88 On RYTHMICAL MEASURES. 



conceive a fingle interval to be halved, and each half to be again 

 fubdivided in the fame proportion. We thus obtain the fpon- 

 daeus, daclylus and double pyrrichius. It would appear, then, 

 that fomething of the nature of the march or gavot meafure 

 above defcribed, gives the moil fimple and eafy rythm, and is 

 that which would probably firft of all ftrike and pleafe the hu- 

 man mind. Dr Burney, in his account of Crotch, the mu- 

 fical child, publifhed in the Philofophical Tranfactions, remarks 

 of him, that, when he plays from his own fancy, what rythm 

 he obferves is generally of the march kind, proceeding chiefly 

 by the dadtvlus and fpondaeus. The firft verfes of the ancients 

 were probably formed of the fame meafures. 



As mens powers of perception improve, they naturally wifh 

 for objects fuited to them. That which is moft fimple, and 

 was at firft moft agreeable, gradually lofes its charm ; they wifh 

 for fomething that may give more employment to their powers. 

 They could not, therefore, be always confined to the uniform 

 movement by pairs and double pairs, but would endeavour in 

 fome way to diverfify it. Their firft contrivance for this pur- 

 pofe might poffibly be, to depart occafionally from the original 

 arrangement of two, four, eight, by throwing in an additional 

 pair to their two, or two additional pairs to their four, thus 

 making combinations of three or of fix pairs. The dactylus 

 and fpondaeus at the end of the common hexameter verfe, may 

 thus poffibly have been an addition to the verfes of four feet, 

 which had formerly been ufed, and might then have been con- 

 fidered as an improvement. After combinations of three pairs 

 had become familiar, it was an eafy ftep from that to arrange 

 by parcels of three units ; and thus the fimple triple time was 

 obtained. This, though ftill farther removed from the original 

 meafure, became probably on that account the more pleafing. 

 It gave more exercife to the' rythmical powers ; at the fame 

 time, it did not fatigue them. It was free from the folemnity 

 and uniformity of regular pairs. The minuet accordingly ever 



has 



