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Munus & Officium, nil scribens ipse, docebo;
Unde parentur opes; quit alat, formetque Poetam:
Quid deceat, quid non: quo Virtus, quo ferat Error.
Horat.
I Have not presum'd to make you this Publick Address, without reflecting, that of all Writers those who treat of Poetry ought to be the most scrupulous in their Choice of a Patron. For, a Man to whom a Book is Dedicated either in Law, Divinity, or Physick, may have made that Subject his Profession, and then he is suppos'd of Course to be a proper Judge of it; or if it treat of History, Ethicks, or Politicks; those are Subjects that fall within the reach of Good Sense; in any of these Cases therefore People seldom
The Melange of so many different Subjects, and such a Variety of Thoughts upon them (which, if I am not deceiv'd, give an agreeable Goût to the Whole) may not satisfie you so well as a Composition perfect in its kind on one intire Subject; but possibly it may divert and amuse you better, for here is no thread of Story, nor connexion of one Part with another, to keep the Mind intent, and constrain you to any length of Reading; This is a Book that may be taken up and laid down at Pleasure, and would rather choose to lye about in a With-drawing-Room, or a Grove, than be set up in a Closet.
But that I may not trespass upon your Patience in this Dedication; when I pretend to have consulted your Ease in the Book; I will conclude, with professing my self,
SIR,
But because in the Verses there are also two Things to be observ'd; The Structure of the Verse; and the Rhyme, this Treatise shall be divided into three Chapters:
The Structure of our Verses, whether Blank or in Rhyme, consists in a certain Number of Syllables; and not in Feet compos'd of long and short syllables, as the Verses of the Greeks and Romans. And tho' some Ingenious Persons formerly puzzled themselves in prescribing Rules for the quantity of English Syllables, and, in Imitation of the Latins, compos'd Verses by the measure of Spondees, Dactyls, &c; yet the -2- Success of their Undertaking has fully evinc'd the Vainness of their Attempt, and given ground to suspect that they had not thoroughly weigh'd what the Genius of our Language would bear; nor reflected that each Tongue has its peculiar Beauties, and that what is agreeable and natural to one, is very often disagreeable, nay, inconsistent with another. But that Design being now wholly exploded, it is sufficient to have mention'd it.
Our Verses therefore consist in a certain Number of Syllables; but the Verses of double Rhyme require a Syllable more than those of single Rhyme. Thus in a Poem, whose Verses consist of ten Syllables, those of the same Poem that are accented upon the last save one, which we call Verses of double Rhyme, must have Eleven; as may be seen by these Verses.
Where the 4 Verses that are accented on the Penultima have 11 Syllables, the others, accented upon the last, but 10.
In a Poem whose Verses consist of 8, the double Rhymes require 9. as,
In a Poem whose Verses consist of 7, the double Rhymes require 8. as,
This must also be observ'd in Blank Verse.
And this Verse of the same Poet,
wants a Syllable; for, being accented on the last save one, it ought to have Eleven, as two Verses of the preceeding Example have: But if we transpose the Words thus,
it becomes a true Verse, and wants nothing of its due Measure, because it is accented on the last Syllable.
Of the several sorts of Verses, and first of those of 10 Syllables, and of the due Observation of the Accent, and of the Pause.
Our Poetry admits for the most part but of three sorts of Verses; that is to say, of Verses of 10, 8, or 7 Syllables: Those of 4, 6, 9, 11, 12, and 14, are generally imploy'd in Masks and Operas, and in the Stanzas of Lyrick and Pindarick Odes, and we have few intire Poems compos'd in any of those sorts of Verses. But those of 12 and 14 Syllables
The Verses of 10 Syllables, which are our Heroick, are us'd in Heroick Poems, in Tragedies, Comedies, Pastorals, Elegies, &c. and sometimes in Burlesque.
In these Verses two things are chiefly to be consider'd.
For, 'tis not enough that Verses have their just Number of Syllables: the true Harmony of them depends on a due Observation of the Accent and Pause.
The Accent is an Elevation of the Voice on a certain Syllable of a Word.
The Pause is a Rest or Stop that is made in pronouncing the Verse, and that divides it, as it were, into two parts; each of which is call'd an Hemistich, or half Verse.
But this Division is not always equal, that is to say, one of the Half-verses does not always contain the same Number of Syllables as the other: and this Inequality proceeds from the Seat of the Accent that is strongest, and prevails most in the first Half-verse. For, the Pause must be observ'd at the end of the Word where such Accent happens to be, or at the end of the following Word, as shall be shewn immediately.
Now in a Verse of 10 Syllables, this Accent must be either on the 2d, 4th, or 6th; which produces 5 several Pauses, that is to say at the 3d,4th, 5th, 6th, or 7th Syllables of the Verse; For,
When it happens to be on the 2d, the Pause will be either at the 3d, or 4th.
