University of Virginia Library

1. CHAP. I.
Of the Structure of English Verses.

The Structure of our Verses, whether Blank or in Rhyme, consists in a certain Number of Syllables; and not in Feet compos'd of long and short syllables, as the Verses of the Greeks and Romans. And tho' some Ingenious Persons formerly puzzled themselves in prescribing Rules for the quantity of English Syllables, and, in Imitation of the Latins, compos'd Verses by the measure of Spondees, Dactyls, &c; yet the

Success of their Undertaking has fully evinc'd the Vainness of their Attempt, and given ground to suspect that they had not thoroughly weigh'd what the Genius of our Language would bear; nor reflected that each Tongue has its peculiar Beauties, and that what is agreeable and natural to one, is very often disagreeable, nay, inconsistent with another. But that Design being now wholly exploded, it is sufficient to have mention'd it.

Our Verses therefore consist in a certain Number of Syllables; but the Verses of double Rhyme require a Syllable more than those of single Rhyme. Thus in a Poem, whose Verses consist of ten Syllables, those of the same Poem that are accented upon the last save one, which we call Verses of double Rhyme, must have Eleven; as may be seen by these Verses.

Dryd.

Where the 4 Verses that are accented on the Penultima have 11 Syllables, the others, accented upon the last, but 10.

In a Poem whose Verses consist of 8, the double Rhymes require 9. as,

Hud.

In a Poem whose Verses consist of 7, the double Rhymes require 8. as,

Cowl.

This must also be observ'd in Blank Verse.

(Milt.

And this Verse of the same Poet,

wants a Syllable; for, being accented on the last save one, it ought to have Eleven, as two Verses of the preceeding Example have: But if we transpose the Words thus,

it becomes a true Verse, and wants nothing of its due Measure, because it is accented on the last Syllable.

SECT. I.

Of the several sorts of Verses, and first of those of 10 Syllables, and of the due Observation of the Accent, and of the Pause.

Our Poetry admits for the most part but of three sorts of Verses; that is to say, of Verses of 10, 8, or 7 Syllables: Those of 4, 6, 9, 11, 12, and 14, are generally imploy'd in Masks and Operas, and in the Stanzas of Lyrick and Pindarick Odes, and we have few intire Poems compos'd in any of those sorts of Verses. But those of 12 and 14 Syllables

are frequently inserted in our Poems in Heroick Verse, and when rightly made use of, carry a peculiar Grace with them. See Sect. 2. towards the end.

The Verses of 10 Syllables, which are our Heroick, are us'd in Heroick Poems, in Tragedies, Comedies, Pastorals, Elegies, &c. and sometimes in Burlesque.

In these Verses two things are chiefly to be consider'd.

• 1. The Seat of the Accent.
• 2. The Pause.

For, 'tis not enough that Verses have their just Number of Syllables: the true Harmony of them depends on a due Observation of the Accent and Pause.

The Accent is an Elevation of the Voice on a certain Syllable of a Word.

The Pause is a Rest or Stop that is made in pronouncing the Verse, and that divides it, as it were, into two parts; each of which is call'd an Hemistich, or half Verse.

But this Division is not always equal, that is to say, one of the Half-verses does not always contain the same Number of Syllables as the other: and this Inequality proceeds from the Seat of the Accent that is strongest, and prevails most in the first Half-verse. For, the Pause must be observ'd at the end of the Word where such Accent happens to be, or at the end of the following Word, as shall be shewn immediately.

Now in a Verse of 10 Syllables, this Accent must be either on the 2d, 4th, or 6th; which produces 5 several Pauses, that is to say at the 3d,4th, 5th, 6th, or 7th Syllables of the Verse; For,

When it happens to be on the 2d, the Pause will be either at the 3d, or 4th.

At the 3d in two manners;

• 1. When the Syllable of the Accent happens to be the last save one of a Word; as,

Dav.

• 2. Or, when the Accent is on the last of a Word, and that the next be a Monosyllable that may be sunk in its Pronunciation, and whose Construction is Govern'd by that word on which the Accent is; as,
  

Dryd.

