sion or multiplication of unaccented sylla- which seems to have been regarded by bles, leave the place of the indispensable Mitford, Percy, Rask, Guest, Hegel, and pause so doubtful as sometimes to require a others, as an arbitrary one, is, if we mistake second reading to determine it. Although not, most admirably adapted to fulfil the consuperfluous alliteration, like all kinds of su-ditions of a truly accentual metre, that is to perfluous emphasis, is vulgar and disgust say, of a metre which, totally abandoning ing, the verse of the most classical of our the element of natural syllabic quantity, poets is often much more indebted for its takes the isochronous bar for the metrical music to alliteration than is commonly sup- integer, and uses the same kind of liberty posed. By a poet who is a master of his as is claimed by the musical composer, in art, and knows how to conceal such asso- filling up that space. Of this metre, which nances by alliterating initial letters with in England outlived the Anglo-Saxon lanothers in the middle of words, or by em- guage several centuries, the following lines ploying similar consonantal sounds repre- from "Pierce Plowman's Visions," may sented by different letters, and so on, the serve as an illustration; it being understood most delicate, as well as the most forcible that the two distichs are usually written as effects, of emphasis may be given, as if by one line in Anglo-Saxon verse. magic, and the impression of metre everywhere enhanced as if by an invisible agent. Furthermore, as rhyme gracefully used has a certain charm proper to itself, and apart from its metrical value, so alliteration is sometimes a real ornament when it is little else, as in this epitaph "On a Virgin," by

Herrick :

"Hush'd be all things; no noise here,
But the toning of a tear;
Or a sigh of such as bring
Cowslips for her covering."

"I looked on my left halfe
As the lady me taught,
And was ware of a woman
Worthlyith clothed,
Purfiled with pelure,
The finest upon erthe;
Crowned with a crowne,
The king hath no better."

This rule must appear extremely simple even to those to whom it may be presented for the first time. The artistical effect which results from its observance cannot be But alliteration has served, and in Icelandic expected to strike so immediately, but we verse, still serves, a far more important and venture to say that no good ear, when once systematic purpose. One of the most accustomed to it, can fail to perceive in this scientifically perfect metres ever invented, law a fountain of pure and beautiful metrical if, indeed, it be not perfect beyond all character, or at least to absolve it from the others, when considered with reference to charge of any essential quaintness or oddity, the language for which it was destined, is though an appearance of such character inthe great Gothic alliterating metre, the only evitably attaches itself at first to what is so metre of which we can affirm that it has far from our daily notions. The meaning been the main vehicle of the whole poetry of this law, the cause of its just effect, seems, of any one language, much less of a group as we have hinted, to have been overlooked of languages. The general law of this metre by critics. If we do not err, the following is, that it shall consist of a series of verses, is the right account of this interesting matter. each of which is divided, by a powerful It is to be observed, first, that, according to cæsura, into two sections, or hemistichs. the rule of this measure, the hemistich or Each hemistich contains two accented sylla- versicle of two accents may contain from bles, and an indefinite number of unaccented ones; the accents being occasionally, though rarely, adjacent, and sometimes, though not less rarely, preceded, separated, or followed by as many as three syllables without accent, that being as large a number as can be articulated without destroying the approximate equality of time between accent and accent, which we cannot too often repeat, is the primary condition of metre in all languages. In the first hemistich, the two accented syllables alliterate, and this alliteration is continued on to one, and that one most usually, though not, as Rask would have it, regularly, the first of the accented syllables in the second. This law,

three to seven, or even more syllables; secondly, that this metre, like all others, depends for its existence on having the metri cal accents in easily recognizable positions, a doubtful place for the accent being ruinous to any metre; thirdly, that, in a language consisting, as the Anglo-Saxon does, chiefly of monosyllables, the place of the accent in a series of several syllables must often be doubtful, unless it occurs pretty regularly on every second or every third syllable, as in iambic and anapastic verse, or unless the immediate recognition of its place be assisted by some artifice. Now, this artifice is supplied by the alliteration, which marks, as a rule, at least two out of the four emphatic

