the repeated both was strongly emphatic and that Johnson was 
 quite right in laying at least equal stress on the two words. 
 I am glad to find tlie editor in his note on p. 416 refusing his 
 assent to Dr Guest's dictum, that two accented syllables cannot 
 come together. I think however that he is mistaken in speaking 
 of the examples given in p. 281 as inconsistent with Dr Guest's 
 theory, because in those examples a pause is supposed to inter-
 
 ANTIQUARIAN A-PRIORISM. 29 
 
 vene between the accented syllables and to be equivalent to an 
 omitted syllable. The fact is Dr Guest, finding he could not 
 get rid of all cases of adjacent accents either by the numerous 
 exceptions admitted in Bk I. ch. 4, or by his theory of abrupt 
 sections, bethought him of the sectional pause, as a further 
 means of explaining all cases in which trochee followed on 
 iamb. Thus in the line quoted on p. 295 
 
 A mind | n6t to | be changed] by place | or time | 
 
 he makes the accented not a monosyllabic foot, and considers 
 that it may follow accented mind because there is an inter- 
 vening pause occupying the time of an unaccented syllable. 
 Similarly the line 
 
 He speaks | let us | draw near | matchless | in might | 
 takes with him the form 
 
 He speaks | let | us draw near]: match|less in might j . 
 
 We are now in a position to understand Dr Guest's remarks 
 quoted above on p. 19 as to the difference between the rhythm 
 of Pope and Milton. Pope, it is there said, always counted the 
 lengthening syllable of the first section (i.e. ignored Dr Guest's 
 sections) ; but so, as we have seen, did Milton. Pope rejected 
 the sectional pause (i.e. did not follow up iamb with trochee). 
 This, I grant, is much rarer in Pope than Milton, but still we 
 find such a line as 
 
 Is the | great chain | that draws | all to | agree | Essay, i 33. 
 
 which on Dr Guest's system would require a sectional pause 
 between draws and all, and must be divided as follows : 
 
 Is | the great chain | : that draws | all j to agree | 
 
 The third distinction is, that Pope admits three syllables 
 only in the 2nd foot, but the line just quoted would be an 
 example of a final trisyllabic, if read with the sectional pause ; 
 and in the ' favorite line ' 
 
 The freezing Tanjais through | a waste | of snows |
 
 30 ON ENGLISH METRE. 
 
 we have three syllables in the 3rd foot. Compare also the 
 following 1 : 
 
 Annual \ for ine | the grape | the rose | renew | 
 The juice | neci&\reous and \ the baljmy dew | Essay, i 134. 
 Then najture deviates and \ can man | do less | ib. 150. 
 Account | for morjal as | for natjwraZ things \ ib. 162. 
 To inspect \ a mite | not com|prehend j the heaven | ib. 197. 
 From the | green my\riads in \ the peo|pled grass | ib. 210. 
 For ev|er separate yet \ for evler near | ib. 224. 
 
 If it be said, these should be slurred, so . as to make them di- 
 syllables, it may be replied that, that is just what Dr Guest 
 said of Milton's trisyllabic feet in the first part of his book, 
 though here at the end (p. 529) he has to confess that the 
 common view is the right one. 
 
 The remaining charge brought against Milton is that he 
 disregards the verbal accent. This is merely Dr Guest's ad- 
 mission that his system, with all its cycles and epicycles, does 
 not really accord with the facts, ov aat^ei ra ^aivo^va. He 
 assumes that (except where the normal rhythm is broken 
 through by the law of sections and pauses) every foot in the 
 heroic measure is bound to be strictly iambic. But he laments 
 that here, as elsewhere, the poets will persist in disobeying his 
 laws. Their iambs are such as to defy all rules of accentuation. 
 They accent the article and the preposition more strongly than 
 the noun as in (p. 81 foil.) 
 
 A third ] thought wise | and lear|ned a \ fourth rich | B. Jonson. 
 She was | not the \ prime cause | but I | myself | Milton, S. A. 234. 
 Profaned | first by | the serjpent by \ him first | P. L. 9. 929. 
 
 ["Here," it is said, "the pronoun requires an emphasis which 
 makes the false accentuation still more glaring."] 
 
 They give a stronger accent to the possessive pronoun than 
 to the following adjective, to the personal and relative pronoun 
 than to the verb, as in Fletcher's 
 
 That I | may sit | and pour | out my \ sad sprite. 
 
 1 Some might prefer to divide some of the lines differently, e.g. 
 The juice | necta|reous | and the bal|my dew |
 
 ANTIQUARIAN A-PRIORISM. 31 
 
 ["This verse of Fletcher has even more than his usual pro- 
 portion of blunders. With proper accents it would belong to 
 the triple measure, 
 
 That | I may sit | and pour out | my sad sprite | " 
 
 I do not know how others may feel, but to me this utter 
 misconception of a most beautiful line is a conclusive proof of 
 Dr Guest's unfitness to write on the subject of metre.] 
 
 So in Milton's 
 
 Creajted hu|gest that swim th' o|cean stream. P. L. 1. 200. 
 
 The most cruel blow is, that even Pope should be an offender 
 in these respects, e.g. 
 
 The treach|erous coljours the \ fair art | betray | Criticism, 492. 
 In words | as fashjions the \ same rule \ will hold | do. 333. 
 Against 1 the po|et their \ own arms | they turned | do. 106. 
 
 Now what is the real state of the case ? Do we really suppose 
 that the poets were so foolish as to lay an unnatural stress on 
 the most unimportant word in the line, and so destroy the force 
 and meaning of the line ? Is it not plain that they intended to 
 vary the ordinary rhythm by introducing an accentual pyrrhic 
 followed by an accentual spondee (e.g. the treach erous colours 
 th$ | fair art | betray;) and that the result produced by this 
 means is most satisfactory to the educated ear ? 
 
 I think that I have said enough to show that Dr Guest, with 
 all his learning, is not a safe guide to the study of metre. 
 There is hardly a single rule which he has laid down, which 
 is not in flat opposition to the practice of the poets of the 
 last three centuries. Tried by his code, they are all miserable 
 sinners, they have left undone what they ought to have done, 
 and done what they ought not to have done. They know 
 nothing of that which he makes the foundation of his system, 
 the doctrine of the sections and pauses ; they put their stops 
 wherever it pleases them ; they substitute freely trochees, 
 pyrrhics, spondees and trisyllabic feet for the iamb. But 
 Dr Guest's theory not only condemns as unmetrical what is 
 proved to be metrical by the consistent practice of the poets ;.
 
 32 ON ENGLISH METRE. 
 
 he is, as we have seen, equally unfortunate in admitting what 
 is palpably impossible. He mistakes a verse belonging to one 
 metre for a verse belonging to another metre, e.g. the five-foot, 
 for the six-foot iambic, and puts under the same head verses 
 belonging to different metrical systems, as in p. 198, where he 
 gives, as examples of the formula bAbA : AbbAb, two lines, one 
 iambic, the other anapaestic. 
 
 Well struck | in years | : fair | and not jeajlous R. III. 1. 1. 90. 
 Forthwith | how thou | oughtst | to receive | him S. Agon. 328. 
 
 The former is no doubt difficult, but it occurs in the middle 
 of a speech of the ordinary heroic verse, and unless there is very 
 strong reason to the contrary, it should be treated as such itself. 
 Dr Abbott (S. G. 480) says " it might be possible to scan as 
 " follows : 
 
 Well struck | in ye|ars, fa|ir and | not jeal(ous 
 
 " but the Folio has jealious and the word is often thus written 
 "and pronounced by Elizabethan authors." If jealious, which 
 may be compared with the archaic stupendious, is rejected, I 
 should myself prefer to make the last foot a trochee, as in 
 Macbeth, 5. 5. 32. 
 
 But know | not how | to do | it. Well, | say, sir | 
 It would then be divided as follows 
 
 Well struck | in yejars fair I and not | jealous | 
 
 The line from Samson Agonistes should be compared with 
 other examples of anapaestic metre in the same poem, e.g. 
 
 Or the sphere | of forjtune rai(ses. 1. 172. 
 Universally crowned | with high|est prai(ses. 1. 175. 
 
 So this should be divided 
 
 Forthwith | how thou oughtst | to receive (him 
 
 Milton probably intended it to correspond to the versus 
 paroemiacus, or anapaestic dimeter catalectic, which formed the 
 closing line of the anapaestic system in Greek. 
 
 The points named above, as condemnatory of Dr Guest's 
 system, are selected from a very much larger number which
 
 ANTIQUARIAN A-PRIORISM. 33 
 
 I had noted down in three distinct perusals of his book. I have 
 thought it right to give my criticisms a permanent form, not in 
 the least from a wish to depreciate the value of the author's 
 work in this and other departments of English history and 
 literature. On the contrary I have a most sincere respect for 
 his industry and independence. I think later writers might 
 have avoided some errors into which they have fallen if they had 
 considered more carefully the evidence which he has accumu- 
 lated. But in my opinion the book is entirely unfitted to be, 
 what is still a desideratum in English education, a practical 
 guide to the study of metre. 
 
 M. M.
 
 CHAPTER III. 
 
 LOGICAL A-PRIORISM. 
 
 DR ABBOTT ON ENGLISH METRE. 
 
 DR GUEST'S system of prosody is, as far as I know, original ; 
 that which comes next for consideration, Dr Abbott's, is a 
 modification of what may be called the traditional system. In 
 its general outline, I believe this to be also the true and natural 
 system, giving technical expression to the practice of the best 
 writers and readers of poetry, and not setting up an antiquarian 
 standard to which they are required to conform. In the 
 particular form, however, which Dr Abbott has given to this 
 system, he seems to me to have gone wrong in the same way 
 as Dr Guest, by insisting on certain a priori rules, which it 
 is not always easy to reconcile with the practice of the poets. 
 He has the advantage over Dr Guest in starting with the true 
 normal line, instead of the fictitious sections, but he is too 
 much enamoured with a mechanical regularity, and makes 
 too little allowance for the freedom of English versification. 
 
 The general theory is given in the Shakespearian Grammar, 
 2nd ed. 1870, 452515, and in the Third Part of Abbott 
 and Seeley's English Lessons for English People, 1871, 97 
 150 1 . 
 
 The foot, not the section, is there assumed as the basis of 
 metre. It is defined as the smallest recurring combination 
 of syllables. In English the names of feet, trochee, iambus, &c. 
 
 1 The metrical rules laid down in the older book, for which Dr Abbott is 
 solely responsible, seem to be somewhat less sweeping than those in the later 
 book, in which he is a co-worker with Prof. Seeley.
 
 LOGICAL A-PRIORISM. 35 
 
 denote groups of accented and non-accented syllables without 
 regard to quantity. Accent means a loud stress of voice. A 
 distinction is made between word-accent and metrical accent. 
 Every polysyllable has at least one word-accent. The accent of 
 monosyllables depends upon their collocation. The metrical 
 accent, if it falls on a word at all, must fall on its principal word- 
 accent, but it may also fall on a syllable which has no word- 
 accent (e.g. on a monosyllable or on the last syllable of a tri- 
 syllabic word such as merrily). We can never have three 
 consecutive clearly pronounced syllables without a metrical 
 accent. Emphasis is a stress laid on monosyllables or the word- 
 accent of polysyllables, for the purpose of calling attention to 
 the meaning. In poetry an emphatic syllable generally receives 
 the metrical accent, but we sometimes find the metrical accent 
 falling on an unemphatic syllable, and followed by an emphatic 
 non-accented syllable. It is rarely that all the metrical accents 
 of a line are also emphatic. In reading we should allow em- 
 phasis as well as accent to exert its influence. Any mono- 
 syllable, however unemphatic, that comes between two un- 
 accented monosyllables (this should be syllables) must receive 
 a metrical accent in disyllabic metre. As examples we have 
 (Eng. Less. p. loo foil.) 
 
 Oh, weep for Adonais. The quick dreams. 
 Then tore with bloody talon th4 rent plain. 
 Spreads his light wings and in a moment flies. 
 Make satire a lampoon and fiction lie. 
 
 The difficulty which occurs to us on reading these lines is, 
 how we are to make the metrical accent on the italicized syllables 
 correspond to the definition of accent, " a loud stress of the 
 voice." It is plain that the, in and a are about the least im- 
 portant words in the lines in which they occur, and that in the 
 first two lines the is intentionally prefixed to the important 
 words quick and rent in order to give them additional emphasis. 
 In technical language the is here a 'proclitic'; so far from laying 
 any stress upon it, a good reader would pass it over more lightly 
 than any other word in the lines. I am unable therefore to see 
 the propriety of describing these as accented syllables, unless, 
 when we use the term metrical accent, we simply mean that 
 
 32
 
 36 ON ENGLISH METRE. 
 
 the syllables, which are said to be metrically accented, are those 
 which, if the verse were mechanically regular, would have had a 
 word-accent, and to which therefore the general influence of 
 the rhythm may seem to impart a sort of shadow of the word- 
 accent. As far as the reading goes, accentuation on this principle 
 becomes unmeaning, and the only thing to regard is emphasis, 
 or the distinction between the emphatic and uuemphatic syl- 
 lables. All verses will be perfectly regular as regards accents 
 (or feet), but variety will be produced by the over-riding 
 emphasis. This is a simple and logical view, but, as we shall 
 see, it is not consistently adhered to. 
 
 Thus in S. G. 457, where the question is raised, whether 
 'an unemphatic monosyllable is allowed to stand in an em- 
 phatic place and receive the accent,' it is stated that the 
 article seems to have been regarded as capable of more em- 
 phasis in Shakespeare's time than it is now ; but still attempts 
 are made to explain away several of the instances in which the 
 and still more a are found in the even syllables of the verse, 
 and would therefore, on the mechanical principle, receive the 
 accent. Thus in the line which Dr Abbott scans 
 
 a devil | a borjn dev|il on | whose na(ture, 
 but which I should scan 
 
 a devjil a | born dev|il on | whose na(ture, 
 
 the accent on a is avoided by assigning two syllables to born 
 and one syllable to the first devil; and, in the following lines, 
 it is suggested that an accented the may be avoided by the free 
 admission of trisyllabic feet (both anapaest and amphibrach), 
 and by giving two syllables to dead, three syllables to lightenings, 
 and four to physician. 
 
 Your breath I first kindled | the de|ad coal | of war | 
 Than meet | and join | Jove's light] enings I the precursors 
 More needs she | the divfne | than the | physfc|ian | 
 
 I do not deny that monosj'llables, in which r follows a vowel, 
 are often disyllabized in Shakespeare (cf. 8. G. 480, 485, and 
 my chapter on the Metre of Shakespeare), but I have great 
 doubts as to some other monosyllables treated of in 481 484,
 
 LOGICAL A-PR1ORISM. 37 
 
 and 486 ; and I think that, in the instances which follow, it was 
 the desire for regularity of accentuation which prompted the 
 scansion adopted, or at any rate allowed, by Dr Abbott ; e.g. in 
 the line 
 
 How in | my strength | you please | for yo|u Ed(mund, 
 you is divided unnecessarily to escape a final trochee. 
 To fa il in the | disposing of | these chan(ces. 
 
 Here, in order to avoid an unaccented second foot, fail is made 
 disyllabic, and a supernumerary unaccented syllable is assigned 
 to the second foot. 
 
 Doth comjfort the"e in | thy sle|ep live | and flou(rish. 
 
 The second foot should end with thee, thy is emphatic, con- 
 trasting the sleep of Henry with the troubled dreams of 
 Richard. 
 
 Full fifjteen hundred | besijdes common men |. 
 Besides is made trisyllabic to avoid an unaccented third foot. 
 Go t6 the | creating | a wh6|le trfbe | of f6ps |. 
 
 Here the third foot is properly unaccented, the second is an 
 anapaest ending with the second syllable of creating. 
 
 But could | be willing | to mafrch on | to Cal(ais. 
 March made disyllabic, to avoid unaccented third foot. 
 
 Of Lionjel Duke | of Clarence | the thijrd son |. 
 Third made disyllabic, to avoid unaccented fourth foot. 
 
 Y6u and | your cra|fts y6u | have craft|ed fair. 
 [The line (Cor. iv. 6. 118) is incomplete ; it should run: 
 
 You and | your crafts | you've craft |ed fair | you've brought.] 
 
 The Go|ds not | the patric|ians make | it and | 
 
 Gods made disyllabic, to avoid the trochee in the second 
 place. 
 
 With Tijtus Larcius | a mojst val|iant Ro(man. 
 
 Most made disyllabic, to avoid an unaccented third foot. 
 
 It is needless to point out the extreme harshness of 
 rhythm which follows from this attempt to ignore the simple
 
 38 ON ENGLISH METRE. 
 
 fact that it is not necessary for all the feet to have what is 
 called in the Lessons the emphatic accent, what I should rather 
 call simply the accent or stress, on the second syllable of the 
 foot. But it will be noticed that in some of the lines quoted, 
 the fiction of the regular metrical accent is abandoned : thus in 
 
 More needs she | the divine | than the | physic |ian|, 
 the accent of the fourth foot is placed on the former syllable 
 than instead of on the. This irregularity comes under the head 
 of Dr Abbott's License of trochee, of which he gives the following 
 account (Lessons, 138). " In the initial foot and after a pause, 
 " in iambic metre, a trochee instead of an iamb is allowed. A 
 " very slight pause in the dramatic and free iambic metres 
 "justifies a trochee ; even a long syllable, with the slight pause 
 " necessary for its distinct pronunciation, is sufficient. But some 
 " slight pause is necessary, and hence it may be laid down as a 
 " rule in iambic metre that one trochee cannot follow another. 
 " Milton's line 
 
 Universal reproach far worse to bear, 
 
 " would be a monstrosity if read with the usual accents. It is 
 " far more likely that Milton pronounced the word unlversdl, 
 "perhaps influenced by the fact that the i is long in Latin 1 ." 
 
 1 As Milton uses the word ' universal ' in twenty other passages and always 
 with the present pronunciation, I cannot think it at all likely that he follows 
 the Latin quantity in this passage. There is only one verse (in S. Ag. 175), 
 which, if taken by itself, might tolerate the long i, but taken in connexion 
 with the preceding lines, it is evident that the metre is anapaestic, requiring 
 short i, 
 
 For him | I reck (on not | in high | estate | iamb. 5 
 
 Whom long | descent | of birth j iamb. 3 
 
 Or the sphere | of for|tune rais(es; anap. 3 
 
 But thee | whose strength | while vir tue was | her mate | iamb. 5 
 
 Might have | subdued | the earth | iamb. 3 
 
 Univer sally crowned | with high|est prai(ses. anap. 4 
 
 As I have shown below, the double trochee is a known peculiarity of 
 
 Milton's verse, borrowed by him from the Italian. If however anyone finds it 
 
 intolerable, I have no objection to treat it as a case of initial truncation. Thus 
 
 scanned the line would run 
 
 U|niver|sal reproach | 
 
 the 3rd foot being an anapaest. But, after all, it makes no difference in the 
 reading. Whether we call the 1st foot a trochee or not, we can only make it 
 rhythmical by pausing on the 1st syllable and giving a very strong emphasis to 
 the 3rd.
 
 LOGICAL A-PRIORISM. 39 
 
 Another rule is that "a trochee in the middle of a verse must 
 not follow an unemphatic accent," as it does in Milton's lines 
 
 Burned af|ter them | to the | bottom |less pit |. 
 Light from | above | from the | fountain | of light |. 
 
 The first remark which suggests itself on this, is that the 
 principle of fictitious accentuation is here abandoned. The 
 accent of the foot is declared to be reversed when the emphasis 
 falls on the first instead of the second syllable. But if the 
 metrical accent is to be determined by the real or natural stress 
 given to each syllable by a good reader, it will be found necessary 
 to admit other licenses besides that of the trochee. The so-called 
 unemphatic accent is no accent at all in this sense of the term, so 
 that we shall find ourselves compelled to admit pyrrhics on the 
 one hand, and on the other hand, since two emphatic syllables 
 may come together in verse as well as prose, we shall find that 
 there are natural spondees just as there are natural trochees 1 . 
 It may be granted that the use of the trochee is generally con- 
 fined within the limits specified, though I should have worded 
 
 1 To test the frequency of these irregular feet in Shakespeare, I have been 
 carefully through Macbeth, and I find there 175 spondees in all, distributed as 
 follows : 20 in the first foot, 60 in the second, 19 in the third, 23 in the fourth, 
 and 53 in the fifth. Of these 31 follow trochees, 75 follow pyrrhics, 40 come 
 after a pause, and 29 are continuous after a long syllable. As examples of what 
 I call spondees, I would mention the foot made up of the last syllable of an 
 iamb and the first of a trochee, e.g. 
 
 Would cre|ate soZjdiers make | our worsen fight | 
 
 that made up of an emphatic monosyllable and the first syllable of a trochee, 
 
 e.g. 
 
 Sit, worjthy friends | ; my lord | is ofjten thus | 
 Promised | no less | to them;. That trussed .home 
 
 or of two emphatic monosyllables, 
 
 Why do you show | me this? | a fourth! Start, eyes! \ 
 especially where the emphasis is required to give the right sense, as 
 
 But screw \ your cou]rage to | the sticking place | 
 Who wrought \ with them | and all | things else | that might j 
 Making | the green | one red, 
 or for the sake of antithesis, e.g. 
 
 That which | hath made | them drunk \ hath made | me bold \ 
 Lest our | old robes \ sit eas|ier than | our new |.
 
 40 ON ENGLISH METRE. 
 
 the rule about the pause differently, and said that the trochee 
 was admissible everywhere, but was naturally preceded by a 
 little pause to take breath before pronouncing a strongly 
 emphatic syllable ; but there is no such stringent and absolute 
 law as to constitute any exception a ' monstrosity.' Indeed the 
 double trochee can scarcely be called a rarity in Milton, cf. 
 
 Present | thiis to | his Son | aiidi|bly spake j P. L. VH. 518. 
 Over | fish of | the sea | and fowl | of the air | P. L. vn. 533. 
 By the | waters | of life | where'er | they sat | P. L. XL 77. 
 
 It is also found in Spenser, as in the beautiful line praised 
 by Leigh Hunt, 
 
 As the | god of | my life |. Why hath | he me | abhorred |? 
 
 F. Q. i. 3. 7. 
 So Tennyson in the Coming of Arthur: 
 
 Felt the | light of | her eyes | into | his life |. 
 
 For other instances I may refer to Dr Abbott himself (S. G, 
 453) and to Dr Guest's English Rhythms, pp. 238, 240. Dr 
 Guest even treats the verse commencing with the double trochee 
 as a recognized variety of the ten-syllable iambic 1 . Authority 
 apart, it seems to me that the rhythm of such lines as the 
 following is satisfactory to the ear, and would not be improved 
 by the alternative given in italics : 
 
 bravest, greatest, and best ; a king of men. 
 the brave, the great, the good; a king of men. 
 endless sorrow, eternity of woe. 
 undying pain, eternity of woe. 
 
 Besides the theoretical objections which have been stated to 
 Dr Abbott's view of accentuation, a practical difficulty arises in 
 applying it to educational purposes. In the Preface to English 
 Lessons it is said that the object of the chapters on Metre is 
 practical utility, to teach the pupil how to read a verse so as to 
 mark the metre, without converting the metrical line into 
 monotonous doggrel. If the pupil's metrical exercise were con- 
 fined to dividing a line into feet and marking the emphatic and 
 unemphatic syllables, neglecting the metrical accent altogether, 
 
 1 See also below, ch. v. p. 76.
 
 LOGICAL A PRIORISM. 41 
 
 the task is simple. But the admission of the trochee compli- 
 cates matters. Even Dr Abbott hesitates (E. L. p. 159) whether 
 in the line 
 
 The lone | couch, of | his ev|erlas|ting sleep [ 
 
 the second foot shall be called a trochee, or an iambus con- 
 sisting of a long emphatic unaccented syllable followed by a 
 short unemphatic accented syllable. So in p. 150 we have the 
 line, 
 
 Proud to | catch cold | at a | Venetian door | 
 
 in which it is said to be doubtful whether at a should be 
 considered a trochee or iambus. And many other instances 
 occur. 
 
 The quantity of syllables seems to introduce a still further 
 complication, as we are told (E. L. p. 168) that, though it has 
 quite a secondary position in English metre, yet Shakespeare, 
 Milton, &c., are fond of giving a special character to their 
 rhythm by the introduction of long monosyllables without the 
 metrical accent, e.g. 
 
 O'er bog or steep, through strait, rough, dense, or rare, 
 With head, hands, wings, or feet pursues his way. 
 
 Here rough and hands are treated by Dr Abbott simply as long 
 syllables, but surely it is plain that their rhythmical weight is 
 owing to their emphasis, and to the stop which follows them ; 
 otherwise rough in itself is no longer than of. However, I note 
 this merely to point out that the pupil has here a fourth sort of 
 stress to add to the three (emphasis and the two accents) before 
 considered. 
 
 We go on now to the syllabic license in disyllabic verse. 
 The license of defect, monosyllabic for disyllabic foot, is on the 
 whole well treated in S. G. 479 foil., except that, as we have 
 seen, monosyllables are often unnecessarily disyllabized, in 
 order to escape transference or omission of accent. 
 
 The syllabic license of excess may consist either in syllables 
 supernumerary, not counted in the feet ; or in syllables within 
 the feet, which may be either more or less slurred, or dis- 
 tinctly pronounced. Of the first we read, S. G. 454, " An 
 extra syllable is frequently added before a pause, especially
 
 42 ON ENGLISH METRE. 
 
 at the end of a line, but also at the end of the second 1 , and, 
 less frequently, of the third foot; rarely at the end of the 
 fourth." And 458, "Two extra syllables are sometimes 
 allowed before a pause, especially at the end of a line." 
 
 It will be observed that these rules do not justify such 
 scanning as we have had in the lines 
 
 To i&\il in the \ disposing of \ these chanc(es. 
 Go tft the | credting \ a who|le tribe j of fops |, 
 
 where the superfluous syllable appears without a pause, and 
 (in the second line) at the close of the first as well as of the 
 second foot. As to the general principle, while I am disposed 
 to allow that an extra syllable is sometimes found at the close 
 of the first section of a line which naturally divides into two 
 sections, I see no reason for admitting it elsewhere, as for in- 
 stance after the fourth foot. Dr Abbott gives two examples 
 of the last from the Tempest, in which the trisyllabic foot is 
 very common. 
 
 With all my honjours on | my brother | whereon). 
 So dear | the love | my peo|ple bore me \ nor set|. 
 
 Is there any objection to regarding both as final anapaests? 
 
 The account of trisyllabic metre in the Lessons 143 foil, 
 seems to me satisfactory so far as it goes, but I think confusion is 
 caused in the Grammar by mixing up proper dactyls and 
 
 1 The example given seems to me very doubtful, 
 
 But mine | own safeties |. You may | be right|ly just . 
 
 Bead with the context, it is evident that you is emphatic, and Mr A. J. Ellis 
 would divide 
 
 But mine | own safeties. You \ may be right|ly just | 
 Whatever I \ shall think . 
 
 It is possible however that the initial but ought to be appended to the previous 
 line, thus 
 
 Without | leave ta|king. I | pray you | let not | 
 
 My jeal|ousies | be your | dishonours, but | 
 
 Mine own | safeties . You may | be rightjly just). 
 
 So I had taken it in my paper read before the Philological Society, and 
 I find Mr Boby scans it in the same way. Both the 2nd and 3rd feet would 
 then be trochees.
 
 LOGICAL A-PRIORISM. 43 
 
 anapaests with what would commonly be denominated amphi- 
 brach*, but which Dr Abbott describes as iambs with a buper- 
 fluous unaccented syllable which has to be dropped or slurred in 
 sound (S. G. 456). I do not deny that words are often so 
 rapidly pronounced in Shakespeare as to lose their full comple- 
 ment of syllables, e.g. the words Prospero, parallel and being 
 may be so read in the following lines from the Tempest I. 2. 72, 
 
 And Pros\pero the | prime duke | being so | repu(ted 
 
 In dig|nity | and for | the lib|eral arts I 
 
 Without | a par \allel, those | being all | my stud(y. 
 
 Dr Abbott has given a very full list of words which he thinks 
 were so pronounced. But I do not think such a device helps 
 much in the line already cited 
 
 Go to the | creating | a who|le tribe | of fops |. 
 
 So divided, the second foot could be nothing but an amphibrach. 
 On the other hand in the Tempest I. 2. 301, 
 
 Go make | thyself | like a nymph \ o' the sea ; be sub(ject 
 To no sight \ but thine | and mine |, 
 
 and in 1 Henry VI. I. 1. 95, 
 
 The duke of Alen\qon fli|eth to | his side |, 
 
 the italicized feet can only be described as anapaests. In the 
 Lessons 136 Dr Abbott has no difficulty in allowing this 
 in the case of Tennyson's 
 
 The sound | of man|t/ a heav\ily gall\oping hoof \, 
 
 and, as he says in the same passage, that modern blank verse 
 is, for the most part, more strict than that of Milton, and Milton 
 is more strict than Shakespeare, in limiting himself to ten 
 syllables in a line, why should he deny to Shakespeare the 
 liberty he allows to the moderns ? Why should he take such 
 pains to get rid of anapaests and dactyls in the elder poet 
 by elision, contraction, extra-metrical syllables and other expe- 
 dients, which are plainly inapplicable in modern poetry ? He 
 does indeed, though with a groan, admit one anapaest of 
 portentous harshness, which I think we are not bound to retain. 
 
 Which most #$|ingly | ungravejly he | did fash(ion Cor. n. 3. 33.
 
 44 ON ENGLISH METRE. 
 
 I should prefer to divide this and the preceding line as 
 follows : 
 
 Th' apprehen sion of | his pres|ent port|ance which | 
 Most gijbingly j ungrave|ly he | did fash(ion. 
 
 The sequence dactyl-iamb (and a fortiori dactyl-anapaest) 
 which Dr Guest, as we have seen, repudiates in Milton's line 
 Ominous \ conjecture on | the whole | success | 
 
 is equally opposed to Dr Abbott's rule that " we cannot have 
 three consecutive clearly pronounced syllables without a 
 metrical accent." Yet it is by no means uncommon in 
 Tennyson, cf. 
 
 Galloping \ of Aorjses o|ver the gras|sy plain |. 
 Petulant \ she spoke and at ] herself | she laughed j. 
 Modulate \ me soul \ of min|cing mi|micry ,'. 
 Hammering \ and clink\mg chat|tering stojny names j. 
 Glorify\ing clown \ and satlyr whence | they need j. 
 Timorously and as \ the lea|der of | the herd . 
 
 Perhaps the principle of slurring is carried a little too far, 
 especially in the attempt to get rid of Alexandrines (8. G. 
 495 ff.). No doubt Dr Abbott has succeeded in showing 
 that many apparent Alexandrines are to be read as ten- 
 syllable iambics, but I see no reason for objecting to the 
 following, for instance : 
 
 That seemjing to | be most | which we | indeed | least are | 
 Acquire j too high | a fame | when him | we serve's | away | 
 Besides | I like | you not j. If you | will know | my house | 
 
 Nor do I quite understand why such a line as the following 
 should be called a trimeter couplet, rather than an Alexandrine, 
 
 Why ring | not out | the bells | aloud | throughout | the town !. 
 
 I shall not carry further my examination of Dr Abbott's 
 system. As a critic of Shakespeare he seems to me to be 
 too anxious to reduce every line to the normal shape. No 
 doubt he allows many broken lines; but I think he goes too 
 far in endeavouring to raise the following, for instance, to the 
 full number of syllables by disyllabizing will and fare : 
 
 Why then | I wi 11. Fa|rewell | old Gaunt |.
 
 LOGICAL A-PRIORISM. 45 
 
 Surely it is better to suppose the actor to supply the want of 
 the missing syllable, or syllables, by the pause which marks the 
 change of subject, than to dwell on such a monosyllable as will. 
 Again, as regards the heroic verse generally,! think Dr Abbott 
 is too anxious to limit and regulate any departure from the 
 normal accentuation, and that, in treating of syllabic license, he 
 is too much disposed to disguise or explain away examples of 
 trisyllabic feet by the various devices already referred to, and 
 especially by, what seems to me, the somewhat desperate remedy 
 of allowing extra-metrical syllables in any part of the line. If 
 the superfluous syllable is ever allowed within the line, it must 
 be after the section or hemistich, because we know that it was 
 the law of the Old English and French poetry, with which our 
 modern heroic is historically connected, to admit the feminine 
 ending in the middle, as well as at the end of the line 1 . Yet 
 
 O 
 
 even in Shakespeare it is very difficult to find an indisputable 
 instance of this. Dr Abbott sends me the following, but it is 
 quite possible to divide them so as to ignore the section alto- 
 gether, giving an anapaest in the 3rd foot of the former and the 
 4th foot of the latter, thus 
 
 To lack | discret ion. Come, go | we to | the King j 
 
 Hamlet n. 1. 117. 
 
 To feed | and clothe | thee. Why | should the poor | be flat'tered? 
 
 Hamlet III. 1. 64. 
 
 My own feeling is that, dactyls and anapaests being recognized 
 English feet, and both undoubtedly employed in the place of 
 iambs by our poets of all ages, it is wiser to use them, where 
 they will serve, to explain the metre of a verse, rather than to 
 have recourse to extra-metrical syllables, a license which, except 
 at the end of the line, is now unknown, and is not recognized 
 by all even in Shakespeare. On the same ground I should be 
 more chary of admitting the amphibrach, as the substitute for 
 an iamb, because it is never, as far as I know, made the basis of 
 any English poem, and, though I see no objection to its use, I 
 cannot call to mind any instance of a heroic line which may 
 not be explained without it. 
 
 1 See Appendix at the end of the volume.
 
 46 ON ENGLISH METRE. 
 
 I must not however close my remarks on Dr Abbott without 
 bearing my witness to the great services which he has rendered 
 to all students of English poetry. There is plenty of room for 
 diversity of opinion in dealing with the refinements and subtle- 
 ties of a subject so hard to fix as metre, but none can dispute 
 the judgment, the acuteness and the laborious industry ex- 
 hibited in the two volumes on which I have been commenting. 
 
 [Dr Abbott has kindly looked through this chapter and 
 authorizes me to say that, while retaining his old view as to 
 the not unfrequent disyllabization of such words as year, fire, 
 say, pale, in Shakespeare, he finds himself in general agreement 
 with me as to the scansion of the particular lines quoted. The 
 scansions given were in some cases suggested by him as pos- 
 sibilities which he is now disposed to reject. In regard to an 
 accented ' the,' he would wish to limit himself to the statement, 
 that the metrically accented ' the ' usually precedes a mono- 
 syllable which is long, in other words, precedes a spondee. He 
 has no objection to recognize dactyls and anapaests, but con- 
 siders that they are for the most part restricted to certain 
 collocations of syllables, or pauses.]
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 
 AESTHETIC INTUITIVISM. 
 MR J. A. SYMONDS. 
 
 I HAVE spoken of the mischief arising from the confusion 
 between the aesthetic and the scientific views of metre. EaCh 
 is good in its place, but they should be kept distinct, and the 
 scientific examination should come first. Otherwise metrical 
 analysis shares in all the difficulties of aesthetic analysis, and is 
 in danger of becoming to a great extent a matter of individual 
 feeling. As an example of this aesthetic or intuitivist way of 
 regarding metrical questions, I will take an article on the Blank 
 Verse of Milton written by Mr J. A. Symonds, which appeared 
 in the Fortnightly for Dec. 1874. I give his system in his own 
 words slightly condensed. " English blank verse consists of 
 " periods of lines, each one of which is made up normally of ten 
 " syllables, so disposed that five beats occur at regular intervals, 
 "giving the effect of an iambic rhythm. Johnson was wrong 
 "in condemning deviation from this ideal structure as inhar- 
 " monious. It is precisely such deviation that constitutes the 
 " beauty of blank verse. A verse may often have more than ten 
 " syllables, and more or less than five accents, but it must carry 
 "so much sound as shall be a satisfactory equivalent for ten 
 " syllables, and must have its accents arranged so as to content 
 " an ear prepared for five." 
 
 So far we may say all metrists, with perhaps the single 
 exception of Dr Guest, would be agreed: the question is how 
 we are to interpret the vague phrase " satisfactory equivalent," 
 but we shall seek in vain for anything more definite in the
 
 48 ON ENGLISH MKTRE. 
 
 course of Mr Symonds' article. We have a good deal of 
 eloquent declamation about the "balance and proportion of 
 syllables," " the massing of sounds so as to produce a whole 
 harmonious to the ear, but beyond the reach of analysis by 
 feet." We are told that in order to understand the rhythm of 
 the line 
 
 'Tis true, I am that spirit unfortunate 
 
 " it was necessary to have heard and seen the fiend as Milton 
 " heard and saw him. Johnson, with eyes fixed on the ground, 
 " searching for iambs, had not gazed on the fallen archangel's 
 " face, nor heard the low slow accents of the first two syllables, 
 " the proud emphasis upon the fourth, the stately and melancholy 
 " music-roll which closed the line." [With equal justice Mr 
 Symonds might protest against the profanation of attempt- 
 ing to give a grammatical or rhetorical analysis of a speech 
 of Demosthenes.] Again, " spasms of intense emotion have 
 "to be imagined in order to give its metrical value to the 
 " verse, 
 
 Me, me only, just object of his ire," 
 and so on. 
 
 In fact Mr Symonds distinctly asserts what I should call 
 the principle of aesthetic intuitivism in the words " the one 
 " sound rule for readers is Attend strictly to the sense and the 
 " pauses : the lines will then be perfectly melodious ; but if you 
 " attempt to scan the lines on any preconceived metrical system, 
 " you will violate the sense and vitiate the music." I need 
 not repeat the objections to this view, which have been already 
 fully stated in my introductory chapter. Suffice it to say that 
 it renders impossible the classification and comparison of metrical 
 effects, and encourages the delusion that verse is subject to no 
 rules and admits of no science. If nothing more were wanted 
 than that the casual reader should be satisfied or gratified by 
 his own recitation of a poem, what security should we have 
 against misprints and false readings being treated as rhythmical, 
 as in the instances quoted from Dr Guest's book in a former 
 chapter ? What is there to prevent Milton's heroic 
 
 Universal reproach far worse to bear
 
 AESTHETIC INTUITIVISM. 49 
 
 from being read as a four-foot iambic commencing with two 
 anapaests ? Or why should Mr Symonds take the trouble to 
 argue that certain lines containing twelve syllables ought not 
 to be regarded as Alexandrines, if the line will be perfectly 
 melodious when read according to the sense and the pauses 
 without any preconceived metrical system ? The same con- 
 fusion between the scientific and the aesthetic view appears in 
 the assumption that those who maintain the value of metrical 
 analysis, i.e. of scansion, would also maintain that the reading of 
 the line should be determined merely by its scansion, and not 
 by its meaning. And apparently the writer thinks that this 
 was the case with classical versification. He allows that " such 
 terms as trochee and amphibrach may be usefully employed 
 between students employed in metrical analysis," that " our 
 daily speech is larded with trochees and cretics and so forth " : 
 on the other hand, " since quantity forms no part of our prosody, 
 and since the licenses of quantity in blank verse can never have 
 been determined, it is plainly not much to the purpose to talk 
 about choriambs in Milton though they are undoubtedly to 
 be found there but these names of classic feet do not explain 
 the secret of the varied melody of Milton " ; " they do not solve 
 the problem of blank verse." 
 
 It is difficult to deal with the mass of inconsistencies in 
 these lines : first it is stated that trochees, etc., exist in English, 
 and that the terms may be usefully employed by students for 
 the purpose of analyzing English metre, and then again we are 
 told that since quantity does not enter into our prosody, there- 
 fore it is useless to talk of choriambs and classic feet in Milton, 
 though he has them. Not to dwell upon this, the writer is 
 evidently contrasting quantitative and accentual metre, and 
 deprecates the use of classical terms as not explaining the 
 secret of the varied melody of the latter. But who ever asserted 
 or supposed that Virgil's melody was explained by the mere 
 naming of the feet or the scanning of the lines? Even a school- 
 boy in saying his lines is corrected if he scans them instead of 
 reciting them with the proper accent and emphasis ; even a 
 schoolboy in writing his Latin verses knows that it is only a 
 small portion of his task to produce lines that will construe and 
 M. M. 4
 
 50 ON ENGLISH METRE. 
 
 scan. Lines may construe and scan, and yet be utterly inad- 
 missible, and even when he has learnt to produce a decent line, 
 he is told that he is to notice how Virgil varies his rhythm by 
 the position of the caesura, by the prevalence of spondees or 
 dactyls, by the length of the clauses and periods. Mr Symouds 
 seems to think it an objection to the scanning of English verse, 
 that the metrical feet will not always coincide with the natural 
 pauses in the sense, but so far from this being an objection in 
 Latin poetry, it is the actual rule that they should not in general 
 coincide. No doubt the scanning of Virgil is an easy thing, and 
 the scanning of Shakespeare and Milton is a hard thing, but I 
 see no reason for saying that scanning is more necessary or 
 useful in the case of the one than of the other, unless we are 
 prepared to maintain that there is absolutely no rule at all 
 observed in the English heroic. The scanning of Plautus is just 
 as hard as that of Virgil is easy, and hard for the same reason 
 as the scanning of English verse is hard, because syllables may 
 be slurred in rapid pronunciation, because the metrical value of 
 many of the syllables is not fixed, as it was in later Latin, and 
 because the alternative feet are so numerous. Thus the place 
 of an iambus may be taken by a trochee, a tribrach, a spondee, 
 an anapaest, a dactyl, Wagner would say, even a proceleusmatic 
 (see his Introduction to the Aulularia). But no one on this 
 account thinks scanning superfluous in Plautus. On the con- 
 trary, whilst the scanning of Virgil is left to those who are 
 commencing their studies in Latin verse, the scansion of Plautus 
 has occupied the attention of the ablest scholars from Bentley 
 to Ritschl ; and the result is that a metre, of which even Cicero 
 confessed that he could make nothing, is now intelligible to any 
 ordinary reader. This is a case in which the scientific metrical 
 analysis preceded and rendered possible the aesthetic analysis, 
 and so I believe it has been and will be in other cases. 
 
 We found an inconsistency just now between the statement 
 that the classical terminology might be usefully employed in 
 reference to English metre by students accustomed to metrical 
 analysis, and the subsequent statement that, since quantity 
 formed no part of our prosody, these classical names were only 
 misleading. Further on we are told that, in English blank
 
 AESTHETIC INTUITIVISM. 51 
 
 verse, "scansion by time takes the place of scansion by metrical 
 feet ; the bars of the musical composer, where different values 
 from the breve to the demi-semi-quaver find their place, suggest 
 a truer basis of measurement than the longs and shorts of classic 
 feet." If this is to be taken literally, while every foot should 
 occupy the same time to pronounce, it may consist of any 
 number of syllables from one to thirty-two. Getting rid of 
 hyperbole, let us say, from one to four, and consider what 
 degree of truth there is in the statement. It is difficult to 
 see what connexion there can be between such a metre as this 
 and those with which Milton's verse is historically connected, 
 the later metre of Dryden, and the earlier metre of Surrey, 
 Sackville, Greene, and Peele, who are said to have shown "great 
 hesitation as to any departure from iambic regularity 1 ." It is 
 difficult also to see how such terms as "trochee and amphibrach 
 can be usefully employed by students engaged in the analysis " 
 of such a metre. But leaving this, is it true that each foot 
 occupies the same time ; e.g. in what Mr Symonds calls the 
 ponderous 
 
 Showers, hails, snows, frosts, and two-edged winds that prime 
 and in what he calls the light and rapid 
 
 Athens, the eye of Greece, mother of arts 
 
 is it not palpable that the spondee 'showers, hails,' takes longer 
 to pronounce than the trochee 'Athens'? Is it true that there 
 may be more than three syllables in a foot ? This too I should 
 deny. If there is any apparent case of such a thing, I should 
 say that one or more syllables have suffered elision or slurring, 
 the apoggiatura of music. And lastly is it, as seems to be 
 implied, a matter of indifference on which syllable in the bar or 
 foot the accent falls ? If there are three syllables, is it the 
 same thing whether the accent falls on the first, second, or 
 third of these ? I cannot think we shall gain much from ' this 
 scansion by time.' 
 
 There still remain two points for consideration, the one the 
 inconsistent results obtained by the old metrists, the other the 
 
 1 How little this is true of Surrey will appear below in ch. x. 
 
 42
 
 52 ON ENGLISH METRE. 
 
 challenge offered to explain certain lines of Milton by the ordi- 
 nary scanning. To shew the inconsistencies of the old metrists 
 we are told that in the line 
 
 Partakers, and uncropt falls to the ground 
 
 the last four syllables were made a choriambic by Todd and a 
 dactyl with a demifoot by Brydges. I am not concerned to 
 defend either, and in fact both have gone beyond the limits of 
 scientific metrical analysis, through a wish to suggest the 
 general rhythmical effect. The first business of the metrist is 
 to give the bare fact that we have in this line an accented 
 seventh followed by an unaccented eighth syllable, making 
 what is commonly called a trochee, and again an unaccented 
 ninth followed by an accented tenth, commonly called an iamb. 
 Todd is not wrong in saying that the two together constitute a 
 choriamb, only that, to be consistent, he should very much 
 enlarge his terminology and have a name ready for any possible 
 collocation of two feet. Brydges, on the other hand, is alto- 
 gether on the wrong tack, and opens the door to any sort of 
 license. 
 
 We come now to the lines which are said to be beyond the 
 reach of analysis by feet. I give what I consider the true 
 scanning of each. 
 
 Ruining | along | the illim|itab|le inane 
 
 First dactyl, second iamb, third slurred iamb, or anapaest, 
 according to the pleasure of the reader, fourth iamb, fifth same 
 as the third. 
 
 The one winding the oth'er straight | and left | between | 
 First slurred spondee, second slurred iamb, the rest iambs. 
 
 See where | Christ's blood | streams in | the firmament | 
 First trochee, second spondee, third trochee, fourth and fifth 
 iambs. The third foot is said to be "illegitimate according 
 to iambic scansion," but this is so only according to narrow 
 a priori systems such as Johnson's. The limit of trochaic 
 variation will be discussed further on. 
 
 'Tis true | I am | that spirit | unfortunate | 
 First, second, fourth, fifth iambs, third slurred iamb, or if
 
 AESTHETIC INTUITIVISM. 53 
 
 the reader pleases to pronounce both syllables of 'spirit' 
 distinctly, the last syllable would make the fourth foot an 
 anapaest. 
 
 Me me | only | just object of his ire | 
 
 First spondee, second trochee, third spondee, fourth pyrrhic, 
 fifth iamb. Of this line it is said, "it is obvious here that 
 scansion by feet will be of little use, but the line is understood 
 as soon as we allow the time of two whole syllables to the first 
 emphatic ' me,' and bring over the next words ' me only ' in the 
 time of another two syllables." If it is meant that scansion by 
 feet will not of itself tell us how to read the line, of course I 
 agree ; but if it is implied that whenever the second syllable of 
 the line is joined closely in sense with what follows it is to be 
 reckoned as forming part of the second foot, then I say that we 
 destroy the foundation of metre. Nor do I recognize any given 
 time for two syllables. I do not see why a reader should not 
 give as much time to the first ' me ' as to the four last syllables 
 of the line. 
 
 Mr Symonds continues, "The truth of this method is still 
 more evident when we take for analysis a line at first singularly 
 inharmonious. 
 
 Submiss [ he reared | me and whom | thou soughtest | I am | 
 
 Try to scan this line, and it seems a confusion of uncertain 
 feet." The feet are all iambs but the third, which may be read 
 either as slurred iamb or as anapaest. 
 
 To avoid any possible misconception, I repeat again that 
 I find no fault with Mr Symonds for what he has done, 
 but for what he has failed to do, and condemned others for 
 doing. His aesthetic analysis may be excellent in itself, but 
 it cannot take the place of the scientific analysis, nor is there 
 the least inconsistency between them. By all means let Mr 
 Symonds ' gaze on the archangel's face and hear his stately 
 and melancholy music-roll,' but why should that interfere 
 with Johnson's humble search for iambs ? I venture to say that, 
 as a rule, the ear which has been first purged by listening for 
 iambs will be better prepared to receive those higher aesthetic 
 pleasures on which Mr Symonds discourses so eloquently.
 
 CHAPTER V. 
 
 NATURAL OR A-POSTERIORI SYSTEM. 
 MR A. J. ELLIS. MR MASSON. MR KEIGHTLEY. 
 
 INTERMEDIATE between the rigid a priori systems of Dr 
 Guest and Dr Abbott, and the anarchical no-system of the 
 Intuitivists, comes what I should call the natural or a posteriori 
 system of which Mr A. J. Ellis may be regarded as a repre- 
 sentative. I am glad to be able to give Mr Ellis' theory of the 
 heroic verse in his own words slightly abbreviated from a paper 
 read before the Philological Society in June 1876. He com- 
 mences with a quotation from the Essentials of Phonetics, p. 76, 
 published by him in 1848 but long out of print. 
 
 " An English heroic verse is usually stated to consist of 
 ten syllables. It is better divided into five groups [what we 
 commonly callfeet, what Mr Ellis prefers to call measures], each 
 of which theoretically consists of two syllables, of which the 
 second only is accented. The theoretical English verse is 
 therefore 01, 01, 01, 01, 01 (0 = absence, 1 = presence of stress) ; 
 but this normal form is very seldom found. Practically, many 
 of the groups are allowed to consist of three syllables, two of 
 them being unaccented ; but in these cases the syllable im- 
 mediately preceding is very strongly accented. The number of 
 syllables may therefore be greater than ten, while the accents 
 may be, and most generally are, less than five. It is necessary 
 for an English verse of this description, that there should be an 
 accent at the end of the third and fifth group, or at the end of 
 the second and fourth ; and if either of these requisites is com- 
 plied with, other accents may be distributed almost at pleasure.
 
 NATURAL OR A-POSTERIOR1 SYSTEM. 55 
 
 The last group may also have one or two unaccented syllables 
 after its last accent. Much of the beauty of a verse arises from 
 the proper distribution of the pauses between the words, and 
 also of the groups of accents among the groups of words. Thus 
 the second or third group, or measure, must in general be 
 divided, that is, must be distributed between two words, or the 
 effect on the ear will not be harmonious." 
 
 Mr Ellis then gives the first sixteen lines of Paradise Lost, 
 denoting the degree of stress laid on each syllable by the 
 figures 2, 1, written underneath, the divisions of the feet 
 being marked by commas. 
 
 1. Of man's first disobedience, and the fruit 
 
 2, 1 0, 2, 0, 2 
 
 2. Of that forbidden tree, whose mortal taste 
 
 1, 2, 1, 2, 2 
 
 3. Brought death into the world, and all our woe 
 
 1 2, 0, 2, 1, 2 
 
 4. With loss of Eden, till one greater man 
 
 1, 2, 0, 2, 2 
 
 5. Kestore us, and regain the blissful seat, 
 
 2, 0, 2, 2, 2 
 
 6. Sing, heavenly Muse, that, on the secret top 
 
 2 2, 2, 1 0, 2, 1 
 
 7. Of Horeb or of Sinai, didst inspire 
 
 2, 0, 2, 1, 02 
 
 8. That shepherd, who first taught the chosen seed 
 
 12, 00, 2 2, 02,0 2 
 
 9. In the beginning, how the heavens and earth 
 
 0, 2, 1, 2, 2 
 
 10. Rose out of chaos. Or, if Zion hill 
 
 2 0, 2, 1, 2, 2 
 
 11. Delight thee more; and Siloa's brook that flows 
 
 02, 2, 2, 2, 2 
 
 12. Fast by the oracles of God, I thence 
 
 2 0, 2,0 0, 2, 1 2 
 
 13. Invoke thy aid to my adventurous song: 
 
 02, 2, 0, 2, 2 
 
 14. That with no middle flight intends to soar 
 
 0, 2 2, 2 02, 02 
 
 15. Above the Aonian mount, while it pursues 
 
 1, 2, 2, 2 0, 2 
 
 16. Things unattempted yet, in prose or rhyme 
 
 2 0, 2, 1, 2, 2 
 
 " In these sixteen lines, there is not one with a superfluous 
 syllable at the end of the line, but lines 1, 6, 7, 9, 11 and 13 
 have eleven syllables, and line 15 has as many as twelve
 
 56 ON ENGLISH METRE. 
 
 syllables. There are several groups, therefore, of more than 
 two syllables, some groups of two, and one (in the first line) of 
 three unaccented syllables. Sometimes a group has two ac- 
 cents, as in lines 6, 8, 14. Lines 1, 3, 5. 7, 8, 15, owe their 
 rhythm to accents at the end of the third and fifth groups; 
 lines 2, 4, 6, 9, 10, 12, 13, 16, to accents at the end of the second 
 and fourth groups ; and both characteristics are united in lines 
 11, 14. The mode in which these necessary conditions are 
 diversified, by the introduction of other and unexpected 
 accents, or by the omission of accents, is very remarkable, and 
 shews the art and rhythmical feeling of the poet. So far from 
 the theoretical standard, 01, 01, 01, 01, 01, being of constant 
 recurrence, we only find one line (the second) in which it is 
 strictly observed ; and even then we have to assume that sub- 
 accents have the same effect on the ear as primary accents, 
 which is far from being the case. Line 11, in spite of the three 
 syllables in the fourth group, approaches the theoretical 
 standard nearer than any other verse, and it is immediately 
 succeeded by line 12, which, as a contrast, goes miles away from 
 the standard form. 
 
 " At a later period, in my Early English Pronunciation, Part 
 I., 1869, pp. 333 5, I made some passing remarks on Chaucer's 
 rhythm as different from the modern, and I laid down my 
 modern tests with a few variations, thus : 
 
 " In the modern verse of five measures, there must be a 
 principal stress on the last syllable of the second and fourth 
 measures ; or of the first and fourth measures ; or of the third 
 and some other measure. There is also generally a stress upon 
 the last syllable of the fifth measure ; but if any one of the 
 three conditions above stated is satisfied, the verse, so far as 
 stress is concerned, is complete, no matter what other syllables 
 have a greater or less stress or length. The length of syllables 
 has much to do with the force and character of a verse, but 
 does not form part of its rhythmical laws. It is a mistake to 
 suppose that there are commonly or regularly five stresses, one 
 to each measure. Take, for example, the first six lines of Lord 
 Byron's Corsair, marking the even measures by italics, and the 
 relative amount of stress by 0, 1, 2, we have
 
 NATURAL OR A-POSTERIORI SYSTEM. 57 
 
 1. O'er the glad waters of the dark blue sea 
 
 1 0, 1 2, 0, 2, 12 
 
 2. Our thoughts as boundless and our souls as free, 
 
 1 i, o 2, o o, o 2, o 2 
 
 3. Far as the breeze can bear, the billows foam. 
 
 2 0, 1, 2, 1, 2 
 
 4. Survey our empire, and behold our home ! 
 
 01, 2, 0, 2, 2 
 
 5. These are our realms, no limits to their sway 
 
 2 o, o i, 2 i, o o, o .2 
 
 6. Our flag the sceptre all who meet obey 
 
 i 2, o 2, o i, o 2, o 2 
 
 " The distribution of stress is seen to be very varied, but the 
 action of the rules given in the text is well marked. Different 
 readers would probably differ in the ratios 1 and 2, in some 
 lines, and others might think that it would be sufficient to mark 
 stress and no-stress. The last line most nearly approaches to 
 having five principal stresses. 
 
 " Our English verse, though based on alternations of force, is 
 materially governed by length and pause, is seldom or never un- 
 accompanied by variety of pitch unknown in prose, and is more 
 than all perhaps governed by weight, which is due to expression 
 and mental conceptions of importance, and is distinct from force, 
 length, pitch, and pause or silence ; but results partly from ex- 
 pression in delivery (a very ditferent thing from mere emphasis), 
 produced by quality of tone and gliding pitch, with often actual 
 weakness of tone, and partly from the mental effect of the con- 
 structional predominance of conceptions, as of substantives over 
 adjectives, and verbs over adverbs, even when the greater force 
 or emphasis is given to the lighter words. Weight is a very 
 complex phenomenon, therefore, which certainly affects English 
 rhythm in a remarkable manner at times, entirely crossing the 
 rules of force or strength. We want, therefore, a nomenclature 
 which shall distinguish degrees of force, length, pitch, and 
 weight in syllables, and in groups of syllables so affected, and 
 of degrees of duration of silence. Our rhythms are thus greatly 
 more complicated than the classical, so far as we can appreciate 
 them, except the dithyrambic and the comic, which, as Cicero 
 felt, required music. (Orator 183 4, quos cum cantu spo- 
 liaveris nuda paene remanet oratio.)
 
 58 ON ENGLISH METRE. 
 
 "I have elaborated a series of expressions for degrees of 
 force, length, pitch, weight, and silence, which will in some 
 way avoid the great ambiguities, and indeed contradictions, 
 which occur in the use of the words accent and emphasis among 
 writers on rhythm. These are as follows. Nine degrees are 
 distinguished, represen table by the numbers 1, the smallest, to 
 9, the greatest. But of these three are principal, each having a 
 super- and sub-form. 
 
 FORCE. LENGTH. PITCH. WEIGHT. SILENCE. 
 
 9. super-strong superlong superhigh super-heavy supergreat 
 8. strong long high heavy great 
 7. substrong sublong subhigh subheavy subgreat 
 
 6. supermean supermedial supermiddle super-moderate super-medium 
 5. mean medial middle moderate medium 
 
 4. submean submedial submiddle submoderate submedium 
 
 3. superweak supershort superlow superlight super-small 
 
 2. weak short low light small 
 
 1. subweak subshort sublow sublight subsmall 
 
 " For all practical purposes the three principal degrees suf- 
 fice, but fewer will not serve. I have found it of great practical 
 advantage to be able to speak of a strong syllable, quite inde- 
 pendently of the origin of its strength, which may arise from its 
 position as an accented syllable in polysyllables, or from its em- 
 phatic pronunciation in a monosyllable. Thus we may say that 
 English rhythm is primarily governed by alternations and groups 
 of strong and weak syllables, and that it is materially influenced 
 by alternations and groups of long and short, high and low, 
 heavy and light syllables, and great and small pauses. The 
 names of these groups would require great care to be suf- 
 ficiently intelligible, and I have not yet attempted to work 
 them out. As English verse would have, however, to be 
 studied in reference to all of them, it is very easy to express a 
 group of syllables by the initials F, L, P, W, S, and the corre- 
 sponding figures. Thus what used to be called an accentual 
 iambus will assume any of the forms F 19, 29, 39, 49, 59, 69, 
 79, 89 ; or F 18, 28, 38, 48, 58, 68, 78; or F 17, 27, 37, 47, 57, 
 67 ; or F 16, 26, 36, 46, 56 ; or F 15, 25, 35, 45 ; or F 14, 24, 
 34 ; or F 13, 23 ; or F 12 ; and very subtle ears might be ready
 
 NATURAL OR A-POSTERIORI SYSTEM. 59 
 
 to appreciate all these forms, although the forms F 28, 58, 25 
 would be all that might be generally reckoned. But in such 
 groups we might also have L 28, 58, 25 ; P 28, 58, 25 ; and W 
 28, 58, 25. Thus F 28 + W 28, and F 28 + W 58, would have 
 very different effects, and new effects would be introduced by 
 the distribution of the syllables in a group among different 
 words and the length of the corresponding silences, if any, no 
 silence not being marked. It will be found not easy to take 
 note of all these peculiarities in reading a piece of poetry. 
 Joshua Steele and James Rush tried much this way, see my 
 paper on Accent and Emphasis, Philological Transactions 
 1873-4, pp. 129 132. Steele attended to length and silence 
 in one, under the name of time, and distributed them so as to 
 divide speech, in prose or verse, into equal intervals of time, 
 answering to musical bars ; he especially noted pitch, and also 
 force, not however as here employed, but as part of expression, 
 and hence forming part of weight, and corresponding to the 
 crescendos and diminuendos of music, and in fact the whole 
 apparatus of oratory. What is here meant by force he calls 
 weight, and makes it agree so completely with the beating of a 
 conductor of music, that he assigns weight to silences. 
 
 " When merely two grades are necessary, the long vowel, 
 implying a long syllable, has the long mark, as seat; the long 
 syllable with a short vowel may have the short mark over the 
 vowel, as strength; short vowels and syllables are unmarked. 
 Strong syllables have a turned period () after a long vowel, as 
 re'gion, or the consonant following a short vowel, as wr%tch'ed ; 
 weak syllables are unmarked. High syllables have an acute 
 accent over the short vowel in short syllables, as cdno, or 
 after the vowel bearing the long or short mark in long syllables, 
 as cd'no, c&'nto. The glide down from a high pitch to a low one, 
 always on a long vowel, is marked by the circumflex, as stime. 
 The glide up from a low pitch to a high one, also always on a 
 long vowel, is marked by a grave accent on the vowel followed 
 by an acute accent after it, as Norwegian dag. The low pitch 
 is unmarked. But a grave accent marks a still lower pitch. 
 Heavy syllables are in italics, light syllables unmarked. Em- 
 phasis as affecting a whole word is represented by (') placed
 
 60 ON ENGLISH METRE. 
 
 before the whole word, and will mark any peculiarity of ex- 
 pression by which it is indicated in speech. Silence, when not 
 marked by the usual points or dashes, or in addition to these, 
 is denoted by ( ), a turned mark of degrees, for small, and (Q), 
 a turned zero, for long silences. Odd measures end with | , 
 and even measures with ]. By this means all the principal 
 points of rhythm can be easily marked by ordinary types. 
 
 " From the above it will be seen how minute are my own 
 notions of rhythm as actually practised by poets in a developed 
 state of literature, not those who had to struggle with singsong 
 doggrel, as in much of our oldest rhymes. This also shews in 
 what sense I consider the old classical terms ' misleading ' 
 principally, as now used, in studying classical metres with 
 modern prepossessions, and also as utterly insufficient for 
 English purposes. 
 
 " I will conclude by appending a few lines which I have put 
 together for the sole purpose of contrasting irregularities with 
 regularities. Lines in strange rhythms would never be so ac- 
 cumulated and contrasted in practice. I mark them for force 
 only below, but roughly for length, pitch, weight, silence, and 
 measure, in the text, and add remarks. 
 
 1. In the | bl&ck' sky-'] glfnrmSrs | the pa'-le] co'ld moo'n 
 
 22 68, 8 2, 2 6 6 8 
 
 2. Sad' gho-st ! of nrght, ] and the sta'-rs | twin-kl$\ aroirnd 
 
 5 5, ' 2 5, 22 8, 7 2, 2 6 
 
 or, 2 2, 7 8, 2 2 6 
 
 3. Trgnrbling | span'gles'^\ set' in I her da/'rk] gau'ze vei'l 
 
 5 2, 52, 5 2, 2 5, ' 7 8 
 
 4. Pa'le quee'n, \ pfrre quee'n,'] dtt'll' quee'n, \ forlo'Tn] quee'n ; a'ye n 
 
 56, 5 6, 7 5, 5 8 8 9 
 
 5. Give me | the so'lcial gld'w, \ the brrght] cdd'l a , the ft 
 
 7 2, 2, 8, 2 7, 27, 8 2 u 
 
 6. Fit'ful:ly ge'lnial fla'me,^ \ iTghting] ea'ch chee'k, 
 
 6 2, 2 7, 2 2 7, 85, 5 8, 
 
 7. Gll'ding | each sml-le], brl'-ghtsome | accSnrJpaniruent 
 
 85, 5 8, 8 3 28122 
 
 8. Of brrghtlsome mel']ody rlng'ling from brrghtlsome hea'rts. 
 
 28, 3 8, 3 2 8, 3 2 8, 3 8 
 
 9. The rig' id ll''ne] enca'sed | in rig']id ru v 'les , 
 
 2 7, 2 7, 27, 1 7, '2 7 
 
 10. As dtt'll' | as stag'lnant waiter^ du'll's] the ml'nd 
 
 18, 18, 1 7, 1 L 8, 2 7 
 
 11. That Idng-s \ to free''] itself' I from ha'Tsh] contro'L 
 
 1 8, 1 8, 2 7, 1 7, 28
 
 NATURAL OR A-POSTERIOR1 SYSTEM. 61 
 
 12. And in I the va - ]ried rhy'th f \m of hea'Tt] and sou'l 
 
 3 1, 1 7, 2 Y, 1 1 7, 1 8 
 
 13. Fee''ls the | stin--a<5'eM true- po- esy's-] true'- king' 
 
 7 1, 87, 7812 7 8 
 
 It will be at once evident that force is here very insufficient 
 for marking the rhythm, and that length, weight and silence 
 have much effect. The only regular lines are 9, 10, 11, and 
 they have a singularly dull effect among the others. Some of 
 the lines set all ordinary rules at naught, and some readers 
 may take them, as Goethe's mother took Klopstock's Messiah, 
 for 'prose run mad.' Line 1, an ordinary form, begins with 
 two short and weak syllables, followed by two strong and long 
 ones, of which the first, 'blftck',' has a short vowel and an 
 ordinary pitch, and the second, 'sky 1 ',' has a long diphthong, 
 and with a higher pitch. The next two measures are of the 
 form strong-weak weak-strong, very usual at the commence- 
 ment or on beginning the third or fourth measure. The third 
 measure, 'glim'mers,' has a short strong high first syllable, and 
 a long weak low second syllable, which is also very common. 
 The three long strong syllables which close the line are very 
 common as an ending, the first is high, and the other two 
 descend, but the voice must not drop to 'mocxn,' as the 
 sentence does not end. The weight of the last words makes the 
 metre secure. In line 2 there are three long and rather strong 
 syllables, but the pitch is low, and the weight unimportant. 
 These are relieved by the trisyllabic third measure, in which 
 the first two syllables are extremely light, short and weak. 
 The pitch rises on the long and strong ' sta/'rs,' but higher yet 
 on its verb (and hence heavy) ' twin'kleY in which the first 
 syllable is short and strong, but the second long and weak, the 
 U standing for the long I only. Line 3 does not satisfy any 
 one of my three tests, for it is only the fourth and fifth 
 measures which end with a strong syllable. On examination it 
 will be seen that the line consists of two sections ; the first, 
 ' trSnrbling spftn'glSs,' of two measures with the strong and 
 long syllable first, and the last ending with a long syllable ; and 
 the second, ' set' in her da/'rk gau'ze vev'l' of three measures, 
 of which the first two are common initial and post-pausal 
 measures (strong-weak + weak-strong), and it is this arrange-
 
 62 ON ENGLISH METRE. 
 
 ment which saves the line ; the last three syllables are all 
 strong, but the last is the heaviest, and this makes the line 
 complete. It would be easy to alter the line to 
 
 Set- in | her da-'rk] gairze verl \ like trenr]bling span'glbs, 
 or to 
 
 Trgnrbling | like spa'rr]glgs in | her da'rk] gairze vei f l, 
 or 
 
 Like spS'n'Igles tr8nr]bliiig in | her da'rk] gairze vei*l. 
 
 But all these would be far more commonplace both in rhythm 
 and poetry. At present, the beginning of the line typifies the 
 feeling of the trembling starlight, while the three strong final 
 syllables contrast this with the dark expanse of the heavens. 
 
 " Line 4, with its nine strong syllables, is strange. The fifth 
 syllable, 'dull,' has decidedly more force than the sixth, 'queen,' 
 because the word forms a climax, but the ' queen ' throughout 
 has much weight from grammatical reasons, which restores the 
 balance of rhythm. The slight pause in the fifth measure 
 raises the 'queen' in force, and also requires the pitch to be 
 sustained, that the ear may be prepared for the 'a - 'ye,' which 
 not only rises in force, but much more in pitch, and must be 
 followed by a much longer silence, ready for the burst in the 
 next line (5), where the first words, ' give me the,' will be very 
 short, though ' give ' will be distinctly emphasised, and with a 
 much lower pitch than the preceding ' a/'ye.' The chief force 
 comes on 'so''cial,' which will lengthen its first syllable and 
 rise in pitch, whereas 'glow' will be nearly as strong, much 
 heavier, but lower. The last four syllables seem to knock 
 verse on the head, but the nearly equal force of ' bright ' and 
 ' coal,' with heavier weight and higher pitch of ' coal,' allow 
 the slight pause after it ; the weak but lengthened ' the ' 
 (which must have a perceptible pause after it, without dropping 
 the voice to the lowest pitch, to fill up the last measure) pre- 
 pares the mind to contrast the steady brightness of the glowing 
 coal with the jerking darting flame typified in the whole two 
 lines 6 and 7, first by the three-fold recurrence of the group 
 strong-weak + weak-strong (the first united with another of the 
 form weak -weak -strong, having the weak syllables almost sub-
 
 NATURAL OR A-POSTER1ORI SYSTEM. 63 
 
 weak and sub-short, and the two others, complete in themselves, 
 with the weak syllables rising to medium force and medial 
 length), and next in the curious form of the last two measures 
 of line 7, 'acconrpaniment,' which must retain all its five 
 syllables. The gushing of the 'melody' is indicated in a 
 similar manner by the two trisyllabic measures in line 8 ; the 
 effect may be readily seen by avoiding them thus 
 
 Of brrghtsome notes, ring -ing from bri'ghtsorne hea' Tts, 
 or, worse far, but restoring regularity 
 
 Of bri''ghtsorne no'tes, that rl'ng' from brl'ghtsome hea <- rts, 
 
 where I have marked the regular singsong pitch. One can 
 fancy Pope ' correcting ' to this form ! 
 
 " After the three very dull regular lines 9, 10, 11, the ear is 
 greatly relieved by the line 12, beginning with three weak 
 syllables, rising to a climax of weight and pitch in ' rhythm,' 
 and introducing a trisyllabic fourth measure, with sustained 
 pitch on the last syllable of the fifth measure to mark the 
 parenthetical clause, and lead on to the last line 13, with its 
 heavy lengthy rhythm, marked especially by the word ' sun- 
 god,' which has most force on the first syllable, ' sun,' but 
 higher pitch and heavier weight on the second, 'god.' The 
 last three measures of this line, with four long, strong, and 
 heavy syllables, is relieved by distributing them into two 
 groups of two, separated by a very light weak measure with a 
 last syllable of medial length, which saves the line from ponde- 
 rosity without detracting from its majesty. 
 
 " These observations on my own lines, patched together for 
 the mere purpose of exemplification, will serve to shew the 
 method in which, if I could bestow the requisite time upon 
 them, I should study the rhythms of real poets, and the great 
 complexity of English rhythms in the state they have reached 
 since the beginning of the seventeenth century, when Shakspeare 
 had learned to be daring in metre as well as poetry. But each 
 poet would have to be considered in relation to his antecedents 
 and his contemporaries, and the state of our language at the 
 time, as shewn by its pronunciation, and its prose manipulation. 
 Each poet, worthy of being so called, bears his own individual
 
 64 ON ENGLISH METRE. 
 
 rhythmical stamp, as well as that of his age. We must not 
 judge Chaucer's rhythms by Browning's or Swinburne's, any 
 more than we must judge the unison music of the Greeks by 
 the choral music of Handel and Bach." 
 
 Mr Ellis remarks subsequently that the above rules are 
 defective in not paying sufficient regard to the fifth measure, 
 which, striking the ear last, like a cadence in music, is often 
 typical. Wjth respect to this fifth measure, the general condi- 
 tion, although circumstances sometimes arise which induce the 
 poet to violate it, is that the last syllable should not be weaker 
 than the preceding syllable or syllables, and that, when it is 
 actually weaker, it should be at least longer or heavier. The 
 usu~aTTorm of the' fifth measure is weak-strong. 
 
 " In looking through the first book of Paradise Lost, I find 
 this usual form in a decided majority of instances. It occurs in 
 fifteen out of the first sixteen lines already quoted (p. 55). 
 Even in the exception (line 12), the fifth measure is at most 
 mean-strong. In a few instances I have noted weak-weak- 
 strong; but then the weak is usually sub- weak, as: ethere-al 
 sky, fie-ry gulf, tempestu-ous fire, mutu-al league, perpetu-al 
 king, sulphu-rous hail, fie-ry waves, Stygi-an flood, oblivi-ous 
 pool, superi-or friend, ponde-rous shield, cho-sen this place, 
 popu-lous North, barba-rous sons, fie-ry couch, tem-ple of God, 
 border-ing flood, gener-al names, Isra-el 'scape, spi-rit more 
 lewd (where the second weak syllable is almost sub-mean, but 
 sprite may have been said), counten-ance cast, follow-ers rather 
 (with a superfluous syllable also), spir-it that fell. A very com- 
 mon variety is simply weak-weak, as: ar-gument, prov-idence, 
 vis-ible, en-emy, suprem-acy, es-sences, mis-ery, mis-erable, 
 (with a superfluous syllable, which is not usual after a fifth 
 measure of this kind), calam-ity, circum-ference, chiv-alry. car- 
 casses, invis-ible, etc. 
 
 " The most important deviation, however, consists in having 
 fifth measures of the form strong-superstrong, or mean-strong, 
 or even strong-strong or strong-heavy. I subjoin all cases of 
 this kind which occur in the first book of Paradise Lost, quoting 
 the whole line, and italicising those other measures, which, 
 instead of being weak-strong, have any other form, as weak-
 
 NATURAL OR A-POSTERIORI SYSTEM. 
 
