V E R 



Hebrew Text, vol. i.), that the divifion of the verfes of the 

 Old Teftamcnt has been different at different times ; and it 

 feems certain, that verfes were not the fame in St. Jerom's 

 time as at prefent : for that learned father, in his preface to 

 the book of Job, obferves, that there were feven or eight 

 hundred verfes (fome think the true reading to be feventy 

 or eighty) wanting in the ancient Latin tranflation of that 

 book ; which cannot be eafily fuppofed of fuch verfes as the 

 prefent, the whole book containing no more than one thou- 

 fand and feventy of our verfes. But the nature of verfes 

 having varied, and the prefent verfes, as terminations of, or 

 paufes in the fenfe, having been probably fixed in the Hebrew 

 text, or in the Greek verfion, fome ages after the publica- 

 tion of the books of the Old Teftament, as they confefledly 

 were with regard to the New Tcilament ; we fhall the lefs 

 wonder that fome of the wiler Jews made no fcruple to alter 

 the received divifion where they found it to be erroneous. 

 F. Simon tells us that Elias Levita, the bell Jewirti cri- 

 tic, affirms, the prefent diilinftion of verfes was made by 

 the Maforet Jews, after the Talmud ; and thai Aben-Ezra 

 mentions amongft others, R. Mofes Cohen, a learned gram- 

 marian, who took the liberty of joining fome verfes of the 

 bible otherwife than they were joined by thofe who had marked 

 them ; affirming that they were miftakcn in thofe places. 



The divifion of chapters into verfes has been found fo 

 convenient, that it has been ufed in all the editions of the 

 bible, ever fincc it was liHl introduced. It is not, however, 

 without its difadvantages. By this divifion the fenfe is 

 often interrupted, and the reader m.iy be thus le'd into mif- 

 takcs, by fancying that every verfe completes the fenfe. 

 Befides, fome perfons are lience led to conceive, that every 

 verfe contains a myftery, or fome effential point, though 

 there is frequently no more than fome incident or circum- 

 ftance recorded in that place. Moreover, it has proved the 

 occafion of that wrong method which fometimes prevails 

 among preachers. Many imagine that one verfe is a fuffi- 

 cient uibje<fl for a fermou ; and when they find that it does 

 not furnifh folid and inftruclive refleftions enough, they are 

 conftrained to wander from their point, and in order to fill 

 up their difcourfe, difplay their wit and learning, wliicli 

 often adminifter but little edification to their hearers, and is 

 undoubtedly contrary to the end of preaching. 



It is then much to be wiflied, that fome judicious perfon 

 would divide the chapters otherwife than they are at prefent 

 divided. If the verfes were fuffered to remain, they (hould 

 be fo divided, as to make always a complete fenfe, though on 

 this account they migiit happen to be longer or fhorter than 

 they now are. But perhaps it would be better to fupprefs 

 the verfes entirely, and to divide the chapters into certain ar- 

 ticles, wliich (liould contain fuch a number of verfes as 

 would complete the fenfe. When any word or patfage of 

 fcripture is quoted, it would be no great trouble to look 

 over a whole article, which could not require much time. 

 To which we may add, that fuch a method of divifion would 

 much affill the memory, which is now overburdened with 

 fuch a great number of verfes as preachers arc, occafionally, 

 obliged to remember. 



The divifion of verfes in the New Teftament was firll 

 made by Robert Stephens ; and fo negligently was it done, 

 that his fon, Henry Stephens, alTures us, he worked at it 

 as he travelled from Paris to Lyons. Many learned men 

 find great fault with this divifion, and yet it is every where 

 followed. 



F. Simon obferves, that the Greeks and Latins meant by 

 verfe, a line, containing a certain number of words. He 

 adds, that the authors of thofe days, to prevent any thing 

 being added or taken away from their works, ufed to mark, 

 at the end, the number of verfes they contained ; but the 



V E R 



books themfelves were written all running, without any di- 

 vifion, points, or the like. 