*

syllables in each pair of versicles, and these | Rask's idea of a "complement" which the | two are precisely those which, in asynartete nature of metre will admit; but "anacrusis" verse, like the Anglo-Saxon, it is most essen- is always less than the isochronous metrical tial that there should be no doubt about, or musical spaces which succeed it, whereas namely, the emphatic syllable which precedes, Rask's "complement," as we understand, and that which follows the strongly marked and as Mr. Guest understands it, may be of casura by which the versicles are separated. indefinite length, to the utter destruction of The metrical dot which, in ancient MSS. all metrical continuity. We feel no doubt commonly marks the main cæsura in Anglo- but that the true account of all those cases Saxon and other Old English asynartete in which more than two, or at most three, verse, is unessential in this place, if the syllables precede the alliterating syllable in alliteration be properly adhered to. The the second hemistich, is, that, when they are dot was most likely used at first only to dis- not erroneous transcriptions, they are metinguish verses, and its further employ-trical laxities, from which we have no reason ment to mark the cæsura seems likely to to suppose that Anglo-Saxon poets were have arisen from the lax observance by singularly exempt. some poets, of the alliterative law, which, in Anglo-Saxon verse, is sometimes neglected to a degree for which we can only account, on the supposition that this unartistic use of the cæsural dot reacted upon the practice of the poets, and increased the laxity which it was employed to counteract. This, however, it could only do in very small part; it quite fails to supply the needful assistance to the accentuation in such a metre, although it marks the place of a panse. In fact, the law of alliteration is the only conceivable intrinsic mode of immediately indicating the right metrical accentuation where the language consists mainly of monosyllables, and the verse admits of a varying number of unemphatic syllables, before, between, and after the accented ones.

The view which we have taken of the metrical motive of alliteration in AngloSaxon verse, as a means of emphasizing to the hearer, and of immediately certifying to the reader, the places of the principal accents, is further confirmed by the fact, that, whereas, when the Anglo-Saxon poets used rhyme, they lavished it with an abundance which showed that it had no metrical value in their eyes, and was introduced for the mere pleasure of the jingle, and to such an extent, that every word in a famous poem quoted by Couy beare rhymes with some other, it was just the reverse with the alliteration, which is almost invariably limited to three syllables. Now, had it not been for the existence of the metrical motive which we have indicated, the liking for jingle which The weak point of Rask's approximate led to the composition of such rhymes would statement of the laws of Anglo-Saxon versi- have also led to a similar profusion of allitefication has been pointed out by Mr. Guest, ration; but this limitation of the alliteration but the writer's view of why it is the weak to the places of the most important accents point seems to us to be erroneous. Rask was strictly observed, and immoderate allisays that all the syllables preceding the teration only manifested itself in English alliterating syllable in the second hemistich verse, when the alliterative metre had given are unaccented, and form a "complement" place to metres regulated by rhyme, after which must be carefully separated from the verse, of which this "complement" forms no part. Mr. Guest rightly thinks that, when, as sometimes happens, the alliterating syllable is preceded by four, five, or more sylla bles, it is impossible to read them all without accentuation; but the more forcible answer is, that the very notion of a "complement," as stated by Rask, is contrary to the nature of metre. The "anacrusis," or unaccented portion of a foot or bar, which generally commences a verse or a strain of melody, is the nearest approximation to

which change, rhyme assumed metrical strictness and moderation; and alliteration, when used at all, was confined by no rule, but was sometimes carried through every word in a verse, without any regard to the accentual quality of the syllables.*

It seems to have afforded matter of surprise to some, that the Anglo-Saxon poets, though fully understanding the metrical use of final rhyme, should have employed it metrically only when writing in Latin. A little consideration, however, will suffice to show that final rhyme is not only not neces

Anglo-Saxon poetry," says Mr. Guest, "was *Welsh poetry, from the earliest times, has made written continuously like prose. In some MSS. the an abundant use of alliteration, the rules for its empoint separated the sections," i.e. versicles or hemi-ployment having even been fixed at congresses of stichs; in others it separated the couplets," (i.e. the bards; but, as far as we can judge from examinaverses); "in others the point was used merely to tion of the verse without a knowledge of the language, close a period, and the versification had nothing but the alliteration in Welsh poetry is not metrical, but the rhythm to indicate it." "ornamental."

