The English Prosody

syllables are naturally long, and with some degree of accent which properly pertains to them, (to some more and some less ;) these have some quantity, and are not to be ranked with common short syllables; and, when properly arranged in verse, may constitute spondees, half spondees, or a part of a moloss, as the case may be.

This is a general rule which should be observed in pronunciation and reading, both in prose and verse; all compound words are entitled to two accents. And we have a considerable number of words of two syllables, which are compounded of two nouns sometimes, and sometimes of an adjective and noun: all such are entitled to two accents each, and some of which to two accents nearly equal: of such are the following: broad-axe, church-yard, ink-stand, oxcart, star-light, &c. These words are each entitled to two accents, alike when thus compounded as if the nouns and adjectives were written singly. Such compounds, if the accents are nearly equal, constitute spondees in verse. In like manner, when two monosyllable words, pertaining to some of the principal parts of speech, such as nouns, pronouns, adjectives, and verbs; when these come in contact, they are each entitled to an accent (or, in other words, to some degree of emphasis) as, in the following phrases: High life, full moon, great gains, I, John, &c. These, from their importance, are always emphatical, and, when properly arranged in verse, constitute spondees.

As a general rule, those parts of speech, which are the most important and significant, have the most accent when taken into composition, either prose or verse: they are these, nouns, pronouns, adjectives and verbs; and to these we may add participles and interjections. Words pertaining to these classes, whether monosyllables or others, being the most important and significant parts in composition, are never unemphatical, but sometimes more so, and sometimes less; sometimes the noun, sometimes the verb, and sometimes some other word may be the most prominent. But as the words pertaining to these classes are generally the leading words in composition, they generally constitute the leading accents in verse. The other four classes of words, being the minor and connecting parts in composition, have occasionally some degree of emphasis; but this depends on circumstances.

Concerning our general code of accentuation, it may not be necessary to say much in this place; but I will briefly remark: in our vocabulary we have several classes of words which are differently accented. All simple words of two syllables have uniformly one accent, each.

In words of three syllables, some are accented on the first syllable; as: Harmony, melody, cruelty, visible. Others are accented on the second, as: Abasement, appendix, recital. Others have two accents, which fall on their first and third syllables; as: Afternoon, disagree, disobey. In words of more than three syllables, of which we have several classes, the accent falls variously. Some words have two accents, the principal one falling on the first syllable; as: Luminary, apoplexy, ceremony. Some have two accents, with the principal

one the third syllable; as: Disagreement, benefactor, introduction. Another class are accented on the second syllable, and with a weak accent, scarcely perceptible, on the fourth; as: Geometry, humanity, historian, perpetual, inviolate. We have also another class of words Ydenoting ability, &c., some longer and some shorter, like the following: Possible, probable, vulnerable, assailable, reversible, abominable, &c. Some of these have but one accent; and others two, but one very weak, and scarcely perceptible. We have other classes also of longer words; as: Mediterranean, incomprehensible, incomprehensibility, &c. These words each have but one full accent, with other minor ones: the last word has three accents, with the full accent on the sixth syllable. We have also another class, some longer and some shorter, like the following: Fugitive, infinitive, operative, &c. These have each but one accent, except a very weak one on the final syllables.

We have also other classes of words, but it may be unnecessary to cite more examples: the foregoing are sufficient for our purpose, being a specimen of the general mode of accentuation, and of the sounds which constitute the materials for versification. We may hence perceive that we have several classes of words differently accented; and among which are some classes whose accents are full and plainly distinguishable; and other classes of words of some length, in which one accent only is plainly distinguishable, and that in such classes of words we have many weak accents, some of which are scarcely perceptible. And in addition to these, we perceive also that we have many syllables whose sounds are naturally short, unaffected by accent or cadence. These circumstances are apparently attended with some inconveniences and difficulties in versification, and also in scansion. That they have been so, in some cases, is admitted, and more so in scansion than in composition; and this has happened by some of our writers on prosody not understanding the principles of versification so well as the poets. But those difficulties may be generally obviated in both cases.

In versification, I remark, we have some few words in our vocabulary, and some very long, as, incomprehensibility, latitudinarian, antinomianism, &c. which are not properly admissible in verse, and are seldom or never used by the poets, their sounds being not arranged in harmonious order. But we have no classes of words, except some few like the above mentioned, but what are admissible in some kinds of verse. Our words of most classes are properly admissible in iambic verse; and such as are not admissible in iambic verse, are admissible in anapastic, amphibrachic, or some other kinds. And, as repects those inequalities in sounds and accents, some inconveniences may sometimes occur; but these may gener ally be obviated by making proper arrangements, as we see, by the examples of our poets, it has been done. And if this may be done in composition, it may be done, and with less difficulty, in scansion. In scansion, this general rule may be adopted, to scan verse as it is, or as its sounds, by just pronunciation, require, whether the verse No correct or incorrect. Versification, reading, and scansion, stand

