VERSIFICATION. 



properly all iatnbufes ; it admits, however, the fame varia- 

 lions as the trimeter ; as, 



Fortu-1-na non ]| mutat ) genus. — Hor. 



Aft egd I vicis-||-sTtn ri-[-ser6. — Hor. 



Prudeutius, and feveral pofterior authors, wrote fi.lire 

 poems in this metre. 



3. The Archilochian trimeter cataleAic, which in the firft 

 place has an iambus or fpondee, in the fecoad an iambus, in 

 the third a fpondee, in the fourth and fifili an iambics with 

 a common fyllable ; thus, 



3 4 



c^rt- 



prili 



-nas 

 -nis.- 



-Hc 



Trahunt-l-qiie sic-l-cas ma-]-chinse 

 Nee pra-]-ta ci- | -iu3 al-|-bicarit 



4. The Archilochian trimeter cataleftic differing from 

 the laft in this, that it admits a fpondee or iambus in the 

 third pkce ; as, 



Premunt 



renl-l-det i'n [ domo 

 colum- -nas Ql- -tima 



Iacu-|-nar. 

 recif-'-as. — Hor. 



5. The Galliambic trimeter (fo named from the Galli or 

 priefts of Cybele) acataleftic confifts of fix feet, of which 

 the firft is an anapajft, the fecond and third an iambus, the 

 fourth and fifth a daftyl, and the fixtli an anapaeli ; as. 



.Super al-I-ta vec-' 

 Phrygium nemus 

 Adiit- I -que opa- 



•tus A-!-tys cele-|-ri rate 



cita- -to cupi--d^ pedt 

 -ca fil- -vis redi- -mita lo- 



maria 

 tetlgit 



•ca Diz. 



Catullus. 



This verfe has always an iambus in the third verfe place, 

 in the fifth a daftyl, and in the fixth a fpondee. In the fecond, 

 however, it admits an anapaft or a tribrac ; and in the 

 fourth, a fpondee. It is but feldom that other feet are ad- 

 mitted, i>iz. in the firft place a fpondee, a cretic, or a pro- 

 ccleufmatic ; in the fecond, a fpondee and its ifochronal 

 foot, a daftyl ; in the fourth an iambus. 



6. The Saturnian trimeter hypercataleftic, which has a 

 fpondee in the fourth place, and in the other five iambi, 

 v/ith the hypermeter fyllable at the clofe ;_ as, 



Dabunt I malum ] Metel-|-l5 Nse-|-vio j Poe-|-t!E. 



Ter. Maur. 



7. The Hipponaftic tetrameter cataleftic confifts of 

 feven iambi and a long fyllable, and fometimes admits a 

 fpondee mto the odd places ; as, 



becaufe in it the cadence is inverted, or maimed, by tlie 

 change of feet in the two laft places, confifts of fix feet, 

 of which the fifth is invariably an iambus, and the fixth a 

 fpondee, the others being the fame as in the iambic tri- 

 meter i as, 



O quid I rdlii-|-tis eft | bfia-j-tms | ciirTa ! — Catul. 



Of the jinacnontic. 



The name' of the celebrated lyric poet Anacreon forms 

 the diftinguifhing epithet that charafterizesthis verfe ; which 

 is nothing elfe but the iambic dimeter cataleflic. The firft 

 foot is an iambus, often a fpondee or anapaeft, fomeumes a 

 tribrac or a cretic ; the fecond and third are iambufcs, with 

 an additional fyllable at the end ; as, 



'OiTC(7ct, I <p£fOU-]-^iv t/-j-Xai. — Anac. 



Lex hiec | data eft | cadu-f-cis. — Prudent. 

 Habet om-j-nis hoc | v61iip-|-tas — Boet. 



Of the Trochaic. 



The trochaic verfe admits, in the odd places, a trochee 

 or a tribrac ; but in the laft place a trochee only ; in the 

 even places, befides the trochee and tribrac, a fpondee, a 

 daftyl, or an anapaeft, but a proceleufmatic was feldom 

 admiffible. It rejefts the iambus, as the iambus does the 

 trochee. 



The moft common trochaic verfe is the tetrameter cata- 

 leftic, which confifts of feven feet, (properly all trochee*,) 

 followed by a cataleftic fyllable ; as. 



Et in 

 Depren- 



folen- 

 -fa na- 



-ter xf-i-tues 

 -vis in I main 



velut I minu-l-ta mag-j-no. 

 vesfi j nien-|-te ven-]-to. 

 Catullus. 



8. The tetrameter, or oftonarius acataleftic, contains 

 eight feet, of which the laft is always an iambus; in the 

 other even places are iambnfes or tribracs ; in the odd 

 places, iambufes or fpondces, or their ifochronal feet, tri- 

 bracs, anapaefts, or daftyls ; as, 



Siifpi-|-cio-l-fi ad con-j-tume-|-ham om-,-nia ac- 



|-cipiur,t I magis. — Terence. 



Comic writers admit not only in this, but alfo in the 

 trimeter and cataleftic tetrameter, fuch feet, in the even 

 plicti, as are generally ufed in the odd places, and vice vcrja; 

 the laft place excepted, in which there is always an iambus. 



Of the Sca%on, or Choliambus. 

 The fcazon or choliambus (». e. lame iambic), fo named. 



Juftiis I eft in-]-ermis | ire : 



piiriis | Ire | juffiis eft. 

 CafuUus. 



1. Although iambic and trochaic verfes feem oppofite 

 in their nature, yet as in each, fingle Ihort and long 

 fyllables alternately recur, the retrenchment of the initial 

 fyllable of either, transforms it into the other, /. e. the- 

 iambic into the trochaic, and the trochaic into the iambic. 

 This circumftance has induced fome, particularly the author 

 of the Port Royal grammar, to deny the exiftence of trochaic 

 verfe, and to denominate them acephalous iambics. 



2. In the trochaic tetrameter, the casfura ought to 

 be altogether avoided after the fourth foot, which divides 

 the verfe into two hemiftichs. 



3. The comic writers ufe, in trochaic verfe, the fame 

 liberties in regard to the choice of the feet as in iafnbics, 

 planting promifcuoudy, in the odd places, fuch feet as 

 others admit in the even places, the feventh foot alone 

 excepted. 



Of trochaic vjrfe we have the following fpecies. 



1. The trochaic monometer hypercataleftic contains two 

 trochees and the hypermeter fyllable ; as, 



Nulla I jam f i-|-des. — Scalig. 



2. The trochaic dimeter brachycataleftic contains three 

 trochees ; as. 



Hue a-|-des Ly-|-xe. — Scalig. 



3. The Euripidean dimeter cataleftic confifts of three 

 trochees, (in the fecond place fometimes a fpondee or a dac- 

 tyl, ) with a cataleftic fyllable ; as, • 



Dona I c6nfci-|-enti-|-Ee — Prudent. 

 Vita I deciir-]-rens vi-|-a. — Seneca. 

 Lenis I ac ajbdi-|-cum flii-]-ens.— Idem. 



4. The Alcmanic dimeter acataleftic contains four tro- 



chees ; 



J 