sary, but that it is contrary to the nature of ing. Secondly, The triple and common caAnglo-Saxon alliterative verse, its greatest dences cannot be mixed, as Mr. Guest supcommendation being the vast variety allowed poses them to have been, without destroying for the position of the accents, a variety not cadence altogether. The example which possible where the accents are not artificially Mr. Guest gives of this imaginary mixture, indicated. It is obvious, that this variety tells strikingly the other way, and proves would be very much diminished by the use the defective ear, which seems to have led of final rhyme, which, as in the only re- the writer into this and other mistakes. gularly rhyming Anglo-Saxon poem known, Mr. Guest quotes the following lines by Sir namely, that which Conybeare gives in his Walter Scott:"Introduction," both supersedes the object of alliteration, and compels a like arrangement of accented and unaccented syllables in the latter part of each versicle. The accentual variations possible in an AngloSaxon verse-(Rask would call it a couplet) The last line, Mr. Guest says, is in common -of four accents, are computed by Mr. cadence. Now, its excellent effect, on the Guest as being 324 in number. Final contrary, depends entirely upon the obligarhyming of the versicles or hemistichs would reduce this variety to probably less than onetenth.

"Merrily swim we: the moon shines bright:
Downward we drift through shadow and light:
Under yon rock the eddies sleep
Calm and silent, dark and deep."

Thus we

difficulty in the way of regarding AngloSaxon verse as altogether in triple time, disappears when we remember that it was originally meant to be sung to the harp, and that its rhythmical movement might very well be obscure, confused, and apparently "mixed," until developed by highly emphatic delivery, and musical accompaniment.

tion to read it into triple cadence, by dwelling very long on the accented syllables, an obligation which results from its forming an Before taking leave of this part of our integral part of a passage in that cadence. subject, something must be said concerning Forget the three preceding lines, and read the question of the cadence of Anglo-Saxon the last as if it formed one of a series of alliterative verse. This question, at first seven syllable trochaics, and its movement sight, appears to be one of more difficulty and character are totally changed. than it really is. The actual metrical de- see that an entire line may be in common or livery of any long passage of Anglo-Saxon triple cadence, according to the cadence of the verse, might puzzle the best Anglo-Saxon context. In "Paradise Lost" there are scholar, owing to the impossibility of settling, several lines, which, if they stood alone, or in every case, the right pronunciation of in juxta-position with others like them, would words, and to the fact that the laws of allite- naturally read into triple cadence. Thirdly ration, as stated by Rask, though they must and lastly, much, if not all, the supposed have afforded most sufficing assistance to those for whom Anglo-Saxon was a living language, are by no means so invariably observed as to afford infallible guidance to us. The cadence, however, may be settled theoretically, by a consideration of the constant nature of metre. Indeed, we hold, against the opinion of Mr. Guest, that Mitford has settled the question, and has proved that the The metrical function of rhyme, like that cadence is triple. Mr. Guest maintains of alliteration, has never yet been fully rethat, in our ancient poetry, the common and cognised. The battle of rhyme was fought triple cadences were inextricably mixed, and with much ability between Campion and that "it is not till a period comparatively Daniel, in the beginning of the seventeenth modern, that the common and triple mea- century. Campion, in his "Observations sures disentangle themselves from the heap, in the Art of English Poesy," violently atand form, as it were, the two limits of our tacked "the vulgar and unartificiall custome English rhythm." Our space permits us to of riming," and supported his destructive do no more than adduce the following con- with a constructive attempt, giving specisiderations in support of Mitford's view:- mens of several modes of rhymeless English First, There is a strong natural probability metre, his example of heroic verse being that the verse of a language like the Anglo- remarkable for its studied, and almost Saxon, which, when spoken, would fall into Miltonic science, as compared with the like "common" or "iambic" time, on account of attempts of Surrey and Grimoald. Daniel the great preponderance of monosyllables, meets Campion's vituperation of rhyme, as and the consequently usual alternation of a superfluous and barbarous excrescence, one accented and one unaccented syllable, with solid, and sometimes profound, arguwould assume the "triple" or "anapastic" ments. He justly says, "Our rhyme is an cadence, as the simplest and most obvious excellencie added to this worke of measure," distinction from prose and ordinary speak- and though himself a scholar, in a time of D-6

VOL. XXVII.

