106 On the Pronunciat'tm of Greek and Latin Poetry, [Sept. I, 



fyllable accenteH in our own vernacular 

 meihod is eo^uivnlent to a long one, and is 

 to be fo confideiel ; yet, even on this 

 principle of our o^r\, we ftrangely length- 

 en many fylhbles which we perfectly well 

 know to be (hort, and fhorten a dill greater 

 rumber ot long fyllables. In thefirft twelve 

 Vfrfesof ihefii II book of the Georg!cs,when 

 pronounced after the vulgar me hod of ac- 

 centuation, I have counted eleven inilances 

 of the former kind, and twenty-five of the 

 latter, or, including the final fyllable of each 

 verfe, which we almoft invariably defraud 

 of its prerogative, thirty-f'even. And fo 

 arbitrary and unaccountable is our ca- 

 price, that, while we perfecute with almi-ft 

 indelible opprobrium the man or boy who 

 cafually violates profody in any inffance 

 which we have made fartiionable to ob- 

 ferve, we ftiU, wiihout fcruple or remorfe, 

 commit ten falfe quantities in the fame 

 breath. 



3. We fcarcely ever render fcnfible to 

 the ear fome of the moil mufical feet in 

 claflical poetry. For a fpundee, a pyirhic, 

 or even an iambus, we rarely fail to luii- 

 ftitute our favourite trochee ; and happy 

 is the lot of a polylyllabic foot if it efcapes 

 being fpoiled by daflylization. A mo- 

 loffus, a difpondee, or any of the epitrites, 

 fall from our mouths lobbed of their frnf- 

 rous honours, and withered as in the lall 

 ft^geof atrophy. Often we depiive the 

 anapelt of all its melody, by fliortening 

 its final lyllable and accenting its fiill — 

 The choi iambus, when it falls on a fingle 

 word, as it does in thoufands ofinftaiices, 

 we commonly torture into a fecond paeon. 

 The fame treatment we give to the fourth 

 pason ; and indeed there is hardly a foot 

 ending in a long fyllable, efpecially if that 

 fyllable be alfo the final one of a word, 

 which we do not punflually maim in that 

 effential part. 



4 The fyftem of prof dy itfelf is ren- 

 dered in a great meafure dormant and 

 powerlefs. By finking the very nature 

 of quantity into the notion of a modern 

 accent, and by the habitual violation of 

 known rules, the maxiirs and the autho- 

 rity of profody are compelled to Aide into 

 defuetude. Hence a nice attention to 

 quantity and metres bfcomes rather a cu- 

 riotity of literature and a maik of luperior 

 fcholarfhip, than, what it ought ever to 

 be confidered, a matter of great praflica] 

 utility. 



5. We are deprived of the important 

 advantage of diftinguifliing words and 

 C-fe» which are alike in ortho(jraphy, but 

 differ molt widely in fignification and in 

 quant. ty. If their refpeftive quantity 



were ftrongly marked in pronunciation, 

 befides the improvement ot found, all am- 

 bigui y in conftruftion wonld be prevent- 

 ed. In Latin, every one knows that the 

 number of fuch inftances is very great ; 

 and in reciting Greek, the advantage of 

 this obfervance would not be trivial, 

 though occafions occur left frequently, on 

 account of the more ample (lore of vowels 

 and diphthongs, and the greater variety 

 of inflc(51ion'', which that exquifite Ian- 

 gunge poifefTes. Dr. Warner has, with 

 ju(t ridicule, yet perfect good nature, ex- 

 pofcd various examples of falfe and ludi- 

 crous interpretation, arlfing from the com- 

 nion ahufes of quantity. See liis Melron 

 Arijhn, pnjfim. 



6. All prailical acquaintance with the 

 rhythmus, or the mJody of a juft obl'er- 

 vance, difpofition, and connexion, of the 

 times, is rendeied impoffible. Probibly 

 the difficulties which have perplexed this 

 fuhjeft, and which have deterred many 

 from giving to it any attention, have ori- 

 ginated from the negleft of leal quantity 

 in praflice, more than from any other 

 caufe. — See Bwgefi's Appendix to Dazves, 

 p. 44.6-4.51. Oa the palTage attributed 

 to Longinus, the reader will find it worth 

 while to compare Metron Arijlon, p. 20, 

 21. The able elucidations of a learned 

 dignitary, in his Treatife De Rhylhma 

 Gracorum, Ox. 1789, are not only fa- 

 vourable to reading according to quantity, 

 but they fatisfaftorily (hew, that the prac- 

 tice ought to be extended to profe compo- 

 fi'ion. 



7. We are prevented from difi^inguifli- 

 ing, clearly and audibly, the varieties of 

 metre, to the great lofs of our own plea- 

 fure, and to the injury of the poet's rights. 

 But, having mentioned this befo;e, I only 

 introduce it here to complete the cata-. 

 iogue of evils arifing from the mode pre. 

 vailing in South Britain of reciting 

 Greek and Latin verl'e. 



I do net affirm that thefe feven defefls 

 attach in an equal degree to all fcholars 

 who follow the common piatlice ; but 

 only mean to affert, that they are the ge- 

 nuine reftiltofthat pra6fice ; that fome of 

 them neceffanly arife out of it j and that 

 they are all found to be its moft general 

 and ufual attendants. 



It is a further obje6lion to the eftablifti- 

 ed method, that it apparently proceeds on 

 the tacit admiffion of two very material 

 errors. 



The firft is, that our Englifli fcnfe of 

 the term accent is the fame as the true 

 an<! ancient fignification of occentus. — 

 Our accent is a mere ftrefs of the voice, 



with 



