Among others we may see some of our modern poems, composed in irregular order, in which the numbers are not harmonious, nor well adapted to the subjects on which they are written. Of this class I will cite one example. “ "Harp of the zephyr, whose least breath, o'er The leaf, that curls upon youth's warm hand, Yet the spirit that 's in thee, unharm'd, can withstand These stanzas, purporting to be descriptive of the sounds of the winds, are irregular in the order of their construction, and deficient in harmony; and are without a proper adaptation of the numbers to the subject: these having the same movement in describing the whirlwind and describing the zephyr, and without being well adapted to either; but may seem better adapted to a wanton dance, than to a description of natural objects. Nor is it possible in common cases to adapt the numbers to the subject, in describing natural objects, unless the verse is composed by some order of construction. Notwithstanding the apparent irregularities in natural objects, a degree of harmony pervades the whole: nature is harmonious in its operations; and without a corresponding harmony in the numbers cannot be well described; and without order in the construction of verse there cannot be much harmony: order and harmony are inseparably connected; and these are the properties of verse in distinction from prose; and hence natural objects are better described in verse than in prose. And I will venture to assert that Mrs. Hemans would have given a better description of the scene above alluded to, and with numbers better adapted to the subject. She had recourse to diversified numbers; but generally observed order in her verse. If my remarks on this subject are correct, they may apply to some other poems of the same kind, as well as to the stanzas above cited. By the above remarks I would not wish to discourage any attempts at introducing some new kinds of verse; for I think, as I have remarked heretofore, there is still room for further improvement in this way. In a manuscript, which I wrote on this subject more than forty years ago, I made the same remark, and have lived to see it verified in the compositions of Mrs. Hemans and others on both sides of the Atlantic. In closing this subject I remark, the rules of propriety are necessary to be attended to in poetical composition; and these are pretty well exemplified by some of our poets, and by others they are not. I have cited examples of both kinds, and which with the accompanying remarks are sufficient to illustrate the principle I would inculcate; but not sufficient to illustrate the subject fully. I will close by referring to some authors, whose general examples in this respect, are worthy of imitation. In Watts we have an example in which the rules of propriety are generally exemplified. His verse was generally of the lyric kind, which his subjects generally required; his style was simple, his words and thoughts adapted to the subjects, and his numbers generally corresponding to the sense. In these respects he surpassed some who are considered his superiors. But, in the proper adaptation of their numbers, as also in some other respects, our best poets are generally not deficient. In Young we have another example of propriety. In his several poems, his Night Thoughts, his epic verse, his satires, and his lyric verse, his numbers are different in each, and in each generally well adapted to the subjects. Milton, in his epic verse, is generally majestic in style, and with numbers adapted to the sense, more so in his epics, than in his other poems. In Shakespeare we have some examples which have never been surpassed, in the proper adaptation of his numbers; especially so in some of his tragedies. In Dryden, Pope, Parnell, Goldsmith, Scott, Gray, and others, we have some examples of numbers adapted to the subjects, generally, on which they wrote. In Gray's well known Elegy we have an example of elegiac numbers; and in some of our writers, male and female, we have some examples of lyric numbers. In Cowper's monologue, purporting to be written by Selkirk, during his solitary abode on the Island of Juan Fernandes, bewailing his lonely situation, the numbers are adapted to the subject, being pensive and pathetic. In Scott we have an example of a good genius, verse generally harmonious, and numbers adapted to the subjects. But it may be regretted that he did not employ his genius on some more useful subjects. Thomson and Goldsmith, in some of their descriptions, have given us examples of numbers adapted to their subjects. We have also examples of numbers adapted to satires and pastorals, and to various subjects in various kinds of verse. The treatise on versification is ended. Questions and Exercises on the foregoing. What does Chapter VI. treat of? Give a definition of numbers. Of melody. Of harmony. Cite an example in verse, in which harmony and melody are illustrated. Does the word harmony, in its most extensive import, include melody? Is harmony necessary in all kinds of verse? Is it more necessary in some kinds than in others? In what kinds is it more necessary, and in what kinds less? Does harmony require no discordant sounds? How do these sometimes occur? How are these sometimes avoided? Cite some examples of the use of contractions. Do discordant sounds sometimes occur by diversifications and figures? What is necessary in such cases, and how, and in what cases, are they to be obviated? What are just proportions and regular correspondencies? what do these principally consist? In What pertain to these last? Define quantity, as it relates to this subject. Time also. How are these to be used in composition? Cite some examples of the kind, in which the correspondencies are regular. Cite some examples of regular correspondencies in stanzas. Cite some examples in verse, in which the correspondencies are less regular. What is necessary in the distribution of pauses? What are just proportions? Equation of time? Cite some examples in verse, in which these, together with the foregoing rules, are exemplified. What are the poetic pauses? Why so called? How many, and what are they called? How, and when to be used? Cite some examples in verse, and mark where the pauses