t 3^6 ] 



derable time, had been driven by flrcfs of weather into the 

 port of Dingle in this kingdom. This fhip, called La Madona 

 del Cafo San Speridione, Captain Denietrio Antonio Polo, be- 

 longed to Patrafs, a town fituated not far from the ancient 

 Corinth. The bufinefs of their fuit brought the captain and 

 fcveral of the crew to Dublin, and was the occafion of their 

 remaining in this metropolis for a confiderable time. I took the 

 opportunity of frequently converfing with them, and though their 

 want of erudition and information might fecm an argument 

 againft drawing any inference from their pradice, to mc it ap- 

 peared the contrary, becaufe it gave me the unprejudiced and un- 

 premeditated modes of pronunciation of perfons who could not 

 understand or know the reafons of my enquiries, or purport of my 

 obfervations. The refult was, to my great furprife, that the 

 pradice of the modern Greeks is different from any of the theories 

 contained in the books I have mentioned : it is true they have not 

 two pronunciations for profe and for verfe, and in both they read 

 by accent, and fo far confirm the theory of the learned bifhop, 

 the lateft writer I have mentioned ; But they make accent the 

 caufe of quantity ; they make it govern and control quantity ; 

 they make the fyllable long on which the acute accent falls, and 

 they allow the acute accent to change the real quantity : in thefe 

 latter refpeds therefore they agree with Mr. Primatt, but they 

 defert him when he therefore concludes that poetry is not to be 

 read by accent — they always reading poetry as well as profe by 

 accent. Whether any inference can hence be drawn as to the pro- 

 nunciation of the ancients, I mufl leave, after what I have pre- 



mifed 