Vekse, Ned: SeeNECK-Verfi. 



Verse, in Chureh Mufic : as, a verfe anthem is diftinft 

 from a folo anthem, an anthem for two or three voices, and 

 from a full anthem. A verfe anthem confifts of choruffes, 

 with folo movements between them, for one, two, or three 

 voices, fo that in this fenfe verfe is equivalent with folo. 



VERSED Sine ofnn Arch. See Verfed SlNE. 



Co-Verseo Sine. See Co-versed Sine. 



VERSHIRE, in Geography, a town of Vermont, in the 

 county of Orange, containing 131 1 inhabitants; 16 miles 

 N. of Hanover. 



VERSHOCK, or Wekshock, a Ruffian meafure equal 

 to \'-\ of an Englifh inch. An arfliecn is divided into 16 

 verfhocks, or werfliocks, and equals 28 Eng. inches : thus 9 

 arfhtens = 7 Eng. yards, and 4 verfhocks =: 7 Eng. inches. 

 A face, fafhc, or fathom, is :::3 3 arfhcens, or 7 Eng. feet. 



VERSIFICATION, tlie art or manner of making 

 verfe ; alfo the tune and cadence of verfe. 



Verfifiealiiin is properly applied to what the poet does 

 more by labour, art, and rule, than by invention, and the 

 genius, or furor poeticus. See Poetry. 



The mailer of verfification is long and fliort fylhibles, and 

 feet compofed of them ; and its form is the arrangement of 

 them in eorreft, numerous, and harmonious verfes ; but 

 this is no more than a mere tranflator may pretend to, and 

 whieli the Catilinarian war, put in meafure, migl'.t merit. 



It is with reafon, therefore, that thei'e fimple matters are 

 diiUnguilhed from the grand poetry, and called by the name 

 verfification. 



In efieft, there is much the fame difference between 

 grammar and rhetoric, as there is between the art of making 

 verfes, and that of inventing poems. 



Hiflory of Ferjijicalion It appears that verfe has been 



cultivated from the carlieft period of literature, and among 

 all people, from the moil barbarous to the mod refined ; 

 and to it principally we are indebted for moft of the original 

 accounts we have of the ancient nations of the earth. 

 Equally meafured lines, with an harmonious collocation of 

 exprefiive and fometimes highly metaphorical terms, the al- 

 ternate lines either anfwering to each other in fenfe, or 

 ending with fimilar founds, were eafily committed to me- 

 mory, and eafily retained. As thefe were often accom- 

 panied with a pleafing air or tunc, the fubjeft being for the 

 mofl part a concatenation of ftriking and interefting events, 

 hiltories formed thus, became the amufement of youth, 

 the palliative of labour, and the folace even of old age. In 

 fuch a way, the hiflories of moft nations have been pre- 

 ferved. The interelling events celebrated, the rhythm or 

 metre, and the accompanying tune or recitativo air, rendered 

 them eafily tranfmiffiblc to pollcrity ; and by means of tradi- 

 tion, they paffed fafely from father to fon, through the 

 times of comparative darkncfs, when the various tribes of 

 mankind had no method more effeftual of communicating to 

 their defcendants the principles of their worfhip, their re- 

 ligious ceremonies, their laws, and the renowned adions of 

 their fages and heroes, till they arrived at thofe ages in 

 which the pen and the prcj's have given to them, by multi- 

 plying the copies, a fort of deathlcls duration. 



The propriety of affigning the priority to Hebrew verfi- 

 fication is obvious. The moft intelligent confider the 

 Hebrew to have been the primeval language, or at leaft the 

 moil ancient of which we have any knowledge ; and, there- 

 fore, it is here that we muft look for the earlicft dawn of 

 the poetic art. The addrefs of I.aniech (Gen. iv. 23.), 

 which is in hemiftichs in the original, is doubtlefs tlie moft 

 ancient verfe in the world. 



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