Jlmit\tlt
mgri\\to firdfiri\um qui dli\\enum afi\fietit.
Latin - Elements of Latin Prosody and Metre Compiled with Selections
Commu\nis Pafihi\e dea ( sideris \\ et dca Jioris.
Hexameter verse is the roost ancient, as well as the most
dignified and harmonious, of all poetic measures. It is ge-
nerally employed in the recital of great and splendid'actions,
though capable of being adapted with great success even to
subjects of a familiar nature, as has been strikingly illus-
trated in the neglected hexameters of Horace. The Satires
and Epistles of this poet, do not indeed possess the majesty
and cadence of Virgilian versification, and yet are marked
by numerous and peculiar beauties, directly resulting from
the studied negligence of their composition, and equally in-
dicative of the abilities of the poet, and the variety and
powers of the language in which they are written.
2. The Hexameter Meiurus,P is a defective hexameter,
having an Iambus in the sixth foot instead of a spondee ; as,
p Meiurus, from fxnov^t, mi Cauda diminuta est et truncata. The
hexameter meiurus does not deserve the name of a distinct species, of versc^
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? OP VERSE.
Liv. Andron. Dirige o\doris\equos ad \ certa cu\bilia [canes.
3. The Priapean is also usually accounted a species of
hexameter, so constructed, as to be divisible into two por-
tions of three feet each, having a trochee generally in the
first and fourth feet, and sometimes an amphimacer in the
third; as,
Catul. O co\lonia \ gua c&fiis \\fidnte | ludere f longo.
A preferable mode of scanning it however is, to make the
first hemistich a Glyconic, and the second a Pherecratic
verse, and thus to consider the line, not as forming one dac-
tylic verse, but as composed of two Choriambics.
4. The Pentameteri consists of five feet, whereof the first
and second may be either a dactyl or spondee at pleasure,
the third must always be a spondee, the fourth and fifth,
anapaests; as,
Tibul. Te tene\dm mori\ens de\ficien\te manu.
Ovid. Et mul\tda il\lic Hec\t6ras es\se fiutd.
The more usual, though not the more correct mode of
scanning the pentameter, is this: to make, first, two feet, as
in the former case, then a long syllable, and finally two dac-
tyls followed by another long syllable ; as,
Te tene\dm mort\ens \\defin\ente ma\nu.
Et mul\tds il\llc \\ ffectdras \ esse fiu\td.
The only advantage attending this latter mode is, that it
diminishes, in a very great degree, the risk of neglecting
the penthemimeral caesural pause, in the composition of
Latin pentameters.
The pentameter must always be so constructed as to have
the Caesural pause after the penthemimeris, and thus be
divisible into two equal portions of two feet and a half each,
the middle spondee being composed of a semifoot remaining
at the end of a preceding word, and a semifoot from the be-
it should rather be regarded as a vicious and defective hexameter. Livius
AndronTcus is said to have composed such lines, which he mixed alternately
with perfect hexameters. Only two of them remain.
q From vivrt, quinqne, and /usfjen, mensura. The very name shows
the inaccuracy of that mode of scanning the verse, by which it is divided into
only four feet. In defence of the other mode, the authority of Quintiliaa
may be cited, who mentions the spondee as the middle foot, and the ana-
past as terminating the line, (9,4. )
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? 96 OF VERSE.
ginning of the following word s unless this be done, it will
not be a legitimate pentameter. Hence the following line
has been justly condemned :--
Inter nostros gentlfta oberrat equus.
Pentameter verses are rarely used alone. They are most
commonly joined in alternate succession with hexameters,
forming what is termed Elegiac1 verse
5. The ^lolic Pentameter consists of four dactyls, pre-
ceded by a spondee, a trochee, or an iambus; as,
Terentian. JEdi\dii tuba | terribi\lem soni\tum firocul.
This measure is so called from the jEolian poetess Sappho,
who invented it. Sometimes the first foot was a dactyl.
6. The Phalsecian Pentameter consists of a dactylic pen-
themimeris, followed by a dactyl and a spondee; as,
Boeth. Vise\bdt geli\de \ siderd \ brume.
This measure, like the -fliolic pentameter, admits a tro-
chee in the first place; and besides the trochee, Boethius
uses the iambus in the first and second places; as,
Hie e\nim cau\sds \ cernere | firomfitum est.
Illic | la'en\tes \ fidctdra | lurbant.
Stuflet | cum subi\tis \ mobile | vulgus. Boethius.
This measure derives its name from the poet Pbalaecus,
who invented it. It is also, though less correctly, called
Phaleucian.
7. The Tetrameter a firiore, or Alcmanian dactylic tetra-
meter, consists of the first four feet of an hexameter, with
merely this difference, that the fourth foot is always a dactyl;
as,
Boeth. Desufier | in ter\ram n6x \ funditur.
This measure was frequently used in tragic choruses.
r Elegiac verse, was so called from the Greek <<x<<j/e;<<xofj which is de-
rived from i^^>oc, lamentatio, and this last is said to come, a*>> tob, i I
MyW) " from the weeping of mourners. " Hence the well known lines of
Ovid--
" Flebilis indignos Elege'ia solve capilloQ
lieu nimie ex vera nunc tibi nomen erit. m
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? OF VERSE. 97
8. The Tetrameter a fiosteriore, or Spondaic tetrameter,
consists of the last four feet of an hexameter; as,
Horat. Cirtiis e\nim fird\misit J\fi6lld.
Sometimes, as in the hexameter, a spondee occupies the
last place but one; in which case, the preceding foot ought
to be a dactyl, or the line will be too heavy; as,
Horat- Menso\rem cohi\bBnt Ar\chyta.
9. The Tetrameter Meiurus or Faliscan, consists of the
last four feet of the hexameter meiurus; as,
Boeth. Fdlce ru\bds fUt\cemgue re\secdt.
10. The Tetrameter Acephalous, is the tetrameter a fios-
teriore, wanting the first semifoot; as,
Boeth. Qui | si volet \ esse fio\tintem.
This measure, however, may perhaps be more properly
regarded as Anapaestic dimeter catalectic.
11. The Tetrameter Catalectic, is the tetrameter a firiore,
wanting the last semifoot; as,
Prudent. JVdstrd de\us canel | harmoni\d.
