232 



Charles Davidson — English Mystery Plays. 



then the second half-verses in like order. The stanza thus becomes 

 as follows — 



a b a b c d c d. 



But rhythmical proportion seems to require that the first stanzaic 

 section shall exceed the second in the number of verses, standing 

 either six to four, or eight to four or six. The correspondence be- 

 tween the octet and sestet of the sonnet and the eight and six of 

 the septenar stanza would seem to argue a psychological basis for 

 this division. 



Ex. 6. De Nummo.^ First stanza. 



Manus f erens munera 

 pium facit impium ; 

 nummus jung-it fdederd, 

 nummus dat consilium ; 

 nummus levit aspera, 

 nummiis sedat pn^lium ; 

 nummus in pr^latis, 

 est pro jure satis ; 

 niimmo locum datis, 

 vos, qui judicatis. 



(J 

 u 



u- 



• o- 



• u- 



•u ■ 



O tj Ox 



abababcccc. 



That these verses are derived from the septenar is proved — 



1. By the retention of the masculine rimes in the first six lines. 



2. By the use of feminine rimes in last four lines. 



3. By the entrelacee rime of the last four lines, a favorite rime in 

 septenar lines. 



In the six examples given above the movement is without excep- 

 tion trochaic. This was not an essential characteristic of the V-accent 

 line. The Latin septenar was usually trochaic, but the French and 

 English were more frequently iambic. 



Ex. v. Song from 'Carmina Burana."^ 



FortunfB rota volvitur, || descend© minora tus; 

 alter in Altum tollitur |1 nimis exaltsitus ; 

 rex sedit in vertice, || caveat ruinam, 

 ndm sub axe leg-imus, || Hecubam reginam. 



U — <j (j-^O — '• — — o o — ir 



o I' '■ It " ri ■ <J 



1 Poems of Walter Mapes, p. 336. 



2 Schipper, vol. 1, p. 90. 



