234 Charles Davidson — English Mystery Plays. 



This stanza became very popular for churcli lyrics in England^ 

 and France. 



The form passed also into English, but, as English taste is averse 

 to double feminine rimes, the second unstressed syllable received a 

 stress, and oftentimes other verses were given masculine rimes by 

 dropping final unstressed syllables ; such an example is, in Shakes- 

 peare, Puck's song,^ " On the ground," etc. ; this is in sharp contrast 

 with the song of Pyramus, " But stay, O spite !" which is in the same 

 stanza with iambic movement.^ 



From this stanza as type many other forms arose in church prosse, 

 and passed thence into profane literature ; but, as they are foreign to 

 our purpose, we turn to the consideration of the 7-accent line in 

 English. 



Ex. 9. Poema Morale," date of MS. about 1200, of poem about 

 11 70. Dialect South-English. First couplet. 



Ic am elder, thanne ic wes, II a wintre and ec,a lore ; 



ic edldi more, tMnne Ic dede : II mi wit oghte to bl more. 



— u — u — u no — uc — u - — ^^'^ 



Characteristics : — In common with Ex. 1, rime by couplets, no 

 stanzaic structure, masculine csesura divides verse into a first half- 

 verse of four stresses and a second of three stresses. As different 

 from Ex. 1, confusion of trochaic and iambic movements, irregular 

 succession of stressed and unstressed syllables, unstressed syllable 

 following caesura, or stressed, as — 



Ne mdi him no man dl swo wel II demen ne swo rihte : 



Two points are, however, fairly well established — 



1. If a stressed syllaible follows the caesura, the line will usually 

 begin with the trochaic movement. 



2. The two verses of the couplet will usually agree in this matter* 

 This measure, written in stanzas of four verses, second and fourth 



riming, or in quatrains, is termed in English hymnology * Common 

 Metre.' It forms also a favorite ballad measure for Northern ballads. 

 Ex. 10. St. Stephen and Herod. ^ Second stanza. 



Steuyn out of kechone cdm || wyth boris bed on honde, 

 He silw a sterre was fayr and brygt || oiier Bedlem stonde. 





1 Analecta Litiirgica, Fasciculus V, ProsfB Ecclesife Abrincensis, p. 319 ; also in Pro- 

 sae EcclesliE Sancti Dionysii, p. 360. 



2 M. N. D. 8, 2. 3 M. N. D. 5, 1. * Anglia 1, p. 6. e Child, vol. 1, p. 241. 

 6 For discussion of alliteration in septenar stanzas see p. 237 ff. 