Boeth. Hie cluu\sit mem\bris dni\mds.
Boethius, in this measure, mixes spondees with the dactyls ;
but it was more usual to employ all dactyls.
12. The Dactylic Trimeter, consists of the last three feet
of an hexameter; as,
Horat. Grdtd \ Pyrrha sub | dntrd.
But the lines which are usually thus denominated, are
with greater propriety included in the class of Choriambics,
and ranked under Pherecratics.
13. The Trimeter Catalectic, or Archilochian penthemi-
meris, is an heroic penthemimeris, or the first five half feet of
an hexameter; as,
Horat. Arbori\busque co\mit.
Horace uniformly observes this construction, viz. two dac-
tyls and a semifoot. Ausonius, however, sometimes makes
the first foot a spondee, and twice uses a spondee in the se-
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? 98 ? >> VERSE.
cond place; but the spondee injures the harmony of the
verse.
14. The Dactylic Dimeter, or Adonic, consists of two feet,
a dactyl and a spondee ; as,
Horat. Rlsit jj\fldlld.
This measure was called Adonic, because used in the
lamentations for Adonis. --Sappho is said to have written
entire poems in it, now lost. --Boethius has a piece of thirty-
one Adonic lines, Lib. 1, metr. 7J
ANAPiESTIC MEASURES.
15. The Anapaestic Monometer, or anapjestic measure,
consists of two anapaests; as,
ululda\se cants. Seneca.
But the first foot was very frequently changed to a dactyl,
often to a spondee; and the second foot, often to a spondee,
and in a few instances to a dactyl; as,
Fundite \Jletii3,
JSdite | fildnctus.
Fingite \ luctus.
Resonet \ tristi
Cldm6\rS Jorum. Seneca.
16. The Anapaestic Dimeter consists of two anapaestic
measures, or four feet; as,'
JPharetrte\qug graves |] date sa\vd fero.
Qudnti | cdaua || humd\nd rotdnt I Seneca.
17. The Anapaestic Dimeter Catalectic, consists of three
feet, properly anapaests, followed by a catalectic syllable.
s See remarks upon the " Sapphic" measure, 31.
t No Latin poet ever wrote anapasatics necessarily consisting of four
anapaests (with the exception of a few in Seneca and Ausonius), but they all
appear tR>> have intended their anupa>>tics for single measures or mono*
meters, leaving the reader to connect or disjoin them as the sense might
require, or his own judgement dictate. Convenience in printing however is
answered by the division into dimeters, and hence they are generally ex-
hibited in this forni, in editions of ancient authors.
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? OF VERSE.
99
The Spondee however was admissible into the first and se-
cond places; as,
Utindm | modi). not\tra redi\rent
In mo\res tem\fidra firis\cos. Boeth.
18. The Archebulic Anapaestic" (so named from its in-
ventor Archebiilus) consists of four anapaests, followed by a
bacchius; as,
T%bi na$\citur 6m\ne fiecus, [tibi cres\cit hadus.
19. The AnapsesticTetrameter Catalectic, consists of seven
feet (properly anapaests) and a catalectic syllable. The ana-
paest however is every where alterable to a spondee or dac-
tyl, and sometimes to a proceleusmatic. This measure is
sometimes termed Aristophanic, because frequently used in
Greek by the poet Aristophanes. No examples of this spe-
cies of verse occur in Latin; it may be formed however, by
prefixing to the common dactylic hexameter, a foot and a
half; as,
Rapidis | sima. qua\drufieddn\tit fiutrcm j sonitu \ quatit un\
gula cum\fium,
Pulcher|iTm& re\gia S6\lis erdt \ sy,bll\mibus al\ta colum\
nls.
With regard to the Anapaestic verse it may be observed,
that Monometers and Dimeters are generally so constructed
es to allow of their being read in lines of two, four, or more
feet, without the division of a word, through the difference
of arrangement. The Tragic Anapsestics, however, do not
seem to have been confined to a definite length, but to have
been extended by Synapheia, to whatever length suited the
poet's convenience; suddenly breaking off at the close of a
period, or pause in the sense, and leaving at the end a single
foot or half-foot; afterwards beginning a new series or para-
graph, running on and terminating as before ; but in such a
manner, that in the course of each series or paragraph, the
final syllable of every anapaest, if not naturally long, is, un-
der the influence of synapheia, rendered long by the con-
course of consonants. For the anapaest consisting of two
. u There are no poems now extant in this measure. The line given
above, is one framed by Terentianiis Maurus, te exemplify this species of
versa.
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? 100
OF VERSE.
short syllables followed by a long one, receives a fuller pro-
nunciation upon the final syllable than any other foot, and
the pause at the termination of the verse is not sufficient for
that purpose, unless the syllable be long, or stand at the
conclusion of a sentence. "
IAMBIC MEASURES.
Iambic verses are scanned by measures of two feel; it
having been usual in reciting them, to make a short pause
at the end of every second foot, with an emphasis on its final
syllable.
20. The Iambic Trimeter (called also, from the number
of its feet, Senarius) consists of three Iambic measures, or
six feet, properly all iambi, and having the Csesural pause
most commonly after the fifth semifoot; as,
a
Catul. Phase\lus il\\le " quim \ vtde\\cis hos\(ntea.
The pure Iambic measure however was seldom used by
the Latin poets. In order to render composition less diffi-
cult, and, by producing delay, to give the verses more gra-
vity and dignity, spondees were admitted into the odd places,
that is, into the first, third, and fifth. In every foot also, ex-
cept the last, which was always an iambus, a long syllable
was often changed into two short ones; so that an anapaest or
a dactyl was often used for a spondee, and a tribrac for an
iambus. Sometimes too, in the first station, a proceleusma-
tic occupied the place of a spondee. The scale of the mixed
Iambic Trimeter is therefore as follows:--
1
2
3
4
5
6
x See Clarke's note on II. A. SI.
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? OF VERSE. 191
The reason why the even places were reserved for the
iambus in preference to the spondee, seems to have been
this, that by placing the spondee first, and having the iambus
to follow, greater emphasis would be given to the conclud-
ing syllable of each measure, on which the ictus and pause
took place; the difference of time causing the ear to be
more sensibly affected when the long syllable is immediately
preceded by a short, than when two long syllables stand to-
gether.