should be observed. Does verse in the shorter metres need the use of the cæsural pause, in like manner as the other? Cite some examples in the shorter metres, in which this pause may occur, and mark where, &c. Cite some examples of verse of the longer metres, six and seven feet, and mark, &c. Cite some examples of the other kinds and orders of verse, and mark, &c. What are proper adjustments, and in what do they consist? Cite some examples, which are deficient in this respect, and point ont the deficiencies. Cite some examples in which proper adjustments are not wanting. What is lyric verse, and what its use? In what kind of poems is this requisite ? Should the rules of harmony be more necessarily observed in this, than in most other kinds of verse? Are some of our poets deficient in this respect? Cite some examples which, in this respect, are not deficient. Are our English bards considered equal to the antient bards of Greece and Rome, in the harmony of their verse? What may be considered as some of the principal causes of this? Who among our English bards have excelled in the harmony of their verse? What may be assigned as the probable reasons for this? What is propriety, and what its use in the composition of verse? Are there rules and precepts, under this head, which are necessary to be adhered to? What is comprised in rule 1st? In the 2d rule? In the 3d? In the 4th? In the 5th? Cite some examples in verse, in which the numbers are adapted to the subject, and to the sentiments expressed. Cite an example of plaintive numbers. Of numbers pensive and pathetic. Of numbers plaintive and pathetic. Of numbers expressing terror and surprise. Wonder and awe. Conjugal affection. The desolations of winter, &c. The dire approach and ravages of an awful plague. A tragic scene. Numbers pensive and melancholy. Lyric numbers. Elegiac. In the foregoing questions and exercises, which are numerous, as I have been prolix, especially so in some of the last chapters; the teacher will consider himself at liberty to make such omissions as he may think proper. Also the exercises appended to Chapter II. may be thought, perhaps, to come as properly under some other chapter, and when the pupil may be further advanced, and more capable of such exercises. CHAPTER VII. SCANSION. Pertaining to prosody, and a branch appended to versification, and connected with it, is scansion. Scansion is the critical examination of verse, to ascertain its order and metre, with the diversifications, figures, anomalies, and irregularities, pertaining to it. Scansion is founded on the same principles on which verse is constructed, and which are delineated in the foregoing chapters. This is done by reading the verse, and placing over each syllable the appropriate marks of long and short quantity; and then, by striking bars between the feet, as the order of the verse may be. We may thus ascertain the order and metre of the verse; and whether the verse be regularly composed or anomalous; and also, in what the anomalies and irregularities consist. This I will illustrate by example; but prior to which a few preliminary remarks may be necessary. Preliminary Remarks. It will be understood that verse is composed of long and short · quantity, arranged in alternate succession; and also, that we derived our technical terms, of long and short quantity, from the Greeks and Romans; and that those technical terms, which fitly applied to their languages, and their prosodies, do not so fitly apply to ours. I have, however, after the examples of my predecessors, and with some hesitation, adopted those technical terms in English prosody. But let it be remembered, our long and short quantity, so called, is principally composed of accents and cadences. It may also be noted that our language consists not of accents and cadences in full reverse; nor in long and short syllables, whose relative lengths are as two to one; but in sounds of various and intermediate lengths, and accents of various degrees in force, as we have seen heretofore. From these circumstances, which are unavoidable, the same difficulties may occur in scansion, which sometimes occur in composition as the poet has sometimes a difficulty in getting sounds of fit quantity, to compose harmonious numbers; so the grammarian may sometimes find a difficulty in determining the quantity of a syllable, long or short, in scansion. From these circumstances also, different writers on prosody have expressed different opinions on the subject of quantity, and adopted different modes of scansion. Hence, it may seem necessary that some rules should be established, which are founded on known principles. Such I shall adopt and endeavor to establish, illustrating the principles on which they are founded. And these are no other than the known principles of versification, adopted by the poets; and there can be no other which will apply to English verse, in composition or scansion. And concerning those difficulties above referred to, of some words being of dubious quantity, on no other principle can those be obviated so well. Hence, the same general rules, respecting long and short quantity, are to be observed in scansion, as in versification; as both are founded on the same general principles. And those general principles are founded on the general principles and idioms of our language. Our prosody, as respects sounds and quantity, is founded on and connected with the principles of orthography. And it is here to be noted that our long and short quantity (so called) is principally constituted by accent and cadence, or by syllables accented and unaccented. Hence no syllable can be considered long without some degree of accent; and hence, in such words as these, burrow, billow, prelude, concave, climax, &c. the second syllables, though naturally long, being unaccented, are considered short in verse. We may observe also that quantity is not wholly constituted by accent, because some syllables, unaffected by accent, have more sound and more quantity than others. Hence some syllables, with a less degree of accent than others constitute quantity in verse; as, in the following words: landgrave, landscape, moonlight, earthquake, night-shade, &c. These words, whose second |