The Verfes of 12 Syllables are truly heroick both in their Measure and Sound, tho' we have no entire Works compos'd in them; and they are fo far from being a Blemish to the Poems they are in, that on the contrary, when rightly employ'd, they conduce not a little to the Ornament of them; particularly in the following Rencounters.

1. When they conclude an Episode in an Heroick Poem; Thus Stafford ends his Tranflation of that of Camilla from the 11th Eneid with a Verfe of 12 Syllables.

The ling'ring Soul th' unwelcome Doom receives,

And, murm'ring with Difdain, the beauteous Body leaves.

2. When they conclude a Triplet and full Senfe together; as,

Millions of op'ning Mouths to Fame belong;

And every Mouth is furnish'd with a Tongue; (Dryd.
And round with lift'ning Ears the flying Plague is bung.

And here we may obferve by the way, that whenever a Triplet is made ufe of in an Heroick Poem, it is a Fault not to close the Senfe at the End of the Triplet, but to continue it into the next Line; as Dryden has done in his 'Tranflation of the 11th Æneid in these Lines.

With Olives crown'd, the Prefents they shall bear,
A Purple Robe, a Royal Iv'ry Chair,

And all the Marks of Sway that Latian Monarchs wear,
And Sums of Gold, &c.

}

And in the 7th Eneid he has committed the like Fault.

Then they, whofe Mothers, frantick with their Fear,
In Woods and Wilds the Flags of Bacchus bear,
And lead his Dances with dishevel'd Hair,
Increase thy Clamours, &c.

}

But the Senfe is not confined to the Couplet, for the Clofe of it may fall into the Middle of the next Verfe, that is, the third, and fometimes farther off: Provided the laft Verfe of the Couplet exceed not the Number of ten Syllables; for then the Senfe ought always to conclude with it. Examplesof this are fo frequent, that 'tis needlefs to give any.

3. When they conclude the Stanzas of Lyrick or Pindarick Odes; Examples of which are often feen inDryden, and others.

For som contras fun we jane te

But Herr & jer su me ju wn you bit.

But if they Elon one of to by Tale to km, da se the Measure renders then les arrecut, a,

While all thy Procine, Kawe Lume,
And fing to Memmias an immota Le

Of Heav'n and Earth; and every uberesty suszarum,
difplay.

Efpecially if it be the laft of a Couplet only; at,
With Court-Informers Haunts, and Royal Spies,

Things done relates, not done foe feigns, and mingles Trach with Lies.

But this is only in Heroicks; for in Lyricks, Verfes of 12 or 14 Syllabl gracefully placed, not only after those any other Number of Syllables what

The Verses of 4 and 6 Syllables ha ferving, and therefore I fhall conten made mention of them. They are, only in Operas and Masks, and in Odes. Take one Example of them

daricks and

cently and o, but of

vorth obth having fore, us'd Pindarick

To

The Verfes of 12 Syllables are truly heroick both in their Measure and Sound, tho' we have no entire Works compos'd in them; and they are fo far from being a Blemish to the Poems they are in, that on the contrary, when rightly employ'd, they conduce not a little to the Ornament of them; particularly in the following Rencounters.

1. When they conclude an Epifode in an Heroick Poem; Thus Stafford ends his Tranflation of that of Camilla from the 11th Eneid with a Verfe of 12 Syllables.

The ling ring Soul th' unwelcome Doom receives,
And, murm'ring with Disdain, the beauteous Body leaves.

2. When they conclude a Triplet and full Senfe together; as, Millions of op'ning Mouths to Fame belong;

And every Mouth is furnish'd with a Tongue; (Dryd.
And round with liftning Ears the flying Plague is bung.

And here we may obferve by the way, that whenever a Triplet is made ufe of in an Heroick Poem, it is a Fault not to close the Senfe at the End of the Triplet, but to continue it into the next Line; as Dryden has done in his Tranflation of the 11th Eneid in these Lines.

With Olives crown'd, the Prefents they shall bear,

A Purple Robe, a Royal lv'ry Chair,

And all the Marks of Sway that Latian Monarchs wear,
And Sums of Gold, &c.

And in the 7th Æneid he has committed the like Fault.

Then they, whofe Mothers, frantick with their Fear,
In Woods and Wilds the Flags of Bacchus bear,
And lead his Dances with dishevel'd Hair,
Increafe thy Clamours, &c.