By the Tragic Poets the pure Iambic measure was little
used, it being considered as too light for the dignity of Tra-
gic composition, and in lieu of the iambus, the spondee,
dactyl, and anapsest, were freely used in the first, third, and
fifth places.
The writers of comedy, satire, and fables, allowed them-
selves a still greater license. They admitted the spondee,
and its equivalents, the dactyl and anapaest, into the second
and fourth places, as well as the first, third, and fifth. The
last place however still remained as before, always an iam-
bus; as,
Petron. Tuo | fi9la\\td clai>\sus fia\\vo fids\citur.
Phsedr.
Jlmit\tlt mgri\\to firdfiri\um qui dli\\enum afi\fietit.
Idem. Pare&\dum non \\sint ves\traJor\\titu\dinl.
The effect of this arrangement is to render these compo-
sitions more familiar in their style, and to bring them nearer
to the level of prose.
31. The Scazon or Choliambus,>' (ClaiuUcant, or lame
Iambic, so named, because in it the cadence is inverted or
maimed as it were, by the change of feet in the last two
places,) is the Iambic Trimeter, with a spondee instead of
an iambus in the sixth place; and, lest the verse should be-
come too heavy if a spondee were admitted into the fifth
place also, having generally, in that place, an iambus; as,
Citr in | lhed\\trum C&td \ teve\\re ve\nisti ?
An ide\d tdn\\tum ve\nerds \\ itC ex\ires ? Mart.
This species of verse is also called the Hipponactic Tri-
meter, from its inventor the satyrical poet Hipponax. It
y Scazon, from claudicans. --Choliaiubas, from efa>>>>
and leftists Intuitu.
I2
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? 102
OF VERSE.
was chiefly employed in saty rical composition} and was much
used for this purpose by Martial, as well as others.
22. The Saturnian Trimeter, is an Iambic Trimeter Hy-
permeter, with a violation of the Iambic law, by having a
spondee in the fourth place; as,
Ter. Maur. Ddbunt | malum |] Metil\li JVH\\vid | fide\\ta.
It may be scanned however in two divisions, the first
Iambic, the latter Trochaic; as,
Dabunt | malum \ Metel\li || JVavi\6 fio\e(<<.
An arrangement which produces no violation of rule, the
final syllable of each verse being common.
23. The Iambic Tetrameter, or Octonarius, or Quadra-
tus, a measure used by the comic poets, consists of eight
feet, or four measures. These feet are properly all Iambi;
they are subject however to the same variations as the
Iambic Trimeter; as,
Terent. Sdne\fwl is\\ta te \ miilen\\ta est muli\er It || temerd\
rid.
Idem. JVunc hie \ dies || Sliam \ vitam dd\\fert, aU\os md\\
res fios\tulat.
Idem. Pdtere\tur: nam\\ quem fer\ret, si[\fiaren\tem n6ra[)
ferret \ suum.
Idem. Lend \ sum, fdte\\6r, fier\nicies \\ commu\nis ddo\\
lescen\tium.
Idem. Cvjus | nunc misg\\ra sfies I 6ftes\\que sunt \ in te
no otnnis | sitfi.
24. The Iambic Tetrameter Catalectic, (called likewise
Hipponactic, from its inventor Hipponax,) is the Iambic
Tetrameter, deprived of its final syllable, and always having
an Iambus in the seventh place. The pure Iambic however
was seldom used, and in this the same variations were ad-
missible as in the Trimeter and Tetrameter; as,
Catul. Defiren\sd nd\\vis in | mart \\ vesd\nien\\te ven\to.
Terent. JVdn fi6s\sum sdti' j| ndrrd\re quos\\ludos\ firS-
bite\\ris in\tus.
25. The Iambic Trimeter Catalectic or Archilochian, is
tfte Iambic trimeter, wanting the final syllable. It contains
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? OF VERSE. 103
five feet (properly all iambi) followed by a catalectic syU
lable; as,
Horat. F6ca\tua dt\\gue non \voca\\tua aii\dit.
It admits, however, like the common Iambic trimeter, the
spondee into the first and third places, but not into the fifth,
which'would render the line too heavy; as,
Horat. Trahunt^ue sic\\cas ma\china || cari\nas.
Prud. JV6nnul\la guer\\cu sunt \ cava\\ta et ul\\md.
Terentianus Maurus prefers the following mode of scan-
ning this kind of verse:
Trdhunt\que sic\cds \\mdchi\nZ cd\rlnda.
26. The Iambic Dimeter, consists of two Iambic mea-
sures or four feet, properly all iambi; as,
Horat. Perun\xit hoc || Ia\sonem.
4
It admits however the same variations as the Trimeter.
The following is the scale :--
1
2
3
4
Horace, however, much more frequently employs a spon-
dee than any other foot in the third place.
The Iambip Dimeter is also called the Archilochian Di-
meter, from the poet Archilochus, its inventor.
27. The Iambic Dimeter Hypermeter, (called likewise
Archilochian,) is the Iambic Dimeter, with an additional
syllable at the end ; as,
Horat. Rede\git dd\\veros | timo\\res.
Idem. Orna\re fiul\\vindr | rfed||rum.
Horace frequently uses this measure in conjunction with
the Alcaic, and uniformly has the third foot a spondee. For
the line wjlich occurs, Od. 2, 19, 15.
Disjecta non levi ruina,
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? 104 OF VERSE.
has been corrected by Bentley from MSS. as follows:--
Disjecta -non leni ruina.
Alcaeus however, in the Greek stanza regularly uses the
iambus in the third place.
28. The Iambic Dimeter Acephalous, is the Iambic Dimeter
wanting the first syllable; as, ,
Hoiat. JVon | ebur || neque aii\reum.
Prud. D6\nd cdn\\acien\lig.
This kind of verse is sometimes, though improperly, scanned
as Catalectic Trochaic Dimeter.
JVon e\bur ne\\que aure\um.
Dona | cOnsci\\enti\! e.
29. The Iambic Dimeter Catalectic or Anacreontic, from
the poet Anacreon, who wrote in this measure in Greek-
called also Dimeter Claudus, is the Iambic Dimeter, want-
ing the final syllable, and consists, properly, of three iambi,
and a catalectic syllable; as,
jlnus I recpc\\ta vi\n6,
Tremen\tibus\\ldbel\lia. Petron.
