VERSIFICATION. 



falls on the fixtli fyllable, requires an accent on the fourth. 

 Often it has the accent on the fecond and fourth, and then 

 the vcrle is excecdinfrly harmonious. It is dated, however, 

 to be 3 pecuhar conveniency of this verfe, that it does not 

 abfolutely require any other accent than the accent common ; 

 but fincc the regular feptenarius confifts of three iambic 

 feet, we difcover tlie evident reafon that it fhould have the 

 acute accent on the fecond, the fourth, and fixth ; as. 



This verfe is of extraordinary antiquity in Italian verfiti- 

 cation, as appears from the verfe of MelFcr Ruggcri, quoted 

 by Triffino. 



The French, who, as we have often remarked, mcafure 

 their verfe by the mafculine (tronco), call the feptenarius of 

 fix fyllables. In reality it is only thre." iambic feet, tlie 

 fevcnth fyllable is redundant. With regard to the accents, 

 it is fubject to the fame laws as the Italian feptenarius. 



Tronco - A foi-meme odieux ''. 



Piano 



- Le fot de tout s'irrite. 



X. The ylkxandr'we Verfe. 



Two feptcnarian verfes united, form what the Italians call 

 an Alexandrine or Martellian verfe. 



Thefe verfes, called by the Italians Alefiandrini, are 

 an imitation of the French Alexandrine, which the French 

 thcmfelves, as Fauchet and Pafquier obferve, have de- 

 rived from an ancient rhapfody which celebrated the life 

 of Alexander the Great. The Italians, however, nlfo 

 call them Martclliani, from James Martelli, a learned and 

 ingenious author, who, in the compofition of his tragic 

 verfe, fucccfsfuUy imitated the French Alexandrine. 



Altliough this verfe confifts of foi;rteen fyllables, it is 

 not abfolulely neccffary to divide it into two exaft fevens, 

 with all the rules which arc cflential to each feptenary. The 

 rhythm is iambic to the end of the verfe. But in proportion 

 as we negledt the accents, the verfe becomes more grave and 

 majeftic, and more free and harmonious in proportion as wre 

 pay ftri£l attention to the rules prefcribed for the fep- 

 tenarius. 



There it not a literary Italian that is not perfectly aware 

 that the Italian and French Alexandrine arc the fame. The 

 moft infenfiblc ear may perceive tlie fame percuffion of the 

 accent, the fame number, the fame harmony. 



This verfe, according to the difterent polition of the ac- 

 cent, preferves in French as well as in Italian a charaftcr of 

 dignity which equals the Latin hexameter. And the French 

 have made choice of the Alexandrine to treat on epic and 

 tragic fubjefts. Neither were they dilTuaded from this be- 

 caufe this verfe was iligmatized by the epithet " commun," 

 in confequence of tlic fhepherds, the vintagers, and hnlband- 

 men having availed thcmfelves of its peculiar facilities for 

 their poetic etfufions. 



X I . Oflonar'ius. 



The oclonarius confifts of four trochaic feet. Befidcs 

 the common accent, which is uniformly on the fevcnth 

 fylLible, it requires the accent on the third. But if the 

 accent ftiould fall both on the third and fifth, ftill more if 

 on the firft, third, and fifth, the harmony will become more 

 fenhble. 



Tronco - Vivn Bacco il noftro re. 



Piano - Mufa, amor porto novella. 



Sdrucciolo L'ncqua agghiaccia i corni, cgli animi. 

 Vol. XXXV II. 



Loretto Mattel quot'':; fome verfe; from Rofpigliofi, ac- 

 centuated on the fecond fyllable ; but this kind of verfe ha? 

 few admirers ; it is fcarcf ly difcernible from profe. 



The oftonarius is generally employed for lyric poems, and 

 airs adapted to mufic, and for the eanzonetle. But it is every 

 where diftinguidied by that charafteriftic of gravity which 

 renders it equally adapted to fublime and elevated fubjcfts. 



.Since the oftonarius contains two monometers of four 

 fyllables each, (fee the quadrifyllabic member,) it may very 

 properly be divided by the Cffifura into two equal parts. 



This verfe amongft the French, for the reafon already 

 affigned, is faid to be of feven fyllables. It is fubjeft to 

 the fame laws of accentuation as the Italian. The accent, 

 however, on the fifth, amongft the French, is fomctimes 

 omitted, but never that on the third. 



Tronco - Belle nymphe tes attraits. 



Que langueurs, que foin« jaloux. 



'. ' . ^ . / 



Viens m'aider a fuir les vices. 



Piano 



XII. Novenarius. 



Some are of opinion that the Italian novenarius does 

 not pofiefs fufficient harmony for poetic compofition. 

 And I'Abb • Quadrio declares that this fpecies of verfe 

 ought not to be admitted in Italian poetry. On the 

 other hand, .lofeph Gaetan Salvatori afiirms that verfe of 

 this kind is by no means defeftive in point of harmony ; 

 and many poets of dilfinguifhed rank have employed this 

 fpecies of rhythm with fucccfs. Example : 



Tronco - Certo che vinto a morte aiidro*. 

 Piano - Tormento cnidele tiranno'. 



Sdrucciolo Vedi, vedi come fen fuggono'°. 



This verfe, as it refpefts the accent, is fubdivided into 

 four varieties. The firft, bcfides the common accent, has 

 the accent on the third and on the fifth fyllable. 



The celebrated Sacchi is inclined to fuppofe that this kind 

 of verfe is compofed of two iambic quinarii, of which the 

 former is acephalous, fo as to give nine fyllables in all. 



The fecond variety has the accent on the third and fixth 

 fyllables. 



The third variety has, bcfides that accent which is common 

 to every fpecies, the fourth fyllable only accentuated. 



This variety is an iambic dimeter hypercataleOic. It con- 

 fifts of two quinarii, of which the firft is tronco : or if it is 

 piano, it is fubjccl to the clifion confequent on the following 

 hemiilich beginning with a vowel. It admits alfo the ac- 

 cent on the fecond and fixth lyllables, as well as on the 

 fourth ; and then the rhythm becomes purely iambic, and 

 the harmony more complete. 



The fourth variety, befides the common accent, has the 

 fecond and fifth fyllables accentu.ited. 



This variety is an aiiapxftic trimeter, having the firft. I )Jt 

 fupplied by an iamb. 



XIII. The Dccafjllabic Verfe. 



The dccafyllabic fomctimes confifts of twj quinarn, 

 which form a cxfura at the point of their union. 



Since this verfe is compofed of two quinarii, it is ne- 

 ccftarily fubjedt to the fame laws. Sec f VI. J. 



Sometimes it is not compofed of two quinarii, nor has n 

 any regular cxfura. 



This fpccic3 of vcrfc is anapiftic trimeter, either catj 

 O hct'^, 



