25 



language of Scaliger, (Loc. chat.) " aliquando pauciorum fyllabarura,- 

 " aliquando plurium, qnales Grtecorum rty^o^ ^ma.\vm)Lm, i3(ctx<j'-c^ra\rixTMi, 

 " WEfftETjioi : non utique quod compenfatio fiat x*™ ta-i>xf>""^'< ut in Grse- 

 " cis folet : ncque enim hoc exprimi poteft idiomate Hebraico : fed 

 " quantum fententia poftulat, rythmus nunc longior, nunc brevior 

 " eft. Eft enim rhythmus, ut doftiffimus Beda ex Marii Viftorini, 

 " Auguftinp, et aliorum fcriptis collegit, metri.s confimilis verbOf 

 " rum modulata compofitio, non metrica ratione, fed numero fyU 

 " labarum ad judicium aurium examinata, ut funt, inquit, carmina vul- 

 " garium poetarum. Et quidem rhythmus fine metro effe poteft, metrum 

 " vero fine rhythmo effe non poteft." So far the venerable Bede, 

 ftrengthened by the mafculine learning of Scaliger ; and from the knock- 

 down argument, that Pfalmanazar hlmfelf has employed, I am inclined 

 to think there is much truth in the obfervation ; and further, that this ha$ 

 aftually been the cafe, not only with the Hebrew verfe, but with that 

 of every other people in the world, whofe poetry has laboured under 

 ftrong affeftions of the mind ;* till time and experience, and art had 

 regulated the paces of their poetry, and taught it to move on ftated 

 feet. But fliould this have been the condition of the Hebrew poetry, its 

 -metre can never be diftinguiflied, by any given rule or ftandard what- 

 ever, becaufe it muft have depended lefs on eftablilhed laws, than on 

 the ear, which was capricious, and open only to the imprefilon of 

 the fentiment to be expreffed. " Quce omnia fi ad reftjE rationis nor- 

 mam exigas, quid abfurdius? Si naturam & affeftuum motus fpeftcs, 

 quid verius, quid exprellius, quid pulchrius ? (Pral, 23.^ 



^nd in my God I will knock down an ox. (Pf. 28. «. \^-) 



llbelohai adaleg Jhaar, 



Procwnhit hwni io(. 



' Vol. IX. D :• Thif 



* Since this was written, the author has found the obfervation fortified by the learned 

 author of the Hebrew Pr£ele<;iions, who produces inftances of it, both from the Greek 

 and from the Latin, efpecially from a Greek fcolion preferred ia AtheoEus. 