It admits, however, the tribrac, amphimacer, spondee, and
anapaest, into the first place; in the third, it suffers no varia-
tion, at least in Latin; as,
Lex hac I data est \\ cadii\cis,
Deo \ juben\\tg mem\bris,
Ut tetn\figret || labo\rem
Medica\bilis || -v6lufi\tas. Prudent.
MiXTtfuu I poSbv || Sejei[o>>. Anacreon.
30. The Galliambus (so denominated from the Galli, or
priests of Gybele, by whom it was used) consists of an Iambic
Dimeter Catalectic, whose first foot is generally a spondee or
an anapaest, and another such Dimeter, wanting the last syl-
lable--the Catalectic syllable at the end of the first Dimeter
being long; as,
Catul. Sufier &l\t& vec\tiU J\tys || celeri | rate ma\rid.
This verse admits of the following variations:--
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? OF VERSE-
105
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
The anapaest however was generally preferred to the spon-
dee in both divisions of the verse, particularly the latter, and
the penultimate foot of the whole line was most commonly a
tribrac.
TROCHAIC MEASURES.
? Although Iambics and Trochaics seem directly opposite in
their, nature, yet there exists in reality a strong affinity be-
tween them. If, for example, a syllable be added to, or taken
from the beginning of a pure Iambic line, it becomes a pure
Trochaic; and if, on the contrary, a syllable be added to, or
taken from a pure Trochaic line, it becomes a pure Iambic. 1
31. The Trochaic Tetrameter Catalectic or Octonarius,
consists of seven feet, properly all trochees, followed by a
catalectic syllable; as,
Catul. Juaais \ eat in\ermis \ ire : Wfivrits | ire \juasua | eat.
This is the most common trochaic metre, and may, in con-
formity with what has already been observed, be converted
into an Iambic Octonarius, by the addition of a syllable to the
beginning.
The pure Trochaic Tetrameter however very rarely occurs.
The verse admits in the odd places, a trochee, or a tribrac;
but in the last place, a trochee only: in the even places, be-
sides the trochee and tribrac, it admits also a spondee, a dac-
tyl, an anapaest, and, though seldom, a proceleusraatic. It
rejects the iambus, as-the iambic does the trochee. The tri-
brac very rarely occurs in the sixth place, and never in the
seventh, except in a few instances in comedy. The dactyl
rarely appears in the fourth. The following is the scale :--
z The Port-Royal Grammarian asserts that there are no Trochaic verses,
properly so catled; but that those which commonly go by tikis name, are
In realiiy Acephalous Iambics,
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? 106
OF VERSE.
The Comic writers took the same liberties with this, as with
the Iambic measure, introducing the spondee and its equiva-
lents into the even places.
This measure was much used in hymns. The Caesural
pause uniformly occurs after the fourth foot, dividing the verse
into a Trochaic Dimeter Acatalectic, and a Trochaic Dimeter
Catalectic. One division of the chcjrus sang the former, the
other the latter. .
The following lines will serve to show the peculiar beauty
and melody which this species of verse often possesses :--
Prud. Macte, judex mortuorum,\\ made, rex viventium.
M. Cap. Scande cedi temfila, virgo,\\ digna tanto fozdere.
Prud. Solve vocem, mens, sonoram j || solve linguam mo-
bilem.
Idem. Terra, ccelum, fossa fionti, || trina rerum machina.
Catul. JRomuUas ifisa fecit || cum Sabinis nufitias,
32. The Sapphic verse, called after the poetess Sappho,
who invented it, consists of five feet, the first a trochee, the
second a spondee, the third a dactyl, and the fourth and fifth,
trochees; as,
Horat. Deflu\il sax\is agi\tatus | humor,
Sappho however, and after her example, Catullus, sometimes
made the second foot a trochee; as,
Sappho. lieu Ai|i; So|\o7rXoxE, ? wr<7(j/iai o-! .
Catul. Pauca | nunti|<<i<f mea fiuelle.
But Horace invariably adheres to the spondee in the second
place, which greatly increases the harmony of the line.
Seneca furnishes instances of a dactyl in the second place; as,
Sen. Quaque ad | Hesperi|as jacct ora metus.
Idem. Sume\re Innume|ras solitumfiguraa.
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? OF VERSE.
But perhaps Hesfierias, and innumeras, should be read as
trisyllables. 3
Sappho accompanied every three of these verses with an
Adonic line, and in this she has been imitated by Horace, Ca-
tullus, and others, but not by Seneca, who, in the choruses to
his tragedies, often gives a considerable number of successive
Sapphics, without any Adonic.
Those. Sapphic lines are the most harmonious, which have
the Csesural pause at the penthemimeris; as,
Inte|ger viltse || scele|risque | purus.
Non e|get Mau|ri )| jacu|lis nec | arcu. '
Nec vejnenariItis || gravi|da sa|gittis
Fusee pha|retra. Horat.
On the contrary, those which are without it, are strikingly
deficient in melody; as,
Horat. Tuque dum firocedis, Io triumfihe !
Idem. Hac Jovem sentire, Deosque cunctot.
Catul. Qui sedens adversus, identidem te.
Idem. Seu Sacas, sagittiferosque Parthos.
In the composition of the Sapphic Stanza, a word may be
divided in such a way, that the former part of it shall close
the third line, and the remainder form the beginning of the
fourth or Adonic. The ancient poets afford no instance of
such a division at th\e termination of the first, second, or fourth
verse; nor does it occur even in the third verse, in the Sap-
phics of Seneca, Statius, Ausonius, Prudentius, Sidonius Apol-
linaris, or Boethius, but only in those of Catullus and Horace. b
A continuation of sense from stanza to stanza, if not occur-
ring frequently, is permitted; but it is deemed harsh and auk-
a Sapphic verses are sometimes found redundant, (Hypermetri); but in
this case, the last vowel is elided, because ihe following verse begins with a
vowel.
b These remarks have reference to the division of a simple word. There
are two other instances of division, which are of a different class, vide Horat.
Od. I, 25, It. and 3, 27, 59. In these the prepositions are allowably de-
tached from the words with which they are compounded, as they often
are in other metres. From the aukward division whinh simple words fre-
quently experience between the third line of the Sapphic stanza and the
succeeding Adonic, the parts so divided, being separately void of all mean-
ing, Dr.