 65 
 
 weak, mean-strong, strong-strong, strong-mean, strong-weak, or 
 trisyllabic. The figures prefixed shew all the measures in 
 which the last syllable predominates over the others, and a 
 glance at them will shew that, whatever other measures satisfy 
 this condition, we have always either the third and fifth, or the 
 second and fourth, that most frequently only four measures 
 satisfy this condition, and that when all the five measures have 
 the principal force on the last syllable (which occurs in seven 
 cases), one at least of these measures is varied by strengthen- 
 ing or lengthening the preceding syllable, or trisyllabising a 
 measure, and thus avoiding the monotony in fact only one 
 (' By ancient Tarsus ') does not treat at least two measures in 
 this way. 
 
 1 345 Wast present, and] with might|y wings] out-spread 
 
 123 5 Say first \ for Heav'n] hides noth\ing from] thy view 
 
 2345 Nor the \ deep tract] of Hell ; | say first] what cause 
 
 23 5 Favoured \ of Heav'n] so highly to] fall off 
 
 123 5 The infer\nal ser]pent ; he | it was,] whose guile 
 
 2345 Mix'd with \ obdu]rate pride | and stead]fast hate 
 
 12 45 A dun|geon hor]rible \ on all] sides round 
 
 123 5 As one | great /Menace flam'd ; | yet from those flames 
 
 2345 Regions \ of sor]row, dole|ful shades,] where peace 
 
 123 5 That comes \ to all;] but tor\ture with]out end 
 
 2 45 There the \ companions of \ his fall] o'erwhelm'd 
 
 123 5 And thence | in Heav'n] calVd Sat Ian, with] bold words 
 
 12345 If thou | beest he;] but O, | how fall'nf] how chang'd 
 
 23 5 Cloth'd with \ transcend]ent brightness, didst \ outshine 
 
 12345 Though chang'd \ in out]ward lus;tre that] fix'd mind 
 
 2 45 Who from \ the ter]rour of \ this arm] so late 
 
 2 45 Irrec|oncile]a6e | to our] grand foe 
 
 2345 Out of | our e]vil seek | to bring] forth good 
 
 12345 By ancient Tars]us held; | or that] sea-beast 
 
 2 45 Moors by \ his side] under \ the lee,] while night 
 
 12345 So stretch'd \ out huge] in length | the arch-]fiend lay 
 
 2 45 Evil | to oth]ers; and \ enrag'd,] might see 
 
 123 5 How alt \ his mal]ice serv'd | but to] bring forth 
 
 123 5 That felt | unu]sual weight; \ till on] dry land 
 
 123 5 Of un\blest feet.] ffim'fol\low'd his] next mate 
 
 23 5 In this | unhap]py mansion; or] once more 
 
 2 45 Hung on \ his should]ers like \ the moon, | whose orb 
 
 2 45 Or in \ Valdar]o to \ descry] new lands 
 
 12345 Hath vex'd | the Red] Sea coast, \ v)hose leaves] o'erthrew 
 
 H. M. 5
 
 66 ON ENGLISH METRE. 
 
 2345 Roaming \ to seek] their prey | on earth,] durst fix 
 
 12345 By that | uxo]ri'o?w king, \ whose heart] though large 
 
 123 5 Of Tham|muz year]ly wound|eo?; the'] love-tale 
 
 123 5 Infect|ed Si]on's daughters with] like heat 
 
 1 345 Of ajfo'ena]ted Ju|dah. Next] came one 
 
 2345 Maim'd his \ brute wrejage, head | and hands] lopt off 
 
 1 345 From mor\tal or] immor\t&\ minds.] Thus they 
 
 123 5 That fought ] at Thebes] and I\\ium, on] each side 
 
 123 5 That all | these pu\issant le\gions whose \ exile 
 
 1 345 He spake, | and, to] confirm] his words | out-flew 
 
 135 In \i\sion be]&tif\ic: by] him first 
 
 12345 To man|y a row] of pipes | the sound-]board breathes 
 
 Nevertheless, even with this supplementary caution respecting 
 the constitution of the fifth measure, my rules do not form, as 
 I thought, the sole conditions of rhythmical verse. A really 
 rhythmical line can be contrived (as line 3 of my own, p. 60), 
 which does not follow my rules, but owes its rhythmical 
 character to other considerations, which I have partly noticed 
 on p. 61." 
 
 In the above remarks of Mr Ellis I cordially agree, (1) as to 
 the general statement of the law of the heroic metre, (2) as to 
 the greater or less intensity of the metrical stress even in what 
 would be usually treated as regular iambic feet. I also agree, 
 to a considerable extent, in what he says (3) as to the limits of 
 trisyllabic and trochaic substitution. But whilst I admire, I 
 with difficulty repress a shudder at the elaborate apparatus he 
 has provided for registering the minutest variations of metrical 
 stress. Not only does he distinguish nine different degrees of 
 force, but there are the same number of degrees of length, 
 pitch, silence, and weight, making altogether forty-five varieties 
 of stress at the disposal of the metrist. The first observation 
 which occurs upon this is that, here as elsewhere, the better is 
 the enemy of the good. If the analysis of rhythm is so terribly 
 complicated, let us rush into the arms of the intuitivists and 
 trust to our ears only, for life is not long enough to admit of 
 characterizing lines when there are forty-five expressions for 
 each syllable to be considered. But leaving this : there is no 
 difficulty in understanding what is meant by force, pitch, length 
 and silence, and I allow that all of them have an influence on
 
 NATURAL OR A-POSTERIORI SYSTEM. 67 
 
 English rhythm, though the first alone determines its general 
 character. But what is meant by " weight " ? Mr Ellis calls it 
 " a very complex phenomenon," which " is, more than all, the 
 governing principle of English verse," and " is due to expression 
 and mental conceptions of importance, resulting partly from 
 expression in delivery, produced by quality of tone and gliding 
 pitch, and partly from the mental effect of the constructional 
 predominance of conceptions." I cannot think that what is 
 thus described has any right to be classed along with those 
 very definite accidents or conditions of sound, force, pitch, 
 length and silence. Feeling and thought may be expressed by 
 any one of these, as well as by the regularity or irregularity of 
 successive sounds. Weight therefore cannot be defined as ex- 
 pressiveness ; or if it is, it is something which cannot exist 
 separately, but only manifests itself through the medium of one 
 of the others 1 . Nor do I find the difficulty cleared up by 
 looking at Mr Ellis' examples. In his own lines he tells us 
 (p. 61) that " moon," at the end of the first, has weight, but in 
 the second, " sad ghost of night," though " long and strong," is 
 " unimportant in weight " : " twinkle " is heavy as being a verb, 
 and also " glow " and " coal " further on. I confess I fail to see 
 any ground for these distinctions ; to insist upon them as 
 essential to the appreciation of rhythm seems to me to be 
 putting an unnecessary burden on all students of poetry. The 
 one thing to attend to is the variation of force, arising either 
 from emphasis, in the case of monosyllables, or from the word- 
 accent in polysyllables. When this is thoroughly grasped it 
 may be well to notice how the rhythm thus obtained receives a 
 further colouring from pitch, length, or silence, from allitera- 
 tion, and in various other ways, but all these are secondary. 
 
 I proceed now to consider the limitation which Mr Ellis 
 puts upon the general rule that every foot admits of the in- 
 version of the accent. In the remarks above quoted he gives 
 
 1 On this Mr Ellis writes "respecting 'weight,' I am afraid I cannot go into 
 further particulars. I do not insist on the appreciation of weight, or pitch, or 
 quality, or length, or anything but variety of force for the mere discovery of the 
 laws of rhythm. The other considerations are only required for the complete 
 estimation of the poet's march within those laws, and this march differs 
 materially from poet to poet." 
 
 52
 
 68 ON ENGLISH METRE. 
 
 two views, not quite consistent with each other, one of which 
 appeared for the first time in 1848, and the other in JL869. 
 According to the former, " it is necessary that there should be 
 an accent on the last syllable, either of the third and fifth 
 measures, or of the second and fourth. If either of these 
 requisites is complied with, other accents may be distributed 
 almost at pleasure." According to the latter view, " there must 
 be a principal stress on the last syllable of the second and 
 fourth measures ; or of the first and fourth ; or of the third and 
 some other. If any one of these three conditions is satisfied, 
 the verse, so far as stress is concerned, is complete." Yet else- 
 where Mr Ellis confesses that even this later and freer view 
 is only applicable in cases in which " the feeling of the rhythm 
 is still preserved, not in a case in which the initial syllables 
 of all the other measures had the stress"; and that "rhyth- 
 mical lines can be written which do not observe these rules, 
 though their observance creates rhythmical lines." But how 
 can it be said that ' their observance creates rhythmical lines," 
 when it has just been acknowledged that it will not do so, 
 if the initial syllables of all the other measures have the 
 stress ? I am unable to understand the value of a rule, the ob- 
 servance of which does not necessarily make the line rhythmical, 
 and the breach of which does not necessarily make it un- 
 rhythmical. Of the latter we have more than one example in 
 the lines quoted by Mr Ellis himself. Thus his own line, 
 Trembling spangles se"t in her dark gauze veil, 
 
 has the final stress only in the fourth and fifth measures. 
 
 We will now try the effect of an accent on the last syllable 
 of the second and fourth feet, which is all that is required, ac- 
 cording to both of Mr Ellis' statements, to complete the verse, 
 as far as stress is concerned. 
 
 Hark there | is heard | sound as | of man | groaning |. 
 
 I cannot say that this rhythm is at all satisfactory to my ear, 
 and I should doubt very much whether a parallel could be 
 found for it from any iambic passage by a recognized poet. It 
 seems to me that a better rhythm is produced by the iamb in 
 the second and the fifth place ; e.g.
 
 NATURAL OR A-POSTERIORI SYSTEM. 69 
 
 Sound the | alarm | sotind the | trumpet | of war|. 
 In fact, as Mr Ellis acknowledges in his subsequent statement, 
 the final iamb is almost as characteristic in English as in 
 Greek ; if it is inverted, the rest of the line must be strongly 
 iambic, not to lose its proper rhythmical character. I should 
 be inclined to say that the limit of trochaic substitution was 
 three out of five, provided that the final foot remained iambic, 
 otherwise two out of five (see however below on Hamlet). We 
 have tried a line with trochees in all but the second and fifth, 
 we will now give specimens of iambs in the other feet. 
 
 First and fifth The din | thickens | sound the | trumpet | of war |. 
 Third and fifth Hark the | chorus | is heard | sweetly | they sing |. 
 
 Perhaps one should except also the line which has the two 
 iambs close together (fourth and fifth), as 
 
 Hark how | loud the | chorus j of joy | they sing |, 
 
 unless there is a decided break in the sense so as to make a 
 pause after the first two feet, as in Mr Ellis' line 
 
 Trembling | spangles | set in | her dark | gauze veil |. 
 
 I think, however, it is a mistake to pick out a certain position 
 of the accents, as Mr Ellis has done in p. 56, and speak of the 
 rhythm of a line as owing to accents so placed, when the line 
 has other accents which are of themselves capable of sustaining 
 the rhythm. 
 
 With regard to the other accentual irregularities, excess ^pf 
 accent, i.e. the spondee, is allowable in any position, and I am 
 inclined to think that the limit of this substitution is wider 
 than those which we have been considering, that in fact there 
 might be four spondees in the line, supposing that the fourth or 
 fifth foot remains iambic ; that we might have, for instance, 
 
 Rocks caves, | lakes fens, | bogs dens, 
 
 shades dire I of death 
 
 death's region all | 
 
 where dark | death reigns | *. 
 
 1 Since the above was written I have had my attention drawn to Milton's 
 line containing four spondees, the solitary iamb occurring in the 2nd foot, 
 
 Say Muse | their names | then known | who first | who last | 
 21 l 11 llll
 
 70 ON ENGLISH METRE. 
 
 Defect of accent, the pyrrhic, may also be found in any position, 
 but it is rare for two pyrrliics to come together, and perhaps 
 impossible without a secondary accent falling on one of the 
 syllables, e.g. on the last syllable of mansionry. 
 
 By his | loved man sionry j that the | heaven's breath |. 
 
 Perhaps this line would be better scanned with a trisyllabic 
 fourth foot, but we might replace ' heaven's breath ' by ' sweet 
 south,' without destroying the rhythm. If not more than two 
 pyrrhics can come together, it follows that the limit to this 
 substitution will be three out of five, and as a rule the other 
 feet would be spondees rather than iambs. 
 
 As to trisyllabic substitution it is plain that, if we set no 
 limit to this, the character of the metre is changed, and that, 
 if we were to meet, say, such a line as the following in a heroic 
 passage descriptive of the sphinx, 
 
 Terrible | her approach | with a hid|eous yel|ling and scream |, 
 
 we could only describe it as an intrusion of trisyllabic metre. 
 On the other hand, we might say, without destroying the iambic 
 character of the line 
 
 Terrible | their approach I with on|set huge | of war | 
 (or) with hi|deous din | of war | 
 
 (but not, I think) with hijdeous yeljling and scream |. 
 
 That is, I think the limit of trisyllabic substitution is three out 
 of five. I should be surprised to find more than this in any 
 serious poetry, and if it did occur, I think the true scientific 
 account (i.e. the scanning) of the line would be, to call it an 
 anapaestic verse inserted by a freak of the poet in the midst 
 of a passage of a different nature 1 . 
 
 We must distinguish, however, between the different kinds 
 of trisyllabic feet. The anapaest, which may be considered an 
 
 1 Mr Swinburne however has a heroic line which contains four anapaests 
 and yet satisfies the ear : 
 
 Thou art old|er and coldjer of spi rit and blood | tban I . 
 
 Mar. Fal. A. 3, Sc. 1. 
 
 No doubt the syllables run very smoothly, so that the anapaests are not far 
 removed from slurred iambs.
 
 NATURAL OR A-POSTERIORI SYSTEM. 71 
 
 extension of the iamb, is the most common ; the dactyl, which 
 is similarly an extension of the trochee, is only allowable, I 
 think, in the first and either the third or fourth foot; e.g. we 
 may say 
 
 Terrible | their approach | terrible | the clash | of war i 
 
 or 
 
 Terrible | the clash | of war | terrible | the din|. 
 
 Whether amphibrach, i.e. iamb followed by an unaccented 
 syllable, could be allowed in any place, except, of course, in cases 
 of feminine rhythm, is perhaps doubtful. I cannot remember 
 any parallel to a heroic line such as the following, but I see no 
 objection to it : 
 
 Rebounding | from the rock | the an|gry break|ers roared j. 
 
 A similar doubt may be raised with regard to the tribrach, 
 i.e. a foot consisting of three unaccented syllables. Mr Ellis 
 finds a tribrach in the fourth place of the following line, 
 Of man's | first dis|obe|dience and | the fruit), 
 
 02 1002000 2 
 
 which some might prefer to scan 
 
 Of man's | first diS|Obe|dience | and the fruit). 
 
 Sometimes the dactyl approaches nearly to a bacchius or cretic, 
 and the anapaest to an antibacchius. The essential rule is that 
 the syllable, which by theory bears the stress, should at all 
 events not be overpowered by the secondary stress. 
 
 Mr Masson's views on Milton's versification are given in 
 an Essay prefixed to his edition of Milton. The general 
 formula of Milton's blank verse being xa (where x stands for an 
 unaccented, a for an accented syllable), he explains this formula 
 to mean that " each line delivers into the ear a general oxa 
 effect ; the ways of producing this effect being various. What 
 the ways are, can only be ascertained by carefully reading and 
 scanning a sufficient number of specimens of approved blank 
 verse." " On the whole it is best to assume that strictly 
 metrical effects are pretty permanent, that what was agreeable 
 to the English metrical sense in former generations, is agreeable 
 now. and that, even in verse as old as Chaucer's, one of the
 
 72 ON ENGLISH METRE. 
 
 tests of the right metrical reading of any line is that it shall 
 satisfy the present ear." " What combinations of the disyllabic 
 groups xa, ax, xx, aa, can produce a blank verse which shall be 
 good to the ear, is not a matter for arithmetical computation, 
 but for experience 1 ." Sometimes a line will be found satisfac- 
 tory to the ear, though only one, or not even one, of its feet 
 is of the normal type. e.g. 
 
 Scanda|lous or | forbid|den in | our law). 
 
 a x x x x a x x a a 
 
 Hail! Son | of the | Most High | heir of | both worlds |. 
 
 a a x x a a a x a a 
 
 " I perpetually find in Milton a foot for which ' spondee ' 
 is the best name." " English blank verse admits a trochee, 
 spondee, _or tribrach in almost any place in the line." The 
 number of accents in a line varies from three to eight. In 
 seventy lines, containing trisyllabic feet, Mr Masson finds 
 eighteen anapaests, occurring in any place ; six dactyls, occur- 
 ring in the first, second and fourth feet; six tribrachs in the 
 first, second, and third ; three antibacchius, occurring in the 
 second and third ; two cretics in the first and fourth ; thirty- 
 five arnphibrachs, occurring in any foot but the last : in some 
 lines there are two trisyllabic feet. He refuses to get rid of 
 syllables by the process of elision or slurring. As the line has 
 frequently more than ten syllables, so it has occasionally less. 
 
 Mr Masson quotes largely in proof of his theory, but it seems 
 
 1 This is in somewhat amusing contrast with Dr Guest's a priori calculation 
 of the possible varieties of the heroic line. Beginning with the section of two 
 accents, he says, "this, when it begins abruptly, is capable only of two forms 
 AbA and Abb A ; 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 verse of four accents, being 
 made up of two sections of two accents each, will give 18 multiplied by 18 
 varieties, or 324. The possible varieties of the verse with five accents is 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. There are doubtless many combinations, as 
 yet untried, which would satisfy the ear, and it is matter of surprise, 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." English Rhythms, p. 160.
 
 NATURAL OR A-POSTERIORI SYSTEM. 73 
 
 to me that in many cases the line is wrongly scanned. Thus to 
 shew that a line may have no more than nine syllables he quotes 
 (from Comus, 596) 
 
 Self-fed and self-consum'd : if this fail. 
 
 But though the e of ' consumed ' is omitted in the standard 
 editions, we are not bound to consider that this represents the 
 pronunciation, any more than that ' rott'ness ' in the next line 
 is a disyllabic. If we read ' consumed ' as a trisyllable the line 
 is perfectly regular. Another instance of a nine-syllable line 
 has still less to say for itself. In Pickering's edition it reads 
 thus (P. L. in. 216) 
 
 Dwells in | all hea|ven char|ity | so deare |, 
 
 which is of course perfectly regular. 
 
 The question of elision and slurring will be considered 
 further on. If, as I believe, Milton practised both, this would 
 very much weaken, if not entirely destroy, the evidence in 
 favour of such feet as the antibacchius, cretic and amphibrach. 
 As examples of the first we find 
 
 If true | here only | and of | deli|cious taste | 
 Not this | rock only | his ornjnipres|ence fills | 
 Thy pun|ishment | then justly | is at j his will j 
 
 In these lines the y of only and justly may be either slurred 
 before the following vowel, or it may be taken with the follow- 
 ing foot and change that into an anapaest. For cretics we have 
 the lines 
 
 Each to oth|er like | more than | on earth | is thought | . 
 
 I must | not sufjfer this | yet 'tis but | the lees | Com. 809. 
 
 In the former 1 should be disposed to slur to, making the first 
 foot a spondee ; compare 
 
 The~one wind|ing, the~oth|er straight | and left | between |. 
 
 P. R. in. 256. 
 
 The~one sweetjly flat|ters, the~oth|er fear|eth harm|. 
 
 Rape of Lucrece 1 72. 
 
 In the latter it might be contended, on other than metrical 
 grounds, that yet had been foisted into the text by mistake. 
 " 'Tis but the lees " would then give the reason for " I must not
 
 74 ON ENGLISH METRE. 
 
 suffer this." Tf the ' yet ' is genuine, it implies that, though the 
 lady has committed a punishable offence, yet Comus considering 
 it to be merely owing to the " settlings of a melancholy blood," 
 requires nothing more than that she should drink the contents 
 of the magic glass. In this case, ' yet ' should be scanned with 
 the preceding foot, which would then be an anapaest. 
 
 As regards the examples of amphibrach, many disappear if 
 we allow of slurring and elision, as 
 
 Whom reason j hath e| quailed force | hath made | supreme | 
 which becomes regular if we read reas'n ; 
 
 Of rainbows | and starjry eyes | the wa|ters thus | 
 which should be divided as follows, slurring y before eyes : 
 
 Of rain|bows and | starry~eyes | the waiters thus | 
 
 In the lines which follow, ' pursuers ' and ' the highest ' may 
 either be taken as slurred iambs or the last syllable in each 
 case should go with the following foot, making it an anapaest. 
 
 Of their | pursuers | and ojvercame | by flight | 
 
 Aim at | the highest | without ] the highest [ attained j 
 
 In other cases the line may be read with an anapaest instead of 
 an amphibrach 
 
 Fled and | pursued ] transverse | the reso|nant fugue | 
 where the last two feet may be divided 
 
 | the res|oiiant fugue | . 
 
 [In the lines which follow I italicize Mr Masson's amphi- 
 brachs, but divide, as I should scan them myself, with ana- 
 paests.] 
 
 The in\tricate wards | and ev|ery bolt | and bar | 
 
 In pi\ety thus | and pure | devojtion | 
 
 Ridic ( u\<M3, and | the work | Confujsion named | 
 
 Their city his temjple and | their hojly ark | 
 
 Mirac\ulo\is yet | remaining in | those locks | 
 
 This indolence othjer kind j of anjswer fits!. 
 
 Of mas|*y ir\on or soljid rock | with ease | 
 
 Carn&'tion pur\ple az|ure or speckt | with gold | 
 
 Out, out | hyae\na these j are thy won|ted arts j 
 
 Tongue-doughty gi\ant how j dost thou prove | me these |
 
 NATURAL OR A-POSTERIORI SYSTEM. 75 
 
 To quench | the drought | of Phoe\bus which | as they taste | 
 But for | that damn'd | magic\ian let | him be girt | 
 Crams and | blasphemes I his fee\der shall | I go on | 
 Made god|dess of | the riv\er still | she retains | 
 
 I need not go through the whole list. All may be treated 
 in the same way ; I can see no reason why Mr Masson should 
 have found amphibrachs in them any more than in the fol- 
 lowing line, which he himself reads with an anapaest, not as 
 might have been expected, with an initial amphibrach. 
 
 Afford | me, assas sinajted and | betrayed]. S. Ag. 1109. 
 
 While agreeing with Mr Masson in finding dactyls, ana- 
 paests and trochees in Milton's blank verse, I cannot accept his 
 scanning of the following lines, which I have divided, so as to 
 shew what I believe to be the real feet, italicizing Mr Masson's 
 dactyls. 
 
 Little | s*picjious to an|y king | but now | 
 
 Shook ttie~ar\senal \ and thun|dered ojver Greece | 
 
 From us | his foes | pronounced | fflory \ he exacts | 
 
 Next comes the question of the tribrach, of which the 
 following examples are cited. As before, I italicize the supposed 
 tribrachs, while giving my own scanning. 
 
 Epic\ure-&n and | the Stoic | severe 
 
 10010 20 01 
 
 Here I think the 4th foot has a better title to be classed as an 
 amphibrach than any of those so classed by Mr Masson 
 
 Curios|iVy | wquis|itive imjportune | 
 
 [Mr Masson considers that the last line consists of anapaest, 
 tribrach, trochee and two iambs. I read it as anapaest, two 
 iambs, anapaest, iamb, supposing the accent of ' importune ' to 
 be the same as in P. L. ix. 610; if it is accented as in P. R. 
 II. 404, the 4th foot would be an iamb, and the line would 
 have a feminine ending.] 
 
 So he | with dif\faul\ty and lajbour hard ] 
 To a | fell &d\versa\ry his hate | and name | 
 The throne hereditary and bound | his reign |. 
 
 It may be worth while to compare with Mr Masson's ac- 
 count of the Miltonic line the remarks on the same subject
 
 76 ON ENGLISH METRE. 
 
 by Mr Keightley in his interesting volume on the Life, 
 Opinions and Writings of Milton. He considers that English 
 blank verse is derived from the Italian ; that it admits hyper- 
 metric syllables both after the caesura (or section) and at the 
 end of the line ; that Milton further borrowed from the Italian 
 poets the double trochee at the beginning of the line as well 
 as after the caesura, and a freer use of the anapaest, though 
 abstaining from one peculiarity of Italian verse, viz. the se- 
 quence iamb-trochee at the beginning of the line 1 . As to the 
 last however Mr Keightley himself cites immediately afterwards 
 two verses in which this sequence occurs 
 
 Inclines | here to I continjue and build | up here | P. L. n. 313 
 01 100100 i 01 
 
 Among | daughters | of men | the fai|rest found | P. R. n. 154 
 01 i o 01 010 i 
 
 and we have already noticed other examples in treating of 
 Dr Guest's ' pausing section.' 
 
 Of the jtiit.ia,] Hobble trnp.hp.e Mr Keightley gives twenty 
 examples from Milton (one or two of which might be dif- 
 ferently scanned, but several might be added in their place) 
 and shews how common the sequence is in Italian by quo- 
 tations from the beginning of the Gemsalemme Liberata. I 
 have already touched on this in reference to the line 
 
 Universal j reproach | far worse | to bear |. 
 Of double trochee after caesura we have such examples as 
 
 Crealted thee | in the | image | of God I P. L. vn. 427 
 1020 
 
 And dust | shalt eat | all the | days of | thy life | P. L. x. 178 
 10 10 
 
 Cast wanlton eyes I on the I daughters | of men | P. R. n. 180. 
 1020 
 
 Dante and Petrarch are cited as using the same sequence 
 in Italian. 
 
 1 Compare R. W. Evans Versification p. 84 " the trochee is admitted by 
 the Italian into every foot but the last, and even two are allowed to stand 
 together, as in the very first line of Tasso's epic. Milton, who was deeply 
 imbued with Italian poetry and had a pedantic turn, accordingly admits it 
 indiscriminately as in P. L. 
 
 Shoots in\visi\b\e vir|tue e'en | to the deep | in. 587. 
 
 In the | visions \ of God | . It was | a hill | xi. 377. 
 
 Thy lingering, or | with one | stroke of \ his dart | n. 702."
 
 NATURAL OR A-POSTEKIORI SYSTEM. 77 
 
 Of the hypermetric__syjja.1l7lp nt. the mesum the following 
 examples are given. I do not object to this, but have divided 
 them below so as to shew that it is possible to scan them, 
 otherwise. 
 
 Before | thy fel|lows, amlbitious j to win | P. L. vi. 160 
 
 2 
 
 With their | bright lu|miuaries|, that set | and rose P.L, vn.385 
 
 001 
 
 Thy con|descenfsion, and | shall be honjoured ev(er. P. L. vm. 649 
 
 01 002 
 
 That cru|el serjpent. On me | exerlcise not | P. L. x. 927 
 
 0210 
 
 Seemed their | petitjion, than | when th' anjcient pair | P.L. xi. 10 
 
 Oil 2 
 
 For in | those days | might onjly shall be j admired | ib. 689. 
 
 001 
 
 Mr Keightley even admits a hypermetric syllable at the 
 semicaesura, as 
 
 On Lemjnos j the Aegae|an isle |. Thus they | relate | P. L. i. 746 
 which is usually and, I think, correctly scanned 
 
 On Lemjnos th' Aejgean isle | thus they | relate]. 
 His second example is even less appropriate. I scan it 
 Who sees | thee? and what | is one? | who should'st | be seen | P.L.ix. 546.
 
 CHAPTER VI. 
 
 METRICAL METAMORPHOSIS. 
 
 THOSE who have paid little attention to the subject of metre 
 will probably think it a very easy matter to settle off-hand 
 the metre of any verse which is submitted to them. Starting 
 with the four simple metres, they are apt to assume that, if 
 a verse commences with an accented followed by an unaccented 
 syllable, it must be trochaic; if it commences with an unac- 
 cented followed by an accented syllable, iambic; if with an 
 accented 1 followed by two unaccented syllables, dactylic; if 
 with two unaccented syllables followed by an accented syllable, 
 anapaestic. But the most cursory examination of any dozen 
 lines of a poem written in some recognized metre, such as 
 Paradise Lost, would be sufficient to prove their error. Take 
 for instance such a line as P. L. I. 12 
 
 Fast by the oracle of God. I thence 
 
 This seems to begin with two dactyls; why should it not be 
 called dactylic ? Because we know that the poem from 
 which it is taken is written in five-foot iambic ; and therefore 
 this line must be iambic, and must contain five feet. Dividing 
 it into five pairs of syllables, we find that instead of beginning 
 with two dactyls, it begins with a trochee followed by an iamb. 
 And a little further examination will shew that this is no 
 isolated case, that somewhere about one-sixth of Milton's 
 iambic lines commence with a trochee. A smaller number 
 commence with a dactyl, as I. 87 
 
 Myriads | though bright | , if he | whom muftual league |
 
 METRICAL METAMORPHOSIS. 79 
 
 and a still smaller with anapaest as 
 
 P. L. iv. 2 The Apocfalypse | , heard cry | in Heaven | aloud | 
 P. R. ii. 234 No advanjtage, and | his strength | as oft | assay | 
 P. L. ii. 880 With impet|uous | recoil | and jar (ring sound | ; 
 
 unless we consider this last to begin with a trochee and dactyl, 
 which perhaps gives a more telling rhythm. 
 
 It is plain therefore that the position of the accent in the 
 first three syllables is no criterion as to the metre of the line. 
 The inference which might be drawn from the 1st foot has 
 to be corrected by our knowledge of the general metre of the 
 poem. It is not even safe to judge of the metre from the first 
 two feet, for (as we have seen in p. 76), some iambic lines 
 begin with two trochees. Nor again can we rely upon the 
 close of the line as giving an infallible criterion of the metre. 
 The line is not necessarily trochaic because it ends with an 
 accented followed by an unaccented syllable, nor iambic be- 
 cause it ends with an unaccented followed by an accented 
 syllable. On the contrary, one very common species of the 
 iambic line has the feminine ending, that is, closes with a hyper- 
 metrical unaccented syllable. And thus we find iambic lines 
 which might be said both to begin and end with a trochee, 
 as P. L. i. 263 
 
 Better to reign in hell than serve in heaven. 
 
 Or take such a line as 
 
 Beautiful Paris, evil-hearted Paris. 
 
 Here every foot seems to be a trochee except the 1st, which is 
 a dactyl or extended trochee, bearing the same relation to the 
 trochee proper as the anapaest to the iamb. Yet none of us 
 would hesitate to call it iambic and divide accordingly, 
 
 Beautijful Parjis, e|vil-hear|ted Par(is, 
 
 because it occurs in a well-known heroic poem. 
 
 Conversely the commonest species of trochaic drops its final 
 syllable, that is, suffers truncation, as in 
 
 Hark the | herald | angels j sing | .
 
 80 ON ENGLISH METRE. 
 
 Beside the feminine iambic, we find specimens of the mas- 
 culine form closing with a trochee (like the classical scazon) 
 as in the following from Morris' Jason, 
 
 ill. 54 About | 'this keel ] that ye | are now | lacking | 
 
 i o 
 
 in. 292 With whom | Alcine|na played | but nought | witting | 
 
 i o 
 
 in. 549 Anothfer sun | shine on | this fair | city | 
 
 i o 
 
 II. 641 Still flew | on toward | the east | no wit | heeding | 
 
 i o 
 
 I. 153 And put | the child | before | him but | Cheiron j 
 
 i o 
 
 See examples of the same rhythm quoted from Surrey below, 
 pp. 159, 160. Conversely we find specimens of a trochaic line 
 beginning with an iamb in Tennyson's Dirge, 
 
 The frail I bluebell | peereth | over | 
 01 20 10 10 
 
 Shelley's Euganean Hills, 
 Skylark, 
 
 The frail | bark of I this lone j being | 
 01 20 11 10 
 
 Invocation, 
 
 The blue | deep thou | wingest 
 01 2 o 20 
 
 The pale | purple | even | 
 
 1 2020 
 
 The fresh | earth in | new leaves | drest | 
 01 2021 2 
 
 We have seen that an unaccented syllable may be added 
 at the end of an iambic line or cut off from the end of a 
 trochaic line. Does the beginning of the line admit of the 
 same licenses? We are told that it is so in Chaucer. Prof. 
 Skeat (in his edition of the Prioress's Tale etc. p. LXIII) cites 
 the following example of initial truncation, making a mono- 
 syllabic 1st foot : 
 
 By | a mayjde lyk | to her | statu(r& 
 Til | wel ny j the day | bigan | to sprin(g& 
 Light\\y for | to play | and walk | on fo(t& 
 But | a govjernour | wyly | and wys j
 
 METRICAL METAMORPHOSIS. 81 
 
 And Dr Morris (in his edition of the Prologue etc. p. XLIII) 
 cites 
 
 In | a gowne | of faljdyng to | the kne | 
 Now \ it schy|neth now | it rey|neth fast | 
 
 Other examples may be found in Schipper's Englische Metrik, 
 Vol. L p. 462. 
 
 This license is found in the heroic metre as late as Marlowe, 
 compare Tamburlaine (Dyce, Vol. n. p. 48) 
 
 ^arjbarous | and blood|y Tamjburlaine | 
 p. 189 {?o|quer sack | and ut|terly | consume | 
 
 and see below, pp. 162, 163. 
 
 The truncation just spoken of is, I think, now obsolete in the 
 five-foot iambic; but it is not uncommon in shorter iambic lines. 
 Take for instance Marlowe's Come live with me. This is a poem 
 in four-foot iambic, and regular, with the exception of the 
 second line in the following verse, 
 
 There will | I make | thee beds | of ro(ses 
 And | a thousand fra grant po(sies 
 A cap.) of flowers and | a kir(tle 
 Embroi dered all | with leaves | of myr(tle. 
 
 In The Passions of Collins, a four-foot iambic poem of 118 
 lines, there are 12 which suffer truncation. In Wordsworth's 
 great ode, out of 200 iambic and anapaestic lines of varying 
 length, there are five which are trochaic in form, i.e. which 
 suffer initial truncation. 
 
 Tennyson's Lady Clara Vere de Vere is in eight-line stanzas 
 of four-foot iambic, perfectly regular with the exception of the 
 first line of the stanza, which only once has the full number of 
 syllables 
 
 I know | you Cla|ra Vere | de Vere | , 
 suffering initial truncation in the other stanzas, as 
 Trust | me Clalra Vere | de Vere | . 
 
 The same poet's Arabian Nights consists of fourteen stanzas 
 of ten lines in four-foot iambic, followed by a three-foot feminine 
 refrain 
 
 Of good | Haroun | Alras(chid 
 M. M. 6
 
 82 ON ENGLISH METRE. 
 
 One line, and I think one line only in the whole, suffers initial 
 
 truncation 
 
 Black | the gar | den bowers | and grots | 
 Slumbered | the sol|emn palms | were ranged | 
 Above | unwoo'd | of sum|mer wind | . 
 
 The Lay of the Last Minstrel is in the same metre with frequent 
 anapaestic substitution. In Canto I. Stanza 5, the 3rd and 5th 
 lines are truncated : 
 
 Ten squires | ten yeo|men mail-lclad men | 
 
 Waited I the beck | of the war[ders ten | 
 
 Thir\iy steeds | both fleet j and white | 
 
 Stood sad|dled in sta|ble day | and night | 
 
 Barbed \ with front|let of steel | I trow I 
 
 Also in Stanza 29, 
 
 Nev\er heavjier man | and horse | 
 Stemmed \ a mid'night torjrent's force | 
 The warlrior's verly plume | I say | 
 Was dag|gled by | the dash|iug spray | 
 
 Milton's Hymn on the Nativity is written in iambic lines con- 
 taining from three to six feet. Occasionally we find a mono- 
 syllabic first-foot. 
 
 Full lit[tle thought | they then | 
 
 That | the migh|ty Pan | 
 
 Was kindjly come | to live | with them | below [ . 
 
 When | such mu|sic sweet | 
 
 Their hearts | and ears | did greet | 
 
 As nev|er was | by mor|tal fin|ger strook | . 
 
 And then | at last | our bliss | 
 
 Full \ and per | feet is | . 
 
 Nor all | the Gods | beside | 
 
 Long\Kt dare | abide | . 
 
 So Shirley (Golden Treasury, p. 59), 
 
 Devouring Fam ine, Plague, | and War | 
 Each ajble to \ undo | mankind | 
 Death's serjvile emissaries are | 
 Nor | to these j alone | confined | . 
 
 Fair Helen (Q. T. p. 87), 
 
 I wish ! I were | where He! en lies | 
 Night | and day | on me | she cries | 
 O that | I were | where Hel|en lies | 
 On fair | Kirkcon|nel lea | .
 
 METRICAL METAMORPHOSIS. 83 
 
 Cowper's Royal George, 
 
 Weigh \ the ves|sel up | 
 Once dread |ed by | our foes j 
 
 And minjgle with | the cup | 
 The tear | that Eng|land owes | . 
 
 Christabel is written in four-foot iambic and anapaestic lines, 
 both of which suffer initial truncation. Thus 
 
 Sir Lejoline | the Bar Jon rich | 
 
 Hath | a toothless masltiff bitch | 
 
 From | her ken|nel beneath | the rock | 
 
 She ma|keth anslwer to |^the clock | 
 
 Four | for the quarjters and twelve | for the hour | 
 
 Ev\v? and aye | by sun | and shower | . 
 
 Is | the night | chilly | and dark | 
 
 The night | is chil|ly but | not dark | 
 
 They steal | their way | from stair j to stair | 
 
 Now | in glim|mer and now | in gloom | . 
 
 The cham|ber carved | so curiously | 
 
 Carved \ with figjures strange | and sweet | 
 
 All | made out | of the carlver's brain | . 
 
 It may be asked, however, why the lines classed as truncated 
 iambic should not be treated either as anapaestic or as truncated 
 trochaic. If we met with the following lines apart from the 
 context we should naturally scan them as anapaests ; why not 
 adhere to this more natural scansion ? e.g. 
 
 That the migh|ty Pan | . 
 When such mulsic sweet | . 
 Hath a tooth |less mastiff bitch | 
 From her kenlnel beneath | the rock | . 
 
 The answer is (1) that Milton's Hymn is not anapaestic nor in 
 any way irregular. It is composed in verses of eight lines, the 
 1st, 2nd, 4th, and 5th lines consisting of three iambic feet, 
 the 3rd and 6th of five, the 7th of four, and the 8th of six. 
 Even if we called the two lines just cited anapaestic, we should 
 hardly venture to say the same of 
 
 Long|er dare | abide | . 
 
 (2) Christabel no doubt admits lines of which the rhythm is 
 trisyllabic; but, as Coleridge himself tells us that the accents 
 are four, though the syllables vary from seven to twelve, this 
 
 62
 
 84 ON ENGLISH METRE. 
 
 prevents us from scanning the lines quoted as anapaestic. In 
 any case it would be difficult to make an anapaestic line out of 
 
 Is I the night I chilly | and dark I . 
 101 200 i 
 
 But, if they cannot be treated as anapaestic, why should they 
 not be called truncated trochaics ? Why may not the poet 
 have chosen to vary his iambic lines with an occasional trochaic ? 
 No doubt this is a possible explanation in some of the instances, 
 
 such as 
 
 And a | thousand ] fragrant | posies | 
 Thirty | steeds both | fleet and | white | . 
 
 These read naturally as trochaics. But take 
 
 Now in | glimmer and | now in | gloom | 
 Barbed with | frontlet of | steel I | trow | 
 Is the night chilly and dark 
 
 The two former would give us a dactyl in the 2nd foot, which 
 is rare in trochaic metre, and the last simply refuses to be 
 treated as a trochaic at all. 
 
 Far more common however is the omission of one or both 
 of the unaccented syllables of the anapaest. Iamb for anapaest 
 is usual in all the feet of an anapaestic line, but in the 1st foot 
 a monosyllable is also allowed. Thus in the following verses 
 from the Burial of Sir John Moore, consisting of four anapaests 
 with alternate masculine and feminine endings, there are two 
 monosyllabic feet and five iambs, which I have printed in 
 italics. 
 
 Few | and short \ were the prayers j we said \ 
 
 And we spoke | not a word | of or(row 
 But we stead fastly gazed | on the face I of the dead | 
 
 And we bit|terly thought | of the mor(row. 
 Light\\y they'll talk | of the spi|rit that's gone | 
 
 And o'er \ his cold ash es upbraid (him, 
 But lit\i\e he'll wreck j if they let | him sleep on | 
 In the grave | where a Brit|on has laid (him. 
 
 So in Byron, 
 
 Thou | who art bearjing my buck|ler and bow | 
 Should the soldiers 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 | .
 
 METRICAL METAMORPHOSIS. 85 
 
 And Swinburne (Erechtheus), 
 
 1. 139 Fair fort|ress and fost|ress of sons | born free | 
 
 Who stand | in her sight | and in thine | sun | 
 Slaves | of no | man sub|ject of none | 
 
 1. 95 Sun | that has lightened and loosed | by thy might | 
 0|cean and earth | from the lord|ship of night | 
 Quickening with vis|ion his eye | that was veiled | 
 Freshening the force | in her heart | that had failed | 
 That sis|ter fettered and blind|ed broth(er 
 Should have sight | by thy grace | and delight | of each oth(er. 
 
 Matthew Arnold (Heine's Grave), 
 
 That | was Hei|ne, and we | 
 Myr\iads who live | who have died j 
 What | are we all | but a mood | 
 A sing |le mood | of the life | 
 Of the Bejing in whom | we exist ? | 
 
 Elliott (Lament for Flodden), 
 
 I've heard | them lil|ting at our | ewe milk(ing 
 
 Lass\es a' HI 'ting before | dawn of day 
 But now | they are moan [ing on il]ka green loan(ing 
 
 The Flowers | of the For]est are a' j wede away | . 
 
 Other examples will be found in the chapters on Classifi- 
 cation of Metres. 
 
 Corresponding to the initial truncation of the anapaestic 
 line is the final truncation of the dactylic line, as in 
 
 Take her up | tenderly | 
 Lift her with | care 
 Fashioned so | slenderly | 
 Young and so | fair. 
 
 Pibroch of | Donuil Dhu | 
 
 Pibroch of | Donuil 
 Wake thy wild | voice anew | 
 
 Summon Clan j Conuil. 
 
 Brightest and | best of the | sons of the | morning 
 Dawn on our | darkness and | lend us thine | aid 
 
 Star of the | east the hor|izon sA\orning 
 
 Guide where the | infant Re deemer is | laid. 
 
 It may be asked what reason have we for classifying as 
 anapaestic such a line as 
 
 Bright | be the place | of thy soul |
 
 86 ON ENGLISH METRE. 
 
 , . ' 
 
 and as dactylic 
 
 Lift her with j care | 
 
 since it is plain that the former might be regarded as made up 
 of two dactyls and a long syllable (truncated dactylic), and the 
 latter of a long syllable followed by an anapaest (truncated 
 anapaestic). The answer is that these ambiguous or meta- 
 morphous lines must be interpreted by others in the same 
 poem, where the strict law of the metre is observed, such as 
 
 In the orbs | of the blesjsed to shine | . 
 
 Take her up | tenderly | 
 
 There are no doubt poems composed in a mixed metre, in 
 which the rhythmical effect is produced by the juxtaposition 
 of contrasted metres, say, trochaic and anapaestic; but none 
 could say there was this contrasted effect in the poems above 
 cited. The rhythm is felt to be the same throughout. 
 
 But truncation is not only practised at the beginning of the 
 iambic and anapaestic line, and at the end of the trochaic and 
 dactylic ; it is also found in the interior of the line itself. Thus 
 Break, Break, Break is a somewhat irregular poem, the pre- 
 vailing rhythm of which is three-foot anapaest, but in two 
 verses, the three anapaests are represented by these three long 
 accented syllables. 
 
 Kingsley has internal truncation in his 4-foot anapaestic 
 
 Clear \ and cool | clear \ and cool | 
 By laugh|ing shallow and dreamjing pool | . 
 
 Dank \ and foul | dank \ and foul | 
 By the smo|ky town | in its mur,ky cowl | . 
 
 Strong \ and free | strong \ and free | 
 The flood | gates are ojpen away | to the sea | . 
 
 And Shelley in his Address to Night, the metre of which is 
 generally anapaestic with iambic substitution, has a monosyllable 
 for the anapaest in the 3rd foot of the 1st and 3rd of the follow- 
 ing lines 
 
 And the weary day | turned \ to his rest | 
 
 Lingering like | an un (loved guest | 
 
 Thy broth jer Death | came \ and cried | 
 
 Wouldst | thou me | ? 
 
 The sweet | child Sleep | the fil|my-eyed |
 
 METRICAL METAMORPHOSIS. 87 
 
 I take the three next examples from Dr Guest. The first is 
 truncated trochaic, which undergoes internal, as well as final 
 truncation, in the 2nd and 7th lines. 
 
 On the | ground | 
 
 Sleep | sound | 
 
 I'll aplply | 
 
 To your | eye | 
 Gentle | lover j reme|dy | . 
 
 When thou | wak'st | 
 
 Thou \ tak'st | 
 
 True dejlight | 
 
 In the | sight | 
 Of thy | former | lady's | eye | 
 
 The second, from Burns, is four-foot iambic ; it suffers in- 
 ternal truncation in the 1st and 3rd lines. 
 
 The sun I blinks blithe | on yon | town \ 
 And on | yon bon|nie braes | of Ayr I 
 But my | delight | in yon | town \ 
 And dea|rest bliss | is Lu!cy fair | . 
 
 The third is from Moore, written in four-foot and two-foot 
 iambic. Internal truncation will be found in the 1st, 3rd, 5th, 
 6th and 8th lines. 
 
 The day | had sunk | in dim | showers \ 
 
 But mid|night now | with lusjtre meek | 
 Illu mined all | the pale | flowers \ 
 
 Like hope | upon | a mour|ner's cheek | . 
 
 I said | while \ 
 
 The moon's | smile \ 
 Played o'er | a stream | in dimp|ling bliss | 
 
 The moon | looks \ 
 
 On mainy brooks | 
 The brook | can see | no moon | but this | . 
 
 We may add the following from Shakespeare : 
 
 For love | is crow|ned with | the prime | 
 
 In spring | time \ 
 The on|ly pret|ty ring | time \ 
 When birds | do sing | 
 Hey ding | a ding | 
 Sweet lov ers love | the spring | ,
 
 88 ON ENGLISH METRE. 
 
 and this from Scott, 
 
 March, | march, \ Ettrick and | Teviotdale, | 
 
 Why the deil | dinna ye march | forward in | order 
 
 where the corresponding lines of the next verse 
 
 Come from the | hills where your | hirsels are | grazing | 
 Come from the | glen of the | buck and the | roe | 
 
 shew that the monosyllables march march represent dactyls, and 
 also that Teviotdale and dinna ye march must be contracted 
 into trisyllables. 
 
 But the first foot is not only liable to truncation of un- 
 accented syllables, when such precede the accent according to 
 the law of the metre, as in iambic and anapaestic poems ; it 
 may also admit anacrusis, i.e. have an unaccented syllable pre- 
 fixed to the accent, where that should naturally come first, as 
 in trochaic and dactylic poems. Thus in Keats' Realm of 
 Fancy, a four-foot trochaic poem of 94 lines, there are 7 which 
 begin with a hypermetrical unaccented syllable, as 
 
 Thou shalt | at one | glance be|hold | 
 The) daisy | and the | marylgold | 
 
 In his Ode on the Poets out of 42 lines there are 3 which 
 have the anacrusis. 
 
 In Shelley's Skylark the prevailing metre is trochaic, but 
 we find 
 
 What thou | art we | know not | 
 
 What is | most like | thee | 
 From) rainbow | clouds there | flow not | 
 Drops so | bright to | see | 
 
 So in Duncan Gray, 
 
 Something | in her | bosom | wrings | 
 
 For re|lief a | sigh she | brings | 
 
 And) O her | een they | spak sic | things | , 
 
 and Tennyson's Lilian, 
 
 Praying | all I | can | 
 If) prayers | will not | hush thee | 
 
 Airy | Lili]an | 
 Like a | rose-leaf | I will | crush thee | 
 
 Fairy | Lili|an | .
 
 METRICAL METAMORPHOSIS. 89 
 
 It is evident that, when the common truncated trochaic has 
 a hypermetrical syllable prefixed, it becomes undistinguishable 
 from a complete iambic line, just as a truncated iambic, par- 
 ticularly if it has a feminine ending, takes the form of a trochaic. 
 Since from either side, then, the one can so easily pass into the 
 other, it is no wonder that we find poems consisting in nearly 
 equal proportions of iambic and trochaic lines, in which probably 
 neither the poet nor the reader is conscious of a change of 
 metre. Such poems are L' Allegro and II Penseroso. Starting 
 with the regular metre in line 11 of the former, we have, in the 
 next fifty lines, an equal number of trochaic and iambic lines. 
 It is to be noticed also that the iambic line often either begins 
 with an accented, or ends with an unaccented syllable, as 
 
 And at j my win|dow bids | good mor(row 
 Scatters the rear | of dark|ness thin | . 
 
 The hypermetrical syllable in trochaic metre is thus always 
 capable of being explained away as an intentional change to 
 iambic, but a similar explanation would be very harsh in dac- 
 tylic metre, such as the following, 
 
 Come away | come away | 
 
 Hark to the \ summons | 
 Come in your | war array | 
 
 Gentles and | commons. | 
 Come from deep | glen and | 
 
 From) mountain so | rocky | 
 The) war- pipe and | pennon | 
 
 Are) at Iriverjlochy | . 
 
 There are many examples in Kingsley's Longbeard's Saga. 
 
 White were the | moorlands | 
 And) frozen be|fore her | 
 Green were the | moorlands | 
 And) blooming be|hind her | . 
 Shaking the | southwind | 
 ,4)round in the | birches | 
 ^4)waking the | throstles | . 
 This) day at the | Wendel's hands | 
 Eagles must | tear them i 
 Their) mother thrall |- weary | 
 Must) grind for the | Wendels | .
 
 90 ON ENGLISH METRE. 
 
 High in Val|halla | 
 A) window stands | open | 
 Its) sill is the | snowpeaks | 
 Its) posts are the | waterspouts | 
 Storm wrack its | lintel | . 
 
 It will be observed that, where a line begins with the hyper- 
 metrical syllable, the preceding line frequently ends with a 
 trochee for dactyl, so that the effect is simply to complete the 
 dactylic rhythm. This is not however the case in the following 
 passage from Christabel, where two dactylic lines are interposed 
 between anapaests, 
 
 And foundst | a bright lajdy surpassingly fair | 
 And) didst bring her | home with thee | 1 
 In) love and in | charity | 
 
 To shield | her and shelter her from | the night air | 
 
 nor in the following from Hood's Bridge of Sighs, where in two 
 of the lines anacrusis follows a complete daciyl at the end of 
 the previous line, 
 
 ,4)las for the | rarity | 
 
 Of) Christian | charity | 
 
 Under the | sun | 
 
 it was | pitiful | 
 
 Near a whole | city full | 
 
 Home there was | none | 
 
 Dreadfully j staring | 
 
 Thro) muddy im|purity | 
 
 As) when with the | daring | 
 
 Last) look of des|pairing | 
 
 Fixed on fu|turity | . 
 
 Sometimes we find even two hypermetrical syllables, when 
 the final dactyl of the preceding line is represented by a long 
 syllable, thus passing into anapaestic rhythm, unless we are to 
 regard this as a case of ' scriptorial disguise ' treated of below. 
 
 The) bleak wind of | March | 
 Made her) tremble and | shiver | 
 But) not the dark | arch | 
 Nor the) black flowing | river | 
 
 1 This and the following line are usually printed together, but the rhyme 
 shews that they should be separated, just as much as the short lines preceding, 
 ' But vainly thou warrest, For tbis is alone in,' etc.
 
 METRICAL METAMORPHOSIS. 91 
 
 So in the 3rd verse of Pibroch of Donuil Dhu the dactylic 
 rhythm of the other verses is changed into the anapaestic, 
 
 Leave untend|ed the herd | 
 
 The flock | without shel(ter 
 Leave the corpse | uninterr'd j 
 
 The bride | at the al(tar. 
 
 I presume without any deliberate intention on the part of the 
 poet. 
 
 To take now a general view of the licenses or irregularities 
 admitted, we find, in trochaic, addition of an unaccented syllable 
 at the beginning, dropping of an unaccented syllable at the end, 
 and substitution of iamb or dactyl in the first foot (rarely in 
 others), giving rise to lines of pure iambic form, as "but let 
 them rave," or of strong dactylic colouring, as " half invisible to 
 the view." On the other hand, in iambic, we find addition of 
 an unaccented syllable at the end, dropping of an unaccented 
 syllable at the beginning, with trochaic and anapaestic substitu- 
 tion, giving rise to lines of pure trochaic form, as " Up there 
 came a flower," or the anapaestic " In there came old Alice the 
 nurse." So in anapaestic we have dropping of unaccented 
 syllables at the beginning, and addition of an unaccented 
 syllable at the end, with iambic substitution ; in dactylic, 
 dropping of unaccented syllables at the end, and addition of an 
 unaccented syllable at the beginning, with trochaic substitution. 
 The general principle may be thus laid down, that one or two 
 unaccented syllables preceding the initial accent or following 
 the final accent of the line are non-essential to the rhythm, 
 and may be added or omitted without necessarily changing the 
 metre. 
 
 So far we have considered cases in which one of the four 
 principal metres has assumed the appearance of another. We 
 will now proceed to examine cases in which the disguise 
 assumed is that of the amphibrach. Dr Abbott (English Lessons, 
 p. 212) reads Browning's line as an amphibrach, 
 
 Dirck galloped | I galloped | we galloped | all three j 
 
 Prof. Bain (Eng. Gomp. p. 239) does the same with 
 
 There came to | the shore a | poor exile | of Erin |
 
 92 ON ENGLISH METRE. 
 
 and Mr Higginson (Eng. Gramm. p. 164) with 
 
 Distracted | with care I 
 
 For Phyllis | the fair | 
 
 Since nothing | could move her j 
 
 Poor Damon | her lover j . 
 
 Probably most readers would on a first reading pronounce the 
 same ofi th.Q following lines from Christabel, 
 
 That in the | dim forest | 
 Thou heardst a | low moaning | 
 And foundst a | bright lady | surpassingly fair | 
 
 and from Southey's Lodore, 
 
 Collecting | projecting | 
 
 Receding | and speeding | 
 Dividing | and gliding | and sliding | 
 Retreating | and beating | and meeting | and sheeting | . 
 
 But a more careful examination will, I think, in each case 
 shew that the normal metre is anapaestic. It would evidently 
 be impossible to read other lines from Browning's Good News 
 from Ghent as amphibrach s, e.g. 
 
 Not a word | to each oth|er we kept | the great pace | 
 Neck by neck | stride by stride | never changing our place | 
 
 Hence the apparent amphibrach must be divided as follows 
 Dirck gal|loped I gal|loped we gal|loped all three | 
 
 making anap. 4 instead of amphib. 4. The fact is, wherever 
 there is a complete anapaestic line, with iambic substitution in 
 the first foot, it will be possible to read it as an amphibrach 
 truncated at the end. In the same way we should divide 
 
 There came | to the shore | a poor exjile of E(rin. 
 
 The lines beginning ' Distracted with care ' are shewn to be 
 anapaestic by those which follow almost immediately. 
 
 To a pre|cipice goes | 
 Where a leap | from above | 
 Would soon fin|ish his woes | . 
 
 The lines from Christabel are preceded by the manifestly 
 anapaestic 
 
 In the touch | of this bosom there lur|keth a spell | 
 Which is lord | of thy utterance, Chris|tabel | .
 
 METRICAL METAMORPHOSIS. 93 
 
 As to Lodore, the general rhythm is undoubtedly anapaestic; 
 thus in the 1st stanza we have lines like 
 
 With its rush | and its roar | 
 
 As man|y a time | 
 
 They had seen | it before | . 
 
 In the 2nd 
 
 It runs | and it creeps | 
 For a while | till it sleeps | 
 In its own | little lake j . 
 And thence j at departing 
 A\vake|ning and star(ting 
 It runs | through the reeds | 
 And away | it proceeds | 
 
 where the two middle lines might also be read as amphibrachs. 
 In the 3rd stanza we have 
 
 Ri|sing and leap(ing 
 Sinkjing and creeping 
 
 # * * 
 
 Around | and around | 
 With end|less rebound | 
 
 * * * 
 
 Dizjzying and deaf|ening the ear | with its sound | . 
 
 And the last stanza ends 
 
 And so | never end|ing but al|ways descending 
 Sounds and motions for ev|er and ev|er are blend(ing, 
 All at once | and all o'er | with a migh|ty uproar \ 
 And this | way the wa|ter comes down | at Lodore | . 
 
 I think therefore that it is natural to scan the ambiguous lines 
 as anapaests with feminine ending, thus 
 
 Collect|ing projecting. Anap. 2 
 
 Dividing and gli|ding and sli(ding. Anap. 3. 
 
 Perhaps the following lines from Shakespeare have as much 
 right to be called amphibrachs as any we can find ; 
 
 Most friendship is feigning, most loving mere folly ; 
 Then, heigh ho ! the holly ! 
 This life is most jolly. 
 
 But looking at the preceding line, which I should divide 
 
 Heigh ho ! | sing heigh ho ! | unto | the green hol(ly, 
 I think it is best to treat all as anapaestic.
 
 94 ON ENGLISH METRE. 
 
 There remains one other method of disguising metre, which 
 I may call the scriptorial, when either verse is written as prose, 
 of which Dickens supplies the most marked examples (see 
 Abbott, Lessons, 61), or prose as verse, of which plentiful 
 examples may be found in Walt Whitman ; or again when, 
 though verse is printed as verse, the lines are not divided 
 in accordance with the actual metre employed. We have had 
 an instance of such mis-division in Coleridge's Christabel (see 
 above p. 90). Compare also what is said below (p. 154) on the 
 line usually printed 
 
 Singing to welcome the pilgrims of the night. 
 
 The signs + and - may be conveniently used to denote the addition or 
 omission of unaccented syllables whether at the beginning or the end of the 
 verse. Thus the feminine heroic 
 
 Cromwell | I charge | thee fling | away [ ambi(tion 
 
 which shews an extra syllable after the last bar, would be classed as iamb. 5 + . 
 The truncated trochaic 
 
 Come not | here A 
 
 may be marked with a caret after the last accent, and classed as troch. 2 - . 
 
 A hypermetrical syllable at the beginning of the verse may be marked with 
 a curved line following, as in the line from Lilian 
 
 She) looking | through and | through me | 
 
 which would be classed as troch. + 3 ; while that from the Deserted House 
 would receive both marks, 
 
 So) frequent | on its | hinge be|fore A 
 
 and be classed as troch. + 4 - . Conversely an iambic verse, which suffers 
 truncation at the beginning and has a feminine ending, would be thus 
 written 
 
 A Sub|tle-thought|ed myr|iad mind(ed 
 
 and described as iamb. - 4 + . 
 
 In the trisyllabic metres, where there is often a loss of two unaccented 
 syllables, the mark may be doubled : thus the verses 
 
 A A Few | and short | were the prayers | we said | 
 And we spoke | not a word | of sor(row
 
 METRICAL METAMORPHOSIS. 95 
 
 might be described as anap. = <i and 3 + . 
 
 Dawn on our | darkness and | lend us thine | aid A A 
 
 might be described as dact. 4 = . 
 
 Verses with hypermetrical syllables may be conveniently divided into prae- 
 hypermetrical and post-hypermetrical, according as the extra syllable comes at 
 the beginning or end ; but, as the latter are generally known as feminine lines, 
 I shall use hypermetrical in a special sense, of a verse which has the extra 
 syllable at the beginning.
 
 CHAPTER VII. 
 
 EXAMINATION OF TWO RECENT METRICAL 
 SYSTEMS'. 
 
 MR ROBERT BRIDGES in his book entitled Milton's Prosody 
 (Oxf. 1893) has given a careful and instructive study of the 
 peculiarities of Milton's blank verse and of the choruses in 
 Samson Agonistes. He classifies the divergences from typical 
 blank verse under four heads, as follows: 
 
 A. Supernumerary Syllables, which he subdivides into (1) 
 Extra-metrical Syllables at the end 2 , or in the middle of the 
 line, and (2) Elided Syllables. Of medial extra syllables he 
 gives examples from Comus, but says that it does not occur in 
 P. L., such lines as 
 
 Departed from (thee); and thou resemblest now. iv. 839. 
 Of high collateral glo(ry) : Him thrones and powers, x. 86. 
 
 being better explained on the principle of Elision. 
 
 The analogy of the Greek would lead most persons to 
 understand by this term the entire disappearance of the first 
 vowel in a sequence of two vowel sounds, but Mr Bridges 
 expressly says that it is not meant ' to imply that anything is 
 cut off, or lost, or not pronounced ' (p. 8), and again ' It has 
 been taken by some that I meant that the elided syllable 
 should be cut out of the pronunciation ; but I chose the term, 
 because I wished not to imply any theory of prosody as to how 
 the supernumerary syllables were to be accounted for in rhythm. 
 
 1 Read before the Philological Society. 
 
 2 On p. 7 he gives examples from P. L. of two extra syllables at the end of 
 the line ; but in p. 41 says that, though such a thing is possible in the looser 
 metre of Samson, ' it would be quite out of the question in P. L., though a 
 few lines might seem to support it.'
 
 EXAMINATION OF TWO RECENT METRICAL SYSTEMS. 97 
 
 I did not think that there could be any doubt as to whether 
 they should be pronounced.' ' Though Milton printed th' 
 Almighty &c., it cannot be supposed that he wished it to be 
 so pronounced ' (p. 49). We are thus to understand the term 
 ' elision ' as covering three different explanations, which I 
 have distinguished by the terms elision (in the strict sense), 
 slurring, and trisyllabic feet : or rather 'since it is not intended 
 to imply that anything is cut off or not pronounced,' we have 
 simply to consider the two latter alternatives. And so we find 
 Mr Bridges (in p. 48) allowing that 'the theory of trisyllabic 
 feet best suits' the lines quoted above, as well as such 
 lines as 
 
 Innumerable. As when the potent rod I. 338 
 Of depth immeasurable. Anon they move I. 549 
 
 though ' as a question of Miltonic prosody they are all examples 
 of elision 1 .' ' In cases where there is doubt, it is better to regard 
 the syllable as extrametrical : the test is this, that if it is 
 extrametrical, it does not signify to the ear whether it is long 
 or short, whereas in a trisyllabic foot it must be short.' 
 
 I cannot but think that considerable confusion is caused by 
 this attempt to treat the trisyllabic foot merely as a species of 
 
 1 In p. 27 however he seems to hold to the strict theory of elision. Quoting 
 
 S. A. 651 
 
 The close of all my miseries and the balm 
 
 he says that " elsewhere Milton always insists on all the three syllables of the 
 word 'misery,' which is the more expressive pronunciation of the word." But 
 surely, however we scan the line, whether we end the 4th foot with ' miseries ' 
 making the 5th foot trisyllabic, or make the 4th foot trisyllabic closing it with 
 'and,' the pronunciation of 'miseries' is precisely the same as in every other 
 line where it occurs. I am inclined to make the last foot trisyllabic, as giving 
 a more pathetic rhythm, but Mr Bridges (p. 29) speaks of "a trisyllabic foot in 
 the 5th place not resoluble by the fictions" as " without parallel in all the verse 
 of P. L., P. R., and S. A." Again in p. 34 there is a discussion as to the line 
 
 Oft on a plat of rising ground 
 
 where it is said that it reads as if it began with a dactyl, though there is no 
 "difference of opinion as to its metrical device" (meaning, I suppose, its 
 scansion), "but if we substitute 'softly' for 'oft on,' it is clear that, according as 
 we admit or refuse an elision of the open y before the a, we have a seven- 
 syllable line with falling stress throughout, or an eight-syllable line of rising 
 stress with the first foot inverted." It is hard to reconcile this with his pre- 
 vious explanation of the term 'elision.' 
 
 M. M. 7
 
 98 ON ENGLISH METRE. 
 
 elision 1 , especially as Mr Bridges confesses that 'true dactylic 
 verse, or verse made of true trisyllabic units, was quite common 
 in Milton's time ' (p. 45), ' that in all the best blank verse the 
 trisyllabic feet are made up almost exclusively of open vowels 
 or vowels separated by liquids ; and that after these the most 
 
 frequent condition is that of short i I think it impossible 
 
 to doubt that in P. L. Milton purposely excluded all trisyllabic 
 feet but those made by open vowels and the three liquids, and 
 that he afterwards relaxed this rule to admit m and short i' 
 always rejecting such licences as 
 
 Like to | a vaglabond flag I upon I the stream I Ant. Cleop. i. 4. 
 oo i 
 
 To try I thy eloquence, now | 'tis time I : dispatch I ib. in. 10*. 
 
 00 2 
 
 I feel some doubt as to what would be Mr Bridges' explana- 
 tion of a line such as the following 
 
 That cruel ser|pent. On me | exercise most. P. L. x. 927. 
 
 I should be inclined to treat it myself as containing an 
 extrametrical syllable, but he has laid down the rule that this 
 is not allowed in P. L. (p. 7). Nor can the 3rd foot be 
 trisyllabic, since that is only permitted under the above-stated 
 limitations. It is impossible to elide the emphatic me before 
 exercise ; and thus the only remaining course is to scan the 
 latter half of the line 
 
 on I me exlercise most I 
 2100 i 
 
 with a final anapaest, but this would be far harsher than the 
 examples taken from Shakespeare's Antony, which we were told 
 were un-Miltonic. 
 
 B. We go on now to the 2nd variety admitted by Milton, 
 that connected with the number of stresses. Of these only 
 two kinds are specified, (1) lines with four, (2) lines with three 
 stresses; excess* in the number of stresses being altogether 
 ignored, though it is just as common as defect, compare 
 
 1 In p. 45 he even uses the word ' contraction ' to explain the metre of 
 
 But now | he's gone , and my | idol\atrous fan(cy. All's Well, i. 1. 91. 
 
 2 p. 31. The limitations mentioned in the use of the trisyllabic foot are just 
 those which in p. 8 foil, are said to govern the use of elision. 
 
 3 In p. 56 however he recognizes the occurrence of a spondee following two 
 unstressed syllables.
 
 EXAMINATION OF TWO RECENT METRICAL SYSTEMS. 99 
 
 Say Muse | their names I then known I who first I who last I. 
 
 21 01 11 2121 
 
 P. L. i. 376. 
 
 Rocks, caves, | lakes, fens, | bogs, dens, I and shades I of night I. 
 
 2 2 22220101 
 
 ib. n. 621. 
 
 C. The third variation arises from inversion of rhythm. 
 Examples of inversion in every foot are given and also examples 
 of double inversion in the 1st and 2nd, the 3rd and 4th, and 
 2nd and 4th foot. In the note on p. 22 we read that ' Milton 
 came to scan his verses one way and read them in another.' I 
 have insisted upon it as a general rule that scanning is not to 
 fetter the reading, but I cannot think the examples here given 
 are well chosen. I should prefer to read, as well as scan, 
 
 Of rain|bows and | starry eyes. | The wa|ters thus | P. L. vn. 446. 
 
 rather than to read with him the second foot as a trisyllabic 
 and the 3rd foot as a regular iamb. My reason is that I think 
 a pause should be made both before and after and, so as to 
 emphasize starry, which would make it difficult to treat the 
 2nd foot as an anapaest. 
 
 His second example he reads thus 
 
 Shoots invisible | virtue | even to | the deep | P. L. in. 568. 
 
 which would give a falling rhythm in four feet. I do not see 
 why we might not follow the scansion given in p. 13 for the 
 first three feet 
 
 Shoots in|visi|ble virltue even to | the deep | 
 
 but, instead of his 4th foot, which is simply a receptacle for 
 syllables otherwise unaccounted for, I should read 
 
 virltue e'en I to the deep I. 
 01001 
 
 D. A fourth source of variation is in the position of the 
 caesura or break in the verse, of which Mr Bridges gives 
 examples after every syllable. 
 
 The next chapter deals with Milton's later metre as illus- 
 trated by the P. R. and Samson. The comparison of this with 
 that of P. L. shews that he ' did not think it worth while to 
 
 72
 
 100 ON ENGLISH METRE. 
 
 keep strictly to his laws of elision, but that he approved of the 
 great rhythmical experiments he had made, and extended 
 these ' (p. 26). As examples of ' elision ' what I should rather 
 call trisyllabic feet we find 
 
 Thy pol|itic maxjims or | that cum|bersome | P. R. in. 400. 
 oo i ' 
 
 She's gone | a manifest ser|pent by | her sting | S. A. 997. 
 
 oo 2 
 
 And we may add 
 
 Their own I destruction, to come | speedy | upon (them S. A. 1681. 
 
 001 20 
 
 Tongue-dough I ty gi|ant, how I dost thou prove | me these | 
 
 oo i 
 
 S. A. 1181. 
 
 Out, out, | hyae|na ! these | are thy wontjed arts | S. A. 748. 
 
 oo i 
 
 [The three last might also be explained as examples of 
 extrametrical syllables. Mr Bridges indeed says ' the system 
 of prosody in Samson plainly forbids extrametrical syllables in 
 the midst of the line, and there is certainly no other example,' 
 but there seems no ground for such a statement. He is even 
 driven by his theory to the impossible suggestion that, in the 
 last line, ' hyaena' constitutes the 2nd foot with inverted stress 
 and elision of the 1st syllable.] 
 
 I proceed to examine the chapter on the verse of S. A. 
 Mr Bridges finds in it 19 lines in falling rhythm. Several of 
 these should rather, I think, be treated as anapaests. Thus 
 the chorus begins (1. 115) with the 4-foot iamb, where the 
 3rd foot has the accent inverted. 
 
 This, this, is he; softly, awhile. 
 
 Mr Bridges makes line 116 a 4-foot trochaic. 
 Let us | not break | in upjon him. 
 
 But, if regarded as anapaestic, the rhythm is far more 
 
 vigorous 
 
 Let us not j break in | upon (him 
 
 and corresponds better with the 3-foot iambs which follow 
 
 As one | past hope | aban(doned 
 And by | himself | given o(ver.
 
 EXAMINATION OF TWO RECENT METRICAL SYSTEMS. 101 
 
 I also find two anapaestic lines in 169 175 
 
 iamb. 5. For him | I rec|kon not j in high | estate, 
 iamb. 3. Whom long | descent | of birth ] 
 
 anap. 3 + Or the sphere I of for|tune rai(ses 
 
 oo i 
 
 iamb. 5. But thee | whose strength | while vir|tue was | her mate | 
 iamb. 3. Might have | subdued I the earth | 
 anap. 4+ Univerjsally crowned | with highlest prai(ses. 
 
 2 .0 1 
 
 Also in 298 
 
 iamb. 5. . For of | such doc]trine ne|ver was | there school | 
 
 anap. 2. But the heart | of the fool. 
 001 001 
 
 And 329 
 
 iamb. 3. Old Man|oah | advise | 
 
 anap. 3+ Forthwith I how thou ought'st | to receive (him. 
 oo i 001 
 
 So in chorus beginning 1. 606, where Mr Bridges treats 606, 
 607, 610, 614, 618 as trochaic, I should scan as follows: 
 
 anap. -4 1 . A Oh I that torment should not I be confined | 
 
 o o 1001 
 
 anap. 2. To the bodiy's wounds I and sores | 
 
 002 
 
 iamb. 4 + . With maladies | innum|erab(le 
 
 iamb. 3. In heart, | head, breast, | and veins | 
 
 anap. 3. But must secret pas|sage find | 
 
 001 
 
 anap. 2. To the inlmost mind I 
 
 o o i 
 
 * * * 
 
 anap. 3. As on enjtrails joints | and limbs | 
 
 001 
 
 * * * 
 
 anap. 3. As a lingering | disease | 
 
 001 
 
 1. 714. anap. 2. Like a state|ly ship I 
 001 
 
 1. 1269. anap. 4. To the spirjits of just | men long | oppress'd | 
 oo 1001 
 
 1. 1271. anap. 3. AP u ts | invinjcible might | 
 
 oo i 
 
 1. 1280. anap. 3. And celestlial vig|our armed | 
 o 01 
 
 1 By the caret ( A ) and - prefixed to the number of feet is signified 
 initial truncation of short syllable.
 
 102 ON ENGLISH METRE. 
 
 1. 1436. anap. 2. In the camp | of Dan | . 
 
 oo i 
 
 I have some doubt about 1668, which Mr Bridges reads as 
 5-foot trochaic 
 
 While their | hearts were | jocund | and subjlimeA 
 
 but the rhythm seems to be most inappropriate to the sense. 
 If there were any authority for giving the Latin and Italian 
 accent to joctind, I should take the line as composed of three 
 anapaests ; otherwise I think we must scan 
 
 anap. 4. While their hearts | were j6|cund and | sublfme | 
 001 
 
 followed by anap. 4 
 
 A Drunk | with idoljatry drunk | with wine | 
 o 0100 2 
 
 1686. anap. 3. And with blind]ness internal struck I 
 
 o o 1001 
 
 1707. anap. 4. A seclular bird I AA|ges of lives I 
 
 001 2001 
 
 The following, which Mr Bridges treats as truncated tro- 
 chaic, I think are better explained, on the principle referred to 
 by him in p. 35, as truncated iambic, i.e. iambic with the first 
 syllable omitted 
 
 1699. iamb. -4. A Like | that self-]begotjten bird | 
 
 1701. iamb. 4. A That | no secjond knows | nor third | 
 
 1743 foil. iamb. -4. A All | is best | though we | oft doubt | 
 
 A What | th' unsearchable | dispose | 
 iamb. 4. Of highjest wisdom brings | about | 
 
 1749. iamb. - 4. A Oft i he seems | to hide | his face | 
 
 So 1431. iamb. -4. A Great | among | the heathjen round | 
 
 In p. 12 Mr Bridges proves that Milton usually pronounced 
 adjectives in -able with the stress on the penultimate, but he 
 allows an exception in P. L. v. 585 
 
 Innumerable | before \ the Almigh[ty throne | 
 
 so ' capital ' and ' idolatry ' are said to be exceptions to the rule 
 of ' elision ' in pp. 27, 28. 
 