When the Accent falls on the 2d Syllable of the Verse, and the last save two of a Word, the Pause will be at the 4th; as,

When the Accent is on the 4th of a Verse, the Pause will be either at the same Syllable, or at the 5th or 6th.

At the same, when the Syllable of the Accent happens to be the last of a Word; as,

Wall.

At the 5th in 2 manners.

• 1. When it happens to be the last save one of a Word , as,

Wall.

• 2. Or the last of the Word, and that the following one be a Monosyllable govern'd by it, and that may be lower'd in its Pronunciation; as,

Wall.

At the 6th, when the Syllable of the Accent happens to be the last save two of a Word; as,

Wall.

Lastly, When the Accent is upon the 6th Syllable of the Verse, the Pause will be either at the same Syllable, or at the 7th.

At the same, when the Syllable of the Accent happens tobe the last of a Word; as,

Wall.

At the 7th in two manners.

• 1. When it happens to be the last save one of a Word; as,

Wall.

• 2. Or the last of a Word, if the following one be a Monosyllable that may be funk in pronouncing, and whose Construction depends on the preceeding Word on which the Accent is; as,

Dryd.

From all this it appears, that the Pause is determined by the Seat of the Accent, but if it should happen that the Accents on the 2d, 4th,or 6th Syllable of a Verse be equally strong, the Sence and Construction of the Words must then guide to the observance of the Pause: For Example; In the Verse I cited as an Instance of it at the 7th Syllable.

The Accent is as strong on Taught, as on the first Syllable of Flatter, and if the Pause were observ'd at the 4th Syllable of the Verse, it would have nothing disagreable in its Sound; as,

Which tho' it be no Violence to the Ear, yet it is to the Sense, and that ought always carefully to be avoided in repeating Verses.

For this Reason it is, that the Construction or Sence should never end, at a Syllable where the Pause ought not to be made; as at the 8th and 2d in the two following Verses:

Staff.

Which Verses have nothing disagreeable in their Structure but the Pause, which in the first of them must be observ'd at the 8th Syllable, in the 2d at the 2d, and so unequal a Division can produce no true Harmony.

The foregoing Rules ought indispensably to be follow'd in all our Verses of 10 Syllables, and the observation of them, like that of Right Time in Musick, will produce Harmony; the neglect of them Harshness and Discord, as appears by the following Verses,

Dav.

Where tho' the true Number of Syllables be observ'd, yet neither of them have so much as the sound of a Verse: Now their disagreeableness proceeds from the undue Seat of the Accent: For Example, the first of them is accented on the 5th and 7th Syllables; but if we change the Words, and remove the Accent from thence, the Verse will become smooth and easie; as,

The harshness of the last of them proceeds from its being accented on the 3d Syllable, which may be mended thus, by transposing only one Word;

In like manner the following Verses

Blac. Cowl. Blac. Blac. Dryd.

are rough, because the foregoing Rules are not observ'd in their Structure; for Example, the first, where the Pause is the 5th Syllable, and the Accent at the 3d, is contrary to the Rule that says, that the Accent that determines the Pause must be on the 2d, 4th, or 6th Syllable of the Verse; and to mend that Verse we need only place the Accent on the 4th, and then the Pause at the 5th will have nothing disagreeable, as,

The Second Verse is accented on the 3d Syllable, and the Pause is there too; which makes it indeed the thing it expresses, forc'd, harsh, and uneasie; it may be mended thus,

The 3d, 4th, and 6th of those Verses have like faults, for the Pauses are at the 5th, and the Accent there too, which is likewise contrary to the foregoing Rules: Now they will become smooth and flowing, by taking the Accent from the 5th, and altering the Seat of the Pause; as

From whence we may gather, that in all Verses of 10 Syllables, the most prevailing Accents ought to be on the 2d, 4th, and 6th Syllables; for if they are on the 3d, 5th, or 7th, the Verse will be rough and disagreeable, ashas been prov'd by the preceeding Instances.

