Imatges de pàgina
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Milton expreffes it, the fenfe being variously drawn out from one verfe into another. For it is variety and uniformity that makes beauty; and, for want of this, our riming poets foon tire the ear: for rime neceffarily hinders the fense from being varioufly drawn out from one verse to another. They who avoid this Gothic bondage, are unpardonable, if they don't ftudy this variety, when Shakespeare and Milton have so finely led them

the way.

But to treat this matter, concerning his metre, somewhat more exactly: 'tis obferved that when the iambic verfe has it's juft number of fyllables, 'tis called acatalectic; when deficient in a syllable catalectic; when a foot is wanting to compleat the dipod, according to the Greek scansion, brachycatalectic; when exceeding in a fyllable, bypercatalectic.

The iambic monometer acatalectic, of two feet.

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Iambic monometer hypercatalectic, of two feet and a femiped.

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why then my love |ădieu. As you

The Iambic dimeter catalectic ; better known by the anacreontic; of three feet and one femiped.

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The iambic dimeter acatalectic, of four feet.

ūt prif | că gens | mōrtā | lĭūm

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The iambic dimeter hypercatalectic, the third measure in the alcaic verfe, of four feet and a femiped,

Nōn

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ǎ brō ther's mur | ther. Pray | i can not

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2

3

Measure for Measure, Act II.

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Than beauty could | display'd. | But mark | me

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But yet they could have wifht |--they knew | not

The iambic tremeter brachycatalectic, of five feet, which is our common heroic verse.

Suis | ět ip | fă Rō | mă vi | ribüs

I

2

3

4

5

if thōu haft any fōund | ŏr use | of voice

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5 Ham.

The iambic trimeter catalectic, of five feet

and a femiped.

Měa | rěni | dět in | dŏmō | lăcũ | nar

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Stick deep | ǎnd în | his rōy | ǎlty | of nā | ture

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Verses of this measure are very frequent, both

in Milton and Shakespeare.

The iambic trimeter acatalectic, or 'fenarian of fix feet.

Beatus ille qui | procul | négō | tiís

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In Measure for Measure, Act II.

To have what we would have we speak I not what we mean

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1 Shakespeare uses this measure frequently in Caliban's speeches, to make them feem more uncouth and affected. Our editors (for none of 'em seem to me to know any thing of measure) have turn'd them into profe. Tempeft, A& II. "These be fine things, and if they be not sprights. "That's a brave God and bears celeftial liquor: "I'll kneel to him.

"I'll fwear upon that bottle, | to be ❘ thy true | subject ; "For th' liquor is not earthly.

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[Step. Here fwear then. To Caliban giving him drink. How escapest thou? To Trinculo.]

"I've feen thee in her; and I do adore thee

"My mistress fhew'd me thee and thy dog and thy bufh. "I'll fhew thee ev'ry fertile inch o'th' Ifle "And I will kifs | thy foot | I pry | thee be my

God."

Stephano's speech, which I have placed between two hooks, is thus printed in all the editions, "Here fwear then, how "efcap'dft thou." Again Pikol, for the fame reason, is

made

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