By Pyrrhics. Pyrrhics are sometimes admissible; as, in the following lines: "Forth I wander'd with delight, And I knew when days were bright." "To the | dark and silent tomb, By Spondees. Spondees are sometimes admissible; as, in the following: "Now the | pine-tree's | waving top We may observe, when a spondee occurs in any part of a trochaic line, it brings three long syllables together, which are similar to a moloss; but, by the common rules of scansion, these do not constitute a moloss, except they come at the last end of the line. But sometimes an additional long syllable occurs in the last foot, the amphimac; this then becomes a moloss; as, in the following example: "When I climb'd the | green hill's side, After the manner, as in the above examples, trochaic verse is occasionally diversified; and after this manner, these several kinds of feet, dactyles, pyrrhics, spondees, and molosses, are occasionally admissible; but these are seldom needed. Trochaic verse, being commonly adapted to music, which requires a smooth flow of numbers, is less susceptible of diversifications than most other kinds; and, as a general rule, the more purely trochaic the verse, the more melodious. Iambic feet, being of a contrary movement, are not properly admissible in trochaic verse, being productive of discordant sounds; as, in the following: "Laughter | în loud | peals that breaks." "Saviour, visit thy plantation; Grant us, Lord, a gracious rain ! SECTION VI.-Anapæstic Verse. Anapæstic verse, as was seen in Chapter III. is of two species: one consisting of anapæsts wholly; and the other with the first foot in the line iambic: these are the two species; and, in our anapæstic compositions, it is common to see lines of these two species thrown together indiscriminately. This, if it may be called a mode of diversification, is not sanctioned by the rules of prosody; it being uncalled for, either for expression or melody. It is however allowable, being supported by precedent. But aside from this, there are other modes of diversification, which pertain to anapæstic verse, and serve the same purposes in this, as in iambic verse. In anapæstic verse, none of the dissyllable feet are admissible in the intermediate spaces of a line; but spondees are occasionally admissible in the first part, and amphimacs and bacchies are admissible in any part of the line. By Amphimacs. "When I think of my own | native land, "But the sound of the church- | gõïng bēll "On the cold | cheek of death | smiles and rös | es are blending, And beauty immortal awakes from the tomb." "And the death- | angel flaps | his broad wing o'er the wave." By Bacchies. "From the cen | trě, all round | to the sea." "That enwrap | his broad path | in the mantle of night." By Spondees. "Oh sol | itude! where are the charms, "I shall wash from my face ev'ry cloud-colour'd stain; In manner as in the above cited examples, anapæstic verse is occasionally diversified; but not so frequently and variously as iambic. And this we may observe: the other kinds of feet, with which this is diversified, are of greater quantity than anapæstic feet; each containing two long syllables, they have this effect, to add to the quantity of the verse. And this is also observable, that additional quantity has the same effect in this, as in iambic verse; viz. to add to the force of expression, either in solemn, pathetic, or descriptive composition. SECTION VII. - Amphibrachic Verse. Amphibrachic verse, in like manner as anapæstic, admits of diversifications. This also, as well as anapæstic verse, rejects all dissyllable feet in the intermediate parts of a line; but it will occasionally admit the bacchy, and antibacchy; and these being feet of two long syllables, each, give additional weight of sound, which has the same effect in this, as in anapæstic verse. By Bacchies. "How cheerless | the late bloom | ing face of creation." "On seeing | the wild pros | pects which nature presents us." By Antibacchies. "Behold, on | yon sümmits, | where heaven has thron'd her." "Around thy | white bones thě | red coral | shall cluster." We may here remark, anapæstic and amphibrachic verse are sometimes diversified, by being arranged alternately, and forming the quatrain stanza; and which is well adapted to various subjects: sometimes to burlesque, and to subjects which are airy and humourous; and sometimes to solemn and elegiac compositions. The following is an example: "How bright, and how cheering, the year that's | now closing Where the sod | presses damp | on their bosoms of clay." Having now gone through with those kinds of verse, called the simple orders, the composite orders come next in review. SECTION VIII. - Composite Orders. The composite orders of verse are also diversified in their numbers; and those of them, which are composed by a regular order of construction, are