530 Transactions. 



" /ly skipper/," containing three syllables, is uttered in the same time as 

 the unit in a, " /ly ski/," containing only two syllables ; and similarly the 

 unit "/pper to sail/" in a occupies no more time in utterance than "/to 

 sail/" in h. The time-value of no unit is altered, merely the syllabic value ; 

 and again, in reading aloud, it is immaterial whether the fourth or the 

 fifth unit be the one of three syllables. 



15. When the feminine ending follows the second line, or the verse- 

 end, there is no question, so far as six- and seven-stressed verse is concerned, 

 that it occupies the " silent unit " — the unit in which the breath is usually 

 taken : — 



(36.) " fare/ ye weel/, my la/dy dear !/ 



And \)ht/ aside/ your s6r/(rou' ;) / 

 For if/ I gae/, I'll sune/ return/ 



Fi-ae the bon/ny banks/ o' Yar/(rou'.'") / 



(" The Banks o' Yarrow." st. 4.) 



There is a peculiar custom, most common in Scottish ballads, of affixing 

 an " " to the end of a ballad verse ; and it is often doubtful whether a 

 feminine ending only is intended, or it is wished to prolong the ballad verse 

 of seven stresses to a romance verse of eight stresses. In the following 

 a feminine ending is doubtless intended : — 



(37.) She kiss'd/ his cheek/, she kaim'd/ his hair/. 

 As oft/ she'd done/ before/, {0 ;) / 

 She bel/ted him/ wi' his/ giide brand//, 

 And he's/ awa'/ to Yar/(row.) / 



(" The Banks o' Yarrow," st. 4.) 



In the following, however, it would seem that it was intended to eke out the 

 ballad verse, dwelling on the " scheel " and " weel," and so filling the eighth 

 unit with a vocal pause and " " : — 



(38.) My doch/ter can nae/ther read/ nor write/, ^ 



She ne'er/ was brocht up/ at scheel/, <)/; 

 But weel/ can she milk/ baith cow/^and ewe/, 

 And mxk/ a ke/bbuck weel/, ( )/. 



(" Tlie Laird o' Drum," st. 7.) 



In all examples such as (36) the syllable of the feminine ending is usually 

 very short, and might be regarded as mere prolongation of sound after 

 the last stressed vowel. A theoretically perfectly ending unit should end 

 with the stress, as in — 



(39.) O mickle was the gude red wine 

 In silver cups/ did p>w/\ 

 But aye she drank to Lamington, 

 And fain with him/ would (f)/ . 



(" Katherine Janfarie," st. 11.) 



Almost as perfect is the unit ending in an open consonant, as in — 



(40.) There was a may. a weel-far'd may, 

 Lived high up in/ yon gli'ii/: 

 Her name was Katherine .Janfarie. 

 She was courted by mon/y men/ . 



(" Katherine Janfarie," st. 1.) 



A theoretically imperfect unit is one whose stressed syllable ends with a 

 closed consonant — that is, a syllable requiring at least two distinct sounds 

 for its utterance — as in — 



(41.) They, turned him in fair Janet's arms 

 Like ice on fro/zen lake/; 

 They turned him into a burning fire. 



An adder, and/ a snake/. (" Tamlane." st. 35.) 