In short, the wrong placing of the Accent is as great a fault in our Versification, as false Quantity was in that of the Ancients, and therefore we ought to take an equal care to avoid it, and endeavour to to dispose the Words as may create a certain Melody in the Ear, without Labour to the Tongue, or Violence to the Sence.

SECT. II.

Of the other sorts of Verses that are us'd in our Poetry.

After the Verses of 10 Syllables, those of 8 are most frequent, and we have many intire Poems compos'd in them.

In the Structure of these Verses, as well as of those of 7 Syllables, we must take care that the most prevailing Accent be neither on the 3d, nor 5th Syllables of them.

They also require a Pause to be observ'd in pronouncing them, which is generally at the 3d, 4th, or 5th Syllable; and the true Seat of it may be discover'd by the Rules already prescrib'd in the preceeding Section.

The Verses of Nine, and of Eleven Syllables, are of two sorts; one of those that are accented upon the last save one, which are only the Verses of double Rhyme that belong to those of 8 and 10 Syllables, of which Examples have already been given. The other of those that are accented on the last Syllable, which are employ'd only in Musical Compositions, and in the lowest sort of Burlesque Poetry, the disagreeableness of their Measure, having wholy excluded them from grave and serious Subjects. Those who desire to see Examples of them, may find some scatter'd here and there in our Masques, and Operas, and in our Burlesque Writers. I will give you but two.

Wall. Congr.

The Verses of 12 Syllables are truly Heroick, both in their Measure and Sound; tho we have no intire Works compos'd in them; and they are so far from being a Blemish to the Poems they are in, that on the contrary, when rightly imploy'd, they conduce not a little to the Ornament pf them; particularly in the following Rencounters.

• 1. When they conclude an Episode in an Heroick Poem: Thus Stafford ends his Translation of that of Camilla from the 11th Æneid, by a Verse of 12 Syllables,

• 2. When they conclude a Triplet and full Sence together, as,

(Dryd.

(But here we may observe by the way, that whenever a Triplet is made use of in an Heroick Poem, it is a fault not to close the Sence at the end of the Triplet, but to continue it on to the beginning of the next Line , as Dryden has done in his Translation of the 11th Æneid in these Lines:

And in the 7th Æneid he has committed the like fault.

But the Sence is not confin'd to the Couplet, for the Close of it may fall into the middle of the next Verse, that is the Third, and sometimes farther off. Examplesof this are so frequent, that it is needless to give any.)

• 3. When they conclude the Stanzas of Lyrick or Pindarick Odes; Examples of which are frequently seen in Dryden, and others.

In these Verses the Pause ought to be at the 6th Syllable, as may be seen in the foregoing Examples.

We sometimes find it, tho' very rarely, at the 7th; as,

When it is at the 4th, the Verse will be rough; as,

Dry. Cow.

In the last of which it is very apparent, that if the Sence and Construction would allow us to make the Pause at the 6th Syllable,

the Verse would be much more flowing and easie.

The Verses of 14 Syllables are less frequent than those of 12;, they are likewise inserted in Heroick Poems, &c. and are agreeable enough when they conclude a Triplet and Sence, and follow a Verse of 12; as,

(Dryd.

But if they follow one of 10 Syllables, the Inequality of the Measure renders them less agreeable; as,

Dryd.

Especially if it be the last of a Couplet only; as,

Dryd.

But this is only in Heroicks, for in Pindaricks and Lyricks Verses of 12 or 14 Syllables are frequently and gracefully plac'd after those that are not only of 12, or 10, but even of any other number of Syllables whatsoever.

The Verses of 4 and 6 Syllables have nothing worth observing, and therefore I shall content my self with having made mention of them. They are as I said before, us'd only in Operas, and Masks, and in Lyrick and Pindarick Odes. Take one Example of them,

SECT. III.

Several Rules conducing to the beauty of our Versification.

Our Poetry being very much polish'd and refin'd since the Days of Chaucer, Spencer, and the other Ancient Poets, some Rules which they neglected, and that conduce very much to the Ornament of it, have beep practis'd by the best of the Moderns.

