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SECT. V.

Of the Elifions that are allow'd in our Verfification.

UR Verfes confifting only of a certain Number of Syl lables, nothing can be of more cafe, or greater use to our Poets, than the retaining or cutting off a Syllable from a Verfe, according as the Measure of it requires; and therefore it is requifite to treat of the Elifions that are allowable in our Poe try, fome of which have been already taken Notice of in the preceding Section.

By Elifion I mean the cutting off one or more Letters from a Word, whereby Two Syllables come to be contracted into One; or the taking away an intire Syllable. Now when in a Word of more than Two Syllables, which is accented on the laft fave Two, the Liquid R happens to be between Two Vowels, that which precedes the Liquid admits of an Elision. Ofthis Nature are many Words in ANCE, ENCE, ENT, ER, OUS, and RY; as Temperance, Preference, Different, Flatterer, Amorous, Victory: Which are Words of Three Syllables, and often us'á as fuch in Verfe; but they may also be contracted into Two, by cutting off the Vowel that precedes the Liquid, as Temp'rance, Pref'rence, Diff'rent, Flatt'rer, Am'rous, Vi'ry. The like Elifion is fometimes us'd when any of the other Liquids L, M, or N, happen to be between Two Vowels in Words accented like the former; as Fabulous, Enemy, Mariner, which may be contracted Fab'lous, En'my, Mar'ner. But this is not fo frequent.

Obferve, that I faid accented on the laft fave Two; for if the Word be accented on the last fave one, that is to fay, on the Vowel that precedes the Liquid, that Vowel may not be cut off. And therefore it is a Fault to make, for Example, Sonorous of Two Syllables, as in this Verse,

With Son'rous Metals wak'd the drowsy Day. Which always ought to be of Three, as in this, Sonorous Metals blowing martial Sounds.

Blac.

Milt.

In like manner, whenever the Letter S happens to be between Two Vowels in Words of Three Syllables, accented on the first, one of the Vowels may be cut off; as Pris'ner, Bus'nefs, &c.

Or the Letter C when 'tis founded like S; that is to fay,

when

whenever it precedes the Vowels E or I; as Medicine, for Medecine.

Or V Confonant; as Cov'nant for Covenant.

To thefe may be added the Gerunds of all Verbs whofe Infinitives end in any of the Liquids, preceded by a Vowel or Diphthong, and that are accented on the laft fave one: For the Gerunds being form'd by adding the Syllable ING to the Infinitive, the Liquid that was their final Letter comes thereby to be between Two Vowels; and the Accent that was on the laft fave One of the Infinitive, comes to be on the laft faveTwo of the Gerund: And therefore the Vowel or Diphthong that precedes the Liquid, may be cut off; by means whereof the Gerund of Three Syllables comes to be but of Two, as from Travel, Travelling, or Trav❜ling; from Endeavour, Endeavouring, or Endeav'ring, &c.

But if the Accent be on the laft Syllable of fuch a Verb, its Gerund will not fuffer fuch an Elifion: Thus the Gerund of Devour muft always be Three Syllables, Devouring, not Dev'ring; because all Derivatives ftill retain the Accent of their Primitives, that is, on the fame Syllable: And the Accent always obliges the Syllable on which it is to remain entire.

The Gerunds of the Verbs in OW, accented on the laft fave Two, fuffer an Elision of the O that precedes the W; as Foll'ning, Wall'wing.

The Particle It admits of an Elision of its Vowel before Is, Was, Were, Will, Would; as Tis, 'Twas, 'Twere, 'Twill, 'Twould, for It is, It was, &c.

It likewife fometimes fuffers the like Elifion when plac'd after a Word that ends in a Vowel; as By't for By it, Do't for Do it: Or that ends in a Confonant after which the Letter T can be pronunc'd; as Was't for Was it, In't for In it, and the like: But this is not fo frequent in heroick Verse.

The Particle Is may lofe its after any Word that ends in a Vowel, or in any of the Confonants after which the Letter S may be founded; as fhe's for fhe is: The Air's for the Air is, &c. To (Sign of the Infinitive Mood) may lofe its O before any Verb that begins by a Vowel; as T'amaze, T'undo, &c.

To (Sign of the Dative Cafe) may likewife lofe its O before any Noun that begins with a Vowel; as t'Air, t'every, &c. But this Elifion is not fo allowable as the former.

Are

Are may lofe its A after the Pronouns Perfonal, We, You They ; as We're, You're, They're: And thus it is that this Elifion ought to be made, and not as fome do, by cutting off the final Vowels of the Pronouns Perfonal, Ware, r'are, Th'are.

Will and Would may lofe all their first Letters, and retain only their final one, after any of the Pronouns Perfonal; as I'll for I will, He'd for He would; or after Who, as who'll for whe will, who'd for who would.

Have, may lofe its Two firft Letters after I, You, We, They; as I've, You've, We've, They've.

Not, its Two firft Letters after can; as Can't for Can not.

'Am, its A after I: I'm for I am.

Us, its U after Let: Let's for Let us:

Taken, its K, as Ta’en: For fo it ought to be written, not ta’nẻ.

