VERSIFICATION. 



cent. If it is tronco, it has but one fyllable (fee obf. 3. 

 and 4, fupra); if piano, two; if fdrucciolo, three; as, 



Tronco - - - La. 

 Piano - - - Laflb ! 



Sdrucciolo - - - Penfaci. 



2. The trifyllabic member, if it has but one word, has 

 only one accent ; if it confift of two words, it has two 

 accents. If it is tronco, it has only two fyllables ; if piano, 

 three ; if fdrucciolo, four ; as, 



Troncs - - - Potra 



Chifu^ 



Piano . . - Potranne 



Si diffe. 



Sdrucciolo - - - Rifvegliati " 



No, di'ffero*. 



3. The quadrifyllabic member tronco has only three 

 fyllables ; piano, four ; fdrucciolo, five ; as, 



Tronco . . - lo men v6 3. 

 Piano - - - Belle rofe ♦ 



Porporine *. 

 Sdrucciolo - - - I di volano ^ 



We may here remark, that the Italians call that the ac- 

 cent (commun), which is placed at the end of each verfe, 

 and wliich accomplifhes the meafure of the fame. They 

 affign this epithet to it, in confequence of its being elTential 

 and common to all verfe. And this accent is placed on the 

 lad fyllable, if the verfe is tronco ; on the penultimate, if 

 piano ; on the antepenultimate, if fdrucciolo. Now, in the 

 above quadrifyllabics, we may obferve that this accent uni- 

 formly falls on the third fyllable. 



3. The quinarius, befides the common accent, has alfo 

 an accent on the fecond fyllable, fometimes on the firft, and 

 not unfrequently it has only the common accent. It con- 

 tains four, five, or fix fyllables, according to the laws al- 

 ready prefcribed ; as. 



The difyllabic member, when it is tronco, does not con- 

 tain even the image of a foot ; but if it is piano, it is a 

 trochee, as lafTo ; and if it is fdrucciolo, it is a daftyl, as 

 penficl. The trifyllabic, of whatever kind it be, can have 

 only an iamb, as pdtra, potranne, rifceghati. Example : 



The quadrifyllabic is a monoraeter, confifting of two 

 trochees, which form a metre ; and two of thefe united 

 form the regular oftonarius. 



I. Damlgellli 

 Tutta bella, 



Verfa verfa — quel bel vino 

 Fa che cada 

 La ruggiada 

 Diftillata — di rubino. 



2. 0' nel feno 

 Rio veneno 

 Che vifparfe 



Amor profundo, 

 / Ma gittarlo 



E lafciarlo 

 Vo' fommerfo in- 

 quefto fondo. 



The quinarius is an iambic monoraeter, and confequently 

 not a rhythm. Example : 



Oh quanto e facile Si fcuote il laccio, 



Nella catena Ma non fi fpezza, 



D'amor languir ! E amor fi vendica 



Quanto e difficile Con piu fierezza 



Poterne ufcir ! Del folle ardir. — Zeno. 



VII. Every fpecies of French verfe is the fame as the 

 Italian. In each we difcover the fame number of fyllable*, 

 the fame accents, the fame caefui;;, the fame feet, the fame 

 harmony. To evince this, we (hall now ftate, in the fame 

 order as we have done for the Italian verfe, the following 

 elements or members of a verfe. 



The difyllabic Tronco 

 Piano 



Sdrucciolo 



The trifyllabic Tronco 

 Piano 

 Sdrucciolo 



Quadrifyllabic Tronco 

 Piano 



Eft. 

 Etre. 

 Donn^. 

 Donn6-ltJ. 



Sera\ 



Facile^. 



Ri5gard«-le^ 



C5mbattEz3. 

 Consldere '' . 

 Sdrucciolo Considerf-le' 



VIII. TheSenarlus. 



The fenarius is an anapasftic monometer cataleftic, hav- 

 ing only an iamb for the firft foot. Befides the accent 

 common, (which is on the fifth fyllable,) it generally requires 

 an accent on the fecond fyllable ; though fometimes the ac- 

 cented fyllables are the firft, third, and fifth. It contains 

 five, fix, or feven fyllables, according as the verfe is tronco, 

 piano, or fdrucciolo ; as, 



Tronco - Ufate pieta '. 

 Piano - Begli aftri d'amore*. 



Sdrucciolo Da qui tu quel calice'. 



The French, according to the rule which we have already 

 explained, call this verfe of five fyllables. The difference is 

 merely nominal : the verfes are virtually the fame. 



Tronco - Toujours c6 zephir. 

 Piano - L'amour a des charmes. 



Sdrucciolo (no example exifts). 



IX. The Septenarlus. 



If to each of the monometers, of which we have juft 

 treated, we add one, two, or three other feet, thefe mono- 

 meters become, according to the principles we have pr«- 

 fcribed, regular and legitimate verfe. 



The feptenarius is compofed of iambic feet, and contains 

 fix, feven, or eight fyllables, according as the verfe is tronco, 

 piano, or fdrucciolo ; as, 



Tronco - Che vino k quel cola'? 

 Piano - In un gravofo affanno'. 



Sdrucciolo O liquor dolce e amabile '. 



This verfe, befides the ecmmon accent, which conftantly 



falls 