At the 3d in two manners;
When the Accent falls on the 2d Syllable of the Verse, and the last save two of a Word, the Pause will be at the 4th; as,
When the Accent is on the 4th of a Verse, the Pause will be either at the same Syllable, or at the 5th or 6th.
At the same, when the Syllable of the Accent happens to be the last of a Word; as,
At the 5th in 2 manners.
At the 6th, when the Syllable of the Accent happens to be the last save two of a Word; as,
Lastly, When the Accent is upon the 6th Syllable of the Verse, the Pause will be either at the same Syllable, or at the 7th.
At the same, when the Syllable of the Accent happens tobe the last of a Word; as,
At the 7th in two manners.
From all this it appears, that the Pause is determined by the Seat of the Accent, but if it should happen that the Accents on the 2d, 4th,or 6th Syllable of a Verse be equally strong, the Sence and Construction of the Words must then guide to the observance of the Pause: For Example; In the Verse I cited as an Instance of it at the 7th Syllable.
The Accent is as strong on Taught, as on the first Syllable of Flatter, and if the Pause were observ'd at the 4th Syllable of the Verse, it would have nothing disagreable in its Sound; as,
Which tho' it be no Violence to the Ear, yet it is to the Sense, and that ought always carefully to be avoided in repeating Verses.
For this Reason it is, that the Construction or Sence should never end, at a Syllable where the Pause ought not to be made; as at the 8th and 2d in the two following Verses:
Which Verses have nothing disagreeable in their Structure but the Pause, which in the first of them must be observ'd at the 8th Syllable, in the 2d at the 2d, and so unequal a Division can produce no true Harmony.
The foregoing Rules ought indispensably to be follow'd in all our Verses of 10 Syllables, and the observation of them, like that of Right Time in Musick, will produce Harmony; the neglect of them Harshness and Discord, as appears by the following Verses,
Where tho' the true Number of Syllables be observ'd, yet neither of them have so much as the sound of a Verse: Now their disagreeableness proceeds from the undue Seat of the Accent: For Example, the first of them is accented on the 5th and 7th Syllables; but if we change the Words, and remove the Accent from thence, the Verse will become smooth and easie; as,
The harshness of the last of them proceeds from its being accented on the 3d Syllable, which may be mended thus, by transposing only one Word;
In like manner the following Verses
are rough, because the foregoing Rules are not observ'd in their Structure; for Example, the first, where the Pause is the 5th Syllable, and the Accent at the 3d, is contrary to the Rule that says, that the Accent that determines the Pause must be on the 2d, 4th, or 6th Syllable of the Verse; and to mend that Verse we need only place the Accent on the 4th, and then the Pause at the 5th will have nothing disagreeable, as,
The Second Verse is accented on the 3d Syllable, and the Pause is there too; which makes it indeed the thing it expresses, forc'd, harsh, and uneasie; it may be mended thus,
The 3d, 4th, and 6th of those Verses have like faults, for the Pauses are at the 5th, and the Accent there too, which is likewise contrary to the foregoing Rules: Now they will become smooth and flowing, by taking the Accent from the 5th, and altering the Seat of the Pause; as
From whence we may gather, that in all Verses of 10 Syllables, the most prevailing Accents ought to be on the 2d, 4th, and 6th Syllables; for if they are on the 3d, 5th, or 7th, the Verse will be rough and disagreeable, ashas been prov'd by the preceeding Instances.
In short, the wrong placing of the Accent is as great a fault in our Versification, as false Quantity was in that of the Ancients, and therefore we ought to take an equal care to avoid it, and endeavour to to dispose the Words as may create a certain Melody in the Ear, without Labour to the Tongue, or Violence to the Sence.
Of the other sorts of Verses that are us'd in our Poetry.
After the Verses of 10 Syllables, those of 8 are most frequent, and we have many intire Poems compos'd in them.
In the Structure of these Verses, as well as of those of 7Syllables, we must take care that the most prevailing Accent be neither on the 3d, nor 5th Syllables of them.
They also require a Pause to be observ'd in pronouncing them, which is generally at the 3d, 4th, or 5th Syllable; and the true Seat of it may be discover'd by the Rules already prescrib'd in the preceeding Section.
The Verses of Nine, and of Eleven Syllables, are of two sorts; one of those that are accented upon the last save one, which are only the Verses of double Rhyme that belong to those of 8 and 10 Syllables, of which Examples have already been given. The other of those that are accented on the last Syllable, which are employ'd only in Musical Compositions, and in the lowest sort of Burlesque Poetry, the disagreeableness of their Measure, having wholy excludedthem from grave and serious Subjects. Those who desire to see Examples of them, may find some scatter'd here and there in our Masques, and Operas, and in our Burlesque Writers. I will give you but two.