The first is, to avoid as much as possible the Concourse of Vowels, which occasions a certain ill-sounding Gaping, call'd by the Latins Hiatus, and which they thought so disagreeable to the Ear, that, to avoid it, whenever a Word ended in a Vowel, and the next began by one, they never, even in Prose, sounded the Vowel of the first Word, but lost it in the Pronunciation, and it is a fault in our Poets not to do the like, whenever our Language will admit of it.

For this Reason the e of the Particle The, ought always to be cut off before the Words that begin by a Vowel; as,

Dryd.

And it is a fault to make The and the first Syllable of the following word two distinct Syllables, as in this:

Wall.

A second sort of Hiatus, and that ought no less to be avoided, is, when a Word that ends in a Vowel that cannot be cut off, is plac'd before one that begins by the same Vowel, or one that has the like Sound; as,

Wall.

The second Rule is, to contract the two last Syllables of the Preter-Perfect Tenses of all the Verbs that will admit of it; which are all the Regular Verbs whatsoever, except only those in D and T, and in DE and TE. And it is a fault to make Amazed of three Syllables, and Loved of two; instead of Amaz'd of two, and Lov'd of one.

And the second Person of the Present and Preterperfect Tenses of all Verbs ought to be contracted in like manner, as Thou Lov'st, for thou lovest, &c.

The third Rule is, not to make use of several Words in a Verse, that begin by the same Letter; as,

Dav. Dryd.

The fourth is, to avoid ending a Verse by an Adjective whose Substantive begins the following one; as,

Dav.

Or, by a Preposition when the Case it governs begins the Verse that follows; as,

Wall.

The fifth is to avoid the frequent use of Words of many Syllables, which are proper enough to Prose, but come not into Verse without a certain Violence altogether disagreeable; particularly those whose Accent is on the fourth Syllable from the last.

SECT. IV.

Doubts concerning the Number of Syllables of certain Words.

There is no Language whatsoever that so often joyns several Vowels together to make Dipthongs of them as ours; this appears from our having several compos'd of three different Vowels: as EAU, and EOU in Beauteous: IOU in Glorious, UAI in Acquaint, and several others.

Now from hence may arise some Difficulties concerning the true Pronunciation of those Vowels: Whether they ought to be founded separately in two Syllables, or joyntly in one.

The Ancient Poets made them sometimes of two Syllables, sometimes but of one, as the Measure of their Verse requir'd ; but they are now become to be but of one, and it is a fault to make them of two: From whence we may draw this general Rule;

That whenever one Syllable of a Word ends in a Vowel, and the next begins by one, provided the first of those Syllables be not that on which the Word is accented; those two Syllables ought in Verse to be contracted and made but one. Thus Beauteous is but of two Syllables, Victorious but of three, and it is a fault in Dryden, to make it of four, as he has done in this Verse:

To prove that this Verse wants a Syllable of its due Measure, we have but to add one to it, as,

Where tho' the Syllable now be added to the Verse, it has no more than its due number of Syllables, which plainly proves the other wanted it.

But if the Accent be upon the first of these Syllables, they cannot be contracted to make a Dipthong, but must be computed as two distinct Syllables: Thus Poet, Lyon, Quiet, and the like, must always be of two Syllables: Poetry and the like, of three.

And it is a fault to make Riot, (for Example,) but of one Syllable, as Milton has done in this Verse.

And the same Poet has in another place made use of the same Word twice in one Verse, and made it of two Syllables each time.

And any Ear may discover that this last has its true Measure, the other not.

But there are some words that may be excepted; as Diamond, Violet, Violent, Diadem, and perhaps some others, which though they are accented upon the first Vowel, are sometimes us'd but as two Syllables, as in the following Verses,

Milt. Tate. Cowl. Cowl.

Sometimes three; as,

Blac. Gar.

But this Contraction is not always made of Syllables of the same Word; for the Particle A being plac'd after a Word that ends in a Vowel, will sometimes admit of the like Contradiction: For Example, after the Word Many; as,

Dryd. Dav.

