1 66 LITERATURE AND DRAMA 



If these demands be all granted, very little difficulty will be 

 found in showing that the mere arrangement of the heroic feet 

 in verse is extremely regular ; the laxity is found in the great 

 freedom of choice as to what we may call a long and what a 

 short element, and yet, lax as we are in this respect, there is 

 seldom much difference as to the scanning of a line by different 

 grammarians ; and good lines will be found to scan well . 



A single trochee in place of an iamb is very common. It is 

 usually placed at the beginning of the line, but is often met 

 with immediately after the middle pause or caesure. Thus we 

 may say in general that a trochee is used to begin a major 

 section. In the hundred sample lines we find a trochee sub- 

 stituted for the first iamb in 28 lines by Shakespeare, 20 by 

 Milton, and 22 by Pope. At the beginning of the second 

 major section we find a trochee 8 times in Shakespeare, 7 

 times in Milton, and once in Pope. Shakespeare twice has 

 two trochees in one line ; one at the beginning of each major 

 section. Milton twice uses a weak trochee for the second foot. 

 The ear will not tolerate a strong trochee between two iambs 

 in a major section ; it breaks the flow and the line must halt, as 

 in the following strange example from Pope : 



Is' th6 grea't chai'n : that draw's all' t5 agree'. 



Two successive trochees at the beginning of the second section 

 make a rough line, as in this example from ' Paradise Lost : ' 

 AM diis't shalt ea't : all' the day's Of thy li'fe. 



Notwithstanding all the licence which we are forced to claim 

 before we dare promise to scan the vast majority of heroic lines, 

 scansion is a reality ; but the beauty of a line depends less on 

 scansion than on any other quality. There are certain rules to 

 be observed ; but the simple observance of these rules will no 

 more result in beauty than the performance of steps in accurate 

 time will make dancing beautiful. Prosody is a kind of grammar. 

 We must learn the law and observe the law, but the law will 

 give no grace of style. At most we may learn by its aid why 

 some lines displease us. Above all, we must never force the 

 pronunciation so as to bring the arrangement of the feet into 

 prominence. The rules of scansion are like the rules of etiquette 

 best kept when they are kept well out of sight. 