The Verses of 12 Syllables are truly Heroick, both in their Measure and Sound; tho we have no intire Works compos'd in them; and they are so far from being a Blemish to the Poems they are in, that on the contrary, when rightly imploy'd, they conduce not a little to the Ornament pf them; particularly in the following Rencounters.
(But here we may observe by the way, that whenever a Triplet is made use of in an Heroick Poem, it is a fault not to close the Sence at the end of the Triplet, but to continue it on to the beginning of the next Line , as Drydenhas done in his Translation of the 11th Æneid in these Lines:
And in the 7th Æneid he has committed the like fault.
But the Sence is not confin'd to the Couplet, for the Close of it may fall into the middle of the next Verse, that is the Third, and sometimes farther off. Examplesof this are so frequent, that it is needless to give any.)
In these Verses the Pause ought to be at the 6th Syllable, as may be seen in the foregoing Examples.
We sometimes find it, tho' very rarely, at the 7th; as,
When it is at the 4th, the Verse will be rough; as,
In the last of which it is very apparent, that if the Sence and Construction would allow us to make the Pause at the 6th Syllable,
the Verse would be much more flowing and easie.
The Verses of 14 Syllables are less frequent than those of 12;, they are likewise inserted in Heroick Poems, &c. and are agreeable enough when they conclude a Triplet and Sence, and follow a Verse of 12; as,
But if they follow one of 10 Syllables, the Inequality ofthe Measure renders them less agreeable; as,
Especially if it be the last of a Couplet only; as,
But this is only in Heroicks, for in Pindaricks and Lyricks Verses of 12 or 14 Syllables are frequently and gracefully plac'd after those that are not only of 12, or 10, but even of any other number of Syllables whatsoever.
The Verses of 4 and 6 Syllables have nothing worth observing, and therefore I shall content my self with having made mention of them. They are as I said before, us'd only in Operas, and Masks, and in Lyrick and Pindarick Odes. Take one Example of them,
Several Rules conducing to the beauty of our Versification.
Our Poetry being very much polish'd and refin'd since the Days of Chaucer, Spencer, and the other Ancient Poets, some Rules which they neglected, and that conduce very much to the Ornament of it, have beep practis'd by the best of the Moderns.
The first is, to avoid as much as possible the Concourse of Vowels, which occasions a certain ill-sounding Gaping, call'd by the Latins Hiatus, and which they thought so disagreeable to the Ear, that, to avoid it, whenever a Word ended in a Vowel, and the next began by one, they never, even in Prose, sounded the Vowel of the first Word, but lost it in the Pronunciation, and it is a fault in our Poets not to do the like, whenever our Language will admit of it.
For this Reason the e of the Particle The, ought always to be cut off before the Words that begin by a Vowel; as,
And it is a fault to make The and the first Syllable of the following word two distinct Syllables, as in this:
A second sort of Hiatus, and that ought no less to be avoided, is, when a Word that ends in a Vowel that cannot be cut off, is plac'd before one that begins by the same Vowel, or one that has the like Sound; as,
The second Rule is, to contract the two last Syllables of the Preter-Perfect Tenses of all the Verbs that will admit of it; which are all the Regular Verbs whatsoever, except only those in D and T, and in DE and TE. And it is a fault to make Amazed of three Syllables, and Loved of two; instead of Amaz'd of two, and Lov'd of one.
And the second Person of the Present and Preterperfect Tenses of all Verbs ought to be contracted in like manner, as Thou Lov'st, for thou lovest, &c.
The third Rule is, not to make use of several Words in a Verse, that begin by the same Letter; as,
The fourth is, to avoid ending a Verse by an Adjective whose Substantive begins the following one; as,
Or, by a Preposition when the Case it governs begins the Verse that follows; as,
The fifth is to avoid the frequent use of Words of many Syllables, which are proper enough to Prose, but come not into Verse without a certain Violence altogether disagreeable; particularly those whose Accent is on the fourth Syllable from the last.
Doubts concerning the Number of Syllables of certain Words.
There is no Language whatsoever that so often joyns several Vowels together to make Dipthongs of them as ours; this appears from our having several compos'd of three different Vowels: as EAU, and EOU in Beauteous: IOU in Glorious, UAI in Acquaint, and several others.
Now from hence may arise some Difficulties concerning the true Pronunciation of those Vowels: Whether they ought to be founded separately in two Syllables, or joyntly in one.