After To; as

Cowl.

After They; as,

Cowl.

After By; as,

Cowl.

And perhaps after some others.

There are also many other Words whose Syllables are sometimes contracted, sometimes not: As Bower, Heaven, Prayer, Nigher, Towards, and many other of the like nature: But they generally ought to be us'd but as one Syllable; and then they suffer an Elision of the e that preceedes their final Consonant, and ought to be written thus: Pow'r, Heav'n, Pray'r, &c.

The Termination ISM is always us'd but as one Syllable; as,

Cowl. Dryd.

And, indeed, considering that it has but one Vowel, it may seem absurd to assert that it ought to be reckon'd two Syllables; and yet in my Opinion, those Verses seem to have a Syllable more than their due Measure, and would run better if we took a Syllable from them; as,

Where griefly Schism, raging Strife appear,
I Rhumatisms send to rack the Joynts.

But this Opinion being contrary to the constant practice of our Poets, I shall not presume to advance it as a Rule for others to follow, but propose it only to the consideration of such as are better Judges of Poetical Numbers, and whose Ears are more Musical than mine. The like too may be said of the Terminations ASM and OSM.

SECT. V.

Of the Elisions that are admitted in our Versification.

Our Verses consisting only of a certain Number of Syllables, nothing can be of more ease, or greater use to our Poets than the retaining or cutting off a Syllable from a Verse, according as the measure of it requires; and therefore it will be requisite to treat of the Elisions that are allowable in our Poetry, some of which have been already taken notice of in the preceeding Article.

By Elision I mean the cutting off one or more Letters from a. Word, whereby two Syllables come to be contracted into one, or the taking away an entire Syllable; Now when in a Word of more than two Syllables, which is accented upon the last save two, any of the Liquids L, M, N, or R, happen to be between two Vowels, that which preceedes the Liquid admits of an Elision. Of this nature are all the Words in LOUS, MOUS, NOUS, and ROUS preceded by a Vowel; as Fabulous, Amorous, which are Words of three Syllables, and often us'd as such in Verse: But they may also be contracted into two, by cutting off the Vowel that preceedes the Liquid; as Fab'lous, Am'rous.

Observe, that I said accented upon the last save two, for if the Word be accented on the last save one; that is to say, upon the Vowel that precedes the Liquid, that Vowel may not be cut off. And therefore it is a fault in some Poets to make, for Example, Sonorous of two Syllables, as in this Verse;

Blac.

Which always ought to be of three; as in this,

Milt.

There are also many Words in RY, that admit of the like Elisions; as Vot'ry, Vict'ry, or Votary, Victory, &c.

To these may be added the Gerunds of all Verbs whose Infinitives end in any of the Liquids, preceeded by a Vowel or Dipthong, and that are accented upon the last save one,

for the Gerunds being form'd by adding the Syllable ING to the Infinitive, the Liquid, that was their final Letter, comes thereby to be between two Vowels, and the Accent that was upon the last save one of the Infinitive, comes to be on the last save two of the Gerund, and therefore the Vowel or Dipthong that preceeds the Liquid may be cut off, by means whereof the Gerund of three Syllables comes to be but of two, as from Travel, Travelling, or Trav'ling, from Endeavour, Endeavouring, or Endeav'ring, and many others.

But if the Accent be upon the last Syllable of such a Verb, its Gerund will not suffer such an Elision: Thus the Gerund of Devour must always be of 3 Syllables, Devouring,not Dev'ring, because all Derivatives still retain the Accent of their Primitives, that is, upon the same Syllable, and the Accent always obliges the Syllable upon which it is to remain intire.

Whenever the Letter S happens to be between two Vowels in words of the like Nature, that is to say, that are Accented upon the last save one, one of the Vowels will admit of the like Elision; as Pris'ner, Bus'ness, &c.

Or the Letter C when it is sounded like S, that is to say, whenever it preceeds the Vowels e, or i, as, Med'cine for Medicine, &c.

