Or would youth and Beauty ftay,

Love has Wings, and will away.

Love has fwifter Wings than Time.

Wall.

But the Second Verfe of the Couplet does not always con tain a like Number of Syllables with the First; as,

What shall I do to be for ever known,
And make the Age to come my own?

I fhall like Beafts and common People dye,
Unless you write my Elegy.

Cowl.

Of the Poems compos'd in Stanzas: And first, of the Stanzas confifting of Three and of Four Verfes.

IN

N the Poems compos'd of Stanzas, each Stanza contains a certain Number of Verfes confifting for the most Part of a different Number of Syllables: And a Poem that confifts of feveral Stanzas we generally call an Ode; and this is Lyrick Poetry.

But we must not forget to obferve that our antient Poets frequently made ufe of intermix'd Rhyme in their Heroick Poems, which they difpos'd into Stanzas and Cantos. Thus the Troilus and Creffida of Chaucer is compos'd in Stanzas confifting of 7 Verfes; the Fairy Queen of Spencer in Stanzas of 9, &c. And this they took from the Italians, whofe Heroick Poems generally confift in Stanzas of 8. But this is now wholly Jaid afide, and Davenant, who compos'd his Gondibert in Stanzas of 4 Verfes in alternate Rhyme, was the lait that follow'd their Example of intermingling Rhymes in Heroick Poems...

The Stanzas employ'd in our Poetry cannot confift of less than Three, and are feldom of more than Twelve Verses, except in Pindarick Oades, where the Stanzas are different from one another in Number of Verfes, as fhall be fhewn.

But to treat of all the different Stanzas, that are employ'd or may be admitted in our Poetry, would be a Labour no lefs tedious than ufelefs; it being eafie to demonftrate, that they may be vary'd almoft to an Infinity, that would be different from one another, either in the Number of the Verses of each Stanza, or in the Number of the Syllables of each Verse; or laftly, in the various intermingling of the Rhyme. I fhall therefore confine my felf to mention only fuch as are most frequently us'd by the beft of our modern Poets. And first of the Stanzas confifting of Three Verses..

In

In the Stanzas of Three Verfes, or Triplets, the Verses of each Stanza rhyme to one another; and are either Heroick; as, Nothing, thou Elder Brother e'en to fhade!

Thou hadst a Being e'er the World was made.
And, (well-fix'd) art alone of ending not afraid.

Roch.

Or elfe they confift of 8 Syllables; as thefe of Waller, of a fair Lady playing with a Snake.

Strange that fuch Horrour and fuch Grace
Should dwell together in one Place,

A Fury's Arm, an Angel's Face.

}

Nor do the Verfes of thefe Stanzas always contain a like Number of Syllables; for the First and Third may have Ten, the Second but Eight; as,

Men without Love have oft fo cunning grown,

That fomething like it. they have fhewn,

But none who had it, e'er feem'd to have none.
Love's of a strangely open, fimple Kind,
Can no Arts or Difguifes find,

But thinks none fees it, 'cause it self is blind.

3

Cowl.

In the Stanzas of Four Verfes the Rhyme may be intermix'd in Two different Manners; for either the 1ft and 3d Verfe may rhyme to each other, and by confequence the 2d and 4th, and this is call'd Alternate Rhyme; or the 1ft and 4th may. rhyme, and by confequence the 2d and 3d.

But there are fome Poems in Stanzas of Four Verfes, where the Rhymes follow one another, and the Verfe differ in Number of Syllables only; as in Cowley's Hymn to the Light, which begins thus,

Firft-born of Chaos! who fo fair didft come

From the old Negro's darkfom Womb :
Which, when it saw the lovely Child,

The melancholy Mass put on kind Looks and fmild.

But these Stanzas are generally in Alternate Rhyme, and the Vérfes confift either of 10 Syllables; as,

She ne'er fax Courts, but Courts could have undone
With untaught Looks and an unpractis'd Heart :
Her Nets the most prepar'd could never shun;
For Nature Spread them in the Scorn of Art.

Dav.

Or of 10 and 8, that is to fay, the rft and 3d of 10; the 20

and 4th of 8; as,

Love from Time's Wings has fol'n the Feathers fure,

He has, and put them to his own :

For Hours of late as long as Days endure,
And very Minutes Hours are grown.

Or of 8 and 6 in the like Manner; as,
Then ask not Bodies doom'd to dye,

To what Abode they go [

Cowl.

Since Knowledge us but Sorrow's Spy,
'Tis better not to know,

Day.

Or with more Confent do move.

Wall.