 Again he says that Milton always places the stress on the 
 penultimate of words ending in -ary, but allows an exception
 
 EXAMINATION OF TWO RECENT METRICAL SYSTEMS. 103 
 
 in the case of ' luminary ' in vii. 385. It would seem that an 
 exception must also be made for ' sanctuary,' which, it is true, 
 is followed by a vowel, and therefore may be considered to 
 suffer ' elision/ in most of the passages where it occurs, but in 
 Ps. 87. 3 we find the line 
 
 There seat|ed is | his sanc|tuary | 
 rhyming with 
 
 Among | the hojly moun|tains high \ . 
 
 I think also that we should have to except ' extraordinary ' 
 in the only place where it is used by Milton (8. A. 1383) 
 which Mr Bridges scans 
 
 To some|thing ex|traor|dinary my thoughts | 
 
 though he shrinks very much from a trisyllabic fifth foot ' not 
 resoluble by the fictions': and those who are indifferent to the 
 ' fictions ' will certainly condemn it as a very ugly line. Why 
 may we not, in the absence of any evidence to the contrary, 
 suppose that Milton pronounced it as he does ' luminary ' and 
 ' sanctuary ' and ' contrary ' (in all but one place), as Shake- 
 speare also does in 
 
 W. T. i. 2. Of head|piece exltraoridinary ? Lo|wer mes(ses 
 
 oo i 
 
 (where the short i disappears altogether). 
 
 I proceed now to inquire what is meant by the ' fictions ' 
 referred to. They are first mentioned in p. 22, where it is said 
 that ' Milton's system in P. L. was an attempt to keep blank 
 verse decasyllabic by means of fictions.' Again in p. 68 we 
 are told that Milton and Shakespeare threw off the syllabic 
 trammels of their early style and came to determine their 
 rhythm by stress. ' Immediately English verse is written free 
 from a numeration of syllables, it falls back on the number of 
 stresses as its determining law/ ' If once the notion be got rid 
 of that you must have so many syllables in a line to make a 
 verse... then the stress will declare its supremacy; which... in 
 Shakespeare and Milton it is burning to do.' 'The primary 
 law of pure stressed verse is, that there shall never be a 
 conventional or imaginary stress.' ' Coleridge proposed to wiite
 
 104 ON ENGLISH METRE. 
 
 purely stressed verse in Christabel, counting the accents, not 
 the syllables'; but he has not carried out his intention, and 
 thus we find in him conventional stresses as in 
 
 She ma|keth ans'wer t6 | the clock | 
 A fur|long fr6m | the cas|tle gate | 
 
 (p. 71) 'If the number of stresses in each line be fixed [and 
 such a fixation would be the metre], and if the stresses be 
 determined only by the language and its sense, and if the 
 syllables which they have to carry do not over-burden them 1 , then 
 every line may have a different rhythm.' ' This is very much 
 what Milton was aiming at in the lyrical parts of Samson, but 
 he still sought to accomplish it by fictitious units... He wrote... 
 a rhythmical stressed line and scanned it by means of fictions. 
 He need not have troubled himself about the scansion at all. 
 If the stressed rhythm is the beauty of the verse, it is a 
 sufficient account of it.' 
 
 I object here, first, to the use of the word 'fictions.' What 
 is intended would be much better expressed by the word 
 ' type.' The type or law of the metre is ascertained, like a 
 botanical or anatomical type, by a comparison of a large number 
 of recognized examples. It is the musical air or theme on which 
 different variations are composed. It is Plato's one in the many, 
 the permanent in the changeable, the persistent background in 
 the mind of the poet and the reader. If however by 'fiction' is 
 meant the minute conditions laid down for the use of trisyllabic 
 feet by Mr Bridges, I am quite willing to throw these over at' 
 once. The unfettered trisyllabic foot used by Shelley or 
 Tennyson is as satisfactory to my ear as the artificial foot 
 allowed by Mr Bridges. The next point to which I should 
 make objection is, that the metre is constituted simply by the 
 number of stresses in the line, without regard to the number of 
 syllables or to the position of the stress. Mr Bridges himself 
 seems to be conscious that some limitation must be made on 
 this wide definition, for in the words which I have italicized he 
 slips in the condition that the stress must not be overburdened 
 by the syllables it has to carry. What is this, but to re- 
 
 1 The italics are mine.
 
 EXAMINATION OF TWO RECENT METRICAL SYSTEMS. 105 
 
 introduce the syllabic principle ? A few examples, prose and 
 verse, will be sufficient to shew the absurd results which would 
 follow from treating the number of syllables as unessential to 
 metre. Take first these lines of six stresses 
 
 Sir Kfchard sp6ke and he laughed and we roared a hurrah and s6. 
 With head, hands, wfngs, or fee"t pursues his way. 
 That seeming to be m6st which we indeed least are. 
 
 five stresses 
 
 Thdn methought I heard a mellow sound. 
 A mixture of a lie doth ever add pleasure. 
 Or that starred fithiop queen that str6ve. 
 
 four stresses 
 
 The stag at eve had drunk his fill. 
 Mflton a name to resoi'md for ages. 
 Revenge is a kind of wfld justice. 
 
 three stresses 
 
 N6w the day is 6ver. 
 
 The sojourners of G6shen who beheld. 
 
 The sl<5thful man saith there is a lion in the way. 
 
 It is strange to find Mr Bridges, after he has said that 
 metre is constituted by the number of stresses in each line and 
 that it would have been better if Milton had not troubled 
 himself about scansion in writing the Samson choruses, it is 
 strange, I say, to find him affirming that the laws of English 
 stressed metre have still to be ascertained in regard to the 
 questions ' What will a stress carry ? What are the usual 
 units of the verse?' and yet maintaining that, when these 
 unknown laws are discovered, ' English poets will find open to 
 them an infinite field of rhythm as yet untouched. There is 
 nothing that may not be done in it.' How can he tell the 
 effect of what is still in nubibus, or would he have us greet 
 Walt Whitman as the harbinger of the new era ? There may 
 be some minds to which the fantastic visions of anarchy are 
 more attractive than the waking realities of an ordered freedom, 
 but Englishmen will be slow to believe that the poetry of the 
 future is too big for the measures which sufficed the genius 
 of Shakespeare and Milton and Shelley and Tennyson and
 
 106 ON ENGLISH METRE. 
 
 Browning, and the elasticity of which has been proved by a 
 constant succession of new developments in metre and rhythm. 
 
 Happily Mr Bridges has not confined himself to theory, but 
 has given practical illustration of what he means by the 
 ' rhythmical stressed line ' in his interesting dramas. In the 
 Comedy entitled The Feast of Bacchus he adds the following 
 note to explain his novel verse, which critics, he is told, will 
 declare to be prose. 
 
 'The metre is a line of six stresses... Whatever a stress may 
 carry, it should never be made to carry more than one long 
 syllable with it, the comic vein allowing some license as to 
 what is reckoned as long ; but as there are no conventional, or 
 merely metric stresses (except sometimes in the sixth place ; 
 and in the third, when the mid-verse break usual in English 
 six-stressed verse is observed, or that place is occupied by a 
 proper name), the accompanying long and short syllables may 
 have very varied relation of position with regard to their 
 carrying stress. Where more than four short unstressed 
 syllables come together, a stress is distributed or lost ; and in 
 some conditions of rhythm this may occur when only four short 
 syllables come together ; and this distributed stress occurs very 
 readily in the second, fourth, and fifth places. Such at least 
 seem some of the rhythmic laws, any infringement of which 
 must be regarded as a fault, or liberty of writing : and the best 
 has not been made of the metre. A natural emphasizing of 
 the sense gives all the rhythm that is intended.' 
 
 I don't know what may be the feeling of others, but to me 
 the last sentence seems to be the expression of the author's 
 despair of ever finding a satisfactory explanation of his metre. 
 He puts forward tentatively, one after another, various rules, 
 which can hardly be described as light-giving or convincing, 
 and after telling us that ' such at least seem to be some of the 
 rhythmic laws' which are essential to the verse, he ends by 
 saying that after all it does not matter: the rhythm will be 
 found all right if it is properly read. 
 
 I propose then to disregard the enigmatic rules, and con- 
 sider whether Mr Bridges' verse admits of explanation according
 
 EXAMINATION OF TWO RECENT METRICAL SYSTEMS. 107 
 
 to the system which I have followed in my book, and what 
 kinds of liberties are allowed. I think it will appear, as we 
 proceed, that many of the lines are not in conformity with the 
 author's own principles, and that, where they do conform, they 
 are not rhythmical, unless they are subject to the recognized 
 syllabic restrictions. 
 
 The 1st act begins with the lines 
 
 Good morn|ing Sir ! | good morn|irig ! He does | not hear | me Sir ! | 
 Good morn [ing ! No | : he goes | on dig|ging away | for his life. | 
 
 which I should scan as shewn by the bars, calling them either 
 6-foot anapaestic with iambic substitution, or 6-foot iambic 
 with anapaestic substitution. I will give some examples where 
 the scanning is more difficult, 
 p. 185, 1. 37. Never do I go out, however early in the morning. 
 
 Written and read thus, I deny that this line is verse. If we 
 read ' i' th' morning,' it will then be 6-foot iambic, ending with 
 anapaest and extrametrical syllable. 
 
 1. 39. But here | I see | you dig|ging, hoeing, | or at all | events | 
 Here the word ' hoeing ' is forced into a monosyllable or else 
 the 4th foot is an amphibrach. 
 
 p. 186, 1. 69. But af|ter the u|sual dic|tatojrial manjner of fa(thers. 
 Here the 2nd, 3rd, 5th and 6th feet are anapaest and the 
 line ends with an extrametrical syllable. The general effect 
 is that of a hexameter with anacrusis. 
 
 1. 70. I ne ver left | him in peace | don't think | my fine j fellow 
 3rd foot anapaest, last foot trochee. 
 
 1. 79. You have not | enough | to do | . When I | was yo]ur age | 
 ' your ' has to be read as a disyllabic to make the line rhyth- 
 mical. 
 
 p. 187, 1. 93. I returned | home to | my house | miserable, | my mind 
 inverted stress in 2nd, 4th and 5th feet. 
 
 1. 100. So busjily are | engaged | all for | my com(fort 
 
 2021 
 
 Here we have only five stresses, and the line must appa- 
 rently be scanned as feminine 5-foot iambic with spondee in 5th 
 foot and trochee in 4th.
 
 108 ON ENGLISH METRE. 
 
 p. 191, 1. 270. A hardship, was no|thing of the kind | : the so-| 
 called severities | 
 
 The only way to make this rhythmical is to read the 3rd 
 foot as 'thing o' th' kind' (like V th' morning' in p. 185, 1. 37) 
 and apparently to treat ' called sever ' as an anapaest. 
 
 1. 277. Of e]vil pas|sions, he is driven | of necessity from bad | to worse 
 It is absurd to call this verse. To give any kind of scanning 
 one would be compelled to crush into a 3rd foot 'sions he's 
 driven/ into a 5th ' s'ty from bad.' 
 
 1. 285. Learn | this les|son : see | what shame | your friend | has brought 
 Here we find the 1st foot represented by a long syllable. 
 
 p. 194, 1. 372. Means well: | I would | not hurt | his feelings I but 
 11 i 2 i 
 
 at anjy cost I 
 2 i 
 
 If this is to be scanned, we have to allow an amphibrach in the 
 4th foot : there are 7 stresses. 
 
 p. 198, 1. 512. Have noth|ing to ansjwer. No|body could | be in | a 
 worse plight | 
 
 2nd, 4th and 6th feet anapaests, the last having properly two 
 
 stresses. 
 
 p. 210, 1. 921. With a mind 1 most singularly sensible of grief, or else 
 
 Only 5 stresses. I do not venture to scan it. If read as a 
 5 -foot iambic, the 3rd and 4th foot would each have four 
 syllables. 
 
 p. 216, 1. 1146. The stage is y6ur h6me, the actors your father 
 and inoth(er 
 
 Here one would have said there were only five stresses, but 
 Mr Bridges accents the first ' your,' which I suppose he must 
 make a disyllabic as in 1. 79. The 5th and 6th feet would then 
 be anapaests. 
 
 p. 220, 11. 1249, 1250. 
 
 A wom|an whose very presence was an in|sult; and not | content | 
 With abujsing my confidence | and kindjness, my sheer | disgust | . 
 
 In the former line we must either assume an amphibrach in 
 the 3rd foot (see 11. 39, 372) or squeeze four syllables into the 
 4th, as in 11. 270, 277, 921. 
 
 1 The accents are Mr Bridges'.
 
 EXAMINATION OF TWO RECENT METRICAL SYSTEMS. 109 
 
 p. 221, 1. 1292. 
 
 To keep | your place woman | . Was there | ever | a thing j 
 
 Here we have three continuous trochees in the middle of the 
 
 line. 
 
 1. 1197. Of the mat|ter in which | so confidently | you oppose | me. Fool! | 
 
 anapaests in 1st, 2nd, 4th, and 5th foot. 
 
 p. 222, 1. 1337. That carries it: to hell with dumps! 'Twere poor 
 merriment 
 
 begins with 5 iambs. What it ends with I can't guess. It is 
 certainly most unrhythmical. 
 
 p. 1341. You have made me, my dear Clinia the very happiest of 
 fathers 
 
 There seem to be only four stresses to 18 syllables. The 
 rhythm reminds one of Miserarum est neqae amori dare ludum 
 neque dulci and is quite out of harmony with the general metre. 
 
 1. 1355. What can | that teach | 1 Your tie | to me | your friendship 
 Here there are G stresses and 5 feet. 
 
 p. 223, 1. 1394. That if I can | be hap|py enough | to make | his 
 peace | with his fath(er 
 
 Here we have 7 stresses and 7 feet. 
 
 p. 225, 1. 1453. Costly | to rear | costly | to keep | costly to | get rid (of 
 
 the 5th foot seems to be a dactyl. 
 
 I turn now to the examination of Mr Bridges' 5-foot iambic, 
 as exemplified in his tragedy of Nero Pt. 2. He has a note at 
 the end which is not quite intelligible to me : ' pedantry refus- 
 ing to conform to idiom will explain the occasion of many of 
 the accents with which I have thought it necessary to disfigure 
 my text ; for a good number of them will be found to be 
 common enclitics. The rest are all put as guides to the 
 dramatic rhythm, and many of them to ensure the usual 
 pronunciation of words in verses the rhythm of which depends 
 on it, but which I found some readers stumble at, so that they 
 would rather mispronounce the word than accept the intended 
 rhythm.' Not to dwell on this, I would call the attention of
 
 110 ON ENGLISH METRE. 
 
 my readers to the following lines as illustrating hia dramatic 
 rhythm. 
 
 p. 233, 1. 11. Crackled | in flame | and smoke, | hath stilled | to a fire | 
 1st foot trochee, 5th foot anapaest. 
 
 1. 24. Nay, while | she lives | I go | not from | the world | 
 contains 6 stresses and is therefore inadmissible in a line 
 limited by theory to 5 stresses. 
 
 1. 35. I had spojken of | to thee | openly, | but all 
 Here the 1st foot is an anapaest, the 4th a dactyl, and the line 
 has only 4 stresses. 
 
 1. 57. His crujelty his | eftem|inate blun|dering pas(sion 
 Four stresses, 2nd foot tribrach, 4th and 5th anapaest. 
 
 1. 116. We" resltore the | republic. The | Keputylic ! 
 Here Mr Bridges accents 'we,' thus giving trochees in the 1st 
 and 2nd foot : the 4th foot is a pyrrhic, and there are 4 stresses. 
 
 P. 235, 11. 220, 221. Written as prose, but may be metri- 
 cally divided as follows : 
 
 Sit and | drink gent|lemen. | Wine shall | be cheap | 
 To-day. | The life | in the earth | will crack | my jars. | 
 A few | more rumb|les like that | will drain | the cel(lars 
 
 and so again at the end of the 2nd column 
 
 Your health, | sir ! If | you wish | to know | the cause | 
 ***** 
 
 I give | him his day | he cares | not for | the gods | 
 1. 503. A sim|ple mind | a clear | head and | true heart | 
 six stresses. 
 
 1. 516. Seal your | lips and | depart. | And thou | too neph(ew 
 begins like 1. 116 with two trochees. 
 
 1. 620. Sene]ca Cae|sar? my hand | is trem|bling, my sense | 
 1st foot trochee, 3rd and 5th anapaests. 
 
 1. 629. Stand firm ? with my | poor pal|sied limbs | 
 four feet with five stresses. 
 
 1. 773. Scarce human. 'Tis soundest principle. 
 Here there are five stresses, but the line is unrhythmical
 
 EXAMINATION OF TWO RECENT METRICAL SYSTEMS. Ill 
 
 because it wants a syllable. It becomes rhythmical if ' the ' is 
 inserted after 'Tis.' 
 
 1. 842. Whose ar|my is | a crea|ture of discipline | 
 only three stresses. 
 1. 888. Precedents for | my conduct. | The divine | Augus(tus 
 
 four stresses : the 3rd foot is amphibrach, unless it is meant to 
 end with an extrametrical syllable before the stop. 
 
 1. 993. Snow from ] the south | . Wood must | burn ; when | 'tis burnt | 
 
 trochee in the 1st, 3rd and 4th foot and spondee in 5th, six 
 
 stresses. 
 
 1. 1048. Throw up i this all|men's joy ? I Nay, here I the heart (rules 
 
 12 2 122 2'l 
 
 eight stresses, strong extrametrical syllable. 
 
 1. 1715. For a stat|ue of Bru|tus and | outdo | the man | 
 four stresses, 1st and 2nd foot anapaests, 3rd pyrrhic. 
 
 1. 1803. Marriage | ruins | a w6m|an : and | how quick(ly 
 
 two trochees at the beginning of the line, 4th pyrrhic, 5th 
 spondee. 
 
 1. 1875. Immejdiate ac|tion. That | madman | Scevi(nus 
 4th foot trochee. 
 
 1. 1943. Action | Rufus, | is now | your on|ly hope | 
 begins with two trochees like 1803, 516. 
 
 1. 2275. My rich | estates | confiscate, my innocent 
 
 The accent (which is given in the text) on the 1st syllable of 
 ' confiscate,' destroys the rhythm. If it had been on the penul- 
 timate, the 4th foot might have been treated as an anapaest. 
 
 1. 2283. Our ill-]built ship | founders. | I am | your cap(tain 
 trochee in 3rd and 4th foot. 
 
 1. 2217. In a | conspiracy | to mur|der ano(ther 
 only three stresses. 
 
 1. 2275. The lap-|dogs of | the pal|ace. Where | are they? | 
 ' are ' is accented in the text, making up four stresses.
 
 112 ON ENGLISH METRE. 
 
 1. 2296. My in|tima]cy with | the accused, | that oft | 
 three stresses. 
 
 1. 2396. Defi|eth thee | as I, | curseth | thee as I | 
 4th foot trochee, 5th foot anapaest. 
 
 I think those who have followed me thus far will agree that 
 Mr Bridges' stressed line is of little value as a help to the 
 understanding of metre. A line is not necessarily rhythmical 
 when it accords with the system, nor unrhythmical when it 
 disagrees with it ; and it is of no use for discriminating the 
 different kinds of verse. 
 
 In the Transactions of the London Philological Society for 
 18971898, pp. 484503 there is a paper by Dr Skeat on 
 the Scansion of English Poetry. He considers that ' the usual 
 method of scansion of English poetry, which divides the line 
 into feet of equal length, is of small actual value. It is arti- 
 ficial, and conceals the facts which it ought rather to display.' 
 ' It does not enable us to discriminate between the various 
 types of verse.' I am not quite sure what is the method of 
 scansion which Dr Skeat here condemns. If it is the same as 
 that which I have examined in my 3rd chapter, or, if we are 
 to take it as maintaining that the iamb is the only foot 
 admissible in English blank verse, I am not concerned to 
 defend it, though I think it nearer the truth than that which 
 Dr Skeat would substitute for it. For this system he claims, 
 that it will enable us ' to analyse any given poem in the five- 
 accent metre with a precision hitherto unattainable' (p. 487), 
 providing 'a most powerful and minute search-light, which, if 
 well directed, might easily enable us to distinguish the work of 
 one poet from another, and even the work of a poet in a 
 serious mood from that of the same poet when in a jocose or 
 pleasant one' (p. 495). He describes his system as 'the natural 
 method of grouping the syllables around the accented syllables 
 with which, in actual pronunciation, they are associated.' From 
 what follows it would at first seem that the grouped or associated 
 syllables are such as make up a single word, for he goes on to 
 say ' in pronouncing English words there are to be found four
 
 EXAMINATION OF TWO RECENT METRICAL SYSTEMS. 113 
 
 forms of what I shall call an accent-group, i.e. a group in 
 which only one accent occurs. These groups are exemplified 
 by the four words Tone, Ascent, Cadence, Extension... denoted 
 by the symbols ^ -- ^ w-^/, where the symbol denotes a 
 strongly accented, and w an unaccented syllable.' It appears 
 however that, in all words containing more than three syllables, 
 and in some words of three syllables, we have to recognize a 
 group of two accents, the strong and the weak, the latter of 
 which may be denoted by a finer stroke, as in Indignation, 
 nierriinent. 
 
 So far I think we should gather that the metrical groups 
 of which the line is composed are simply the words themselves, 
 and therefore that the words must not be broken up from any 
 fancied considerations of rhythm. 
 
 It would appear however from the scanning on a later page 
 that the ' accent-group ' (which is the phrase he prefers to ' the 
 misleading word foot with its absurd classical associations ') is 
 not limited to a single word. We find not merely the article, 
 pronoun, preposition, and conjunction attached to an accent- 
 group, but we meet also such groups as here - rests, save - where, 
 how - bowed, some - heart, each - in, left - the. But how far from 
 'the natural method of grouping the syllables around the 
 accented syllables with which, in actual pronunciation, they 
 are associated,' is such a division as the following : 
 
 his-narrowcellfor-ever laid 
 Left-the warm-precinctsofthe-cheerfulday ? 
 
 It is plain that no good reader would separate the words in, 
 the, of, from the following nouns, and that the natural grouping 
 would be 
 
 Eachin-his-narrow-cell, 
 
 Leftthe- warm-precincts of-the-cheerful-day. 
 
 Again, what are we to say of such lines as : 
 
 Molest her-ancient solitary reign 
 The-place of-fame and-elegysupply 
 
 1 The hyphens connect words belonging to the same group: a full stop is 
 used to isolate the 'tones,' and also where the same word is divided into 
 distinct groups. 
 
 M. M. 8
 
 114 ON ENGLISH METRE. 
 
 If-chance by-lonely Contemplationled 
 Or- waked to-extasythe-livinglyre, 
 Heaven-did a-recompense : as-largelysend. 
 
 where the 'accent-groups' solitary, elegy, contemplation, extasy, 
 recompense are each, according to the scansion, rudely broken 
 up into two distinct groups ? In fact, if we choose to adopt 
 Dr Skeat's own vigorous language in p. 495, we might say 
 " nothing can be more hideous and artificial than such groups 
 of words as" Heaven-did a-recompense, Left-the warm-pre- 
 cinctsof- "and the like. A poet who really scanned his 
 lines according to such a system would hardly deserve a 
 hearing." My first charge then against Dr Skeat is that his 
 system, as applied by him, in no respect answers to his descrip- 
 tion of it, but separates naturally associated syllables, and joins 
 together alien syllables. 
 
 We should all of course agree in his general principle that, 
 in the reading whether of prose or verse, the first, object of the 
 reader should be to bring out the natural relations of the 
 syllables of which the sentence is composed. The most ele- 
 mentary grouping is that in which syllables are combined into 
 words. Even this is not always made quite clear by an illiterate 
 reader. Nearly as intimate is the grouping which unites the 
 proclitic (article, preposition etc.) with the following word ; and 
 we might go on tracing out the varying shades of intimacy, till 
 we come to distinct breaches of intimacy marked by commas, 
 colons, full stops and paragraphs. Dr Skeat limits his groups 
 to three syllables, but if we are thinking simply of how to read, 
 setting aside rules of scansion for the moment, we have to 
 reckon with single words containing six syllables or more, or 
 with longer compound groups of closely associated words, such 
 as 'from his heathery couch' following the word 'sprung'; so 
 that if, for convenience' sake, we choose to take no cognizance 
 of groups containing more than three syllables, we should at 
 least allow of the possibility of double or treble groups. But 
 confining ourselves to the groups recognized in his system, I 
 want to know, why the only trisyllabic group specified is the 
 amphibrach ? If there are words like ' extension ' there are 
 also words such as 'beauteous,' 'terrible,' 'counterfeit' with the
 
 EXAMINATION OF TWO RECENT METRICAL SYSTEMS. 115 
 
 stress on the 1st syllable, and such as 'colonnade,' 'macaroon' 
 with the stress on the last. The anapaestic group is no doubt 
 rare, if we think only of single words, but it is extremely 
 common as a compound group, such as ' the approach,' ' to 
 return.' Again the disyllabic group, as exemplified in single 
 words, may be generally divided into trochee or iamb, but if we. 
 consider compound groups, such as ' who first,' ' who last,' we 
 are compelled to include the spondee. To illustrate this I will 
 take the simplest of metres, the 4-foot iambic of the Lady of 
 the Lake beginning with the normal 
 
 The stag at eve had drunk his fill. 
 
 A little lower we come to a line which Dr Skeat would probably 
 describe as made up of two extensions and two tones, 
 
 Had -kindled on Benvoirlich's* head 
 
 but which seems to me more naturally divided, for the purpose 
 of reading, into two groups, the former an extension, if we like 
 to call it so, the other containing the remainder of the line. 
 But what are we to say of the following line 
 
 The antlered monarch of the waste ? 
 
 If we are to call the 1st group an extension, and the 2nd a 
 cadence, we have surely just as good a right to call the 3rd an 
 anapaest. And so, in 
 
 Sprung from his heathery couch in haste 
 
 if we allow that 'sprung' may be called a 'tone,' we have equal 
 right to say that it is followed by a double anapaest. So the 
 following lines 
 
 A moment | listened | to the cry 
 
 That thickened | as the chase | drew nigh | 
 
 seem to me to fall naturally into three groups, as marked, the 
 1st consisting of extension, cadence, anapaest, the 2nd of 
 extension, anapaest, ascent. 
 
 I go on to examine Dr Skeat's classification of the varieties 
 of what is known as five-foot iambic. He begins by distin- 
 guishing four types, (A) commencing with two 'ascents' (w-, w-), 
 (B) with 'ascent' and 'extension' (^-, v-.-w), (C) with 'extension' 
 
 82
 
 116 ON ENGLISH METRE. 
 
 and 'tone' (^-^, -), (D) with 'extension' and 'cadence' (^-^, -w). 
 Of each of these there are four varieties determined by the 
 nature of the three following groups which make up the 
 end of the line, and which may be either w-, w-, ^-, or w-, 
 \s \s, *-, or u\s, , </ , or w </, w, . 
 
 This classification seems to me unsatisfactory (1) on the 
 ground that it is not exhaustive even for such strictly normal 
 metres as that of Gray's Elegy, which is taken as the type. Over 
 and above the sixteen varieties thus obtained, Dr Skeat has 
 afterwards to name one of far more importance in its effect on 
 the rhythm, i.e. the initial trochee, as in 
 
 Back-to its-mansioncallthe-fleetingbreath. 
 
 He has also to open the door to many other varieties caused 
 by the varying position of the caesura and, still more, by the 
 greater or less number of accents and of syllables. (2) The 
 sixteen admitted varieties are purely arbitrary. No good 
 reader would separate between the 1st and 2nd group in the 
 line just quoted. 'Back' is certainly a monosyllabic 'tone,' 
 if we are to admit such things at all: 'to' belongs to the 
 following group, which, if we are to find names for all real 
 metrical groups, should be called a 'third Paeon' rather than 
 an 'extension' or amphibrach. 
 
 Look at some other instances of ' extension ' 
 
 The-lowing herd* winds-slo wly o'er the-lea 
 The-cock's shrill-clarionorthe-echoinghorn. 
 
 Extension, as we learn from p. 485, is a group of three syllables 
 in which only one accent occurs, that accent falling between 
 two unaccented syllables. Will any one say that winds - sldwly 
 or shrill - cldrion has only one accent, or that either shrill - 
 clarion or echoing - horn has only three syllables ? To call 
 these by the name ' extension ' is as purely arbitrary as to give 
 the name of ' tone,' defined as ' a strongly accented syllable,' to 
 the scarcely audible prepositions in the following lines : 
 
 The-rude forefathersofthe-hamletsleep 
 No-more shall-rouse-themfromtheir-lowlybed 
 Some-hearts once-pregnant* withoelestialfire 
 And-wastes its-sweetnessonthe-desertair.
 
 EXAMINATION OF TWO RECENT METRICAL SYSTEMS. 117 
 
 Surely if any scansion is to be called 'artificial,' to use Dr 
 Skeat's own phrase, or ' fictitious ' and ' conventional ' in Mr 
 Bridges' language, it is the scansion which puts the emphasis 
 on the weakest word in the line. Properly read, the lines have 
 only four accents and have therefore no claim to be reckoned 
 specimens of the 5-accent verse. Thus in 
 
 The rude I forefathers of | the ham|let sleep | 
 
 I should describe the 3rd foot as a pyrrhic. Or, if we consider 
 that we gain an additional accent in the first foot of such 
 a line as 
 
 No more shall rouse them from their lowly bed, 
 
 this is at the expense of introducing a group unknown to 
 Dr Skeat, in which two adjoining syllables have the same 
 strong accent ; the group which I should call a spondee. And 
 that this is not exceptional, but a very effective and favorite 
 variation is shewn by the following lines : 
 
 And all that beauty, all that wealth e'er gave 
 If memSry o'er their tomb no trophies raise 
 Or flattgry soothe the dull cold ear of death 
 Some heart once pregnant with celestial fire 
 Left the warm precincts 5f the cheerful day 
 On some fond breast the parting soul relies 
 Hard by yon wood, now smiling as in scorn. 
 
 It will be observed that in most of these lines there are 
 six accents, a number which is forbidden by the first law of 
 Dr Skeat's system. In some there are pyrrhics, in some ana- 
 paests. Other examples of these are : 
 
 They kept the noiseless tenour Of their way 
 Implores the passing tribute of a sigh 
 Now fades the glimmering landscape 8n the sight 
 Some mute inglorious Milton here may rest 
 To quench the blushSs of ingenuous shame. 
 
 In one case the trisyllabic foot is better described as a dactyl, 
 Muttering his wayward fancies he would rove. 
 
 Dr Skeat would perhaps explain these away on the principle 
 of elision, but at what a loss to the rhythm, if we are to 
 pronounce 'glimm'ring,' 'ingenyous,' 'mutt' ring.'
 
 118 ON ENGLISH METRE. 
 
 (3) But if Dr Skeat's scansion breaks down in such a 
 simple measure as the Elegy, how helpless and hopeless would 
 it be in dealing with the bold experiments of Milton or 
 Tennyson or Browning or with those of Mr Bridges which we 
 have just been considering ? What would he make of 
 
 Rocks, caves, lakes, fens, bogs, dens, and shades of night, 
 
 or Tennyson's 
 
 Galloping of horses over the grassy plain, 
 
 or 
 
 The little innocent soul flitted away? 
 
 (4) Lastly, I contest the right to introduce such metrical groups 
 as 'tones' and 'extensions' as being natural and ordinary sub- 
 stitutes for the normal ascents of the heroic metre. The 
 cadence (i.e. the trochee) all will allow at any rate in certain 
 parts of the line, but neither the tone nor the extension 
 is found otherwise than as a rare exception. On the other 
 hand the ascending and descending trisyllabic (i.e. the ana- 
 paest and dactyl) are closely allied with the iamb and trochee, 
 often melting into them by means of slurring or glide. In 
 conjunction with iamb and trochee they supply, as I have 
 endeavoured to shew, all the feet required to explain any 
 English metre, if we allow of occasional truncation or anacrusis. 
 For the possible use of amphibrach in the iambic line cf. 
 above, pp. 71, 74. 
 
 Dr Skeat (in p. 495) maintains ' that English verse admits 
 neither dactyl nor anapaest,' and tries to explain all dactylic 
 or anapaestic lines as consisting of amphibrachs. I have con- 
 sidered this question above, pp. 91 93. As an example of 
 amphibrachic metre he takes Byron's lines, which I scan as 
 alternate masculine and feminine anapaestic, with iambic sub- 
 stitution and occasional initial truncation, thus 
 
 AKndw | ye the land j where the cyjpress and myr(tle 
 Are emjblems of deeds [ that are done | in their clime | 
 Where the rage | of the vuljture, the love j of the tur(tle 
 Now melt | into sad; ness now madjden to crime | 
 
 Dr Skeat reads them thus 
 
 Know-ye the-land-where the-cypress and-myrtle 
 Are-emblems of-deeds-that are-done-in their-clime
 
 EXAMINATION OF TWO RECENT METRICAL SYSTEMS. 119 
 
 Wherethe-rage-of the-vulture the-love-of the-turtle 
 Now-melt-into-sadness now-madden to-crime. 
 
 I think no educated reader, who considers the matter without 
 prejudice, would have any hesitation as to which scansion 
 gives the better rhythm, which has the more natural division 
 of the words, and which puts less strain on the metrical 
 principles adopted. Both systems admit of certain licenses, 
 such as the omission of a short syllable before a long at the 
 beginning of the line, or the omission of a short syllable after 
 a long at the end of the line, what I have called initial or 
 final truncation. But Dr Skeat goes far beyond this in his 
 3rd line, where he prefixes a tone, i.e., according to definition, a 
 long accented syllable, thus 
 
 Wherethe-rage-of the-vulture the-love-of the-turtle. 
 
 But this gives us, not four accents, but five, which contradicts 
 the essential principle of the metre. Dr Skeat himself feels 
 the difficulty, which he says ' must be disposed of before we can 
 proceed in peace.' He finds a means of escape by discarding 
 the definition of the 'tone.' Here, he says, it is used to denote 
 an extremely slight accent (p. 496), for which he provides a 
 new symbol, to remind us that the word is not to 'count as 
 forming a true accent-group': it is merely in fact that 'inser- 
 tion of additional syllables at the beginning of a line ' which 
 'is a strongly marked feature of this amphibrachic verse,' 
 though 'it requires a good ear and careful handling, or the 
 verse easily becomes lame and clogged ' (p. 497). That is to 
 say, his system breaks down when he has to apply it to a 
 perfectly regular anapaestic line, just as it does in the lines 
 cited on p. 499, as it would do in 
 
 Not a drum | was heard | not a fu|neral note | 
 
 How this magnificent anapaestic line would be murdered 
 by the halting amphibrachic scansion 
 
 Nota-druin-was heard-not a-funeral-note ! 
 
 Dr Skeat's paper concludes with an examination of Kingsley's 
 hexameters, which of course turn out to be mere ' extensions.' 
 I cannot say that I find his argument more convincing here
 
 120 ON ENGLISH METRE. 
 
 than in the rest of his paper. I shall deal with the hexa- 
 meter in a later chapter. 
 
 It may perhaps be worth while to give a specimen of 
 dactylic metre, of which he denies the existence and which 
 is certainly rarer than the anapaest. In p. 139 below I have 
 cited Tennyson's 
 
 Cannon in | front of them | 
 Volleyed and | thundered | . 
 
 Hood's 
 
 Take her up | tenderly | 
 Lift her with | care A 
 
 Heber's 
 
 Brightest and | best of the | sons of the | morning | . 
 
 We may add Scott's 
 
 Come away j come away | 
 
 Hark to the | summons | 
 Come in your | war array | 
 
 Gentles and | commons | . 
 
 Ruskin (Elements of English Prosody, p. 15) quotes Byron's line 
 Bright is the | diadem | boundless the | sway A 
 
 as a perfect specimen of dactylic verse, and (p. 18) 
 
 With the dew j on his brow j and the rust ] on his mail ] 
 
 as an equally faultless anapaestic. When, however, we com- 
 pare the remainder of the poem from which the former line is 
 taken, we find that it too is more properly described as ana- 
 paestic with initial truncation.
 
 CHAPTER VIII. 
 
 NAMING AND CLASSIFICATION OF METRES. 
 ILLUSTRATED FROM TENNYSON'S POEMS. 
 
 I PROPOSE in this chapter to test our metrical analysis upon 
 a writer who furnishes examples of a great variety of rhythms, 
 and as to whose readings and pronunciation there is no question, 
 so that one may argue securely on the facts. Metrical writers 
 are almost as much divided in regard to the general theory of 
 metre and the scansion and naming of particular metres, as 
 they are on the admissible varieties of the five-foot iambic ; nor 
 do I know of any one who has given an altogether consistent 
 and satisfactory account of the matter. The best, I think, is 
 that by Dr Abbott in English Lessons, but it is incomplete on 
 the trisyllabic metres, and he errs, as we have seen, in the 
 direction of a mechanical regularity. 
 
 Before classifying Tennyson's trochaic metres according to 
 the number of feet employed, I must mention a variety which is 
 common to them all, produced by the omission of the last 
 unaccented syllable, thus giving rise to the truncated trochaic, 
 the converse of the feminine iambic. We find examples of the 
 two-foot trochaic, both complete and truncated, in combination 
 with longer metres ; of complete in The Poet 
 
 In the | middle | leaps a | fountain | (4) 
 
 Like sheet | lightning j (2) 
 
 Ever | brightening | (2) 
 
 With a | low me|lodious | thunder | (4) 
 
 and of the truncated in The Millers Daughter 
 
 Love the | gift is | love the | debt A (4 - ) 
 
 Even | so A (2-)
 
 122 ON ENGLISH METRE. 
 
 Deserted House 
 
 Life and | thought have | gone a|wayA (4 ) 
 
 Side by | side A (2 - ) 
 
 Poet 
 
 Hollow | smile and | frozen | sneer A (4 ) 
 
 Come not | here A (2 ) 
 
 I do not think Tennyson has any example of the complete 
 three-foot trochaic, such as we find in Baring Gould's hymn for 
 children 
 
 Now the | day is | over | (3) 
 
 Night is | drawing | nigh A (3 - ) 
 
 Shadows | of the | evening | (3) 
 
 Steal a|cross the | sky A (3 ) 
 
 But the truncated form is common in combination with longer 
 metres, as in Lilian 
 
 When my | passion | seeks A 
 Pleasance | in love | sighs A 
 Then a|way she | flies A 
 Fairy | Lili|an A 
 
 and the Deserted House 
 
 Careless | tenants | they A 
 Here no | longer | dwell. A 
 
 In Maud xvii. we find twenty-eight consecutive lines in this 
 metre, beginning " Go not | happy | day." In Lilian we have 
 specimens of a variation of the complete three-foot trochaic 
 formed by the prefixing of a hypermetrical syllable or anacrusis, 
 analogous to the feminine rhythm in the iambic metre 
 
 She) looking | through and | through me | 
 If) prayers | will not | hush thee | 
 
 The four-foot trochaic is by far the commonest, as in Lilian 
 
 When I | ask her | if she | love me | 
 Claps her | tiny j hands a|bove me j 
 
 The Poet's Mind 
 
 Clear and | bright it | should be | ever | 
 Flowing | like a | crystal | river | 
 
 Lady of Shalott 
 
 Willows | whiten | aspens | quiver | 
 Little I breezes I dusk and I shiver I
 
 THE NAMING AND CLASSIFICATION OF METRES. 123 
 
 Usually, however, it alternates with the truncated form, as in 
 Lord of Burleigh 
 
 Deeply | mourned the | lord of | Burleigh | 
 Burleigh | house by | Stamford | town A 
 
 This is the common 8s 7s of the hymn-books, like 
 
 Through the | day thy | love has I spared us | 
 Now we | lay us | down to | rest A 
 
 Written as one line we know it as truncated eight-foot, the 
 metre of Locksley Hall 
 Comrades | leave me j here a | little [ while as | yet 'tis | early | dawn. 
 
 The truncated four-foot is the metre of the song in the Vision 
 of Sin 
 
 Wrinkled | ostler | grim and j thin A 
 It is the 7s of hymn-books, the metre of 
 
 Hark the | herald | angels | sing A 
 
 Deserted House is in the same metre with anacrusis in three of 
 the lines 
 
 So) frequent | on its | hinge be|fore A 
 
 Or) through the | windows | we shall | see A 
 
 The) naked|ness | and vacanjcy A 
 
 The complete four-foot is rarely used alone in hymns, as in one 
 of the translations of the Dies Irae 
 
 Day of | wrath, | day of | mourning | 
 See once | more the | cross returning | 
 Heaven and | earth in | ashes | burning | 
 
 Five-foot trochaic is rare in either the complete or truncated 
 form. We find examples of the former in the Vision of Sin 
 
 Narrowing | into | where they | sat asjsembled | 
 Low vo|luptuous | music | winding j trembled | 
 
 and in Wellington 
 
 He shall | find the | stubborn | thistle | bursting | . 
 Into ] glossy | purples I which out|redden | 
 
 The rhythm has rather a tendency to run into Canning's 
 Needy Knife Grinder, which indeed only differs from it by the
 
 124 ON ENGLISH METRE. 
 
 insertion of a short syllable, changing the initial trochee into 
 a dactyl 
 
 Story, God | bless you, | I have | none to | tell, Sir | 
 
 In both the poems just mentioned the truncated form is mixed 
 with the complete, as in the Vision of Sin 
 
 Then me|thought I j heard a | mellow | sound A 
 Gathering | up from | all the | lower | ground A 
 
 and in Wellington 
 
 Once the | weight and | fate of | Europe | hung A 
 
 He that | ever | following | her com|mands A 
 
 On with | toil of | heart and | knees and | hands A 
 
 Six-foot is also rare. We find in the Vision of Sin the 
 complete form 
 
 Purple | gauzes j golden | hazes | liquid | mazes | 
 and in Wellington the truncated 
 
 Who is | he that | cometh | like an | honoured | guest A 
 also in Cauteretz 
 
 All a|long the | valley | stream that | flashest | white A 
 
 I am not aware that Tennyson has any example of the com- 
 plete seven-foot trochaic, though it has to my ear an easier and 
 more natural rhythm than the five and six-foot trochaics, e.g. 
 
 In the | glowing | autumn | sunset | in the | golden] autumn | 
 but we find the truncated form in the Lotos Eaters 
 
 We have | had e|nough of | action | and of | motion | we A 
 and 
 
 Like a | tale of | little | meaning | though the | words be | strong A 
 
 Locksley Hall supplies examples of the eight-foot trochaic, 
 both in the complete form, as 
 
 Slowly | comes a | hungry | people | as a | lion | creeping | nigher | 
 and in the truncated form 
 
 Smote the | chord of | self that | trembling | past in | music | out of | 
 sight A
 
 THE NAMING AND CLASSIFICATION OF METRES. 125 
 
 So the Lotos Eaters 
 
 Eolled to | starboard | rolled to | larboard | when the | surge was | seeth- 
 ing | free A 
 
 In this metre the line is usually divided into two sections after 
 the fourth foot, which I have marked with the double bar, e.g. 
 
 Comrades | leave me | here a | little || while as | yet 'tis | early | dawn A 
 
 In 194 lines of Locksley Hall we find this rule observed in 
 all but forty-two, and in fifteen of these the fourth foot ends 
 with ' and,' which softens the effect, as in 
 
 Saw the | vision | of the world and || all the | wonder | which should | be 
 Love took | up the | glass of | time and || turned it | in his | glowing | 
 hands 
 
 Otherwise it has a heavy dragging sound, as in 
 
 Many a | night from | yonder | ivied || casement | ere I | sunk to | rest 
 What is | fine with|in thee | growing || coarse to | sympa|thize with clay 
 Glares at one that | nods and | winks be||hind a | slowly | dying fire 
 
 In one line we find both sections truncated 
 
 As I have | seen the | rosy | red || flushing | in the | northern | night 
 
 Some have maintained that the basis of the metre is a double 
 trochee with a weaker stress on the first syllable and stronger 
 on the third. There seems no ground for this. If we have 
 
 In the | sprfng a | fuller | crimson | comes upjon the | robin's ] breast 
 we have also 
 Many a | night from [ yonder | ivied | casement | ere I | sank to | rest 
 
 The rationale of the two sections is of course that the line arose 
 from the juxtaposition of a complete and truncated four-foot 
 trochaic, as 
 
 Pilgrims | here on | earth and [ strangers || Dwelling | in the | midst of | 
 foes 
 
 In rhythmical effect it resembles the Greek trochaic tetrameter 
 catalectic. 
 
 Having thus classified the various trochaic lines to be found 
 in Tennyson, it remains for us to observe how they are com- 
 bined into poems, and with what irregularities, either accentual
 
 126 ON ENGLISH METRE. 
 
 or syllabic, they are used. One of these irregularities I have 
 already referred to, the anacrusis. It may be well here to give 
 reasons in support of such an explanation of an unaccented 
 syllable at the beginning of the line. Why should nob a line 
 beginning thus be regarded as an iambic line ? We will take 
 Lilian. This is a poem of thirty lines, all but four of which are 
 manifestly trochaic. Why should we wish to assign a distinct 
 rhythm to these four, because they have an iambic beginning, 
 more than we do to iambic lines which have a trochaic (i.e. a 
 feminine) ending ? Similarly in A Dirge we have forty-nine 
 lines, all but four plainly trochaic, and one of these is formed 
 simply by prefixing ' but ' to the refrain, " let them rave." In 
 the Lotos Eaters, after a number of long trochaic lines, we 
 come to 
 
 Than) labour | in the | deep mid | ocean | wind and | wave and | oar A 
 Oh) rest ye I brother | inari|ners we | will not | wander | more A 
 
 I should certainly prefer to call these trochaic. The Valley of 
 Cauteretz and the Ode on the Duke of Wellington present several 
 examples of the same kind. No doubt there is a remarkable 
 mixture of the iambic and trochaic rhythms in the latter; but 
 taking the last eleven lines beginning 
 
 He is | gone who | seemed so | great A 
 it seems to me better to treat the exceptional lines 
 
 Than) any | wreath that | man can | weave him | 
 But) speak no | more of | his re nown A 
 And) in the | vast cath|edral | leave him | 
 
 as examples of anacrusis rather than as iambics. So in the 
 longer lines of stanza vi. 
 
 Who is | he that | cometh || like an | honoured | guest A 
 
 With) banner | and with | music || with) soldier | and with | priest A 
 
 I should treat the second as a truncated six-foot trochaic, with 
 anacrusis at the beginning of both sections. The line that 
 follows 
 
 With a | nation | weeping [| and) breaking \ on my | rest A 
 
 has anacrusis at the beginning of the second section only. 
 Cauteretz is six-foot truncated 
 
 All a|long the | valley || stream that | flashest | white A
 
 THE NAMING AND CLASSIFICATION OF METRES. 127 
 
 but anacrusis is freely used at the beginning of either or both 
 sections, as, in the first 
 
 For) all a|long the | valley || down thy | rocky | bed A 
 in the second 
 
 Deepening thy I voice with || the) deepening j of the | night A 
 in both 
 
 The) two and | thirty | years were || a) mist that j rolls a|wayA 
 
 and even with two short syllables prefixed to the second 
 section in 
 
 Thy) living | voice to | me was || as the) voice | of the | dead A 
 
 This last might of course be "treated as a case of iambic in- 
 trusion ; in either case the second "voice" is disyllabic. Dr 
 Abbott gives the historical explanation of anacrusis in English 
 Lessons, p. 189 : " In early English poets syllables which precede 
 the accented syllable are not necessary to the scansion." He 
 gives to such syllables the name of the " catch." 
 
 The next irregularity which I will speak of is the substitu- 
 tion of the dactyl in the place of the trochee. Dr Abbott con- 
 fines this licence to the first foot, and it is, no doubt, most 
 frequent in that position, as in 
 
 Thoroughly | to unjdo me | 
 Wearieth | me May | Lili|an A 
 Shadowy | dreaming | Ade|line A 
 But in a | city | glori|ous A 
 Many a | chance the | years be|get A 
 
 but it is also found in other places, especially in long lines, as 
 in the Lotos Eaters 
 
 Where the | wallowing \ monster | spouted | his foam | fountains | in the | 
 
 sea A 
 
 Wellington 
 
 He that j ever | following \ her comjmand A 
 and the Vision of Sin 
 
 Moved with | violence \ changed in | hue A 
 Caught each | other with \ wild gri|maces | 
 Half invisible \ to the | view A 
 Wheeling | with pre\cipitate \ paces | 
 To the | melody \ till they | flew A
 
 128 ON ENGLISH METRE. 
 
 This is, however, a very irregular poem, and we should perhaps 
 class the passage among those in which there is an intentional 
 mixture of rhythms, the trochaic and dactylic. 
 
 The inversion of the accent is less common than in the 
 iambic metre, but is occasionally found in the first foot, e.g. 
 
 The g<51d-|eyed | kingcups | fine A 
 The frail | blue -bell | peereth | over | 
 From deep j thought him (self he | rouses | 
 
 To speak now of the combination of trochaic lines. We find 
 poems made up of the truncated three-foot, as the seventeenth 
 stanza of Maud, but this is, I think, a solitary instance. The 
 truncated four-foot is common, e.g. The Owl, Adeline (though in 
 this we find anacrusis freely employed, giving an iambic colour- 
 ing), the song in the Millers Daughter ; also the alternation of 
 the complete and truncated four-foot, as in Lord of Burleigh. 
 The truncated four-foot is often varied by the intermixture of 
 longer and shorter lines, as in Lilian we find it associated with 
 complete four-foot and truncated or hypermetrical three-foot ; 
 in Deserted House with truncated three and truncated two ; in 
 The Dirge with hypermetrical four, truncated two and complete 
 four ; in Locksley Hall we have truncated eight-foot varied by 
 the occasional insertion of a complete line. I reserve the more 
 difficult combinations till we have got the analysis of the 
 trisyllabic metres. 
 
 Of the ascending disyllabic, or iambic, metre we find the 
 following varieties in Tennyson : two-foot, as in The Poet 
 
 The love | of love | 
 three-foot 
 
 The la|dy of | Shalott | 
 three-foot with feminine ending 
 
 In days | of old | Amphi(on 
 four-foot 
 
 O had | I lived | when song | was great | 
 four-foot feminine 
 
 She onjly said | my life | is wea(ry
 
 THE NAMING AND CLASSIFICATION OF METRES. 129 
 
 five-foot 
 
 The mel|low re|flex of | a win|ter moon | 
 five-foot feminine 
 
 The vex|ed ed|dies of | its wayjward bro(ther 
 six-foot 
 
 Give us | long rest | or death | dark death | or dream|ful ease | 
 It is | the last | new year | that I | shall evjer see | 
 
 seven-foot (usually divided into four-foot and three-foot) 
 I thought | to pass | away | before || but yet | alive | I am | 
 
 These are combined into poems as follows : we find three-foot 
 masculine and feminine indiscriminately with anapaestic varia- 
 tions in Claribel 
 
 Where Cla|ribel | low li(eth 
 The bree|zes pause | and die | 
 But the solemn oak | tree sigh(eth 
 
 Four-foot alternating with three-foot is very common, as in 
 The Talking Oak 
 
 Once more | the gate | behind | me falls | 
 Once more | before | my face | 
 
 It is known in the hymn-books as ' common metre.' Sometimes 
 we have stanzas of 4-4-4-3, as 
 
 Of old | sat free|dom on | the heights | 
 The thun|ders break] ing at | her feet | 
 
 Above | her shook | the star|ry lights | 
 She heard | the tor|rents meet | 
 
 And there are other combinations, as in Sir Galahad, etc. In 
 Amphion and the Brook we have four-foot masculine alter- 
 nating with three-foot feminine. It has usually a light playful 
 touch 
 
 My fa|ther left | a park | to me ( 
 
 But it | is wild | and bar(ren 
 A gar|den too | with scarce | a tree | 
 
 And was|ter than j a war(ren 
 
 And out | again | I curve | and flow | 
 
 To join | the brim]ming ri(ver 
 For men | may come j and men | may go | 
 
 But I | go on | for ev(er 
 
 M. M. 9
 
 130 ON ENGLISH METRE. 
 
 Will Waterproof is in eight-line stanzas, the first half of 
 the stanza consisting of alternate masculine four-foot and three- 
 foot ; the latter half of four-foot masculine arid three-foot 
 feminine. The four or eight-line stanza of four- feet (the ' long 
 metre ' of hymn-books) is the commonest of all. It is used in 
 Lady Clara Vere de Vere, Day Dream, Love thou thy Land, 
 which last, as well as the whole of In Memoriam, takes a 
 peculiar character from the rhyming of the first and fourth and 
 second and third lines. The five-foot line is found in combina- 
 tion with others, as in Dream of Fair Women, where we have a 
 four-line stanza of 5-5-5-3 
 
 I read | before | my eye|lids dropt | their shade | 
 
 The leg|end of | good wom|en long | ago | 
 Sung by | the morn | ing star | of song | who made | 
 
 His mus|ic heard | below | , 
 
 In the beautiful Requiescat we find it in combination with four 
 and three 
 
 Fair is | her cot|tage in | its place | 
 Where yon | broad wa|ter sweet|ly slow|ly glides | 
 
 It sees | itself | from thatch | to base | 
 Dream in | the sliding tides. | 
 
 The May Queen is composed of six and seven-foot lines. 
 
 The first irregularity I shall mention is the use of the mono- 
 syllabic first foot (as in Chaucer), what I have distinguished as 
 initial truncation, in opposition to the final truncation of the 
 trochaic line. Usually it is found in poems where anapaestic 
 substitution is common ; as in the lines quoted in a former 
 chapter from the A rabian Nights and Lady Clara Vere de Vere. 
 Compare also 
 Ode to Memory 
 
 A Streng then me | enligh|ten me | 
 A Sub|tle-though|ted, my|riad-inind(ed 
 
 Lady Glare 
 
 I trow | they did | not part | in scorn | 
 A Lov|ers long | betrothed | were they | 
 A False|ly falsejly have | ye done | 
 
 mojther she said | if this | be true | 
 
 A Dropt | her head | in the mai| den's hand |
 
 THE NAMING AND CLASSIFICATION OF METRES. 131 
 
 The Sailor Boy 
 
 A Fool | he ans|wered death | is sure | 
 To those | that stay | and those | that roam | 
 
 The poem in which truncation occurs most frequently is the 
 Flower, which is so irregular that it should perhaps be reckoned 
 among the examples of anapaestic rhythm 
 
 A Up | there came | a flower | 
 The peo|ple said | a weed | 
 But thieves | from o'er | the wall | 
 
 A Stole ! the seed | by night | 
 
 The second irregularity is that of feminine rhythm, of which 
 I need say nothing. The third, substitution of anapaest for 
 iambic, as in the Sailor Boy 
 
 They are all \ to blame | they are all \ to blame j 
 A Dedication 
 
 Dearer | and near er as | the rap|ioJ of life \ 
 
 The fourth, substitution of trochee (and even dactyl in the first 
 foot) for iarnb. Example of dactyl in Arabian Nights 
 
 Serene | with ar|gent-lid|ded eyes ! 
 Amorous \ and lash|es like | to rays | 
 
 So Wordsworth's exquisite line 
 
 Murmuring \ from Glairama|ra's in|most caves I 
 
 The trochee is sometimes found in the middle of the line 
 Of all | the glad | new year | Mother \ the mad|dest mer|riest day-) 
 
 Pyrrhic and spondaic substitution, though not so common in 
 the shorter iambic verse, as in the heroic, are still far from 
 unfrequent : compare 
 
 Come then | pure hands | and bear | the head | 
 211 i 
 
 Thou comest | much wept | for : such | a breeze | 
 
 Compelled | thy can|vas, and | my prayer | 
 o o 
 
 Was as | the whis|per of | an air | 
 10 oo 
 
 Trisyllabic metre is either ascending like the iambic, 
 which we know as anapaestic, or descending like the trochee, 
 which we know as dactylic. We find examples of anapaestic 
 
 92
 
 132 ON ENGLISH METRE. 
 
 lines, consisting of one foot, in the Song beginning " A spirit 
 haunts " 
 
 At his work | you may hear | him sob | and sigh | 4 
 
 In the walks | 1 
 
 At the moist j rich smell | of the rot|ting leaves | 4 
 
 And the breath j 1 
 
 In the same poem we have the two-foot anapaest 
 
 Of the moul|dering flowers | 
 We find the three-foot line in Maud 
 
 In the mead|ow un|der the hall | 
 
 To the death | for their na|tive land | 
 
 The four-foot in the Song 
 
 For at e|ventide lisjtening earnestly | 
 and in the Poet's Mind 
 
 In the heart | of the gar|den the merjry bird chants | 
 The five-foot in Maud 
 
 Till I well | could weep | for a time | so sor|did and mean | 
 And also the six-foot 
 
 Did he fling | himself down | who knows | for a vast | specula|tion had 
 failed | 
 
 which is the metre of the Northern Farmer 
 
 "The Amoigh|ty's a taaikin of you | to 'issen | my friend" | a said | 
 The seven-foot in Sea Fairies 
 
 A AWhithJer away | from the high | green field | and the haplpy 
 bloss|oming shore | 
 
 The eight-foot in the same 
 A A Whith|er away | lis|ten and stay | mar|iner mar|iner fly | no more | 
 
 In this the first, third, and fifth feet are monosyllabic, a license 
 of which I shall speak directly. 
 
 The variations are (1) the iamb, of which all the longer 
 lines quoted afford instances, even in the last foot, where Dr 
 Abbott denies its use (Lessons, p. 211). Sometimes a line is 
 made up of these without a siugle anapaest, as in the Song 
 
 The air | is damp | and hushed | and close |
 
 THE NAMING AND CLASSIFICATION OF METRES. 133 
 
 The iamb may, of course, be represented by a spondee, as ' 
 And the year's | last rose | 
 
 But (2) at the beginning of the line the anapaest may be 
 represented by a monosyllable, the two unaccented syllables 
 disappearing without altering the character of the verse. Thus 
 the line 
 
 I would kiss I them ofjten un|der the sea | 
 is repeated in the form 
 
 And kiss | them again | till they | kissed me | 
 
 Leave out ' and ' and the rhythm is unaltered. This law of the 
 anapaestic metre is not, I think, noticed by Dr Abbott, yet 
 examples of such initial truncation are innumerable. The 
 truncated two-foot is found in the Merman 
 
 A A Who | would be | 
 A A nier man bold | 
 A A Sitjting alone | 
 A A Singling alone | 
 A A Unjder the sea | 
 With a crown | of gold | 
 A A On | a throne | 
 
 truncated three-foot in Maud 
 
 Maud | with her ex|quisite face | 
 truncated four-foot in the same 
 
 Singling alone | in the morn|ing of life | 
 truncated five-foot 
 
 Knew | that the death | white curjtain meant | but sleep | 
 truncated six-foot 
 
 Why | do they prate | of the bless | ings of peace | who have made | them 
 
 a curse | 
 Glo|ry of war|rior glo|ry of or|ator glojry of song | 
 
 It may be asked what reason is there for calling these 
 lines ' metamorphous anapaestic,' rather than ' rnetamorphous 
 dactylic ' ? The answer has been already given in a former 
 chapter ; it is that the rhythm of the lines must be interpreted 
 by the general rhythm of the piece, and all the lines quoted
 
 134 ON ENGLISH METRE. 
 
 come from passages, which are either distinctly anapaestic, or 
 which at any rate contain lines which can only be explained as 
 anapaestic, while they have no lines which must necessarily be 
 taken as dactylic. Thus the last line, taken alone, would 
 naturally be classed as truncated dactylic ; but in the same 
 poem ( Wages) we find the indisputable anapaest 
 
 The wa|ges of sin | is death | if the wa|ges of vir|tue be dust | 
 She desires | no isles | of the blest | no quilet seats | of the just | . 
 
 So in Byron we have 
 
 Bright | be the place | of thy soul | ( = 3) 
 
 No love|lier spirjit than thine | ( 3) 
 
 E'er burst | from its mor|tal control | ( 3) 
 
 In the orbs | of the bless |ed to shine | (3) 
 
 Verses like these were long a puzzle to me. Their melody 
 was indubitable, but I could not see what was the scientific 
 account of the rhythm till I was struck by the analogy with 
 the old monosyllabic initial foot in the iambic line. 
 
 Besides these main variations, we find the use of feminine 
 rhythm ; as in Maud 
 
 Ah what | shall I be | at fif(ty 
 If I find | the world | so bit(ter. 
 
 And she knows | it not | oh if | she knew (it 
 To know i her beaujty might half | undo (it. 
 
 The anapaestic rhythm is a great favourite with Tennyson, 
 especially in his later poems. It is used with much freedom 
 as regards the number of feet employed. One of the most 
 uniform in this respect is the Welcome to Alexandra, written 
 in the four-foot anapaest. Initial truncation is very common : 
 in fact there is only one line which commences with the pure 
 anapaest 
 
 We are each | all Dane | in our wel|come of thee | 
 In one line we have initial and sectional truncation 
 
 Roll | and rejoice | jujbilaut voice | 
 
 Roll | as a ground] swell dashed | on the strand | 
 
 The two-foot trochaic ' Alexandra ' forms a refrain. 
 
 The six-foot anapaest is used in many important poems, as 
 the two Northern Farmers, the Grandmother, the Higher Pan-
 
 THE NAMING AND CLASSIFICATION OF METRES. 135 
 
 theism, Wages, a good deal of Maud, Rizpah, First Quarrel, 
 Northern Cobbler, Entail, Children's Hospital, Maeldune, and 
 the very irregular Revenge. I will notice here a few peculiari- 
 ties in the use of the metre. In the Grandmother we have two 
 lines which would naturally be read as instances of the seven- 
 foot anapaest 
 
 Sev|enty years | ago | my darling seventy years | ago | 
 but this may be reduced to six by reading the first 'seventy' 
 as a disyllabic. In the other, a seven-foot line could only be 
 avoided by the heroic remedy of giving four syllables to the 
 first foot 
 And whit whit whit | in the bush | beside | me chirjrupt the nightj ingale | 
 
 The first four sections of Maud are in six-foot anapaest. There 
 is a considerable variety in the use of the metre. In section 
 iii. almost every line suffers initial truncation, which is rare in 
 section i. In section iv. we find the usual break at the end of 
 the third foot disregarded, e.g. 
 
 Half lost | in the lijquid a|zure bloom | of a cres|cent of sea | 
 The sijlent sap|phire-spang|led mar|riage ring I of the law | 
 
 The normal line of the Revenge is also six-foot anapaest, as 
 
 He had onily a hunjdred sea men to work | the ship | and to fight | 
 Sir Rich|ard spoke | and he laughed | and we roared | a hurrah | and so | 
 
 This is occasionally divided into two sections, sometimes 
 rhyming, as 
 And the half j my men | are sick||. I must fly | but fol|low quick | 
 
 and admitting a superfluous syllable after either section, or 
 both, as 
 
 Then aware | Lord Thom|as How(ard||: Tore God | I am | no cow(ard 
 By their mounj tain-like | San Phil(ip || that of fifjteen hun|dred guns | 
 
 We sometimes find initial truncation giving rise to a 
 trochaic rhythm in the first half of the line, as 
 
 A Thousands of | their sol(diers || looked down | from their decks | and 
 laughed | 
 
 It admits also lines varying in length from two to seven 
 feet, as 
 
 A nap. 2. And a day | less or more | 
 At sea ! or ashore |
 
 136 ON ENGLISH METRE. 
 
 sometimes truncated 
 
 A Long | and loud | 
 
 Anap. 3. So they watched | what the end | would be | 
 Anap. 4. But Sir Rich|ard cried | in his Eng|lLsh pride | 
 
 In two instances a pyrrhic takes the place of an anapaest, 
 unless we give four syllables to one foot, 
 
 But he rose | iipon | their decks | and he cried | 
 And he fell | upon | their decks | and he died | 
 
 Anap. 5. And a wave | like the wave | that is raised | by an earth | -quake 
 grew | 
 
 7. And the sun | went down | and the stars | came out | far o ver the 
 sumjmer sea | 
 
 Truncated in 
 A God | of bat|tles, was ev|er a batjtle like this | in the world | before | 
 
 The three-foot anapaest is usually combined with others; 
 thus in Maud (sections v. and vi.) it is joined with four-foot and 
 occasional five-foot lines. In vii. we have the three-foot pre- 
 served throughout, sometimes with feminine rhythm, except for 
 two four- foot lines ; viii. is a mixture of three-foot and four- 
 foot ; ix. joins two, three, and four- foot. In x. the first three 
 stanzas are of four feet, the fourth and fifth mixed of three and 
 four ; xi. is three-foot throughout ; xii. is mainly three-foot, but 
 has occasional four-foot lines, and is disguised by prevalent 
 truncation and feminine rhythm ; xiii. is almost entirely four- 
 foot, with only three lines of three feet ; xiv. is mainly three- 
 foot, but rises into four and even five-foot ; xv. is four-foot, with 
 one line of two-foot ; xvi. mainly four varied with three and 
 two. In xvii. and xviii. the feeling changes to a tone of more 
 assured happiness, and we have a corresponding change in the 
 rhythm, xvii. consisting of truncated three-foot trochaic, and 
 xviii. (perhaps the most perfect example of the flowing richness 
 of Tennyson's rhythm) consisting of iambic with anapaestic 
 variation, in lines varying from two to six feet. The four which 
 follow are three and four-foot anapaests. The more passionate 
 movement of xxiii. (Part IT 1 in new arrangement) shews itself 
 in three, four, and five-foot anapaestic lines, with occasional 
 iambic variation ; xxiv. (Ft. II 2) is three and four-foot ana-
 
 THE NAMING AND CLASSIFICATION OF METRES. 137 
 
 paest, with marked initial truncation ; xxv. (Pt. II 3) and xxvi. 
 (Pt. II 4) three and four-foot anapaest, with iambic variation, 
 the latter also with feminine ending; xxvii. (Pt. n 5), as suits 
 its subject, is the most violent in rhythm of any, consisting 
 of anapaestic lines, varying from two to five feet in length, and 
 shewing examples not only of initial truncation, as in 
 
 Dead | long dead | 
 but of monosyllabic feet in other parts of the verse, e.g. 
 
 Long | dead | 
 And the hoofs | of the bor|ses beat |.beat | 
 
 The last section of Maud is regular five-foot anapaest. 
 
 In " Break, break, break," we have three-foot anapaest 
 arranged in verses of four lines. In three verses the third line 
 contains four feet, and in two the first line is represented by 
 the three monosyllables " Break, break, break." The Poet's 
 Song is mainly four-foot, but is varied by several three-foot 
 lines. In the Song " A spirit haunts," the metre is variously 
 four, two, and one-foot. The song in Sea Fairies varies from 
 three to eight-foot, and truncation, as I mentioned above, is 
 very freely used : thus we have 
 Whi|ther away || whi|ther away || whether away || fly | no more || 
 
 the line being divided into four sections, admits of four mono- 
 syllabic feet. In the Islet the four-foot anapaest prevails 
 
 Whiither O whijther love | shall we go | 
 varied with three-foot 
 
 That it makes | one wea|ry to hear | 
 
 truncated two-foot 
 
 No | love no | 
 
 and complete five-foot running into pure iambic 
 
 With majny a rivlulet high | against | the sun | 
 The fajcets of | the glor|ious moun|tain flash | 
 
 The Flower has been treated above as a specimen of iambic, 
 but it might be viewed as a three-foot anapaest, broken by one 
 four-foot, and with prevailing disyllabic substitution 
 
 Once | in a gold | en hour | 
 I cast | tc earth | a seed j
 
 138 ON ENGLISH METRE. 
 
 The Victim is mainly four-foot, with disyllabic substitution 
 
 A plague | upon | the peojple fell | 
 
 The priest | in hor|ror about | his alt(ar 
 
 To Thor | and O|din lift|ed a hand | 
 
 The mo|ther said | they have ta|ken the child | 
 
 Sudjderily from | him breaks | his wife | 
 
 But some of the verses are followed by lines of two feet, 
 forming groups equivalent to eight-foot lines in rhythm, e.g. 
 
 Help | us from fa j mine And plague | and strife || What | would you have | 
 of us ? Hujman life | 
 
 But, it may be said, is it not easier to take these as 
 dactylic, dividing as follows 
 
 Help us from | famine And | plague and | strife A A 
 What would you | have of us ? | Human | life A A 
 
 the two last dactyls being represented by trochee and long 
 syllable ? The answer is that in either case the metre will be 
 metamorphous or disguised, and that we shall best preserve the 
 unity of the poem by interpreting the disguise so as to agree 
 with the undisguised corresponding lines in other stanzas, e.g. 
 
 They have ta|ken our son | They will have | his life | 
 Is he | your dear|est Or I | the wife | ? 
 
 The same question arises about the metre of Lucknow, 
 which may be generally represented by the following scheme 
 
 Is this to be treated as anapaestic or dactylic ? That is, at which 
 end of the line must the inevitable truncation be placed ? Are 
 we to regard the first syllable as representing an anapaest, 
 or the last as representing a dactyl ? The pauses sometimes 
 seem to suit the one, sometimes the other. If the question 
 had to be settled for each line taken separately, we should, 
 I think, naturally scan the first of the two which follow as a 
 dactyl, and the second as an anapaest, as marked by the bars ; 
 
 Bullets would | sing by our | foreheads and | bullets would | rain at our | 
 
 feet A A 
 A A Mine ? | yes a mine | Countermine | . Down, down | and creep | 
 
 through the hole |
 
 THE NAMING AND CLASSIFICATION OF METRES. 139 
 
 There is no difficulty however in scanning the first as ana- 
 paestic, while it is almost impossible to scan the second as 
 dactylic ; and the refrain 
 
 And evjer upon | the top|most roof | our ban|ner of Engiland blew | 
 thus schematized (v ~ w w v - w w w'w %> -) divides into 
 seven iambs or anapaests more naturally than into seven dactyls 
 with anacrusis and final truncation. 
 
 The dactylic metre is much more rarely used than the ana- 
 paest. There is, I think, only one example of the pure dactyl, 
 viz. the Light Brigade. The essential point of course is that 
 the stress is not on the last syllable 
 
 Cannon to | right of them | 
 Cannon to | left of them | 
 Cannon in | front of them | 
 Volleyed and | thundered | 
 
 The metre is two-foot, with frequent substitution of the trochee 
 for the second foot. Sometimes the rhythmical stress is opposed 
 to the verbal accent, as in 
 
 While horse and | hero fell | 
 
 We do not find in Tennyson the monosyllable for the dactyl, 
 as in Hood's 
 
 Take her up | tenderly | 
 
 Lift her with | care A A 
 
 In Heber's hymn 
 
 Brightest and | best of the | sons of the | morning A 
 Dawn on our | darkness and | lend us thine | aid A A 
 
 we have the last foot represented alternately by a monosyllable 
 and a trochee. 
 
 The last line of the alcaic stanza might be described as a 
 four-foot dactyl with trochaic substitution in the last two feet 
 Milton a | name to re|sound for | ages | 
 
 Since the different metres are thus capable of interchange 
 and transmutation, it is easy to understand how a poem com- 
 mencing in one metre will run into another. Thus Madeline 
 begins with two iambic lines (4 + and 4), the third line is trun- 
 cated four- foot trochaic ; the fourth again is four- foot iambic ;
 
 140 ON ENGLISH METRE. 
 
 fifth trochaic truncated ; sixth arid seventh iambic ; and so, 
 throughout, the two rhythms alternate. The Deserted House is 
 one in which trochaic rhythm passes into iambic. In Oriana 
 the second and third verses have a predominant trochaic 
 rhythm, while the others are iambic with the trochaic refrain. 
 The Lady of Shalott begins with iambic, but there are many 
 pure trochaic stanzas. Eleanore is mainly iambic, with ana- 
 paestic variation 
 
 With the hum | of swar|ming bees | 
 
 Into dream|ful slumbjer lulled | 
 
 but in stanza iv. changes to trochaic, e.g. 
 