Whenever V Consonant happens to be between two Vowles, the last of them may be cut off, as Ev'n, Ev'ry, &c. But Never, Ever, Over, lose their Consonant, and are contracted thus: Ne'er, E'er, O'er.

Lastly, to these may be added the Gerunds of the Verbs in OW, that are Accented upon the last save one, as Follow, Wallow, &c. All which will suffer an Elision of the O that preceeds the W; as Foll'wing, Wall'wing, &c.

SECT. VI.

Some other Elisions that are frequently us'd in our Versification; and particularly of the Particles It, Is, To, Are, Will, He, She, We, Would, Have, His, Am, Not, In, The, Who, By.

The Particle It admits of an Elision of its I, when it is plac'd after any word that ends in a Vowel ; as by't for by it, do't for do it, &c. Or that ends in any of the Consonants

that can be pronounc'd after the Letter T, as Was't for Was it, In't for In it, and the like.

Or when it is plac'd before any Word. that begins by a Vowel, or by any of the Consonants that the Letter T can be sounded before, as `Tis for It is, T'wouId for It would, &c.

The Particle Is may lose its I after any Word that ends in a Vowel, or in any of the Consonants after which the 'Letter S may be sounded; she's for she is: The Air's for the Air is, &c.

To (sign of the Infinitive) may lose its O before any Word that begins by a Vowel; as T' amaze, t' undo, &c.

Are may lose its A after the Pronouns Personal We, You, They, as We're, You're, They're: And thus it is that this Elision ought to be made, and not as some do, by cutting offthe Final Vowels of the Pronouns Personal; W'are, Y'are, Th'are: It also loses its A after Who: Who're for Who are.

Will and Would may lose all their first Letters, and retain only their final one, after any of the Pronouns Personal; as I'll for I will, He'd for He would, &c. or after Who, as who'll for who will, who'd for who would.

He, She, We, may lose their E before any Verb that begins by a Vowel; as Sh' exposes, W'aim,&c. And sometimes before other words, as in this Verse of Cowley.

Have, may lose its two first Letters after I, You, We, They; as I've, You've, We've, They've.

Not, loses its two first Letters after can; Can't for Can not.

Am, may lose its A after I: I'm for I am.

Us, its U after Let, Let's for let us.

Taken, its K, as Ta'en, for so it ought to be writ not ta'ne.

In some of our Poets we find the Particle His lose its two first Letters after any word that ends in a Vowel; as To's, by's, &c. for to his, by his, &c. Or after any word that ends in a Consonant, after which the Letter S can be pronounc'd, as In's, for's, for In his, for his, &c This is frequent in Cowley, who I must confess often makes Contractions that are scarce allowable; as t' your for to your, t' which for to which, and many others; In which we must be cautious of following his Example: But the Contracting the Particle His in the manner I have mention'd, is not wholly to be Condemn'd.

We sometimes find the word Who, contracted before words that begin by a Vowel; As,

Cowley.

And the Preposition By in like manner; As,

Dryd.

But these and the like Contractions are very rare in our most Correct Poets, and ought but sparingly to be follow'd.

I have already spoken of the Contraction of the Particle The before Vowels, in the Third Section of this Chapter, but it will be requisite to take notice that it sometimes loses its Vowel when it is before a Word that begins by a ConSonant; and then its two remaining Letters are join'd to the preceeding word; as to th' Wall, for to the Wall, by th' Wall. for by the Wall, &c.

It may also be cut off before words that begin by the Letter H, when it is not strongly aspir'd, and particularly, when the H is follow'd by another E; As,

Wall. Wall.

The Particles In, of, and on, and some others of like Nature sometimes lose their Consonants, and are join'd to the Particle The in like manner; as i'th', o'th', for In the, of the.

Some words admit of an Elision of their first Syllable; as `Tween, `Twixt, `Mong, `Mongst, `Gainst, `Bove, `cause, `fore, `gins, `gan, for for Between, Betwixt, Among, Amongst, Because, Before, Begins, Began, and perhaps some others that may be observ'd in reading our Poets.