The Ancient Poets made them sometimes of two Syllables, sometimes but of one, as the Measure of their Verse requir'd ; but they are now become to be but of one, and it is a fault to make them of two: From whence we may draw this general Rule;
That whenever one Syllable of a Word ends in a Vowel, and the next begins by one, provided the first of those Syllables be not that on which the Word is accented; those two Syllables ought in Verse to be contracted and made but one. Thus Beauteous is but of two Syllables, Victorious but of three, and it is a fault in Dryden, to make it of four, as he has done in this Verse:
To prove that this Verse wants a Syllable of its due Measure, we have but to add one to it, as,
Where tho' the Syllable now be added to the Verse, it has no more than its due number of Syllables, which plainly proves the other wanted it.
But if the Accent be upon the first of these Syllables, they cannot be contracted to make a Dipthong, but must be computed as two distinct Syllables: Thus Poet, Lyon, Quiet, and the like, must always be of two Syllables: Poetry and the like, of three.
And it is a fault to make Riot, (for Example,) but of one Syllable, as Milton has done in this Verse.
And the same Poet has in another place made use of the same Word twice in one Verse, and made it of two Syllables each time.
And any Ear may discover that this last has its true Measure, the other not.
But there are some words that may be excepted; as Diamond, Violet, Violent, Diadem, and perhaps some others, which though they are accented upon the first Vowel, are sometimes us'd but as two Syllables, as in the following Verses,
Sometimes three; as,
But this Contraction is not always made of Syllables of the same Word; for the Particle A being plac'd after a Word that ends in a Vowel, will sometimes admit of the like Contradiction: For Example, after the Word Many; as,
After To; as
After They; as,
After By; as,
And perhaps after some others.
There are also many other Words whose Syllables are sometimes contracted, sometimes not: As Bower, Heaven, Prayer, Nigher, Towards, and many other of the like nature: But they generally ought to be us'd but as one Syllable; and then they suffer an Elision of the e that preceedes their final Consonant, and ought to be written thus: Pow'r, Heav'n, Pray'r, &c.
The Termination ISM is always us'd but as one Syllable; as,
And, indeed, considering that it has but one Vowel, it may seem absurd to assert that it ought to be reckon'd two Syllables; and yet in my Opinion, those Verses seem to have a Syllable more than their due Measure, and would run better if we took a Syllable from them; as,
But this Opinion being contrary to the constant practice of our Poets, I shall not presume to advance it as a Rule for others to follow, but propose it only to the consideration of such as are better Judges of Poetical Numbers, and whose Ears are more Musical than mine. The like too may be said of the Terminations ASM and OSM.
Of the Elisions that are admitted in our Versification.
Our Verses consisting only of a certain Number of Syllables, nothing can be of more ease, or greater use to our Poets than the retaining or cutting off a Syllable from a Verse, according as the measure of it requires; and therefore it will be requisite to treat of the Elisions that are allowable in our Poetry, some of which have been already taken notice of in the preceeding Article.
By Elision I mean the cutting off one or more Letters from a. Word, whereby two Syllables come to be contracted into one, or the taking away an entire Syllable; Now when in a Word of more than two Syllables, which is accented upon the last save two, any of the Liquids L, M, N, or R, happen to be between two Vowels, that which preceedes the Liquid admits of an Elision. Of this nature are all the Words in LOUS, MOUS, NOUS, and ROUS preceded by a Vowel; as Fabulous, Amorous, which are Words of three Syllables, and often us'd as such in Verse: But they may also be contracted into two, by cutting off the Vowel that preceedes the Liquid; as Fab'lous, Am'rous.
Observe, that I said accented upon the last save two, for if the Word be accented on the last save one; that is to say, upon the Vowel that precedes the Liquid, that Vowel may not be cut off. And therefore it is a fault in some Poets to make, for Example, Sonorous of two Syllables, as in this Verse;
Which always ought to be of three; as in this,
There are also many Words in RY, that admit of the like Elisions; as Vot'ry, Vict'ry, or Votary, V¡ctory,&c.
To these may be added the Gerunds of all Verbs whose Infinitives end in any of the Liquids, preceeded by a Vowel or Dipthong, and that are accented upon the last save one,
But if the Accent be upon the last Syllable of such a Verb, its Gerund will not suffer such an Elision: Thus the Gerund of Devour must always be of 3 Syllables, Devouring,not Dev'ring, because all Derivatives still retain the Accent of their Primitives, that is, upon the same Syllable, and the Accent always obliges the Syllable upon which it is to remain intire.
Whenever the Letter S happens to be between two Vowels in words of the like Nature, that is to say, that are Accented upon the last save one, one of the Vowels will admit of the like Elision; as Pris'ner, Bus'ness, &c.
Or the Letter C when it is sounded like S, that is to say, whenever it preceeds the Vowels e, or i, as, Med'cine for Medicine, &c.
Whenever V Consonant happens to be between two Vowles, the last of them may be cut off, as Ev'n, Ev'ry, &c. But Never, Ever, Over, lose their Consonant, and are contracted thus: Ne'er, E'er, O'er.