 How may | full-sailed | verse ex | press A 
 How may | measured | words ad |ore A 
 
 The Choric Song in Lotos-Eaters begins with iambic, of length 
 varying from three to six feet. In the third stanza we find 
 occasional trochaic substitution, e.g. 
 
 Nightly | dew-fed | and turjning yel|low 
 and initial truncation, 
 
 Falls | and floats | adown | the air | 
 which prepares us for the trochaic commencement of iv., 
 
 Hateful | is the | dark-blue | sky ^ 
 Vaulted | o'er the | dark-blue | sea 
 
 and for the series of long trochaics (seven and eight-foot) which 
 close the eighth stanza. In the Vision of Sin the rhythms are 
 appropriated to separate sections of the poem, and express 
 different tones of thought. In the Ode on Wellington we have 
 anapaestic rhythm in the first and fifth stanzas, iambic in third, 
 fourth, and seventh, trochaic mixed in sixth, eighth, and ninth. 
 Iambic is found mixed with anapaest, sometimes irregularly, 
 sometimes according to a fixed law. Thus Mariana in the 
 South is regular four-foot iambic, but the last two lines have 
 invariably the trisyllabic rhythm 
 
 And ah she sang | to be all | alone | 
 To live | forgot|ten and die | forlorn | 
 
 Similarly, The Sisters, which is in regular four-foot iambic, is 
 broken by the trisyllabic refrain 
 
 The wind | is howlling in tur|ret and tree j
 
 THE NAMING AND CLASSIFICATION OF METRES. 141 
 
 In The Daisy the stanza consists of four four-foot iambic lines, 
 the third with feminine rhythm, and the fourth with anapaestic 
 substitution in third place 
 
 I stood | among | the sil|ent stat|ues 
 And stat|ued pin|nacles mute j as they | 
 
 In the Verses to Maurice the first three lines are the same 
 as in The Daisy, but the fourth has anapaestic substitution in 
 the second place as well as the third, and the first foot is a 
 monosyllable : with which the superfluous syllable of the pre- 
 ceding line naturally connects itself 
 
 And fur|ther on | the hoar|y chan(nel 
 Tumb|les a break|er on chalk | and sand | 
 
 Of course it is possible to treat the fourth line as dactylic, with 
 the substitution of a trochee for the third and a monosyllable 
 for the fourth dactyl. In that case the last two lines of the 
 verse would be a slight modification of the alcaic 
 
 God-gifted organ voice of England 
 Milton a name to resound for ages 
 
 this latter having two trochees at the end of the fourth line. 
 
 Of irregular mixture we have many examples. The Dying 
 Swan begins with four-foot varied by three-foot iambic : the 
 third line suffers initial truncation : anapaestic substitution is 
 frequent 
 
 With an injner voice | the riv|er ran | 
 Adown | it float|ed a dyling swan | 
 
 In the second stanza the anapaestic character becomes more 
 marked, and in the third it becomes pure anapaestic. The May 
 Queen commences with seven-foot iambic, with free anapaestic 
 substitution, as in 
 
 And the wild | marsh mar|igold shines | like fire | in swamps | and 
 
 hol|lows gray | 
 And the riv|ulet in | the flowjery dale | will mer|rily dance | and play | 
 
 Occasionally we have six-foot iambics, e.g. 
 
 If you do | not call | me loud | when the day | begins | to break | 
 As I | came up | the val|ley || whom think | ye should | I see j
 
 142 ON ENGLISH METRE. 
 
 We have one example of initial truncation, accompanied by 
 feminine caesura, 
 
 All | the val|ley mo(ther || will be fresh | and green | and still | 
 
 One line appears to have eight feet, unless we compress four 
 syllables into the first, or make ' so ' extra-metrical 
 So you | must wake | and call | me ear|ly call | me earjly mo|ther dear | 
 There is some difficulty in the rhyming of the following 
 
 For I would see the sun rise upon the glad new year. 
 To-night I saw the sun set : he set and left behind 1 . 
 
 Regarding this as a six-foot line, we find a superfluous syllable 
 at the end of the third foot, which is hardly possible to connect 
 with what follows as the first syllable of an anapaest, because 
 the word itself requires some stress, and in the second line is 
 followed by a decided pause. I am inclined to think we must 
 treat rise and set as monosyllabic feet, thus making a seven-foot 
 line. 
 
 Death of the Old Year is mainly three or four- foot iambic, 
 but we find it diversified with anapaests, as marked as 
 
 He gave | me a friend | and a true | true love | 
 And the new | year will take | 'em away j 
 
 Some lines shew initial truncation, e.g. 
 
 A Toll | ye the church- 1 bell sad | and slow | 
 A And | tread soft|ly and I speak low | 
 A Ev|ery one | for his own | 
 
 Lady Clare is in four-line stanzas of four-foot iambics, 
 diversified with three-foot. Some verses are regular, but in 
 most there is a strong anapaestic colouring, e.g. 
 
 Are ye out | of your mind ] my nurse | my nurse j 
 Said La|dy Clare | that ye speak | so wild | 
 
 There are several examples of initial truncation, as 
 Dropt | her head | in the maid|en's hand | 
 The Flower has been already mentioned. The Ringlet is about 
 
 1 Mr Koby compares the 73rd line of the Atys 
 
 jam jam dolet quod egi, jam jamque paenitet 
 and refers to his School Lat. Gr. 934.
 
 THE NAMING AND CLASSIFICATION OF METRES. 143 
 
 equally divided between iambic and anapaestic. Beginning 
 with the feminine anapaest 
 
 Your ring] lets your ring(lets 
 
 it proceeds with five regular iambics, and then bursts into 
 the strong anapaests 
 
 And then | shall I know | it is all | true gold | 
 To flame | and spark|le and stream | as of old | 
 
 falling back into the quiet iambic 
 
 And all | her stars | decay | 
 It contains three examples of initial truncation 
 
 A I | that took | you for | true gold | 
 
 A She | that gave | you's bought | and sold | 
 
 A Burn | you glos|sy her|etic burn | 
 
 and the refrain consists in two instances of monosyllabic feet 
 
 Sold, sold, 
 Burn, burn. 
 
 as may be seen by comparing the intermediate refrain 
 
 You gol|den lie | 
 
 The Victim begins with regular four- foot iambic, breaking 
 into anapaestic towards the end of each eight-line stanza, as 
 
 The priest in horjror about | his al(tar 
 
 To Thor | and 0|din lifjted a hand | 
 He caught | her away | with a sudjden cry | 
 
 Maud contains several instances of mixed iambic and anapaestic, 
 cf. xi., xviii., xxiii. 
 
 I proceed now to mixed trochaic metres. The mixture of 
 trochaic and iambic has been already treated of. Trochaic, 
 varied by the intermixture of dactyls according to a fixed 
 law, is found in Boadic&a, which is mainly eight-foot trochaic, 
 sometimes complete, but usually truncated, with one or more 
 dactyls in the last three feet 
 
 While ajbout the | shore of | Mona || those Ne|ronian | legiona]ries A 
 Girt by | half the | tribes of | Britain || near the | colony | Camuloldune A 
 
 In the following we have four consecutive dactyls 
 
 There the | hive of | Roman | liars || worship a | gluttonous | emperor | idiot |
 
 144 ON ENGLISH METRE. 
 
 I think the rhythm would have been improved by omitting 
 emperor, thus making a truncated eight-foot : but the final 
 dactyl, giving eight complete feet, is also found in 
 
 Hear it | gods the | gods have | heard it || I|cenian | Cori|tanian | 
 Tho' the | Roman | eagle | shadow thee || though the | gathering j enemy | 
 
 narrow thee | 
 Up my | Britons | on my | chariot || on my | chargers j trample them | 
 
 under us | 
 
 In one line we find three dactyls in the first half 
 Bloodily | bloodily | fall the | battle-axe || unex|hausted in|exora|ble 
 
 There is only one line in which the dactylic substitution is not 
 found in the last three feet 
 
 There they | dwelt and | there they | rioted || there | there they | dwell no | 
 more 
 
 The metre is in length, and in trisyllabic final rhythm an 
 imitation of the Atys of Catullus, of which the type is 
 
 Phrygium nemus citato || cupide | pede tejtigit | 
 
 The Poet's Mind begins with four and three-foot trochaic, 
 but passes by a rather unusual combination into anapaestic 
 
 Holy | water | will I | pour | 
 Into | every | spicy | flower | 
 Of the lau|rel shrubs | that hedge | it around | 
 In your eye | there is death | 
 There is frost | in your breath | 
 
 The hendecasyllabic is a five-foot trochaic, in which the second 
 foot is a dactyl 
 
 Look I | come to the | test a j tiny | poem | 
 All com|posed in a | metre | of Ca|tullus | 
 
 I think I have now noticed all the metres which occur in 
 Tennyson, except his alcaics. These being, like the hendeca- 
 syllabics, pure imitation from a foreign source, might be 
 omitted in an examination of English metres ; but they admit 
 of simple analysis in the terms which I have employed. The
 
 THE NAMING AND CLASSIFICATION OF METRES. 145 
 
 first two lines are made up of five iambs, the fourth of which 
 suffers anapaestic substitution 1 , 
 
 O might|y mouthed | inven|tor of harmonies | 
 
 The final iambic is usually pyrrhic, so as to give the impres- 
 sion of a double dactyl at the end, and we might if we pleased 
 describe the line as consisting of two sections, the first a two- 
 foot iambic with feminine ending, the second two dactyls. 
 The third line is four-foot feminine 
 
 God-gift|ed or|gan voice | of Eng(land 
 The fourth, two dactyls followed by two trochees 
 Milton a | name to re|sound for | ages | 
 
 It has been observed that Tennyson's classical metres are 
 conformed to the law of quantitative, as well as of accentual 
 rhythm. 
 
 1 On the alcaic metre see Eoby's School Gr. 936 and p. 366 B. 
 
 M. M. 10
 
 CHAPTER IX. 
 
 NAMING AND CLASSIFICATION OF METRES. 
 ILLUSTRATED FROM THE HYMN-BOOK. 
 
 I PROCEED now to test our metrical analysis on the hymns 
 contained in the ordinary collections, such as Hymnal Compa- 
 nion and Hymns Ancient and Modern. In old-fashioned hymn- 
 books each hymn is marked with certain mystic signs, which 
 serve as guide-posts to the corresponding tunes. Sometimes 
 these marks are references to psalms of the same metre in 
 the old version by Sternhold and Hopkins; thus 'ps. 104' 
 denotes an eight-line stanza of anap. 2 
 
 Oh w6r|ship the Kfng || All-gl6|rious above | 
 
 ' ps. 148 ' denotes an eight-line stanza, four lines consisting of 
 3 iambs, and four of 2 iambs, as 
 
 Ye bound|less realms | of joy || Exalt j your Ma|ker's name | 
 His praise | your song | employ || Above I the stariry frame | 
 Your voilces raise | Ye cher|ubim j 
 
 And ser|aphim | To sing | his praise | 
 
 Sometimes they denote the number of syllables in each line ; 
 thus 8s 7s stands for a stanza of alternate troch. 4 and troch. 3, 
 as in 
 
 Through the | day thy | love has | spared us | 
 Now we | lay us | down to | rest A 
 
 7s 6s stands for alternate iamb 3 + and iamb 3, as 
 
 From Greenland's i|cy moun(tains 
 From Iu|dia's corjal strand j 
 
 It is evident that the same figures might have been used for
 
 THE NAMING AND CLASSIFICATION OF METRES. 147 
 
 the converse rhythms, thus 8s 7s might have stood for an 
 iambic stanza of 4 and 3+ feet alternately, such as 
 
 The Lord | of might | on Si|nai's brow | 
 Gave forth | his voice | of thun(der 
 
 But the great majority are marked LM, SM, CM, PM, denoting 
 respectively Long, Short, Common, and Peculiar Measures. The 
 first three are four-line iambic stanzas; in LM all the lines 
 contain 4 iambs ; in SM the third line has 4, the rest 3 iambs ; 
 in CM the first and third have 4, the alternate lines 3 iambs. 
 Peculiar Measure is the general receptacle for all hymns that 
 do not come under any of the other heads. 
 
 We will begin by classifying all under their genera, Iambic, 
 Trochaic, Dactylic, Anapaestic, and Mixed ; subdividing them 
 into species according to the number of feet, and mentioning 
 any particular varieties which are found in each species. 
 
 IAMBIC. Stanzas of not more than four lines 1 . 
 
 3.2.3.3 The sun is sinking fast, The daylight dies. 
 
 3.3.3.3 We love the place Lord, Wherein thine honour dwells. 
 
 3 + . 3 . 3 + . 3 Brief life is here our portion, Brief sorrow, short-lived 
 
 care. 
 var. There's a friend for little children Above the bright blue 
 
 sky. 
 
 [Here an anapaest is substituted for the first iamb in every 
 stanza.] 
 
 3.3.4.2 The God of Abraham praise, Who reigns enthroned above. 
 Ancient of everlasting days, And God of love. 
 
 3.3.4.3 (SM) My soul repeat his praise. 
 
 3 + . 3 . 4 . 3 I want to be like Jesus, So lowly and so meek ; 
 
 For no one marked an angry word, That ever heard him 
 speak. 
 
 4.3.4.2 Our bless'd Redeemer ere He breathed. 
 
 4.3.4.3 (CM) God moves in a mysterious way. 
 4 . 3 + . 4 . 3 + The King of love my Shepherd is, 
 
 Whose goodness faileth never. 
 
 1 I include under this all stanzas, though they may contain more than four 
 lines, which merely repeat the metre. It will be noticed that many of the 
 subjoined examples suffer trochaic substitution in the first foot. 
 
 102
 
 148 ON ENGLISH METRE. 
 
 4 . 4 . 4 . - 2 Fierce raged the tempest o'er the deep, 
 Watch did thine anxious servants keep, 
 But thou | wast wrapped | in dream|less sleep | 
 A Calm | and still | 
 
 4.4.4.2 My God, my Father, while I stray. 
 
 4.4.4.3 Just as I am without one plea. 
 
 4.4.4.4 (LM) Before Jehovah's awful throne. 
 var. Come Holy Ghost our souls inspire. 
 
 * * * * 
 
 That through the ages all along 
 A This may be our endless song ; 
 A Praise to thy eternal merit. 
 
 [In the last line we have feminine ending, and both in it 
 and in the preceding there is initial truncation.] 
 
 4+.4.4+.4 Bread of | the world | in mer|cy bro(ken 
 Wine of | the soul | in mer|cy shed | 
 
 5.5.5.5 Abide with me, fast falls the eventide. 
 
 var. (couplet) Come take by faith the body of your Lord. 
 
 (triplet) For all the saints who from their labours rest. 
 5 +.3. 5 +.3 A voice | is heard | on earth | of kins|folk weep(ing 
 The loss of one they love. 
 
 5+.5 + .5+.2 + Lord of | our life | and God j of our | salva(tion, 
 * * * # 
 
 Lord God | Almigh(ty 
 5 + .5. 5 +.5 for | the peace | which flow|eth as | a riv(er 
 
 Making earth's desert places bloom and smile. 
 
 IAMBIC. Stanzas of more than four lines. 
 
 3.3.3.3.2.2.2.2 (148th ps.) Ye boundless realms of joy. 
 
 [Not unfrequently the last four lines are thrown into two, 
 as in 
 
 Hills of the North rejoice, 
 
 River and mountain spring, 
 Hark to the Advent voice, 
 Valley and lowland sing: 
 Though absent long, your Lord is nigh ; 
 He judgment brings and victory. 
 
 A peculiar effect is given in this specimen by the initial 
 trochaic substitution in most of the short lines.] 
 
 3.3.2.3.3.3.2 (God save the Queen) Thou, whose Almighty word. 
 3.2.3.2.3.3.2 Nearer my God to thee. 
 
 3.2.3.2.3.3.3.2 There is a happy land.
 
 THE NAMING AND CLASSIFICATION OF METRES. 149 
 
 [There is a dactylic ring about these verses, and the sixth line 
 in each stanza is irregular. In the second and third stanzas it 
 seems to begin with an anapaest ('when from sin,' 'be a crown') : 
 in the first with a dactyl (' worthy is '). I think however that 
 the line ' And bright above | the sun | ' is too decisively iambic 
 to allow of the hymn being assigned to any other genus.] 
 
 3.3 + . 3.3 + . 3. 3. 3. 3 Now thank | we all | our God | 
 
 With heart | and hands | and voi(ces. 
 
 3+.3+.2.2.3+ (twice) Head of the church | trium(phant, 
 We joy|fully | adore (thee; 
 Till thou | appear, | 
 Thy members here | 
 Shall sing | like those | in glo(ry. 
 
 3+. 3.3+. 3. 4. 4 The day is past and over, All thanks Lord to thee. 
 4.3.4.3.3.3.3.3 O Paradise, O Paradise, 
 
 Who doth not crave for rest. 
 3.3.4.3.4.4 Change is our portion here. 
 
 4.3.4.3.4.4 Lord of my life whose tender care. 
 4.3.4.4.3 Eight days amid this world of woe 
 
 The holy Babe had been. 
 
 4.3.4.3.4.3 var. Father I know that all my life. 
 4.4.3.4.4.3 Lord how happy should we be 
 If we could cast our care on thee 
 
 If we from self could rest. 
 
 4. 4.3+. 4. 4. 4. 3+ For ever to behold him shine 
 For evermore to call him mine 
 And see | him still | before (me. 
 
 [Frequent anapaestic substitution in the first foot.] 
 
 4.4.4.4.2.2.4 Lord of the harvest, thee we hail. 
 
 4.3+. 4.3 + . 4.3 + . 4.3 + . 4. 4 O Rock of Ages, since on thee 
 
 By grace | my feet | are plan(ted. 
 4.2.4.2.4.2 My God I thank thee, who hast made 
 
 The earth so bright. 
 4.3 + . 4.3 + . 4. 4. 3+ (Luther's Hymn) 
 
 Great God what do I see and hear. 
 3 +.3 (four times repeated) var. The sands | of time | are sink(ing. 
 
 [The eighth line of each stanza seems to be iamb - 3, thus 
 A In | Emmanjuel's land | ] 
 
 4. 3. 4.3. 4. 3.3 + . 3 var. A Broth|er thou | art gone | before (us.
 
 150 ON ENGLISH METRE. 
 
 [In this very irregular hymn of Milman's, the normal verse 
 is shown to be iambic by such lines as 
 
 The toil|some way | thou'st travelled o'er | 
 And borne I the heavjy load; | 
 
 but there is frequent anapaestic substitution in the first foot ; 
 the first line of the first stanza and of the refrain have a 
 feminine ending ; and several lines suffer initial truncation, as 
 
 A Earth | to earth | and dust | to dust | 
 A Sin | can ne|ver taint | thee now] 
 
 2.5.5.5.2 Come labour on, 
 
 Who dares stand idle on the harvest plain. 
 5.2.5.2.5.2 Lord my God, do thou thy holy will. 
 
 I will lie still. 
 5.2.5.2.5.5 
 
 Lead kindly Light amid the incircling gloom, Lead thou me on. 
 5 + . 5.5 + . 5. 5. 5 Thou know|est, Lord, | the wea|riness ] and sor(row 
 Of the | sad heart | that comes ' to thee | for rest. | 
 
 TROCHAIC. Stanzas of not more than four lines. 
 
 3 . 3 - . 3 . 3 - Now the j day is | over | 
 
 Night is | drawing | nigh A 
 3.3.3.3 Jesus meek and lowly. 
 
 4 . 3 - . 4 . 2 - Art thou weary, art thou languid, 
 
 Art thou sore distrest ? 
 
 4 .4-. 4-. 2 Christian seek not yet repose. 
 4-. 4-. 4-. 3 Three in One and One in Three. 
 4 .4 .4-. 4 ('7s') Hark the herald angels sing. 
 
 (triplet) Lord in this thy mercy's day. 
 4 . 4 . 4 . 4 Jesus lives ; no longer now 
 
 Can thy terrors, death, appal us. 
 4 . 4 - . 4 . 4 Jesus calls us o'er the tumult 
 
 Of our life's wild restless sea. 
 4.4.4 (triplet) Day of wrath, day of mourning. 
 
 TROCHAIC. Stanzas of more than four lines. 
 
 3-. 3-. 4. 4. 3-. 3- Jesus still lead on 
 
 Till our rest be won. 
 4-.2 .4-.4-.2- 0, they've reached the sunny shore 
 
 Over there. 
 
 4.4 .4. 4-. 2. 4 Lo! He comes with clouds descending. 
 4.4 .4.4 .2.2.4 Lead us, heavenly Father, lead us. 
 
 4.4 .4.4 .4 .4- Who are these like stars appearing.
 
 THE NAMING AND CLASSIFICATION OF METRES. 151 
 
 4. 4-. 4. 4-. 4. 4 Once in royal David's city. 
 
 4.4 .4.4.4 O the bitter shame and sorrow. 
 
 4 .4 .4 .4-. 4. 4 Now the labourer's task is o'er. 
 
 4 .4. 4-. 4. 4-. 4 Gentle shepherd thou hast stilled. 
 
 4.4 .4. 4. 4-. 4-. 4-. 4-. 4 Thou art coming my Saviour. 
 
 DACTYLIC. 
 
 2-.2 = .2-.2 = Rest of the | weary A 
 
 Joy of the | sad A A 
 
 2 . 2 . 2 . 2 - (twice) Breast the wave | Christian | 
 When it is | strongest A 
 
 [The sixth line begins with anacrusis and ends with a trochee 
 (dact. + 2 -) 
 
 The) rest that re|maineth A ] 
 
 2.2= (four times) Fierce was the I wild billow | 
 
 Dark was the | night A A 
 
 2.2 = . 2.2 = . 2. 2. 2. 2= No not despairingly | 
 
 Come I to | thee A A 
 2. 2.2 = . 2. 2. 2. 2= Father of | heaven above | 
 
 Dwelling in | light and love | 
 
 Ancient of | days A A 
 
 4-.4 = .4-.4= Brightest and | best of the | sons of the | morning A 
 Dawn on our | darkness and | lend us thine | aid A A 
 4 = .4 = .4 = .4= Raise the tris|agion | ever and | aye A A 
 
 ANAPAESTIC. 
 
 2.2.2.2 (twice) A O, worjship the King | 
 
 A All glor|ious above | 
 
 [The two lines are often printed as one ; usually, the first 
 foot is an iamb.] 
 
 3.3.3.3 A We speak | of the realms | of the blest j 
 [Iambic substitution common in first foot.] 
 
 var. A One sweet |ly sol|emn thought | 
 A A Comes | to me o'er | and o'er | 
 I am nearjer my home | today | 
 Than I ev|er have been | before | . 
 
 [Iambic substitution common in all the feet. First foot often 
 represented by monosyllable.]
 
 152 ON ENGLISH METRE. 
 
 4.3.4.3 A I think | when I read | that sweet sto|ry of old | 
 
 A When Jejsus was here | among men | 
 var. A A Christ | is gone up j with a joyjful sound | 
 He is gone | to his bright | abode j 
 
 [Monosyllabic substitution common in first foot, iambic in 
 first and last.] 
 
 4.4.4.4 O Thou | that dwell'st | in the heav|ens high | 
 Above | you stars | and within | yon sky | 
 
 [Iambic substitution common in all the feet.] 
 
 4.3.4.3.4.4 There were nine|ty and nine | that safe|ly lay | 
 In the shelter of | the fold | 
 
 [Iambic substitution common in all the feet, and monosyllabic 
 in first foot.] 
 
 4 + .4.4 + .4 
 
 Thou art gone | to the grave | but we will | not deplore (thee 
 Though sorrows and darkjness encompass the tomb | 
 
 [Iambic substitution in first foot.] 
 
 MIXED. Iambic and trochaic. 
 
 Alternate iamb. 3, troch. 3 - (thrice). 
 
 We close | the wea|ry eye | 
 
 Saviour | ever | near A 
 We lift | our souls | on high | 
 
 Through the | darkness | drear A 
 
 Alt. troch. 4 , iamb. 3 (four times, except iamb. 4 in sixth 
 line). Printing two lines in one, we may describe this as troch. 
 7-. 7-. 8-. 7-. 
 
 God of ! my sal|vation | hear A 
 
 And help | me to | believe | 
 Simply | do I | now draw | near A 
 
 Thy bles|sing to | receive | ' 
 Dust and | ashes | is my | name A 
 
 My all | is sin | and mis|ery | 
 Friend of | sinners j spotless | Lamb A 
 
 Thy blood | was shed | for me j 
 
 [This hymn is by C. Wesley, who has another in the same 
 metre beginning 
 
 Lamb of | God whose | bleeding | love A ]
 
 THE NAMING AND CLASSIFICATION OF METRES. 153 
 
 Troch. 6. 7-. 6, iamb. 5. 
 
 Holy | holy | holy | all the | saints a|dore thee | 
 Casting | down their | golden | crowns a|round the | glassy | sea A 
 Cheru|bim and | seraphim | falling | down be | fore thee | 
 Which wert | and art | and evjermore | shalt be | 
 
 [In the third line ' seraphim ' is a dactyl for trochee. In the 
 lines which follow we must disyllabize ' Lord ' and ' our ' to pre- 
 serve the metre, unless we think that the solemnity of the 
 subject justifies a monosyllabic foot in the former case. 
 
 troch. 6 Holy | holy | holy | Lord | God Al (mighty | 
 
 troch. 7 Early ] in the | morning | oiir | song shall | rise to | thee A ] 
 
 Troch. 4, iamb. 2, troch. 4, iamb. 2, troch. 4.4.4, iamb. 2. 
 
 God that | madest | earth and | heaven | 
 
 Darkness | and light | 
 Who the | day for | toil hast | given | 
 
 For rest | the night | 
 May thine | angel j guards dejfend us | 
 Slumber | sweet thy | mercy | send us | 
 Holy | dreams and | hopes at|tend us | 
 
 This live|long night | 
 
 Iambic SM with trochaic refrain 2.4. 
 
 From Ejgypt's bonjdage come | 
 
 Where death | and darkless reign | 
 We seek | our new | our betjter home | 
 
 Where we | our rest | shall gain | 
 Hallejlujah | 
 
 We are | on our | way to | God A 
 
 Troch. 4 . 4 , iamb. 3, trochaic refrain 3.3.3.4. 
 
 Here we | suffer | grief and | pain A 
 Here we | meet to | part ajgain A 
 
 In heaven | we part | no more | 
 O that will be | joyful 
 Joyful | joyful | joyful | 
 that | will be | joyful | 
 When we | meet to | part no | more A 
 
 [The ranting tune makes the refrain dactylic, turning 0, 
 that will be, and joyful into trisyllables.]
 
 154 ON ENGLISH METRE. 
 
 The long irregular hymn beginning " The strain upraise," 
 consists of iambic lines varying from 3 . 3 4- . 4 . 5 . 5 + to 7 feet, 
 and closes with troch. 4. A few lines are given as specimens. 
 
 iamb. 5+ Here let j the moun| tains thunlder forth | sono(rous 
 iamb. 7 This is | the strain | the eter nal strain | the Lord | of all | 
 
 things loves | 
 troch. 4 Now from | all men | be out j poured A 
 
 Iambic with dactylic refrain. 
 
 Iamb. 5 + . 5 . 5 + . 5, dact. 2 - . 2 = . 2 -, iamb. 3. 
 
 Hark, hark | my soul | angeljic songs | are swelling 
 O'er earth's j green fields | and ojcean's wave|beat shore | 
 * * * * 
 
 Angels of | Jesus A 
 
 Angels of j light A A 
 Singing to | welcome A 
 
 The pil|grims of | the night | 
 
 I cannot help thinking that the metre of the last line must 
 have been intended to be dactylic, and that 'the' before 'night' 
 either crept in by mistake, or that we should read o th' night. 
 Its metrical index would then be dact. + 2 =. 
 
 Iambic with anapaestic refrain. 
 
 Iamb. 3 + . 3 (four times). 
 
 When his j salvaltion bringing 
 To Zi on Je|sus came | 
 
 refrain, anap. 3. 
 
 A Hosanjua to Jejsus they sang | 
 
 Trochaic and dactylic. 
 
 Dact. 2. 2. 3 -.2-. 2-, troch. 4 -. 
 
 O most | merciful | 
 
 O most | bountiful | 
 God the | Father Al|mighty A 
 
 By the Rejdeemer's A 
 
 Sweet inter (cession A 
 Hear us | help us | when we | cry A
 
 THE NAMING AND CLASSIFICATION OF METRES. 155 
 
 Trochaic and anapaestic. 
 
 Troch. 4 . 4 - . 4 . 4 - . 4, anap. 3 + . 3 + . 3. 
 
 Shall we | gather | at the | river | 
 
 Where bright | augel | feet have | trod A 
 
 * # * * 
 
 * * * * 
 
 Yes we'll | gather | at the | river | 
 A The beautiful beau'tiful riv(er 
 
 Gather with | the saints | at the riv(er 
 A That flows | by the throne | of God | 
 
 A Riddle. 
 
 It seems at first sight impossible to reduce to rule Oakley's 
 translation of Adeste Fideles. What common scheme will suit 
 the two following stanzas? 
 
 O c6me, all ye faithful, 
 J6yful and triumphant, 
 c<5me ye, c6me ye to Bethlehem; 
 Come and beh61d him 
 B6rn the King of angels: 
 
 G6d of G6d, 
 Lfght of Lfght, 
 
 L6 he abhors not the Virgin's w6mb; 
 Very G6d, 
 Beg6tten not created. 
 
 It looks as though there were no more regularity of rhythm 
 in them than in the words of a chanted psalm, where the 
 number and accent of the syllables bear no fixed relation to the 
 musical notes; and certainly the translator in his desire to re- 
 produce the literal sense, has been much more erratic in his 
 metre than the original. In the Latin, the first line of the 
 second verse, Deum de Deo, is only one syllable short of Adeste 
 fideles, the first line of the first verse, and, in singing, the first 
 syllable of Deum occupies the same time as the two first of 
 adeste, while the English is three syllables short. We may ob- 
 serve that even in the English, the accents correspond, and I 
 think by comparing the different verses and picking out the more 
 regular lines we may make out a common scheme, and explain 
 the variations, thus
 
 156 ON ENGLISH METRE. 
 
 dact. 2 - Sfng choirs of | angels A 
 
 troch. 3 Sfng in | e"xul|tation | 
 
 dact. 2-, iamb. 2 L6 he abjh6rs riot | the Vfr [gin's womb | 
 
 dact. 2 - W6rd of the | Father A 
 
 troch. 3 Now in | fldsh apjpearing | 
 
 refrain, iamb. 3 +.3 + . 5 
 
 O come | let us | adore (him 
 O come | let us | adore (him 
 O come | let us | adore | him, Christ | the Lord | 
 
 If this is the correct scheme, the first verse departs from it 
 by anacrusis in the 1st and 3rd lines, and the second verse re- 
 presents the two dactyls of the 1st and 4th lines by a trochee 
 and monosyllable, and has anacrusis in the 5th line. Its 2nd 
 line departs furthest both from the normal line and from the 
 Latin lumen de lumine, as it has only two trochees (troch. 2 ) 
 where there ought to be three. The third verse also varies in 
 its 3rd, 4th, and 5th lines. 
 
 dact. 2, iamb. 2 Sing all ye | citizens | of heaven | above | 
 dact. 2= Glory to | God A A 
 
 troch. 2 In the | highest |
 
 CHAPTER X. 
 
 BLANK VERSE OF SURREY AND MARLOWE. 
 
 THE earliest specimen of English blank verse, that is, of the 
 unrhyming five-foot iambic, is found in the translation of the 
 second and fourth books of the Aeneid by the Earl of Surrey, 
 beheaded Jan. 1547, in the 30th year of his age. In the 
 edition by Mr Bell it is said (p. 141), that 'the dexterity with 
 which he manages his metre prevents it from falling with 
 monotony on the ear,' ' he mixes the iambic and trochaic feet 
 so skilfully, that his constancy to the measure escapes observa- 
 tion in the pleasure derived from the music with which he fills 
 it'; yet 'crudenesses of sundry kinds are by no means in- 
 frequent'; 'the ear is sometimes wounded by such lines as 
 these 
 
 By the divine science of Minerva.' 
 
 Mr Symonds on the other hand, as we have seen above (p. 53), 
 joins him with Sackville, Greene and Peele as being very 
 averse 'to any departure from iambic regularity.' We will 
 endeavour to give a more exact account of the matter. The 
 initial trochee is as common in Surrey as in Milton. It is 
 often found in combination with a trochee in the third foot, as 
 
 p. 152. He with I his hands I strave to I unloose | the knots | 
 2001 2001 01 
 
 156. Then the | Greeks' faith, | then their | deceit | appeared | 
 20 2 2 200101 
 
 158. Finding I himself I chanced I amid I his foes | 
 20 01 20 0102
 
 158 ON ENGLISH METRE. 
 
 Trochee in the second foot is not uncommon, and is sometimes 
 preceded or followed by another trochee, as 
 
 p. 148. Yea, and | either | Atride | would buy | it dear | 
 212001 o 101 
 
 156. Wherewith | Panthus | scaped from | the Greek ish darts I 
 
 01 20 2 00101 
 
 158. Holding | alway | the chief | street of | the town I 
 
 1010 01 1001 
 
 160. Of the | virgin I from them | so res|cued | 
 10 20 o i 1201 
 
 161. The gilt I spars and I the beams I then threw I they down I 
 
 012002 12 01 
 
 165. Which rejpulsed from | the brass | where it | gave dint I 
 102 001 1012 
 
 173. Till we | came to | the hill | whereas | there stood | 
 
 10 2001 01 o i 
 
 The old | temple | dedijcate to | Ceres | 
 o i 20 2010 20 
 
 174. Holding | backward | the steps | where we | had come I 
 
 10 2001 1101 
 
 175. Long to | furrow | large space | of stor|my seas | 
 
 2020 i i 0201 
 
 186. And the | hope of | lujlus' seed | thine heir | 
 10 20 01 01 01 
 
 193. Blowing | now from | this quar|ter now | from that | 
 
 20 2 02 102 2 
 
 197. Shall I ! wait? or board | them with | my power | 
 
 011 110 1 1 
 
 [The rhythm is harsher if we take board as one syllable 
 forming the first part of a trochee. The fifth foot would then 
 be the trochee power.'} 
 
 Without | taste of I such cares 1 \ is there I no faith I 
 01 2001 1021 
 
 199. From the | bounds of | his kingjdom far | exiled | 
 10 2 0010101 
 
 For examples of trochee in the fourth place compare 
 
 p. 144. And where] of no I small part | fell to | my share I 
 
 101 2 i 102 i 
 
 145. In the | dark bulk | they closed | bodies | of men | 
 10 2 2 o i 2001 
 
 147. What news I he brought | what hope | made him | to yield I 
 
 1101 11 lo'oi 
 
 Into | his band | young and | near of | his blood I 
 1001 2 o 2001 
 
 148. This horse | was made, | the storms | roared in | the air I 
 
 01 010 2 2001 
 
 149. With blood | likewise | ye must | seek your | return j 
 
 o 2 10 01 i 001' 
 
 And that | that erst | each one | dread to | himself | 
 01 01 10 2001
 
 BLANK VERSE OF SURREY AND MARLOWE. 159 
 
 156. Toward | the tower | our hearts | brent with | desire | 
 0101 01 2001 
 
 158. Each pal|ace and | sacred | porch of | the gods | 
 o 10010 2001 
 
 And plenlty of | grisly | pictures | of death | 
 
 100 20 20 o i 
 
 [Here perhaps the 2nd foot should be taken as an anapaest, 
 grisly being pronounced with three syllables, as seemingly in 
 p. 196, 
 
 Erebus | the griisly j and Chaios huge I ] 
 100 o 201 o 10 i 
 
 p. 159. We went I and gave I many onsets | that night | 
 01 01 1010 11 
 
 To hope | on aught against | will of | the gods | 
 
 01 O'l 01 2001 
 
 162. From that high seat | which we | razed and | threw down I 
 
 0111 0120 1 2 
 
 183. Whom our | mother | the earth, | tempted by wrath | 
 
 101001 2001 
 
 196. Bent for | to die | calls the | gods to I record | 
 
 2001 20 2001 
 
 And if | there were | any | god that | had care | 
 010 12020 01 
 
 202. And her | dying | she clepes | thus by | her name | 
 01100 i 2001 
 
 The black | swart gore | wiping | dry with | her clothes | 
 
 01 1120200 i 
 
 For trochee in fifth place compare 
 p. 160. The fell | Ajax | and eijther Altrides ] 
 
 1 20 010 Oio' 
 
 163. I saw | Pyrrhus | and | either Ajtrides | 
 01 20 o 10010 
 
 165. Escajped from | the slaughter of | Pyrrhus I 
 010 o o 100 10 
 
 Without I sound hung | vainly I in the I shield's boss I 
 
 01 1 1 2000 2 2 
 
 168. Nor bla|med Pa|ris yet | but the | gods' wrath I 
 010101 10 2 i 
 
 171. With sudjden noise | thundered | on the I left hand I 
 
 0101 20 0021 
 
 172. Worship | was done | to Ce|res the | goddess I 
 
 10 01 0100 10 
 
 173. The old | temple | dedicate to | Ceres | 
 
 01 20 2010 20 
 
 175. Unto | the son I of Ve|nus the | goddess | 
 10 01 0100 10 
 
 181. Before | her go | with gladlsome Ilulus | 
 
 01 01 o i 0010 
 
 184. That now I in Car|thage loiltereth I reckless I 
 
 i 01 o 101 20 
 
 187. And that | the feast|ful night | of Ciltheron | 
 
 1 o o 10 i 0010 
 
 Doth call I her forth I with no|ise of I dancing I 
 0101 010010
 
 160 ON ENGLISH METRE. 
 
 192. Nor cinlders of | his falther An|chises | 
 
 100 010 010 
 
 I with I the Greeks I within I the port | Aulide | 
 100 i 010110 
 
 So hard | to ov|ertreat? | Whither | whirls he? | 
 
 01 0101 20 20 
 
 196. Stood near | the aljtar, bare | of the | one foot | 
 o i 010100 21 
 
 199. What said I I ? but | where am | I ? what | phrensy | 
 1101 1201 20 
 
 201. With wailling great | and wolmen's shrill | yelling | 
 010 i 010 i 20 
 
 145. By the | divine | science | of Min|erva | 
 oo 01 20 0010 
 
 The rhythm in some of these lines is so harsh, that we 
 might be disposed to think Surrey's pronunciation must have 
 differed from ours, but in almost every case it might be shown 
 that he has elsewhere used the same word with the common 
 accent. It would almost seem as if he were satisfied with the 
 metre, so long as he got ten syllables into the line. I do not 
 think he has any example of truncation, like Chaucer before 
 him or Marlowe afterwards. He admits however trisyllabic 
 feet, as 
 
 p. 146. Or this ] an enjgine is | to annoy \ our walls | 
 
 150. The al|tor and sword \ quoth he | that I | have scaped | 
 
 153. na|tive land | Ilion \ and of | the gods | 
 
 Four times | it stopt | in the en\try of | our gates | 
 
 157. As fu|ry gui\ded me and \ whereas | / had heard \ 
 
 162. Like to | the &d\der with ven\omous her\bes fed | 
 
 163. There He|cuba | I saw | with a hun\dred mo | 
 
 167. To revenge \ my town | unto | such ru|in wrought | 
 
 168. Doth Creu\sa, live | and A.&\canius \ thy son | 
 174. In the void \ porches | Phoenix | Ulys|ses eke | 
 
 184. A wojwum that wandering in | our coasts | hath bought | 
 199. Infer|nal fu|ries eke | , ye wreakjers of wrong \ 
 
 Surrey pays as little regard to Dr Guest's rules in regard to 
 the pauses, as in regard to the accent and number of syllables. 
 As often as not, he has no middle pause. Sometimes the end 
 of the line separates closely connected words, as 
 
 p. 174. The rich|es here | were set | , reft from | the brent | 
 Temples | of Troy | .
 
 BLANK VERSE OF SURREY AND MARLOWE. 161 
 
 He puts a stop after the ninth syllable, as 
 
 p. 151. His tale | with us | did purchase credjit ; some | 
 Trapt by | deceit | ; some, for|ced by | his tears | 
 
 While his most common pause is after the fourth syllable, we 
 sometimes find a pause after the first and second syllables, 
 even though the latter is unaccented, and also after the third, 
 occasionally with very harsh effect, as in 
 
 p. 160. And, by | sound, our | discord|ing voice | they knew | 
 
 161. The gilt spars, and | the beams | then throw | they down | 
 
 165. Without | sound, hung | vainly in the | shield's boss | 
 
 168. Anchijses, thy | father | fordone | with age 
 
 196. The fields | whist, beasts | and fowls | of di|vers hue | 
 
 197. Shall I | wait ? or | board them | with my | power | 
 
 198. Follow | thee, and | all blithe obey | thy call | 
 
 One of the least pleasant pauses is that in the middle of the 
 third foot, when it is a trochee or spondee, as 
 
 p. 203. Commandled I I reave ; and | thy spir|it unloose | 
 
 101 2 1001 
 
 164. An old | laurel | tree, bow) ing there|unto | 1 
 Surrey sometimes uses the feminine ending, as in 
 
 p. 196. Him she | requires | of jus|tice to | remem(ber 
 196. And three | faces | of Dijana | the vir(gin 
 
 He generally imitates Virgil's broken lines The only other 
 unfinished line I have observed is the third below, 
 
 p. 184. His fair | mother behight | him not | to us | 
 
 Such one | to be | , we there] fore twice | him saved | 
 From Greek|ish arms | , but such | a one | 
 As might, &c. 
 
 where probably we should insert to be before such. 
 Occasionally we meet with Alexandrines, as 
 
 p. 196. Her cares | redoujble ; love | doth rise | and rage | again | 
 200. But fall | before | his time | ungraved | , amid | the sands | 
 
 Not to confine myself to specimens of eccentricity, I add the 
 following passage as a favourable example of his ordinary metre. 
 
 1 Compare, for examples of similar harshness, the lines from Marlowe at the 
 end of this chapter, and those from Tennyson and Browning in the chapter on 
 Modern Blank Verse (pp. 206 foil.). 
 
 M. M. 11
 
 162 ON ENGLISH METRE. 
 
 p. 201. Sweet spoils | , whiles God | and desjtinies | it would, | 
 Receive | this sprite | , and rid | me of | these cares : | 
 I lived | and ran | the course | fortune | did grant ; | 
 And un|der earth | my great | ghost now | shall wend : | 
 A goodjly town | I built | and saw | my walls ; | 
 Happy | , alas | , too hap|py, if | these coasts | 
 The Troy|an ships | had nev|er touch|ed aye. | 
 
 Before going on to Marlowe, it may be worth while to give 
 Gascoigne's rule of metre contained in his Instruction concern- 
 ing the making of verse in English, which was first published in 
 1575. There he tells us (p. 36, Arber) that 'there are certain 
 pauses or rests in a verse, which may be called Caesures, whereof 
 I should be loth to stand long, since it is at the discretion of the 
 writer, and they have been first devised, as should seem, by the 
 musicians ; but yet thus much I will adventure to write that, 
 in mine opinion, in a verse of eight syllables the pause will 
 stand best in the midst, in a verse of ten it will be best placed 
 
 at the end of the first four syllables In Rhithm Royall (which 
 
 he afterwards explains to be a seven-line rhyming stanza, each 
 line containing ten syllables) it is at the writer's discretion, and 
 forceth not where the pause be until the end of the line.' He 
 further says (p. 33) that 'nowadays in English rimes we use 
 none other order but a foot of two syllables, whereof the first is 
 depressed or made short, and the second elevate or made long,' 
 whereas in former poets, such as Chaucer, there was much 
 greater liberty in regard to the number of syllables. In 
 observing the rule of alternating accented and unaccented 
 syllables, we are to remember to keep 'the natural and usual 
 sound of the word.' 
 
 The rhythm of Marlowe (d. 1593) is very different from that 
 of Surrey. It is much more regular in accentuation, but, if 
 the text is correct, it occasionally admits of initial truncation, 
 leaving only nine syllables in the line. I have noted the 
 following instances: the pages are Dyce's ed. 1850. 
 
 Vol. I. p. 48. Bar|barous | and blood |y Tam|burlaine | 
 Treach erous | and false | Therid jamas | 
 49. Blood|y and | insaltiate Tamjburlaine | 
 51. Long | live Tam|burlaine | and reign | in A|sia 
 145. Arm | dread sovereign and | my no|ble lords |
 
 BLANK VERSE OF SURREY AND MARLOWE. 163 
 
 164. Now | my boys | what think | you of | a wound | 
 146. Traijtors vil|lains dam|ned Chris|tians | 
 
 and almost in the same words in pp. 178, 203, 
 
 Villain trai|tor dam|ned fugitive | 
 Villains cow|ards traitors to | our state | 
 189. Coniquer sack | and ut|terly consume | 
 
 198. Save your ho,nours, 'twere | but time | indeed | 
 
 199. Let | us not | be id|le then | my lord | 
 63. Kings | of Fez | Moroc|co and | Argier | 
 
 83. Cap|oline | hast thou | surveyed | our powers | 
 98. What | is beau|ty? saith | my suf|ferings then | 
 18. Duke | of Af |rica and | Albajnia | 
 
 I am doubtful about the last, because Marlowe is so capricious 
 in his pronunciation of proper names. If Africa was pro- 
 nounced Africa or Affarica, the line would be regular. I find 
 in three several passages Euphrates, viz. 1 : 
 
 p. 110. As vast | a deep | as Euphrates | or Nile | 
 157. That touch | the end | of fam|ous Euphrates | 
 212. Of Euphrates | and Tig|ris swift|ly run | 
 
 So in pp. 139, 71, we find Gibrg,lter 
 
 We kept | the narjrow strait | of Gib|ralter | 
 And thence | unto | the straits | of Gib|ralter | 
 
 In the latter passage some editions spell it Jubaltar. In 85 
 we have Bajazeth long 
 
 And now | Baja|zeth hast | thou an|y stom|ach 
 
 There are three other passages in which Affarica would set the 
 rhythm right 
 
 p. 209. A cit|adel | that all \ Affajrica | 
 14. Create | him pro|rex of | AiFalrica | 
 20. To safe | conduct | us through | Affairica | 
 
 It should be mentioned, however, that in the last two lines the 
 8vo. of 1592 has a different reading, inserting in one all, in the 
 other changing through into thorough. 
 
 1 So in Greene's Friar Bacon, p. 214 (Dyce) 
 
 Circled | with Gi|hon and | first Euphrates | 
 Shakespeare's Antony and Cleopatra, i. 2. 105 
 
 Extended A.siu j from Euphrates | 
 
 112
 
 164 ON ENGLISH METRE. 
 
 The monosyllabic foot is more frequent in Tamburlaine than 
 in Marlowe's other plays, but I think examples may be found 
 in all. The following are taken from Edward II. 
 Vol. ii. p. 177. No | but we'll | lift Gavieston | from hence | 
 (This would be regular if we read 'we will/) 
 
 p. 219. Lan] caster | why talk'st | thou to | the slave | 
 252. Mor|timer | who talks | of Mor|timer | 
 
 (Here it would be easy to prefix an 'of.') 
 
 p. 273. Wherejfore stay | we? On | sirs to | the coast | 
 277. Mor|timer | I did | he is | our king | 
 
 (Here 'aye' might naturally precede.) 
 In Faustus we find 
 
 p. 8. Jer|ome's bi|ble, Faus|tus ; view | it well | 
 19. Now | Faustus | what wouldst | thou have | me do | 
 36. FauS|tus thou | art damn'd | ; then swords | and knives | 
 
 It is doubtful, however, how far we can trust our text of 
 Marlowe, as the metre frequently halts in other feet besides 
 the first, e.g. in Edward II. 
 
 p. 174. Tis true, the bishop is in the Tower. 
 180. Lay hands on that traitor Mortimer. 
 
 (where probably we should read upon). 
 
 p. 188. Plead for him that will, I am resolved, 
 (where we should probably insert he before that). 
 
 p. 193. Diablo, what passions call you these 1 
 (where perhaps we should read diavolo). 
 
 p. 207. 'Twas in your wars; you should ransom him. 
 (perhaps and should be inserted before you). . 
 
 p. 211. Pardon me sweet; I forgot myself, 
 (perhaps / had forgot or did forget). 
 
 p. 227. And Spenser spare them not, lay it on. 
 (we might insert but before lay). 
 
 p. 255. Well that shall be, shall be: part we must, 
 (probably that should be doubled;. 
 
 p. 257. Should drink his blood, mounts up to the air. 
 (perhaps we should read into for to).
 
 BLANK VERSE OF SURREY AND MARLOWE. 165 
 
 p. 269. Sister, Edward is my charge ; redeem him. 
 (which would make better sense if we read thus, 
 
 Sister, Edward's my charge ; let me redeem him.) 
 
 p. 281. To murder you, my most gracious Lord, 
 (where perhaps nay should be inserted before my). 
 
 Sometimes a missing syllable may be accounted for by the 
 presence of the letter r as in 
 
 p. 172. Earl | of Corn | wall king | and lord | of Man | 
 231. Earl | of Gloces|ter and | Lord Chamlberlain | 
 287. Because | I think | scorn | to be | accused | 
 
 (though it would be easy to insert so before accused). 
 p. 168. Were swo|rn to | your un cle at | his death | 
 
 Here the r precedes a consonant, but the same effect is pro- 
 duced where it follows a long vowel, as in /ire, sure, assure, or 
 a consonant, as in hundred, entrails, nostril, monstrous, e.g. 
 As mons|trous | as Gorjgon prince | of hell j 
 
 So we find in Edward II. Mowbray, Pembroke, gentry, frustrate, 
 secret, thrust. The letter I sometimes has the same effect, as 
 
 I. 47. Resolve | I hope | we are | resemlbled | II. 173, chaplain, 
 251, deeply. 
 
 We also have priest, hear, despair, and even Edliard twice, pp. 
 234, 269. 
 
 Feminine rhythm is more frequent in Marlowe than in 
 Surrey. We even find two superfluous syllables at the end of 
 the line, unless we are to reckon as Alexandrines verses like 
 the following from vol. u. (Dyce, ed. 1850). 
 
 p. 13. Faustus | these books | thy wit | and our | expedience 
 
 12. Yet not | your words | only | but mine | own fan(tasy 
 
 21. What, is | great Meph|istoph|ilis \ so pas(sionate 
 
 28. And Fausitus hath | bequeathed | his soul | to Lu(cifer 
 
 Anapaests are common in any part of the line, e.g. 
 
 p. 7. Bid economy | farewell | and Ga|len come | 
 
 9. Are but | obeyed | in their sev\eral provinces \ 
 
 28. Alreadjy a,\is\tus hath haz\arded that \ for me | 
 
 32. Speak Fausitus, do | you deliver this | as your deed \ 
 
 75. Sweet Hel en make | me immor\ta.\ with | a kiss | 
 
 289. And with | the rest | accompany him \ to his grave \
 
 166 ON ENGLISH METRE. 
 
 And we occasionally meet with dactyls, as 
 
 p. 9. Shall be | at my | command | emperors \ and kings | 
 
 13. Shadowing \ more beaujty in | their air|y brows | 
 233. Edward | with fire | and sword | follows at \ thy heels | 
 
 Trochees are common in the first foot, and in the third and 
 fourth after a stop. 
 
 p. 245. Gallop | apace | bright Phoe|bus through | the sky | 
 
 2 
 
 231. Let them | not un|reveng'd | murder | your friends I 
 10 20 
 
 Examples such as the following are much rarer in Marlowe 
 than in Surrey : 
 
 p. 199. I am | none of | these comlmon pedjants, I I 
 10 10 
 
 269. Brother | Edmund | strive not, | we are I his friends I 
 
 I I I 1 ! 10 
 
 255. And hags | howl for | my death | at Cha[ron's shore | 
 2 o 
 
 270. My lord | be not j pensive, | we are | your friends | 
 
 10 20 
 
 193. Repealed I : the news I is too I sweet to I be true I 
 
 i o 
 
 36. Why should I I die I then or I basely | despair I 
 
 2 
 
 269. Hence will | I haste | to Kil|lingworth | castle | 
 
 i o 
 
 51. Carollus the I fifth at I whose pal ace now I 
 1000 10 o 101 
 
 (The last line is not worse than several in Surrey, but I think 
 it is impossible in Marlowe. I suspect that an epithet such as 
 high has been lost before palace, making the 1st foot a dactyl.) 
 
 As to the pauses, most lines have only the final pause. An 
 internal pause is most commonly found after the fourth or sixth 
 syllable, but it is also found after the second, as 
 
 p. 261. Take it. What, are you mov'd ? pity you me ? 
 
 and the third, as 
 
 p. 261. Receive it? no, these innocent hands of mine 
 
 239. Noble minds contemn 
 
 Despa|ir. Will | your grace | with me | to Hain(ault ? 
 
 270. Therefore, come ; dalliance dangereth our lives 
 278. Art thou king ? must I die at thy command ? 
 
 The last two verses are rendered harsher by the accent falling
 
 BLANK VERSE OF SURREY AND MARLOWE. 167 
 
 on the first syllable of the second foot. We also find the same 
 effect in the third foot, as 
 
 p. 198. A vel|vet-caped | cloak, faced | before | with serge | 
 
 Or mak|ing low | legs to | a nob|leman | 
 199. And being | like pins' | heads, blame | me for | the bus(iness 
 
 But, making all allowance for occasional harshness, there can 
 be no question of the great superiority of Marlowe to Surrey in 
 point of rhythm. Such a passage as the following fully justifies 
 Ben Jonson's praise of ' Marlowe's mighty line,' 
 
 p. 257. The griefs of private men are soon allay'd ; 
 
 But not of kings. The forest deer, being struck, 
 Runs to an herb that closeth up the wounds : 
 But when the imperial lion's flesh is gor"d, 
 He rends and tears it with his wrathful paw, 
 And, highly scorning that the lowly earth 
 Should drink his blood, mounts up into the air.
 
 CHAPTER XL 
 
 SHAKESPEARE'S BLANK VERSE. 
 MACBETH. 
 
 I PROCEED now to the examination of Shakespeare's rhythm 
 as seen in the play of Macbeth 1 , limiting myself to the two 
 kinds of variation before mentioned, viz. that through the 
 number of syllables and that through the number or position 
 of accents. Variation in the number of syllables may be either 
 by way of defect (A.), or of excess (B.). 
 
 A. A line which is defective may be plainly fragmentary, 
 wanting either the beginning or the end (/.), or it may be a 
 skeleton line wanting some of its internal syllables (//.). The 
 latter I shall call specially 'defective,' the former 'fragmentary.' 
 
 /. 1. Of fragmentary lines, which are still rhythmical, the 
 majority are brief sentences occurring in rapid dialogue. These 
 frequently combine to make up regular lines, as 
 
 Len. Good-morrow, noble sir. Mac. Good-morrow both 
 
 But they are also irregularly combined, the metre being ob- 
 scured by the division of parts, and in this way they give 
 rise to Alexandrines which are otherwise rare in Shakespeare 
 (a), and to what Dr Abbott has called ' amphibious sections ' 
 a more business-like name might be ' common sections ' where 
 an intermediate sentence does double work, supplying the close 
 
 1 It was in lecturing on this play that my attention was first drawn to what 
 appeared to me to be defects in the existing treatises on English metre. I have 
 used it here to illustrate the different ways in which Shakespeare gives variety 
 to the regular iambic line, not with any view of tracing the historical develop- 
 ment of his own metre.
 
 SHAKESPEARE'S BLANK VERSE. 169 
 
 of a preceding fragmentary line, and also the commencement of 
 a following fragmentary line (6), e.g. 
 
 iv. 3. 219. Macd. At one | fell swoop | . Male. Dispute | it like | a man |. 
 [Dispute | it like | a man | .] Macd. I shall | do so | . 
 
 There are many examples in Macbeth both of the common 
 section and of Alexandrines formed by the union of two frag- 
 mentary lines. Examples of the latter will be given further on. 
 
 I. 2. Fragmentary lines are also found at the beginning, 
 middle, and end of longer speeches. 
 
 (a) Those at the beginning are frequently short introduc- 
 tory phrases, as v. 5. 30, " Gracious my lord"; in. 2. 26, "Come on"; 
 II. 3. 86, " What's the business" (which becomes rhythmical if we 
 either read ' what is ' for ' what's ' or pronounce ' business ' as a 
 trisyllable, of which Walker gives examples). Most commonly 
 such a broken line is the second half of a preceding broken 
 line ; as Lady Macbeth's " What beast was't then " follows on 
 Macbeth's " Who dares do more is none." So in. 4. 99, " What 
 man dare I dare," seems to take up the fragmentary line 
 which ends Macbeth's previous speech "which thou dost 
 glare with," no notice being taken of Lady Macbeth's inter- 
 mediate address to the guests. Sometimes it becomes metrical 
 by treating a portion of a preceding regular line as a common 
 section, e.g. 
 
 II. 4. 33. Macd. To be invested. Ross. Where | is Dun|can's bo(dy? 
 [Where's Dunjcan's bo|dy?] Macd. Car|ried to Colme(kill. 
 in. 2. 12. L. Mac. Should be [ without | regard | ; what's done is done . 
 [What's done | is done.] Macd. We've scotched | the snake | not killed (it. 
 v. 8. 23. And break | it to our hope | ! I'll not | fight with (thee 
 [I will | not fight with thee.] Macd. Then yield | thee, cow(ard. 
 v. 3. 34. Macb. Give me | my arjmour. Sey. 'Tis | not need ed yet | . 
 [It is | not needed yet.] Macb. I'll put | it on | . 
 
 It will be noticed that in three of these examples the common 
 section is of greater rhythmical importance in one of the two 
 lines, owing either to feminine rhythm or to contraction, I'll for 
 / will, 'tis for it is. Some may perhaps doubt the applicability 
 of the principle in these cases, or even deny its use altogether ; 
 but whoever will go through any play, noting every fragmentary 
 line, as I have done in Macbeth, will, I think, be surprised to
 
 170 ON ENGLISH METRE. 
 
 find the very small residuum of lines which remain unmetrical 
 if treated on this method. Whether Shakespeare consciously 
 intended it is another matter. I believe he simply wanted 
 harmonious lines, and the common section contributed to this 
 result without his thinking about it. 
 
 (6) Speeches are often closed by a fragmentary line. This 
 is sometimes a short final phrase, as I. 5. 74, " Leave all the rest 
 to me"; I. 6. 31, "By your leave, hostess"; iv. 1. 156, "Come, 
 bring me where they are "; ill. 3. 56, " So, prithee, go with me." 
 It seems to be especially used in the absence of the rhyming 
 couplet as the natural close of the scene or of an important 
 speech, e.g. I. 4. 52, " It is a peerless kinsman " ; v. 4. 21, 
 " Towards which advance the war " ; in. 4. 144, " We are yet 
 but young in deed "; II. 3. 95, "And say it is not so " ; in. 2. 26, 
 "Can touch him further"; v. 2. 31, ''Make we our march to- 
 wards Birnam"; v. 7. 23, "And more I beg not." Sometimes 
 there is a special impressiveuess in the words thus isolated, e.g. 
 
 I. 4 14, "An absolute trust"; v. 5. 28, "Signifying nothing"; 
 
 II. 2. 63, " Making the green one red." Where the broken final 
 line does not conclude the scene, it is usually taken up and 
 completed by a broken initial line, e.g. 
 
 I. 5. 55. To cry | hold, hold ! || Great Gla|mis, wor|thy Caw|dor. 
 
 or by a portion of a complete initial line used as a common 
 section, as in. 4. 68, 
 
 Lady Mac. You look | but on | a stool | . Macb. [Prithee | see there | ] 
 Prithee | see there Behold look, lo | I pray (you. 
 
 (c) Far less common are fragmentary lines in the middle 
 of speeches, and those which occur may often be resolved into 
 cases of either (a) or (6) ; what is printed as a single speech 
 consisting really of several speeches uttered continuously by the 
 same person, e.g. I. 5. 62, Lady Macbeth ends one topic with the 
 broken line " Shall sun that morrow see," and goes on, possibly 
 after a pause, to appeal more directly to her husband, "Your 
 face, my thane," which, it is to be observed, itself forms a 
 common section. So I. 2. 41, "I cannot tell" ends the sergeant's 
 description of the battle, and in the following line he asks for 
 help for his own wounds, in. 4. 4, "And play the humble host"
 
 SHAKESPEARE'S BLANK VERSE. 171 
 
 may be the end of an address to one guest, Macbeth turning 
 to another in the next line. in. 4. 99, "What man dare I dare," 
 is addressed to Lady Macbeth, and followed by "Approach thou 
 like," etc. addressed to the Ghost, n. 1. 41, "As this which 
 now I draw" is followed by a pause for drawing the sword, and 
 watching the imaginary dagger, ill. 2. 51, "Makes wing to 
 the rooky wood" may suggest a pause for watching the coming 
 on of night, while the following lines give the general reflection, 
 " Good things of day," etc. 
 
 Short phrases or titles are sometimes given in broken lines 
 in the middle of speeches, e.g. in. 1. 40, "Farewell," and a few 
 lines below we should read with Abbott 
 
 Sirrah, 
 
 A word with you : attend those men our pleasure ? 
 
 So in in. 2. 15, it seems better to print 
 
 But let 
 
 The frame of things disjoint, both the worlds suffer, 
 
 expressive of a pause before the imprecation, rather than as an 
 Alexandrine. Similarly, in I. 2. 37, we should read (with the 
 Cambridge edition, not the Clarendon) "so they" as frag- 
 mentary, and not join it to either line. The pause gives more 
 force to the following line "doubly redoubled strokes upon the 
 foe." Some of the broken lines in Macbeth may be the result 
 of corruption of the text, e.g. in. 2. 32, " Unsafe the while that 
 we," which is also suspicious from the harsh construction ; arid 
 I. 2. 20, "Till he faced the slave." In other places wrong 
 printing has given the appearance of broken lines, e.g. n. 3. 120 
 (reading ' let us away ' for ' let's away ') 
 
 Let us | away | our tears | are not | yet brewed | 
 and iv. 3. 28, which should be read 
 
 Without | leave takjing? I | pray you | let not | 
 
 My jea|lousies | be your dishonours, but | 
 
 Mine own | safeties | . You may | be right|ly just | . 
 
 (For the double trochee in the last line see pp. 38 and 76.) 
 
 //. We go on to the consideration of lines which are not 
 
 fragmentary, mere heads or tails, but defective in their internal 
 
 structure. Such detectiveness is sometimes only apparent,
 
 172 ON ENGLISH METRE. 
 
 arising from difference of pronunciation (1), or it may be real, 
 but supplied by a pause (2), or by a compensative lengthening 
 of some long syllable (3). 
 
 (1). The most common case of what we pronounce as a 
 monosyllable being treated as a disyllabic, is where the letter r 
 occurs either following a long vowel (a), as in I. 2. 45, 
 
 Who comes | here | 1 The worjthy thane | of Ross | 
 
 unless (which I should prefer) we adopt Pope's reading and 
 prefix a ' but ' to the beginning of the line. ' But ' is wanted, 
 and who and here would then get their right emphasis. More- 
 over, the phrase ' but who comes here ' is common in Shake- 
 speare. Abbott quotes four examples of it in p. 414. 
 
 I. 6. 6. Smells woo|ingly | here | : no jut|ty frieze | . 
 
 II. 3. 128. What should | be spojken he|re, where | our fate | . 
 
 I. 6. 30. And shall | couti nue ojur gra|ces towards | him. 
 
 n. 1. 20. I dreamt | last night | of the | three we|ird sis(ters. 
 
 iv. 3. 111. Died evjery day | she lived | Fare | thee well | . 
 
 [so better than by dividing ' livjed ']. 
 
 Also where r follows a consonant (b), as ent(e)rance I. 5. 40, 
 rememb(e)rance in. 2. 30, monst(ejrous in. 6. 8, child(e}ren iv. 3. 
 172 ; and even where it precedes a consonant, as in in. 1. 102, 
 
 Not in | the wor|(e)st rank j of man|hood, say (it. 
 
 Examples will be found in Walker's Versification, p. 32, and in 
 Abbott. So Burns (quoted by Guest, vol. I. p. 57) has 
 
 Ye'll try | the walrld soon | my lad | . 
 On ev|ry blade | the pea|rls hung | . 
 
 Other examples of words pronounced with more syllables than 
 we should now give to them are sergeant I. 1. 3, cap(i}tains 
 I. 1. 34, prayers in. 6. 49. Mr Wagner, in his edition, goes too 
 far when he tells us, on I. 2. 5, 
 
 'Gainst my | captivjity. | Hail | brave friend | 
 
 " brave zu sprechen wie bra-ave." And Dr Abbott is almost as 
 daring in making ' hail ' a disyllabic (S. G. 484). 
 
 (2) and (3). It will be best to consider together all the 
 cases of really defective lines, as they are usually capable of
 
 SHAKESPEARE'S BLANK VERSE. 173 
 
 being explained either on the principle of the pause or of the 
 lengthened syllable. The former explanation is the one which 
 commends itself the most to myself. In many cases indeed I 
 should treat the defective line as consisting of a final and initial 
 fragmentary line. Thus in I. 2. 5, "'gainst my captivity" is the 
 end of the speech to the king ; " hail, brave friend " is the 
 commencement of the speech to the sergeant ; and the pause 
 between the two takes the place of the omitted syllable. In 
 I. 4. 14, "an absolute trust" ends Duncan's address to Malcolm ; 
 "0 worthiest cousin" begins the address to Macbeth, the pause, 
 occasioned by the entrance of the latter, occupying the place of 
 two syllables. In I. 5. 41, "under my battlements" closes Lady 
 Macbeth's reflections on the hoarse messenger, and then, after a 
 pause, begins the invocation of the powers of evil, " come, you 
 spirits." In II. 3. 83, " the great doom's image. Malcolm ! 
 Banquo !" we have a final fragmentary line followed by a pause 
 and an extra-metrical exclamation. The pause will also suffi- 
 ciently explain I. 4. 35, " In drops of sorrow. Sons, kinsmen, 
 thanes"; II. 1. 19, 'which else should free have wrought. Banq. 
 All's well" (this line, which consists properly of two fragments, 
 is reduced to regularity by Dr Abbott, who reads ' all is,' and 
 disyllabizes 'wrought'); n. 4. 29, "Thine own life's means! 
 Then 'tis most like" (here too Dr Abbott obtains a regular line 
 by reading ' it is ' and disyllabizing ' means ') ; I. 2. 7, " As thou 
 didst leave it. Doubtful it stood" (but I should prefer here 
 to read 'doubtfully'); iv. 3. 218, "did you say all? O hell-kite ! 
 all?" (though, if it were desired, the cry expressed by the 
 conventional symbol might fill the space of three syllables), 
 and v. 7. 22, "seems bruited. Let me find him fortune," though 
 I confess I should prefer to read with Steevens, 'let me but 
 find him fortune,' not only as more rhythmical, but as more 
 expressive. In the famous line 
 
 I. 7. 28. And falls | on the o|ther. | How now [ what news | 1 
 
 the loss of a syllable is quite accounted for by the pause, but I 
 should prefer to insert 'side.' It seems to me more probable 
 that we have here a piece of carelessness on the part of the 
 printer, of which there is such abundant evidence throughout,
 
 174 ON ENGLISH METRE. 
 
 rather than that Shakespeare was guilty of what I should be 
 disposed to call the affectation of expressing surprise by the 
 cutting short of one little word. Other passages in which the 
 pause is perhaps a less satisfactory expedient are the following: 
 II. 1. 51, " The curtained sleep : witchcraft celebrates," where 
 the pause after 'sleep' is scarcely sufficient to justify the 
 omission of a syllable. Dr Abbott would make ' sleep ' a 
 disyllable, supporting this by Richard III., v. 3. 130, which he 
 divides thus 
 
 Doth comjfort thee in | thy slejep : live | and flou|rish. 
 
 [The true scanning has been given in a former chapter.] 
 In the line before us I should prefer to read ' sleeper ' as more 
 suited to the definite article. In iv. 1. 122, "Horrible sight! 
 Now I see 'tis true," there is a decided pause, but the rhythm is 
 so harsh that I am inclined to think that an exclamation must 
 have dropped out of the text. Such a cry would be very natural 
 on catching sight of Banquo's ghost. Dr Abbott disyllabizes 
 ' sight.' In iv. 3. 44, " Of goodly thousands : but, for all this," 
 there is a pause both before and after 'but'; not enough, how- 
 ever, to account for the rhythm. Dr Abbott disyllabizes 'but.' 
 I should be rather disposed, if the line is correct, to give a 
 disyllabic weight to 'all' with its long vowel and final liquid. 
 
 B. Where there is excess in the number of syllables, the 
 extra syllables may be either outside the feet, producing what 
 is called the feminine ending (/.), or they may be included in 
 the feet (//.). 
 
 /. The first kind of superfluous syllable is frequently found 
 at the end of the line, and its presence or absence has been used 
 as a test for determining the genuineness or the age of the 
 Shakespearian Plays, the prevalent taste in the end of Elizabeth's 
 reign inclining more and more to a broken rhythm, just as we 
 find in Euripides a growing tendency to the use of trisyllabic 
 feet. Sometimes we find two such unaccented syllables, which 
 generally admit of being slurred, as in ' conference.' Examples 
 will be given further on under the head of apparent Alexandrines. 
 As I am not now treating of specialities of rhythm, but merely 
 illustrating the general manner of its variation, I shall say
 
 SHAKESPEARE'S BLANK VERSE. 175 
 
 nothing more of this (a), but go on to the rnrer use of the 
 superfluous syllable at the close of the second or third foot (6). 
 This is acknowledged by Dr Guest and Dr Abbott, but Mr Ellis 
 would treat all such cases under the head of trisyllabic feet. I 
 observe in the passage from M. Gaston Paris, printed in the 
 Appendix, that two of the four types of the old French deca- 
 syllabic metre are what he calls feminine at the hemistich. I 
 make twenty-five lines in Macbeth with the superfluous syllable 
 after the second foot, and thirty-two with it after the third 
 foot. In almost all there is a full stop after the superfluous 
 syllable, which makes it more difficult to join it with what 
 follows, so as to form a trisyllabic foot. In several instances, 
 however, it would be possible to get rid of the superfluous 
 syllable on the principle of slurring, of which I shall shortly 
 speak. Thus several end in r and s, which have a tendency 
 to obscure the sound of a preceding vowel, e.g. 
 
 I. 7. 26. Of his | own chamb'r | and used | their ve|ry dag(gers. 
 II. 3. 138. Of trea|s'nous mal'ce . And so | do I | . So all | . 
 
 Superfluous after second foot: 
 
 I. 3. 72. But how | of Caw|dor | t The thane | of C.i\v| dor lives | 
 
 I. 3. 150. With things forgotjten . Kind gen|tlemen \ your pains | 
 I. 4. 42. On all | deserv|ers | . From hence | to Inverness | 
 
 II. 2. 53. Give me | the dag|gers | : the sleeping and | the dead | 
 
 II. 3. 147. The near|er blood|y | . This mur|d'rous shaft | that's shot | . 
 in. 1. 35. Craving | us jointjly | . Hie you | to horse | , adieu | . 
 in. 1. 84. Say thus | did Bau|quo | . You made | it known | to us | . 
 ill. 1. 128. Your spirits | shine through | you | . Within | this hour | 
 
 at most [ . 
 
 in. 2. 19. That shake | us nightjly | . Better | be with | the dead | . 
 in. 2. 22. In rest|less ecsjt'sy | . Duncan | is in | his grave | . 
 in. 4. 36. 'Tis given | with wel|come | . To feed | were best | at home | . 
 in. 4. 87. To those | that know | me | . Come love | and health | to 
 
 all | . 
 
 in. 4. 103. Shall never tremjble | : or be | alive | again | . 
 v. 6. 4. Lead our | first bat|tle | . Worthy | Macduff | and we | . 
 
 Sometimes we find the double feminine ending, both after the 
 second and after the last foot, e.g. 
 
 I. 3. 43. That man | may question | You seem | to understand (me. 
 I. 7. 10. To plague | the invenjtor | This even-handled just(ice. 
 n. 2. 66. At the | south | en|try | : retire | we to | our cham(ber.
 
 170 ON ENGLISH METRE. 
 
 [Though here we might divide | at the south | entry , and 
 there is a further explanation in the repeated re.] 
 
 u. 3. 109. Upon | their pilflows | : they stared | and were | distrac(ted. 
 in. 1. 26. 'Twixt this | and supjper | . Go not | my horse | the bet(ter. 
 in. 1. 80. In our | last conference | , passed in | proba|tion with (you? 
 
 rv. 2. 17. The fits | of the sea|sou | , I dare | not speak | much fur(ther. 
 
 iv. 2. 35. Why should | I, mojther | . Poor birds | they are | not set 
 (for. 
 
 iv. 3. 220. Convert | to an|ger | . Blunt not | the heart | enrage (it. 
 
