87 



i^rfe, however, and Roman quantities have been improperly confounded ; 

 for though Roman quantities are certainly verfe without rhime, yet verfe 

 without rhime is not therefore Roman quantities. Even the learned Paf- 

 chius does not difcriminate them, but puts the quotation given above, from 

 the tranflation of Heliodorus, on the fame footing with the meafure of the 

 Paradife Loft, merely becaufe the rhimes in both had been omitted. In 

 the fixteenth century we have the Lord Henry Howard difcarding the 

 rhime, and tranflating the fourth book of the Eneis into Englifli hexame- 

 ters, as in the fame century, we have Cardinal Ippolito tranflating its 

 fecond book into Italian hexameters, which he entitles, in the true fpirit 

 of the times, // Cavaliero Errante ; to thefe may be joined Stiernhel- 

 mius the Swede, who writes the Gothic hiftory in SwediOi words with 

 Roman quantities. Thefe, I believe, are among the firft attempts in 

 Europe at blank verfe, if we except a vain effort of Ariofto, who wrote 

 comedies out of rhime ; as our own Ariofto, Mr. Hayley, wrote come- 

 dies in rhime : with novelty for their motive, and poffeffing fimilar genius, 

 their fuccefs has been the fame. 



The French verfe, in its texture and turn, ftrongly refembles the caft 

 and charafter of the Hebrew, for which excellence it is principally in- 

 debted to to the chafte and poliflied Marot, author of the French 

 rondeau,* and father of the mafculine and feminine rhimes, that give 



fuch 



" Ed odi quel che fopra un verde prato 

 " Cinto d' abeti e d' onorati allori, 

 " Che bagna or un mufcofo e chiaro fonte, 

 " Canta de 1' api del fuo florid' orto." 



Thefe lines, it is confeffed, are very beautiful, and I mufl not diffent from fo ex- 

 quifite a judge as Mr. Rofco : neverthelefs they only prove, that Le Api has perhaps been 

 compofed with fome degree of fuccefs ; but that Rucellai thought one trial of the fort 

 quite fuificient. See Appendix, No. 5. 



* Dr. Percy has given us a Rondeau of Chaucer, which, fays the learned Bifhop, 

 the bard had picked up among his neighbours. I believe it was a ftranger to the 



French 