Lastly, to these may be added the Gerunds of the Verbs in OW, that are Accented upon the last save one, as Follow, Wallow, &c. All which will suffer an Elision of the O that preceeds the W; as Foll'wing, Wall'wing, &c.
Some other Elisions that are frequently us'd in our Versification; and particularly of the Particles It, Is, To, Are, Will, He, She, We, Would, Have, His, Am, Not, In, The, Who, By.
The Particle It admits of an Elision of its I, when it is plac'd after any word that ends in a Vowel ; as by't for by it, do't for do it, &c. Or that ends in any of the Consonants
Or when it is plac'd before any Word. that begins by a Vowel, or by any of the Consonants that the Letter T can be sounded before, as `Tisfor It is, T'wouId for It would, &c.
The Particle Is may lose its I after any Word that ends in a Vowel, or in any of the Consonants after which the 'Letter S may be sounded; she's for she is: The Air's for the Air is, &c.
To (sign of the Infinitive) may lose its O before any Word that begins by a Vowel; as T' amaze, t' undo, &c.
Are may lose its A after the Pronouns Personal We, You, They, as We're, You're, They're: And thus it is that this Elision ought to be made, and not as some do, by cutting offthe Final Vowels of the Pronouns Personal; W'are, Y'are, Th'are: It also loses its A after Who: Who're for Who are.
Will and Would may lose all their first Letters, and retain only their final one, after any of the Pronouns Personal; as I'll for I will, He'd for He would, &c. or after Who, as who'll for who will, who'd for who would.
He, She, We, may lose their E before any Verb that begins by a Vowel; as Sh' exposes, W'aim,&c. And sometimes before other words, as in this Verse of Cowley.
Have, may lose its two first Letters after I, You, We, They; as I've, You've, We've, They've.
Not, loses its two first Letters after can; Can't for Can not.
Am, may lose its A after I: I'm for I am.
Us, its U after Let, Let's for let us.
Taken, its K, as Ta'en, for so it ought to be writ not ta'ne.
In some of our Poets we find the Particle His lose its two first Letters after any word that ends in a Vowel; as To's, by's, &c. for to his, by his,&c. Or after any word that ends in a Consonant, after which the Letter S can be pronounc'd, as In's, for's, for In his, for his, &c This is frequent in Cowley, who I must confess often makes Contractions that are scarce allowable; as t' your for to your, t' which for to which, and many others; In which we must be cautious of following his Example: But the Contracting the Particle His in the manner I have mention'd, is not wholly to be Condemn'd.
We sometimes find the word Who, contracted before words that begin by a Vowel; As,
And the Preposition By in like manner; As,
But these and the like Contractions are very rare in our most Correct Poets, and ought but sparingly to be follow'd.
I have already spoken of the Contraction of the Particle Thebefore Vowels, in the Third Section of this Chapter, but it will be requisite to take notice that it sometimes loses its Vowel when it is before a Word that begins by a ConSonant; and then its two remaining Letters are join'd to the preceeding word; as to th' Wall, for to the Wall, by th' Wall. for by the Wall, &c.
It may also be cut off before words that begin by the Letter H, when it is not strongly aspir'd, and particularly, when the H is follow'd by another E; As,
The Particles In, of, and on, and some others of like Nature sometimes lose their Consonants, and are join'd to the Particle The in like manner; as i'th', o'th', for In the, of the.
Some words admit of an Elision of their first Syllable; as `Tween, `Twixt, `Mong, `Mongst, `Gainst, `Bove, `cause, `fore, `gins, `gan, for for Between, Betwixt, Among, Amongst, Because, Before, Begins, Began, and perhaps some others that may be observ'd in reading our Poets.
What Rhyme is, and the several sorts of it.
Rhyme is only a sameness of sound at the end of words. I say, of Sound, not of Letters; for as the Office of Rhyme is to content and please the Ear, and not the Eye, the sound only is to be regarded, not the Writing: Thus Maid and Perswade, Laugh, and Quaff, tho' they differ in
In our Versification we may observe 3 several sorts of Rhyme; Single, Double, and Treble.
The single Rhyme is of two sorts: One of the words that are accented upon the last Syllable: Another, of those that have their Accent upon the last save two.
The words accented upon the last Syllable, if they end in a Consonant or mute E, oblige the Rhyme to begin at the Vowel that preceeds their last Consonant, and to continue to the end of the word: In a Consonant; As,
In mute E; As,
But if a Dipthong preceed the last Consonant, the Rhymemust begin at that Vowel of it whose sound most prevails; As, .
