m 



58 



quern emulari etiam utroque pollentior hodie vix quiTquam valeat.--&c 

 Sed obfervatum nobis ante cum Petrum quendam nomine Monachu 

 paribus rythmis laudera qusefiviffc." (Ibid. Lib. sy. Cap. 11. J 



The following, as a unique, is given from Barthius, who uOiers it in 

 with this reflexion: « Non quidem ego animatus fum in id corpus 

 cos poetas deducere, qui barbar^ ad minorum gentium linguarum morem 

 ct legem verfus Latinis numeris conceptos infringunt in rythmos, ut funt 

 Bernhardus Morlanenfis, quern vel principem talium dicas, Goffridus 

 Viterbienfis, Metelli quirinalia hexametro compofita, Petri Blefenfis, Wil- 

 lerami Abbatis, Wipponis, et milk talia carmina ; hoc tamen carmen 

 peculiari mihi genio fcriptum videtur, nee indignum cujus extra ordinem 

 ratio habeatur. Eft vero de bello Trojano in h^c verba fcriptum." 



Pergama flere vo") 



Solo rapta do 5 



Efl Paris abfque pa ^ 



Audet tentaj ^^ 

 Vadit et acce T 

 Nauta fob re j 

 Tuta libido ma 



Civibus igna j 

 Pod raptus Hele ^ 

 Mille rates pie 3 "^ 



And fo on, through a vafl number of thefe lines. Barthius then 

 adds, " fcriptum hoc carmen eft ante annum domini MCC. Invent! 

 vero genus novum eft, nee tale quid haftenus prodiilTe in publicum puto." 

 Sidonius has been reputed the father of the Latin rhimes : but their 

 origin may perhaps be traced to the earlier Chriftians, who devoted 

 themfelves wholly to the fcrvice of God. Terentianus, who lived in 

 the firft century, when he made the diftinftion between metre and rhime, 

 might probably have had an eye to the hymns of the devout, at that 

 period, whofe meetings were as regular as the return of the night, which 

 they fpent in prayer and pfalmody. " Hyranos, Litanias, omnesque 



" cantilenas 