}

But the Senfe is not confined to the Couplet, for the Clofe: of it may fall into the Middle of the next Verfe, that is, the third, and fometimes farther off: Provided the laft Verse of the Couplet exceed not the Number of ten Syllables; for then the Senfe ought always to conclude with it. Examples. of this are fo frequent, that 'tis needlefs to give any.

3. When they conclude the Stanzas of Lyrick or Pindarick Odes; Examples of which are often feen inDryden, and others.

In these Verses the Paufe ought to be at the 6th Syllable, as may be seen in the foregoing Examples.

We fometimes find it, tho' very rarely, at the 7th; as,

That fuch a curfed Creature---lives fo long a Space.

When it is at the 4th, the Verfe will be rough and hobling; as,

And Midwife Time--the ripen'd Plot to Murder brought. Dryd.
The Prince purfu'd,--and march'd along with equal Pace. Dryd.

In the last of which it is very apparent, that if the Sense and Conftruction would allow us to make the Paufe at the 6th Syllable,

1

The Prince purfu'd, and march'd--along with equal Pace. the Verse would be much more flowing and easy.

The Verfes of 14 Syllables are lefs frequent than those of 12; they are likewise inserted in Heroick Poems, &c. and are agreeable enough when they conclude a Triplet and Senfe, and follow a Verfe of 12; as,

For thee the Land in fragrant Flowers is dreft;

For thee the Ocean fmiles, and smooths her wavy Breaft, And Heav'n itself with more ferene and purer Light is - bleft.

Ďryd.

But if they follow one of 10 Syllables, the Inequality of the Measure renders them lefs agreeable; as,

While all thy Province, Nature, I furvey,
And fing to Memmius an immortal Lay

Of Heav'n and Earth; and every where thy wondrous Pow'r
difplay.

Dryd. Especially if it be the laft of a Couplet only; as,

With Court-Informers Haunts, and Royal Spies,
Things done relates, not done she feigns, and mingles Truth
with Lies.

But this is only in Heroicks; for in their Pindaricks and Lyricks, Verfes of 12 or 14 Syllables are frequently and gracefully placed, not only after those of 12 or 10, but of any other Number of Syllables whatsoever.

The Verses of 4 and 6 Syllables have nothing worth obferving, and therefore I fhall content myfelf with having made mention of them. They are, as I faid before, us'd only in Operas and Masks, and in Lyrick and Pindarick Odes. Take one Example of them.

To

To rule by Love,

To fhed no Blood,
May be extoll'd above;
But here below,
Let Princes know,

'Tis fatal to be good.

SECT. III.

Dryd.

Several Rules conducing to the Beauty of our Ver

Ο

fification.

UR Poetry being very much polifh'd and refin'd fince the Days of Chaucer, Spencer, and the other ancient Poets, fome Rules which they neglected, and that conduce very much to the Ornaments of it, have been practis'd by the best of the Moderns.

The first is to avoid as much as poffible the Concourfe of Vowels, which occafions a certain ill-founding Gaping, call'd by the Latins Hiatus; and which they thought fo difagreeable to the Ear, that, to avoid it, whenever a Word ended in a Vowel, and the next began with one, they never, even in Profe, founded the Vowel of the firft Word, but lost it in the Pronunciation; and it is a Fault in our Poets not to do the like, whenever our Language will admit of it.

For this Reason the e of the Particle The ought always to be cut off before the Words that begin with a Vowel; as,

With weeping Eyes fhe heard th'unwelcome News. Dryd. And it is a Fault to make The and the firft Syllable of the following Word two diftinct Syllables; as in this,

Reftrain'd a while by the unwelcome Night.

Wall.

A fecond Sort of Hiatus, and that ought no lefs to be avoided, is, when a Word that ends in a Vowel that cannot be cut off, is plac'd before one that begins with the fame Vowel, or one that has the like Sound; as,

Wall.

Should thy lambicks fwell into a Book. The fecond Rule is, to contract the two last Syllables of the Preterperfect Tenfes of all the Verbs that will admit of it; which are all the Regular Verbs whatsoever, except only those ending in D or T, and DE or TE. And it is a Fault to make Amazed of three Syllables, and Loved of two, inftead of Amaz'd of two, and Lov'd of one.

And