Note, That it is abfolutely neceffary that both the Conftruction and Senfe fhould end with the Stanza, and not fall into the Beginning of the following one, as it does in the laft Example, which is a Fault wholly to be avoided.

SECT. III.

Of the Stanzas of Six Verfes.

HE Stanzas of Six Verfes, are generally only one of the before-mention'd Quadrans or Stanzas of Four Verfes with Two Verfes at the End that rhyme to one another; as, A rural Judge difpos'd of Beauty's Prize,

A fimple Shepherd was prefer'd to Jove;
Down to the Mountains from the partial Skies
Came Juno, Pallas, and the Queen of Love,
To plead for that which was fo justly giv'n,
To the bright Carlifle of the Courts of Heav'n.

Where the 4 firft Verfes are only a Quadran, and confift of 10 Syllables each in Alternate Rhyme.

The

The following Stanza in like manner is compos'd of a Quadran, whofe Verfes confift of 8 Syllables; and to which a Verfes that rhyme to one another are added at the End; as, Hope waits upon the flowry Prime, And Summer, tho' it be lefs gay, Tet is not look'd on as a Time Of Declination and Decay; For with a full Hand that does bring All that was promis'd by the Spring,

Wall,

Sometimes the Quadran ends the Stanza, and the two Lines

of the fame Rhyme begin it; as,

Here's to thee Dick, this whining Love defpife:

Pledge me, my Friend, and drink till thou beft wife.
It Sparkles brighter far than she;

'Tis pure and right without Deceit,
And fuck no Woman e'er can be ;
No, they are all fophifticate.

Cowl.

Or as in thefe, where the first and laft Verfes of the Stanza

confift of 10 Syllables;

When Chance or cruel Bus'nefs parts us two,
What do our Souls, I wonder, do?
While Sleep does our dull Bodies tie,
Methinks at home they should not stay;
Content with Dreams, but boldly fly

Abroad, and meet each other half the Way.

Cowl.

Or as in the following Stanza, where the 4th and 5th Verfes. rhyme to each other, and the 3d and 6th;

While what I write I do not fee,

I dare thus ev'n to you write Poetry.
Abfoolish Mufe! that doft so high aspire,
And know ft her Judgment well,

How much it does thy Pow'r excell;

Yet dar't be read by thy juft Doom the Fire.

Cowl.

(Written in Juice of Lemon.

But in fome of thefe Stanzas the Rhymes follow one another;

Take Heed, take Heed, thou lovely Maid,
Nor be by glittring Ills betray'd:

as,

Thy Self for Money! Oh! let no Man know

The Price of Beauty fall'n fo low.

What Dangers ought'st thou not to dread

When Love that's blind is by blind Fortune led?

Cowl.

Laftly,

Laftly, some of these Stanzas are compos'd of 2 Triplets; as,
The Lightning, which tall Oaks oppose in vain,
To ftrike fometimes does not difdain
The humble Furzes of the Plain.
She being fo high, and I fo low,
Her Pow'r by this does greater show,

VVho at fuch Distance gives so fure a Blow.

Cowl:

I

SECT. IV.

Of the Stanzas of 8 Verses.

Have already faid, that the Italians compofe their Heroick Poems in Stanzas of 8 Verfes, where the Rhyme is difpos'd as follows; the 1ft, 3d, and 5th Verfes rhyme to one another, and the 2d 4th, and 6th; the Two laft always rhyme to each other. Now our Tranflators of their Heroick Poems: have obferv'd the fame Stanza and Difpofition of Rhyme; of which take the following Example from Fairfax's Tranilation of Taffo's Goffredo, Cant. 1. Stan. 3d.

Thither thou know'ft the VVorld is best inclin'd

VVkere turing Parnafs most his Beams imparts;
And Truth convey'd in Verfe of gentleft kind,
To read fometimes, will move the dulleft Hearts;
So we, if Children young difeas'd we find,

Anoint with Sweets the Veffel's foremost Parts,
To make them tafte the Potions fharp we give;
They drink deceiv'd, and fo deceiv'd they live.

But our Poets feldom imploy this Stanza in Compofitions of their own; where the following Stanzas of 8 Verfes are most frequent.

Some others may with Safety tell

The mod'rate Flames which in them dwell;
And either find fome Med'cine there,
Or cure themselves ev'n by Despair:
My Love's fo great, that it might prove
Dang'rous to tell her that I love.

So tender is my VVound, it cannot bear
Any Salute, tho' of the kindest Air.

Cowl.

Where the Rhymes follow one another, and the 6 first Verfes confift of 8 Syllables each, the 2 laft of 10,