500 Transactions.' 



Newton, in his edition of Milton, praises this metrical variation as excellent 

 in the poet ; but adds, '" But then these excellencies in Milton's verse are 

 attended with this inconvenience, that his numbers seem embarras'd to 

 such readers as know not, or know not readily, where such elision or abbre- 

 viation of vowels is to take place ; and therefore for their sakes we shall 

 take care throughout this edition to mark such vowels as are to be cut off, 

 and such as are to be contracted and abbreviated, thus '."* Verses con- 

 taining one clipped and one untouched triple unit, are, however, not 

 uncommon : — 



(42.) a. to mitigate and swage 



With solemn touches troubled thoughts, and chase 

 Anguish and doubt and fear and sorr'ow and pain (P.L., i, 558.) 

 From mortal or immortal minds. 



b. But they 



Dreaded not more tit adventxvcQ. than his voice (P-L-. ii, 474.) 



Forbidding ; and at once with him they rose ; 



Innumerable verses containing a single undipped triple unit could be 

 quoted ; the foregoing have been selected as containing one clipped and 

 one untouched. Is there any difference between " anguish and doubt " 

 and " sorrow and pain " ? Surely both are identical in metrical structure. 

 Take another verse : — 



(43.) bears, tigers, ounces, pards, 



Gambol'd before them ; th' unwieldy elephant (P.L., iv. 345.) 



To make them mirth us'd all his might. 



Here the elision does not get rid even of the supernumerary syllable, for 

 the unit contained four syllables in the first place, and still contains three. 

 Again, take the following quotation from " Julius Caesar " : — 



(44.) Brutus and Caesar : what should be in that Caesar ? 

 Why should that name be sounded more than yours ? 

 Write them together, yours is as fair a name ; 

 Sound them, it doth become the month as well ; 

 Weigh them, it is as heavy ; conjure with 'em, 

 Brutus will start a spirit as soon as Caesar. 

 Now, in the names of all the gods at once, 



(Jul. Caes., I, ii, 1. 142, &c.) 



Here seven consecutive verses have their second units triple : is one of 

 their syllables supernumerary ? The metrical construction of the words 

 " why should that name," " write them together," " Brutus will start," is 

 identical with the metrical construction of " sorrow and pain " : either all 

 or none contain supernumerary syllables. Collocations of four syllables 

 like " why should that name," where the first and last only are stressed, 

 are called " choriambs," as though they constituted a complete unit ; but 

 they are nearly always preceded by a pause. One example from " Para- 

 dise Lost " may be given here : — 



(45.) So numberless were those bad angels seen 



Hovering on vying under the cope of hell, (i, 345.) 



Here two choriambs come together, and a distinct pause separates thenij 

 unless the verse be read, — 



(45a.) Hovering on wing under the cope of hell, 



* They are, as Milton himself expresses it, — 



throwni out, as superuumeiaiy 

 To my just nuniVxi- found. 