 Superfluous after third foot : 
 
 v. 3. 7. Shall e'er | have power | upon | thee | . Then fly | false 
 thanes | . 
 
 v. 3. 4. Was he | not bom | of wom|an | ? The sprites | that know | . 
 
 v. 4. 3. What wood | is this | before | us | ? The wood | of Bir(nam. 
 
 v. 2. 11. Protest | their first | of man|hood | . What does | the ty(rant? 
 
 v. 1. 65. Do breed | unnat|ural troubles | . Infect|ed minds | . 
 iv. 3. 223. That were | most pre|cious to | me | . Did heaven | look on | ? 
 iv. 3. 156. The heal|ing ben|edict|ion | . With this | strange vir(tue. 
 iv. 3. 177. Each rni|nute teems | a new | one | . How does | my wife | ? 
 IV. 3. 117. To thy | good truth | and honjour | . Devilish | Macbeth | . 
 iv. 3. 33. For good | ness dare | not check | thee | . Wear thou | thy 
 
 wrongs | . 
 
 iv. 2. 77. Account] ed dang|'rous foljly | : why then | alas | . 
 IV. 2. 14. So runs | against | all rea son | . My dear|est coz | . 
 in. 6. 43. That clogs | me with | this ans|wer j . And that | well might |. 
 in. 6. 44. Advise | him to | a caujtion | , to hold I what dis(tance. 
 in. 4. 110. With most | admired | disor|der | . Can such | things be | . 
 in. 4. 112. Without | our spejcial won|der | ? You make [ me strange [ . 
 in. 4. 84. Your no|ble friends | do lack | you | . I do | forget | . 
 in. 4. 60. That might | appal | the de|vil | . projper stuff | . 
 ill. 1. 126. For sun|dry weight|y reasons | . We shall | my lord | . 
 ill. 1. 107. Which in | his death | were per|fect j . I'm one | my liege | . 
 in. 1. 57. Mark An|tony was | by Cae|sar | . He chid | the sis(ters. 
 
 i. 3. 113. With hidjden help | and van|tage | , or that | with both | . 
 
 I. 4. 56. It is | a banjquet to | me | . Let's af|ter him | . 
 
 I. 6. 3. Unto | our gen|tle sensies | . This guest | of sum(mer. 
 II. 1. 26. It shall | make honjour for | you | . So I | lose none | . 
 II. 2. 52. Look on't again | I dare | not | . Infirm | of pur(pose. 
 II. 2. 54. That fears | a pain] ted devjil | . If he | do bleed | . 
 II. 2. 74. Wake Dun|can with | thy knocking | . I would | thou 
 
 couldst | . 
 in. 6. 2. Which can | inter |pret furjther | . Only | I say | .
 
 SHAKESPEARE'S BLANK VERSE. 177 
 
 II. 2. 23. That they | did wake | each o|ther | . I stood | and heard 
 
 (them. 
 
 v. 8. 6. With blood | of thine j alrea|dy | . I have | no words | . 
 v. 8. 27. Here may | you see | the tyjrant | . I will | not yield | . 
 
 //. Extra syllables within the feet may either disappear 
 through elision (a) or slurring (6), or they may be distinctly 
 perceptible and form trisyllabic feet (c), or finally they may 
 form an extra foot, giving rise to an Alexandrine (d). 
 
 (a) As regards the mark of elision, there seems to have 
 been no principle in the First Folio, and not much in later 
 editions. I have by me a complete collation of the elisions 
 in the Folio and in the Clarendon edition, and in several 
 cases syllables essential to the metre are cut out, e.g. ' let's 
 away' in 
 
 ii. 3. 129. Let us | away | our tears | are not [ yet brewed | . 
 
 In others, syllables are unelided, the absence of which would 
 certainly improve the rhythm, e.g. I should prefer 'gan and 
 'would, to began and / would in the following 
 
 I. 2. 53. The thane | of Cawjdor 'gan | a dis|mal con(flict. 
 n. 2. 73. Wake Dun|can with | thy knocking. 'Would | thou couldst | . 
 
 So I should prefer thou'rt and I'm to thou art and I am in 
 
 i. 4. 16. Was heav|y on | me. Thou'rt \ so far | before | . 
 ill. 1. 168. Which in | his death | were perjfect | . I'm one | my liege j . 
 
 Perhaps the sign of elision should only be used where there 
 is a complete disappearance of the syllable. There are three 
 degrees of evanescence, (1) where the syllable is distinctly pro- 
 nounced, but is metrically superfluous (as in a trisyllabic foot), 
 (2) where it is slurred, blending more or less with a preceding 
 or succeeding sound, (3) where it is entirely inaudible. It will 
 depend very much on the taste of the individual reader what 
 view he will take of any particular syllable, and I doubt whether 
 it is possible to arrive at any certainty with regard to the usage 
 in Shakespeare's time. Perhaps as the is constantly printed as 
 th in the Elizabethan writers, even in prose and before con- 
 sonants, we may assume that, in colloquial use, the e was 
 entirely lost before vowels, where we should make a glide or 
 slur it. 
 
 M. M. 12
 
 178 ON ENGLISH METRE. 
 
 The commonest elisions in the First Folio are 'd for ed in 
 the preterite and past participle, even where the present ends 
 with e, as ' fac'd/ ' carv'd ' : th' for the, as ' to th' chops,' ' o' th' 
 milk/ ' th' utterance.' Not unfrequently this elision is wrongly 
 given where the syllable is required for the metre : e.g. III. 
 4. 101, 
 
 The armed | rhino|ceros or | the Hyrjcan ti(ger. 
 
 is better than ' th' Hyrcan' of the Folio. And there can be no 
 doubt that ' th' expedition ' and ' th' Tiger ' are wrong in 
 
 n. 3. 92. The ex|pedi|tion of | my vi|olent love | . 
 I. 3. 7. Her husj band's to | Alep po gone | master o' | the Ti(ger. 
 
 Equally common with these is the elision of '.<? for is. ' When 
 the battle's lost and won.' 
 
 's also stands for us, ' betray 's ' in I. 8. 125 (unnecessarily, 
 though the Clarendon adopts it). 
 
 Win us | with honjest trifl|es to | betray (us. 
 
 So in 'let's' (several times), ^upon's' (unnecessarily, though 
 adopted by Clarendon) in 
 
 in. 1. 36. Ay, my | good lord | : our time | does call | upon (us. 
 
 And v. 6. 5. 
 
 's for his. n. 2. 22, 'in's sleep.' n. 3. 99, 'make's love 
 known.' 
 
 Another very common elision is st for est, e.g. cam'st, antici- 
 pat'st, got'st, kind'st, stern'st, near'st, secret'st, dear'st. 
 'II for will. I'll (always He in the Folio), well, you'll. 
 'Id for would ; thou'ldst, weld, I'ld, you'ld. 
 'It for wilt, thou'lt. 
 
 'dst for hadst, ' thou'dst rather hear it.' 
 'rt for art, ' thou'rt mad.' 
 't for it, prefixed, 'twas, 'twere, 'tis, 'twould. 
 
 suffixed, is't, was't, were't, may't, please t, done't, bet, 
 bear't, goest, take't, pull't, denyt, out, int, 
 fort, to't, before't, under t, if't, an't. This is 
 adopted by Clarendon. 
 
 t' for to, t'hold in. 6. 44, t' appease iv. 3. 18. Not adopted 
 by Clarendon.
 
 
 SHAKESPEARE'S BLANK VERSE. 179 
 
 o'er for over, o'erleap, o'erbear, o'erfranght. 
 
 ne'er, for never. 
 
 o' for of, o' th', o' that, adopted by Clarendon. 
 
 i' for in, i' faith once, i' th' many times, adopted by Clarendon. 
 
 'em for them several times, adopted by Clarendon. 
 
 Surd vowel omitted in murth'ring I. 5. 47, temprate II. 3. 90, 
 mock'ry III. 4. 106, vap'rous in. 5. 24, med'cine iv. 3. 210, and 
 v. 2, whisp 'rings v. 1, not adopted by Clarendon ; of course, if 
 employed at all, it ought to be used in very many more 
 instances. 
 
 Loss of initial short syllable : 'gainst for against, 'bove for 
 above, 'twioct for betwixt, 'gin for begin, adopted by Clarendon, 
 which also reads 'scape, 'cause, for escape, because, where the 
 Folio gave the abbreviation without mark of elision. 
 
 The Clarendon edition also gives the apostrophe after 
 highness', used for the genitive, where there is none in the 
 Folio. 
 
 Two special words, god'ild, sev'night, complete the list of 
 elisions contained in the Folio. 
 
 It has already been seen that some of these are incorrect. 
 The other errors which I have noticed are as follows : I. 3. 18, 
 " I'll drain him dry as hay," corrected in C. 
 
 ii. 3. 102 Fol. and C. 
 
 What is | amiss | 1 You are j and do | not know 't . 
 the elision of it is quite unnecessary. 
 
 in. 1. 102. Not in | the wor|st rank | of manjhood say (it. 
 F. and C. read i, say't, and F. gives th'. 
 
 in. 4. 89. I drink [ to the gen|eral joy | of the | whole ta(ble. 
 F. gives th' for the and o' for of; C. only the latter. 
 
 iv. 3. 180. Be not | a nigjgard of | your speech | : how goes (it ? 
 F. and C. unnecessarily elide it. 
 
 I will lastly give a list of passages in which a necessary 
 elision is unmarked. 
 
 It is singular that with the exception of thou'dst for thon 
 hadst, F. never contracts have. Otherwise I've, we've, they've, 
 
 122
 
 180 ON ENGLISH METRE. 
 
 rd, he's, would be naturally written in the following lines, 
 among others, where F. and C. both give the words at full 
 length : 
 
 r. 4. 20. Might have | been mine | : only | I've left | to say | . 
 
 I. 4. 18. To overtake | thee : would | thou'dst less | deserved | . 
 
 v. 2. 73. We've wiljling dames | enough | , there can|not be | . 
 
 ir. 1. 21. To you ! they've showed | some truth | . I think | not of 
 
 (them. 
 II. 2. 6. Do mock | their charge | with snores | . I've drugged | their 
 
 pos(sets 
 in. 4. 20. Then comes | my fit | again | I'd else | been per(fect. 
 
 So in the following lines we should read, instead of I am, thou 
 art, we would, etc. 
 
 in. 1. 108. Which in | his death | were perjfect | . I'm one | my liege | . 
 
 I. 3. 133. Commenc|ing in | a truth | . I'm thane | of Caw(dor. 
 
 I. 4. 16. Was hea|vy on | me, thou'rt | so far | before | . 
 II. 1. 23. We'ld spend i it in | some words | upon | that business, 
 n. 4. 17. Contending 'gainst | obe|dience as | they'ld make | . 
 
 i. 5. 21. The ill|ness should | attend | it, what | thou'ldst high(ly. 
 
 So ' to his home' ' what is,' ' Macduff is,' are better contracted in 
 
 i. 6. 24. To's home | before | us. Fair | and no|ble hos(tess. 
 ii. 3. 77. Is left | this vault | to brag | of. What's | amiss | . 
 in. 6. 29. Takes from | his high | respect | . Thither Maclduffs gone . 
 
 (b) Dr Abbott makes great use of the principle of slurring, 
 and is proportionately chary of admitting trisyllabic feet. As a 
 rule I prefer the latter explanation, while allowing the possi- 
 bility of the former explanation in the cases which follow. The 
 commonest case is where the roll of an r obscures a neighbour- 
 ing vowel. Thus we may slur the following vowel in 
 
 in. 4. 107. The bajby of | a girl | hence horjr'ble shad(ow. 
 v. 3. 44. Cleanse the | stuffed bojsom of | that perilous stuff | 
 
 and so with ceremony, warranted, nourisher, tyranny, verity. 
 Similarly we may slur the preceding vowel in 
 
 v. 1. 78. Foul whispj'rings are | abroad | unnat|'ral deeds. 
 
 and in corp'ral, discov'ry, temp'rance, persev'rance, gen'ral, 
 moment'ry, confrence, ev'ry, murd'rous, and perhaps power, 
 chamber, supper, disorder, Caesar, wonder, answer. The spell-
 
 SHAKESPEARE'S BLANK VERSE. 181 
 
 ings sprite for spirit, and parlous for perilous seem to shew that 
 in certain cases at any rate the vowel was lost. 
 
 We also find the short vowel slurred with other liquids, as 
 in devil, devilish, heaven, perhaps villain in 
 
 v. 3. 13. There is | ten thousand geese | , vill'n soldiers Sir | . 
 and with s, as minster, maj'sty, ecsfsy. Compare in. 4. 2 : 
 And last | the hearjty weljcome. Thanks | to your maj('sty. 
 [Also i. 6. 18, ii. 3. 75, HI. 4. 121.] 
 
 in. 2. 22. In rest|less ecst|'sy . Duncan | is in | his grave | . 
 I. 5. 49. And take | ray milk | for gall | you murd|'ring min('sters. 
 
 In V. 3. 5, 
 
 All mor|tal consequences have | pronounced | me thus ] 
 
 there seems a double slurring due to the sibilant. In this 
 and other cases the alternative lies not between slurring and 
 trisyllabic feet, but between slurring and the Alexandrine, 
 which to my ear would have a weak dragging effect in such 
 a passage. Dr Abbott gives several examples ( 471) of the 
 dropping of the final s in the plural of words ending with a 
 sibilant. 
 
 Possibly we ought to admit slurring of vowels after other con- 
 sonants, as surf ted, fantast'cal One vowel preceding another 
 is sometimes slurred, as furious, unusual. Sometimes more 
 than one letter seems to be omitted in pronunciation, as 
 instruments is disyllabic according to Abbott, 468. See 
 examples in note 1 . 
 
 1 Perhaps it will be best to give the complete list of such doubtful lines for 
 the reader to form his own judgment upon them. 
 
 i. 7. 80. Each corporal agent to this terrible feat. 
 in. 2. 19. In the affliction of these terrible dreams. 
 in. 4. 78. Too terrible for the ear: the time has been, 
 in. 4. 36. From thence, the sauce to meat is ceremony, 
 iv. 3. 138. Be like our warranted quarrel. Why're you silent ? 
 ii. 2. 40. Chief nourisher in life's feast. What do you mean ? 
 v. 4. 6. The numbers of our host, and make discovery, 
 rv. 3. 67. In nature is a tyranny : it hath been, 
 iv. 3. 92. As justice, verity, temperance, stableness, 
 Bounty, persev'rance.
 
 182 ON ENGLISH METRE. 
 
 (c) It is difficult to find examples of undoubted trisyllabic 
 feet; what would at first sight be taken for such being so 
 often capable of other explanation, either on the principle of 
 
 in. 4. 89. I drink to the general joy o' the whole table. 
 
 in. 4. 55. The fit is momentary ; upon a thought. 
 
 in. 1. 79. In our last conference; passed in probation with you. 
 
 iv. 3. 59. Sudden, voluptuous, smacking of every sin. 
 
 n. 3. 123. The near er bloodjy | . This mur|derous shaft | that's shot | . 
 i. 7. 76. Of his own chamber, and used their very daggers, 
 in. 1. 87. Your patience so predominant in your nature, 
 in. 1. 105. Whose execution takes your enemy off. 
 in. 2. 31. Present him eminence both with eye and tongue. 
 in. 6. 40. He did, and with an absolute ' Sir, not I.' 
 [cf. i. 4. 14. An absolute trust | . . | worthiest cou sin.] 
 
 in. 1. 117. To thy | good truth | and hon|our | . Devilish j Macbeth | . 
 
 v. 7. 8. The devil himself could not pronounce a title, 
 [cf. in. 4. 60, n. 2. 54.] 
 
 iv. 3. 182. Which I have heavily borne, there ran a rumour. 
 
 rv. 3. 57. In evils to top Macbeth. I grant him bloody. 
 
 v. 3. 40. Canst thou not minister to a mind diseased, 
 [cf. v. 3. 46, i. 5. 49.] 
 
 in. 4. 86. I have a strange infirmity which is nothing. 
 m. 2. 45. Be innocent of the knowledge, dearest chuck, 
 [cf. i. 5. 63, n. 2. 36.] 
 
 iv. 3. G4. All continent impediments would o'erbear. 
 
 v. 4. 19. Thoughts speculative their unsure hopes relate. 
 
 rv, 2. 17. The fits | o' the seajson | . I dare | not speak | much fur(ther. 
 
 iv. 1. 152. His wife, his babes, and all unfortunate souls. 
 HI. 4. 36. 'Tis given | with wel|come | : to feed | were best | at home | . 
 in. 1. 68. Given to the common enemy of man. 
 [here given may be a trochee, making the next foot an anapaest.] 
 
 iv. 3. 223. That were | most pre cious to | me j . Did heaven | look on | . 
 
 n. 2. 62. The multitudinous seas incarnadine, 
 in. 1. 57. Mark Anjtony's was | by Cae|sar | . He chid | the sis(ters. 
 
 v. 4. 8. We learn no other but the confident tyrant. 
 
 v. 2. 5. Excite the mortified man. Near Birnam wood, 
 in. 2. 47. Scarf up the tender eye of pitiful day. 
 
 n. 2. 5. The doors are open and the surfeited grooms. 
 
 i. 3. 140. My thought | whose murder yet | is but | fantastical. 
 
 n. 4. 14. And Duncan's horses, a thing most strange and certain. 
 [horses probably one syllable, as Abbott, 471.] 
 in. 2. 48. And with thy bloody and invisible hand. 
 
 v. 8. 41. The which no sooner had his prowess confirmed. 
 
 ii. 3. 114. Who can | be wise | , amazed | , temperate | , and fur(ious. 
 
 11. 1. 12. He hath | beeii in | unu|sual pleasure and | .
 
 SHAKESPEARE'S BLANK VERSE. 183 
 
 feminine rhythm or of slurring. The following seem to me the 
 most probable : 
 
 i. 7. 22. Striding | the blast | or heavlen's cherubim 1 horsed | . 
 n. 3. 121. Unman (nerly breeched with gore, | who could | refrain | . 
 i. 5. 17. What thou | art pro]mised. Yet | do I fear | thy na|ture. 
 I. 2. 45. What a haste | looks through | his eyes ! So should | he 
 look | . 
 
 (d) Alexandrines are most commonly found in lines divided 
 between different speakers after the 3rd foot, e.g. 
 
 in. 1. 139. I'll come | to you anon | We are | resolved | my lord | . 
 i. 2. 58. The vict|ory fell | on us | Great hapjpiness | That now | . 
 
 ii. 1. 3. And she goes down | at twelve | I tak't, | 'tis la|ter Sir | . 
 in. 3. 11. Alread|y are in | the court | His hor|ses go | about | . 
 
 iv. 2. 30. I take | my leave | at once | Sirrah | your father's dead | . 
 in. 4. 121. Attend | his majjesty | A kind | good-night | to all | . 
 
 [though this may be read as an ordinary line by disyllabizing 
 ' majesty.'] 
 
 The following have the feminine rhythm at the end. 
 
 i. 6. 10. The air | is deljicate | See, see | our hon|oured hos(tess. 
 II. 3. 79. The sleepjers of | the house | Speak, speak | genjtle 
 
 la(dy. 
 v. 5. 17. The queen | my lord is dead | She should j have died j 
 
 hereaf(ter. 
 
 n. 1. 17. In measureless | content | . Being unjprepared | . 
 n. 3. 62. And pro|phesying | with ac|cents ter|rible | . 
 v. 5. 28. Signifying no|thing | . Thou comest | to use | thy tongue | . 
 n. 3. 121. Unmannerly breeched with gore ; who could refrain, 
 i. 4. 45. I'll be myself the harbinger and make joyful. 
 [Abbott ( 468) considers messenger and passenger to be disyllabic, and so 
 perhaps harbinger here.] 
 
 i. 3. 129. Of the imperial theme. I thank you, gentlemen. 
 [See Abbott ( 461) for the pronunciation of gentlemen.] 
 
 iv. 3. 239. Put on their instruments. Receive what cheer you may. 
 in. 1. 81. How you were borne in hand, how crossed, the instruments. 
 [We escape an Alexandrine by making instruments disyllabic. See Abbott, 
 468.] 
 
 i. 3. 111. Which he deserves to lose. Whether he was combined, 
 v. 7. 18. Are hired to bear their staves: either thou Macbeth, 
 in. G. 29. Takes from his high respect : thither Macduff's gone. 
 [On the shortening of whether, either, thither, in pronunciation, see Abbott, 
 466.] 
 
 1 That it of ' cherubim ' is always short in Shakespeare.
 
 184 ON ENGLISH METRE. 
 
 iv. 1. 89. And top | of sovereignty | Listen | but speak | not to (it. 
 in. 6. 49. Under | a hand | accursed | I'll send | my pray|ers with (him. 
 
 [As the emphasis is on with rather than him, it seems best to 
 divide it thus.] 
 
 in. 4. 73. Shall be | the maws | of kites | What quite | unmanned | in 
 fol|ly. 
 
 In the following instances the division is after the 1st, 2nd or 
 4th foot, or in the middle of the 4th. 
 
 in. 2. 4. For a | few words j Madam | I will | Nought's had | all's 
 
 spent | . 
 
 in. 3. 15. Stand to't | It will | be rain | to-night | Let it | come down | . 
 in. 6. 39. Prepare | for some | attempt | of war \ Sent he to Mac(duff. 
 v. 3. 37. How does | your pa|tient, docjtor? Not | so sick | my lord j . 
 in. 4. 38. Meeting | were bare | without | it Sweet | remern |brancer | . 
 iv. 2. 72. I dare | abide | no lon|ger Whijther should | I fly. 
 v. 7. 11. I'll prove | the lie | thou speak|est Thou | wast born | of 
 wom(an. 
 
 [If we read speak'st as in the Clarendon, we should have to 
 compress thou'st, making a regular line.] 
 
 in. 4. 2. And last ] the hear|ty wel|corne Thanks | to your maljesty | . 
 
 [Or the line may be divided into five feet if we slur the last part 
 of majesty ; it will then have a double feminine ending.] 
 
 The following Alexandrines have an extra syllable at the 
 hemistich : 
 
 II. 2. 30. When they | did say | God bless | us | Consid er it not | so 
 deep(ly. 
 
 ii. 3. 58. For 'tis | my limjited serjvice | Goes the | king hence | to- 
 day | . 
 
 v. 3. 8. Like syllable | of doljour | What I | believe | I'll wail | . 
 i. 3. 85. That takes | the reas|on prisjoner | Your chiljdren shall | 
 be kings | . 
 
 Where the lines are not thus divided between two speakers, 
 it is often possible to explain away apparent Alexandrines, 
 either as containing trisyllabic feet, or by hypermetric syllables 
 at the end or before the caesura, or, if we follow Dr Abbott, 
 on the principle of slurring, as 
 
 in. 1. 80. In our | last conjf'rence | ; passed in | probation with (you. 
 I. 3. 140. My thought | whose mur|der yet | is but | fantastical.
 
 SHAKESPEARE'S BLANK VERSE. 185 
 
 I. 3. 129. Of the | imperial theme , I thank | you gen(tlemen. 
 in. 1. 81. How you | were borne | in hand | , how crossed, | the inst(ru- 
 
 ments. 
 
 iv. 3. 239. Put on J their inst' ments . Receive | what cheer | you may | . 
 in. 2. 22. In rest|less ec|st'sy. | Duncan | is in | his grave | . 
 i. 3. 111. Which he deserves | to lose | whether he was combined | . 
 iv. 3. 97. Acting | it ma ny ways | . Nay 'd | I power | I should | . 
 
 Sometimes the Alexandrine is due to wrong arrangement of 
 lines. I have already mentioned that it seems better to treat 
 the first two words of the following as a broken line ; 
 
 in. 2. 15. But let the frame | of things | disjoint j both the | worlds 
 trem(ble. 
 
 The only remaining Alexandrines in Macbeth are, I believe, 
 the following, some of which seem to me corrupt : 
 
 I. 4. 26. Which do | but what | they should | by doling everything | . 
 
 This line which is followed by the obscure ' safe toward your 
 love and honour,' is so feeble in rhythm that it can hardly 
 be genuine. Is it possible to contract ' every ' into a mono- 
 syllable ? 
 
 iv. 3. 20. In an | imperial charge | . But I | shall crave | your 
 par(don. 
 
 Here there is a decided pause, aod I should take the line 
 as made up of two fragments, and therefore to be classed 
 with what Dr Abbott calls the trimeter couplet, of which we 
 spoke before. 
 
 in. 2. 11. With them | they think | on ? Things | without j all remjedy | . 
 Should be without regard, what's done is done. 
 
 In the former line, I think all is an interpolation ; it injures the 
 antithesis ' without remedy ' ' without regard,' and gives a 
 feeble dragging rhythm. In the same way, in I. 2. 66, 
 
 Our bojsom interest. Go | pronounce | his prejsent death | , 
 And with | his for|mer ti|tle greet | Macbeth | 
 
 ' present' seems to me interpolated, like 'all,' with the view of 
 giving more force. 
 
 iv. 1. 153. That trace | him in | his line | . No boast i ing like | a fool. 
 This deed | I'll do | before | this purpose cool.
 
 186 ON ENGLISH METRE. 
 
 Here too I should wish to reduce the former line to the same 
 length as that with which it rhymes, by omitting ' him in.' 
 
 I. 3. 102. Only | to her|ald thee | into | his sight | , not pay (thee. 
 Here I should prefer to read ' to ' for ' into.' 
 
 It remains for me now to say a word or two on the variation 
 produced by means of accentuation. This may arise either 
 from defect of accent (the pyrrhic), from excess of accent (the 
 spondee), or from inversion of accent (the trochee). They are 
 all extremely common, and it will not be worth while to do 
 more than give an example of each, 
 
 ir. 2. 1. What hath I quenched them I hath given I me fire | 
 11 11 
 
 hark ! peace | . 
 l i 
 
 Spondee in second, fourth, and fifth. 
 
 Thy letlters have I transported me I beyond I . 
 oo oo 
 
 Pyrrhic in second and fourth. 
 
 With regard to trochees, I have only looked for such as 
 would be excluded by Dr Abbott's rule, that the trochee is 
 inadmissible except in the first foot or after a stop. Of these 
 I have found about twenty-five. 
 Trochee in second place : 
 
 I. 4. 52. The eye I wink at the hand I yet let | that be | . 
 
 2 
 
 Trochee in third place : 
 
 II. 4. 7. And yet \ dark night | strangles | the travelling lamp | . 
 11 20 
 
 Trochee in fourth place : 
 
 in. 6. 41. The clou|dy mesjsenger | turns rue | his back | . 
 
 2 
 
 It is rare to find a trochee in the last place. I have only 
 two examples. 
 
 and 
 
 iv. 2. 4. Our fears i do make | us trailtors. You | know not 
 
 2 i 
 
 v. 5. 3 But know I not how I to do I it. Well | say, Sir 
 2. 10
 
 SHAKESPEARE'S BLANK VERSE. 187 
 
 Mr Ellis kindly allows me to reprint from the Proceedings 
 of the Philological Society his remarks on the preceding analysis 
 of Shakespeare's metre as exhibited in Macbeth. 
 
 "Lines which cannot be naturally divided into measures 
 readily acknowledged by the ear when read, need not be noticed. 
 No poet, I believe, ever writes such lines. When we find them 
 in Shakspeare, we are bound to assume that we have not the 
 whole or the correct version of the poet's words before us. 
 Such lines may be exercises for ingenuity in correction ; but 
 they are at any rate not suited to become a basis for a 
 metrical theory. This observation at once disposes of some 
 of Dr Abbott's certainly original, but as I cannot help thinking, 
 impossible scansions. 
 
 " If we were determining Shakspeare's own rhythmical habit 
 as opposed to that of other writers, a research now carefully 
 pursued by many members of the New Shakspeare Society, 
 then we should have at once to reject from consideration all 
 lines about which critics are yet doubtful as to whether they 
 are Shakspeare's or not. It is evident that no theory should be 
 founded except on undoubted instances. But we are not dealing 
 with this investigation. Any line not rejected as defective or 
 erroneous, or doubtful, or as simply a modern or possible 
 emendation, is sufficient for our present purpose, whether 
 Shakspeare wrote it or not. 
 
 " In considering the rhythm of any single line, we should also, 
 as I have already said, remember that it is part of a passage, 
 and that the poet rhythmises whole passages, not single lines 
 except at a very early stage of his art. This is more particularly 
 the case in dramatic poetry, where the author will even change 
 the metre, by reducing or extending the number of his measures, 
 to produce an emotional effect. And this leads to the difficult 
 question how far the dramatic poet intended his actors to give 
 oral effect to his rhythms, how far he intended them to dis- 
 tinguish his verse from measured prose, and how far he himself 
 felt the transition from verse to prose. It would take too much 
 time to consider this, and I therefore content myself with indi- 
 cating the point. In the mean time I shall assume, as the 
 basis of a rhythmical inquiry, that a poet always means to be
 
 188 ON ENGLISH METRE. 
 
 rhythmical, whether he writes prose or verse ; but, as Dionysius 
 and Cicero well put it, verse is in rhythm, and prose is merely 
 rhythmical, that is, verse follows a conscious and mainly enunci- 
 able law in the juxtaposition of syllables of different kinds (long 
 and short in Sanscrit, Greek, Latin, Arabic, Persian ; strong and 
 weak in Modern Greek, Italian, Spanish, German, English), and 
 prose follows a subjective and mainly nori-enunciable feeling. 
 
 " Now I will endeavour to notice the principal points in 
 Professor Mayor's notes on Macbeth in his own order. 
 
 "A. I. Lines in defect, that is, having fewer than the 
 normal five measures, are not necessarily defective. These may 
 be called 'short lines/ and are common enough in conclusions 
 and in parts of dialogue, but they also occur in the body of 
 a speech, as in the following examples, where I mark the odd 
 and even measures as I previously proposed. 
 
 I. 2. 20. Till he faced | the slave]. 
 
 i. 2. 51. And fan I our peo]ple cold | . 
 
 I. 5. 60. Shall sun | that morjrow see | . 
 
 II. 1. 41. As this | which now] I draw j . 
 
 in. 2. 32. Unsafe | the while] that we | . 
 
 in. 2. 51. Makes wing | to the rook]y wood | . 
 
 iv. 3. 217. Did you | say all?] hellfkite ! all?]. 
 
 " So many speeches end and begin with such short-measured 
 lines, that when there is an ' amphibious section,' as Dr Abbott 
 strangely calls it, the break of the sense must determine to 
 which one of the two short lines, that it is able to complete 
 into a full line, the poet meant it to be joined. To assume 
 that it was intended to be part of both, seems almost ludicrous. 
 Using this test I should divide 
 
 iv. 3. 219. At one | fell swoop]. [short] 
 
 Dispute | it like] a man. | I shall] do so | . 
 v. 3. 18. The En|glish force] so please | you. [short] 
 
 Take thy | face hence] Seyton ! I I'm sick] at heart | . 
 ii. 4. 33. To be | invested. [short] 
 
 Where is Dun|can's bod]y ? Car|ried to] Colmekill | . 
 in. 2. 12. Should be | without] regard, | what's done] is done | . 
 
 We've scotched the snake] not kill'd | it. [short] 
 
 v. 3. 34. Give me | my ar]mour. 'Tis | not need]ed yet | . 
 
 I'll put | it on.] [short]
 
 SHAKESPEARE'S BLANK VERSE. 189 
 
 v. 8. 23. And break | it to] our hope | . [short] 
 
 I will | not fight] with thee ! ] Then yield] thee cow(ard. 
 
 " Observe that in ' I will not fight with thee,' the utter 
 tonelessness of the speech takes it almost beyond the bounds 
 of rhythm. There is scarcely a strong syllable in the phrase, 
 as I read it ; the strongest is not, and the / will would be 
 naturally contracted to I'll. Still it is possible to read : 
 
 I will | not fight] with thee \ . 
 
 " There seems no reason anxiously to avoid these short 
 lines. Thus, why not read ? 
 
 in. 1. 44. Sirrah | a word] with you | . 
 
 Attend | these men] our pleas(ure. 
 
 " No thought of an Alexandrine need occur. Yet, as the 
 omission of ' Sirrah ' or ' with you,' would produce a regular 
 line, no certainty is possible or of consequence. 
 
 " In III. 2. 15, ' but let the frame of things disjoint, both the 
 worlds suffer,' there is no such reason as in I. 2. 37 (' So they ') 
 to make one line of one measure, and another of five measures. 
 Such a division is, I think, really unusual. Considered as one 
 line, although there are six measures, there is no Alexandrine 
 rhythm. The conclusion, ' both the worlds suffer,' is that of a 
 regular five-measure line, with a pause at ' disjoint,' where the 
 Folios divide the line. There is possibly some error. The 
 initial 'but' is not required, and is rather prosy. By omitting 
 it, and making an initial trisyllabic measure, regularity is 
 restored : 
 
 Let the frame | of things] disjoint : | both the] worlds suf(fer. 
 
 It is therefore a line from which we can conclude nothing. 
 
 " I also cannot accept the scansion of iv. 3. 28, given by 
 Professor Mayor on p. 171. It seems to me entirely unlike the 
 rhythm of the rest of Macbeth, especially in ending a line with 
 ' but ' after a comma, that is, the ' weak ending,' and in the 
 two initial measures of the strong-weak form. I would rather 
 divide 
 
 Without | leave ta]king. [short, pause] 
 
 I pray | you, [short, initial]
 
 190 ON ENGLISH METRE. 
 
 Let not | my jeal]ousies | be your] dishonours, 
 
 But mine | own safejties. You \ may be rightjly just, 
 
 Whatev|er /] shall think | . Bleed, bleed,] poor coun(try. 
 
 " But I strongly suspect the genuineness of the text 
 throughout this scene ; and here the words, ' I pray you,' 
 which are quite unnecessary, may be a mere insertion, or part 
 of a player's 'cut.' 
 
 "A. II. 'Lines defective in their internal structure/ for 
 reasons already explained, may be omitted. Each requires a 
 separate critical examination, either on the ground of pronuncia- 
 tion or alteration, which takes it out of the present investigation. 
 
 " B. I. A superfluous syllable at the end of a line, or even 
 two such, when both are very weak, must be admitted as common 
 in heroic rhythm, especially when dramatic. The greater or 
 less liking for it by particular poets is altogether another inquiry. 
 But as to the existence of such syllables at the end of the second 
 or third measure, after a pause, or closing a speech, Professor 
 Mayor is right in supposing that I should treat them in almost 
 every case as cases of trisyllabic measures. And for this reason : 
 the continuation may or may not begin with a weak syllable ; 
 when it does not, the final syllable of the preceding section is 
 evidently effective, that is, not superfluous. Why should it 
 not be so in other cases, when it merely introduces a regular 
 variety, namely a trisyllabic measure. Thus in 
 
 i. 4. 11. As 'twere | a carejless tri|fle. There's] no art | 
 the last syllable of ' trifle ' acts in the usual way. But read 
 ' there is] no art j,' with an emphasis (which the passage allows), 
 and we have a trisyllabic fourth measure. There is, therefore, 
 no reason for considering '-fle' a superfluous syllable in this 
 case rather than the other. 
 
 i. 4. 27. Safe toward | your love] and honjour. Wel]come hith(er. 
 
 Here ' -our ' is effective. Had the reading been ' Thou'rt 
 weljcome hithjer,' would '-our' have ceased to be effective? 
 I find no need for such a supposition. 
 
 i. 5. 36. Than would | make up] his mes sage. Give] him tend(ing. 
 Here ' -sage ' is effective, why then not ' -stant ' in 
 
 i. 5. 57. The fu|ture in] the in stant. My dearjest love ?
 
 SHAKESPEARE'S BLANK VERSE. 191 
 
 Might we not omit ' my,' without the slightest influence on the 
 rhythm of the first section ? But then ' -stant ' must be effective, 
 not superfluous. Without considering every line, I will mark 
 the measures in a few, where this ' superfluous ' syllable is -not 
 part of the trisyllabic measure which it introduces. Generally 
 it will be seen that when this weak syllable is followed by 
 a strong one, we have a regular weak- strong measure. But 
 the final weak syllable of the first section may be followed by 
 another weak one, making a weak-weak measure ; though it 
 is then more commonly part of a trisyllabic measure of the 
 weak-weak-strong class, and even a weak-weak-weak measure 
 is possible. 
 
 in. 1. 25. 'Twixt this | and supjper : go | not my horse] the bet(ter. 
 
 in. 1. 34. Craving | us jointjly. Hie | you to horse:] adieu . 
 
 in. 1. 79. In our | last conference, passed in probation with (you. 
 
 in. 2. 19. That shake | us night]ly. Betjter be with] the dead. 
 l\. 3. 229. Convert | to an]ger. Blunt | not the heart,] enrage (it. 
 v. 6. 4. Lead our | first bat]tle. Worth |y Macduff] and we | 
 iv. 3. 117. To thy | good truth] and hon|our. Dev']lish Macbeth | . 
 
 [Read ' dev'lish ' in two syllables, it is not once necessarily of 
 three syllables in Shakspeare, even at the end of a line, as in 
 Rich. III., i. 4. 265, 
 
 Not to | relent] is beastly sav]age dev'(lish.] 
 
 iv. 3. 33. For good|ness dare] not check thee. Wear] thou thy wrongs | . 
 [Perhaps ' thou ' is erroneous, as it is quite superfluous.] 
 
 ill. 6. 2. Which can | inter ]pret fur|ther. On]ly, I say, | 
 v. 8. 27. Here may | you see] the tyjrant. I'll not yield | . 
 
 [Read I'll and emphasise not, saving the rhythm by the weight 
 of yield.] 
 
 in. 4. 86. I have | a strange] infir|mity, which] is noth(ing 
 
 To those | that know] me. [short line, decided pause] 
 
 Come, love | and health] to all ; | then I'll] sit down | . 
 Give me | some wine !] fill full ! | [short, order] 
 
 I drink | to the gen]eral joy | o' the] whole ta(ble. 
 
 [This might be divided thus, if the text is correct Pope 
 omits ' come ' in v. 88, but it seems better left in.]
 
 192 ON ENGLISH METRE. 
 
 " B. II. Much of the so-called ' slurring/ and almost all 
 the ' elision,' when not usual in common conversation, I find 
 unnecessary, that is, I see no reason for not reading the words 
 fully, with a natural pronunciation. As to Alexandrines divided 
 among two speakers, there is always a doubt, because only two 
 short lines may have been intended. These lines, therefore, lie 
 out of my present province. When a five-measure line ends 
 with two light superfluous syllables, it does not become an 
 Alexandrine to the feeling of the reader, and there is no 
 occasion to suppose one of these light syllables to be elided. 
 The words ' fantastical, gentlemen, instruments,' give rise to 
 such terminations. In the middle of lines they simply produce 
 trisyllabic feet, as 
 
 in. 2. 22. In rest|less ecjstasy. Dun can is in] his grave | . 
 iv. 3. 239 may be divided thus 
 
 Put on | their instruments. [short, pause] 
 
 Keceive | what cheer | you may, [short, initial] 
 
 The night | is long] that nevjer finds] the day. 
 
 I suspect, however, some error in 'receive.' A monosyllable, 
 such as ' have,' would suit the rhythm, and occurs with ' cheer ' 
 in other passages, Rich. III., v. 3. 74 : ' I have not that alacrity 
 of spirit, Nor cheer of mind,' and All's Well, in. 2. 67: 'I 
 prithee, lady, have a better cheer.' Whereas 'receive cheer' 
 is not used elsewhere. Certainly an Alexandrine would be very 
 much out of place as the first line of a final rhyming couplet, 
 and even the break, with short lines, is not what we should 
 expect. But this enters into the region of conjecture and 
 criticism which I wish to avoid. I pass over all the other lines 
 where Professor Mayor suspects errors. And the rest of his 
 remarks referring to the measures strong-strong and strong- weak, 
 (which he calls spondees and trochees), in place of the theoretical 
 weak-strong, merely bear out my own observations. 
 
 "In reading through Macbeth afresh for this purpose, the 
 general impression made on me is that the character of five- 
 measure lines is well preserved. The fifth measure of each verse 
 ends strongly, with often one, and occasionally two additional 
 very weak syllables. I have not observed any so-called ' weak-
 
 SHAKESPEARE'S BLANK VERSE. 193 
 
 endings.' Sometimes, not often, the fifth measure has two 
 weak syllables. But two weak syllables 1 are also allowed to 
 form a measure elsewhere, as the second in 
 
 in. 1. 96. Distinguishes] the swift | the slow] the sub(tle. 
 in. 1. 97. According to] the gift | which bount]eous na(ture. 
 
 "Trisyllabic measures are common enough, perhaps more 
 common than our present utterance shews. The lines are 
 generally vigorous, and rhythm varied. But there are probably 
 numerous errors of the printer and copyist, as indeed the 
 Cambridge editors allow, ' especially as regards metre,' to use 
 their own words. This makes the selection of this play rather 
 unsuitable for the determination of Shakspeare's metres, and, 
 as Professor Mayor states, it was not purposely so selected. 
 There are a very large number of short lines, especially when 
 ending and beginning speeches. Whether this was intentional, 
 or is to be reckoned among errors, or arose from players' ' cuts/ 
 cannot be determined. Generally they do not produce a bad 
 effect. Long lines, especially real Alexandrines, are not nume- 
 rous, and perhaps were never intentional." 
 
 1 See above, p. 31. 
 
 M. M. 13
 
 CHAPTER XII. 
 
 SHAKESPEARE'S BLANK VERSE continued. 
 HAMLET. 
 
 As Mr Ellis doubts whether Macbeth was a good play to choose 
 for the purpose of determining the rhythm used by Shakespeare 
 in his prime, I give the results of a similar study of Hamlet, so 
 far as they seem to be of interest in the way of confirming, 
 correcting or adding to the results already obtained. 
 
 To speak first of the accent. Excess and defect of accent, 
 the spondee and the pyrrhic, are common alike in all the feet. 
 As examples we may take 
 
 i. 2. 82. Together with | all forms | , moods, shapes | of grief | 
 010021 i i 02 
 
 in. 2. 225. Thoughts black | , hands apt | , drugs fit | , and time | 
 
 22 22 2202 
 
 agreeing 
 iv. 5. 190. His means | of death | , his ob|scure fu|neral | 
 
 1 01 002201 
 
 I. 5. 61. Upon I my selcure hour | thy un|cle stole | 
 01 002 i 010 i 
 
 i. 1. 18. Disasters in | the sun | ; and the | moist star | 
 
 010002 00 2 2 
 
 Inversion of accent (trochee) is most commonly found in the 
 1st foot, sometimes giving the effect of a choriambus at the 
 beginning of the verse, or after the middle pause or caesura, 
 of which latter we may take the following as examples 
 
 i. 1. 2. Nay, anslwer me I : stand, and I unfold | yourself | 
 1101 2 001 01 
 
 i. 1. 13. The ri|vals of | my watch | : bid them | make haste | 
 
 010001 20 2 
 
 But we also find it in the other feet without any preceding 
 pause, sometimes giving the effect of an antispastus, as
 
 SHAKESPEARE'S BLANK VERSE. 195 
 
 i. 3. 56. The wind [ sits in | the shoullder of I your sail ! 
 
 01 10010001 
 II. 2. 573. Been struck | so to | the soul | , that presently | 
 
 o i 2001 0201 
 
 I. 5. 166. There are | more things | in heaven j and earth I Hora(tio 
 
 002101 0101 
 
 Than are | dreamt of | in your j philosophy j 
 o o 2 110 0101 
 
 (taking ' your ' in a contemptuous sense), 
 i. 2. 13. In e|qual scale | weighing | delight | and dole I 
 
 010 1 2002 01 
 
 I. 3. 38. Virtue | itself | scapes not | calumlnious strokes | 
 20 01 i o 0100 .1 
 
 i. 4. 42. Be thy | intents | wicked | or char|ita(ble 
 10 01 20 0201 
 
 i. 5. 15. Till the | foul crimes I done in I my days I of na(ture 
 102 i 100101 
 
 iv. 3. 3. Yet must I not we | put the | strong law I upon (him 
 
 2 01 10 i " i 01 
 
 i. 4. 46. Why thy I canonlized bones | hearsed I in death I * 
 
 20 010 1 2001 
 
 II. 1. 81. Pale as I his shirt | ; his knees | knocking I each oth(er 
 
 2001 01 2001 
 
 in. 2. 55. No! let j the canjdied tongue | lick ablsurd pomp I 
 21010 i 201 i 
 
 iv. 5. 84. And, as | the world | were now | but to I begin I 
 1101 01 1002 
 
 i. 2. 37. To business with | the king | more than | the scope | 
 
 010 o 01 20 01 
 
 i. 2. 222. And we | did think | it writ | down in I our du(ty 
 
 0101 01 1001 
 
 i. 3. 64. Of each I new-hatch'd | unfleclg'd | comrade | . Beware I 
 01 i 2 12 10 01 
 
 (I keep the usual accentuation of comrade, as in Lear II. 4. 213.) 
 
 i. 4. 88. Let's fol|low; 'tis | not fit | thus to | obey (him 
 010 i 02 2001 
 
 i. 5. 139. For your j desire | to know | what is | between (us 
 
 01 0101 2001 
 
 i. 1. 93. Had he I been vanquisher; as I by the same I cov'nant I 
 01 o 100100 i 10 
 
 (here we might make the 4th foot a pyrrhic, putting same into 
 the last foot, which would then have a superfluous syllable). 
 
 i. 2. 58. 
 I. 3. 4. 
 
 I. 4. 65. 
 
 * In Shakespeare canonize regularly has the accent on the 2nd syllable. 
 
 132 
 
 He hath | 
 
 my lord 
 
 | wrung 
 
 from | 
 
 me my | slow leave 
 
 
 
 i 
 
 
 
 
 i 
 
 2 
 
 
 i 
 
 
 
 
 2 
 
 i 
 
 But 
 
 let 
 
 | me 
 
 hear | 
 
 from 
 
 you | . 
 
 
 
 1 
 
 
 
 
 i 
 
 
 
 i 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 Do 
 
 you I doubt 
 
 that 1 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 \ 2 
 
 i 
 
 I do 
 
 | not 
 
 set | my 
 
 life| 
 
 at 
 
 a I 
 
 pin's 
 
 fee | 
 
 
 1 
 
 
 
 
 i 
 
 
 
 i 
 
 
 
 
 
 2 
 
 
 i 

 
 196 ON ENGLISH METRE. 
 
 II. 1. 86. But tru|ly I | do fear | it. 
 
 010001 
 
 What I said he I 
 
 1 10 
 
 (the stress seems to lie on said, in contrast with the appearance 
 of Hamlet described before, not on he). 
 
 in. 4. 15. Have you I forgot I me? 
 o 0020 
 
 No | by the rood | , not so | 
 
 2001 21 
 
 We next take examples of irregularity in the number of 
 syllables, and (A) by way of excess ; 
 
 (a) Superfluous syllable at the end (feminine ending). 
 
 This, as is well known, is rare in the early plays, such as 
 Love's Labour s Lost, where it occurs only twice in the first 50 
 lines of the 1st Act, and only once in the first 50 of the 
 2nd Act. On the contrary in the King's speech (Hamlet I. 2. 
 1 39) we find 12 examples, i.e. nearly 1 in 3, and in the same 
 scene (87 102) 10 examples in 16 lines, and in Hamlet's speech 
 in the same scene (146 153) 5 examples in 7 lines, a proportion 
 only exceeded in the un-Shakespearian portions of Henry VIII. 
 
 Taking Mr Fleay's figures as given in p. 15 of the New 
 Shakspeare Soc. Trans, for 1 87 4 J we obtain the following general 
 averages. 
 
 Double 
 Blank Verse. Endings. Proportion. 
 
 L. L. L. 579 9 one in 64. 
 
 Rom. and Jul. 2111 118 one in less than 18. 
 
 Hamlet 2490 508 one in less than 5. 
 
 Cymbeline 2585 726 one in little more than 3^. 
 
 But Dr Abbott has pointed out (N. S. Soc., ib. p. 76) that 
 though we may trace on the whole a steady increase in the use 
 of the feminine ending, as we pass from the earlier to the later 
 plays, yet such double endings are very unequally distributed 
 through the scenes of the same play. Thus he contrasts 
 Rich. II. Act I. Sc. 1, which he calls 'a spirited scene with a 
 sort of trumpet sound about it,' and in which there is free use of 
 the extra syllable (24 in 146 lines), with Act V. Sc. 5 containing 
 
 1 Reprinted in his Shakespeare Manual, p. 135.
 
 SHAKESPEARE'S BLANK VERSE. 197 
 
 Richard's soliloquy in prison, where the extra syllable occurs 
 only once in 119 lines. And he thus states the occasions on 
 which it is used, ' in moments of passion and excitement, in 
 questions, in quarrel, seldom in quiet dialogue and narrative, 
 and seldom in any serious or pathetic passage.' The phrase 
 ' trumpet sound ' does not commend itself to me as applicable 
 here, but otherwise Dr Abbott's remarks agree fairly with my 
 observations in Hamlet, except that I should add ' especially in 
 the light and airy conversation of polite society.' Thus to take 
 the extremes of the use of the feminine ending in Hamlet, we 
 find it most freely used in 
 
 iv. 5. 76 96. The King to the Queen ; average almost 
 one in 2. 
 
 V. 2. 237 276. Dialogue between Hamlet and Laertes; 
 average the same. 
 
 I. 3. 91 135. Polonius to Ophelia (omitting Ophelia's 
 replies); average one out of 2^. 
 
 The average is one in less than 3, in the King's speech to 
 the Ambassadors and Laertes (l. 2. 1 56), and in the King's 
 speech to Hamlet (i. 2. 87117). 
 
 If we examine these scenes, we find that in the conversa- 
 tion between Hamlet and Laertes there is on both sides a 
 straining after excessive courtesy, partly because they are about 
 to enter into a contest of personal prowess, but even more from 
 the wish, on Hamlet's part, to atone for previous rudeness, and, 
 on the part of Laertes, to hide his murderous intention. By 
 the use of the feminine ending the poet endeavours to reproduce 
 the easy tone of ordinary life ; and this no doubt explains its 
 frequency in Fletcher, the poet of society. There is felt to be 
 something formal, stilted, high-flown, poetic, in the regular 
 iambic metre. Three of the other scenes contain speeches by 
 the King. Now the King, we know from Hamlet, is a ' smiling 
 villain ' ; he affects affability and ease ; there is nothing strong 
 or straightforward in his character, but he carries his point by 
 cunning subtilty, ' with witchcraft of his wit.' The same expla- 
 nation will account for the prevalence of feminine rhythm in 
 the speech of the worldly-wise Polonius.
 
 198 ON ENGLISH METRE. 
 
 Consider now the opposite extreme. 
 
 i. 1. 112 125. Horatio's speech, average one in 14. 
 in. 4. 31 87. Hamlet's speech to his mother, one in 9. 
 140216. one in 6. 
 
 iv. 4. 32 66. Hamlet's soliloquy, one in 7. 
 in. 1. 56 88. one in 7. 
 
 I. 5. 10 91. Ghost's speech, one in less than 7. 
 
 II. 2. 473 540. Old play (The rugged Pyrrhus), one in 6. 
 
 III. 3. 73 96. Hamlet (seeing his uncle praying), one in 5 . 
 36 71. King's soliloquy, one in 5. 
 
 Horatio's speech commencing ' A mote it is to trouble the 
 mind's eye,' is' a piece of fine imaginative poetry, standing in 
 strong contrast with his preceding rapid business-like statement 
 about the claim of Fortinbras. In place of the rough, broken 
 rhythm of the former speech, we have here some four or five of 
 the most musically varied lines in Shakespeare, marked by slow 
 movement, long vowels and alliteration. It is only as Horatio 
 descends to earth again, that we have the double ending in 
 1. 124. In Hamlet's speech to his mother, he appears as a stern 
 preacher, obeying the command received from his murdered 
 father. Plainly there is no place here for ease and politeness. 
 The same may be said of the ghost's speech, only that it has an 
 added solemnity. The old play is necessarily regular and formal. 
 Soliloquies, if quietly meditative, or the outpouring of a pleasing 
 emotion, will naturally take the regular poetic form : if agitated, 
 or vehemently argumentative they will be irregular, marked by 
 the use of sudden pauses, feminine ending and trisyllabic feet, as 
 we see in I. 2. 129 160 ' O that this too too solid flesh would 
 melt,' etc. This is remarkably shewn in the speech beginning 
 ' To be or not to be.' where we find five double endings in the 
 first 8 lines, these being perplexed and argumentative ; but in 
 the next 20 lines there is not a single feminine ending, as 
 these are merely the pathetic expression of a single current of 
 thought. Then in 1. 83 follow reflections of a more prosaic 
 turn, and we again have two double endings. It may be noticed 
 that in the soliloquies ill. 3. 36 96, six of the twelve double 
 endings consist of the word heaven or prayers, which are hardly
 
 SHAKESPEARE'S BLANK VERSE. 199 
 
 to be distinguished from monosyllables. One other instance 
 may be quoted to illustrate Shakespeare's use of the feminine 
 ending. In I. 1. 165 Horatio says 
 
 So have | I heard | and do | in part | believe (it. 
 But, look [ , the morn | in rusjset manltle clad | , 
 Walks o'er the dew | of yon | high east | ward hill | . 
 
 The 1st line is conversational, the two others imaginative with- 
 out passion, only with a joyful welcome of the calm, bright, 
 healthy dawn after the troubled, spectral night ; and we have a 
 corresponding change in the rhythm. 
 
 I think Dr Abbott goes too far in saying (S. G. 455) that 
 the extra syllable is very rarely a monosyllable. No doubt it 
 is very rarely an ' emphatic monosyllable,' but pronouns such as 
 you, it, him, them, etc. are common enough, e.g. 
 
 I. 1. 104. So by | his fa|ther lost | : and this | I take (it 
 cf. I. 1. 165, 172, i. 5. 119, 121 ; 
 
 I. 2. 234. Nay velry pale | . 
 
 And fixed his eyes | upon (you 
 
 cf. i. 3. 24, 95, i. 5. 129, 138, 180, 183, 185 ; 
 
 I. 3. 57. And you | are stayed | for. There j , my bless|iug with (thee 
 .1. 3. 103. Do you | believe | his ten|ders as | you call (them 
 
 cf. i. 4. 24 : 
 
 i. 4. 39. Angels | and min isters | of grace | defend (us 
 cf. i. 5. 139 ; 
 
 i. 4. 84. By heaven | I'll make | a ghost | of him | that lets (me 
 cf. n. 2. 125 ; 
 
 i. 4. 87. Let's foljlow ; 'tis not meet | thus to | obey (him 
 cf. i. 5. 113,n. 1. 13, 19, 29; 
 
 n. 2. 143. This must | not be | and then | I pre|cepts gave (her 
 We also find not in I. 1. 67 ; 
 
 In what | particular thought | to work | I know (not. 
 Sometimes the line ends with two superfluous syllables, more or 
 less slurred, e.g. 
 
 i. 2. 57. Have you | your father's leave ? | What says | Polo(nius
 
 200 ON ENGLISH METRE. 
 
 i. 2. 119. I pray | thee stay | with us | ; go not | to Wit(tenberg 
 
 176. My lord | I came | to see | your fajther's fu(neral 
 II. 2. 459. The un [nerved fa|ther falls | . Then sense|less I(lium 
 11. 2. 91. Aud ted|iousness | the limbs | and outjward flourishes 
 n. 2. 70. To give | the assay | of arms | against | your maj(esty 
 
 cf. in. 1. 22 ; 
 
 II. 2. 539. What's Helcuba | to him | or he | to Hec(uba 
 
 (6) Superfluous syllable in the middle of the line (feminine 
 section or caesura). 
 
 I think Mr Ellis has succeeded in shewing that the assump- 
 tion of the ' section ' is not essential to the scanning of any line ; 
 and the fact that there is so little trace of it in Surrey and 
 Marlowe is not in favour of Dr Guest's idea, that it was still 
 felt to be obligatory in Shakespeare's time. Shakespeare how- 
 ever would seem to have perceived the gain to the heroic rhythm, 
 which would arise from making more use of the caesura ; and I 
 think that the extra syllable which so often precedes the caesura 
 in his verse, must have been felt by him to be analogous to the 
 feminine ending. It is a difficult point to prove ; but the 
 following facts are in accordance with such a supposition. 
 (1) The large proportion of cases in which an unaccented syl- 
 lable preceding the caesura is not needed for the metre: in 
 the first two scenes of Hamlet we have 46 lines with such a 
 syllable, in 21 of which it is superfluous ; (2) the frequent use 
 of a trochee in the 3rd or 4th foot, when a pause has preceded, 
 corresponding to the trochee in the 1st foot; (3) the fact 
 that short or broken lines often end with a superfluous syllable, 
 which in them, at any rate, must be regarded as a feminine 
 ending ; and the further fact that many of the lines, in which 
 the feminine caesura occurs, are really made up of two broken 
 lines, e.g. 
 
 i. 1. 17. Who hath | relieved | you ? 
 
 Bernar|do hath | my place | 
 i. 2. 160. Hail to | your lord|ship. 
 
 I'm glad ! to see | you well | 
 i. 2. 167. I'm ve]ry glad | to see | you. 
 
 Good ev|en Sir | 
 
 v. 2. 332. To tell | my stofry. 
 
 What warlike noise I is this I .
 
 SHAKESPEARE'S BLANK VERSE. 201 
 
 In such lines it seems a little absurd to keep the un- 
 accented syllable in suspension, as it were, through a lengthened 
 pause, until the latter part of the anapaest is forthcoming, (-t) 
 If we compare with the trisyllabic feet, which are produced by 
 treating the extra syllable as metrically effective, those tri- 
 syllabic feet which are unconnected with the caesura, we find 
 many more of the former; thus, in the first two scenes of 
 Hamlet, I find 16 of what, I may call, the true or independent 
 trisyllabic feet, and 21 of the apparent trisyllabic feet, which 
 make use of the extra syllable of the caesura. (5) Sometimes 
 we find two superfluous unaccented syllables before the middle 
 pause, which can only' be made metrically effective by changing 
 the line into an Alexandrine, as 
 
 i. 5. 162. A worjthy pi\oneer. Once more | remove | good friends | 
 n. 1. 112. I had | not quo] tec? him : I feared | he did | but tri(fle 
 
 (c) True anapaests are found in all the feet ; dactyls rarely, 
 except in the 1st foot ; still more rarely tribrach, and amphi- 
 brach or bacchius. 
 
 n. 1. 25. Ay, or drink|ing, fen|cing, swearjing, quarrelling | 
 001 
 
 in. 1. 154. The observ'd | of all | observers, quite | , quite down | 
 
 001 
 
 v. 1. 241. To o'ertop I old Pel|ion or | the skyjish head | 
 001 
 
 IV. 5. 13. !Twere good | she were spofken with | ; for she | may strew | 
 
 001 
 
 II. 2. 554. Tweaks me | by the nose gives me I the lie | i' the throat | 
 
 2 0001 1002001 
 
 I. 2. 93. Of imp|ious stubbornness; 'tis | unman|ly grief | 
 oo 2 o o ' i 
 
 I. 2. 157. With such I dexterjity to I incesltuous sheets | 
 
 oo o 0100 i 
 
 i. 1. 86. Did slay I this Fort inbras, who I by a seal'd i compact | 
 
 'oo i 001 01 
 
 i. 1. 114. A litltle ere | the migh|tiest Ju|lius fell | 
 
 oo 100 i 
 
 The graves I stood tenlantless I and the sheeted dead | 
 01 120000102 
 
 II. 1. 107. What, have I you given | him an|y hard words | of late | 
 i o o i 0101 i 01 
 
 [Here the 4th foot is bacchius, but we might divide 
 
 him any hard words | 
 010 i i 
 
 giving an amphibrach for the 3rd foot, and a spondee for the 
 fourth.]
 
 202 ON ENGLISH METRE. 
 
 I. 1. 83. Thereto I prick'd on I by a I most emjulate pride j 
 
 oo 001 
 
 I. 2. 83. That can I denote j me tru|ly: these | indeed seem j 
 
 oo 2 
 
 [or we might treat this as a case of feminine caesura and 
 divide the last two feet 
 
 these inldeed seem I 1 
 201 2 
 
 I. 4. 31. Carrying | I say | the stamp j of one | defect | 
 100 
 
 iv. 4. 40. Bestial I oblivjion or | some cra|ven scru(ple 
 100 001 
 
 iv. 5. 13. Dangerous | conjectures in | ill-breed|ing minds | 
 
 100 
 i. 5. 133. I'm sor|ry they | offend | you, hear tily | ; 
 
 Yes, faith | , heartily I . 
 2 i 100' 
 
 There's no | offence | my lord | . 
 
 (d) Lines of six feet (Alexandrines) are very rare, except 
 when they are divided between two speakers. What seem to 
 be undivided Alexandrines are sometimes lines with two super- 
 fluous syllables, or they are possibly corrupt, or admit of other 
 explanations, as follows. 
 
 i. 2. 2. The memjory | be green | , and that | it us | befit(ted. 
 
 I incline to omit that it with Steevens. It is a cumbrous 
 phrase, apparently inserted to facilitate the construction. 
 
 i. 3. 24. Whereof | he is | the head | . Then, if | he says he loves (you 
 
 I think Pope is right in omitting the. 
 i. 5. 13. Are burnt | and purged | away \ . But that | I am | forbid | 
 
 I should read I'm and make the 4th foot a dactyl, 
 i. 5. 187. God willing, shall | not lack j . Let us | go in | toge(ther 
 
 I think Hanmer is right in omitting together, which may 
 have been inserted from below. 
 
 n. 1. 57. Or then | , or then | , with such | , or such | , and, as | you say ! 
 
 Pope omits the 2nd or then. I think it is better to consider 
 this a line of prose, like I. 5. 176, 7 (As 'well, well, we know,' etc.). 
 
 n. 1. 112. I had | not quo|ted him : I fear'd | he did | but tri(fle 
 
 And meant | to wreck | thee ; but | beshrew | my jeallousy | 
 
 The former line should, I think, be read with two super-
 
 SHAKESPEARE'S BLANK VERSE. 203 
 
 fluous syllables at the hemistich : in the latter I should omit 
 but, which is not wanted here, and may perhaps have slipt in 
 from the previous line. 
 
 II. 2. 564. Fie up|on't ! fob ! | About , my brain | ! Hum, I ) have heard | 
 
 I have no douht that the first three words at any rate should 
 be joined to the previous broken line. They continue in the 
 same strain of self-disgust ; while a new start is taken with 
 ' About my brain/ which might well be preceded and followed 
 by a pause. 
 
 ill. 2. 373. Conta|gion to | this world : now could j I drink | hot blood | 
 
 The Quarto of 1637 has the for this, which is both more natural 
 in itself, and has the further advantage of reducing the line to 
 the ordinary number of feet. 
 
 iv. 3. 7. But nevier the | offence | . To bear | all smooth | and e(ven 
 
 Here we might take never as one syllable (ne'er), like ever and 
 over, but I see no objection to supposing that we have here two 
 broken lines, separated by a pause. 
 
 iv. 5. 79. For good | Polon|ius' death | ; and we | have done | but green(ly 
 
 I should omit and with Pope. The clause, which it introduces, 
 is not one of the series of sorrows named, but a parenthetical 
 regret, suggested by one of them, viz. the discontent of the 
 people. 
 
 iv. 5. 137. Of your | dear fajtber's death | , is't writ | in your | revenge | 
 
 This seems more like a true Alexandrine than any other line 
 in the Play, but the word dear may easily have been inserted, 
 and perhaps it is more in harmony with the lofty tone assumed 
 by the king, to abstain from the use of any coaxing word, until 
 Laertes recedes from his personal threats. 
 
 iv. 7. 182. Unto | that element | : but long | it could | not be 
 
 Here I think we have two superfluous syllables at the he- 
 mistich. 
 
 I. 2. 90. That fa|ther lost | lost his | , and the | survi|vor bound | 
 
 Both metre and construction lead one to suspect error here, 
 but no satisfactory emendation has been proposed.
 
 204 ON ENGLISH METRE. 
 
 V. 2. 68 
 
 is't | not per | feet con j science 
 To quit | him with | this arm | ? And is't | not to | be damn'd | 
 
 I think Hanmer is right in omitting and. If any word were 
 wanted, it should rather be nay. 
 
 B. Syllabic defect. 
 
 I do not know that I need add anything to what has been 
 said on Fragmentary Lines, except in reference to Mr Ellis's 
 remark, that it seems ludicrous to suppose a ' common section ' 
 to be intended to complete two broken lines. I do not of 
 course suppose it to be actually repeated, but the remembrance 
 of the rhythm to affect and, as it were, justify the following 
 rhythm. At any rate it seems to me a fact that, when we have 
 three broken lines in succession, the 2nd as a rule fits into the 
 1st, and the 3rd into the 2nd, so that, to the ear, three halves 
 seem to constitute two wholes. Thus in I. 2. 226 foil. I think 
 the effect to the ear is as follows : 
 
 Armed say | you ? Armed | rny lord | . From top | to toe | ? 
 
 [From top | to toe] My lord | from head | to foot | 
 
 Then saw | you not | his face | ? 0, yes | my lord | 
 
 [0, yes | my lord] he wore | his bea|ver up | . 
 
 What; looked | he frownjingly | ? A countenance more | 
 
 In sor|row than | in an ger. Pale | or red | ? 
 
 Thus arranged we see the reason for the rhythm of the last 
 three words, which are generally printed by themselves, as a 
 short line. Otherwise, to make them rhythmical, we should 
 have to treat pale as a monosyllabic first foot. 
 
 Of the few Defective Lines in Hamlet, one or two are 
 plainly corrupt, as 
 
 in. 4. 169. And eijther A | the devil | or throw | him out | 
 iv. 1. 40. And what's | untime|ly done | A 
 
 and in others it is at any rate probable that a word has been 
 lost, as in 
 
 n. 1. 83. To speak | of hor|rors, j he comes | Ixtfore (me 
 
 where Pope inserts thus before he. 
 
 II. 1. 91. As he | would draw | it. | Long stayed | he so | 
 
 where Pope inserts time after long.
 
 SHAKESPEARE'S BLANK VERSE. 205 
 
 in. 3. 38. A brother's murjder. | Pray can | I not | 
 
 Here Hanmer reads Pray, alas, I cannot, but the pause after 
 murder may perhaps supply the place of a syllable. 
 
 iv. 4. 17. Truly | to speak | and | with no | addition 
 
 Pope improves both metre and construction by the insertion 
 of it after speak. 
 
 iv. 4. 65. To hide | the slain | . O | from this | time forth | 
 
 Pope inserts then after 0, but the exclamation may easily cover 
 the two syllables. 
 
 i. 3. 8. Forward | not permanent , sweet | not last(ing 
 
 Capell inserts but after sweet. Possibly the pause and the 
 length of the word may be considered to make up for the 
 missing syllable. 
 
 I. 1. 50. Stay ! speak, speak ! I charge thee, speak ! 
 
 Here it would seem that each of the first three words stands 
 for a foot. 
 
 in. 4. 177. One word more, good lady. 
 
 What shall I do ? 
 
 Here it is possible to get the proper number of feet by giving 
 two syllables to more. 
 
 iv. 7. 60. Will you be ruled by me ? 
 
 Ay, my lord. 
 
 Walker inserts good before lord, but we may perhaps disyllabize 
 ay, as in iv. 3. 45 
 
 For Eng|land. For Eng|land? A|y Ham|let. Good | 
 and 
 
 n. 1. 36. Wherefore | should you | do this | 1 Ay | my lord | 
 
 Of Fragmentary Lines occurring at the beginning, middle, 
 or end of longer speeches, and not supplemented by other short 
 lines, I find 66, of which 3 consist of one syllable, as ' Swear ' ; 9 
 of two, as ' Mark you,' ' Yet I ' ; 8 of three, as ' Speak to me,' 
 ' I have sworn't,' ' a scullion ' ; 14 of four, as ' Last night of all ' ; 
 12 of five, as ' Thou know'st already ' ; 13 of six, as ' To hear 
 him so inclined ' ; 7 of seven, as ' What is the cause, Laertes ? '
 
 CHAPTER XIII. 
 
 MODERN BLANK VERSE. 
 
 TENNYSON AND BROWNING. 
 
 WE have seen (p. 14 foil.) that Dr Guest condemns 
 the freedom of Milton's versification as licentious, and that 
 Dr Abbott to some extent shares his view in so far as regards 
 Milton's use of trochees and trisyllabic feet (p. 38 foil.). It 
 may be well therefore to begin with an analysis of the Miltonic 
 rhythm in order to appreciate better the license practised by 
 the poets of our own time, both in respect of pauses and of 
 the substitution of other feet in place of the iamb. I have 
 accordingly taken sections of 200 lines each from the poems of 
 Milton, Tennyson and Browning, with a view to ascertain the 
 comparative frequency of the occurrence of such irregularities. 
 Though it is probable that no two persons would agree pre- 
 cisely as to the pauses and the feet to be found in a passage 
 of some length, yet for the purpose of comparison, this will 
 not make very much difference. As a rule I have followed 
 the printed stopping, except when it appeared to me that 
 this had reference rather to the grammatical construction than 
 to the actual reading of the verse. 
 
 The passages selected are Milton (a) Par. Reg. I. 1 200, 
 (/3) ib. 201 400 ; Tennyson Oenone, Gardener's Daughter, 
 Enoch Arden, Lucretius, Gareth, Ralin, Sisters, Sir John Old- 
 castle ; Browning Aristophanes, Ring and Rook IV. I have
 
 MODERN BLANK VERSE. 207 
 
 analyzed the 1st at length, and contented myself with tabu- 
 lating the results of the others. 
 
 Par. Reg. i. 1200. 
 
 Lines without any pause, 30, or a little over 1 in 7. 
 
 Pauses. Lines with final pause only, 53, or a little over 
 1 in 4. 
 
 Lines with internal pause only, 71, or a little over 
 1 in 3. 
 
 Lines with both final and internal pause, 46, or 
 a little under 1 in 4. 
 
 Pause after 1st syllable, 1 in 200 \ 
 
 after 1 syllables 2 , 2 in 200 or 1 in 100. 
 after 2 3 , 10, or 1 in 20. 
 after 3 10, or 1 in 20. 
 after 4 28, or 1 in about 7. 
 after 5 15, or 1 in 13^. 
 after 6 38, or 1 in about 5. 
 after 7 14, or 1 in about 14^. 
 after 8 12, or 1 in 16|. 
 after 9 1 in 200. 
 
 Feminine Ending 4 . 12, or 1 in 16|. 
 Substitution of other feet in place of the iamb. 
 
 Pyrrhic. 58 out of 200, or 1 in a little over 3 lines. 
 Spondee. 69, or 1 in less than 3. 
 Trochee. 48, or 1 in 4^. 
 
 (of which 12 are not initial, or 1 in 16f). 
 Anapaest. 42, or ] in a little over 5. 
 Dactyl. 2, or 1 in 100. 
 
 1 Of course a line with two or more internal pauses is reckoned more than 
 once in this list. 
 
 2 By this I mean pause after initial trochee. 
 
 3 By this I mean a pause after the 1st foot when it is iamb, spondee, pyrrhic, 
 dactyl or anapaest; and so, throughout, the even numbers denote the end, the 
 odd the middle of a foot. 
 
 4 In reckoning feminine endings and trisyllabic feet I have given the full 
 number of syllables to doubtful words, such as power, heaven.
 
 L>(KS 
 
 ON ENGLISH METRE. 
 
 
 Mi 
 
 , ' 
 
 a 
 
 ton 
 N 
 
 * 
 
 Tennyson 
 
 .' 
 
 Browning 
 
 Oenone N 
 
 ej 
 t 
 
 < 
 
 ^ 
 
 Lucretius 
 
 Sisters 
 
 c 
 1 
 ^ 
 
 .g 
 
 i 
 
 Oldeantle ) 
 
 Aristoph. 
 
 Mi 
 
 1 
 
 B 
 
 A| 
 
 Pauses 
 Final only 
 
 53 
 
 39 
 
 53 
 
 51 
 
 75 
 45 
 19 
 7 
 1 
 
 49 
 
 48 
 
 # 
 
 
 42 
 
 53 
 
 4!) 
 
 Internal only 
 
 71 
 30 
 
 77 
 19 
 
 1 
 
 65 
 
 59 
 17 
 
 4 
 
 75 
 
 57 
 29 
 6 
 
 13 
 
 
 
 48 
 11 
 16 
 
 45 
 
 45 
 
 None 
 
 17 
 
 29 
 
 8 
 
 19 
 
 35 
 
 After 1st syll . 
 