Hexameter verse is the roost ancient, as well as the most
dignified and harmonious, of all poetic measures. It is ge-
nerally employed in the recital of great and splendid'actions,
though capable of being adapted with great success even to
subjects of a familiar nature, as has been strikingly illus-
trated in the neglected hexameters of Horace. The Satires
and Epistles of this poet, do not indeed possess the majesty
and cadence of Virgilian versification, and yet are marked
by numerous and peculiar beauties, directly resulting from
the studied negligence of their composition, and equally in-
dicative of the abilities of the poet, and the variety and
powers of the language in which they are written.
2. The Hexameter Meiurus,P is a defective hexameter,
having an Iambus in the sixth foot instead of a spondee ; as,
p Meiurus, from fxnov^t, mi Cauda diminuta est et truncata. The
hexameter meiurus does not deserve the name of a distinct species, of versc^
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? OP VERSE.
Liv. Andron. Dirige o\doris\equos ad \ certa cu\bilia [canes.
3. The Priapean is also usually accounted a species of
hexameter, so constructed, as to be divisible into two por-
tions of three feet each, having a trochee generally in the
first and fourth feet, and sometimes an amphimacer in the
third; as,
Catul. O co\lonia \ gua c&fiis \\fidnte | ludere f longo.
A preferable mode of scanning it however is, to make the
first hemistich a Glyconic, and the second a Pherecratic
verse, and thus to consider the line, not as forming one dac-
tylic verse, but as composed of two Choriambics.
4. The Pentameteri consists of five feet, whereof the first
and second may be either a dactyl or spondee at pleasure,
the third must always be a spondee, the fourth and fifth,
anapaests; as,
Tibul. Te tene\dm mori\ens de\ficien\te manu.
Ovid. Et mul\tda il\lic Hec\t6ras es\se fiutd.
The more usual, though not the more correct mode of
scanning the pentameter, is this: to make, first, two feet, as
in the former case, then a long syllable, and finally two dac-
tyls followed by another long syllable ; as,
Te tene\dm mort\ens \\defin\ente ma\nu.
Et mul\tds il\llc \\ ffectdras \ esse fiu\td.
The only advantage attending this latter mode is, that it
diminishes, in a very great degree, the risk of neglecting
the penthemimeral caesural pause, in the composition of
Latin pentameters.
The pentameter must always be so constructed as to have
the Caesural pause after the penthemimeris, and thus be
divisible into two equal portions of two feet and a half each,
the middle spondee being composed of a semifoot remaining
at the end of a preceding word, and a semifoot from the be-
it should rather be regarded as a vicious and defective hexameter. Livius
AndronTcus is said to have composed such lines, which he mixed alternately
with perfect hexameters. Only two of them remain.
q From vivrt, quinqne, and /usfjen, mensura. The very name shows
the inaccuracy of that mode of scanning the verse, by which it is divided into
only four feet. In defence of the other mode, the authority of Quintiliaa
may be cited, who mentions the spondee as the middle foot, and the ana-
past as terminating the line, (9,4. )
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? 96 OF VERSE.
ginning of the following word s unless this be done, it will
not be a legitimate pentameter. Hence the following line
has been justly condemned :--
Inter nostros gentlfta oberrat equus.
Pentameter verses are rarely used alone. They are most
commonly joined in alternate succession with hexameters,
forming what is termed Elegiac1 verse
5. The ^lolic Pentameter consists of four dactyls, pre-
ceded by a spondee, a trochee, or an iambus; as,
Terentian. JEdi\dii tuba | terribi\lem soni\tum firocul.
This measure is so called from the jEolian poetess Sappho,
who invented it. Sometimes the first foot was a dactyl.
6. The Phalsecian Pentameter consists of a dactylic pen-
themimeris, followed by a dactyl and a spondee; as,
Boeth. Vise\bdt geli\de \ siderd \ brume.
This measure, like the -fliolic pentameter, admits a tro-
chee in the first place; and besides the trochee, Boethius
uses the iambus in the first and second places; as,
Hie e\nim cau\sds \ cernere | firomfitum est.
Illic | la'en\tes \ fidctdra | lurbant.
Stuflet | cum subi\tis \ mobile | vulgus. Boethius.
This measure derives its name from the poet Pbalaecus,
who invented it. It is also, though less correctly, called
Phaleucian.
7. The Tetrameter a firiore, or Alcmanian dactylic tetra-
meter, consists of the first four feet of an hexameter, with
merely this difference, that the fourth foot is always a dactyl;
as,
Boeth. Desufier | in ter\ram n6x \ funditur.
This measure was frequently used in tragic choruses.
r Elegiac verse, was so called from the Greek <<x<<j/e;<<xofj which is de-
rived from i^^>oc, lamentatio, and this last is said to come, a*>> tob, i I
MyW) " from the weeping of mourners. " Hence the well known lines of
Ovid--
" Flebilis indignos Elege'ia solve capilloQ
lieu nimie ex vera nunc tibi nomen erit. m
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? OF VERSE. 97
8. The Tetrameter a fiosteriore, or Spondaic tetrameter,
consists of the last four feet of an hexameter; as,
Horat. Cirtiis e\nim fird\misit J\fi6lld.
Sometimes, as in the hexameter, a spondee occupies the
last place but one; in which case, the preceding foot ought
to be a dactyl, or the line will be too heavy; as,
Horat- Menso\rem cohi\bBnt Ar\chyta.
9. The Tetrameter Meiurus or Faliscan, consists of the
last four feet of the hexameter meiurus; as,
Boeth. Fdlce ru\bds fUt\cemgue re\secdt.
10. The Tetrameter Acephalous, is the tetrameter a fios-
teriore, wanting the first semifoot; as,
Boeth. Qui | si volet \ esse fio\tintem.
This measure, however, may perhaps be more properly
regarded as Anapaestic dimeter catalectic.
11. The Tetrameter Catalectic, is the tetrameter a firiore,
wanting the last semifoot; as,
Prudent. JVdstrd de\us canel | harmoni\d.
Boeth. Hie cluu\sit mem\bris dni\mds.
Boethius, in this measure, mixes spondees with the dactyls ;
but it was more usual to employ all dactyls.