If the words accented upon the last Syllable end in any of the Vowels, except mute E, or in a Dipthong, the Rhyme is made only to that Vowel or Dipthong, to the Vowel; As,
To the Dipthong; As,
The other sort of single Rhyme is of the words that have their Accent upon the last Syllable, save two; And these Rhyme to each other in the same manner as the former; that is to say, if they end in any of the Vowels, except mute E, the Rhyme is made only to that Vowel; As,
But if they end in a Consonant or mute E, the Rhyme must begin at the Vowel that preceeds that Consonant, and continue to the end of the word.
But we must take notice that all the words that are accented upon the last save two, will Rhyme not only to one another, but also to all the words whose Terminations have
Of Double and Treble Rhymes.
All words that are accented on the last save one, require the Rhyme to begin at the Vowel of that Syllable, and to continue to the end of the word, and this is what we call Double Rhyme; as,
But it is convenient to take notice that the Ancient Poets have not always observ'd this Rule, and took care only that the last Syllable of the words should be alike in sound, without any regard to the Seat of the Accent. Thus Nation and Affection, Tenderness and Hapless, Villany and Gentry, Follow and Willow, and the like were allow'd as Rhymes to each other, in the Days of Chaucer, Spencer, and the rest of the Ancients; but this is now become a fault in our Versification; and these two Verses of Cowley Rhyme not at all.
Nor these of Dryden.
Because we may not place an Accent on the last Syllable of Envy, nor on the last save one of Unnavigable; which nevertheless we must be oblig'd to do, if we make the first of them Rhyme to Dye, the last to Unstable.
But we must take notice that in Burlesque Poetry, it is permitted to place an Accent upon a Syllable that naturally has none; as,
Where unless we pronounce the Particle A with a strong Accent upon it, and make it sound like the Vowel A. in the last Syllable but one of Ecclesiastick; the Verse will lose all its Beauty and Rhyme. But this is allowable in Burlesque Poetry only.
Observe that these double Rhymes may be Compos'd of two several words; provided the Accent be upon the last Syllable of the first of them; as in these Verses of Cowley, speaking of Gold,
Or one of the Verses may end in an intire word, and the Rhyme to it be Compos'd of several; as,
The Treble Rhyme is, when in words Accented upon the last save two we begin the Rhyme at the Vowel of that Syllable, and continue it to the end of the word. Thus Charity and Parity, Tenderness and Slenderness, &c. are treble Rhymes; And there too, as well as the double; may be composed of several words; as,
The Treble Rhyme is very seldom us'd, and ought wholy to be excluded from serious subjects; for it has a certain flatness, unworthy the gravity requir'd in Heroick Verse. In which Dryden was of opinion that even the double Rhymes ought very cautiously to find place; and in all his Translation of Virgil he has, I think, made use of none except only in such words as admit of a Contraction, and therefore cannot properly be said to be double Rhymes; as Giv'n, Driv'n, Tow'r, Pow'r, and the like. And indeed, considering that their measure is different from that of an Heroick Verse, which consists but of 10 Syllables, they ought not to be too frequently us'd in Heroick Poems; but they are very graceful in the Lyrick, to which, as well as to the Burlesque, those Rhymes more properly belong.
Some other Instructions concerning the Rhyme.
The Consonants, that preceed the Vowels where the Rhyme begins, must be different in sound, and not the same; for then the Rhyme will be too perfect; as Light, Delight; Vice, Advice, and the like; for tho' such Rhymes were allowable in the Days of Spencer and the other old Poets, they are not so now; nor can there be any Musick in one single Note. Cowleyhimself owns, that they ought not to be employ'd except in Pindarick Odes, which is a free sort of Poetry, and there too very sparingly, and not without a third Rhyme to Answer to both; as,
Where the words Fertility and Poverty Rhyme very well to the last Word of the first Verse, Ly ; but cannot Rhyme to each other, because the Consonants that preceed the last Vowel are the same, both in writing and sound. But this is yet less allowable if the Accent be upon the Syllable of the Rhyme; as,
From hence it follows that a word cannot Rhyme to it self, tho' the signification be different; as He Leaves to The Leaves, &c.
Nor the words that differ both in Writing and Sence, if they have the same sound, as Maid and Made, Prey and Pray, to Bow and a Bough: as,
Nor a Compound to its simple; as Move to Remove, taught to untaught, &c.
Nor the Compounds of the same words to one another; as Disprove to Approve, and the like. All which proceeds from what I said before, because the Consonants chat preceed the Vowel where the Rhyme begins, must not be the same in sound, but different.
We must take care not to place a word at the middle of the Verse, that Rhymes to the last word of it; as,
But this fault is yet more inexcusable, if the second Verse Rhyme to the middle and end of the first; as,
Or both the middle and end of the second to the last word of the first; as,
All our Poems may be divided into two sorts; the first of those that are Compos'd in Couplets; the second of those that are Compos'd in Stanzas consisting of several Verses.