subject to rules and restrictions. One kind of verse, which comes under this denomination, is of six feet metre, iambic, having the third foot a trisyllable, and commonly an amphibrach. It may be diversified, by substituting some other foot in the third place; and also by substituting an anapæst in the first place. The following is an example. "It was a win | ter's ev'ning, | and fast came down the snow." This line contains the regular order of the verse: the following lines are diversified. "And keenly o'er | the wide heath | the bitter blast did blow, Whěn ă dăm | sel all | förlörn, quite | bewilder'd in her way, Press'd her bå | by to | bosom, | and sadly thus did say." Anon. Of this kind of verse we have but a few examples. These lines are from a poem, the best which I have seen of the kind. It is thus diversified. The anapæsts, composing the initial feet of the two last lines, may be considered no improvement to the verse; they are however occasionally admissible, when properly used; and when used at all, should be in the first place only, and also in both lines of a couplet, between which a regular correspondence should exist. The following couplet, therefore, is incorrect. "Go down | în yön | děr chūrch-yard, | and read it there with care; And rěměm | běr 't is not | long before | your bodies must lie there." Sapphic Verse. Sapphic odes are susceptible of diversifications; and, under due restrictions, they are admissible. On this subject it is necessary to remark: Sapphic verse seldom or never needs diversifications in its numbers, either for melody or expression. But such being the idioms of our language, they are unfavourable to this kind of composition. Hence, it has been found impracticable to follow the antient model, that adopted by Sappho, and followed by the Greeks and Romans; which consists in having the second foot a moloss, and the third a pyrrhic; or, as some say, the second a spondee, and the third a dactyle, which are essentially the same. But our English bards have written poems in imitation of Sappho, as near as the idioms of our language will permit; but by changing the moloss for an antibacchy, and by making some other changes, which are not very material; and they have adopted a kind of verse, called English Sapphic, written in lines of the same length, and in stanzas of the same form; of which the following stanza is an example: "When the | fierce north-wind, | with his | airy | förcěs, And the | red lightning, | with ă | storm of | hail comes Rūshing | ămâin down." - Watts. This stanza is as nearly correct, and as nearly like the antient model, as the idioms of our language will commonly admit of. But the lines composing this stanza are seen to be not precisely alike: the second line has an amphibrach, instead of an antibacchy, for the second foot; and also the third line has a pyrrhic, instead of a trochee, for the first foot. These are diversifications, which are not needed; but which are admissible, because they are sometimes unavoidable, and because the harmony of the verse is not marred thereby. Some other diversifications are also admissible. Our English Sapphics are seen to retain the pyrrhic in the middle place, after the example of the antient model. In our English Sapphics the pyrrhic may properly be exchanged, occasionally at least, for a trochee; whereas, in the Greek and Roman verse, it could not be properly done. The following is an example of it in our English verse. a "Thoughts, like | ōld vültüres, | prey ŭp | on their | heart-strings." As I am seen to depart from an established rule, which is adhered to by the antients, and generally by the moderns, by admitting trochee instead of a pyrrhic, in this case; some explanation may be necessary; hence, I remark: the antients were correct in retaining the pyrrhic, because their second foot was the moloss, which consisting of three long syllables, short syllables, one or more, must necessarily follow; and hence the pyrrhic was very properly and necessarily used in that case by the antients; their rules being very consistent and if adhered to in the case of the second foot, must be adhered to also in the third. But we may observe, that our English Sapphics vary from the antient rules, by taking an antibacchy, and sometimes an amphibrach, for the second foot, instead of the moloss. These, both ending with short syllables, may very properly admit trochee after them. Hence, as we vary from the antient rule, in forming the second foot, a corresponding variation is admissible in the third foot. But if the antient rule should be once followed, in our English Sapphics, by making the second foot a moloss, as it probably may; in that case a trochee would be inadmissible in the third place, in English verse, as also in Latin and Greek. a The line above cited, we may also observe, is diversified in its |