strong scholastic prejudices, declares it to | created by rhyme. It is almost impossible, be "a harmonie farre happier than any pro- by even the most skilful arrangement of unportion antiquitie could ever shew us," add- rhymed verses, to produce a recurrent meing, concerning the classic numbers ad- tre of several lines long. Campion, in his vocated by his adversary, the following re- beautiful lines, beginning "Rose-cheek'd marks, which are worth the consideration Laura, come;" Collins, in his "Ode to of those who, in our own day, would revive Evening;" Mr. Tennyson, in his famous Campion's heresy: song, "Tears, Idle Tears," and a few other poets, in one or two short poems each, have suc"If ever they become anything, it must be by ceeded in forming the stave without rhyme; the approbation of ages, that must give them but the rareness of these attempts prove the their strength for any operation, or before the difficulty of succeeding in them, and, after world will feel where the pulse, life, and energie all, the success seems scarcely worth the lies, which now we're sure where to find in our rymes, whose knoune frame hath those due stayes pains. Sir Philip Sydney and George Putfor the mind, those incounters of touch as make tenham agree with Daniel in regarding the motion certaine, though the varietie be in- rhyme as the highest metrical power we finite. Nor will the generall sort, for whom we have. Mr. Guest, in modern days, does write (the wise being above bookes), taste these rhyme the justice to say, that "it marks labored measures but as an orderlie prose when and defines the accent, and thereby strengthwe have done all. For this kinde acquaintance ens and supports the rhythm. Its advanand continuall familiarity ever had betwixt our tages have been felt so strongly, that no ear and this cadence, is growne to so intimate a freindship as it will now hardly ever be brought people have ever adopted an accentual to misse it. For bee the verse never so good, rhythm without also adopting rhyme." Mitnever so full, it seems not to satisfie nor breede ford and others have also recognised the that delight as when it is met and combined with function of rhyme as a time-beater, though like sounding accent; which seemes as the joint- their imperfect apprehensions of the accenture without which it hangs loose and cannot sub-ual constitution of our verse has necessarily sist, but runs wildly on, like a tedious fancie with

out a close."

This writer was the first to do justice to rhyme as a means of indefinitely extending the limits, and multiplying the symmetry of measure by the formation of stanzas.

"These limited proportions and rests of stanzas are of that happiness, both for the disposition of the matter, and the apt planting of the sentence, where it may best stand to hit the certaine close of delight, with the full body of a just period well carried, as neither the Greeks nor the Latins ever attained unto."

prevented a clear understanding of that function. Hegel, whose observation on the necessity of the material counterpoise af poetic thought, has been already quoted, forded by metre to the high spirituality of remarks, in comparing ancient with modern versification, that, whereas in the first, that counterpoise is mainly supplied by the natural length or brevity of syllables, which spiritual expression is not permitted to alter or destroy; in the latter, the verbal accent, conferred by the signification, gives length wherever it chances to fall. Du liebst is a spondee, an iambus, or a trochee, according to the signification borne by the words. The transcendent genius of Milton suc- The material or external element of syllabic ceeded in establishing one kind of rhymeless quantity, is thus dissolved and lost in the metre, in the face of the obstacles justly al- spirituality which produces quantity instead leged by Daniel; and the ever-increasing of obeying it; and this loss, he maintains, familiarity of that metre to English ears, is not compensated by the law of accentual has given rise, in our days, to renewed division which remains. A new power, doubts of the legitimacy of rhyme, and to working ab extra, is required; and this is renewed occasion for insisting on its claim. found in rhyme, of which the very grossness, Rhyme is so far from being extra-metrical as compared with syllabic quantity, is a and merely "ornamental," as most persons great advantage, inasmuch as the greater imagine it to be, that it is the quality to spirituality of modern thought and feeling, which nearly all our metres owe their demand a more forcible material contrast. very existence. The octo-syllabic couplet The influence of rhyme upon measure is and quatrain, two of the most import- most remarkably shown in its simplest ant measures we have, are measures only operation; for, in stanzas of elaborate conby virtue of the indication, supplied by struction, its powers, though always metrirhyme, of the limits of the verse; for cal and decisive, are too intricately involved, they have no catalectic pause, without and too much connected in their working, which "blank verse" in English is impos- with other metrical principles, to be traced sible. All staves, as Daniel remarks, are and described in this hasty summary.