Of the Poems compos'd in Couplets.
In the Poems Compos'd in Couplets, the Rhymes follow one another and end at each Couplet, that is to say, the 2d Verse Rhymes to the 1st, the 4th to the 3d, the 6th to the 5th, and in like manner to the end of the Poem. The Verses employ'd in this sort of Poems, are either Verses of 10 Syllables; as,
Or of 8; as
Or of 7; as
But the second Verse of the Couplet does not always contain a like number of Syllables with the first; as
Of the Poems compos'd in Stanzas: And First, of the Stanzas consisting of three and of four Verses.
In the Poems compos'd in Stanzas, each Stanza contains a certain number of Verses compos'd for the most part of a different number of Syllables: And a Poem that is in several Stanzas, we generally call an Ode, and this is Lyrick Poetry.
But we must not forget to observe that our Ancient Poets frequently made use of intermixt Rhyme in their Heroick Poems, which they dispos'd into Stanzas and Cantos. Thus the Troilus and Cressida of Chaucer is compos'd in Stanzas consisting of 7 Verses; the Fairy Queen of Spencer in Stanzas of 9, &c. And this they took from the Italians, whose Heroick Poems generally consist in Stanzas of 8. But this is now wholly laid aside and Davenant, who compos'd
The Stanzas employ'd in our Poetry cannot consist of less than three, and seldom of more than 12 Verses, except in Pindarick Odes, where the Stanzas are different from one another in number of Verses, as shall be shewn hereafter.
But to treat of all the different Stanzas that are employ'd, or may be admitted in our Poetry, would be a labour no less tedious than useless, it being easie to demonstrate that they may be vary'd almost 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 lastly, in the various intermingling of the Rhyme. I shall therefore confine my self to mention only such as are most frequently us'd by the best of our Modern Poets. And first of the Stanzas consisting of three Verses.
In the Stanzas of three Verses, or Triplets, the Verses of each Stanza rhyme to one another, and are either Herorick; as
Or else they consist of 8 Syllables; as these of Waller, Of a fair Lady playing with a Snake.
In the Stanzas of 4 Verses the Rhyme may be intermixt in two different manners: For either the 1st and 3d Verse may rhyme to each other, and by consequence the 2d and 4th, and this is call'd Alternate Rhyme; or the 1st and 4th may rhyme, and by consequence the 2d and 3d.
But there are some Poems in Stanzas of four Verses, where the Rhymes follow one another, and the Verses differ in number of Syllables only; as in Cowley's Hymn to the Light, which begins thus:
But these Stanzas are generally in Alternate Rhymes, and
Or of 8, as
Or of 10 and 8, that is to say, the 1st and 3d of 10; the 2d and 4th of 8; as
Or of 8 and 6 in the like manner; as
Or of 7; as
Note, That it is absolutely necessary that both the Construction and Sence should 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.
Of the Stanzas of Six Verses.
The Stanzas of 6 Verses are generally only one of the before-mention'd Quadrans or Stanzas of 4 Verses, with two Verses at the end that rhyme to one another; as
Where the 4 first Verses are only a Quadran, whose Verses consist of 10 Syllables in Alternate Rhyme. The following Stanza in like manner is compos'd of a Quadran, whose Verses consist of 8 Syllables, and to which 2, Verses that rhyme to one another are added at the end, as
Sometimes the Quadran ends the Stanza; and the two Lines of the same Rhyme begin it; as
Or as in these where the first and last Verses of the Stanza consist of 10 Syllables;
Or as in the following Stanza, where the 4th and 5th Verses rhyme to each other, and the 3d and 6th.
(Written in Juice of Lemon.
But in some of these Stanzas the Rhymes follow one another; as
Of the Stanzas of 8 Verses.
I have already said that the Italians compose their Heroick Poems in Stanzas of 8 Verses, where the Rhyme is dispos'd as follows; the 1st 3d and 5th Verses rhyme to each other, and the 2d 4th and 6th, the two last always rhyme to one another. Now our Translators of their Heroick Poems have observed the same Stanza and Disposition of Rhyme; of which take the following Example from Fairfax's Translation of Tasso's Goffredo, Cant. 1. Stan. 3d.
But our Poets seldom imploy this Stanza in Compositions of their own; where the following ones of 8 Verses are most frequent.
Where the Rhymes follow one another, and the Six first Verses consist of 8 Syllables each, the two last of 10.
We have another sort of Stanza of 8 Verses, where the 4th rhymes to the 1st, the 3d to the 2d, and the four last
Another when the 2 first and 2 last Verses consist of 10 Syllables each, and Rhyme to one another, the 4 other but of 8 in alternate Rhyme.