 1 
 
 2 
 
 11 
 
 7 
 
 15 
 
 H 
 
 2 
 
 
 
 5 
 
 1 
 
 6 
 
 1 
 
 5 
 
 6 
 
 1 
 
 3 
 
 1 
 
 2 
 
 10 
 
 16 
 
 8 
 
 7 
 
 5 
 
 9 
 
 11 
 
 13 
 
 14 
 
 18 
 
 3 
 
 10 
 
 16 
 
 3 
 
 10 
 
 15 
 
 14 
 
 14 
 
 13 
 
 22 
 
 12 
 
 16 
 
 15 
 
 19 
 
 27 
 
 4 
 
 28 
 
 21 
 
 23 
 
 40 
 
 21 
 
 31 
 
 39 
 
 34 
 
 29 
 
 50 
 
 27 
 
 23 
 
 5 
 
 15 
 
 12 
 
 44 
 
 15 
 
 19 
 
 22' 
 
 25 
 
 12 
 
 26 
 
 20 
 
 30 
 
 25 
 
 6 
 
 38 
 
 45 
 
 26 
 19 
 
 32 
 
 18 
 
 12 
 
 30 
 
 29 
 
 18 
 
 25 
 
 21 
 
 14 
 
 7 
 
 14 
 
 20 
 
 26 
 
 31 
 
 23 
 
 22 
 
 14 
 
 27 
 
 18 
 
 32 
 
 15 
 
 8 
 
 12 
 
 18 
 
 4 
 
 11 
 
 3 
 
 29 
 
 11 
 
 17 
 
 22 
 
 14 
 
 5 
 
 8 
 
 9 
 
 1 
 
 3 
 10 
 
 
 
 7 
 
 3 
 
 6 
 
 16 
 
 7 
 
 14 
 
 5 
 
 5 
 
 2 
 
 Feminine ending 
 
 12 
 
 14 
 
 1 
 
 48 
 
 8 
 
 5 
 
 13 
 
 6 
 
 6 
 
 lot 
 
 1 
 
 
 
 Substitution 
 Pyrrhic 
 
 58 
 
 49 
 
 66 
 
 66 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 31 
 
 
 
 Spondee 
 
 69 
 
 75 
 
 45 
 
 61 
 
 51 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 80 
 
 Trochee 
 (initial) 
 
 36 
 
 12 
 
 42 
 
 33 
 
 48 
 
 2 
 25 
 1 
 
 33 
 
 11 
 15 
 
 
 46 
 
 7 
 21 
 1 
 
 37 
 
 6 
 45 
 3 
 
 26 
 
 6 
 33 
 3 
 
 44 
 
 7 
 30 
 1 
 
 30 
 
 7 
 24 
 
 1 
 
 34 
 
 12 
 
 48 
 
 65 
 
 12 
 27 
 1 
 
 6 
 
 88 
 
 (not initial) 
 
 24 
 30 
 
 Anapaest 
 
 Dactyl 
 
 2 
 
 2 
 
 2 
 
 2 
 
 * I have left blanks where I thought it was unimportant to ascertain the 
 numbers. 
 
 t Two of which are double, having two superfluous syllables.
 
 MODERN BLANK VERSE. 209 
 
 Though the preceding table shews that the poets are far 
 from practising a monotonous uniformity, yet I think we may 
 gather from it that Tennyson and Browning are not more ob- 
 servant of the a-priori laws of the metrists than Milton is. 
 They have on the whole more lines with final, but without 
 internal pause ; somewhat fewer with internal, but without 
 final pause; about the same without any pause at all. As 
 to the forbidden internal pauses, they use the pause after 
 the 1st, 3rd, and 9th syllables more frequently than Milton, 
 and do not differ much from him in their use of the pause 
 after 1^, 2, 8. With regard to the middle pauses, those which 
 divide the feet, coming after the 5th or 7th syllable, are 
 more favoured by the moderns than by Milton, whose com- 
 monest pause is after the 6th syllable, and then longo intervallo 
 after the 4th. In Oenone the pause after the 5th syllable pre- 
 vails, but taking all the passages together the pause after the 
 4th seems to be Tennyson's favourite, while Browning seems to 
 prefer the 5th and 7th. This last also abounds in Swinburne. 
 In his Erechtheus it comes twice as often as any other pause. 
 Feminine ending is very rare in Browning, but in Tennyson 
 is hardly less frequent than in Milton. Nor is there any 
 marked difference as regards substitution of feet, except that 
 the non-initial trochee is more common in Milton than in 
 the others. In two passages of Tennyson the anapaest is 
 found more often than in Milton ; in one passage of Browning 
 it occurs more than twice as often. 
 
 My reason for selecting Tennyson and Browning as repre- 
 sentatives of Modern English verse is not merely that they 
 stand highest in general estimation at the present time, but 
 that they are so sharply contrasted, the one naturally inclining 
 to a strong and masculine realism, apparently careless of sound, 
 and only too happy to startle and shock and puzzle his readers ; 
 the other richly ornate, with an almost feminine refinement, 
 and a natural delight in ' linked sweetness long drawn out,' 
 ' deep-chested music, hollow oes and aes,' such as we find in 
 the Morte d' Arthur and Oenone. It is thus a matter of great 
 interest to observe the different ways in which novelty of 
 rhythm is sought after by each. One which seems to be 
 
 M. M. 14
 
 210 ON ENGLISH METRE. 
 
 peculiarly Tennysonian is the opposition of the metrical to 
 the verbal division, by which I mean making the words end 
 in the middle of the feet, as in 
 
 With rojsy slenjder fin|gers back|ward drew | . 
 
 We might describe this as trochaic or feminine rhythm in 
 opposition to the markedly iambic or masculine rhythm of 
 
 Puts forth j an arm | and creeps | from pine | to pine | . 
 Other variations from the normal line will be seen in the lines 
 cited below. It will be noticed that examples of the double 
 trochee, which was condemned as a monstrosity in Milton, are 
 to be found occasionally even in Tennyson and are common 
 enough in Browning. 
 
 Gareth. His horse | thereon | stumbled | ay, for | I saw (it. 
 01 01 201001 
 
 What ! shall | the shield I of Mark I stand ajmong these ? | 
 
 2 00 102 200 2 
 
 stood 
 Beauti|ful a|mong lights, I and waiving to (him 
 
 20000 1 0101 
 
 White hands and courtesy 
 
 Arden. The lit j tie in nocent soul I flitted | away. | 
 
 10100 i 20 01 
 
 Down at j the far | end of | an av enue, | 
 i 002 100101 
 
 Just where | the prone I edge of I the wood | began. | 
 
 1 o o i 2o'o i 01 
 
 Take your | own time, | Annie, | take your I own time. | 
 
 10 211010 21 
 
 (a line which, according to my reading, is made up of five 
 trochees). 
 
 'Then for | God's sake,' | he ansjwered, 'both | our sakes.' J 
 10 20010 201 
 
 He, not j for his | own self | caring, I but her | 
 11012120 02 
 
 Balin. I thought I the great | tower would | crash down I on both I 
 
 01 01 2 o 2101 
 
 Princess. Strove to | buffet | to land | in vain. | A tree j . 
 i o 2001 01 01 
 
 Palpiltated, | her hand | shook, and | we heard | . 
 2010 01 2 oo i 
 
 Down the | low turjret stairs, | palpijtating I 
 
 1 120 1 2010 
 
 (The expressive rhythm of the last line is destroyed by the 
 scansion suggested in English Lessons 138 
 
 Down the j low turret sta|irs pal|pita(ting.) 
 
 Balin. Rolling | back up|bn Ballin crushed | the man | . 
 202 0010 2 o i
 
 MODERN BLANK VERSE. 
 
 211 
 
 Examples of trisyllabic substitution. 
 
 Gareth. 
 
 Princess. 
 
 Harold. 
 Gareth. 
 Oenone. 
 
 Gareth. 
 
 Arden. 
 Harold v. 
 
 Camelot, | a ci|ty of shad|owy pallaces. j 
 2 oo 0100 i oo 101 
 
 Southward | they set | their falces. The 
 
 2 o 01 010 o 
 
 Melody 
 
 200 
 
 Myriads | of riv|ulets hurrying thro' 
 200 0100 100 l 
 
 Fluctuated as flowjers in storm, 
 2010 0100 i 
 
 Sanguelac, 
 2 oo 
 
 birds made 
 
 on branch | and mellody in 
 o i o 2000 
 
 Sanguelac, 
 2 oo 
 
 mid air. I 
 i i 
 
 the lawn. I 
 o i 
 
 some red I some pale I 
 
 i 2 12 
 the ar row, the ar|row ! away ! I 
 010 010 01 
 
 And there | were none | but few | goodlier | than he. I 
 o o 01 01 200 01 
 
 And lisjtened, the | full-flow|ing riv er of speech. I 
 010 o 110200 i 
 
 Rests like | a shad|ow, and | the cicajla sleeps. I 
 2 o oi'o o 0010 i 
 
 The hoof | of his horse | slipt in | the stream, | the stream I 
 01001 200 i 01 
 
 Descended 
 
 Then, aflter a | long tumjble about | the Cape | 
 i 100 i 2001 o i 
 
 2. We should have a hand 
 
 To grasp | the world | with, and | a foot | to stamp (it 
 Flat. Praise I the Saints. I It is olver. No I more blood. I 
 
 Gareth. 
 
 2 10 
 
 Bearing | all down 
 
 preciplitancy. 
 o 1001 
 
 and yet 
 o i 
 
 unbur |iable. 
 
 1 00 1 
 
 1 0010 1 
 
 in thy 
 
 1 1 100 
 
 A yet | warm corpse 
 oil i 
 
 For thou | hast ev er ans|wered courteously. | 
 o i 0101 o 1001 
 
 Immingjled with | heaven's az[ure wajveringly | 
 010 o i 101001 
 
 Guinevere. To whom | the lit|tle novjice garrulously | 
 o i 010101001 
 
 (Tennyson has a peculiar affection for a final anapaest forming 
 part of a word of four or more syllables.) 
 
 Gareth. 
 
 How he 
 
 2 
 
 went down, 
 i 2 
 
 said Ga|reth, as | a false knight 
 o 10101 i 
 
 (If this is the proper scansion, it is a remarkable instance of an 
 anapaest in iambic metre with an accent on the 2nd syllable. 
 Cf. a line from Hamlet cited at the bottom of p. 201. In 
 anapaestic metre the accent is often overridden.) 
 
 At times I the sum|mit of | the high cit|y flashed 
 01 010000102 
 
 142
 
 212 ON ENGLISH METRE. 
 
 In the lines which follow the trisyllabic feet are perhaps 
 more naturally described as tribrachs than as anapaests, though 
 in some the final short syllable might form part of the following 
 foot. 
 
 Gareth. Para|bles ! Hear | a parjable of | the knave. | 
 
 200 1 01000 1 
 
 Down the I long av|enues of | a bound|less wood | 
 l o 110000 i o i 
 
 Of thine I obe|dience and | thy love | to me | 
 o i 0100 o o i 01 
 
 Thou art | the king|liest of | all kit|chen-knaves | 
 i o o 1000110 i 
 
 Oenone. And shoullder; from j the vilolet her | light foot | 
 o 10 i oiooo i i 
 
 The feminine ending very often consists of a monosyllable 
 
 Gareth. But where|fore would | ye men | should wonjder at (you 
 Oenone. Crouch'd fawning in | the weed. | Most lovjing is (she? 
 
 sometimes it is part of a tetrasyllable as 
 
 Have all | his pret|ty young | ones edjuca(ted. 
 In sai|lor fash[ion rough|ly ser|moni(zing. 
 
 It is rare to have two superfluous syllables at the end of the 
 line, as 
 
 Princess. And litjtle-foot|ed Chi|na, touched | on Ma(homet. 
 
 But love | and na|ture, these | are two | more ter(rible. 
 
 We find an Alexandrine in Harold 
 From child | to child, | from Pope | to Pope, | from age | to age. j 
 
 It has been mentioned that modern poets are fond of placing 
 the pause after the uneven syllables. When the preceding 
 syllable is accented, this very much changes the character of 
 the metre, and in Mr and Mrs Browning has the effect at times 
 of a sharp discord, not always resolved by the succeeding 
 harmony. I give here specimens from Tennyson, italicizing 
 the irregular accent. 
 Princess. Till the I sun drop I dead, from I the signs. I Her voice I 
 
 0021 2 001 1 
 
 Choked, and | her forejhead sank I upon I her hands. I 
 2 001010101 
 
 Blackened | about I us, bats I wheeled, and I owls whooped. I 
 200102 i 02 i 
 
 Gareth. The Laldy of | the Lake | stood : all I her dress I 
 010001 i 101
 
 MODERN BLANK VERSE. 
 
 213 
 
 Wept from | her sides, | as wa|ter flowjing away. | 
 2 o o i 010 1001 
 
 A star | shot : ' Lo ' | , said Ga|reth, ' the I foe falls.' I 
 
 01 2 1 010 021 
 
 An owl | whoopt : ' Hark I the vic|tor pealling there.' I 
 
 01 2 i 010101 
 
 Guinevere. Clung to \ the dead j earth, and I the land I was still. I 
 
 2 0'02 1 01 01 
 
 One reason for the irregularity shewn in the lines I have 
 quoted, is doubtless the simple love of novelty and variety; 
 but no attentive reader can have failed to observe that in 
 most instances there is a special appropriateness of the rhythm 
 to the thought, and that the expressiveness of the rhythm is 
 often much assisted by the selection of vowel and consonant 
 sounds, as in 
 
 Princess. the river sloped 
 
 To plunge | in catjaract shattering on | black blocks | 
 
 02 0200 2000 2 2 
 
 A breath of thunder 
 
 Morte d' Arthur. Dry clashed | his harjness in | the i|cy caves | 
 And barjren chas|ms, and all | to left | and right | 
 The bare | black cliff | clanged round | him, as | he based | 
 His feet | on juts of sliplpery crag, | that rang | 
 Sharp-smit|ten with | the dint | of arm|ed heels : | 
 And on | a sud|den, lo ! | the lev|el lake, | 
 And the long glojries of | the win ter moon. | 
 
 Gareth. Her hand | dwelt ling|ering)ly on | the latch. | 
 o i i 20100 o i 
 
 Linger | with vacillating obeldience | 
 
 20 20100101 
 
 Princess. the drum 
 
 Beat; merjrily blow) ing shrilled | the mar|tial fife, | 
 
 2 10010 2 1001 
 
 And, in | the blast | arid bray | of the | long horn | 
 0101 010011 
 
 And ser|pent-throa|ted bug|le, un|dula(ted 
 
 010 i o 10201 
 The banner 
 
 as when a boat 
 Tacks, and I the slackened sail \flaps, all ! her voice | 
 
 2 00101 2 I'OI 
 
 Faltering | and fluttering in | her throat, | she cried 
 100 o 10000 i o i 
 
 My brother 
 
 Sometimes the effect of the line, as read, though not the metre 
 itself, might be more exactly given by a reference to the more 
 complex classical measures. Thus
 
 214 ON ENGLISH METRE. 
 
 Guinevere. Ready | to spring; I waiting I a chance: I for this I 
 
 1001 100 1 01 
 
 might be described as made up of two choriambs and an iamb 
 
 /_ W W - t-WW- I W -^ 
 
 v i i / 
 
 Arden. The dead | weight of | the dead I leaf bore I it down I 
 01 2001 1201 
 
 bacchius, ionic a minore, cretic (^ | w | -v/-). 
 
 Then down j the long | street havling slowlly stollen 
 i 101 i 10101 
 
 spondee, bacchius, three trochees ( | ^ | - 
 
 -w - 
 
 And glorlies of I the hroad I belt of I the world I 
 o 1000 i 200 i 
 
 amphibrach, ionic a minore, anapaest (^-^ | ww | wv-). 
 Oenone. A fire | dances | before I her, and I a sound I 
 
 02 20 01 1 
 
 iamb, trochee, amphibrach, anapaest (^- | -^ | w- v | ww-). 
 
 The only other point which needs illustration is the un- 
 stopped line, of which the following may be taken as examples. 
 
 Guinevere. And saw the queen who sat between her best 
 
 Enid, and lissome Vivien, of her court 
 
 The wiliest 
 Gareth. what stick ye round 
 
 The pasty? 
 Sisters. I heard 
 
 Wheels, and a noise of welcome at the doors. 
 
 I proceed to give examples of similar irregularities from 
 Browning. 
 
 Ring and Book. 
 
 iv. 180. Tracked her | home to | her house-ltop, nolted too I 
 i o 10010101 
 
 iv. 830. Help a | case the | Archbishlop would | not help I 
 2010 0101 01 
 
 iv. 868. Bless the | fools ! and | 'tis just | this way | they are blessed | 
 20 2 001 11 oo i 
 
 vi. 942. God and | man, and | what dujty I | owe both | 
 
 20 20 010112 
 
 vi. 1048. Hating | lies, let | not her | believe | a lie I 
 20 2 i 01 0201 
 
 vi. 1443. Matu|tinal, I busy I with book I so soon I 
 1010 10 o i 01 
 
 vi. 1603. Leap to | life of I the pale I elecltric sword I 
 20 200 1010 i
 
 MODERN BLANK VERSE. 215 
 
 vi. 1643. Noted | down in | the book | there, turn | and see | 
 10 1001 i 201 
 
 VI. 1915. One by I one at ( all honjest forms I of life I 
 
 2020210 1 01 
 
 vi. 1952. Foes or | friends, but | indisjsolubjly bound | 
 
 20 2 01010 1 
 
 vi. 2078. She and | I are | mere stran|gers now: | but priests I 
 
 20201 201 1 
 
 Should study passion 
 
 iv. 36. One calls | the square | round, t'othler the | round square I 
 110 2 2 100 2 2 
 
 iv. 303. It all conies of | God givjing her | a child | 
 01 i o i 10001 
 
 iv. 307. Why, thou exact | prince, is it a pearl | or no ? I 
 i o 01 i 1001,01 
 
 iv. 869. And the | world wags | still, be|cause fools I are sure | 
 
 00 2 i 101 201 
 
 vi. 917. Would that | prove the | first lyjing tale | was true? | 
 o i 2 o 1101 01 
 
 vi. 1319. That I | liked, that ] was the | best thing | she said | 
 
 202 2 00 21 01 
 
 vi. 1642. I heard | charge, and | bore quesjtion and | told tale | 
 01 2 o i 10011 
 
 vi. 1876. And silk | mask in | the pocklet of | the gown I 
 
 01 10010001 
 
 iv. 880. With that | fine can|dour on|ly forth|coming I 
 
 i 22010120 
 
 vi. 820. And the way | to end j dreams is*| to break | them, stand, | 
 001021001 o 2' 
 
 Walk, go : I then help | me to | stand, walk I and go. I 
 
 22 12 00 21 01 
 
 vi. 1244. Much more if stranger men 
 
 Laugh or I frown, just | as that | were much | to bear | 
 
 10 l'l02 1 01 
 
 vi. 1859. I saved his wife 
 
 Against | law : ajgainst law | he slays | her now | 
 01201211 01 
 
 VI. 427. Hallo, I there's Gui|do, the I black, mean, I and small I 
 
 oo i 101 
 
 vi. 481 ' Lent 
 
 Ended,' | I told | friends ' I | shall go | to Rome ' | 
 1001 i 10101 
 
 vi. 5. And know | it again. | Answer | you? Then | that means I 
 
 01001100 i i i 
 
 vi. 8. Fronting ] you same I three in | this verly room I 
 
 10 01 101101 
 
 vi. 12. Laughter, I no levlity, nothling indecjorous, lords | 
 
 1 o 1100 i ooioo i 
 
 (We have the same pronunciation of ' indecorous ' in 
 
 Arist. 135. More dejcent yet | indecorous | enough | .) 
 
 vi. 136. In good | part. Betlter late | than nevler, law ! | 
 01 i 101 0101 
 
 vi. 185. In the I way he | called love. | He is the | fool there | 
 
 1 ' 2 1 2 200 2 1
 
 216 ON ENGLISH METRE. 
 
 vi. 223. Oldest I now, greatjest once, I in my I birth-town I 
 
 20 1 20100 21 
 
 Arezjzo, I recjognize | no e|qual there. | 
 
 01001 
 
 vi. 383. Heads that | wag, eyes I that twinkjle modjified mirth I 
 i o i i o 10100 i 
 
 vi. 92. I held | so ; you | decifded otherwise, | 
 
 Saw no | such perjil, therefore no | such need | 
 
 To stop I song, loos|en flower I and leave I path : Law, I 
 
 01 110 10 11 2 
 
 Law was | aware | and watchjing 
 
 vi. 1786. For a wink | of the owl-|eyes of | you. How | miss then I 
 001001110 i 2 o 
 
 vi. 1800. I' the quaglmire of | his own | tricks, cheats, I and lies I 
 0010001 2 101 
 
 vi. 120. Do I speak I ambigluously? I the glolry, I say, I 
 
 00 i 01001 o 2001 
 
 And the beaulty, I say, | and splenldour, still | say I, I 
 oo 2001 o 2 o i 01 
 
 Who, a I priest, trained | to live | my whole | life long I 
 10 21 010 2 11 
 
 On beau|ty and splen|dour, sole|ly at | their source, | 
 
 God have I thus recognized my food 
 20 11 
 
 Sometimes the effect to the ear might be indicated, as 
 before, by a reference to the more complex classical measures, 
 e.g. 
 
 iv. 216. Lies to I God, lies | to man, | every | way lies | 
 20 i 201 10 02 
 
 cretic, cretic, dactyl, long syllable (- ^ - | - ^ - | - ^ ^ \ -). 
 
 vi. 1783. You blind | guides, who | must needs | lead eyes I that see I 
 
 01 10011101 
 
 bacchius, ionic a minore, cretic (^ | ^^ | -w-). 
 
 vi. 1083. Some paces thence 
 
 An inn | stands ; cross | to it ; | I shall | be there | 
 01 i i 0010 01 
 
 bacchius, dactyl, choriamb (^ | -^~ | -^^-). 
 
 The extreme harshness of many of these lines is almost a 
 match for anything in Surrey, only what in Surrey is helpless- 
 ness seems the perversity of strength in Browning. The nearest 
 approach to it in any modern verse is, I think, to be found in 
 Aurora Leigh. The quotations are from the 2nd edition, 1857. 
 
 p. 16. Particular worth I and gen|eral missjionariness 
 0100 i o 100 i 001 
 
 (The 3rd syllable in the last word is slurred.)
 
 MODERN BLANK VERSE. 217 
 
 p. 25. As a I soul from | the bod|y, out | of doors I 
 102 o o 1010 i 
 
 p. 27. You clap I hands ' a I fair day ' I you cheer I him on I 
 
 12 1 021 01 01 
 
 p. 29. mount 
 
 Step by | step. Sight | goes fastjer ; that | still ray | 
 
 101 2 0101 11 
 
 Goes straight 
 
 But though the Aristophanic vein in Browning is continually 
 tempting him to trample under foot the dignity of verse and to 
 shock the uninitiated reader by colloquial familiarities, "thumps 
 upon the back," such as the poet Cowper resented ; yet no one 
 can be more impressive than he is, when he surrenders himself 
 to the pure spirit of poetry, and flows onwards in a stream of 
 glorious music, such as that in which Balaustion pictures Athens 
 overwhelmed by an advance of the sea (Aristophanes Apology, 
 p. 2). 
 
 What if thy watery plural vastitude, 
 
 Rolling unanimous advance, had rushed, 
 
 Might upon might, a moment, stood, one stare, 
 
 Sea-face to city-face, thy glaucous wave 
 
 Glassing that marbled last magnificence, 
 
 Till fate's pale tremulous foam-flower tipped the grey, 
 
 And when wave broke and overswarmed and, sucked 
 
 To bounds back, multitudinously ceased, 
 
 And land again breathed unconfused with sea, 
 
 Attike was, Athenai was not now ! 
 
 And a little below on the hope of immortality : 
 
 Why should despair be? Since, distinct above 
 Man's wickedness and folly, flies the wind 
 And floats the cloud, free transport for our soul 
 Out of its fleshly durance dim and low, 
 Since disembodied soul anticipates 
 (Thought-borne as now, in rapturous unrestraint) 
 Above all crowding, crystal silentness, 
 
 Above all noise, a silver solitude : 
 * * * * 
 
 O nothing doubt, Philemon ! Greed and strife, 
 Hatred and cark and care, what place have they 
 In yon blue liberality of heaven ? 
 
 I hardly know whether it is fancy or not, but to me there is 
 no poetry which has such an instantaneous solemnizing power
 
 218 ON ENGLISH METRE. 
 
 as that of Browning. We seem to be in the company of some 
 rough rollicking Silenus, and all of a sudden the spirit descends 
 upon him, the tone of his voice changes, and he pours out 
 strains of sublimest prophecy. To use his own figure, a sudden 
 breeze disperses the smoky haze of the crowded city, and in 
 a moment we are conscious of the ' crystal silentness' of snow- 
 crowned Alps towering over our heads. I will close with the 
 concluding lines of a poem which has always seemed to me 
 to have this effect in a remarkable degree, The strange expe- 
 rience of Karshish, the Arab physician. 
 
 The very God ! think Abib ; dost thou think V 
 
 So the All-great were the All-loving too, 
 
 So, through the thunder, comes a human voice 
 
 Saying, ' O heart I made, a heart beats here : 
 
 Face, My hands fashioned, see it in Myself. 
 
 Thou hast no power, nor may'st conceive of Mine ; 
 
 But love I gave thee, with Myself to love, 
 
 And thou must love Me, who have died for thee.'
 
 CHAPTER XIV. 
 SHELLEY'S METRE 1 . 
 
 WHATEVER may be our views on the substance of some of 
 Shelley's poetry and I confess that I am sometimes tempted 
 to characterize it by his own line 
 
 ' Pinnacled dim in the intense inane ' 
 
 still I think we must all recognize in him one who had a 
 natural gift of melody such as is hardly to be found in any 
 other English poet, and a boldness and originality in rhythmical 
 experiments, which makes his versification a very interesting 
 field for metrical study. 
 
 I propose therefore, in the present paper, to classify the 
 various metres he has employed ; to point out any peculiarities 
 in his way of using them, the licenses he allows himself in 
 diverging from the normal line, and finally to make some 
 observations on what constitutes the beauty and appropriate- 
 ness of his melody. 
 
 We have seen that the great majority, at any rate, of 
 English metres can be explained by the assumption of the 
 ascending and descending disyllabic, commonly known as iamb 
 and trochee, and the ascending and descending trisyllabic, 
 commonly known as anapaest and dactyl. The typical or 
 standard line of each pure metre consists of so many perfectly 
 regular feet with a marked pause at the end of the line, but 
 with no other pause, at least none of such a nature as to 
 clash with the metre by dividing the feet. Since a series of 
 such typical lines would be found intolerably monotonous, the 
 
 1 Read before the now defunct Shelley Society.
 
 220 ON ENGLISH METRE. 
 
 skill of the versifier is shewn by the manner in which he 
 reconciles freedom with law i.e., by the amount of variety he 
 is able to introduce without destroying the general rhythmical 
 effect. This result is produced (1) by dropping the final pause 
 and introducing other pauses within the line, so as at times 
 quite to overpower the regular metrical flow ; (2) by the 
 insertion of extra-metrical syllables at the end or beginning, 
 or in the interior of the line; (3) by truncation i.e., by 
 dropping unaccented metrical syllables at the end or beginning 
 or in the interior of the line ; (4) by changing the number of 
 syllables in the foot, giving trisyllabic for disyllabic feet and 
 vice versd ; (5) by changing the position of the accent in the 
 foot, making it ascend instead of descend, and vice versd ; (6) 
 by adding to, or diminishing from the regular number of 
 accents e.g., by substituting spondee or pyrrhic for iamb. 
 
 Before dealing with Shelley's verse, I must add a caution 
 as to the condition in which it has come down to us. There 
 is no difficulty in testing Tennyson's verse, because he is evi- 
 dently attentive even to the smallest details, and we may 
 accept his printed poems as representing exactly what the 
 poet intended ; we are not at liberty to explain away an 
 apparent difficulty or awkwardness by ascribing it to a blunder 
 of the printer. But with Shelley it is just the reverse. The 
 poet wrote at headlong speed and with much inaccuracy. 
 As Mr Forman says (Pref. p. XXXIL), " he was often too 
 completely absorbed in the glorious substance of his poetry 
 to give any attention to subordinate points of form " : 
 " although his lines are never unrhythmical, the rhyme is 
 often defective and sometimes the metre as well " : p. XL " un- 
 fortunately he did not revise, while at press, more than one 
 half the entire bulk of his poetry." " The largest of the 
 volumes seen through the press by himself is infamously 
 printed " : p. xv. " the current texts of Shelley are very 
 corrupt." Again, in p. xxn. he speaks of " the extremely 
 confused state of Shelley's MS. note-books and the difficulty 
 of deciphering and connecting their contents." Shelley him- 
 self owns to his carelessness in the preface to the Revolt of 
 Islam, where he says, " I must request my readers to regard
 
 SHELLEY'S METRE. 221 
 
 as an erratum the occurrence of an Alexandrine in the middle 
 of one stanza." In his search for this line, Mr Forman came 
 across two such Alexandrines, and also discovered three in- 
 stances of seven-foot ballad lines in place of Alexandrines, 
 one stanza which had no Alexandrine, and one stanza of ten 
 lines instead of nine, not to mention peculiarities of rhyming 
 of which I shall speak further on. Some negligences have 
 been corrected by the latest editors from a further examination 
 of Shelley's own MSS., some have been happily emended, but 
 there are many which still need correction. 
 
 I proceed now to a general survey of Shelley's metres, 
 beginning with the iambic. I use Moxon's one volume edition 
 of 1853, but have consulted the editions of Forman and 
 Rossetti. The iambic line of one foot only occurs in stanzas 
 consisting of lines of various lengths, as in The Magnetic Lady 
 (p. 605), 
 
 And brood on thee, but may not blend 
 With thine. 
 
 Similarly the two-foot iambic occurs in stanzas mixed with 
 longer lines as in Mutability (p. 588) : 
 
 To-mor row dies | 
 
 The three-foot is of more frequent use, especially in alter- 
 nation with four-foot, as in the chorus from Hellas: 
 
 The world's great age begins anew 
 The golden years return. 
 
 The four-foot line is the first which constitutes whole poems, 
 both continuous, as Rosalind and Helen (which admits frequent 
 trochaic or anapaestic substitution and interchanges four with 
 three and five feet), Ariel to Miranda, etc.; and discontinuous 
 or stanzaic, as in Marianne's Dream (stanzas varying from 
 six to eight lines), p. 380, When passion's trance (five-line st.), 
 p. 600, Mine eyes were dim (six-line st.), p. 584. 
 
 The five-foot is of course the metre most largely employed 
 by Shelley, whether in continuous (blank or rhymed) or 
 stanzaic poems. Of blank verse there are three varieties : 
 Epic, to which Alastor and Queen Mob may be referred ; Tragic,
 
 222 ON ENGLISH METRE. 
 
 as in The Cenci and Prometheus ; and Comic or Burlesque, as in 
 Swellfoot the Tyrant and The Cyclops. The continuous rhyming 
 five-foot was used by Shelley in some of his greatest poems, 
 Julian and Maddalo, Epipsychidion, Mont Blanc, Letter to 
 Maria Gisborne, Ginevra, etc. Of the discontinuous or stanzaic 
 five-foot we may distinguish the following kinds : (a) the Terza 
 Rima, examples of which are Prince Athanase, The Woodman 
 and Nightingale, Ode to the West Wind, and Triumph of Life ; 
 (6) the four-line stanza, of which the earlier Mutability (p. 360) 
 is an instance ; (c) six-line stanza, Marenghi (p. 444), Hymn 
 of Apollo (p. 516), Evening (p. 086); (d) eight-line stanza, 
 Witch of Atlas (p. 529), Zucca (p. 603), Hymn to Mercury 
 (p. 645), etc. ; (e} fourteen-lines (sonnet). 
 
 We have also stanzas of five- and six-foot mixed ; the most 
 important being the Spenserian of nine lines, the last line alone 
 containing six feet. To this belong The Revolt of Islam and 
 Adonais. Another of six lines has six feet in the fourth line, 
 five feet elsewhere (Lechlade, p. 359). 
 
 We find seven-foot iambic in a chorus of the Prometheus, 
 p. 204 : 
 
 I sped | like some | swift cloud | that wings || the wide | air's wiljder- 
 nes(ses. 
 
 This naturally divides after the fourth foot, giving the effect 
 of two short lines. 
 
 Also in Stanzas, p. 363 : 
 
 Thy lover's eye so glazed and cold || dares not entreat thy stay. 
 
 I postpone the consideration of the more complex iambic 
 stanzas, and go on now to classify Shelley's trochaic measures. 
 By far the most common of these is the truncated four-foot, 
 in which the Euganean Hills (p. 415) is written. This is 
 continuous. Examples of stanzaic are Men of England, four- 
 line st. (p. 481), Music when soft voices die (p. 583), (and for 
 the most part) The Masque of Anarchy (p. 446). We have 
 a five-line stanza in Misery ; a six-line stanza of the complete 
 trochaic in a chorus of Prometheus (p. 220) : 
 
 Life of | Life ! thy | lips en (kindle | 
 With their I love the I breath be|tween them |
 
 SHELLEY'S METRE. 223 
 
 Truncated six-line is found in A Dirge (p. 602) : 
 Orphan | hours the | year is | dead A 
 
 The Ode to Heaven (p. 484) is written in a nine-line stanza. 
 
 Two-foot trochaic is found rarely and only as a refrain in 
 poems written in longer metres e.g., in the Prometheus (p. 210) 
 we find a four-line stanza of three feet, alternating complete 
 and truncated, followed by two-foot refrain : 
 
 In the | world un|known A 
 
 Sleeps a | voice un|spoken | 
 By thy j step a | lone A 
 
 Can its | rest be | broken | 
 Child of | Ocean | 
 
 A mixture of four and three feet is found in the World's 
 Wanderers (four-line st. of 4.4.4.3), and in Rarely, rarely 
 contest thou (a six-line st. of 4.3.4.3.4.4). 
 
 The anapaestic metre is I think that which is most 
 characteristic of Shelley. Here too the four-foot is far the 
 most common. It is continuous in a Vision of the Sea (p. 498), 
 On the Serchio (p. 594) ; discontinuous in The Sensitive Plant 
 (p. 490), four-line st. Also in Death (p. 360) and Music (p. 600), 
 both six-line st. 
 
 The four-foot is the only unmixed form of the anapaest 
 used by Shelley. The Fugitives (p. 582) is written in five- 
 line st., the first four lines containing two feet, the last one : 
 The keen stars were twinkling (p. 637) is in stanzas of four 
 triplets, each triplet containing feminine two-foot, feminine 
 three-foot, and masculine one-foot, e.g. : 
 
 No leaf | will be sha(ken 
 Whilst the dews | of your mel|ody scat(ter 
 Delight 
 
 Combinations of three-foot and two-foot are found in Are- 
 thusa (p. 514), When the lamp is shattered (p. 606), One word 
 is too often profaned (p. 599). Combinations of four-foot, 
 three-foot, two-foot in the Ode on Liberty (p. 483), The Cloud 
 (p. 502), also in Pan (p. 517).
 
 224 ON ENGLISH METRE. 
 
 Combinations of four-foot and two- foot are found in The 
 Two Spirits (p. 519) ; To-night (p. 580), which is also affected 
 by internal truncation ; Enchantress, an unfinished drama 
 (p. 609). In Autumn (p. 549) we have a combination of 4.2.1. 
 
 The most striking of the Mixed metres is The Skylark 
 (p. 504), a five-line stanza, the first four lines being three- 
 foot trochaic, either masculine or feminine, and the fifth line 
 an Alexandrine masc. or fern. 
 
 Similes (p. 482) is written in a five-line stanza ; the three 
 first stanzas are four-foot trochaic truncated, the fourth and 
 last stanza iambic four-foot. 
 
 Trochaic passes into iambic and anapaestic in The Four 
 Voices of Prom. Act I. (p. 189), also in Loves Philosophy 
 (p. 507). 
 
 Iambic and anapaestic are mixed in the very irregular 
 stanzas beginning, " Away, the moor is dark " (p. 363), in 
 Constantia (p. 384), in Lines from the Arabic (p. 579), A 
 Dirge (p. 622), An Indian Air (p. 599). In The Death of 
 Napoleon (p. 587) the first six lines of the eight-line stanza 
 are anapaestic, the last two iambic. 
 
 I now proceed to examine the licenses to be found in 
 Shelley's use of these metres, and we will begin (A) with 
 the variety produced by his use of the pause, and (a) with 
 the omission of the final pause. Even Dr Guest would not 
 insist on an actual stop at the end of the line, so I will merely 
 give instances of Enjambement, which we may classify as 
 follows : 
 
 (1) Cases where the end of [the line separates the object 
 noun or the subordinate verb from the governing verb. 
 
 Prom. p. 208: 
 
 Oh lift 
 
 - Thine eyes, that I may see his written soul. 
 Cenci, p. 269 : 
 
 I know you are my friend, and all I dare 
 ~ Speak to my soul, that will I trust with thee. 
 
 But this is not confined to dramatic metres, where we
 
 SHELLEY'S METRE. 225 
 
 naturally look for more freedom. It is frequent also in 
 stanzaic metre e.g., The Triumph of Life. 
 
 Azure plumes of Iris had 
 ~ Built high | over | her wind- [winged | pavil(ion 
 
 [So I think we must divide, in order to keep the rhyme with 
 the preceding "vermilion." Otherwise I should have been 
 disposed to make " pavilion " a trisyllable with the stress on 
 the first syllable.] 
 
 Zucca, p. 604 : 
 
 I bore it to a chamber and I planted 
 
 - It in a vase full of the lightest mould. 
 
 Sometimes we find this close connexion between two dis- 
 tinct stanzas, as in Liberty (p. 513), where st. 18 ends 
 
 The solemn harmony 
 the verb coming in st. 19 
 
 ~ Paused. 
 Mercury (p. 652), where st. 40 ends 
 
 Not less her subtle swindling baby, who 
 and 41 begins 
 
 -Lay swathed in his sly smile. 
 
 So in Triumph, p. 634 : 
 
 (The new vision) 
 
 With solemn speed and stunning music crost 
 
 - The forest 
 
 We may compare with this the coupling of the end of 
 one paragraph with the beginning of another by means of 
 rhyme, as in p. 556, air dare, and often. 
 
 (2) Preposition separated from its case. 
 
 Prom. p. 238 : 
 
 Two visions of strange radiance float upon 
 
 - The ocean-like enchantment of strong sound. 
 Cenci, p. 268 : 
 
 I have presented it and backed it with 
 ~ My earnest prayers and urgent interest. 
 p. 289 : It sleeps over 
 
 -A thousand daily acts disgracing men. 
 
 M. M. 15
 
 226 ON ENGLISH METRE. 
 
 p. 290: I break upon your rest. I must speak with 
 
 ~ Count Cenci. 
 p. 291 : Bernar|do, conduct | you the | Lord Legate to 
 
 - Your father's chamber. 
 Alastor, p. 60: 
 
 (The parasites) 
 
 Starred with ten thousand blossoms flow around 
 
 - The grey trunks. 
 
 (3) Adjective or pronoun from its noun. 
 
 Hellas, p. 331 : 
 
 The roar of giant cannon, the earth-quaking 
 ~ Fall of vast bastions and precipitous towers. 
 Triumph of L. p. 634 : 
 
 Some upon the new 
 ~ Embroidery of flowers that did enhance 
 
 - The grassy vesture of the desert, played. 
 
 Adonais, p. 571 : 
 
 A drear 
 
 - Murmur between their songs is all the woodmen hear, 
 p. 632 : She gli|ded along | the riv|er and | did bend (her 
 ~ Head under the dark boughs. 
 
 So even in the purest lyric poetry, as Skylark 
 
 Soothing her love-laden 
 - Soul, in secret hour. 
 
 (4) Genitive from governing case. 
 
 Prom. p. 227 : 
 
 And the I life-kindjling shafts j of the I keen sun's 
 1012 
 
 ~ All-piercing bow. 
 Triumph, p. 636 : 
 
 The ac|tion and | the shape | without | the grace 
 
 - Of life. 
 
 (5) Line ends with conjunction. 
 
 Cenci, p. 280 : 
 
 I see Orsino has talked with you, and 
 
 - That you conjecture things too horrible. 
 
 (6) Division between qualifying adverb and word qualified. 
 
 Julian, p. 426 : 
 
 We are even 
 ~ Now at the point I meant, said Maddalo.
 
 SHELLEY'S METRE. 227 
 
 Triumph, p. 636 : 
 
 Others more 
 - Humble, like falcons, sat upon the fist. 
 
 Islam, p. 170 : 
 
 An atmosphere which quite 
 
 - Arrayed | her in | its beams, | tremulous | and soft | and bright. 
 
 (6) As we find the chief normal pause disregarded, so 
 we find strong pauses intruded within the feet in such a 
 manner as quite to break the normal rhythm. Thus in the 
 middle of the first foot 
 
 Prom. p. 201 : 
 
 A Worse things unheard, unseen, remain behind. 
 B Worse ? 
 
 A In | each hu|man heart | terror | survives | 
 A lastor, p. 64 : 
 
 Not a star 
 
 ~ Shone, not a sound was heard ; the very winds, 
 Danger's grim playmates, on that precipice 
 
 - Slept, clasped in his embrace. 
 Prom. p. 190 : 
 
 I feel 
 
 ~ Faint, like one mingled in entwining love, 
 p. 198 : Cruel was the power which called 
 
 - You, or | aught else | so wretched into light. 
 
 p. 204 : Beholdst thou not two shapes | from the east | and west | 
 
 ~ Come, as two doves to one beloved nest. 
 p. 216: On the race of men 
 
 First famine and then toil and then disease, 
 
 Strife, wounds and ghastly death unseen before 
 
 Fell. 
 p. 223 : Even as a vulture and a snake outspent 
 
 Drop, twisted in inextricable fight. 
 p. 224 : The ponderous hail 
 
 Beats on his struggling form, which sinks at length 
 
 Prone, 
 p. 230: Well, my path lately lay through a great city. 
 
 W. of Atlas, p. 529: 
 
 Her hair 
 
 ~ Dark, the | dim brain | whirls dizzy with delight. 
 Liberty, p. 507 : 
 
 (Liberty) 
 
 Scattering contagious fire into the sky, 
 
 - Gleamed. 
 
 152
 
 228 ON ENGLISH METRE. 
 
 Hellas, p. 331 : 
 
 Earth and ocean, 
 Space, and the isles of life or light that gem. 
 
 Cenci, p. 308 : 
 
 Dead ! The | sweet bond | broken. They come ! Let me 
 - Kiss those warm lips. 
 
 Stop in the middle of the second foot. 
 
 Epipsych. p. 558: 
 
 Then I | 'Where?' The | world's e|cho ans|wered 'Where?' 
 p. 555 : Stains the | dead, blank, | cold air | with a | warm shade | 
 
 Julian, p. 432 : making moments be 
 
 As mine | seem each | an im|mortal|ity | . 
 p. 427: "We aspire, 
 
 How vain|ly! to | be strong," | said Mad|dalo | . 
 Prom. p. 219 : The coursers fly 
 
 Terri|fied ; watch | its course | among | the stars | . 
 Cenci, p. 307 : You do | well, teliling me | to trust | in God | . 
 p. 278: Or I | will God | can understand | and par(don. 
 
 Triumph, p. 630 : Of peolple, and my I heart sick I of one I sad thought I 
 001 12 11 i 
 
 Similarly in four-foot iambic 
 
 p. 407: A sweet | sleep: so | we travelled on | 
 
 Stop in the middle of third foot. 
 
 p. 425 : Meanwhile | the sun | paused, ere | it should | alight 
 Over the horizon of the mountains 
 
 p. 278 : Give us | clothes, fa|ther. Give j us betjter food | . 
 
 p. 279: My wrongs | were then | less. That j word par|ricide | , 
 Although I am resolved, haunts me like fear. 
 
 p. 301 : Between | the sly, | fierce, wild | regard | of guilt | 
 
 p. 272 : Thou art | Lucre|tia : I j am Beatrice. 
 
 p. 262 : Who art | a tor|turer ! Fa|ther nev er dream | 
 
 [Here the pause comes after the two short syllables of 
 an anapaest substituted for the third iambic.] 
 
 p. 257 : To whom | I owe | life, and | these virjtuous thoughts | . 
 
 p. 628 : Were or j had been | eyes : if | thou canst, | forbear I 
 
 2 i 
 
 p. 631 : Of the [ young year's | dawn, I | was laid | asleep |
 
 SHELLEY'S METRE. 229 
 
 Stop in the middle of fourth foot. 
 
 p. 277: How! have | you ventured thithjer? Know | you them? | 
 p. 280: On whose edge 
 
 Devouring darkjness hovjers. Thou | small flame | 
 p. 304 : Would that thou hadst been 
 
 Cut out | and thrown | to dogs | first ! To | have killed | 
 
 My father 
 
 p. 308 : Blind lightjning or | the deaf | sea ; not | with man. | 
 Islam, p. 161 : 
 
 An angel bright as day waving a brand, 
 
 Which flashed | among | the stars, | passed. "Dost | thou 
 stand | 
 
 Parleying with me, thou wretch," the king replied. 
 
 Stop in the middle of the last foot. 
 
 p. 307 : How te|dious, false | and cold | seem all | things ! I | 
 
 Have met with much injustice in this world. 
 Prom. p. 223 : 
 
 No pitjy, no | relief, | no res|pite ! Oh | 
 
 That thou wouldst make my enemy my judge. 
 
 p. 213 : (A howl) 
 
 Satiates | the listening wind, | contiguous, vast, | 
 Awful, as silence. 
 
 [Here the pause comes after the two short syllables of an 
 anapaest substituted for fifth foot.] 
 
 (B) I take next the irregularity arising from the addition 
 of extra-metrical syllables, and first at the end of the line, 
 the feminine rhythm. In Orsino's soliloquy (p. 258) it is 
 found in twelve out of twenty-seven lines. This is common 
 in all metres which properly end in an accented syllable, as 
 in four-foot iambic. 
 
 A brighter Hel|las rears | its mountains. 
 Feminine rhythm is also found in anapaestic metres, as 
 Four-foot 
 
 Over earth | and o cean with gen | tie mo(tion. 
 
 Three-foot 
 
 And laugh | as I pass | in thun(der. 
 
 The less usual forms are (a) when the superfluous syllable
 
 230 ON ENGLISH METRE. 
 
 is a separate word, ordinarily a pronoun, as it, me, us, you, 
 him, them, her ; also not, as in The Cenci (p. 254) : 
 
 It is a public matter, and I care (not 
 art, as in The Cenci (p. 304): 
 
 To me or mine ; and what a tyrant thou (art. 
 too, as in Faust (p. 701) : 
 
 My pathos certainly would make you laugh (too. 
 
 (6) when there are two superfluous syllables instead of 
 one, as 
 
 Cenci, p. 266 : 
 
 Nor that young imp, whom ye have taught by rote, 
 
 Parri|cide with | his aljphabet, | nor Gia(como. 
 p. 289: 
 
 But I j was bol|der, for | I chid | Olymp(io. 
 p. 294 : 
 
 Will Giajcomo be | there ? Orsino 1 Mar(zio ? 
 Faust, p. 711: 
 
 Until | some leech | diverted with | his grav(ity. 
 Swellfoot, p. 353 : 
 
 This mag|nanim]ity in | your sa|cred inaj(esty. 
 Cyclops, p. 679 : 
 
 By Jove | you are. | I bore | you off | from Dar(danus. 
 
 (c) In Shakespeare we sometimes find a superfluous 
 syllable in the middle of the line. Are \ve to admit these 
 superfluous syllables in Shelley ? Take a line such as that 
 in The Cenci (p. 301): 
 
 To rend and ruin. What say ye now, my Lords ? 
 
 Here the line is divided between two speakers, and it 
 might be thought that the pause must prevent the superfluous 
 syllable of the former half being joined with the syllables 
 which follow, so as to make up an anapaestic foot. But we 
 have seen that Shelley has no objection to divide the foot 
 by a full stop, and in A Vision q/ the Sea (p. 498) we 
 frequently find the first syllable of the anapaest thus separated 
 from the other syllables e.g. 
 
 'Tis the ter|ror of tem|pest. The rays | of the soul | . 
 Leave the wind | to its echjo. The vessel now tossed |
 
 SHELLEY'S METRE. 231 
 
 In fact out of thirty-one internal full stops (i.e. stops not 
 at the end of the line) I find that seventeen follow the first 
 syllable of an anapaest, five the second syllable, and nine only 
 come at the end of the foot. 
 
 The strongest case for the extra syllable at the hemistich 
 is in the irregular stanzas beginning " Away ! the moor is 
 dark " (p. 363), of which I shall speak further on. 
 
 (d) The superfluous syllable may appear at the beginning 
 of the line in metres which have the stress on the first syllable 
 of the foot viz., trochaic and dactylic. I find no proper 
 dactylic metre in Shelley, but the anacrusis is very common 
 in his four- foot trochaics, just as initial truncation is in his 
 four-foot iambics. Perhaps it is to break the monotony of 
 the " butterwoman's rate to market," that from the time of 
 Shakespeare and Milton it has been customary to allow these 
 liberties in disyllabic measures of four feet. Thus the Euga- 
 nean Hills has thirty-seven lines beginning with superfluous 
 syllables out of a total of 373 i.e., one-tenth. Three of these 
 thirty-seven have two superfluous syllables, giving the appear- 
 ance of an anapaestic line, as 
 
 Of the) olive-sandalled Apennine, 
 
 where the omission of the first two syllables restores the 
 regular truncated four-foot trochaic. In the other examples 
 one additional syllable gives the effect of a four-foot iambic, as 
 
 Ay) many flowering islands lie. 
 
 So also in three-foot, as the Skylark, after 
 
 Chorus | hymen|eal | 
 we have 
 
 What) objects | are the | fountains | 
 
 (c) We go on next to consider the license of truncation. 
 This occurs at the end of metres which end in an unaccented 
 syllable, and at the beginning of those which begin with an 
 unaccented syllable. Thus the alternate trochaic lines in the
 
 232 ON ENGLISH METRE. 
 
 Ode to a Skylark are generally complete, but we have inter- 
 mixed with them 
 
 All the | earth is | bare A 
 Teach us | sprite or | bird A 
 
 On the other hand the anapaestic line not only continually 
 substitutes an iamb for an anapaest, thus dropping one of 
 its unaccented syllables, but at the beginning of the line it 
 may drop both e.g. : 
 
 A Leaps | on the back | of my sai|ling rack | 
 which is just as legitimate as 
 
 May have bro ken the woof | of my tent's | thin roof | 
 
 So in two-foot anapaest (p. 233) 
 
 ASpecjtres we | 
 Of the dead | hours be | 
 
 And so the four-foot iambic. Of ninety lines in the Ariel 
 to Miranda one-third suffer initial truncation. In Rosalind 
 and Helen the proportion is about one-twentieth. This is 
 found also in mixed metres, as The Magnetic Lady, which 
 begins 
 
 A Sleep | sleep on | forget thy | pain | 
 My hand is on thy brow. 
 
 In The Ode to Naples (p. 545) 
 
 Of some | ethereal host | 
 A Whilst | from all ] the coast | 
 
 Perhaps the stanzas to Night should be regarded as on the 
 whole anapaestic, but in any case many of the lines are iambic, 
 among which we find truncated two-foot. 
 
 A Star-|inwrought. 
 AWouldst | thou me. 
 
 Besides this initial truncation, we also meet with medial 
 truncation in some of the more irregular poems e.g., the 
 one just cited, p. 580 
 
 Thy broth|er Death | A came | and cried |
 
 SHELLEY'S METRE. 233 
 
 which corresponds to 
 
 Thy sweet | child Sleep, | the fil|my-eyed | 
 p. 466: So good | and bad | A sane | and mad | 
 p. 194: Wail, howl | aloud | A Land | and Sea | 
 
 The Earth's | rent heart | shall ansjwer ye | 
 p. 393: A Day | and night | A day | and night | 
 
 So in the trochaic Dirge (p. 602) 
 
 Come and | sigh A | come and | weep A 
 which corresponds to 
 
 For the | year is | but a|sleepA 
 
 (D) It might be considered an extension of this principle, 
 of the insertion or omission of extra-metrical syllables, when 
 Shelley gives in one line a whole foot more, or less, than is 
 required by the metre as shewn in the rest of the poem ; 
 but it is perhaps more convenient to defer this for the present, 
 and proceed to the variety caused by increasing or diminishing 
 the number of unaccented syllables within the foot e.g., by 
 substituting anapaest for iamb, or iamb for anapaest. I find 
 that in five-foot iambic this change takes place rarely in the 
 first foot and most frequently in the fifth foot, the numbers 
 being, out of 165 cases noted, nine in first, thirty-eight in 
 second, forty-three in third, twenty in fourth, and fifty-five 
 in fifth foot. I give the following examples : 
 
 First foot. 
 Prom. p. 192 : 
 
 Of a fal|len palace. Moth|er let | not aught | 
 001 
 
 p. 220 : The inanimate winds I enam|oured of | thee ? List j 
 o 0100 i 
 
 Second foot. 
 p. 224: Prone. And | the aejreal ice | clings ojver it | 
 
 2 01 00 1 11 
 
 Alastor, p. 55 : 
 
 That beaujtiful shape. I Does the I dark gate | of death | 
 
 00 i i o ' i i 
 
 p. 62 : And mulsical mo|tions. Calm | he still | pursued | 
 oo i 
 
 p. 438: Aspi|ring like one | who loves | too fair | too far | 
 001 
 
 p. 298 : As merjciful God I spares e|ven the damned, j Speak now | 
 
 001 oo i
 
 234 ON ENGLISH METRE. 
 
 Third foot 
 Cenci, p. 307 : 
 
 I am | cut off | from the on|ly world | I know | 
 
 o o i 
 Alastor, p. 58: 
 
 Of 0|cean's mounjtainous waste I to mu|tual war I 
 
 001 001 
 
 Cenci, p. 278 : 
 
 Under | the pen|ury heaped I on me I by thee I 
 oo i 
 
 Fourth foot. 
 Prom. 205 : 
 
 Or sink | into | the origlinal gulf | of things | 
 o 0100 i 
 
 Fifth joot. 
 
 Cenci, p. 265 : 
 
 Then it I was I I whose in'articlulate words I 
 
 oo i 
 
 p. 267 : Is penjetra|ted with | the injsolent light | 
 
 oo i 
 
 From thrice|-driven beds | of down I and deljicate food I 
 
 001 001 
 
 A lastor, p. 55 : 
 
 The elioquent blood I told an | inef jfable tale | 
 
 oo i 10 001 
 
 Cenci, p. 277 : 
 
 You hear | but see | not an | impet|uous tor(rent. 
 
 oo i 
 
 So in the four-foot iambic 
 
 p. 211 : Sick with | sweet love | droops, dy|ing away | 
 
 001 
 
 The converse (anapaest into iamb) is still more common. 
 Indeed, anapaestic lines usually have one or more iambs. Thus 
 in the four feet of The Sensitive Plant two are generally 
 iambs e.g. 
 
 A sensitive plant | in a gar|den grew | 
 
 sometimes three e.g. 
 
 The snowjdrop and then | the vijolet | 
 001 
 
 or even four e.g. 
 
 Into | the rough | woods far | aloof | 
 Make her | attendant an|gels be | 
 
 and so in The Cloud 
 
 Whom mor|tals call | the moon |
 
 SHELLEY'S METRE. 235 
 
 contrasted with 
 
 While I sleep | in the arms | of the blast | 
 
 As iamb spreads into anapaest, so trochee into dactyl 
 e.g., the Euganean Hills. 
 
 Many a | green isle | needs must | be A 
 100 
 
 Or the I mariner | worn and | wan A 
 
 100 
 
 p. 447 : Like a bad | prayer not | overjloud A 
 
 100 
 
 Whispering | thou art | Law and | God A 
 100 
 
 p. 454 : Echoing | from the | cave of | fame A 
 100 
 
 Those who ajlone thy | towers be|holdA 
 i oo 
 
 On the | beach of a | northern | sea A 
 i oo 
 
 Many|-domed | Padua | proud A 
 
 100 
 
 p. 198 : Tt will | burst in | bloodier | flashes | 
 
 100 
 
 p. 447 : Of the | triumph of | anarjchy A 
 100 
 
 p. 200 : Drops of I bloody agony I flow A 
 
 100 
 
 (E) The next variety is that produced by inversion of 
 accent, giving iamb for trochee, etc. All metrists allow that 
 the trochee may take the place of the iamb in the first foot 
 of blank verse, but it is strange how they object to it else- 
 where. Shelley uses it in any part of the line ; and even has 
 two trochees together. I will give examples of all positions 
 but the first. 
 
 Second foot. 
 
 Question, p. 518 : 
 
 And wild I roses I and i[vy serlpentine I 
 i o 
 
 Prom. p. 242 : 
 
 The un|quiet | -republic of | the maze | 
 10 oo 
 
 p. 240: And weed|-over|grown continents I of earth I 
 i o 
 
 [In these two the trochee forms part of the same word 
 with the preceding syllable.]
 
 236 ON ENGLISH METRE. 
 
 Alastor, p. 52 : 
 
 When night I makes a I weird sound I of its I own still(ness 
 10 i i oo 
 
 The lone | couch of | his ev|erlas|ting sleep I 
 i o 
 
 p. 58 : With fierce | gusts and | precip|ita|ting force | 
 2 o 
 
 p. 65 : With bright | flowers, and | the win|try boughs | exhale | 
 i o 
 
 p. 60 : The grey | trunks, and | as game|some in|fants' eyes | 
 2 o 
 
 Prom. p. 200: 
 Ai 
 
 Cenci, p. 300 : 
 Ai 
 
 p. 258 : In all j this there -| is much exag|gera(tion. 
 
 And beasts I hear the I sea moan I in inlland caves I 
 1022 
 
 And art | thou the | accu|ser? If thou ho(pest 
 2 o 
 
 Third foot. 
 
 p. 264: Until | this hour | thus you j have ev|er stood | 
 
 i o 
 
 p. 266 : Whom in | one night [ merci|ful God | cut off \ 
 
 i o 
 
 p. 268 : I who | have white | hairs, and j a totltering bo(dy 
 
 1 o 001 
 
 Will keep | at least | blameless | neutrality. | 
 i o 
 
 p. 269 : 1 am | as one | lost in | a midlnight wood | 
 i o 
 
 p. 273 : Is like | a ghost J shrouded | and folided up | 
 
 1 o 
 
 p. 274: For thy | decree | yawns like | a hell | between j 
 
 2 
 
 p. 275: To why | his late | outrage | to Bejatrice | 
 
 2 
 
 p. 308 : Dead ! The I sweet bond I broken I . They come I . Let me 
 2 o 11 20 
 
 p. 309 : Be as | a mark | stamped on | thine injnocent brow | 
 
 20 001 
 
 p. 56 : Beneath | the cold I glare of | the desjolate night | 
 
 20 001 
 
 p. 554 : Young Love ] should teach I Time in i his own I grey style I 
 
 10 11 
 
 p. 632 : Out of j the deep | cavern | with palms | so ten(der 
 
 i o 
 
 Also in the four-foot line 
 
 p. 388 : A sound | from thee | Rosajlind dear | 
 
 i o 
 
 Fourth foot. 
 
 p. 244: Which points I into I the heavens I dreaming I delight 
 
 i o
 
 SHELLEY'S METRE. 237 
 
 pi 277 : Are now | no more | as once | parent | and child | 
 
 p. 279 : Although | I am | resolved, | haunts me | like fear | 
 
 2 o 
 
 p. 280: Which as | a dy|ing pulse | rises | and falls | 
 
 It is | the soul | by which | mine was | arrayed | 
 
 1 o 
 
 p. 284: Of pub|lic scorn | for acts | blazoned | abroad | 
 
 2 
 
 p. 304: Cut out I and thrown | to dogs | first. To | have killed | 
 
 1 o 
 
 p. 309: And let | mild pit|ying thoughts | lighten | for thee | 
 
 i o 
 
 Faust, p. 711 : 
 
 Unheard I of. Then I leave off teasing I us so I 
 
 2 
 
 Alastor, p. 51 : 
 
 Of star|ry ice; | the grey | grass and | bare boughs | 
 
 Prom. p. 187 : 
 
 Ah me I alas I Pain, pain | ever | for ev(er 
 
 2 2 20 
 
 p. 196 : With bit|ter stings | the light | sleep of | revenge | 
 
 i o 
 
 p. 240: Which whirl I as the I orb whirls I swifter | than thought I 
 001 i 20 
 
 Fifth foot (this is naturally the rarest). 
 
 p. 190: I break | upon | your rest | I must | speak with | 
 Count Cenci. 
 
 p. 279: What outlrage? That \ she speaks | not, but | you may I 
 
 2 i 
 Conceive | such half | conjectures as | I do | 
 
 From her fixed paleness 
 
 .p. 278 : I will | reversing nature's law I Trust me, I 
 
 2 i 
 The com|pensa|tion which | thou seek|est here | 
 
 Will be | denied | 
 p. 544: And heard | the autum|nal winds | like light | footfalls | 
 
 2 1 
 
 p. 260: Check the | abandoned vil]lain. For | God's sake | 
 
 2 i 
 
 I now give examples of two or more trochees in the same 
 line. 
 
 p. 300: If thou I hast done I murders I made thy I life's path I 
 
 20 10 11 
 
 p. 201 : Worse? in I each hu|man heart I terror I survives I 
 
 20 20 
 
 p. 217: Godlike, I o'er the I clear billlows of I sweet sound I 
 10 10 1100 i i 
 
 p. 428 : Of those | on a | sudden | who were | beguiled | 
 10 10
 
 238 ON ENGLISH METRE. 
 
 [but here I am inclined to think that who has got out of 
 its place and should come after those. It is certainly a 
 harsher line than that which Rossetti would emend by trans- 
 posing ' plumes ' and ' feathers' : 
 
 p. 230: Its plumes \ are as | feathers | of sun|ny frost | 
 
 Another instance of the same kind occurs in p. 265, where 
 a verse might be eked out with a double trochee 
 
 Fell from | my lips, | who with | totter|ing steps | 
 
 but I think the line gains greatly in vigour if we insert / 
 before ' who.'] 
 
 Mt Blanc, p. 367 : 
 
 Over j its rocks I ceaselessly bursts j and raves I 
 10 10' 
 
 Liberty, p. 508 : 
 
 The sis|ter-pest, i congre|gator I of slaves I 
 2 010 
 
 Islam, p. 171 : 
 
 Not death | death was | no more | refuge I or rest | 
 20 10 
 
 Epips. p. 561 : 
 
 Light it I into I the win ter of | the tomb I 
 1010 oo 
 
 p. 565 : Harmolnizing | silence | without | a sound j 
 
 2010 10 
 
 p. 424 : Harmojnizing I with sollitude | and sent | 
 
 2 010 
 
 p. 64 : In thy ] devasjtating | omnipotence | 
 20 10 
 
 p. 632 : And as | I looked | the bright | omnijpresence I 
 
 1010 
 
 p. 555: one intense 
 
 Diffusion, one | divine | omni|presence | 
 
 [I have put these five together, as it is possible that 
 Shelley may have intended to alter the usual pronunciation 
 of the quadrisyllables, laying the stress in the second syllable 
 of omnipresence, devastating, and perhaps on the last of har- 
 monizing.] 
 Cyclops, p. 666 : 
 
 And so j we sought | you king. I We were | sailing | 
 
 10 10 
 
 [Rossetti would insert ' then ' after ' we.'] 
 
 Calderon, p. 687 : 
 
 God is I one sulpreme eslsence, one I pure es(sence 
 202011 11
 
 SHELLEY'S METRE. 239 
 
 p. 698: Only I by not | owning [ thyself | subdued | 
 
 10 10 
 
 Faust, p. 705 : 
 
 Here the | light burns j soft as | the enkind led air | 
 10 i i 10001 
 
 p. 710: So is | the world I drained to | the dregs. | Look here I 
 10 10 11 
 
 It will be noticed that several of these are parallels to 
 Milton's line which has been so fiercely attacked 
 
 Universal | reproach | far worse | to bear | 
 10 10 
 
 I go on now to give examples of inversion of accent in 
 the trochaic line, not only in the first foot, as in 
 
 The blue | deep thou | wingest | 
 
 0120 
 
 p. 481 : The forced | produce | of your | toil A 
 o i 
 
 p. 447 : The hired I murderers I who did I sing A 
 o i 
 
 p. 454 : The old laws of | England | they A 
 o i 
 
 p. 455 : Will point I at them I as they I stand A 
 o i 
 
 Shall steam | up like | inspiration | 
 
 i 
 
 p. 415 : And sinks I down down I like that I sleep A 
 
 01 11 
 
 To find I refuge I in disltressA 
 o i 
 
 p. 421 : The frail | bark of | this lone | being | 
 
 but also in the second foot as 
 
 p. 450: Casts to | the fat | dogs that | lie A 
 
 o i 
 Prom. p. 194 : 
 
 Trampling | the slant | winds on | high A 
 o i 
 
 p. 612: Sit by I the fireside of I sorrow I 
 o i 
 
 Third foot. 
 
 p. 199: Vomits | smoke in | the bright | air A 
 
 o i 
 
 p. 451: Household | dogs when | the wind | roars A 
 
 o i 
 
 As far as my memory goes, Shelley was the first to use 
 this inversion of the trochee. 
 
 Similarly in anapaestic metre we sometimes find a dactyl 
 substituted for an anapaest, as
 
 240 ON ENGLISH METRE. 
 
 Vision of Sea, p. 501 : 
 
 Tremulous | with soft inlfluence extenldine its tide I 
 
 100 
 
 (F) We have treated separately of the extension of the 
 unaccented syllables and the inversion of the accent in the 
 foot but these variations may be combined, as in the use 
 of the dactyl for the iamb. Examples of this are 
 
 In the first foot, where it is most frequent. 
 
 p. 272: Misery | has killed j its fa|ther, yet I its fa(ther 
 100 
 
 p. 292 : Desperately nghtjing. What | does he I confess i 
 100 
 
 p. 628 : Fallen as | Napo|leon fell | I felt I my cheek I 
 100 
 
 p. 255 : Flattering | their se|cret peace | with cither's gain | 
 100 
 
 p. 53: Many a I wide waste I and tanlgled willderness I 
 1001 i 
 
 p. 58 : Following | his ea|ger soul j the wan]derer I 
 100 
 
 p. 188 : Shuddering I through In|dia. Thou I serelnest air I 
 100 001 
 
 p. 624: Numerous | as gnats | upon | the evjening gleam | 
 100 
 
 p. 213 : Satiates | the listening wind I , continuous, vast I 
 100 001 
 
 In the second foot (rare). 
 
 p. 58: Of wave | ruining | on wave | and blast I on blast I 
 200 
 
 In the third foot. 
 
 p. 299: That ev)er came | sorrowing | upon | the earth I 
 100 
 
 p. 544: Around | me gleamed | many a | bright sejpulchre I 
 
 100 
 
 p. 306: And threw | behind | muttering | with hoarse | harsh voice I 
 
 100 11 
 
 p. 53 : Of pearl i and thrones I radiant I with chrysjolite I 
 
 100 
 
 p. 522: Instruments I for plans I nautical I and statlical I 
 100 100 
 
 p. 629: Frederic I and Paul I Catharine I and Lelopold I 
 100 100 
 
 p. 635 : And othjers sat | chattering | like restjless apes | 
 100 
 
 p. 557 : Evil | from good | misery | from haplpiuess I 
 100 
 
 Also in the four-foot line, e.g.- 
 
 p. 409 : You mig] 
 o o 
 
 (And in p. 410) 
 
 p. 409 : You might see I the nerves I quivering I within 
 001 100
 
 SHELLEY'S METRE. 241 
 
 In the fourth foot. 
 
 p. 298: Guards lead | him not | away. | Cardinal I Camil(lo 
 
 100 
 
 p. 213: And call | truth virtue love | genius | or joy | 
 
 100 
 
 p. 631 : Was filled | with majgic sounds | woven in|to one | 
 
 10 o 
 
 p. 364 : The broad | and burn | ing moon | lingering! ly rose I 
 
 100 
 
 (G) The last mode of varying the metre which I specified 
 was the adding to, or taking from, the number of accents 
 in the foot. This, like most of the other licenses which we 
 have been considering, has been condemned by Dr Guest and 
 other metrists, so that it becomes necessary to give a few 
 instances, in order to shew that Shelley at all events practised 
 it. It is however so common that the exception is to find 
 a line which does not contain feet with either no accent or 
 more than one accent. Thus 
 
 p. 255 : The dry I fixed eyel-ball, the | pale quiv]ering lip I 
 1100 11 
 
 has two spondees and one pyrrhic, altogether six instead of 
 five accents. 
 
 p. 240 : Which whirl 1 as the 1 orb whirls I swifter I than thought I 
 o i 001 i 100 i 
 
 one spondee, one trochee, one pyrrhic. 
 
 p. 57 : At parlting and I watch, dim | through tears | the path I 
 0100 i i o 101 
 
 one spondee and one pyrrhic. 
 
 p. 200: Of the | good Tijtan as | storms tear | the deep | 
 oo 1100 i i 01 
 
 two spondees and two pyrrhics. 
 P. 258, after normal line 
 
 Poor la|dy she \ expects | some hap|py change 
 
 follows 
 
 In his | dark spir|it from | this act j , 7 none | 
 oo 1100 11 22 
 
 where there are two pyrrhics and three spondees, not a single 
 iamb. 
 
 p. 204: Their soft I smiles light I the air I like a I star's fire | 
 11 1011 
 
 two spondees, one trochee. 
 
 M. M. 16
 
 242 ON ENGLISH METRE. 
 
 p. 302 : And, holding his I breath, died I . There relmains noth(ing 
 oo i i 0011 
 
 two spondees, two pyrrhics. 
 
 p. 545 : Over I the oraclular woods I and divjine sea I 
 
 10 00100 1 Oil 
 
 two anapaests, one trochee, one pyrrhic, one spondee, not a 
 single iamb. 
 
 Even when there are three syllables to the foot the accent 
 is sometimes omitted, making a tribrach, e.g. 
 
 p. 253 : Bought perjilous | impulnity with I your gold I 
 i 100 0100 oo i 
 
 p. 254: Your des|perate and | remorsejless man I hood now I 
 oo o 
 
 p. 273: That faith | no ag|ony shall | obscure | in me | 
 i i 1100 o 
 
 p. 288 : A dark | continluance of I the hell I within (him 
 oo o 
 
 p. 289 : And Marjzio bejcause thou I wast onlly awed I 
 0001 i 
 
 p. 303 : Are cenlturies of I high splen|dour laid I in dust I 
 oo o 
 
 p. 59: With the I breeze mur|muring in I the mulsical woods I 
 o o i 1000 o 100 i 
 
 p. 187: Made mul|titu|dinous with | thy slaves, | whom thou I 
 oo o 
 
 p. 176: And like | the reflluence of | a mighlty wave | 
 ooo 
 
 It is much more rare to find two accents in a trisyllabic 
 substitute for an iamb, but the following seem to begin with 
 a cretic. 
 
 p. 368 : Pile around | it ice j and rock, | broad vales I between | 
 p. 369 : Slowly rol|ling on | , there man|y a prec ipice | 
 
 The strong rhythm of the anapaest is more capable of 
 -overriding verbal accent and logical emphasis than the more 
 flexible iambic, and its character is in consequence less modified 
 by any collision between the metrical and the natural stress. 
 It is thus not uncommon to find in Shelley a natural cretic 
 forced to act as a metrical anapaest, e.g. 
 
 p. 236 : And a thick | hell of hatjreds and hopes | and fears I 
 102 
 
 p. 499: The intense | thunder- balls | which are raining from heav(en 
 102 
 
 Have shattered its mast | and it stands | black and riv(en 
 
 i 02
 
 SHELLEY'S METRE. 243 
 
 p. 499: But sevjen remained. | Six the thun|der had smit(ten 
 
 102 
 
 p. 501 : Round sea|birds and wrecks | paved with heaven's | azure smile | 
 
 i 02 102 
 
 p. 503 : The volcajnoes are dim | and the stars | reel and swim I 
 
 10 2 
 p. 517: Gods and men I we are all I delulded thus I 
 
 102 
 
 p. 503 : Till the calm \ rivers lakes j and seas | 
 
 ' 1 2 
 
 p. 237 : And Love, I Thought and Breath I 
 
 102 
 
 p. 237 : From the new | world of man | 
 
 102 
 
 p. 214 : Death despair | , love sor(row 
 102 12 
 
 So too a bacchius or even a molossus is at times pressed 
 into service as an anapaest, e.g. 
 
 p. 583: The best loveliest and last I 
 
 012 
 
 p. 237 : The powers I that quell death I 
 
 012 
 
 p. 490: Which flung | from its bells | a sweet peal | anew | 
 
 i i 02 
 
 p. 501 : With her right | she sustains | her fair in[fant. Death, Fear I 
 
 oil 
 p. 499 : Like dead men I the dead limbs I of their comrades cast I 
 
 012012 
 
 p. 219 : I desire ] and their speed | makes night kin(dle 
 
 p. 500 : Stand riglid with horlror a loud I long hoarse cry I 
 
 ill 
 
 even when the anapaest occurs in iambic metre 
 
 p. 633: And as | a shut lifly stric(ken by | the wind | 
 012 
 
 unless we suppose the line to begin with an amphibrach. 
 Sometimes a pyrrhic stands for an anapaest, as 
 
 p. 234 : From the chiljdrgn Of | a divijner day | 
 
 p. 490: And the Naijad-like lijly of | the vale | 
 
 o o 
 
 In trochaic metre we find pyrrhics and spondees, as in 
 the Skylark 
 
 In the | broad day|lightA 
 oo 11 
 
 and 
 
 In the I white dawn | clear A 
 001 i 
 
 p. 198 : Leave the I bed, low, I cold and I red A 
 i i 
 
 p. 447: With a I pace state |ly and I free A 
 oo i 100 
 
 162
 
 244 ON ENGLISH METRE. 
 
 p. 451 : This delmand tyjrants would I flee A 
 110 o 
 
 p. 452: Thou art I peace. Nev|er by I theeA 
 i 100 
 
 How far should the consciousness of the metre change 
 the natural pronunciation of the words in such cases as we 
 have been considering? Hardly at all, I think, in five-foot 
 iambic verse, a little more in short trochaic, but not much. 
 It would be absurd, for instance, to read according to strict 
 
 metre 
 
 Thou art | peace, nfivjer by | thee 
 
 But anapaestic rhythm generally is heard above the natural 
 emphasis, e.g. 
 
 paved with heaven's | azure smile | 
 
 though not so far as to destroy the splendid effect of the 
 molossus 
 
 l&ig hoarse cry | 
 
 So far I have only referred to one effect of these metrical 
 licenses viz., variety, but no one can have listened to the 
 lines read, even apart from their context, without feeling that 
 they often subserve a higher poetical purpose. Take, for 
 instance, for the use of the trochee 
 
 p. 261 : And lifted up to God, Father of all, 
 Passionate prayers 
 
 the words ' Father ' and ' passionate ' gain immensely in 
 force by the break in the regular rhythm, though the effect 
 is helped of course by another artifice if we may call by 
 that name what is only the action of strong poetic instinct 
 I mean alliteration, of which I shall shortly speak. I add 
 a few other examples which may be left to speak for them- 
 selves. 
 
 p. 56 : Beneath | the cold I glare of | the des|olate night I 
 
 2 
 
 p. 57 : Beauti|ful bird | thou voy|agest to | thine home 
 10 11000 
 
 p. 256: Of my | impejrious step | scorning | surprise j 
 001 20 
 
 p. 264: One look | one smile. | Oh he | has tramplled me | 
 
 200 2 
 
 Here the preceding trochee gives wonderful force to the 
 next accented syllable in trampled.
 
