On RVr HMIC A L MEASURES. 97 



fa<5lory, and lefs eafily comprehended than five, and as it is 

 nearer in proportion to eight than five is to fix ; the defire of 

 completing, by fome means or other, the number of eight 

 times will be ftill ftronger, and will not be refifted without a 

 great and conflant effort of the attention, and even fome degree 

 of force and conftraint. The difficulty will be much increafed, 

 if the unequal meafures do not occur periodically in regular 

 fucceffion, but are varioufly introduced in the courfe of different 

 (trains, without any fixed or permanent rule. In order that 

 fuch unequal meafures may be expreffed with accuracy, it feems 

 neceffary, that the equal times of which they are compofed, 

 fhould be of fuch dimenfion as that they may be counted An- 

 gle. If they are too minute to be fo counted, it will probably 

 be impoflible for the performer to mark with certainty, or for 

 the hearer to perceive diftineflly, the proportion which fubfifhs 

 betwixt the contiguous unequal bars ; as there is no common 

 meafure or ftandard to which they may be referred, or by which 

 they may be adjufled. It feems neceffary, moreover, not only 

 that the beginning of every meafure ihould be diftindly mark- 

 ed, but alfo that every fingle interval of time fhould be render- 

 ed obvious, either to the eye or to the ear of the performer. Un- 

 lefs fome fuch affiftance is given to him, there is reafon to ap- 

 prehend, that he will not always execute the different bars ac- 

 cording to their prefcribed meafures. We are told, that this 

 was done in the performance of the choral mufic of the ancient 

 Greeks. The coryphseus, placed in a confpicuous ftation, 

 marked the arfis and thefis of the fucceffive feet, while others 

 ftruck with their hands, or with the points of their fingers 

 armed with fome hard b(jdy, each fingle time of which they 

 were compofed. If thefe fingle intervals were ftruck with per- 

 fect uniformity, and were regularly diftributed among the dif- 

 ferent feet, according to their refpedtive meafures, we cannot 

 avoid acknowledging, that, on many occafions they did truly 

 and accurately exprefs contiguous unequal parcels of rythmical 

 VoT,. 11. N times. 