in connection, being founded on the same principles; and if errors are committed in versification, reading and scansion will detect them; and if verse is composed prosodically correct, it will appear so by scansion. And concerning those syllables of dubious quantity, judgment must be used in such cases as these may occur; and when the case is so dubious as to baffle the judgment of the prosodian, if such a case should happen, it may be immaterial whether the syllable be called long or short, or whether the foot to which it pertains be called an iambic, a trochee or pyrrhic. But, in such cases, there is commonly some circumstance attending, by which we may decide. In words which have but a weak accent on some of their syllables, sometimes the orthoepic sounds augment the quantity, and sometimes not; as we may see in the final syllables of these two words, inviolate and hŭmănity: the two syllables being about equal in their accents, one is long and the other short, in the words singly, or in composition.

I have been somewhat lengthy in the foregoing remarks, having touched on several points, some of which have been considered dubious and disputable, and aiming to illustrate the principles of versification, and just principles of scansion. On this subject rules and precepts founded on just principles were necessary; but as many things can be better illustrated by example than precept, I will now proceed to give some examples, and with accompanying remarks and explications when necessary.

Examples.

“ All hũ | mãn things | ăre sub | jěct to | děcây ;

And when | fate sum | mõns, mōn | ǎrchs mūst | ōbéy."

These lines are iambic verse, five feet metre; but they are not purely iambic: the first line contains a pyrrhic in the fourth place, and the other, a spondee in the second place.

“Shall not | thě Jūdge | of all | the earth | do right?"

This line is purely iambic.

'Ângels | ănd min | isters | of grace | défend ŭs.”

This line is a species of iambic verse, with the last foot an amphibrach, and the third a pyrrhic.

This stanza is iambic, but not purely so: the second line has a spondee in the middle place, and the fourth line has a pyrrhic in the fourth place.

These lines are four feet metre, iambic, with an anapæst in the second line, and also in the fourth.

"Beneath | ǎ moun | tăin's brow, | the mōst | rěmōte

And in | ǎcces | síblě, | bỷ shép | hĕrds trōd.”

The first of these lines is sheer iambic; the second has a pyrrhic in the middle place.

"At the close of the day, | when the ham | lět is still;

Ånd mōr | tǎls the sweets | of forget | fulness prōve."

These lines are anapæstic, four feet metre; the first line, we perceive, is purely anapastic; and the last has the first foot iambic.

Houses, churches, mix'd to | gether;
Streets un pleasănt | în all | weather."

This couplet is trochaic verse, but not quite correct, as the third foot in the last line is iambic: the metre is four feet.

10.

“Nów Ĭ | gain thě | mōuntăin's brōw,

What ǎ | landscape | lies bělow."

This couplet is a species of trochaic verse, of three feet metre, the third foot an amphimac. The word landscape, in the second line, we may observe, is not properly a trochee, nor properly a spondee; but more properly a trochaic spondee, or half spondee.

If it should be asked why I use the terms - trochaic spondee and half spondee, I answer, we have spondees (properly so called) with full sounds on both syllables; and these are used in iambic verse, and also in trochaic. We have others, in which the sounds are not both full and equal: such are not properly iambics nor trochees; but a

kind of half-way feet, which we may call half spondees; and these, I remark, are of two species, as they are used in two kinds of verse, iambic and trochaic.

The latter kind, being used in trochaic verse, must have the heaviest accent on the first syllable, to preserve the trochaic movement; otherwise the verse would be discordant. Hence, the word landscape is properly used in the verse above cited, and, in that connection, may be called a trochaic spondee. In iambic verse the case is reversed; and the accent must fall heavier on the last syllable of the foot; as, for example:

"And view the land | scape o'er."

This is an example of an iambic spondee, an half spondee in iambic verse; and the two species are thus distinguished.

11.

The first line of this couplet is sheer iambic; the other contains two amphibrachs, and a half spondee.

But concerning the two amphibrachs, the case may be disputable; as the word flower, occupying the space of a monosyllable, and being no longer in sound than other monosyllables containing an e, such as hour, hoar, roar, fire, &c. which by universal consent are termed monosyllables; why (it may be asked) should these be termed monosyllables, and the former a dissyllable, when their sounds are similar, and they are used in a similar manner by the poets? I answer. It is proper enough for the poets to use such words in a similar manner, whose time and quantity are similar; and it is proper also for the poets (in some cases) to use amphibrachs, and other kinds of feet, in iambic verse. But no other rule of scansion can be adopted, than to number the syllables by the common rules of orthography. And this is not departing from the principles of versification, which are practised on by the poets, in cases above alluded to.

12.

These lines are of seven feet metre, and purely iambic.

13.

"A need | less al | ĕxan | drine ends | the song,

The first line of this couplet is iambic, but perhaps not purely so; the first syllable of the fourth foot containing more quantity than common short syllables.

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The English Prosody: With Rules Deduced from the Genius of Our Language, and ...