230 Charles Davidson — English Mystery Plays. 



half of three accents, attempt at coincidence of verse and word ac- 

 cent/ but not fully carried out in the second half -verse, riming caesuras. 



This is the tyjDical form of the Latin septenar, and shows clearly 

 its derivation from the classical dactylic hexameter/ The masculine 

 caesura and feminine verse-ending have been retained. Quantity has 

 been exchanged for accent, the trochaic movement has superseded 

 the dactj^ic, and an accent has been added to the first half -verse. 



Ex. 2. The Song of the Welsh.^ Thirteenth century. Last 

 tetrastich. 



Istis siiis finibiis \ contigit regnare ; 

 lllis duces, pitesides, !! reges triumphai'e, 

 Quibus nullo merito " &e possint tequare; 

 Est quam regnare longe 1 plus induperare. 



a a a a. 



Characteristics : — Rime entrelacee, caesuras without rime, other- 

 wise as Ex. 1. 



The frequent occurrence in Latin of the same termination made 

 it possible for the poet to continue his verse indefinitely with a sin- 

 gle rime; thus in the ' Dialogus Inter Corpus et Animam' fifteen 

 lines rime entrelacee. The French poets, however, excelled in this 

 species of verbal gymnastic, the author of the Thesaur de Pierre de 

 Corbian* riming its eight hundred and forty lines on the ending 

 'ens.' 



Ex. 3. Dialogus inter Corpus et Animam.* Lines 105-109. 



Mundus et dfemonium \ legem sanxire mi'ituam, 

 fraudis ad consortium 1 carnem trahentes fatuam 

 eorumque blandltiis 11 caro seducit aulmam 

 quam a virtutum ci'ilmine ' tnihlt ad partem infimam, 

 qua; statim carnem sequitur ] ut bos ductus ad victimam. 



—«->«-'— O — O —II 'JL' Lf — -ui-K 

 UO 'tJ «-i /I C> ■ UVJ tju; 



1 See ' Der lateinische accent," by P. Lange, Philologus, vol. 31, p. 107; also Handbuch 

 der KHassischen Altertums-Wissenschaft, vol. 2, p. 595, art. 128, 5. 



2 The trochaic septenar was favored by the late Latin writers, but differed from the 

 mediaeval septenar in essential points.— Handbuch, p. 596, art. 131. 



3 Wright, p. 58. 



4 Grand Dictionnaire Universelle s. v. Rime. 

 6 Poems of Walter Mapes, p. 99. 