Heaven, Seven, Even, Eleven, and the Participles Driven, Given, Thriven, and their Compounds, may lose their last Vowel; as Heav'n, Forgiv'n, &c. See the foregoing Section, p. 13.

To thefe may be added Bow'r, Pow'r, Flow'r, Tow'r, Show'r, for Bower, Power, &c.

Never, Ever, Over, may lofe their v; and are contracted thus, Ne'er, E'er, O'er.

Some Words admit of an Elifion of their firft Syllable; as 'Tween, 'Twixt, 'Mong, 'Mongst, 'Gainft, 'Bove, 'Cause, 'Fore, for Bes tween, Betwixt, Among, Amongst, Against, Above, Because, Before. And fome others that may be obferv'd in reading our Poets.

I have already, in the 3d Section of this Chapter, spoken of the Elifion of the of the Particle The before Vowels: But it is requifite likewise to take notice, that it sometimes lofes its Vowel before a Word that begins by a Confonant, and then its Two remaining Letters are joyn'd to the preceding Word; as To th' Wall, for To the Wall; By th'Wall, for By the Wall, &c. But this is fcarce allowable in heroick Poetry.

The Particles In, Of, and On, fometimes lose their Confonants, and are joyn'd to the Particle The in like manner; as ith', 'th', for in the, of the.

In fome of our Poets we find the Pronoun Hus lofe its two firft Letters after any Word that ends in a Vowel; as to's, by's, &c. for to his, by his, &c. Or after many Words that end in Confonant, after which the Letter S can be pronounc'd; as In's, for's, for in his, for his, &c. This is frequent in Cowley, who often takes too great a Liberty in his Contractions; as 'your for to your, t'which for to which, and many others; in w which we must be cautious of following his Example: But the contracting of the Pronoun His in the manner I mention'd, is not wholly to be condemn'd.

t

We fometimes find the Word Who contracted before Words that begin by a Vowel; as,

Wh'expofe to Scorn and Hate both them and it.

And the Prepofition By in like manner; as,
B'unequal Fate, and Providence's Crime.

Well did he know how Palms b'Oppreffion Speed.

And the Pronouns Perfonal, He, She, They, We; as,

Timely h'obeys her wife Advice, and ftrait

To unjuft Force fh'oppofes juft Deceit.

Themselves at first against themselves th'excite.

Shame and Woe to us, if w'our Wealth obey.

Cowl.

Dryd.

Cowl.

Cowl.

Cowl.

Cowl.

But thefe and the like Contractions are very rare in our most correct Poets, and ought indeed wholly to be avoided : For 'tis a general Rule, that no Vowel can be cut off before another, when it cannot be funk in the Pronunciation of it: And therefore we ought to take care never to place a Word that begins by a Vowel, after a Word that ends in one (mute E only excepted) unless the final Vowel of the former can be loft in its Pronounciation: For, to leave two Vowels opening on each other, caufes a very difagreeable Hiatus. Whenever therefore a Vowel ends a Word, the next ought to begin with a Confonant, or what is equivalent to it; as our W, and H Afpirate, plainly are.

For which reafon 'tis a Fault in fome of our Poets to cut off the e of the Particle The, for Example, before a Word that begins by an H Aspirate; as,

And th'hafty Troops march'd loud and chearful down.

Cowl.

But if the H Afpirate be follow'd by another E, that of the Particle The may be cut off; as,

Th' Heroick Prince's Courage or his Love.
Th'Helperlan Fruit, and made the Dragon fleep:
B

Wall.

Wall.

CHAP.

CHA P. II.

Of Rhyme.

SECT. I.

What Rhyme is, and the feveral Sorts of it.

Rhyme is a Likeness or Uniformity of Sound in the Ter

minations of two Words; I fay, of Sound, not of Letters; for the Office of Rhyme being to content and please the Ear, and not the Eye, the Sound only is to be regarded, not the Writing: Thus Maid and Perfwade, Laugh and Quaff, tho they differ in Writing, rhyme very well: But Plough and Cough, tho' written alike, rhyme not at all.

In our Verfification we may obferve three feveral forts of Rhyme; Single, Double, and Treble.

The fingle Rhyme is of two forts: One, of the Words that are accented on the laft Syllable: Another, of those that have their Accent on the laft fave two.

The Words accented on the laft Syllable, if they end in a Confonant, or mute E, oblige the Rhyme to begin at the Vowel that precedes their laft Confonant, and to continue to the End of the Word: In a Consonant; as,

Here might be feen that Beauty, Wealth, and Wit,
And Prowess, to the Pow'r of Love Submit.

In mute E; as,

A Spark of Virtue by the deepest Shade

of fad Adverfity, is fairer made.

Dryd.

Wall.

But if a Diphthong precede the laft Confonant, the Rhyme must begin at that Vowel of it whofe Sound most prevails;

as,

Next to the Pow'r of making Tempelts ceafe,
Was in that Storm to have fo calm a Peace..

Wall.

If the Words accented on the laft Syllable end in any of the Vowels except mute E, or in a Diphthong, the Rhyme is

made

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