Another where the 4 first Verses are two Couplets, the 4 last in alternate Rhyme; as in Cowley's Ode, Of a Lady that made Posies for Rings.
Of the Stanzas of 10 and 12 Verses.
The Stanzas of 10 and it Verses are seldom employ'd in our Poetry, it being very difficult to confine our selves to a certain Disposition of Rhyme, and measure of Verse for so many lines together; for which Reason those of 4, 6, and 8 Verses are the most frequent. However we sometimes find
The same Poet furnishes us with an Example of a Stanza of 12 Verses in the Ode he calls the Prophet, where the Rhymes are observ'd in the same manner as in the former Example:
Of the Stanzas that consist of an odd Number of Verses.
We have also Stanzas that consist of an odd number of Verses, as of 5, 7, 9, and 11, in all which it of necessity follows that three Verses of the Stanza must rhyme to one another, or that one of them must be a blank Verse.
In the Stanzas of 5 Verses, the 1st and 3d may rhyme, and the 2d and two last; as,
Which is only a Stanza of 4 Verses in Alternate Rhyme, to which a 5th Verse is added that rhymes to the 2d and 4th.
See also an Instance of a Stanza of 5 Verses where the Rhymes are intermix'd in the same manner as the former, but the 1st and 3d Verses are compos'd but of 4 Syllables each
In the following Example the two first Verses rhyme, and the three last.
In this Stanza, the 2 first and the last, and the 3d and 4th, Rhyme to one another.
The Stanzas of 7 Verses are frequent enough in our Poetry, especially among the Ancients, who compos'd many of their Poems in this sort of Stanza: See an Example of one of them taken from Spencer in the Ruins of time, where the 1st and 3d Verse rhyme to One another, the 2d, 4th, and 5th, and the two last.
I have the rather chosen to take notice of this Stanza, because that Poet and Chaucer have made use of it in many bf their Poems, but have not been follow'd by any of the Moderns; whose Stanzas of 7 Verses are commonly compos'd as follows.
Either the four first Verses are a Quadran in Alternate Rhymes, and the three last rhyme to one another, as
Or the four first are two Couplets, and the three last a Triplet; as
Or, on the contrary, the three first may rhyme, and the four last be in Rhymes that follow one another; as
Or the 1st may rhyme to the two last, the 2d to the 5th, and the 3d and 4th to one another; as
Or lastly, the four first and two last may be in following Rhyme, and the 5th a blank Verse; as
The Stanzas of 9 and of 11 Syllables are not so frequent as those of 5 and of 7, Spencer has compos'd his Fairy Queenin Stanzas of 9 Verses, where the 1st rhymes to the 3d, the 2d to the 4th, 5th, and 7th; and the 6th to the two last. But this Stanza is very difficult to maintain, and the unlucky choice of it reduc'd him often to the necessity of making use of many exploded Words; nor has he, I think, been follow'd in it by any of the Moderns; whose 6 first Verses of the Stanzas that consist of 9, are generally in Rhymes that follow one another, and the three last a Triplet; as
In the following Example the like Rhyme is observ'd, but the Verses differ in Measure from the former.
The Stanzas consisting of 11 Verses are yet less frequent than those of 9, and have nothing particular to be observ'd
Of Pindarick Odes, and Poems in Blank Verse.
The Stanzas of Pindarick Odes are neither confin'd to a certain number of Verses, nor the Verses to a certain number of Syllables, nor the Rhyme to a certain Distance. Some Stanzas contain 50 Verses or more, others not above 10: Some Verses 14, nay 16 Syllables, others not above 4: Sometimes the Rhymes follow one another for several Couplets together, sometimes they are remov'd 6 Verses from each other; and all this in the same Stanza. Cowley was the first who introduc'd this sort of Poetry into our Language, nor can the Nature of it be better describ'd than he himself has done it, in one of the Stanzas of the Ode he has written upon Liberty, which I will transcribe, not as an Example, for none can properly be said to be given, where no Rule can be prescribed, but to give an Idea of the Nature of this sort of Poetry.
This sort of Poetry is employ'd in all manner of Subjects; in Pleasant, in Grave, in Amorous, in Heroick, in Philosophical, in Mortal and in Divine.
Blank Verse is where the Measure is exactly kept without Rhyme; and it was Shakespear, who to avoid the troublesome constraint of Rhyme, first invented it; our Poets since him have made use of it in many of their Tragedies and Comedies; but the most celebrated Poem in this kind of Verse is the Paradise Lost of Milton; from the 5th Book of which I have taken the following Lines for an example of Blank Verse.
Thus I have given a short Account of all the sorts of Poems, that are most us'd in our Language, The Acrosticks, Emblems, Anagrams, &c. deserve not to be mention'd, and we may say of them what an Ancient Poet said long ago,