12. The Dactylic Trimeter, consists of the last three feet
of an hexameter; as,
Horat. Grdtd \ Pyrrha sub | dntrd.
But the lines which are usually thus denominated, are
with greater propriety included in the class of Choriambics,
and ranked under Pherecratics.
13. The Trimeter Catalectic, or Archilochian penthemi-
meris, is an heroic penthemimeris, or the first five half feet of
an hexameter; as,
Horat. Arbori\busque co\mit.
Horace uniformly observes this construction, viz. two dac-
tyls and a semifoot. Ausonius, however, sometimes makes
the first foot a spondee, and twice uses a spondee in the se-
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? 98 ? >> VERSE.
cond place; but the spondee injures the harmony of the
verse.
14. The Dactylic Dimeter, or Adonic, consists of two feet,
a dactyl and a spondee ; as,
Horat. Rlsit jj\fldlld.
This measure was called Adonic, because used in the
lamentations for Adonis. --Sappho is said to have written
entire poems in it, now lost. --Boethius has a piece of thirty-
one Adonic lines, Lib. 1, metr. 7J
ANAPiESTIC MEASURES.
15. The Anapaestic Monometer, or anapjestic measure,
consists of two anapaests; as,
ululda\se cants. Seneca.
But the first foot was very frequently changed to a dactyl,
often to a spondee; and the second foot, often to a spondee,
and in a few instances to a dactyl; as,
Fundite \Jletii3,
JSdite | fildnctus.
Fingite \ luctus.
Resonet \ tristi
Cldm6\rS Jorum. Seneca.
16. The Anapaestic Dimeter consists of two anapaestic
measures, or four feet; as,'
JPharetrte\qug graves |] date sa\vd fero.
Qudnti | cdaua || humd\nd rotdnt I Seneca.
17. The Anapaestic Dimeter Catalectic, consists of three
feet, properly anapaests, followed by a catalectic syllable.
s See remarks upon the " Sapphic" measure, 31.
t No Latin poet ever wrote anapasatics necessarily consisting of four
anapaests (with the exception of a few in Seneca and Ausonius), but they all
appear tR>> have intended their anupa>>tics for single measures or mono*
meters, leaving the reader to connect or disjoin them as the sense might
require, or his own judgement dictate. Convenience in printing however is
answered by the division into dimeters, and hence they are generally ex-
hibited in this forni, in editions of ancient authors.
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? OF VERSE.
99
The Spondee however was admissible into the first and se-
cond places; as,
Utindm | modi). not\tra redi\rent
In mo\res tem\fidra firis\cos. Boeth.
18. The Archebulic Anapaestic" (so named from its in-
ventor Archebiilus) consists of four anapaests, followed by a
bacchius; as,
T%bi na$\citur 6m\ne fiecus, [tibi cres\cit hadus.
19. The AnapsesticTetrameter Catalectic, consists of seven
feet (properly anapaests) and a catalectic syllable. The ana-
paest however is every where alterable to a spondee or dac-
tyl, and sometimes to a proceleusmatic. This measure is
sometimes termed Aristophanic, because frequently used in
Greek by the poet Aristophanes. No examples of this spe-
cies of verse occur in Latin; it may be formed however, by
prefixing to the common dactylic hexameter, a foot and a
half; as,
Rapidis | sima. qua\drufieddn\tit fiutrcm j sonitu \ quatit un\
gula cum\fium,
Pulcher|iTm& re\gia S6\lis erdt \ sy,bll\mibus al\ta colum\
nls.
With regard to the Anapaestic verse it may be observed,
that Monometers and Dimeters are generally so constructed
es to allow of their being read in lines of two, four, or more
feet, without the division of a word, through the difference
of arrangement. The Tragic Anapsestics, however, do not
seem to have been confined to a definite length, but to have
been extended by Synapheia, to whatever length suited the
poet's convenience; suddenly breaking off at the close of a
period, or pause in the sense, and leaving at the end a single
foot or half-foot; afterwards beginning a new series or para-
graph, running on and terminating as before ; but in such a
manner, that in the course of each series or paragraph, the
final syllable of every anapaest, if not naturally long, is, un-
der the influence of synapheia, rendered long by the con-
course of consonants. For the anapaest consisting of two
. u There are no poems now extant in this measure. The line given
above, is one framed by Terentianiis Maurus, te exemplify this species of
versa.
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? 100
OF VERSE.
short syllables followed by a long one, receives a fuller pro-
nunciation upon the final syllable than any other foot, and
the pause at the termination of the verse is not sufficient for
that purpose, unless the syllable be long, or stand at the
conclusion of a sentence. "
IAMBIC MEASURES.
Iambic verses are scanned by measures of two feel; it
having been usual in reciting them, to make a short pause
at the end of every second foot, with an emphasis on its final
syllable.
20. The Iambic Trimeter (called also, from the number
of its feet, Senarius) consists of three Iambic measures, or
six feet, properly all iambi, and having the Csesural pause
most commonly after the fifth semifoot; as,
a
Catul. Phase\lus il\\le " quim \ vtde\\cis hos\(ntea.
The pure Iambic measure however was seldom used by
the Latin poets. In order to render composition less diffi-
cult, and, by producing delay, to give the verses more gra-
vity and dignity, spondees were admitted into the odd places,
that is, into the first, third, and fifth. In every foot also, ex-
cept the last, which was always an iambus, a long syllable
was often changed into two short ones; so that an anapaest or
a dactyl was often used for a spondee, and a tribrac for an
iambus. Sometimes too, in the first station, a proceleusma-
tic occupied the place of a spondee. The scale of the mixed
Iambic Trimeter is therefore as follows:--
1
2
3
4
5
6
x See Clarke's note on II. A. SI.
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? OF VERSE. 191
The reason why the even places were reserved for the
iambus in preference to the spondee, seems to have been
this, that by placing the spondee first, and having the iambus
to follow, greater emphasis would be given to the conclud-
ing syllable of each measure, on which the ictus and pause
took place; the difference of time causing the ear to be
more sensibly affected when the long syllable is immediately
preceded by a short, than when two long syllables stand to-
gether.
