0« RYTHMICAL MEASURES. 77 



for the moft pan, communicate, is that of a trochaeus or 

 iambus. Our poets alfo conftru(5t verfes fometimes by feet of 

 three fyllables. Thefe feet, although the fyllables of which they 

 are compofed are, for the moft part, nearly equal, give us the 

 impreflion of fomething like a dadtylus or anapaeftus, according 

 as the accented fyllable is the firft or the laft of the three. In 

 regard to their ftrudure, therefore, Englifh verfes have been 

 diftinguiftied into three kinds, trochaic, iambic and ana- 

 paeftic *. 



Although all iambic verfes are to be confidered as trochaics 

 having a feeble fyllable introdudory to the meafure, and ought 

 always to be fo fcanned, yet the impreflion which thefe two 

 verfes make upon the ear, and the efFeifls which they have upon 

 the mind, are fomewhat difi^erent. When we begin with the 

 feeble found, we pafs eafily and gently from it to the ftrong 

 found. We utter the ftrong found without much exertion, and 

 can dwell upon it for fome time. On the contrary, when the 

 ftrong found comes firft, we exprefs it with more difficulty and 

 force, and pafs on to the fucceeding feeble found with more ra- 

 pidity. Hence trochaics have been generally reckoned fome- 

 what quicker in their movement than iambics, and more pro- 

 per for exprefl!ing vehemence or gaiety. As iambic verfes 

 themfelves, how^ever, have naturally a light and airy caft, efpe- 

 cially when the combinations are made by even numbers, our 

 beft poets, to obviate this, have, in tlieir more ferious compo- 

 fitions, generally adopted a combination of five. This has ac- 

 cordingly been denominated the Englilh heroic meafure. The 

 regular model of this verfe is as follows. The firft fyllable is 

 unaccented, or fhort and introdutflory to the meafure. This 

 ifi fucceeded by four feet of two fyllables, which, as the accent 



takes 



* English trochaic and iambic verfes may be fet to mufic in common or in triple 

 time indifferently. Anapaeftic verfes require, for the moft part, to be fet in triple time. 

 Shenston's Paftoral Ballad fet in common time, would lofe much of its beaiuy ani- 

 delicacy. 



