[ 374 ] 



Colitur Hybernia Divis virifque dileda. 

 is a nonfenfe verfe which has juft occurred to my fancy, in quantity 

 perfedliy falfe, but in found, perhaps, not unmufical ; and this is the 

 reafon why the Englilh have wifely and properly chofen to read 

 Latin verfe by accent and not by quantity, as I verily believe the 

 old Romans did, becaufe they could not bear the found of the 

 verfe when otherwife pronounced ; would the profaic line before 

 mentioned be improved by reading 



O For tuna ti Mercato res gravis annis, ? 



The French, though they apply the word accent differently 

 from other nations, may, in my fenfe of the word, illuftrate my 

 meaning ; the reafon why the heroic verfe of the French appears 

 fo intolerable to us, is, that we attempt to read it by quantity; 

 it then comes out exadly like our twelve fyllable verfe, ufually 

 with us confined to ballads, and the famous verfe of Corneille 



Rome, I'objet unique de mon raffentiment. 

 dances on the ear exadly like 



Ye belles and ye flirts, and ye pert little things. 

 But whoever vifits the French theatre will perceive no fuch ridi- 

 culous faltation of meafure, but a folemn and ferious cadence go- 

 verned by accent, adapted to the fubjed and to the fccne, which 

 almoft prevents the auditors from perceiving that it is verfe. 



It will be here immediately faid, that I confound accent with 

 emphafis : I do not ; 1 include in the idea infledion of voice, but 



in 