By the Tragic Poets the pure Iambic measure was little
used, it being considered as too light for the dignity of Tra-
gic composition, and in lieu of the iambus, the spondee,
dactyl, and anapsest, were freely used in the first, third, and
fifth places.
The writers of comedy, satire, and fables, allowed them-
selves a still greater license. They admitted the spondee,
and its equivalents, the dactyl and anapaest, into the second
and fourth places, as well as the first, third, and fifth. The
last place however still remained as before, always an iam-
bus; as,
Petron. Tuo | fi9la\\td clai>\sus fia\\vo fids\citur.
Phsedr.
Jlmit\tlt mgri\\to firdfiri\um qui dli\\enum afi\fietit.
Idem. Pare&\dum non \\sint ves\traJor\\titu\dinl.
The effect of this arrangement is to render these compo-
sitions more familiar in their style, and to bring them nearer
to the level of prose.
31. The Scazon or Choliambus,>' (ClaiuUcant, or lame
Iambic, so named, because in it the cadence is inverted or
maimed as it were, by the change of feet in the last two
places,) is the Iambic Trimeter, with a spondee instead of
an iambus in the sixth place; and, lest the verse should be-
come too heavy if a spondee were admitted into the fifth
place also, having generally, in that place, an iambus; as,
Citr in | lhed\\trum C&td \ teve\\re ve\nisti ?
An ide\d tdn\\tum ve\nerds \\ itC ex\ires ? Mart.
This species of verse is also called the Hipponactic Tri-
meter, from its inventor the satyrical poet Hipponax. It
y Scazon, from claudicans. --Choliaiubas, from efa>>>>
and leftists Intuitu.
I2
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? 102
OF VERSE.
was chiefly employed in saty rical composition} and was much
used for this purpose by Martial, as well as others.
22. The Saturnian Trimeter, is an Iambic Trimeter Hy-
permeter, with a violation of the Iambic law, by having a
spondee in the fourth place; as,
Ter. Maur. Ddbunt | malum |] Metil\li JVH\\vid | fide\\ta.
It may be scanned however in two divisions, the first
Iambic, the latter Trochaic; as,
Dabunt | malum \ Metel\li || JVavi\6 fio\e(<<.
An arrangement which produces no violation of rule, the
final syllable of each verse being common.
23. The Iambic Tetrameter, or Octonarius, or Quadra-
tus, a measure used by the comic poets, consists of eight
feet, or four measures. These feet are properly all Iambi;
they are subject however to the same variations as the
Iambic Trimeter; as,
Terent. Sdne\fwl is\\ta te \ miilen\\ta est muli\er It || temerd\
rid.
Idem. JVunc hie \ dies || Sliam \ vitam dd\\fert, aU\os md\\
res fios\tulat.
Idem. Pdtere\tur: nam\\ quem fer\ret, si[\fiaren\tem n6ra[)
ferret \ suum.
Idem. Lend \ sum, fdte\\6r, fier\nicies \\ commu\nis ddo\\
lescen\tium.
Idem. Cvjus | nunc misg\\ra sfies I 6ftes\\que sunt \ in te
no otnnis | sitfi.
24. The Iambic Tetrameter Catalectic, (called likewise
Hipponactic, from its inventor Hipponax,) is the Iambic
Tetrameter, deprived of its final syllable, and always having
an Iambus in the seventh place. The pure Iambic however
was seldom used, and in this the same variations were ad-
missible as in the Trimeter and Tetrameter; as,
Catul. Defiren\sd nd\\vis in | mart \\ vesd\nien\\te ven\to.
Terent. JVdn fi6s\sum sdti' j| ndrrd\re quos\\ludos\ firS-
bite\\ris in\tus.
25. The Iambic Trimeter Catalectic or Archilochian, is
tfte Iambic trimeter, wanting the final syllable. It contains
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? OF VERSE. 103
five feet (properly all iambi) followed by a catalectic syU
lable; as,
Horat. F6ca\tua dt\\gue non \voca\\tua aii\dit.
It admits, however, like the common Iambic trimeter, the
spondee into the first and third places, but not into the fifth,
which'would render the line too heavy; as,
Horat. Trahunt^ue sic\\cas ma\china || cari\nas.
Prud. JV6nnul\la guer\\cu sunt \ cava\\ta et ul\\md.
Terentianus Maurus prefers the following mode of scan-
ning this kind of verse:
Trdhunt\que sic\cds \\mdchi\nZ cd\rlnda.
26. The Iambic Dimeter, consists of two Iambic mea-
sures or four feet, properly all iambi; as,
Horat. Perun\xit hoc || Ia\sonem.
4
It admits however the same variations as the Trimeter.
The following is the scale :--
1
2
3
4
Horace, however, much more frequently employs a spon-
dee than any other foot in the third place.
The Iambip Dimeter is also called the Archilochian Di-
meter, from the poet Archilochus, its inventor.
27. The Iambic Dimeter Hypermeter, (called likewise
Archilochian,) is the Iambic Dimeter, with an additional
syllable at the end ; as,
Horat. Rede\git dd\\veros | timo\\res.
Idem. Orna\re fiul\\vindr | rfed||rum.
Horace frequently uses this measure in conjunction with
the Alcaic, and uniformly has the third foot a spondee. For
the line wjlich occurs, Od. 2, 19, 15.
Disjecta non levi ruina,
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? 104 OF VERSE.
has been corrected by Bentley from MSS. as follows:--
Disjecta -non leni ruina.
Alcaeus however, in the Greek stanza regularly uses the
iambus in the third place.
28. The Iambic Dimeter Acephalous, is the Iambic Dimeter
wanting the first syllable; as, ,
Hoiat. JVon | ebur || neque aii\reum.
Prud. D6\nd cdn\\acien\lig.
This kind of verse is sometimes, though improperly, scanned
as Catalectic Trochaic Dimeter.
JVon e\bur ne\\que aure\um.
Dona | cOnsci\\enti\! e.
29. The Iambic Dimeter Catalectic or Anacreontic, from
the poet Anacreon, who wrote in this measure in Greek-
called also Dimeter Claudus, is the Iambic Dimeter, want-
ing the final syllable, and consists, properly, of three iambi,
and a catalectic syllable; as,
jlnus I recpc\\ta vi\n6,
Tremen\tibus\\ldbel\lia. Petron.
