no On RYTHMICAL MEASURES. 



It Is not always fafe indeed to reafon from general principle* 

 and analogy upon matters of facft, more efpecially when fuch 

 reafoning appears to be contradicfted by pofitive teftlmony. I 

 therefore offer thefe conjedtures with diffidence. The accent 

 and manner of pronunciation of the ancients being now irre- 

 coverably loft, we have no means of having the matter fub- 

 jecSled to 'lenfible demonftration. All that we can fay is, that 

 if they did in fadl pronounce thefe unequal feet in their juft 

 proportions, and were confcious of doing fo, they poflefled a 

 power of combining very fmall intervals of time into unequal 

 parcels, to which perhaps no parallel can be found in modern 

 days. 



IV. 