 SHELLEY'S METRE. 245 
 
 p. 273: Never \ to change, j never \ to pass | away | 
 p. 300 : Oh thon who tremblest on that giddy verge 
 
 Of life | and death, | pause ere | thou ans|werest me | . 
 p. 309 : Be as | a mark | stamped on \ thine in|nocent brow I 
 
 10 20 001 
 
 p. 279 : Is there made 
 
 Ravage \ of thee ? | Oh heart, | I ask | no more | 
 p. 54 : till meaning on his vacant mind 
 
 Flashed like \ strong in[spira|tion 
 p. 58 : A whirlwind swept it on 
 
 With fierce | giists and \ precip|ita|ting force | 
 2 o 
 
 p. 523 : The ripe | corn un|der the unldulajting air I 
 
 001 
 
 Undu]lates like | an ojcean 
 
 i o 
 
 Then take the following, as shewing the effect of trisyllabic 
 substitution : 
 
 p. 55 : The e\\oquent blood \ told an | inef}fable tale \ 
 
 Then yield |ing to | the \r\resis\tible joy \ 
 p, 58 : Of wave | ruining \ on wave | and blast | on blast | 
 
 Descending 
 
 contrast the magnificent rhythm of the line thus restored 
 from Shelley's MS. with the old corrupt 'running.' 
 
 p. 267 : Is penetrated with the in|solent light | . 
 
 The fact that, in general, these licenses are felt to add 
 greatly to the force or beauty of the line, affords I think a 
 ground for suspicion when the result is a weak halting line, 
 like that already quoted. 
 
 p. 428 : Of those | on a | sudden | who were | beguiled | 
 
 Another contribution to the rhythmical effect comes from 
 the slurring of short syllables or the resolution of long ones. 
 We find syllables ending in r, as fire, desire, retire, empire, 
 poor, hour, fierce, fear, disyllabized in such lines as 
 
 p. 187 : Scorn and | despair | these are | mine empfire | 
 Cf. 203, 262, 521, 635, 636, 711, 572, 435. 
 
 So dare with very fine effect in p. 293 
 
 Guilty? Who da (res talk | of guilt | my Lord |
 
 246 ON ENGLISH METRE. 
 
 But it may be said, " Why not explain this by internal 
 truncation in the second foot, throwing an additional stress 
 on who ?" I do not deny that theoretically this is an allowable 
 explanation ; but, of two possible explanations, we are bound 
 to take that which is most in accordance with the poet's 
 practice elsewhere. While I know of no instance in which 
 Shelley certainly used internal truncation in five-foot iambic, 
 there are a number of cases in which it appears necessary to 
 disyllabize long syllables followed by r, which indeed are very 
 nearly disyllabic in ordinary conversation. 
 
 Not only is a long vowel disyllabized before the letter 
 r, but also a vowel is interpolated, as in Shakespeare, between 
 a liquid and another consonant, as in p. 488 
 
 Below I far lands I are seen I tremblingly I 
 
 i o 
 
 On the other hand we have short syllables slurred in such 
 an anapaestic line as 
 
 p. 501 : And ojver head glor[ious but dread\ful to see | 
 
 where the third anapaest has strictly four syllables, but i is 
 pronounced something like y. 
 
 p. 499 : Is outshining the me\teors, its bos\om beats high | 
 p. 500 : A Black | as a cor \morant the scream ing blast | 
 
 p. 501 : As of some | hideous engine whose brajzen teeth smash | 
 001 ___ 
 
 Tremulous I with soft influence extending its tide | 
 100 
 
 p. 215 (two-foot anap.}: 
 
 That the Eterjnal, the~Immor|tal 
 Must unloose | through life's porjtal 
 
 These are examples of slurring where one vowel precedes 
 another: we have also examples of slurring where a vowel is 
 followed by a consonant ; as in : 
 
 p. 500: Like a rain (bow, and I | the fallen shower. \ Lo! the ship | 
 p. 501 : Swollen with rage \ strength and ef|fort, the whirl | and the 
 
 splash | 
 p. 500 : The wind | has burst out | through the chasm \ , from the air | 
 
 Also in iambic lines : 
 
 p. 197: white fire 
 
 Has cloven \ to the roots | yon huge | snow-loa|ded ce(dar 
 oo i
 
 SHELLEY'S METRE. 247 
 
 p. 230: Hide that j fair t>e|ing whom | we spirits \ call man | 
 p. 213 : Of cat|aracts | from their | thaw-cloven \ ravines | 
 p. 171 : Eminent | among | these \\c\tims, even \ the fear I 
 
 If however anyone prefers to pronounce these syllables 
 fully and call the feet substituted amphibrach or bacchius, 
 I should make no great objection. 
 
 There are some cases in which we are compelled to take 
 our choice between an unusual rhythm, and an unusual pro- 
 nunciation, as in regard to the word 'omnipresence' cited 
 above : thus ' response ' seems required in 
 
 p. 205 : Languish, ere yet the responses are mute 
 p. 209 : Hark ! Spirits speak. The liquid responses. 
 p. 333 : Of dying Islam. Voice that art the r&(ponse 
 
 ' contemplatest ' in 
 
 p. 330 : Thou art | as God | whom thou | conte"m|platest | 
 
 ' contumely ' (keeping the Latin accent) in 
 
 p. 335 : Torments | or con tumejly or | the sneers | 
 
 If we insist on keeping the ordinary pronunciation of the 
 word, the line becomes to my ear either mere prose, or ex- 
 tremely lame verse. I may mention that in two dictionaries 
 (Worcester, and Chambers's Etymological) I find the word 
 marked as I suppose Shelley to have pronounced it, and Ben 
 Jonson has the same pronunciation in Catiline, I. 1 (vol. iv. 
 p. 219) 
 
 Revenge | the con|turne|ly stuck | upon (you. 
 
 ib. iv. 1 (p. 290) 
 
 flies out 
 In con|tume|lies, makes | a noise |, and stinks | 
 
 In p. 560 the stress is on the syllables rhyming with dead 
 
 And from | her presence life | was ra|diatotf 
 Like light | all othjer sounds | were pen|etratec?. 
 
 In p. 255, if the reading is right, we have either two 
 different pronunciations of ' miserable,' or the line ends with 
 a double trochee : 
 
 Most mis|erab|le. Why | miserable? | 
 No. I am what your theologians call 
 Hardened
 
 248 ON ENGLISH METRE. 
 
 Possibly Shelley intended the ' no ' of the second line to be 
 taken into the first, and a 'but' inserted after 'am.' 
 
 I have dealt now with the chief metrical variations of 
 Shelley's line. I proceed to speak of irregularities, arising 
 from absence of symmetry in the stanza or poem. I am not 
 sure how far these may be due to carelessness on Shelley's 
 part or on the part of his editors; how far indeed he was 
 conscious of them, or would have approved them if he had 
 become aware of them. Take for instance the song of Beatrice 
 in The Cenci. It consists of two stanzas of eight lines, the 
 first three lines in each being three-foot anapaestic, the fourth 
 in st. 1 is four-foot iamb. 
 
 The clay-|cold corpse | upon | the bier | 
 
 to which corresponds in the second st. 
 
 A When | to wake? | never | again | 
 
 which we should probably class as truncated iamb. 
 
 The fifth and sixth lines are iambic three-foot and four- 
 foot, the seventh line in st. 1 should, I think, be read 
 
 There's a snake | in thy smile | my dear | 
 so as to correspond with the second st. 
 
 It says | thou and I | must part | 
 but the eighth line of st. 1 has certainly four feet 
 
 And bitjter poijson within | thy tear | 
 
 while the eighth of st. 2 naturally reads with three feet 
 With a light j and a heavy heart | 
 
 In Death, p. 383, we have an iambic poem, where the 
 fourth line of st. 1 has four feet with feminine ending 
 
 They are names | of kinjdred friend | and lo(ver 
 but the corresponding line of st. 2 has five feet masculine 
 Watch the | calm sunset with | them, and | this spot | 
 
 In Constantia, p. 382, the first st. is of nine lines, the three 
 others of eleven lines. The sixth line of st. 1 has seven feet : 
 
 Within | thy breath | and on | thy hair | like ojdour it | is wet |
 
 SHELLEY'S METRE. 249 
 
 In the other stanzas the sixth line has only four feet. 
 The three four-line stanzas on a Faded Violet (p. 441) 
 have four feet in the last line of the first st. 
 
 Which breathed | of thee | and on|ly thee | 
 three feet in the other stanzas 
 
 With cold | and silent rest | 
 
 In Pan, p. 517, the first four lines of st. 1 contain two 
 anapaests each 
 
 From the for|ests and highlands 
 We come we come | 
 
 but the same lines in the other stanzas have three 
 
 I sang | of the dan|cing stars | 
 I sang | of the dae|dal earth j 
 
 Lines six to nine in st. 1 and 2 have three anapaests 
 The Silejni and Syljvans and Fauns | 
 
 in st. 3 the sixth line has five iambs 
 
 Singing | how down | the vale | of Mae|nalus | 
 while the seventh, eighth, and ninth have four anapaests 
 I pursued | a mai|den and clasped | a reed | 
 
 The tenth line in st. 1 has three, in st. 2 and 3 four 
 anapaests. The last line in each stanza is anap. 3 + with 
 trochaic or iambic substitution. 
 
 The Question (p. 518) has an Alexandrine in the last line 
 of the first st., in the others an ordinary heroic. 
 
 In Witch of Atlas (p. 538) the fifty-third st. has an 
 Alexandrine instead of heroic in the fourth line. In Hymn 
 of Apollo (p. 516), written in five-foot iambic, the third line 
 of the first stanza has only four feet 
 
 From the | broad moon] light of | the sky j 
 
 perhaps some such word as ' nightly ' has been omitted before 
 'sky.' 
 
 So perhaps ' silver ' should be omitted in the line 
 And a silver shape like his early love doth pass (p. 520)
 
 250 ON ENGLISH METRE. 
 
 as it is the only one in the poem which has more than four 
 feet. Similarly in p. 548 a word seems wanted in the line 
 When the north wind congregates in crowds 
 
 an epithet for ' north- wind ' would set this right. 
 
 The World's Wanderers (p. 549) is trochaic, with the 
 exception of the first line. 
 
 Tell me | thou star | whose wings j of light j 
 
 possibly 'thou' should be omitted. 
 
 In Liberty (p. 550) the first st. ends with a four-foot 
 anapaest, the others with three-foot. 
 
 Some strong language has been used about the Lament 
 (p. 596), where the third line has in the first stanza five 
 iambs, and in the second only four 
 
 Trembling | at that | where I | had stood | before | 
 Fresh spring | and sum|mer and win ter hoar. 
 
 It is evident that Shelley cared very little about making 
 his lines symmetrical, so that I should not be disposed to 
 alter the line on that account, but the fact that autumn is 
 the season omitted, while summer, which Shelley himself 
 neglects in his reference to the seasons at the beginning of 
 Alastor, and of which Keble says 
 
 Her bowers are mute, her fountains dry, 
 
 And ever fancy's wing 
 Steals from beneath her cloudless sky 
 
 To autumn or to spring, 
 
 summer is specified this leads me to believe that the line 
 was rightly emended 
 
 Fresh spring and summer, autumn and winter hoar. 
 
 Possibly the other line may be more pleasing to the ear. 
 I will not dispute it, but I think we do Shelley more honour 
 by ascribing to him the line which gives the best sense. 
 
 I have not time here to give a full account of Shelley's 
 more irregular metres, but I will analyse one, which has given 
 me more trouble than any other viz., the fine wild stanzas 
 in p. 363, beginning 
 
 Away! the moor is dark beneath the moon.
 
 SHELLEY'S METRE. 251 
 
 I take the metre to be iambic, of five, six, or seven feet, 
 breaking at intervals into anapaests. Its rhythm is I think 
 best felt if we divide each line into two sections, and allow 
 of feminine ending to the first section, as in the first two 
 lines of the third stanza: 
 
 The cloud | shadows | of mid(night || possess | their own | repose | 
 For the weajry winds j are si(lent || or the moon | is on | the deep | 
 
 The first line in the first two stanzas contains five feet, in 
 the third stanza it has six. 
 
 The second line in the first two stanzas contains six feet : 
 A Rap|id clouds | have drunk || the last | pale beams | of even | 
 
 [Here I think we should assume initial truncation, the 
 first syllable of ' rapid ' representing an iamb ; though it would 
 of course be possible to take 'rapid clouds' as constituting an 
 anapaest, or rather a cretic, so as to make a five-foot line.] 
 
 Pour bit;ter tears on || its desola|ted hearth j 
 
 but in the third stanza, as already stated, the first section 
 has a feminine ending, which would permit of its being treated 
 as a seven-foot line 
 
 For the wea|ry winds | are si (lent or | the moon | is on | the deep | 
 
 The third line has six feet in the first stanza 
 Away ! | the gathering winds || will call | the darkjness soon | 
 
 To give it the same number of feet in the second stanza, 
 we must suppose initial truncation: 
 
 A Watch | the dim | shades as || like ghosts | they go | and come | 
 
 in the third stanza it has seven feet 
 
 Some resjpite to | its turbulence || unrest|ing ofcean knows | 
 
 The fourth line has six feet in the first two stanzas 
 And profounjdest midnight shroud || the ser|ene lights | of heaven j
 
 252 ON ENGLISH METRE. 
 
 [for the stress on the first syllable of ' serene ' compare Prince 
 Athanase, p. 372 
 
 Through which | his soul | like ves|per's serjene beam | 
 
 and note on p. 375 
 
 Double | the wes|tern plan|et's serjene frame |] 
 in the third stanza it has seven feet 
 
 Whatever moves | or toils | or grieves || hath its | appoin ted sleep | 
 
 The fifth line in the first and third st. has six feet 
 Pause not I the time I is past || every | voice cries | away | 
 
 100 
 
 Thou in | the grave | shalt rest || yet till | the phan|toms flee | 
 
 but in the second st. seven feet 
 The leaves | of wastjed au|tumn woods || shall float j around | thy head | 
 
 The sixth line is of six feet in every stanza. The two last 
 lines of the third stanza may be read, like the second of the 
 same stanza, as containing six feet with feminine ending of 
 the first section. 
 
 Thy remem|brance and | repen(tance || and deep mu| sings are | not free | 
 From the mu|sic of | two voi(ces || and the light | of one j sweet smile f 
 
 but perhaps it is better to make them correspond with the 
 last lines of the first and second stanzas by scanning them 
 with seven feet, thus 
 
 Thy remem|brance and | repen|tauce and | deep mu|sings are | not free | 
 
 Though the character of the verse is determined by the 
 position of the accent and the number of feet, and it pleases 
 the ear in the first instance by the regular recurrence of the 
 accent and the pause, and then by the apparent unrestraint, 
 the spontaneity which is found to be possible within the 
 bounds of law ; yet the beauty of verses arises not only from 
 the recurrence of the accent and the pause, but also from 
 the recurrence of certain sounds i.e., from alliteration and 
 rhyme, as well as from the beauty of the separate sounds. 
 There is an extraordinary difference between poets in their 
 sensitiveness to this beauty of sound. Contrast, for instance,
 
 SHELLEY'S METRE. 253 
 
 these anapaestic lines taken at haphazard from Byron's 
 Newstead Abbey 
 
 On Mars] ton with Rujpert 'gainst traitors contending 
 
 Four broth'ers enriched | with their blood | the bleak field | 
 
 For the rights | of a mon arch their counjtry defen(ding 
 Till death j their attach |ment to loyal]ty sealed | 
 
 with the following from The Sensitive Plant (p. 490) 
 
 And the hy|acinth, pur|ple and white | and blue | 
 Which flung | from its bells | a sweet peal | anew | 
 Of muisic so deli]cate soft | arid intense \ 
 It was felt | as an o|dour within | the sense | 
 
 What makes the difference between the hard, dry canter 
 of the former and the sweet airy movement of the latter ? One 
 difference is the prevalence of doubled consonants, especially 
 of dentals in the one, and of vowels and liquids in the other. 
 It is an effort to pronounce the. one, the other flows easily 
 from the lips. Shelley's favourite alliteration in I seems to 
 echo the sweet peal of the delicate bells, while Byron's t's and 
 d's are to my mind unmeaning and annoying, and even the 
 bl (of blood and bleak) which Shelley uses with such effect 
 in a later stanza 
 
 And plants | at whose name | the verse | feels loath | 
 Filled the place | with a mon|strous un|dergrowth | 
 Prickjly and pul|pous and blisjtering and blue | 
 Livjid and starred | with a lujrid dew | 
 
 is entirely ineffective in Byron's lines. 
 
 I proceed to give other examples of alliteration in Shelley, 
 and first, of I. It runs through the beautiful song of the 
 Prometheus (p. 220) - 
 
 Life of life thy lips enkindle 
 With their love the breath between them. 
 
 Child of Light, thy limbs are burning 
 
 Through the vest that seems to hide them, 
 p. 54 : Till in the vale of Cashmire, far within 
 
 Its loveliest dell, where odorous plants entwine 
 Beneath the hollow rocks a natural bower, 
 Beside a sparkling rivulet he stretched 
 His languid limbs.
 
 254 ON ENGLISH METRE. 
 
 m, p. 52 : And silence, too enamoured of that voice 
 Locks its mute music in her nigged cell, 
 p. 59 : The ghastly torrent mingles its far roar 
 
 With the breeze murmuring in the musical woods. 
 
 w, p. 56 : Their wasting dust, wildly he wandered on 
 Day after day, a weary waste of hours 
 
 p. 53 : Many a wide waste and tangled wilderness. 
 
 Nor is it only the softer sounds which Shelley knows how 
 to use ; we meet cl and cr in p. 53 
 
 Frequent with crystal columns and clear shrines 
 Of pearl, and thrones radiant with chrysolite. 
 
 d, in p. 56 : Where every shade which the foul grave exhales 
 Hides its dead eye from the detested day. 
 
 b, in p. 53 : With burning smoke or where bitumen lakes 
 On black bare pointed islets ever beat 
 With sluggish surge. 
 
 and of I, d, g, in The Skylark 
 
 Like a glow-worm golden 
 In a dell of dew. 
 
 There is a splendid combination of b, p, I, g, and long t's 
 and os in p. 260 
 
 Oh, thou bright wine whose purple splendour leaps 
 And bubbles gaily in this golden bowl. 
 
 There is however a nemesis lying in wait for the love of 
 beauty in sound as in other things, and I think it cannot 
 be denied that Shelley's verse sometimes cloys from over- 
 sweetness, and makes us long for the tonic of Browning's 
 ruggedness. He cannot resist the attraction of such words 
 as ' lorn,' ' silver,' ' solemn,' ' charm,' ' woven,' ' pavilion,' ' lamp/ 
 ' lute,' etc. He sacrifices grammar for the sake of avoiding a 
 disagreeable sound, using e.g. ' thou ' as an accusative. Several 
 blemishes of the kind have been corrected in Rossetti's and 
 restored in Forma n's edition. 
 
 But I must turn now to Shelley's use of rhyme. No one 
 has made better use of double rhyme (medial and final), in 
 such a poem as The Cloud.\
 
 SHELLEY'S METRE. 255 
 
 I sift the snow on the mountains below, 
 And their great pines groan aghast, 
 
 (notice the alliteration in s and g) 
 
 And all the night 'tis my pillow white 
 While I sleep in the arms of the blast. 
 
 But in the use of ordinary rhyme Shelley often shews 
 himself very careless ; thus he gives rhymeless lines in rhymed 
 passages, some of which have been ingeniously corrected in 
 Rossetti's edition, but more are left : as in Athanase (p. 379), 
 below and wings have no rhyme ; in Rosalind (p. 389), there 
 is no rhyme for loveliness and hover; in Julian (p. 428), no 
 rhyme to spoke. Sometimes the word itself is repeated as a 
 rhyme, as in p. 389 
 
 In silence then they took their way 
 Beneath the forest's solitude; 
 It was a vast and antique wood 
 Through which they took their way, 
 And the grey shades of evening 
 O'er that green wilderness did fling 
 Still deeper solititde. 
 
 Or, if not the actual word, yet a compound, as motion is made 
 to rhyme with emotion. 
 
 The rhymes are often lax, as in most poets e.g., ruin 
 with pursuing (pp. 515, 520), frown with disown (p. 387), 
 beck with black (p. 531), and now with also (p. 424). There 
 is however a peculiar negligence in p. 521, where the second 
 half of empire is disyllabized in one line, and the last part 
 of it, the final -er, is made to rhyme with the entire word 
 fire 
 
 When lamp|-like Spain | who now | resumes | her fire 
 On freedom's hearth | grew dim | with em\pire. 
 
 Compare p. 635, where the line 
 
 Under | the crown | which girt | with empire f - 
 rhymes with 
 
 Of king|ly mant|les, some | across \ the tire | 
 So, in Hymn to Mercury (p. 645) 
 
 She gave | to light | a babe | all babes | excelling,
 
 256 ON ENGLISH METRE. 
 
 where the last syllable is superfluous, rhymes with 
 
 A shep|herd of | thin dreams | a cow | stealing | 
 which has no superfluous syllable 1 . 
 
 There is what might seem a similar instance in p. 539, 
 where the line which one would naturally scan, 
 Or char|iotee|ring ghast|ly al|liga(tors 
 
 is made to rhyme with ' floors ' and ' doors.' But I suppose 
 Shelley must have pronounced it alligators. 
 
 I have not made any study of long complicated rhyme 
 systems, but, as far as my own feeling goes, rhymes lose their 
 effect when they are separated by more than ten lines, as 
 sky and high in Rosalind and Helen, p. 389. 
 
 I will bring to an end this very imperfect and fragmentary 
 view of Shelley's metre by a few more general remarks on 
 its development. In early poems we see marks of the influence 
 of former poets, of Southey throughout Queen Mob, but also 
 of Pope in such lines as (p. 32) 
 
 Guides the fierce whirlwind, in the tempest roars, 
 Cheers in the day, breathes in the balmy groves, 
 Strengthens in health and poisons in disease. 
 
 Here and there we meet the genuine Shelley, as in p. 47 
 
 Low through the lone cathedral's roofless aisles 
 The melancholy winds a death-dirge sung. 
 
 Alastor is full of reminiscences of Wordsworth. We meet 
 such phrases as ' natural piety,' ' the deep heart of man,' ' a 
 woe too deep for tears.' Compare too the concluding lines 
 
 But pale despair and cold tranquillity, 
 Nature's vast frame, the web of human things, 
 Birth and the grave, which are not as they were. 
 
 1 Curiously Campion has two instances of a similar license in one short 
 poem (Golden Treasury, c. 1): 
 
 Of Nep]tune's em|pire let | us sing \ 
 At whose command the waves obey; 
 To whom the rivers tribute pay, 
 Down the | high mountains slid(ing 
 and in the next verse : 
 
 The Trijtons dan|cing in | a ring \ 
 
 Like the | great thun'der sound(ing.
 
 SHELLEY'S METRE. 257 
 
 Milton's Lycidas is the model in parts of the Ode to Liberty 
 (p. 510) and Adonais ; and Shakespeare's Othello and Macbeth 
 in The Cenci. There is also an echo of The Merchant of Venice 
 in Beatrice's speech (Cenci, p. 308), " Plead with swift frost," 
 etc. The Odes to Liberty, to Naples, etc. were I suppose 
 suggested by Coleridge's odes, and probably Rosalind and 
 Helen by Christabel. Shelley's use of the anapaest seems to 
 be quite his own. His iambic verse in much of The Cenci and 
 the Adonais, has, I think, all the stateliness of Milton with 
 perhaps more of flexibility and sensibility. If I had to select 
 a single passage which in my opinion exhibits Shelley at his 
 highest in metre, as in every other poetical quality, it would 
 be the description by Beatrice of the scene where her father 
 is to be murdered. I never read it without thinking of 
 Cassandra in the Agamemnon. There is the same intensity 
 of imagination in the two cases : in the one calling up all 
 the past horrors of the house of the Atridae before the bodily 
 eye ; in the other finding the doom of the lost soul written 
 on the natural features of the landscape. But there is a 
 marked contrast between the quality of the imagination at 
 work in the two cases, between the strong masculine grip of 
 fact and reality in the former and the diffusion of a sort of 
 electric atmosphere which seems to characterize the latter; 
 between what we might call the imagination of form and the 
 imagination of colour. Hence we are not surprised to find 
 that the foreboding of Beatrice turns out to be no genuine 
 prophecy of actual fact, but a mere subjective hallucination. 
 I think the same contrast might be shewn at length in the 
 Prometheus of the two poets. 
 
 I add one or two emendations which have occurred to me 
 in reading through Shelley's poems. In Marianne's Dream 
 (p. 379) the line ' And o'er the vast cope of bending heaven ' 
 would run more easily if the superfluous ' and ' were omitted. 
 In Calderon (p. 695) the second of the following lines 
 
 And thenceforth shall so firm an amity 
 'Twixt thou and me be, that neither fortune 
 (nor time nor heaven can divide us). 
 
 M. M. 17
 
 258 ON ENGLISH METRE. 
 
 should surely have ' as ' inserted before ' that.' In p. 288 
 it should be ' reverend ' not ' reverent brow.' In p. 332 ' And 
 seems he , is Mahommed ' not ' MaJwmet.' 
 In p. 337 I do not see the sense of saying 
 
 Where fairer Tempes bloom, there sleep 
 Young Cyclads on a sunnier deep. 
 
 The Cyclads are not in Thessaly. I believe Shelley wrote 
 ' here.' In Julian, p. 424, it is more natural to read ' The day 
 had been cheerful but cold,' instead of ' this day.' In p. 434 
 we find the lines 
 
 No thought on my dead memory Alas! Love, 
 
 Fear me not, against thee I'd not move 
 
 To scan these lines we should have to treat ' love ' as a 
 feminine ending of the former, and suppose it to rhyme with 
 the masculine ending of the latter: we should also have to 
 disyllabize ' fear ' in the latter, or to read ' I would ' in full. 
 These harshnesses are avoided if we transfer ' love ' to the 
 beginning of the latter line, but then we lose the rhyme. Still 
 that is not unexampled in Shelley's verse, and it is on the 
 whole, I think, the best solution of the difficulty; though I 
 would not deny that Shelley himself may have intended the 
 rhyme under some confused impression that ' love ' belonged 
 to the former line. 
 
 In p. 513 can it be right to speak of Art ' diving on fiery 
 wings to Nature's throne'? I think Shelley wrote 'rising' 
 or ' soaring.' In the Hymn of Pan, would it not be more 
 natural to say ' From the forests and highlands they come, 
 they come ; listening to my sweet pipings,' instead of 'we come' ? 
 compare the last verse : 
 
 And all that did then attend and follow, 
 Were silent with love, as you now, Apollo, 
 With envy of my sweet pipings. 
 
 In Prometheus, p. 211, we should, I think, read 
 
 Or when some star, of many one, 
 
 instead of ' many a one.' It is a reminiscence of Wordsworth's 
 Ode. In p. 212 it does not seem to me that the emendation 
 ' than ' for ' which ' improves the line, 
 
 Ay, many more which we may well divine.
 
 SHELLEY'S METRE. 259 
 
 The question put is : Are there more spirits ? to which the 
 answer is : Yes, many which we may divine, but cannot speak 
 of now. In p. 209, ' around the crags ' is, I think, more poetical, 
 more suited to the airy spiritual voices than Rossetti's 'among.' 
 In p. 240 I should be inclined to insert ' the ' after ' laughed ' 
 in the line 
 
 Round which death laughed, sepulchred emblems 
 Of dead destruction 
 
 As I am here dealing with the Prometheus, I will end my 
 paper with an observation which may be new to some of my 
 readers, that the three queer names of snakes mentioned in it 
 seps, p. 222 ; dipsas, p. 229 ; and amphisbaena, p. 231 are 
 taken from Lucan. Was Shelley reading the Pharsalia, when 
 he composed it ? 
 
 172
 
 CHAPTER XV. 
 
 THE HEXAMETER AND PENTAMETER. 
 
 Im Hexameter steigt des Springquells fliissige Saule : 
 Im Pentameter drauf fallt sie melodisch herab. 
 
 SCHILLER. 
 
 In the Hexameter rises the fountain's silvery column ; 
 In the Pentameter aye falling in melody back. 
 
 COLERIDGE. 
 
 THE first introduction of the Hexameter into English 
 poetry, as into the poetry of other nations, was due to the 
 Renaissance. Those who had learnt to appreciate the power 
 and beauty of the metre of Homer and Virgil became impa- 
 tient of the restrictions of alliteration and rhyme, as well as of 
 the general slovenliness of English versification which marks the 
 interval between Chaucer and Surrey. Thus Ascham, writing 
 in 1568 of the change in the Latin metres commenced by 
 Ennius and perfected by Virgil, says (Schoolmaster, p. 176 f. ed. 
 Mayor) : ' This matter maketh me gladly remember my sweete 
 tyme spent at Cambridge and the pleasant talke which I had 
 oft with M. Cheke and M. Watson of this fault, not only in the 
 olde Latin Poets, but also in our neAv English Rymers at this 
 day. They wished, as Virgil and Horace were not wedded to 
 follow the faultes of former fathers. . .but by right imitation of 
 the perfit Grecians had brought Poetrie to perfitness also in 
 the Latin tong, that we Englishmen likewise would acknow- 
 ledge and understand rightfully our rude beggarly ryming, 
 brought first into Italic by Gothes and Hunnes, whan all good 
 verses and all good learning were destroyed by them, and after
 
 THE HEXAMETER AND PENTAMETER. 261 
 
 caryed into France and Germanie, and at last received into 
 England by men of excellent wit indeede, but of small learning 
 and less judgement in that behalfe.' 'The noble Lord Th. 
 Earle of Surrey, first of all English men, in translating the 
 fourth booke of Virgil, and Gonsalvo Periz, that excellent 
 learned man and secretarie to kyng Philip of Spaine, in trans- 
 lating the Ulysses of Homer out of Greeke into Spanish, have 
 both by good judgement avoyded the fault of ryming, yet 
 neither of them hath fullie hitte perfit and trew versifying. 
 In deede they observe j ust number and even feete : but here 
 is the fault, that their feete be feete without joyntes, that is to 
 say, not distinct by trew quantitie of sillables. And so such 
 feete be but numme feete, and be even as unfitte for a verse to 
 turn and runne roundly withall, as feete of brasse or wood be 
 unwieldie to go well withal! 1 .' ' The spying of this fault now is 
 not the curiositie of English eyes, but even the good judge- 
 ment also of the best that write in these dayes in Italic ; and 
 namelie of that worthie Senese Felice Figliucci, who writyng 
 upon Aristotle's Ethickes...amongest other things doth most 
 earnestlie invey agaynst the rude ryming of verses in that 
 tong : and whan soever he expresseth Aristotle's preceptes with 
 any example out of Homer or Euripides, he translateth them, 
 not after the ryrnes of Petrarke, but into soch kinde of perfite 
 verse, with like feete and quantitie of sillables, as he found 
 them before in the Greke tonge : exhorting earnestlie all the 
 Italian nation to leave of their rude barbariousnesse in ryming 
 and folow diligently the excellent Greke and Latin examples in 
 trew versifying.' 'This I write... to exhorte the goodlie wittes 
 of England, which, apte by nature and willing by desire, geve 
 themselves to Poetrie, that they, rightly understanding the 
 barbarous bringing in of rymes, would labour, as Virgil and 
 Horace did in Latin, to make perfit also this point of learning 
 in our English tong 2 .' Again, in p. 71, speaking of translations 
 of Homer, he says, ' it was not made at the first more naturallie 
 in Greke by Homere, nor after turned more aptelie into Latin 
 by Horace, than it was a good while ago in Cambridge trans- 
 lated into English, both plainlie for the sense and roundlie for 
 
 1 Schoolmaster, p. 181. 2 Ib. p. 185.
 
 262 ON ENGLISH METRE. 
 
 the verse, by one of the best scholars that ever S. John's 
 College bred, Mr Watson, myne old frend, sometime Bishop of 
 Lincoln. Therefore for their sake that have lust to see how 
 our English tong, in avoidyng barbarous ryming, may as well 
 receive right quantitie of sillables and trewe order of versifying 
 ...as either Greke or Latin, if a cunning man have it in hand- 
 ling, I will set forth that one verse in all three tonges, for 
 an example to good wittes that shall delite in like learned 
 exercise. 
 
 HOMERUS : 
 
 iro\\(ov 8 dvdpQ>ira>v i8fv aorta KOI voov fyva>. 
 
 HORATIUS : 
 
 Qui mores kominum multorum vidit et urbes. 
 
 M. WATSON : 
 
 All travellers do gladly report great praise of Ulysses, 
 
 For that he knew many men's maners, and saw many cities 1 .' 
 
 These lines of Watson's are also praised in Webbe's Discourse 
 of English Poetrie, 1586 (quoted in the notes to Ascham, 
 p. 259) : ' There is one famous Distichon, which is common in 
 the mouthes of all men, that was made by one Master Watson, 
 fellowe of S. John's Colledge in Cambrydge about 40 yeeres 
 past, which, for sweetnes and gallantnes thereof in all respects, 
 doth match and surpasse the Latine coppy of Horace.' It 
 would seem therefore that the earliest English hexameter was 
 written before the middle of the 16th century. And Ascham 
 himself in the Toxophilus, published in 1544, gives the follow- 
 ing specimens of his own writing : 
 
 'Twang' quoth the bow, and 'twang' quoth the string, and quickly the 
 
 shaft flew. 
 
 Up to the pappe his string did he pull, his shaft to the hard iron. 
 What thing wants quiet and merie rest, endures but a small while. 
 
 So little ground had Gabriel Harvey, who himself refers to 
 Watson's lines 2 , for his claim to have been the first inventor of 
 the English hexameter. The earliest notice we have of Harvey's 
 
 1 Watson is said to have translated the first book of the Odyssey, but it is no 
 longer in existence. 
 
 s See Ascham, p. 260.
 
 THE HEXAMETER AND PENTAMETER. 263 
 
 hexameters is in Spenser's letter written in 1579, where 
 he says, 'I like your late English Hexameters so exceedingly 
 well, that I also enure my pen sometimes in that kind ; which 
 I find indeed, as I have heard you often defend in word, neither 
 so hard nor so harsh, that it will not easily and fairly yield 
 itself to our mother tongue.' 
 
 However, it was no doubt mainly owing to Harvey's 
 authority and influence, that the hexameter enjoyed a con- 
 siderable vogue during the reign of Elizabeth. Before giving 
 specimens of his work and that of his followers, I will first 
 mention the names of some of the foreign versifiers who led the 
 way in this enterprize. Dr Karl Elze, in his Programm on 
 Der Englische Hexameter (Dessau, 1867), says that Italy first 
 set the fashion with Leon Baptista Alberti (1404 1484); that 
 it was taken up in France by Etienne Jodelle (1532 1573), 
 Etienne Pasquier (1529 1615), and Antoine de Ba'if (1532 
 1589); and in Germany about the same time by Kolross, Birck, 
 and Gesner. Spain followed in the person of Villegas (1596 
 1669) 1 . 
 
 I return now to Harvey, whose verses afterwards met with 
 deserved ridicule from Greene and Nash. His Encomium Lauri 
 begins as follows : 
 
 What may I | call this | tree? A \ Laurell? | bonny Laurell: | 
 Needs to thy | bow will I | bow this | knee, and | vayle my bo|netto |. 
 
 His Speculum Tuscanismi thus : 
 
 Since Galajteo came | in, and | Tuscajnism gan | usurp; | 
 
 Vanitie a|bove all : | Villanie | next her : | Stateliness | empress : | 
 
 No Man | but Mi|nion, Stowte Lowte, Plaine | Swayne, quoth a Lording : | 
 
 No words | but valo|rous, no | deeds but | womanish | only. | 
 
 A somewhat better example is 
 
 Virtue | sendeth a | man to rejnown, fame | lendeth a|bundance | 
 Fame with a|bundance j maketh a | man thrice | blessed and | happy | . 
 
 We have two elegiac couplets from Spenser, who seems to 
 have soon wearied of the experiment : 
 
 1 Specimens of Jodelle, Pasquier and Villegas will be found in Southey, 
 Appendix to Vision of Judgement.
 
 264 ON ENGLISH METRE. 
 
 See ye the | bliudfol|ded prfitty | God, that | feathered | archer, | 
 Of lovers nrise|rie.s || which maketh | his bloody | game? | 
 
 Wot ye why | his mojther with a | veil hath | covered | his face? | 
 Trust me, | lest he my | love || happily | chance to be|hold. | 
 
 Sir Philip Sidney is far better in 
 
 First shall | fertile | grounds not | yield in|crease of a | good seed, | 
 First the | rivers shall | cease to re|pay their j floods to the | ocean, | 
 First shall | virtue be | vice, and | beauty be | counted a | blemish, | 
 Ere that I | leave with | song of | praise her | praise to sojlemuize. | 
 
 But he is also responsible for the following: 
 
 Lady reserved by the j heaven to | do pastOrs' | companies | honour 1 , | 
 Joining | your sweet | voice to the | rural | muse of a | desert, | 
 Here you | fully do | find this \ strange operation | of love, | 
 How to the | woods Love | runs, as | well as | rides to the | palace, | 
 Neither he | bears rever|ence to a | prince nor pi|ty to a | beggar. | 
 
 * * * # 
 
 But, | happy be | you, which | safe from | firy re|flection | 
 Of Phce|bus violence, in | shade of | sweet Cypajrissus, | 
 
 Or pleas|ant myr|tell, may | teach the unjfortunate | Echo | 
 
 In these | woods to rejsouud the re|nowned | name of a | goddess. | 
 
 * * * * 
 
 Self-lost | in wan|dring, banish|ed that J place we do | corne from. [ 
 
 * * * # 
 Opprest | with rui|nous conjceits by the | help of an | outcry. | 
 
 Worst of all is 'the learned Mr Stanyhurst ' in his translation 
 of Virgil, published at Leyden in 1582, in which it is difficult 
 to find anything intelligible for quotation. The following is a 
 favourable specimen, 
 
 Now do they | raise ghast|ly light|nlngs, now | grisly re|bouridings j 
 
 Of ruff|-raff roar|!ng, mens | hearts with j terror algrizing, | 
 
 With pell|-mell rampjmg, with | thwick-thwack | sturdily | thundering | . 
 
 Webbe in his Discourse of English Poetrie, 1586, gives a trans- 
 lation of the First Eclogue of Virgil, from which I take the 
 following : 
 
 That same | city so | brave, which | Rome was | wont to be | called, I 
 Fool, did I | think to be | like this of | ours, where | we to the | pastures | 
 Wonted | were to re \ move from | dams our | young prgtty | cattle | . 
 
 1 Or should we make the 4th foot a trochee, adding ' do ' to the 3rd ? This 
 would give a line without a caesura.
 
 THE HEXAMETER AND PENTAMETER. 265 
 
 Our last quotation shall be from Abraham Fraunce, Fellow of 
 St John's College, Cambridge, who translated Watson's Latin 
 poem Amyntas in 1591. Mr Courthope (Hist, of Eng. Poetry, 
 vol. II. p. 299) speaks of it as 'the only example of the style 
 possessing the slightest pretensions to elegance,' and quotes the 
 following passage ' as shewing a sense of grace and beauty.' 
 
 Hollow | caves, ragg'd | rocks, waste | hills, green | watery | fountains | 
 
 For pity | sweetly re|ply, and | answers | make to my | mourning. | 
 
 Strong oak | tall pinejtree, green | laurel, | beautiful | ivy | 
 
 Shake their | leaves for | grief and j bend their | boughs to my | groaning. | 
 
 Only that | one, in j whom my | joys are | only rejposed, | 
 
 Yields no | lovely re|ply, no | answer | makes to my | mourning | 
 
 The discords of these early hexameters were not unper- 
 ceived by contemporary critics, nor even, in some cases, by 
 the authors themselves. Thus Ascham writes (Schoolmaster, 
 p. 178), 'Carmen Hexametrum doth rather trotte and hoble 
 than run smoothly in our English tong.' Spenser in his letter 
 to Harvey says, ' The only or chiefest hardness is in the accent, 
 which sometime gapeth and as it were yawneth ill-favouredly ; 
 coming short of that it should, and sometime exceeding the 
 measure of the number; as in "carpenter," the middle syllable 
 being used short in speech, when it shall be read long in verse, 
 seemeth like a lame gosling, that draweth one leg after her ; 
 and "heaven," being used short as one syllable, when it is in 
 verse stretched out with a diastole, is like a lame dog that 
 holds up one leg. But it is to be won with custom, and rough 
 words must be subdued with use. For why, a God's name, 
 may not we, as well as 1 the Greeks, have the kingdom of our 
 own language, and measure our accents by the sound, reserving 
 the quantity of the verse ? ' Harvey in reply maintains that 
 the common pronunciation should be adhered to in verse ; but 
 quantity seems to be the ruling principle in many of the ex- 
 amples given above. 
 
 Nash is perhaps the most severe of the critics. In his 
 answer to Harvey's Four Letters, he writes : ' The hexameter 
 verse I grant to be a gentlemen of an ancient house so is 
 many an English beggar yet this clime of ours he cannot 
 
 1 Printed ' else ' in the editions.
 
 ON ENGLISH METRE. 
 
 thrive in : our speech is too craggy for him to set his plough 
 in : he goes twitching and hopping in our language, like a man 
 running upon quagmires, up the hill in one syllable, and down 
 the dale in another, retaining no part of that stately smooth 
 gait which he vaunts himself with among the Greeks and 
 Latins.' With special reference to Stauihurst he writes in 
 1589, that his 'heroical poetry recalled to life whatever hissed 
 barbarism hath been buried this hundred year, and revived by 
 his ragged quill such carterly variety as no hodge ploughman 
 in a country but would have held as the extreme of clownery' : 
 and again in 1592, ' Master Stanihurst, though otherwise 
 learned, trod a foul, lumbering, boisterous, wallowing measure 
 in his translation of Virgil V 
 
 The extraordinary development of the English iambic in 
 the hands of such masters as Spenser, Shakespeare, and Milton, 
 drove out all thought of the hexameter, and we hear no more 
 of it till 1737, when an anonymous translation of two of the 
 Eclogues of Virgil appeared, shewing no improvement on the 
 older experiments. Take as an example, 
 
 The city | called Ro|ma, Meli|baeus I | simply i|magined | 
 
 Our city I resemb|llng, whither | oft we | swains are ac|customed | 
 
 Our ten|der proge|ny of | ewes to ] drive to the | market. | 
 
 Then about the year 1760 Goldsmith, in an essay on Versi- 
 fication, undertakes the defence of the hexameter. ' It is 
 generally supposed,' he says, 'that the genius of the English 
 language will not admit of Greek or Latin measure ; but this, 
 we apprehend, is a mistake owing to the prejudice of educa- 
 tion.' ' Sir Philip Sidney is said to have miscarried in his 
 essays ; but his miscarriage was no more than that of failing in 
 an attempt to introduce a new fashion... We have seen several 
 late specimens of English hexameters and sapphics, so happily 
 composed, that by attaching them to the idea of ancient 
 
 1 In Schipper's Englische Metrik, p. 445 n., there is a tentative bibliography 
 of English Hexameter Verse. In it we find the names of John Dickenson, who 
 brought out his Shepherd's Complaint (a poem of no special interest) in 1596, 
 and Thomas Edwards, the author of Cephalus and Procris, which appeared 
 in 1595. The latter however is in heroics, not, as stated, in hexameters.
 
 THE HEXAMETER AND PENTAMETER. 267 
 
 measure, we found them in all respects as melodious and agree- 
 able to the ear as the works of Virgil and Anacreon or Horace.' 
 I am unable to think of any English poem to which Gold- 
 smith can be here alluding. In Germany, it is true, there had 
 been a new birth of the hexameter in 1748, the year in which 
 Klopstock brought out the first three cantos of the Messiah ; 
 and this was followed by the Vossian translation of the Odyssey 
 in 1781, and by Goethe's Hermann und Dorothea, in which the 
 German hexameter reached its culminating point, in the year 
 1797. Nor was it long before an echo was awakened in 
 England. Before the end of the century Coleridge and William 
 Taylor of Norwich began to translate from the German, and 
 also to produce original hexameters. It will suffice to quote a 
 few lines from Taylor's versification of Ossian, published in the 
 Monthly Magazine for June 1796 : 
 
 Thou who | rollst in the j firmament | round as the | shield of my | fathers | 
 Whence is thy | girdle of | glory, O | Sun, and thy I light everlasting ? | 
 Forth thou | com'st in thy j awful | beauty ; the | stars at thy | rising | 
 Haste to their | azure pa|vilions ; the | moon sinks | pale in the | waters. 
 
 Coleridge is rougher at first, but achieves a more perfect and 
 varied harmony in his later pieces. In Mahomet he seems to 
 be trying a prentice hand : 
 
 Prophet and | priest, who \ scatter'd a| broad both | evil and | blessing, | 
 Huge wasteful | empires | founded, and | hallowed | slow persecution | 
 Soul-wither|ing, but | crushed the | blasphemous | rites of the | Pagan | 
 
 In his translation from Stolberg, assigned to the same year 
 (1799) by J. D. Campbell, he attains a higher level : 
 
 Travelling the | vale with mine | eyes green | meadows and | lake with 
 
 grSen j island | 
 
 Dark in its | basin of | rock, and the | bare stream | flowing in | brightness, | 
 Thrilled with thy | beauty and | love in the | wooded | slope of the | 
 
 mountain, | 
 Here, great | mother, I | lie, thy j child with his | head on thy bosom | 
 
 Still better is his translation of Schiller's lines, and indeed in 
 my opinion far superior to the original, which I quote for the 
 purpose of comparison :
 
 268 ON ENGLISH MKTRE. 
 
 Schwindelnd | tragt er dich | fort auf | rastlos | stroinenden | Wogen : 
 Hinter dir | siehst du, du | siehst || vor dir nur | Himmel and | Meer. | 
 
 Strongly it | bears us a,long in | swelling and | limitless | billows, | 
 Nothing be|fore and | nothing be|hind, but the | sky and the | ocean. | 
 
 Before going on to consider the further development of the 
 English hexameter, it may be well here to point out in what 
 respects it differs from the ancient hexameter, ' Dactylic Hexa- 
 meter Catalectic,' in which the last dactyl loses its final syllable, 
 so as to give a line consisting of five dactyls and a trochee ; 
 but, as the final syllable of a verse was indifferently long or 
 short, the final trochee might always be a spondee. Of the five 
 dactyls which remain, the fifth must, as a rule, remain a dactyl ; 
 the first four may be indifferently dactyls or spondees. Some- 
 times a spondee is used in the fifth foot; but then, to give 
 weight to the exceptional rhythm, the two last feet are 
 generally contained in a single word, and the fourth foot is in 
 most cases a dactyl. In the fragments of Ennius we find one 
 or two verses without a single dactyl. The only instance in 
 later writers seems to be one from Catullus : 
 
 Si te lenirem nobis neu conarere. 
 
 But, to make a verse, it is not enough to place side by side six 
 feet of the kind mentioned, as in the line of Ennius, 
 
 Sparsis hastis longis campus splendet et horret. 
 
 For the beauty and harmony of the verse caesura is necessary 
 i.e., in some part or parts of the verse, the end of a word must 
 coincide with the middle of a foot. The best and most common 
 caesura in the dactylic hexameter is where the division occurs 
 after the fifth half-foot, as in 
 
 Tityre | tu patujlae || recujbans sub | tegmine \ fagi, | 
 
 where there are also two subordinate caesuras after tu and 
 recubans. But the caesura in the third foot is sufficient by 
 itself to produce a perfectly harmonious verse, as in 
 
 Illius | immen|sae || ru|perunt | horrea | messes, j 
 
 To avoid monotony the best poets seek variety of rhythm 
 by other caesuras. Next in power to the caesura after the fifth
 
 THE HEXAMETER AND PENTAMETER. 269 
 
 half-foot, comes that after the seventh half-foot ; but to give a 
 proper verse, this caesura must be combined with others, as in 
 
 Quid facilat lae|tas segejtes || quo | sidere | terrain I 1 . 
 
 It is unnecessary to go into further minutiae here. The 
 main differences between the rules for the Latin and the 
 English metre are : (1) the substitution of accent for quantity, 
 (2) the substitution of the trochee for the spondee. As to the 
 former we have seen that there was a diversity of opinion and 
 practice in the Elizabethan age ; and even in the Victorian age 
 some have advocated the return to the principle of quantity, as 
 Cay ley in the Transactions of the Philological Society, 1862, 
 Pt. I. p. 67 full. I quote a specimen of his quantitative line, 
 marking the syllables in which quantity is at variance with the 
 natural accent : 
 
 Ah me ! great mourning for Achaean land is appointed : 
 These were glad tidings for Priamus and for his household, 
 And his either Tro|jans would at | heart be dearly delighted, 
 Could they but be apprised of this contention between you. 
 
 The same is done by Spedding, quoted in Matthew Arnold's 
 book On Translating Homer, pp. 150, 154, 
 
 Verses | so modulate, so | tuned, so | varied in | accent, j 
 Rich with un|expec|ted chanjges, smooth | stately so|norous, | 
 Rolling e[ver for, ward, tidejlike with | thunder in | endless | 
 Proces|sion, com|plex m81o|dies, pause, | quantity, | accent ; | 
 After | Virgilijan precedent and | practice in | order. | 
 
 # * * 
 
 Softly comjeth slum|ber clos|lng th' o'er] wearied | eyelid | 
 
 See also below on Mr Stone. 
 
 But the vast preponderance of opinion is in favour of the 
 accent as the determining principle of the rhythm of the 
 English hexameter, while not denying the influence of quantity 
 in subordination to the former. It is a fault, as Arnold says 
 (p. 83), to force the quantity and abuse the accent by shorten- 
 ing long syllables and lengthening short ones ; but it is a far 
 worse fault to require the removal of the accent from its 
 natural place to an unnatural one, in order to make the line 
 
 1 Abbreviated from H. A. J. Munro's account of Latin Prosody, given at the 
 end of the Public School Grammar.
 
 270 ON ENGLISH METRE. 
 
 scan. While it is advisable to construct all verses so that by 
 reading them naturally tbat is, according to the sense and 
 legitimate accent the reader gets the right rhythm ; it is still 
 more imperative to keep intact the accent in the hexameter, 
 avoiding such a rhythm as that in Spenser's line 
 
 Wot ye why | his mo|th6r with a | veil hath | covered | his face ? | 
 where 'not only is the reader causelessly required to make 
 havoc with the natural accentuation, in order to make it run 
 as a hexameter, but also, in nine cases out of ten, he will be 
 utterly at a loss how to perform the process required, and the 
 line will remain a mere monster for him.' We have examples 
 of both faults in the lines above quoted from Coleridge's 
 Mahomet, which begin ' Huge wasteful ' and ' Soul-withering.' 
 Other examples from later poets will be found below. 
 
 The second point of difference between the Latin and the 
 English hexameter arises from the fact of the comparative 
 rarity of the accentual spondee. This is however not unfre- 
 quently employed with good effect in Kingsley's Andromeda, e.g. 
 
 Such in her | stature and | eyes and the | broad white | light of her | 
 
 forehead, | 
 Stately she | came from her | place, and she | spoke in the | midst of the | 
 
 people : | 
 'Pure are my | hands from | blood : most | pure this | heart in my | 
 
 bosom. | 
 Yet one | fault I re|member this | day, one | word I have | spoken.' | 
 
 The want of inflexions and the prevalence of monosyllables 
 are two other causes which differentiate the English hexameter 
 not only from the Latin, but from the German also. The want 
 of inflexions controls the order of the words ; the prevalence of 
 monosyllables tends to make the close of the word coincide 
 with the close of the foot. The latter difficulty has perhaps 
 been exaggerated by foreign critics, such as Dr Elze, the con- 
 nexion between article and noun, pronoun and verb, preposition 
 and noun, being so intimate as almost to melt them into one. 
 
 I go on now to give examples of the theory and practice of 
 the writers of English hexameters during the 19th century. 
 Southey, who claims to lead the way, 
 
 'I first adventure, follow me who list.'
 
 THE HEXAMETER AND PENTAMETER. 271 
 
 but who only followed in the wake of W. Taylor and Coleridge, 
 says, in the Preface to his Vision of Judgement (published in 
 1821), that he had been long of opinion 'that an English 
 metre might be constructed in imitation of the ancient hexa- 
 meter, which would be perfectly consistent with the character 
 of our language, and capable of great richness, variety, and 
 strength.' As a pattern he quotes a verse of the Psalms, 
 originally pointed out by Harris of Salisbury as a natural and 
 perfect hexameter, 
 
 Why do the | heathen | rage and the | people i|magine a | vain thing ? | 1 
 
 Beside the change of the spondee into the trochee, Southey 
 says that, in order to avoid monotony, he has taken the liberty 
 ' of using any foot of two or three syllables at the beginning of 
 the line ; and sometimes, though less frequently, in the 2nd, 
 3rd, or 4th place.' Speaking of the Elizabethan hexameter, he 
 says it was a failure, because ' Sidney and his followers wished 
 to subject the English pronunciation to the rules of Latin 
 prosody,' and that, while it is 'difficult to reconcile the public 
 to a new tune in verse, it is plainly impossible to reconcile 
 them to a new pronunciation. There was the further obstacle 
 of unusual and violent elisions; and moreover, the easy and 
 natural order of our speech was distorted by the frequent use 
 of forced inversions, which are utterly improper in an unin- 
 flected language.' 
 
 Southey has some very beautiful verses, such as 
 
 Fade, like the | hopes of | youth, till the | beauty of | earth is de|parted. | 
 Dark and dis|tinct they | rose. The } clouds had | gathered a|bove them, | 
 High in the | middle | air, huge j purple | pillowy | masses, | 
 While in the west be|yond was the | last pale I tint of the | twilight. | 
 
 1 Dr Guest's criticism of this line is on a par with his other judgments on 
 things rhythmical. 'Properly read,' he says, 'the accent should be on and and 
 thing ' ! 
 
 Two other excellent hexameters have been discovered in the Authorized 
 Version : 
 
 God is gone | up with a | shout, the | Lord with the | sound of the | trumpet. | 
 How art thou | fallen from | heaven, | Lucifer | son of the | Morning | . 
 
 To which Mr Reginald Haines in an article in N. and Q. for June 29, 1901, 
 adds several other examples.
 
 272 ON ENGLISH METRE. 
 
 But I do not think his licenses have always a good effect. 
 Compare for the initial pyrrhic 1 : 
 
 'Tis & | deep drill | sound, that is | heavy and | mournful at-| all times, | 
 
 For It | tells of mortality | always. But | heavier | this day | 
 
 Fell on the | conscious | ear its | deeper and | mournfuller | import | . 
 
 Still less satisfactory is the pyrrhic in the 2nd foot, with initial 
 iambic, as in 
 
 Here, | lost in their | promise | 
 And prime, | wfire th.8 | children of | art, who should | else have delivered I 
 
 * * * * 
 
 N5r least j f5r th8 j hope and the | strength that I | gathered in | boyhood | 
 
 and what appear to be amphibrachs in the 1st foot, as 
 
 That not f6r | lawless de|sires nor j goaded by I desperate | fortunes j 
 
 * * * * 
 
 And Shakespeare | who in our | hearts for him|self hath cre|ated an | 
 empire | . 
 
 In the following we seem to have iambs in other feet beside 
 the 1st : 
 
 Hear heaven | y8 an (gels hear , souls of the | good and the | wicked | 
 
 and possibly a molossus and cretic in these : 
 
 Armed the ] chemist's | hand : well then | might Elu|sinian | Ceres | 
 And my | feet me'thought | sunk, and I | fell pre|cipitate, | starting | 
 
 Southey is also faulty in the management of the caesura, 
 which is altogether wanting in 
 
 And the | regions of | Paradise | sphere within | sphere inter|circled | 
 So by the | unseen | comforted | raised I my | head in ojbedience | 
 
 and in elision, or slurring, as in 
 
 His reverend | form up|rose, heaven|ward his | face was directed | 
 In the | Orient and | Occident | known from | Tagus to | Tigris | 2 
 
 1 In the lines which follow I mark what seems to me the true accentuation, 
 where it is opposed to the metre, not feeling sure how they would have been 
 pronounced by Southey. 
 
 2 There is one line of Southey 's which I was at first unable to scan. It is 
 thus given in the one- volume edition of his works 
 
 Tier over | tier, they | took A | place a|loft in the j distance | 
 but on looking in the ten-volume edition I found the missing syllable supplied 
 by their.
 
 THE HEXAMETER AND PENTAMETER. 273 
 
 Coleridge is more moderate in the licenses he claims (p. 
 615 n.), viz. the use of cretic, instead of the dactyl (provided 
 that the accent on the 1st syllable is stronger than that on the 
 third), and anacrusis at the beginning of the line. This license 
 would cover Southey's initial amphibrach. As examples we 
 may take from the Hymn to the Earth: 
 
 Forth yS sweet | sounds from my | harp, and my | voice shall | float on 
 
 your | surges | 
 
 Was it not | well with thee | then, when | first thy | lap was un|girdled, | 
 Thy) lap to the | genial | Heaven the | day that he | woo'd thee and | 
 
 won thee | 
 
 Southey was followed by Hookham Frere who, in 1824, sent 
 a friend some English hexameters ' of the right sort without 
 false quantities,' of which I subjoin a specimen : 
 
 Malta, sovereign isle, the destined seat and asylum 
 
 Of) chivalry, honour, and arms, the nursing mother of heroes, 
 
 Mirror of ancient days, monumental trophy, recording 
 
 All that of old was felt or feared or achieved or attempted, 
 
 When proud Europe's strength, restored with the slumber of ages, 
 
 Roused, and awoke to behold the triumphant impious empire 
 
 Throned in the East : 
 
 In 1830 he tried the same metre in translating a chorus of 
 the Frogs beginning, 
 
 Now may the powers of earth give a safe and speedy departure 
 
 To the) Bard at his second birth, with a prosperous happy revival, 
 
 And may the city fatigued with wars and long revolution, 
 
 At) length be brought to return to just and wise resolutions, 
 
 Long in peace to remain. Let restless Cleophon hasten 
 
 Far from amongst us here : since wars are his only diversion, 
 
 Thrace, his native land, will afford him wars in abundance. 
 
 Frere introduces these lines with the following remarks : 
 ' The reader may perhaps observe an irregularity in the second 
 line what the grammarians call an anacrusis, i.e. unaccented 
 syllables prefixed to the first ictus. This would be inadmissible in 
 the regular classical hexameter ; but the irregularity is so little 
 offensive to the ear, that the writer, in other attempts to 
 construct English hexameters, has found himself, in more than 
 one instance, falling into it. He has therefore preferred to 
 M. M. 18
 
 274 ON ENGLISH METRE. 
 
 leave it as it stands, an instance of the liberty which may be 
 deemed allowable in adapting to the English language this 
 difficult but by no means impracticable metre.' 
 
 In 1841 Longfellow published his translation of Tegner's 
 poem on the Children of the Lord's Supper, written in Swedish 
 hexameters ; in the preface to which he says, ' The translation 
 is literal, perhaps to a fault....I have preserved even the 
 measure, that inexorable hexameter, in which it must be con- 
 fessed the motions of the English Muse are not unlike those of 
 a prisoner dancing in his chains.' As, in 1847, he produced a 
 more important poem in the same metre, viz. the well-known 
 Evangeline, and again at a later date the Courtship of Miles 
 Standish, we may suppose that further experience modified his 
 earlier doubts as to the employment of this line. The follow- 
 ing passage from Evangeline may serve to illustrate his rhythm, 
 which is, I think, both smoother and, at the same time, more 
 varied than Southey's. 
 
 Then came the | labourers | home from the | field, and se|renely the | sun 
 
 sank | 
 
 Down to his | rest, and | twilight prevailed. A|non from the | valley I 
 Softly the | Angelus | sounded, and | over the | roofs of the | village | 
 Columns of | pale blue | smoke, like | clouds of | incense as|cending | 
 Rose from a | hundred | hearths, the | homes of | peace and conjtentment. | 
 
 He is not however free from faults of accentuation and dis- 
 regard of quantity, as in 
 
 Lay in a fruitful | valley. Vast | meadows | stretched to the | eastward | 
 Yet under | Benedict's | roof hospitality | seemed more a]bundant | 
 That thS | dying | heard it and | started | up from their | pillows | 
 That the" | angel of | death might | see the | sign and pass | over | 
 Then through those | realms of | shade in | multiplied | reverberations | 
 Afterwards | wh6n all was | finished the | teacher re|entered the | chancel | 
 Enter | not with a | lie on life's | journey ; the | multitude | hears you | 
 Beautiful, | and in his | hand a | lily ; on | life's roaring | billows | . 
 
 Caesura also is sometimes wanting, as in 
 
 Such as the | peasants of | Normandy | built in the | reign of the | Henries | 
 Numberless | noisy | weathercocks | rattled and | sang of mu|tation | 
 
 Iii the same year, 1847, appeared English Hexameter Trans- 
 lations, chiefly by Whewell, Julius Hare, Sir John Herschel,
 
 THE HEXAMETER AND PENTAMETER. 275 
 
 and Hawtrey. About one-fourth of the volume consists of 
 Elegiacs. In the preface it is said, that the poems, having 
 been written by several persons at various times, will probably 
 shew discrepancies in the versification. 'It is believed, how- 
 ever, that these are slight ; for all the pieces are executed with 
 the intention that the lines being read according to the natural 
 and ordinary pronunciation, shall run into accentual hexameters 
 or pentameters Such verses may be no less acceptable to the 
 English, than they have long been to the German poetical ear, 
 and may be found suited in our language, as well as in its 
 sister speech, to the most earnest and elevated kinds of poetry.' 
 The longest piece (occupying 140 pages out of 275) is Whewell's 
 translation of Hermann and Dorothea, which cannot, I think, be 
 considered a great success. The reader is never beguiled into 
 forgetting that it is a translation from the German. It con- 
 tains several examples of initial pyrrhic or iamb, as 
 
 For thS | rest held still their | way, and | hastily | passed on | 
 For so | Fear with her | abject | chill creeps | into the | bosom, | 
 And dark | Care, which to | me far | worse than the | evil it|self is. | 
 And the* | careful | dame brought | forth of the | generous | liquor | 
 In thS | rich cut | flask, on the | bright clear | circle of I metal, | 
 With the" | goblets | green, the | genuine | glass of the | Rhine wine. | 
 With keen | look full- [fixed on his | brow the | minister | scanned him | 
 
 Sometimes the accentuation is wrong in the other feet : 
 
 For we | two made our | choice not | In days | 5f re|joicing | 
 Which, bejfore sun rise is | felt, had | woke me from | slumber | 
 Then comes | eve and | fr5m all | sides and in | every | corner | 
 Mother in | vain it | will then | bg that | wealthy possessions | 
 
 Far better than this is Hawtrey's translation from the 
 Third Iliad, which Matthew Arnold praises as ' the most suc- 
 cessful attempt hitherto made at rendering Homer into 
 English ' : 
 
 Clearly the | rest I bejhold of the | dark-eyed | sons of Ajchaia ; | 
 Known to me | well are the | faces of | all ; their | names I re| member; | 
 Two, two | only re)main, whom I | see not a]mong the com|manders, | 
 Castor | fleet in the | car, Poly]deukes | brave with the | cestus, 
 Own dear | brethren of | mine ; one | parent | loved us as ] infants. | 
 Are they not \ here in the | host, from the j shores of | loved Lakejdaimon? | 
 
 182
 
 276 ON ENGLISH METRE. 
 
 Or, though they | came with the | rest in | ships that | bound through 
 
 the | waters, 
 
 Dare they not | enter the | fight or | stand in the | council of | Heroes, | 
 All for | fear of the | shame and the | taunts my | crime has a| wakened ? | 
 So said | she ; long | since they in | Earth's soft | amis were re|posing, | 
 There in their | own dear | land, their | Father|land, Lake|daimoii. | l 
 
 Lancelot Shadwell brought out his translation of the Iliad 
 three years before the appearance of Evangeline. The rhythm, 
 as seen in the following lines, is not bad, but his taste is 
 atrocious, as shewn in the selection of such forms as Luky, 
 Ily, Fthia to represent the Greek Avtcirj, "I\iov, <&0ir). 
 
 First on the mules and the dogs fell thickly the murderous shower ; 
 Next on themselves the destructive darts, wide-wastefully wounding, 
 Light 2 ; and the funeral piles were daily and nightly rekindled. 
 Nine days long through the camp ranged fiercely the shafts of Apollo. 
 
 In the year 1848 appeared Clough's Bothie of Tober-na- 
 Vuolich, a serio-comic poem which, harsh and rugged as it 
 occasionally is, still shews, I am disposed to think, a freedom 
 and a mastery over the resources of the English hexa- 
 meter, such as is not to be found in any other example 
 of the metre. Compared with Hawtrey's and Kingsley's more 
 correct and musical measures, Clough's measure is like that of 
 Horace's Epistles compared to the Aeneid, only that Clough 
 often rises out of the conversational tone into real passion and 
 emotion. Dr Elze has, I think, a little misunderstood this, 
 when he treats the Bothie as a burlesque, and asks, Where is 
 the humour in a trochaic line, like 
 
 At the | last I ! told him | all, I | could not j help it ? | 
 
 But there is no intention to be humorous here : it is inten- 
 tional negligence, like that shewn in Shakespeare's use of the 
 feminine rhythm, see above on Hamlet (p. 196 foil.). 
 
 1 Arnold changes ' Lakedaimon ' into ' Lacedaemon ' ' in obedience to niy own 
 rule that every thing odd should be avoided in rendering Homer, the most 
 natural and least odd of poets.' He also changes, without remark, the order of 
 words in the last line but one, reading ' they long since,' I suppose, in order to 
 emphasize the contrast between ' she ' and ' they ' ; but this gives a less 
 harmonious third foot. 
 
 2 An attempt to reproduce the rhythm of the Greek, 
 
 /3d\\'' cu'el S irvpcd vtKtiuv xalovro 6a/j.eiai.
 
 THE HEXAMETER AND PENTAMETER. 277 
 
 It is interesting to read dough's own estimate of the hexa- 
 meter, written for an American magazine in 1853 (Life, I. p. 
 396 f.). He speaks there of Longfellow as having attuned the 
 ears of his countrymen on both sides of the Atlantic to the flow 
 and cadence of this hitherto unacceptable measure. It was in 
 fact the reading of Evangeline which induced him to try the 
 hexameter himself (vol. I. 136). While allowing the excellence 
 of Hawtrey's translation, he holds that Homer's rounded line 
 and Virgil's smooth verse were both of them ' totally unlike 
 those lengthy, straggling, irregular, uncertain slips of prose 
 mesaree, which we find it so hard to measure, so easy to read in 
 half a dozen ways, without any assurance of the right. Is 
 
 Conticuere omnes intentique ora tenebant 
 the same thing as 
 Hab' ich den Markt und die Strasse doch nicht so einsam gesehen ? 
 
 Is the following a metrical sequence : 
 
 Thus in the ancient time the smooth Virgilian verses 
 Fell on the listening ear of the Roman princes and people. 
 Ut belli signum Laurenti Turnus ab arce? 
 
 ' There is one line, one example of the smooth Virgilian 
 verse, which perhaps Mr Longfellow would have allowed him- 
 self to use 
 
 Spargens humida mella soporiferumque papaver ; 
 
 yet even this most exceptionable form, with its special aim at 
 expressing by an adaptation of sound to sense the 
 
 Scattering of | liquid | honey and | sopojriferous j poppy, 
 
 is a model of condensation, brevity, smoothness, and nettete, 
 compared with that sprawling bit of rhythmical prose into 
 which I have turned it.' 
 
 As specimens of his own verse we may take the following : 
 
 Scarcely with | warmer | hearts and | clearer | feeling of | manhood, | 
 
 Even in | tournay and | foray and j fray and j regular | battle, | 
 
 Where the | life and the | strength came | out in the | tug and the | tussle ] 
 
 In the | grand old | tfmes of | b6ws and | bflls and | claymore | 
 At the old | Flodden | field or I Bannockburn | or Culjloden |
 
 278 ON ENGLISH METRE. 
 
 Better a | cowslip with | earth than a | prize car|nation with|out it. | 
 ' That I al|low,' said | Adam. But | he with the | bit in his | teeth, scarce | 
 Breathed a brief | moment, and | hurried ex|ultingly | on with his | rider, | 
 Far over | hillock and | runnel and | bramble, a|way in the | champaign, | 
 Snorting de|fiance and | force, the | white foam | flecking his | flanks, the | 
 Rein hanging | loose to his | neck and | head proljecting be|fore him : j 
 Oh, if they ] knew and considered, un|happy ones; | Oh, could they | see, 
 
 could | 
 
 But for a | moment dis|cern, how the | blood of true j gallantry | kindles, | 
 How the old | knightly re|ligion, the | chivalry | semi-quix|otic | 
 Stirs in the | veins of a | man at | seeing some | delicate | woman | 
 Serving him, | toiling for | him and the | world 
 
 I add one specimen from Amours de Voyage, p. 337 
 
 Tibur is | beautiful | too, and the | orchard slopes and the | Anio | 
 Falling, | falling | yet, to the | ancient | lyrical | cadence ; | 
 Tibur and | Anio's | tide ; and | cool from Lu|cretilis I ever, | 
 With the Di|geutiau | stream and | with the Ban|dusian | fountain, | 
 Folded in j Sabine re|cesses, the | valley and | villa, of | Horace. 
 
 It will be noticed that one of the above lines and, I think, a 
 very fine one, is made up of six trochees, but such a line is 
 seldom satisfactory, considered by itself: compare that condemned 
 by Dr Elze, 
 
 At the ! last I | told him | all. I | could not | help it | 
 which however, if read slowly with the proper pauses, expresses 
 very well the feeling of utter surrender which belongs to the 
 passage. 
 
 Another example is in p. 216, which is also unbroken by 
 caesura, 
 
 Boudoir, | toilette, | carriage, | drawing-jroom and | ball-room. | 
 
 In other lines enjambement is very marked, though not 
 quite to the same extent as in Amours de Voyage, p. 311 
 
 I know I 
 
 Yet shall | one time | feel the | strong cord | tighten a | bout me, | 
 Feel it, relentless, upjbear me from | spots I would | rest in ; and \ though 
 
 the | 
 
 Rope sway | wildly, I | faint, crags | wound me, from ] crag unto | crag re- 1 
 bounding, or | , wide in the | void, I | die ten j deaths ; ere the | end I | 
 Yet shall | plant firm | foot on the | broad lofty | spaces I | quit, shall | 
 Feel underjneath me a|gain the | great massy | strengths of abstraction |
 
 THE HEXAMETER AND PENTAMETER. 279 
 
 So in p. 319 we have a line ending in the middle of ' col- 
 lapse,' in 340 in the middle of 'enfolded.' Misplaced accent 
 and disregard of quantity are illustrated in two lines of the 
 above, and still more in the lines which follow, where I mark 
 the quantities, as I suppose Clough to have read them. 
 