It admits, however, the tribrac, amphimacer, spondee, and
anapaest, into the first place; in the third, it suffers no varia-
tion, at least in Latin; as,
Lex hac I data est \\ cadii\cis,
Deo \ juben\\tg mem\bris,
Ut tetn\figret || labo\rem
Medica\bilis || -v6lufi\tas. Prudent.
MiXTtfuu I poSbv || Sejei[o>>. Anacreon.
30. The Galliambus (so denominated from the Galli, or
priests of Gybele, by whom it was used) consists of an Iambic
Dimeter Catalectic, whose first foot is generally a spondee or
an anapaest, and another such Dimeter, wanting the last syl-
lable--the Catalectic syllable at the end of the first Dimeter
being long; as,
Catul. Sufier &l\t& vec\tiU J\tys || celeri | rate ma\rid.
This verse admits of the following variations:--
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? OF VERSE-
105
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
The anapaest however was generally preferred to the spon-
dee in both divisions of the verse, particularly the latter, and
the penultimate foot of the whole line was most commonly a
tribrac.
TROCHAIC MEASURES.
? Although Iambics and Trochaics seem directly opposite in
their, nature, yet there exists in reality a strong affinity be-
tween them. If, for example, a syllable be added to, or taken
from the beginning of a pure Iambic line, it becomes a pure
Trochaic; and if, on the contrary, a syllable be added to, or
taken from a pure Trochaic line, it becomes a pure Iambic. 1
31. The Trochaic Tetrameter Catalectic or Octonarius,
consists of seven feet, properly all trochees, followed by a
catalectic syllable; as,
Catul. Juaais \ eat in\ermis \ ire : Wfivrits | ire \juasua | eat.
This is the most common trochaic metre, and may, in con-
formity with what has already been observed, be converted
into an Iambic Octonarius, by the addition of a syllable to the
beginning.
The pure Trochaic Tetrameter however very rarely occurs.
The verse admits in the odd places, a trochee, or a tribrac;
but in the last place, a trochee only: in the even places, be-
sides the trochee and tribrac, it admits also a spondee, a dac-
tyl, an anapaest, and, though seldom, a proceleusraatic. It
rejects the iambus, as-the iambic does the trochee. The tri-
brac very rarely occurs in the sixth place, and never in the
seventh, except in a few instances in comedy. The dactyl
rarely appears in the fourth. The following is the scale :--
z The Port-Royal Grammarian asserts that there are no Trochaic verses,
properly so catled; but that those which commonly go by tikis name, are
In realiiy Acephalous Iambics,
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? 106
OF VERSE.
The Comic writers took the same liberties with this, as with
the Iambic measure, introducing the spondee and its equiva-
lents into the even places.
This measure was much used in hymns. The Caesural
pause uniformly occurs after the fourth foot, dividing the verse
into a Trochaic Dimeter Acatalectic, and a Trochaic Dimeter
Catalectic. One division of the chcjrus sang the former, the
other the latter. .
The following lines will serve to show the peculiar beauty
and melody which this species of verse often possesses :--
Prud. Macte, judex mortuorum,\\ made, rex viventium.
M. Cap. Scande cedi temfila, virgo,\\ digna tanto fozdere.
Prud. Solve vocem, mens, sonoram j || solve linguam mo-
bilem.
Idem. Terra, ccelum, fossa fionti, || trina rerum machina.
Catul. JRomuUas ifisa fecit || cum Sabinis nufitias,
32. The Sapphic verse, called after the poetess Sappho,
who invented it, consists of five feet, the first a trochee, the
second a spondee, the third a dactyl, and the fourth and fifth,
trochees; as,
Horat. Deflu\il sax\is agi\tatus | humor,
Sappho however, and after her example, Catullus, sometimes
made the second foot a trochee; as,
Sappho. lieu Ai|i; So|\o7rXoxE, ? wr<7(j/iai o-! .
Catul. Pauca | nunti|<<i<f mea fiuelle.
But Horace invariably adheres to the spondee in the second
place, which greatly increases the harmony of the line.
Seneca furnishes instances of a dactyl in the second place; as,
Sen. Quaque ad | Hesperi|as jacct ora metus.
Idem. Sume\re Innume|ras solitumfiguraa.
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? OF VERSE.
But perhaps Hesfierias, and innumeras, should be read as
trisyllables. 3
Sappho accompanied every three of these verses with an
Adonic line, and in this she has been imitated by Horace, Ca-
tullus, and others, but not by Seneca, who, in the choruses to
his tragedies, often gives a considerable number of successive
Sapphics, without any Adonic.
Those. Sapphic lines are the most harmonious, which have
the Csesural pause at the penthemimeris; as,
Inte|ger viltse || scele|risque | purus.
Non e|get Mau|ri )| jacu|lis nec | arcu. '
Nec vejnenariItis || gravi|da sa|gittis
Fusee pha|retra. Horat.
On the contrary, those which are without it, are strikingly
deficient in melody; as,
Horat. Tuque dum firocedis, Io triumfihe !
Idem. Hac Jovem sentire, Deosque cunctot.
Catul. Qui sedens adversus, identidem te.
Idem. Seu Sacas, sagittiferosque Parthos.
In the composition of the Sapphic Stanza, a word may be
divided in such a way, that the former part of it shall close
the third line, and the remainder form the beginning of the
fourth or Adonic. The ancient poets afford no instance of
such a division at th\e termination of the first, second, or fourth
verse; nor does it occur even in the third verse, in the Sap-
phics of Seneca, Statius, Ausonius, Prudentius, Sidonius Apol-
linaris, or Boethius, but only in those of Catullus and Horace. b
A continuation of sense from stanza to stanza, if not occur-
ring frequently, is permitted; but it is deemed harsh and auk-
a Sapphic verses are sometimes found redundant, (Hypermetri); but in
this case, the last vowel is elided, because ihe following verse begins with a
vowel.
b These remarks have reference to the division of a simple word. There
are two other instances of division, which are of a different class, vide Horat.
Od. I, 25, It. and 3, 27, 59. In these the prepositions are allowably de-
tached from the words with which they are compounded, as they often
are in other metres. From the aukward division whinh simple words fre-
quently experience between the third line of the Sapphic stanza and the
succeeding Adonic, the parts so divided, being separately void of all mean-
ing, Dr.
