VERSIFICATION. 



termed either a monomeUr, dimeter, trimeter, tetrameter, pin- 

 tameter, or hexameter. Sec. Verfe fometimes receives its name 

 from a reference to the number of feet, not of metre, which 

 compofes it ; as, the fenartus, oBonarius, novenarius. Sec : 

 fometimes from a noted author who was particularly attached 

 to that fpecies ; as, Sapphic, /Inacreontic, ylkaic, HipponaBic. 



A verfe is alfo faid to be acatnleBic, if it be neither de- 

 feftive nor redundant; eatalc&ic, if it want 3. final fyllable ; 

 IrachycatalcBic, if it want two ; hypcrcataktlic or hypermeter, 

 if it exceed the regular meafure ; acephalous, if it want an 

 initial fyllable. 



Hence the complete name of a verfe neccflarily confifts of 

 three terms ; the firft referring to the Jpecies, the fecond to 

 the number of metres, the third to the apothefis or ending. 

 See Verse. 



Schmidius and Triclinius, in their Analyfis of die Metres 

 of Pindar and Sophocles, generally recite firft the general 

 name, confifting of the three terms above-mentioned, and 

 then fubjoin the particular feet. 



A hemiflich is, properly fpeaking, a half verfe : yet the 

 name is commonly applied to either portion of an hexameter 

 verfe divided at the penthemimer. 



The triemimeris is that portion of a verfe (meafured from 

 the beginning of the line ) which contains three half feet, or 

 a foot and a half; penlhemimeris, five half feet, or two feet 

 and a half ; hepthemimeris, feven half feet, or three feet and 

 a half ; ennemimeris, nine half feet, or four feet and a half. 

 A dijlich is a couplet of two verfes. 



KJlanza, orjlrophe, is fuch a feries of two or more verfes 

 of different kinds, as comprifes every variety employed in 

 the compofition. / 



When only one fort of verfe is ufed throughout the ode or 

 poem, fuch an ode, &c. is called monocolos; when fevcral forts, 

 polycolos: or more precifely, if there are two forts of verfe in 

 a poem, it is called dicolos ; if three, tricolos ; if four, tetracohs. 

 When the ftanza, or ftrophe, is compofed of two verfes, 

 it denominates the ode dijlrophos ; when of three, trijlrophos; 

 when of four, tetrajlrophos. Sec. 



By a complex ufe of thefe terms, the ode is dicolos dijlro- 

 phos, when in a ftanza there are two verfes of different 

 kinds ; it is dicolos tri/lrophos, when the ftanza contains three 

 verfes, but only of two kinds, one fort being twice ufed ; 

 dicolos tetrajlrophos, when the ftanza has four verfes, but of 

 only two forts, one fort being ufed thrice. Again, the ode 

 is tricolos trijlrophos, when the itanza confifts of three verfes, 

 each of a different kind; and tricolos tetrajlrophos, when in 

 the ftanza there are four verfes, but of only three kinds, 

 one being ufed twice. 



Helreiu Verfijication. 



On the very firft attempt to elucidate the nature of 

 this verfification, a queftion prefents itfelf uncommonly 

 difficult and obfcure. If it be cffential to the exiftence 

 of verfe that it be meafured by a definite number of feet or 

 fyllables, it appears abfolutely ncceffary to demonftratc that 

 thofe parts at Icaft of the Hebrew writings which we term 

 poetic are in a metrical form, and to inquire whether any 

 tiang be certainly known concerning the nature and princi- 

 ples of this verfification or not. 



It is well known, that an hypotliefis was invented by 

 biihop Hare concerning the Hebrew metres ; and the argu- 

 ments which he had advanced in its favour appeared lo 

 conclufive to fome perfons of great erudition, as to pcrfuadc 

 them, that the learned prelate had fortunately retrieved the 

 knowledge of Hebrew verfe, after an oblivion of more than 

 two thoufand years. The following are the rules or canons 

 of hifhop Hare. 



Vol. XXXVII. 



N 



1. In Hebrew verfe all the feet are diffyllabic. 



2. No regard is paid to the quantity of the fyllables. 



3. When the number of the fyllables is even, the verfe is 

 trochaic, placing the accent on the firft fyllable. 



4. If the number of the fyllables is odd, the verfe is 

 iambic, and the accent is to be placed on the fecond fyl- 

 lable. 



5. The periods moftly confift of two verfes, often three 

 or four, and fometimes more. 



6. The verfes of the fame period, with few exceptions, 

 are of the fame kind. 



7. The trochaic verfes moftly agree in the number of feet ; 

 there are, however, a few exceptions. 



S. In the iambic verfes the number of feet are moftly un- 

 equal, though in fome inftances they are equaL 



9. Each verfe does not contain a diftinft fenfe. 



One of the examples given by biftiop Hare for the illuf- 

 tration of thefe rules, is the mth Pfalm, which the learned 

 reader may confult in any pointed Hebrew bible. 



The fame example is alluded to by biftiop Lowth, in the 

 following confutation of the principles of biihop Hare. 



1. In the firft place, the feet are not all diftyllables. 



2. Attention muft always be paid to the quantity of the 

 fyllables, for the fame word, as often as it occurs, is always 

 of the fame quantity. 



3. The verfes are either trochaic which admit a daftyl, 

 or iambic which admit an anapaeft. But it by no means 

 follows, that a verfe is either the one or the other, from its 

 confifting of an even or odd number of fyllables. Thofe, 

 indeed, which confift of an even number of fyllables, are, 

 for the moft part, iambic ; but they are alfo fometimes 

 trochaic. And thofe which confift of an odd number of 

 fyllables are moftly trochaic ; but they are, however, fome- 

 times iambic, contrary to the third and fourth canons. 



4. The verfes of the fame period are of different kinds, 

 a few only excepted ; and thofe which are of the fame kind 

 feldom agree in the number of fyllables and feet ; and 

 thefe fafts are contrary to the fixth, feventh, and eighth 

 canons. 



5. All the periods confift of only two verfes : this is con- 

 trary to the fifth canon. 



6. Each verfe has one particular fenfe ; contrary to the 

 ninth canon. 



And in the fame manner, perhaps, may every hypothefid, 

 which pretends to ftate the laws of Hebrew verfe, and to 

 prefcribe the numbers, the feet, the fcanning of the lines, be 

 confuted. For to that hypothefis another direftly contrary, 

 yet confirmed by arguments equally forcible, may be fuc- 

 cefsfully oppofed. 



Subfequently to bifhop Hare, John Robcrtfon, M.D. 

 publidicd his trcatife on tlie Hebrew verfification. To give 

 any idea of his method, it is requifite to premifc, that he, in 

 common with the antimaforctico, fupplies the pointed vowel 

 by f ; to 1 he gives the power of U or V, and to V, O. 

 His rules are as follow : 



" 1. Every fyllable is long in which there is a written 

 vowel. 'Tis true that I and U are fometimes joined in one 

 fyllable with the vowel before, but oftener with that ajter 

 either of them. But in that cafe the 1 and U arc not 

 vowels, but confonants. 



" 2. Every fyllable having the inferlcd or implied vowel 

 t is ftiort, if only one confonant follows it before another 

 cxprefled or implied vowel occurs. 



" 3. Every fyllable having only an infcrtcd rowel in it is 

 long, if two or more confonants intervene bctx\cen it and tlie 

 next expreffed or implied vowel, cither in the fame or fnU 

 lowing word. 



M " 4. In 