 Two lengthjways in the | midst for | keeper and | gillie and | peasant | 
 Feudal | tenures | mercantile | lords, c5mpe|tition and | bishops | 
 But & nSw | thing was | in me and | longing de)licious possessed me | 
 Hither to | hideous | close, m6dSrn-|florid | modern-flne|lady | 
 Dishes and | fishes, bird, | beast and sesquipedalian | blackguard | 
 Thirdly, a | Cambridge | man I | knew, Smith, a | senior wrangler | 1 
 Pass sl5wly j o'er them, ye | days of Oc]tober, ye | soft, misty ] mornings | 
 Scarce by a channel deep-|cut, raging | up and | raging | onward | 
 Doubtless some|where in some | neighbourhood | have, and are | careful 
 to | keep, some | 
 
 The first foot is frequently an iamb, sometimes an amphi- 
 brach, or trochee with anacrusis : compare 
 
 Ye Gods | what do I | want with this | rubbish of | ages dejparted ? | 
 
 At last, | dearest Lou|isa, I | take up my ] pen to ad| dress you | 
 
 And surely | seldom have | Scotch and | English more I thoroughly | 
 
 mingled | 
 
 However | so it must j be, and | after due | pause of | silence | 
 The Nea|politan | army, and j thus exjplains the proceeding | 
 Would) mix in it|self with | me, and | change me, I | felt myself | changing j 
 
 In one line we have to admit anacrusis of two syllables, or 
 to treat it as anapaestic with feminine ending : 
 
 With a) mathematical | score hangs | out at | Inver|ary | 
 
 I have observed two instances of final truncation ; one of 
 which may be excused as a quotation : 
 
 The lions 
 Roaring | after their | prey do | seek their | meat from | God A | 
 
 The other, I think, must be a wrong reading : I should sug- 
 gest the addition of ' him' after ' resist.' 
 
 Laid her | hand on her | lap : Philip | took it ; she | did not re)sist A 
 
 So he rejtained her ] fingers, the | knitting being | stopped, but e|motion | 
 
 1 Or perhaps this should be scanned 
 Thirdly a | Cambridge | man I knew, | Smith, a | senior | wrangler | .
 
 280 ON ENGLISH METRE. 
 
 It will be noticed that in the last line ' being ' is treated as 
 a short monosyllable. We find the same thing in pp. 209, 262. 
 
 But while the | healths were being | drunk was | much tribu|lation and | 
 trouble | 
 
 Carrying | off and at | once for | fear of being | seen, in the | bosom | 
 Locking-up | as in a | cupboard the | pleasure that | any man | gives them | . 
 
 Similarly with other participles, as in p. 265 
 
 But I keep | saying in my | mind, this | long time | slowly with | trouble | 
 Eying through | eddying grgen | waters the ] green-tinting | floor under|neath 
 them | 
 
 The following instances of slurring are even harsher : 
 It was by | accident | purely I | lit on the place, j I was returning j 
 whether we assign 'place' to the 4th or 5th foot. 
 
 Ye un|happy sta|tuettes and | miserable | trinkets | 
 See thy | children's | children, and | democracy up|on New-|zealand I 
 O mister | Philip may it | never hereafter | seem to be | different! j 
 Permeates | far and | pierces to the | very | cellars | lying in | 
 Narrow, | high, back-llane and | court and | alley of | alleys | 
 
 In two of these lines the final foot 'is either slurred or a 
 dactyl. For other examples see Amours, p. 302 
 
 'Would to | heaven the old | Goths had | made a | cleaner | sweep of it | 
 O my | tolerant | soul be | still, but you talk of bar|bariaus 
 Each has to | eat for himlself, dijgest for him|self and in | general | 
 It is no | play but a | business. | Off go | teach and be | paid for it | 
 Georgy dejclares it abjsurd, but Mam|ma is ajlarmed, and in sists he has | 
 Taken up | strange o|pinions 
 
 The last license I will instance is the absence of caesura, 
 as in 
 
 Poor ala|baster | chimney-piece | ornaments | under glass | cases | 
 Highland | peasants gave | courteous | answer to | flattering | nobles | 
 
 The stimulus which led to the writing of the Bothie came, 
 as we have seen, from America. Its appearance in turn seems 
 to have led Longfellow to employ in his later poem of Miles 
 Standisli a rougher metre than that of Evangeline, and Bret 
 Harte's comic Stagedriver's Story was probably modelled upon 
 the Bothie. I quote a few lines
 
 THE HEXAMETER AND PENTAMETER. 281 
 
 Half-way | down the | Grade I felt, Sir, a | thrilling and creaking, | 
 Then a | lurch to one | side, as we | hung on the | bank of the | canon, | 
 Then looking | up the | road, I | saw in the | distance be|hind me | 
 The) oft' hind wheel of the coach, just | loosed from its | axle and I 
 
 following! | 
 
 One glance a|lone I | gave, then | gathered to|gether my | ribbons, | 
 Shouted, and | flung them out|spread on the | straining | necks of my | 
 
 cattle ; | 
 
 Screamed at the | top of my | voice, and | lashed the | air in my | fury, | 
 While down the ] Geiger | Grade on | three whSels the | vehicle | thundered. | 
 
 It is curious that Clough, after his great success in the 
 accentual hexameter, should have been tempted to try a 'meta- 
 phrase from the Odyssey, constructed upon the ancient prin- 
 ciple of quantity, ' so far as in our forward-rushing, consonant- 
 crushing, Anglo-savage enunciation, long and short can in any 
 kind be detected quantity attended to in the first instance, 
 and care also bestowed, in the second, to have the natural 
 accents very frequently laid upon syllables which the metrical 
 reading depresses.' For my own part I find these later hexa- 
 meters of the author of the Bothie melancholy reading, as 
 melancholy as the Bothie itself is delightful : compare Iliad I. 
 (vol. n. p. 465) 
 
 To re|press I came if |- practicable your | anger, | 
 
 Out of heaven, the j goddess, the white-armed | Hera, dejsired me, | 
 Solicijtous for the | good of the | one ajlike and the | other. | 
 Abstain from violence, put [ back the | sword in the | scabbard, | 
 Let op|probrious I words, if | neceslsary re|quite him. | 
 
 Actaeon (ib. p. 467) 
 
 Artemis, | Arcadijan wood-|rover, a'lone, hunt-|weary | 
 Unto a dell centring many | streamlets | her foot unjerring | 
 Had guijded. Plata|nus with | fig-tree | shaded a j hollow, | 
 Shaded a water|fall, where | pellu|cid, yet ajbundant, j 
 Streams from | perpetujal full-|flowing | sources a | current. | 
 
 The Lectures On Translating Homer, by Matthew Arnold, 
 appeared in 1861. He maintains there (p. 77) that the metre 
 which gives the best chance of preserving the general effect of 
 Homer is the hexameter, which, 'whether alone or with the 
 pentameter, possesses a movement, an expression, which no 
 metre hitherto in common use among us possesses.' After 
 praising Hawtrey's translation as the best which we have of
 
 282 ON ENGLISH METRE. 
 
 any part of Homer, he goes on to speak of dough's pastoral as 
 in two respects more like the Iliad than any other English 
 poem ; viz. ' in the rapidity of its movement, and the plainness 
 and directness of its style.' ' Mr dough's hexameters are ex- 
 cessively, needlessly rough; still... his composition produces a 
 sense in the reader, which Homer's composition also produces. . . 
 the sense of having, within short limits of time, a large portion 
 of human life presented to him, instead of a small portion.' 
 'His poem... has some admirable Homeric qualities; out-of- 
 door freshness, life, naturalness, buoyant rapidity' (p. 178). On 
 the other hand, of Longfellow he says (p. 82), ' the merit of the 
 manner and movement of Evangeline, when they are at their 
 best, is to be tenderly elegant ; and their fault, when they are 
 at their worst, is to be lumbering; but Homer's defect is not 
 lumberingness, neither is tender elegance his excellence. The 
 lumbering effect of most English hexameters is caused by their 
 being much too dactylic ; the translator must learn to use 
 spondees freely. Mr dough has done this, but he has not 
 sufficiently observed another rule... and that is, to have no lines 
 which will not read themselves.' 
 
 In his own verse Arnold frequently uses the liberty for 
 which he pleads in p. 151, of beginning the line with an iamb 
 instead of a trochee ; riot, I think, with entire success. Com- 
 pare p. 95 : 
 
 In the | plain there were | kindled a | thousand | fires : by | each one | 
 
 ThSre sat | fifty | men in the | ruddy | light of the | fire. | l 
 
 By their j chariots | stood the | steeds and | champed the white | barley | 
 
 and p. 97 : 
 
 And with | pity the | son of | Saturn | saw them bejwailing | 
 
 And he" | shook his | head and | thus ad|dressed his own | bosom : | 
 
 Ah, un|happy | pair, to | Peleus | why did we | give you, | 
 
 T6 a | mortal 1 ? but | ye are with|out old | age, and im [mortal. | 
 
 Was it that | ye, with | man, might | have your | thousands of | sorrows? 
 
 For than | man, in|deed, there | breathes no | wretcheder | creature | 
 
 6f all | living | things, that on | earth are j breathing and | moving | . 
 
 1 Mr Spedding having suggested that this line must have been intended to 
 be scanned with initial trochee, 'There sat,' Arnold declares (p. 251) that he 
 means it to have the usual pronunciation, giving a rhythm which may be 
 compared with Virgil's ' Veloces jaculo.'
 
 THE HEXAMETER AND PENTAMETER. 283 
 
 I prefer much the lines in which he adopts a more usual 
 rhythm, such as 
 
 In the bloody | dust, bejneath the | feet of their | foemen. | 
 
 Why dost thou prophesy | so my | death to me, Xanthus ? It | needs 
 
 not. 
 
 I of my|self know | well, that | here I am | destined to | perish, | 
 Far from my father and | mother | dear : for | all that I will not | 
 Stay this hand from | fight, till the | Trojans are | utterly | routed. | 
 
 The only fault which I find here is the absence of the 
 accent on ' that ' in the last line but one. 
 
 Kingsley's Andromeda, composed in 1852, may, I think, be 
 regarded as the most perfect example of the English hexameter. 
 In a poem of more than 450 lines, I have not noticed any discord 
 arising from false quantity or false accentuation. He indulges in 
 none of the licenses of which we have seen instances in other 
 hexameters ; and yet he knows how to preserve his verse from 
 monotony by means of his skilful use of the caesura and varied 
 combinations of dactyl, trochee and spondee 1 . The following 
 lines may be given as a specimen of his work. In the notes 
 which follow I have pointed out the number of dactyls and the 
 position of caesuras in each line. 
 
 1. Slowly she j went by the | ledge ; and the | maid was a|lone in the | 
 
 darkness, 
 
 2. Watching the | pulse of the | oars die | down, as her | own died | with 
 
 them. | 
 
 3. Tearless, [ dumb with a|maze she stood, as a | storm-stfmned | nest- 
 
 ling | 
 
 4. Fallen from | bough or from | cave lies | dumb, which the | home- 
 
 going | herdsman | 
 
 5. Fancies a | stone, till he | catches the | light of its \ terrified | eyeball. | 
 
 6. So through the | long long | hours the | maid stood | helpless and | 
 
 hopeless, | 
 
 7. Wide-eyed, | downward gazing in I vain at the | black, blank | dark- 
 
 ness. | 
 
 8. Feebly at | last she be|gan, while j wild thoughts | bubbled with, in 
 
 her : | 
 
 9. "Guiltless I | am: why | thus, then? Are | gods more | ruthless 
 
 than | mortals? | 
 
 1 Kingsley's theory of the hexameter, if it may be so called, is given in his 
 Life, vol. i. pp. 338349.
 
 284 ON ENGLISH METRE. 
 
 10. "Have they no | mercy for | yOuth? 116 | love for the | souls who 
 
 have | loved them ? | 
 
 11. "Even as | I loved | thee, drgad | sea, as I | played by thy | margin, | 
 
 12. "Blessing thy | wave as it | cooled me, thy j wind as it | breathed on 
 
 my | forehead." | 
 
 1. Has five dactyls. The principal caesura is after the 
 accented syllable in the 3rd foot, which may be described as 
 3rd foot masculine. There is a secondary caesura after 'slowly' 
 (1st foot feminine), also after 'alone' (5th foot masculine). For 
 the sake of brevity these will be denoted as .3 m., 1 f., 5 m. 
 2. Three dactyls. Caes. after 'down' (4 m.). 3. Two dactyls. 
 Caes. after 'stood' (4 m.); close of word and foot (for which I 
 use the word closure) after 'tearless' (1 cl.). 4. Four 
 
 dactyls. Caes. after 'dumb' (4 m.), secondary after 'cave' 
 (3 m.). 5. Five dactyls. Caes. after 'stone' (2 m.), secondary 
 after 'light' (4 m.). 6. Two dactyls. Caes. after 'hours' 
 (3 m.), closure after 'stood ' (cl. 4). 7. Two dactyls. Caes. 
 after 'vain' (4 m.), secondary after 'black' (5 m.) ; cl. after 
 'wide-eyed' (cl. 1). 8. Three dactyls. Caes. after 'began' 
 (3 in.), secondary after 'feebly' (1 f.) ; cl. after 'thoughts' (cl. 4). 
 
 9. Three dactyls. Caes. after 'am' (2 m.) and 'then' (3 f). 
 
 10. Four dactyls. Caes. after 'youth' (3 m.), secondary after 
 'souls' (5 m.). 11. Three dactyls. Caes. after 'thee' (3 m.), 
 and 'sea' (4 m.). 12. Five dactyls. Caes. after 'me' (3 f.), 
 secondary after 'wave' (2 m.) and 'wind' (4 m.). 
 
 It will be remembered that Arnold speaks of the lumbering 
 effect of most English hexameters as being due to the excessive 
 use of the dactyl. This is true, when the dactyl is clogged 
 with false accents and false quantities, and woolly with harsh 
 elisions, but not in the case of Kingsley's clean-cut measure. 
 Arrowy swiftness is rather the quality of such lines as 
 
 Fearing the | stars of the | sky, and the | roll of the | blue salt | water | 
 Bounding from | billow' to | billow, and | sweeping the | crests like a | sea- 
 gull | 
 
 Tennyson's satire which follows is pointless for verses like 
 these. But it is, I think, fully justified as a criticism on the 
 quantitative hexameter.
 
 THE HEXAMETER AND PENTAMETER. 285 
 
 These lame hexameters the strong-winged music of Homer ! 
 
 No, but a most burlesque barbarous experiment. 
 When was a harsher sound ever heard, ye Muses, in England ? 
 
 When did a frog coarser croak upon our Helicon ? 
 Hexameters no worse than daring Germany gave us : 
 
 Barbarous experiment, barbarous hexameters. 
 
 In 1866 Sir John Herschel brought out a translation of the 
 Iliad in hexameters, from which I quote the following lines. 
 The metre is correct, but with no special interest. 
 
 How could I face the Trojans and long-robed matrons of Troia, 
 If, like a dastard, I shrank aloof and avoided the battle ? 
 Nor could my soul endure it ; for aye have I learnt to be foremost, 
 Valiantly ever to dare and fight in the van of the Trojans, 
 Winning renown for myself and my father's glory upholding. 
 
 C. S. Calverley in 1868 wrote an interesting paper in oppo- 
 sition to the theory that 'there could be no true translation of 
 a Greek or Roman poet which did not reproduce his metre,' 
 and shewed, as Clough had done before, that these metrical 
 imitations are far from giving the effect of their originals. He 
 has however not shrunk from trying his own hand at the 
 hexameter, but, to my thinking, with only qualified success. 
 Thus the lines from Lucretius which follow seem to me to be 
 tame and characterless, as compared with the intensity of 
 Munro's prose translation, and rhythmically to be monotonous 
 and inharmonious, as compared with the ringing melody of 
 Kingsley's verse. 
 
 Statues of youth and of beauty may not gleam golden around him, 
 (Each in his right hand bearing a great lamp lustrously burning, 
 Whence to the midnight revel a light may be furnished always) ; 
 Silver may not shine softly, nor gold blaze bright, in his mansion, 
 Nor to the noise of the tabret his halls gold-corniced echo : 
 Yet still he, with his fellow, reposed on the velvety greensward, 
 Near to a rippling stream, by a tall tree canopied over, 
 Shall, though they lack great riches, enjoy all bodily pleasure. 
 Chiefliest then, when above them a fair sky smiles, and the young year 
 Flings with a bounteous hand over each green meadow the wild-flowers : 
 Not more quickly depart from his bosom fiery fevers, 
 Who beneath crimson hangings and pictures cunningly broidered 
 Tosses about, than from him who must lie in beggarly raiment.
 
 286 ON ENGLISH METRE. 
 
 It will be noticed that, out of 13 lines, nine have caesura 
 3 f. There is a similar monotony in the translation from the 
 Iliad. 
 
 These were the words of the King, and the old man feared and obeyed 
 
 him : 
 
 Voiceless he went by the shore of the great dull-echoing ocean, 
 Thither he got him apart, that ancient man ; and a long prayer 
 Prayed to Apollo, his Lord, son of golden-ringleted Leto : 
 
 "Lord of the silver bow, thou whose arm girds Chryse and Cilia 
 Cilia beloved of the Gods and in might sways Tenedos, hearken ! 
 Oh ! if, in days gone by, I have built from floor unto cornice, 
 Smintheus, a fair shrine for thee ; or burned in the flames of the altar 
 Fat flesh of bulls and of goats ; then do this thing that I ask thee : 
 Hurl on the Greeks thy shafts, that thy servant's tears be avenged." 
 
 Here all the lines have caesura 3m. I have marked two long 
 syllables which are made short. 
 
 In 1886 T. Ashe published an hexameter poem of domestic 
 life, in which there is much beauty, but the rhythm is im- 
 poverished by the paucity of dactyls and the predominance of 
 the penthemimeral caesura (3 m.). Compare : 
 
 On the | hillside | grew the | pines in | silence tolgether | 
 
 Grand trunks straight and tall, that flushed blood-red in the sunset; 
 
 Yet the sun, in splendour flashing down from its zenith, 
 
 Could not pierce the dense and twisted screen of the branches : 
 
 They, that rocked in storm and madly howled in the winter, 
 
 Now were calm and still, or only swayed in a whisper. 
 
 Perhaps there is more of variety in the lines which follow : 
 
 Much is | changed and | unchanged | fn the | village of | Orton, | 
 New-cut | names, new | mounds be|side the | tower or the | chancel ; | 
 Some, long | sad, are | happy ; | some are | sad, who were | merry. | 
 Bells of | joy, of | dole, have | thrilled the | air of the | valley. | 
 Feet, now | many a | day tired | 6f the | stones and the | plodding, | 
 Rest at | last and | ache not, be|neath the | green of the | hillocks ; | 
 Feet of | small new- (corners | roam in the | grass of the | meadows. | 
 
 The latest hexameters known to me are the lines entitled 
 After Defeat, by Mr William Watson, published in 1899, the 
 Translations of the Iliad contained in A Reading of Life, by 
 George Meredith, published in 1901, and those by Mr William 
 Johnson Stone, appended to an Essay On the Use of Classical
 
 THE HEXAMETER AND PENTAMETER. 287 
 
 Metres in English, which appeared in 1899. Of the first the 
 following may be taken as a specimen : 
 
 Pray, what | chorus is | this ? At the | tragedy's \ end what | chorus 1 \ 
 Surely be| wails it the | brave, the un| happily | starred, the abandoned | 
 Sole unto | fate, by | yonder in | vincible | kin of the | vanquished? | 
 Surely sajlutes it the | fallen, not | mocks the antagonist | prostrate ? | 
 
 of the second the following: 
 
 Nay, as a | pillar rej mains im| movable, | fixed on the | tombstone | 
 Haply of | some dead | man, or it | may be a | woman there- 1 under ; | 
 Even like hard stood they | there, attached to the | glorious | war-car, | 
 Earthward | bowed with their | heads ; and of | them so la|menting in-| 
 
 cessant | 
 
 Ran the hot | tear-drops |' downward | on to the I earth from their | eyelids, | 
 Mourning their | chario|teer ; all their | lustrous | manes dusty- |clotted | 
 Right side and | left of the | yoke-ring | tossed to the | breadth of the | 
 
 yoke-bow | 
 
 Mr Stone, while allowing the legitimacy of the accentual 
 hexameter, and confessing that Southey's metre 'has borne 
 fruit, some of it well worth producing,' insists that it has no 
 right to be compared with the classical hexameter, and is quite 
 unfit to represent Homer. What he really delights in is the 
 quantitative hexameter. For examples of this he refers to 
 Stanyhurst's Virgil, from which he quotes 
 
 And the go|desse Ju|no full | freight with | poysoned | envye | 
 With thun|drlng lightjnlngs my | carcase | strongly be[blasted | 
 
 He also quotes from Clough's Actaeon, and from Spedding. 
 Of the metre of the last he says ' I am confident that he has a 
 perfect right to claim that it is exactly like Virgil's in effect. 
 But he is also right in saying that Virgilian hexameters are 
 almost impossible in English.' Mr Stone would therefore go 
 back straight to the fountain-head and model our metre not on 
 the Latin but on the Greek. ' I believe that our language is 
 singularly like ancient Greek in intonation.' He explains this 
 by saying that 'the ordinary unemphatic English accent' may 
 be defined like the Greek accent, as 'a raising of pitch and 
 nothing more.' There is something pathetic in the combined 
 earnestness and hopelessness with which he urges this and 
 other points. ' I know I shall be looked upon as insane.' ' It
 
 288 ON ENGLISH METRE. 
 
 is, I know, too much to expect that I have carried any one 
 with me so far as this.' He refers to ' the unfortunate fact 
 that the opinions expressed are such as no one else thinks or 
 believes,' and confesses that his ' appeals are made without any 
 sort of confidence to unsympathetic readers.' ' But I shall 
 really be rewarded... if I have induced any one to agree with 
 me that there is no other way... but to bind ourselves with a 
 strict prosody, and to conform to the rules of the metre we are 
 engaged with.'... 'No one need agree with me on any single 
 point of prosody, but a strict prosody there must be, if the 
 (attempt is to have any sure basis at all.' He then gives 
 various rules of quantity, which 'do not aim at any sort of 
 completeness,' but 'are simply points which have occasioned 
 me difficulty, and which I have had to decide for myself. 
 There may be many things which have not occurred to me, 
 and many of my conclusions to which exception will be taken.' 
 
 Mr Stone does not seem to be quite consistent on the 
 subject of quantity. In p. 4 he says ' English words have a 
 distinct quantity, to any one who will attend to it, and if pro- 
 nounced accurately ' ; (p. 10) ' In my opinion there are only 
 three monosyllables with open vowels that may be scanned 
 short, and they only because they are proclitics... a, to, and the. 
 Yet all writers have made use of the extraordinary license of 
 allowing such words to be common or even short. Even 
 Tennyson has my and be short'; (p. 13) 'Most of us are still 
 under the impression that we may scan a vowel long or short 
 as we will '; (p. 50) ' If readers cannot have the ordinary accent 
 emphasizing the metre, they pine at least for unquestionably 
 long syllables. This desire is quite unreasonable, because the 
 gradations of quantity are infinite and there are syllables which 
 may be long or short at will' ; yet (p. 20) 'even for quantitative 
 verse the intention of the writer must never be in doubt, nor, I 
 maintain, is it, if rules of prosody be strictly observed.' In 
 p. 43 he speaks of ' the extreme difficulty of writing such 
 (quantitative) verse, and the bar it would be to any freedom of 
 thought.... A beginner would find his path as thickly strewn 
 with thorns as that of a boy learning Latin verses. He would 
 make false quantities far more ghastly, and his tongue would
 
 THE HEXAMETER AND PENTAMETER. 289 
 
 refuse, quite rightly, to shift the accent on to the long syllable. 
 ...But practice and severe correction will in the end, I believe, 
 make the rules of metre very little more galling than the rules 
 of rhyme, and the feeling of victory even more enchanting. The 
 quantity of the word will be felt at once.' 
 
 We now turn to the examples by which Mr Stone illustrates 
 his theory of the hexameter. A poet might make quantity his 
 guiding principle without causing any great difficulty to the 
 ordinary English reader, provided that, like Tennyson in his 
 classical metres, he took care not to oppose accent to quantity ; 
 but Mr Stone will have none of such cowardly compromises: he 
 rejoices in the 'combative accent' (pp. 9, 24). Of former ex- 
 periments he selects for special praise Clough's Pentameters in 
 the lines which follow : 
 
 Towns hamlets leaving, towns by thee, bridges across thee, 
 Pass to palace garden, pass to cities populous. 
 
 Murmuring once, dimpling, 'mid woodlands wandering idly, 
 Now with mighty vessels loaded, a mighty river. 
 
 and his Actaeon, of which we may take as a specimen 
 
 swiftly revealing 
 
 Her mai|denly b5|som and | all her | beauty bejneath it, | 
 To th8 rl|ver watSr | overflowing | to re ceive her | l 
 Yielded her | ambrosi]al na|kedness. 
 
 The following are his directions for reading his own hexa- 
 meters. ' What do I require of my readers ? I ask them to 
 read my verses slowly, with the natural accent unimpaired, and 
 with such stress as they think right on the long syllables by 
 way of ictus. This will probably at first fail to give them any 
 idea of the rhythm....! would ask them then to combine voice- 
 duration with voice-stress on such syllables, to exaggerate the 
 length. Finally in very stubborn cases, if this plan fails, I ask 
 them to read them as a schoolboy reads Virgil, with voice- 
 pitch, voice-stress, and voice-duration all concentrated on the 
 long syllable. Thence they may work back to the first process, 
 that of emphasizing the rhythm by stress only.' ' The under- 
 lying principle of my rhythm is, I think, compensation. You 
 
 1 I suppose Clough must have scanned it thus, as he makes the first syllable 
 of ' river ' short in the preceding quotation. 
 
 M. M. 19
 
 290 ON ENGLISH METRE. 
 
 are required to balance the accent and the quantity, the accen- 
 tual variety being based on quantitative uniformity.' 
 
 In the lines which follow I begin by marking the stress, as 
 I suppose it to have been intended by the author; and then 
 add other lines on which the reader may exercise his own 
 ingenuity. 
 
 Unyoked | from th<5 waglgons, drlvgn | off to the | bindweed | pastures | 
 By the rush|Ing swirljlng rlvSr, | and the wo mCn set ajbout it | 
 Then with an|ointing of | oil they | washed, and | on the ri|v6r-bank | 
 Took their | meal, the linjgn dryjing there | In the sun | hard by. | 
 White-armed | Nausicaja lead|lng the meajsure to the | players | 
 As the ar|row-scatter|mg gOddSss | Artemis | hunts on a | hill-side | l 
 Glorying | in the rap|id-fo5ted | hinds and | hardy-fo5t|ed boars | 
 None so | tall, but | she stands | leader ajmong them head | and brow. | 
 
 Then they shouted aloud, and great Odysseus was awakened, 
 And sitting up pondered in his heart and doubted in his mind : 
 
 ' Ah me, in what country, to what manner of men am I come ? 
 Is this people a race cruel, savage, impious, unjust?' 
 
 So saying did great Odysseus quit his homely dwelling-place, 
 From the thick undergrowth with his huge hand breaking a branch off 
 So went he, as in his might trusting a hill-bred lion : 
 And to him on this wise perplexed seemed it the better way 
 Standing apart to address words of supplication, honied words 2 . 
 
 I conclude with a few words on the pentameter, consisting 
 of two dactylic peuthemimers, i.e. of two sections, each contain- 
 ing two dactyls followed by a long syllable. To my mind this 
 
 1 I think this must be the scansion intended, as Mr Stone (p. 9) dilates on 
 the blunder of " making a vowel followed by a doubled consonant long by 
 position." " Why should the first syllable of ' hitting ' be longer than ' hit ' ? 
 The doubling of a letter in English has no other purpose than the marking of 
 the preceding vowel as short." 
 
 2 While I am opposed to Mr Stone's general principle, I have found much 
 that is interesting and instructive in his incidental remarks. I observe that he 
 attributes to me on more than one occasion an opinion from which I entirely 
 dissent, that "the ancients were like children, who, as soon as they get a rhythm 
 into their heads, love to emphasize it ; and that the classical metres are more 
 elementary than ours " (pp. 6, 49). He has apparently misunderstood my 
 paragraph on the routine scansion (p. 6 above) where I quote Ruskin on his 
 own childish scanning, and afterwards refer to the traditional language of the 
 poets about the Muse singing, as bearing witness to a time long anterior, in 
 which metre was still a kind of sing-song.
 
 THE HEXAMETER AND PENTAMETER. 291 
 
 is far less suited to the English language than the hexameter, 
 mainly because it is difficult to prevent the long syllable, which 
 closes the two sections of the line, from being also a monosyl- 
 lable. Thus Coleridge's line, which stands at the head of this 
 chapter, is spoilt by the sort of snap with which it closes in the 
 word ' back.' Tennyson improves on this at the expense of the 
 first line in his corrected couplet : 
 
 Up springs hexameter with might as a fountain ariseth : 
 Lightly the fountain falls, lightly the pentameter. 
 
 I think the elegiacs which please me most are Whewell's on 
 the death of his wife, which are given in the Appendix to the 
 Memoir, p. 537 f. 
 
 Solemn and sad folds round me the darkening eve of the sabbath : 
 Solemn as often of old, sad with a fresh-fallen grief. 
 
 Blessed beyond all blessings that life can embrace in its circle, 
 Blessed the gift was when Providence gave thee to me, 
 
 Gave thee gentle and kindly and wise, calm, clear-seeing, thoughtful, 
 Thee to me, as I was, vehement, passionate, blind : 
 
 Gave me to see in thee, and wonder I never had seen it, 
 
 Wisdom that shines in the heart clearer than intellect's light. 
 
 Vainly till then had I roved the land from mansion to mansion : 
 Pleasure and kindness I found, found not the love that I sought. 
 
 Vainly had I explored the long-flowing river of Science, 
 Back to its fountain-heads, down to its glittering sea. 
 
 Thus we parted, diverse how far our paths and our portions ! 
 
 She to the Saviour's embrace, I to the wearisome world. 
 I to the wearisome world to toil all lonely and helpless : 
 
 Yet not lonely quite, her since I bear in my heart : 
 Yet not helpless quite, for thy companionship, dear one, 
 
 Still shall lend me its help, guiding and raising me still. 
 
 There in the beautiful land, the land of the lake and the mountain, 
 There where the loveliest lake lies in the loveliest vale. 
 
 With these may be compared Clough's elegiacs in the 
 Amours de Voyage 
 
 192
 
 292 ON ENGLISH METRE. 
 
 Is it illusion ? or does there a spirit from perfecter ages, 
 
 Here, even yet, ainid loss, change, and corruption, abide? 
 Does there a spirit we know not, though seek, though we find, com- 
 prehend not, 
 
 Here to entice and confuse, tempt and evade us, abide ? 
 Lives in the exquisite grace of the column disjointed and single, 
 
 Haunts the rude masses of brick garlanded gaily with vine, 
 E'en in the turret fantastic surviving that springs from the ruin, 
 
 E'en in the people itself? is it illusion or no? 
 
 Sometimes Clough is very careless of quantity and accent, 
 as in the commencing lines of Canto I. 
 
 Over the great windy waters and over the clear-crested summits, 
 
 Unto the sun and the sky [and] unto the perfecter earth, 
 Come let us go to a land wherein gods of the old time wandered, 
 
 Where every breath even now changes to ether divine. 
 Come let us go, though with|al a voice | whisper, the | world that we 
 live in, 
 
 Whithersoever we turn, still is the same narrow crib ; 
 "Pis but to prove limitation, and measure a cord, that we travel ; 
 
 Let who would 'scape and be free, go to his chamber and think; 
 'Tis but to change idle fancies for memories wilfully falser ; 
 
 J Tis 'but to go and have been.' Come, little bark, let us go. 
 
 It will be observed that the word which I have bracketed 
 in the 2nd line is extra-metrical. I do not know whether this 
 is owing to any accidental carelessness, or whether Clough 
 really meant to substitute a spondee, trochee, or dactyl, for the 
 monosyllable at the close of the 1st section of the pentameter. 
 I am inclined to think such a measure would be more suited to 
 the English ear than the regular Latin metre 1 . We might then 
 describe the English elegiac metre as consisting of six trochees 
 with dactylic or spondaic substitution, the pentameter line 
 always closing with two dactyls and a truncated trochee. The 
 lines quoted by Schipper (vol. II. p. 450), as a specimen of 
 elegiacs, from Swinburne's Hesperia might at first sight seem 
 to follow this rule. 
 
 Out of the | golden re| mote wild [ west, where the | sea without I shore is, | 
 Full of the | sunset, and | sad, if at | all, with the | fullness of | joy. A 
 
 1 I am glad to find that this view is shared by Mr Haines in N. and Q. cited 
 above, as well as by Dr Abbott.
 
 THE HEXAMETER AND PENTAMETER. 293 
 
 But the lines which follow shew that the metre is not dactylic, 
 but anapaestic, thus 1 : 
 
 As 3, wind | sets in | with the aujtumn that blows | from the rejgion of 
 
 sto(ries, 
 A Blows | from a per|fume of songs | and of mem fries belov'd I from a 
 
 boy | 
 A Blows | from the capes | of the past | oversea | to the bays | of the 
 
 pres(ent 
 A Filled | as with shadlow of sound | with the pulse | of invisible feet | . 
 
 We have however a real example of the truncated or cata- 
 lectic hexameter in the late Lord Bowen's translation of Virgil, 
 published in 1887, of which the following lines may be taken 
 as a specimen : 
 
 Death's dark gates stand open, alike through the day and the night, 
 
 But to retrace thy steps and emerge to the sunlight above, 
 
 This is the toil and the trouble. A few whom Jupiter's love 
 
 Favours, or whose bright valour has raised them thence to the skies, 
 
 Born of the gods, have succeeded : 
 
 Still, if such thy desire, and if thus thy spirit inclines 
 
 Twice to adventure the Stygian lake, twice look on the dark 
 
 Tartarus, and it delights thee on quest so wild to embark, 
 
 Learn what first to perform : 
 
 I will close with some fine elegiacs by Mr William Watson 
 taken from the poem entitled Hymn to the Sea (1899) 
 
 Man with inviolate caverns, impregnable holds in his nature, 
 
 Depths no storm can pierce, pierced with a shaft of the sun : 
 Man that is galled with his confines, and burdened yet more with his 
 
 vastness, 
 
 Born too great for his ends, never at peace with his goal : 
 * * * * 
 
 Nought, when the harpers are harping, untimely reminds him of durance; 
 
 None, as he sits at the feast, whispers Captivity's name; 
 But would he parley with Silence, withdrawn for a while unattended, 
 
 Forth to the beckoning world 'scape for an hour and be free, 
 
 Lo, his adventurous fancy coercing at once and provoking, 
 Rise the unscalable walls built with a word at the prime ; 
 
 Lo, immobile as statues, with pitiless faces of iron, 
 Armed at each obstinate gate stand the impassable guards. 
 
 1 See above, on Metrical Metamorphosis, ch. vi. pp. 84 foil.
 
 294 ON ENGLISH METRE. 
 
 APPENDIX A. 
 
 M. GASTON PARIS, MR H. NICOL, AND PROF. PAUL MEYER ON THE 
 OLD FRENCH DECASYLLABIC METRE. 
 
 Extract from M. Gaston Paris's edition of La Vie de Saint 
 Alexis, poeme du XI 8 siecle (Paris, 1872), p. 131 : 
 
 " Le vers a dix syllabes au minimum ; il pent en avoir onze 
 ou douze si 1'he'mistiche 1 et le vers ontf une terminaison feminine. 
 II y a done quatre types: 1 vers de dix syllabes, masculins a 
 1'hemistiche et a la rime: |j Ja mdis \ niert tels \\ comfut \ as 
 an ceisors || ; 2 vers de onze syllabes, masculins a 1'he'mistiche, 
 fe'minmsala rime: || Sor toz \ ses p6rs\\ I'amdt \ li em\peredre{\; 
 3 vers de onze syllabes, feminins a I'he'inistiche, masculins a la 
 rime: || Enfant \ nos done \\ qui se"it \ a ton \ talent |j; 4 vers de 
 douze syllabes, fe'minins a 1'hemistiche et a la rime : || Done li \ 
 remembret || de son \ seinor \ celeste \\. Le vers est done un 
 dfoasyllabe, pouvant avoir une syllabe de plus, n6cessairement 
 atone, apres la quatrieme et apres la dixieme... Le dd- 
 casyllabe apparait pour la premiere fois dans le poeme de 
 Boece, ou il a exactement le meme caractere que dans le 
 notre ; c'est aussi le vers du Roland et de la plupart des 
 anciennes chansons de geste. Le vers est toujours tres- 
 exactement fait, et toutes les syllabes comptent:...pour savoir 
 ...la juste mesure il faut tenir compte des cas ou se produit 
 Yelision." 
 
 " I have marked the feet and hemistiche ; and put an acute 
 over the accented words and syllables, a grave over the extra 
 unaccented syllable. M. Paris does not state it being generally 
 known that the second syllable of the second and fifth feet 
 must be accented. Words ending in a syllable with unaccented 
 e have the accent on the one before it; all others on the last. 
 The accents in the other feet (always disyllabic) are not fixed ; 
 the cesura is always after the second foot. 
 
 1 "Cette denomination est admise, bien qu'a la rigueur elle soit inexacte."
 
 APPENDIX A. 295 
 
 " The poem on Boethius is of the tenth century, and is the 
 oldest Provencal work of which a fragment has been preserved; 
 here are two lines (from Bartsch's Ckrestomathie Provengale, 
 2 e edition, Elberfeld, 1868, p. 1): 
 
 Pro non | es gaigre ||, si pejneden | za 'n pren ||. 
 No cre|det deu || lo n6s|tre cre|ator ||. 
 
 There are no feminine rhymes ; in the first example the e of en 
 is elided after the preceding a. 
 
 " The Chanson de Roland is eleventh century, rather later 
 than the Alexis, and its versification is just the same (Th. Miiller's 
 edition of the Oxford MS., Gottingen, 1863, p. 1, 2): 
 
 Carles | li reis |j, nostre em|pere|re magnfe ||. 
 II en | apelet || e ses | dtix e | ses cuntes ||. 
 Blancanjdrfns fdt || des plus | saives | pa'i&is ||. 
 De vasjselagk [| fut | ajsez che|valer ||. 
 
 The first of these has the unaccented e of nostre elided before 
 the following vowel, as usual." [H. N.] 
 
 [Prof. Paul Meyer of Paris has most kindly sent me the fol- 
 lowing remarks in reference to some queries made as to the 
 above. 
 
 " The short paragraph of G. Paris, with H. Nicol's additions, 
 does not profess to give a complete idea of the French decasyl- 
 labic verse, but is correct, so far as it goes. In French versifi- 
 cation there is no fixed place for the accent except at the end 
 of the line and, in long verses, about the middle of the line. 
 There are three distinct forms of the decasyllabic verse, (1) that 
 in which the accents fall on the 4th and 10th syllables, (2) that 
 in which they fall on the oth and 10th, (3) that in which they 
 fall on the 6th and 10th. These forms are never found com- 
 bined in one poem, as they are in the Italian, where the hende- 
 casyllable may have the middle accent on the 4th or on the 6th 
 syllable indifferently in the same poem. The Alexandrine 
 verse has always the accent on the 6th and 12th syllables. In 
 lines under ten syllables no accent has a fixed place but the 
 one which marks the end of the verse, always admitting an 
 unaccented syllable after it (the feminine rime). Very ancient 
 French poetry does however admit generally an accent on the
 
 296 ON ENGLISH METRE. 
 
 4th syllable in octosyllabic verse (see G. Paris in Romania I. 
 294). But this accent on the 4th syllable of the octosyllabic 
 verse does not require a pause after it, as would be the case in 
 longer verses. 
 
 " That Shakespeare's verse has its origin in the French deca- 
 syllabic verse was proved long ago by Zarncke, the Leipzig pro- 
 fessor, in his essay Ueber den funff iissigen Iambus mit besonderer 
 Rilcksicht auf seine Behandlung durch Lessing, Schiller und 
 Goethe (Leipzig, 1865)."] 
 
 It may be of interest to some of my readers if I insert 
 here a short abstract of Zarncke's essay, which is now out of 
 print, and of which, as far as I know, the copy which has come 
 into my hands, since the preceding chapters were written, is 
 the only one to be seen in England. At any rate it is not in 
 the British Museum or in the Cambridge University Library. 
 It is of importance as giving the views of one of the most 
 competent of German metrists on the origin of the heroic line, 
 together with a specimen of his metrical analysis as applied 
 to the poetry of Lessing and Schiller. The German title adds 
 und Goethe, but the metre of the last is only just touched on in 
 the concluding pages (88 93). 
 
 Zarncke begins by lamenting the indifference shewn by 
 German scholars in regard to the metres employed by their 
 greatest poets. Germans have done much to illustrate the 
 metres of the ancients, but Koberstein, he says, is almost the 
 only historian of literature who has paid any attention to their 
 own verse. To judge aright of the blank verse of Lessing, 
 Schiller and Goethe we must have some knowledge of the 
 previous history of the 5-foot iambic. The earliest specimen of 
 this is a Provencal poem on Boethius belonging to the first half 
 of the 10th century. We have no ground for tracing the metre 
 back either to the Greek 5-foot iambic or 5-foot trochaic with 
 anacrusis, nor to the Latin hendecasyllabic, which is quite 
 opposed to it in rhythm. We can say no more of it than that 
 it was in all probability the ordinary metre of the Romance 
 epic and spread from France into other countries 1 . The best 
 1 See however my Preface, p. viii.
 
 APPENDIX A. 297 
 
 account of it is that by Diez in his Altrom. Sprachdenkmalen , 
 Bonn, 1846. The oldest form has always the masculine ending, 
 the caesura after the 2nd foot, and a decided pause both at the 
 caesura and at the end of the line. Very frequently the caesura 
 is feminine (i.e. the 1st section ends with a superfluous syllable) 
 and the initial unaccented syllable of the 2nd section is omitted. 
 Thus we obtain the following scheme w-w-(w)||(w)-w-w- 
 giving rise to four different kinds of verse, according as the 
 caesura is masculine or feminine, and the 2nd section complete 
 or truncated 1 . 
 
 Enfants | en dfes || forcn | ome | fel!6 | 
 Qu'el e|ra c<5rns || Am61t | onrdz | e rix | 
 Nos J6|ve 6m|ne || quandius | que nos | estam | 
 Donz f<5 | Boe"|cis || Acdrps | ag b6 | e pr6 | 
 
 In the Alexius and Song of Roland, dating from the llth 
 century, we meet with examples of feminine ending, as 
 
 Faiths | la guer|re || cum vds | l'ave"z | emprfjse 
 
 though this is rarely found in conjunction with feminine caesura 
 or sectional truncation, sufficient variety being produced by the 
 superfluous syllable at the end. 
 
 In other poems of the same date we find the caesura, 
 masculine and feminine, after the 3rd foot. From about the 
 middle of the 12th century, the 5-foot verse gave place to the 
 4-foot and 6-foot (Alexandrine), but was still retained for lyric 
 poetry, undergoing however two changes : (1) the caesura, which 
 occurs regularly after the 4th syllable, was treated simply as a 
 metrical, not a logical pause, (2) the preceding accent was often 
 thrown back or inverted, making the 2nd foot a trochee, as 
 
 Bona | d6mna || per cui | plane e | sospir | 
 
 Diez calls this the 'lyrical' caesura, in contrast to the earlier 
 ' epic ' caesura. 
 
 Later on, all the accents, except the last, became liable to 
 inversion, as 
 
 Belha | d6miia || valham | v6stra | va!6rs | 
 
 1 For the sake of brevity I have used here my own symbols and terminology. 
 
 195
 
 298 ON ENGLISH METRE, 
 
 thus giving the following scheme 
 
 From 1500 the feminine caesura disappears altogether owing 
 to the growing weakness of the final e. The more regular form 
 of the 5-foot iambic became known as the vers commurt and was 
 employed by Ronsard for epic and by Jodelle for tragedy. By 
 the end of the 16th century, however, there was a reaction in 
 favour of the Alexandrine, the stiff monotony of the rhyming 
 5-foot with its fixed pauses after the 4th and 10th syllables 
 being felt to be unsuitable for the more animated styles of 
 poetry 1 . 
 
 The Italian hendecasyllabic metre had been developed out 
 of the Provensal lyric poetry long before it was made famous by 
 Dante. It differs from the French in the constant feminine 
 ending (a), the freedom of the caesura which may be either 
 masculine or feminine, and either after the 2nd or 3rd foot (6), 
 the use of enjambement, i.e. the absence of a final pause, so as 
 to allow one verse to run on into another (c), the transposition of 
 the accent in any foot except the last, but especially in the 4th 
 foot (d), as 
 
 Le Don|ne i | Cavalier || 1' arme | gli amo|re 
 
 This freedom of rhythm is accompanied by greater freedom 
 in the rhyme, so as to connect together not merely two con- 
 secutive lines but whole stanzas. 
 
 In England the 5-foot iambic has played a more im- 
 portant part than in any other country. Introduced probably 
 by Chaucer from France at the beginning of the 15th century, 
 by the middle of the 16th it succeeded in throwing off the fetters 
 of rhyme, and became the blank verse of the English drama and 
 epic. The use of the feminine ending and of transposition of 
 accent was however more restricted than in Italy. 
 
 In Germany we find examples of the 5-foot iambic closing 
 a four-foot stanza as early as the 12th century 2 . It was 
 
 1 See Ebert, Entwicklungsgeschichte der franzosischen Tragodie, Gotha, 1856. 
 
 2 See Lachmann's Preface to his edition of Wolfram, p. xxviii.
 
 APPENDIX A. 299 
 
 probably borrowed from the Provensal, but is much freer as to 
 the use of the caesura, which sometimes disappears altogether. 
 This freedom continued in spite of the growing influence of 
 French poetry during the 16th century, till Martin Opitz (d. 
 1639) laid down the law that there must always be a caesura 
 after the 4th syllable. Gottsched, writing in 1737, is very 
 severe on those who break this law, and ' place the caesura any- 
 where or nowhere,' probably said in reference to such poems 
 as Bodmer's translations from Thomson. The Anglicized form 
 however continued to grow in popularity; thus J. H. Schlegel 
 (1757) announces his intention to adopt the licenses allowed in 
 English, and while distinguishing three caesuras (after the 4th, 
 5th and 6th syllables) says it is not necessary for every line to 
 have the caesura. Wieland (1762) was the first to substitute 
 anapaests and trochees for the iamb. Klopstock in the Preface 
 to his Salomo says he has interspersed 6-foot and hendecasyllabic 
 lines among the regular 5-foot, that he substitutes anapaest for 
 iamb wherever he finds it convenient, and that he often ends 
 a line with an ionic, 3rd paean or pyrrhic. Herder wrote in 
 favour of the use of the English metre for the drama in 1768, 
 and Lessing employed it in his Nathan in 1778. He intersperses 
 freely 6-foot and 4-foot lines, makes the superfluous syllable of 
 the 'feminine ending' equal in weight to the preceding accented 
 syllable, elides short final e before a vowel or h, sometimes 
 before a consonant as ohn dieses, nehm sick, and even at the 
 end of the line, as und bring' \ Ihn her. More important are 
 the changes he introduced in regard to the length of his periods 
 and the use of the caesura. At first, as still in France, each 
 5-foot line was complete in itself, but the Italians and still more 
 the English had led the way in connecting lines by enjambe- 
 ment and building them up into long periods. In Nathan we 
 meet with periods extending over as many as 27 lines. These 
 are artfully combined with shorter periods, and the verses are 
 marked by the antagonism between the sense (logic) and metre, 
 and by the boldness of the enjambement. Thus the end of the 
 line comes between subject and predicate, as in Babylon \ 1st von 
 Jerusalem sagt \ Der Patriarch; between adjective or article 
 and noun, as die strengsten \ Entschlusse mein \ Gewissen
 
 300 ON ENGLISH METRE. 
 
 der | Bescheidne Ritter ich im \ Begriff war ; between prepo- 
 sition and noun, as durch \ Das Feuer von \ Euch ; and other 
 closely related words as, Pilger zu \ Geleiten so | Unendlich viel 
 zu sturmen und \ Zu schirmen er wandelt wieder auf I Und 
 ab ganz \ Gewiss will \ Ihm danken sagt wie \ Gefdllt euch. 
 Besides this, Lessing takes pains to break the rhythm of the 
 individual line by a pause shortly after the beginning or before 
 the end, as 
 
 wie? weil 
 Es ganz natiirlich ; ganz alltaglich klange. 
 
 1st 
 
 Ein alter Eindruck ein verlorner? Wirkt 
 Das Nehmliche nicht inehr das Nehmliche? 
 
 Um lieber etwas noch unglaublichers 
 Zu glauben 
 
 Sometimes the latter section of a preceding line joins with the 
 earlier section of the following line to make a perfect 5-foot, as 
 
 Dass doch 
 
 Die Einfalt immer Recht behalt ! Ihr diirft 
 Mir doch auch wohl vertrauen 
 
 The line is also frequently broken by being divided between 
 different persons. It is only at the end of the period that the 
 antagonism of logic and metre is reconciled. 
 
 The caesura is needed to give variety to a line which is 
 complete in itself, but may be dispensed with in a line so much 
 varied as Lessing's. We are not therefore surprised to meet 
 with lines of his which have no caesura or pause of any kind. 
 
 Schiller at first wrote his plays in prose, but in 1786 began 
 to employ the 5-foot iambic as modified by Lessing, thus 
 
 Ich driick' an meine Seele dich. Ich fiihle 
 Die deinige allmachtig an mir schlagen. 
 O jetzt ist alles wieder gut. In dieser 
 Umarmung ist mein krankes Herz genesen. 
 
 He often uses 4-foot and 6-foot lines and occasionally 7-foot. 
 He is even bolder than Lessing in his use of the monosyllable 
 in feminine ending, as Freund mehr, warum nicht. Elision is 
 rare, except where a monosyllabic pronoun follows the verb, when
 
 APPENDIX A. 301 
 
 it occurs even at the end of a line, as was wollt' \ Ich denn. 
 In length of period and enjambement he follows Lessing. As 
 examples of the latter we may take du bist Gerettet ich \ Ver- 
 gesse er \ Verachtet es mein games \ Verdienst im linken 
 Flugel des \ Palastes. He neglects the caesura and divides the 
 line between different speakers. In Wallenstein (1798) we find 
 further freedom in the length of the line, varying from 7-foot 
 to 1-foot, and in the use of anapaests and trochees, the former 
 in all the feet but especially in the last, the latter only in the 
 1st foot. Slurring is also employed. As examples of harshness 
 in the use of feminine ending and of enjambement may be cited 
 vorm Feind liegt zu \ Mir drang Kein j Wort mehr ; es war 
 der drei \ Und zwanzigste des Mai's wenn der Nachtisch auf-\ 
 gesetzt eh' die Glucks- Gestalt mir wieder wegflieht. The lines 
 however preserve their individuality better than in Lessing, and 
 are less often divided between different speakers. 
 
 In Marie Stuart and Jungfrau von Orleans anapaestic sub- 
 stitution is very frequent, but enjambement and feminine ending 
 are less used ; rhyme is more common, the verbal and metrical 
 accents are often opposed. In Schiller's two last dramas Braut 
 von Messina and Wilhelm Tell the characteristic feature is the 
 extended use of the trochee, riot merely at the beginning but in 
 the middle of the line, as 
 
 Und du | bist falsch | wie sie ! | zwinge | mich nicht | . 
 
 The duke Carl August complains of this license in a letter 
 to Goethe. In other respects however these latest plays are 
 more regular than the earlier 1 . 
 
 1 Those who are interested in the historical development of English Metres 
 will find it worth their while to read a paper by Prof. W. P. Ker on the 
 Analogies between English and Spanish Verse, printed for the Philological 
 Society in 1899.
 
 302 ON ENGLISH METRE. 
 
 APPENDIX B. 
 
 TECHNICAL TERMS OF GREEK AND LATIN METRES'. 
 
 THE following are all the combinations of long and short 
 syllables, which are called feet, and which have distinctive 
 names : 
 
 Of two Syllables : 
 Pyrrhichius *-> ^ 
 
 Iambus ^ - 
 
 Trochaeus \ 
 
 
 Of three Syllables : 
 
 Tribrachys ^ 
 Dactylus 
 
 Anapaestus ^ 
 A mphibrachys 
 
 Creticus M 
 
 Bacchlus ^ - 
 
 Antibacchlus ^ 
 Molossus 
 
 Of four Syllables : 
 Proceleusmaticus w <^ ^ ^ 
 Paeon primus - ^ ^ ^ 
 
 secundus ^ - w w 
 
 tertius ^ ^ - ^ 
 
 - quartus w ^ ^ - 
 
 lonicus a minore ^ ^ 
 a major e v/ w 
 
 Adapted from Donaldson's Latin Grammar.
 
 APPENDIX B. 303 
 
 w w 
 \s w 
 
 Diiambus 
 Ditrochaeus 
 Choriambus (i.e. 
 Trochaeus + iambus) 
 Antispastus ^ ^ 
 Epitritus primus ^ - 
 secundus w 
 
 tertius w 
 
 quartus - ^ 
 
 Dispondaeus 
 
 There are only two kinds of proper feet or distinct and 
 primitive rhythms. 
 
 (a) The equal rhythms, in which one long syllable is 
 opposed to two short, so that the ratio is -JJ-; these are 
 
 Dactylus, ' the dactyl,' - w w ; as munVrti ; 
 Anapaestus, 'the anapaest,' ^ ^ -; as l&pldes. 
 
 (b) The double rhythms, in which a long and a short 
 syllable are opposed, so that the ratio is ^ ; these are 
 
 Trochaeus, ' the trochee,' - ^ ; as musa ; 
 Iambus, ' the iambus/ ^ - ; as dmas. 
 
 To these may be added the representative feet; i.e. the 
 spondaeus or ' spondee/ which represents the equal rhythm by 
 two long syllables, as dlcunt, and the tribraches or ' tribrach/ 
 which represents the double rhythm by three short syllables, 
 as br&vibijis. 
 
 Each simple foot has two parts, one of which is said to 
 have the ictus (stress) upon it and is called arsis, the other 
 part is called thesis. In Dactylic and Trochaic verse the arsis 
 is on the first part of each foot. In Anapaestic and Iambic 
 on the last. 
 
 It is essential to the harmony of a line that some one or 
 more of its feet should be divided between two different words. 
 This division is called caesura or ' cutting.' There are two 
 kinds of caesura the masculine, strong, or monosyllabic caesura, 
 when only the first syllable of the foot is in the preceding
 
 304 ON ENGLISH METRE. 
 
 word ; and the feminine, weak, or trochaic caesura, where the 
 first two syllables of a dactyl are in the preceding word, and 
 the remaining short syllable in the word which follows. Thus 
 in the following line we have strong caesuras in the second and 
 fourth feet, and weak caesura in the third place : 
 
 Formosam \ resonare \ doces \ Amaryllida silvas. 
 
 If a word is so placed in a verse as to coincide with a 
 metrical foot, we have a diaeresis, which is the opposite of the 
 caesura; thus there is a diaeresis in the first and fifth feet of 
 the following line of Virgil : 
 
 Lumina \ labentem caelo quae \ ducitis \ annum. 
 
 Half a foot is technically called a hemimer (^/u/iepe?), and 
 caesuras, which take place in the middle of the second, third, 
 fourth and fifth feet respectively, are called trihemimeral, pen.- 
 themimeral, hephthemimeral and ennehemimeral caesuras. 
 
 The term ' metre ' besides its general sense has a special 
 sense denoting a certain portion of a metrical line. In Dactylic 
 verse one foot constitutes a metre of this kind, the dactylic 
 hexameter having six feet ; in Trochaic, Iambic and Anapaestic 
 two feet constitute a metre ; thus Iambic dimeter has four 
 feet, as inarsit aes<tuo\sius \. 
 
 If a metre terminates in a hemimer, it is called catalectic 
 or ' interrupted ' ; if it is completed, it is called acatalectic or 
 ' uninterrupted/ 
 
 If the supposed or prescribed metre is redundant by a 
 hemimer, the term hypercatalectic is applied. Two catalectic 
 forms are so common that they are often called feet ; these are 
 the choriambus or dactylic trihemimer ; as e~xtti,le"\ras \\, which 
 may be termed the dactylic dimeter catalectic ; and the creticus 
 or trochaic trihemimer; as eff%runt\\, which may be termed the 
 trochaic monometer catalectic.
 
 INDEX. 
 
 Abbott, Dr 34 foil., cited 8, 25, 27, 28, 
 32, 91, 121, 127, 132, 133, 168, 171 
 175, 180188, 196, 197, 199, 206, 
 210 
 
 accent 4 6, 9, 13, 30, 56; verbal, me- 
 trical, emphatic 35 foil. ; in the verse 
 of the ancients Pref. vii; in Ro- 
 mance 294, 295 ; defect of accent, see 
 Pyrrhic; excess, see Spondee; inver- 
 sion, see Trochee. See Bridges, Skeat, 
 hexameter 
 
 adeste jideles 155, 156 
 
 aesthetic view of metre 3, 4, 47 foil. 
 
 alcaic 139, 141, 144, 145 
 
 Alexandrine, mistaken 27; in Shake- 
 speare 44, 181, 183 foil., 189, 193 ; di- 
 vided between speakers 183, with 
 feminine caesura 185 ; in Tennyson 
 212 ; in French 295 f. ; German 299 
 
 amphibious section, see common 
 
 amphibrach, is it used in English 
 verse? 91 foil., may it be substituted 
 for an iamb? 43, 45, 72 foil.; rhyth- 
 mical not metrical 213 foil. See 
 Skeat and hexameter 
 
 anacrusis 8, 88 foil., 126, 127, 151, 156 
 
 analysis, metrical, its use 2, elaborate 
 of Mr A. J. Ellis 58 foil. 
 
 anapaest 4, 32, 64, 7075, 8293, 98, 
 100102, 151, 152, exx. from Mr R. 
 Bridges' dramas 107 foil., not recog- 
 nized by Dr Skeat 114 foil., in Tenny- 
 son 132139, 211, in Surrey 160, 
 Marlowe 165, Shakespeare 181 foil., 
 190, 191, 201 foil., 207209, Brown- 
 ing 214, Shelley 223, 233, 234, in 
 German poetry 301 f . ; anapaestic or 
 dactylic? 133 foil. 
 
 antibacchius 72, 73 
 
 antispastus 194 
 
 appoggiatura in Milton 23 
 a-priorism, antiquarian 12 foil., logical 
 
 34 foil. 
 
 Arnold, M. cited 85, see hexameter 
 Ashe, T. see hexameter 
 
 bacchius, rhythmical 214, 216, 243 
 
 Bain 91 
 
 blank verse, how varied 9, 57 foil., see 
 metamorphosis: of Surrey 157 foil., 
 of Marlowe 162 foil., of Shakespeare 
 168 205, of Tennyson and Brown- 
 ing 206218, of Shelley 224 foil. , of 
 Lessing and Schiller 299 301, Pref. 
 viii 
 
 Bowen, see hexameter 
 
 Bridges, R. his account of Milton's 
 prosody 96 104, his own system of 
 prosody examined 103 foil. 
 
 Browning, Mrs 216 
 
 Browning, R. 91, 92, 208, 209, 214 
 218 
 
 Brydges on metre 52 
 
 Burns cited 87, 172 
 
 Byron cited 57, 118, 120, 252 
 
 caesura in hexameter 268, 269, 272, 
 274, 278, 283, 284, 286, in old French 
 294, in German 297300; lyrical 
 and epical 297. See hemistich and 
 pause 
 
 Calverley, see hexameter 
 
 Chaucer, 12, 162, practises initial trun- 
 cation 80, 160 
 
 choriambus 194, 214, 216 
 
 classical terminology defended 5 ; used 
 for rhythmical effects 214 
 
 Clough, see hexameter and elegiacs 
 
 Coleridge 24, 83, 84, 90, 92, 260, 267, 
 268, 273
 
 306 
 
 INDEX. 
 
 Collins 81 
 
 common section 168170, 188, 204 
 Cowper 83 
 
 cretic, is it used for iamb? 72, 73, 242, 
 243; rythmical 214, 216 
 
 dactyl, for iamb 44, 70, 71, 75, !)3, 131, 
 166, 202, 211, 245; for trochee 127, 
 143, 235; dactylic metre 85, 8991, 
 120, in Tennyson 139143, in 
 Hymn-book 151 
 
 Dante 76, 298 
 
 defective, distinguished from fragmen- 
 tary lines 169174, 204, 205 
 
 Diez 297 
 
 disyllabization of monosyllables, legiti- 
 mate and illegitimate 36 foil., 44, 
 165, 172 foil., 183 
 
 Dryden 17, 19 
 
 elegiacs, Coleridge's 260, Tennyson's 
 285, 291, Whewell's 291, Clough's 
 292, W. Watson's 293 
 
 elision 22, 73, 97, 98, 177, 192, wrongly 
 marked in editions of Shakespeare 
 178 foil. 
 
 Ellis, A. J. objects to classical termin- 
 ology and routine scansion 5, 7 ; 
 does not admit feminine caesura 21, 
 190, 191; his metrical system 54 
 foil., illustrated in original ex- 
 amples 60 ; criticized 66 foil., 200 ; 
 on Macbeth 187 foil. 
 
 ending, unstopped (enjambement) 14, 
 in Surrey 160, 161, in Tennyson 
 214, in Shelley 224227, Italian and 
 German 298 301. See feminine 
 
 Evans, B. W. cited 76 
 
 extra-metrical syllable at the end of 
 the line or the caesura 41, 42, 76; 
 at the end often a monosyllable, in 
 Shakespeare 199, in Tennyson 212, 
 in German 299, 300. See feminine 
 and hemistich 
 
 feminine ending 8, 79; in Surrey 161, 
 Marlowe 165, Shakespeare 174 176, 
 196 199, in Romance and German 
 poetry 294301 ; double 165, 199, 
 200, 212. See hemistich 
 
 Fleay on Shakespeare's use of the 
 feminine ending 196 
 
 Fletcher 30, 197 
 
 foot, the basis of metre 7, 34, 54 foil., 
 denied by Dr Skeat 112 
 
 force, metrical 57, 58 
 
 fragmentary lines in Surrey 161, in 
 Shakespeare 168 foil., 188, 204, 
 205 
 
 French, old decasyllabic metre 294 f. 
 
 Frere, see hexameter 
 
 Gascoigne 162 
 
 Gray's Elegy, Dr Skeat's scanning of, 
 
 examined, 116, 117 
 Guest, Dr 3, 12 foil., his calculation of 
 
 the possible varieties of the heroic 
 
 line 72; cited 160, 172, 200, 206, 
 
 241, 271 
 
 Hanmer, emendations of Shakespeare 
 202, 204, 205 
 
 Hawtrey, see hexameter 
 
 Heber 139 
 
 hemistich, extra syllable after (femi- 
 nine caesura), admitted by Guest 21, 
 Abbott 45, Keightley 77 ; denied by 
 Ellis, 21, 190, 191; reasons in fa- 
 vour of 200, 201 ; exx. from Macbeth 
 after 2nd foot 175, after 3rd foot 
 176 ; in Alexandrine 184 ; two extra 
 syllables 201 
 
 hendecasyllabic (trochaic) 144; iambic 
 in Italian 298, hi Latin Pref. viii 
 
 hexameter, Elizabethan 260266, 
 Goldsmith on 266, foreign 263, 267, 
 Coleridge's 260, 267, 268, 273, 287 
 foil. , difference between English and 
 Latin 268270, 277, accentual v. 
 quantitative 261, 264266, 269, 270, 
 Southey's 270272, Frere's 273, 
 Longfellow's 274, Whewell 275, 
 Hawtrey 275, Clough 276282, 289, 
 Arnold 276, 281283, Kingsley 270, 
 283, 284, Tennyson's burlesque 285, 
 Calverley 285, 286, Ashe 286, W. 
 Watson 287, Stone 287290 ; trun- 
 cated, Bowen's 293 
 
 Hood 90, 139 
 
 hymn-book, metres classified 146 
 156 
 
 hypermetrical 95, see extra-metrical 
 
 iamb for trochee 80, 128, 239; for 
 anapaest, 91, 132 foil., 151, 152; for 
 dactyl in hexameters 272, 275, 279, 
 282 
 
 iambic metre 4, how varied 9, 10, 60 
 foil., see blank verse; subdivision 
 of 128 foil., 147 foil., 221 foil. ; pass- 
 ing into trochaic 81. See metre 
 
 intuitivism 1 3, 47 53 
 
 Italian iambic 298 ; imitated by Milton 
 76 
 
 Johnson, Dr 28, 47, 48, 52 
 Jonson, Ben 16, 30 
 
 Keats uses anacrusis in 4-foot trochaic
 
 INDEX. 
 
 307 
 
 Keightley on Milton 76 
 
 Kingsley cited 86, 89 ; his hexameters 
 
 270, 283 
 Klopstock 267 
 
 Leasing 299, 300 foil. 
 
 limitation of metrical substitution 67 
 
 foil. 
 Longfellow, see hexameter 
 
 Marlowe 10, 52, 81, 162167 
 Masson on Milton 71 foil., his scan- 
 sion questioned 73 76 
 measure ( foot) 7, common 14, triple 
 
 14 
 metamorphosis, metrical 78 93, 138 
 
 foil. See substitution 
 metre, kinds of, classified 4, 8, 121 
 156, general view of irregularities 
 91; mixed 139145, 152156 
 Meyer, P. on old French metre 295 
 Milton, his metre condemned by Guest 
 14 foil. ; he neglects final and middle 
 pauses 15 ; does not use hypermetri- 
 cal caesura 25 ; anapaestic lines in 
 Sams. Ag. 32, 100102, his use of 
 trochee for iamb 38 40; Hymn of 
 the Nativity 82, 83 ; mixed trochaic 
 and iambic 4-foot 98 ; metrical analy- 
 sis of 55, 64, 65, 207, 208; Masson 
 and Keightley upon 7177 ; B. 
 Bridges on 96106 
 modern blank verse 206 218 
 monosyllabic feet 130, erroneously ad- 
 mitted by Dr Guest 20, 2426, and 
 disyllabized by Dr Abbott 36 foil. ; 
 see truncation 
 Morris, E. cited 81 
 Morris, W. uses the scazon 80 
 Munro Pref. vii, 268, 269, 285 
 musical bars compared to metrical feet 
 51 
 
 Nicol, H. on old French metre 294, 
 
 295 
 normal line 9 
 
 Paris, G. on old French metre 294 
 pause, final, middle and sectional 13 
 foil.; Swinburne 18; comparative 
 view of pauses in Milton, Pope, 
 Tennyson, Browning 16, 206 foil.; in 
 Lessing and Schiller 300, 301, harsh 
 in Surrey 160, Marlowe 166, Tenny- 
 son 212, Browning 216, Shelley 224 
 229 
 
 Pope neglects middle pause 17, uses 
 sectional pause 18, trisyllabic feet 
 23, 30, pyrrhic for iamb 31, admits 
 sequence iamb-trochee 29; contrasted 
 
 with Milton 19; emendations of 
 
 Shakespeare 202205 
 pronunciation of proper names in 
 
 Marlowe and Shakespeare 163 
 prosody, use of 1, 3, 10, 50 
 pyrrhic for iamb 30, 31, 35, 53, 70, 194 
 
 reading of poetry not determined sole- 
 ly by scansion 10, 49 foil., 213 foil., 
 216 
 
 Bush on accent 59 
 
 Buskin cited 6, 120 
 
 scansion, objected to 2, 48 foil.; rou- 
 tine 6 ; of Plautus 50 ; is only one 
 element in the reading of poetry 53; 
 question as to that of Dr Guest 22, 
 23, 26, 27, of Dr Abbott 36 foil., Mr 
 Symonds 51, Mr Masson 72 75, Mr 
 Keightley 76, Dr Skeat 112 foil. 
 
 scazon used by W. Morris 80, by 
 Surrey, 159, see trochee 
 
 Schiller 300, 301 
 
 Schipper Englische Metrik 13, 81, 266 
 
 Scott 82, 84, 88, 89, 91 
 
 scriptorial disguise 90, 94 
 
 section of Anglo-Saxon inapplicable to 
 modern verse 7, 13 foil. ; abrupt 20, 
 pausing 20; of eight-foot trochaic 
 125 ; see common, pause, hemistich 
 
 Shakespeare, his pauses 15, 17; con- 
 traction of two syllables into one 
 22, 43; expansion of one into two 
 36, 37, 172 foil.; use of spondee for 
 iamb 39 ; trisyllabic feet 42, 43, 
 182, 201 ; Alexandrines 44, 183, 189, 
 202; feminine caesura, see hemi- 
 stich; first folio, elisions in 178; 
 Macbeth 168- 193, Hamlet 193205 
 
 Shelley cited 35, 80, 86, 88, use of 
 alliteration 252 254, echoes of other 
 poets 256, 257, unusual pronuncia- 
 tion 247, negligent rhymes 255, cor- 
 rupt text 220, suggested emenda- 
 tions 247 -250, 257259, his metre 
 219259. 
 
 Sidgwick Pref. vi 
 
 Skeat (ed. of Guest) cited 12, 24, 26, 
 28 ; (of Chaucer) 80 ; his metrical 
 system 112 120 ; recognises only 
 one trisyllabic foot, the amphibrach 
 118 
 
 slurring 41, 44, 52, 53, 73, 97, 180 
 185, 192, Pref. v 
 
 Southey imitated by Shelley 256 ; Lo- 
 dore 92, 93, his hexameters 270 
 272 
 
 spondee for iamb 28, 29, 39, 69, 72, 
 117, 186, 207, 208, 241; for dactyl 
 in hexameter 270
 
 308 
 
 INDEX. 
 
 Steele on metre 59 
 
 Steeveus 173, 202 
 
 Stone, see hexameter 
 
 stress, see accent 
 
 substitution of one foot for another, 
 67 71. See metamorphosis, iamb, 
 trochee, <fec. 
 
 Surrey 51, 157162 
 
 Swinburne, heroic line containing four 
 anapaests 70 ; pause after 1st sylla- 
 ble 18, 19, after 7th 209; truncated 
 anapaests 85, his anapaests mistaken 
 for dactyls 292, 293 
 
 symbols, metrical 94 
 
 Symonds 4, 4753, 156 
 
 Tennyson, his metres classified 121 
 145 ; fondness for trisyllabic metres 
 134; his blank verse analyzed 208 
 214; compared with Browning 209; 
 uses dactyl, anapaest, and tribrach 
 for iamb 44, 131, 208212 ; trochee 
 for iamb 40, 131, 208, 210, 214; 
 example of iambic line made up of 
 5 trochees 210; monosyllabic feet, 
 initial in 4-foot iambic 81, 82, 129, 
 in 6-foot iambic 142, in anapaestic 
 134 139 ; internal in anapaestic 
 132, 134, 137, in trochaic 125, in 
 iambic 142, 143; final in trochaic 
 121 foil. ; iamb for trochee 80, 128 ; 
 pauses 16, 208 foil.; anacrusis 88, 
 122 ; feminine ending 190 ; feminine 
 caesura in 6-foot anapaest 142; fem- 
 inine rhythm 210; final anapaest 
 211; Arden 208, Balin 208, Boa- 
 dicea 143, Cauteretz 124, 126, Garde- 
 ner's D. 17, 208, Gareth 208, Harold 
 211, Lucknow 138, Lucretius 208, 
 Maud 136, May Queen 141, (Enone 
 208, Oldcastle 208, Princess 210, 
 
 Revenge 135, Sea-Fairies 132, Sisters 
 208, Victim 138, 143, Vision of Xin 
 127, Wellington 126, 140 
 
 Thelwall 23 
 
 Todd 52 
 
 tribrach for iamb 72, 75, 212, Pref. v 
 
 trisyllabic feet in iambic metre ques- 
 tioned by Guest 22 foil., and Abbott 
 43, defended by Skeat 24. See ana- 
 paest, dactyl, tribrach, R. Bridges 
 
 trochee 4 ; in 5-foot iambic, initial 26, 
 38, internal 38, 52, 60 foil, 72, 91, 
 186, 187, final 32, 65, 80, 159, 160, 
 186, 195, 210, 237, doubled in Miltou 
 24, 25, 38, 76, Spenser 40, Tennyson 
 40, 210, Browning 214; limit of 
 trochaic substitution 68 foil., cf. 210. 
 Trochaic metres 121128, 150 
 
 truncation 9; final of trochee 79, 121 
 foil., of dactyl 85, 139, 151; initial 
 of iamb 13 (Chaucer), 8083, 130, 
 131, 162 foil. (Marlowe), 108, 109, 
 of anapaest 84, 133; internal 87, 
 88, 121, 132, 134, 142. See mono- 
 syllabic 
 
 Tyrwhitt 23 
 
 unstopped line, see ending 
 
 variety, how obtained 9, 10, 56 foil., 
 206 foil. See metamorphosis 
 
 Wagner 50, 172 
 
 Walker L72 
 
 Watson, W., see hexameter 
 
 weight, metrical 5863, 67 
 
 Whewell, see elegiacs and hexameter 
 
 Wolfe, Burial of Sir J. Moore 84, 119 
 
 Zarucke on the origin of the 5-foot 
 iambic 296 foil., Pref. viii 
 
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