41tl: Transactio7is. 



In the above table the units, of which there are eight in the Romance 

 Metre, are divided ofi by the /, the syllable preceding the bar bearing the 

 stress in every case : each . represents a syllable. 



Example (1) is then ordinary duple, or iambic metre ; (2) is ordinary 

 triple, or anapestic metre, with iambic opening ; (3) is ordinary quadruple 

 with iambic opening ; (4) is pure triple ; (5) is quadruple with triple open- 

 ing ; (6) is ordinary duple, the second half-line beginning abruptly, or with 

 a stressed syllable ; (9) is ordinary duple with a feminine first half-line, 

 producing a triple unit in the middle of the verse. 



Class B, (12) to (22), is exactly the same as Class A, (1) to (11), except 

 that all the varieties in the former have feminine verse-ends. 



Class C (23) may be extended in a similar way of Classes A and B ; it 

 differs from them in the verse ending with a double feminine, but this is 

 of such rare occurrence that, unless specimens are actually found or made, 

 it is unnecessary to cite the various varieties, all of which are, however, 

 possible, and occur often enough in isolated couplets in eccentrics such as 

 the " Ingoldsby Legends." 



Group II, again, is similar to Group I, except that throughout the former 

 the beginning of the verse is abrupt — that is, it begins with a stressed syllable ; 

 so that, whilst Group I contains the so-called iambic and anapestic metres, 

 Group II contains the trochaic and dactylic. 



Those above tabled are the main variations. There are intermediate 

 forms ; for example, betw^een (1) and (2) the following form often occurs : — 



_../ .../ .../ .../ ../ .../ ._../ .../ 

 where both half-lines of the triple metre begin with a duple unit. The 

 extremes of variation only are given in the table, intermediate forms readilv 

 falling into their places. 



It must be noted, however^ that it is as much the exception as the rule 

 to find verses entirely in any one of the above varieties. They may change 

 from one to another, or hover around several of the forms in each of the 

 Divisions A, B, and C, but they can always be readily assigned their place 

 in the scheme. For instance, Shelley's " Sensitive Plant " is a mixture of 

 duple and triple metre : — 



A Sensitive Plant in a garden grew, 

 And the yoi ng winds fed it with silver dew, 

 And it opened its fan-like leaves to the light. 

 And closed them bereath the kisses of night. 



This, divided into units, reads, — 



A Sen/sitivo Plant/ in a gar/den grew/, and the young/ 



winds fed/ it with sil/ver dew/. 

 And it o/pened its fan-/like leaves/ to the light/, and 

 closed/ them beneath/ the kis/ses of night/ 

 or 



../.../.../ ../.../ ../.../ ../ 



.../.../ ../ .../ ../.../ ../.../ 



It will be seen that it hovers between (a) and {d) — (1) and (4) — of Group I,^ 



Class A, Division 1. 



The various divisions of the table have been made, as there is a vast 



number of poems that can be wholly placed in one or other of them. In 



the quotations following, the numbers correspond with the numbers of the 



variations in the table : — 



(1.) Ye banks/ and braes/ o' bon/nie Doon/, how can/ ye bloom/ sae 

 fresh/ and fair ? 