Every one feels that, in a rhymed couplet, guages, without rhyme. This is the tetrathere is an accentual emphasis upon the se- meter of the trochaic or "common", cacond line, which requires a corresponding dence. Many metres come under this head, concentration of meaning. But this very and all of them have been really popular, power of concentration implies a power of which cannot be said of any form of trimedistribution. Perhaps the stateliest and ter in the same cadence. The ancient "Samost truly "heroic" measure in any lan- turnian," though described by Hermann as guage, dead or living, is the "rhythm a catalectic dimeter iambic, followed with royal," a stanza of seven ten-syllable lines, the division of a powerful cæsura, by three with three sets of rhymes so distributed, trochees, is, when scanned with allowance that the emphasis derived from rhyme in for the cæsural pause, obviously a tetrameone part, is exactly neutralized by a similar ter, as any one may satisfy himself from concentration upon another. This, accord- this illustration :

ing to Puttenham, "is the chief of our an

:

cient proportions used by any rimer writ-"The Queen was in her parlour, eating bread and ing anything of historical or grave import. honey." This was the heroic measure of Chaucer and

66

a

his successors for nearly three centuries, Which Macaulay, in a note to the "Lays of during which period "the heroic couplet" Ancient Rome," gives as an example of was regarded as fit only for humorous sub- perfect Saturnian line." The "Cid" and jects. A rhymed stave has its criterion for "Nibelunglied" are both in this metre, length in the length of the period. That though the authors have adopted the great which is too long for a period is too long latitude, falsely called license, in the use or for a stave, which, as a rule, requires that omission of middle pauses and catalexis, there shall be no full stop except at the end. which Hermann remarks in the employBut the average length of the period will ment of this metre by Livius Andronicus vary with the stateliness of the style. As and Nævius. To this head also belongs the the "Pope couplet" takes the narrowest, once popular "Alexandrine," as it appears "Rhythm royal" assumes the widest limit in the Polyolbion. We suppose that most practicable for a long poem. The former critics would call this a trimeter, but we measure, after enjoying more than a century defy any one to read it into anything but a of unequalled favour, has now relapsed into tetrameter, having a middle and a final its old disrepute; and most persons will pause each equal to a foot. The so-called now agree with Daniel, when he writes: "Alexandrine," at the end of the Spencerian "I must confesse that, to mine own care, stanza, is quite a different verse, though in-. those continuall cadences of couplets, used cluding the same number of syllables; it is in long and continued poems, are very tire- the mere filling up of the trimeter; and some and unpleasing." The fault of this that Spencer intended it so is proved by couplet is not only its essentially epigram- the innumerable instances in which he has matic character, which is but a relative de- made middle pause impossible. Between fect it is furthermore, absolutely faulty, the true Alexandrine, then, which is loaded inasmuch as the combination of immediate- with pause and catalexis to the utmost the ly recurrent rhyme, with the long final tetrameter will bear, and the acatalectic te pause, gives an emphasis contrasting too trameter, as represented by the sixteen sylstrongly with the very weak accentual con- lables constituting the half of the eight sylstruction of the line, which, as it is ordinari- lable quatrain, there are as many metres as ly treated, has no sectional, i. e. "dipodal" there are possible variations of the middle division. This measure, having no place and final pause. Of these, none has taken for the major accents unmistakeably fixed, so strong a hold upon the English ear as as is the case with all dimeters and tetra- the ballad metre of fourteen syllables, with meters, most poets have, throughout their the stress on the eighth, or, what is the same writings, neglected those accents, or mis- thing, the stave of " eight and six." Here, placed them. The poverty of this metre, we may remark, by the way, that Dr. Johnno less than its epigrammatic character, fits son's assertion that the ballad stanza of seit, however, for the purposes of satire, which, ven accents "taught the way to the Alexanin most of its kinds, has any property rather drines of the French poetry," instead of bethan that of "voluntary moving harmonious ing, as Mitford says, a proof of his ignorance numbers." of French poetry, appears to us to indicate The class of metres which, of all others, his just appreciation of their heroic verse, is proved, by theory as well as experience, as belonging to the tetrameter stock and to be the best adapted to the popular mind not the trimeter. This ancient narrative in all ages, could not exist in modern lan- metre, which, though almost excluded from