It likewise sometimes 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 pronounc'd; as Was't for Was it, In't for In it, and the like: But this is not fo frequent in heroic Verfe.

The Particle Is may lofe its I after any Word that ends in a Vowel, or in any of the Confonants after which the Letter may be founded; as he's for fhe is: The Air's for the Air

S

is, &c.

To (Sign of the Infinitive Mood) may lofe its O before any Verb that begins with 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 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, rare, 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, who'll for who 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 first Letters after Can; as Can't for Can not. Am, its A after I; I'm for I am.

Us, its U after Let;
Taken, its K, Ta'en:

ta'ne.

Let's for Let us.

For fo it ought to be written, not

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, Florv'r, Tow'r, Show'r, for Bower, Tower, &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 first Syllable; as 'Tween, 'Twixt, 'Mong, 'Mongft, 'Gainft, 'Bove, 'Caufe, 'Fore, for Between, Betwixt, Among, Amongft, Against, Above, Be caufe, Before. And fome others, that may be observ'd in reading our Poets.

I have already, in the 3d Section of this Chapter, spoken of the Elifion of the E of the Particle The before Vowels: But it

is requifite likewife to take Notice, that, it fometimes lofes its Vowel before a Word that begins with a Confonant, and then its two remaining Letters are join'd to the preceding Word; as Toth'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 lofe their Confonants, and are join'd to the Particle The in like manner ; as i'th, o'th', for in the, of the.

In fome of our Poets we find the Pronoun His lofes 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 a 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 Corley, who often takes too great Liberty in his Contractions, as t'your, for to your, t'which, for to which, and many others; in which we must be cautious in following his Example: But the contracting of the pronoun His in the Manner I mention'd, is not wholly to be condemn'd.

We fometimes find theWord Who contracted before Words that begin with a Vowel; as,

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

And the Propofition 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 b'obeys her wife Advice, and firaight
To unjuft Force fb'oppofes juft Deceit.
Themselves at firft against themselves th’exsite.
Shame and Woe to us, if w'our Wealth obey.

Dryd.
Cowl.

Cowl.

Cowl.

Cowl.

But thefe and the like Contractions are very rare in our moft correct Poets, and indeed ought 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 with 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 Pronunciation: 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

C

begi:

begin with a Confonant, or what is equivalent to it; as our W, and H Aspirate, plainly are.

For which Reason '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 Afpirate; 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,

Wall.

Th' Heroick Prince's Courage or his Love.
Th'Hefperian Fruit, and made the Dragon fleep. Wall.

Of Rhyme.

SECT. I.

What Rhyme is, and the feveral Sorts of it.

R

HYME is a Likeness or Uniformity of Sound in the Terminations 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 Perfuade, Laugh and Quaff, though they differ in Writing, rhyme very well: But Plough and Cough, tho' their Terminations are written alike, rhyme not at all.

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

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

The Words accented on the last 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 Confonant; as,

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

Dryd.

In mute E; as,

A Spark of Virtue, by the deepest Shade
Of fad Adverfity is fairer made.

Wall.

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

as,

Next to the Pow'r of making Tempeft 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 only to that Vowel or Diphthong. To the Vowel;

as,

So swing'd with Praife we penetrate the Sky,
Teach Clouds and Stars to praise him as we fly.

To the Diphthong; as,

Wall.

So hungry Wolves, tho' greedy of their Prty,
Stop when they find a Lion in the Way.

Wall.

The other fort of fingle Rhyme is of the Words that have their Accent on the last Syllable fave two. And these rhyme to the other in the fame Manner as the former; that is to fay, if they end in any of the Vowels, except mute E, the Rhyme is made only to that Vowel; as,

So feems to speak the youthful Deity;
Vaice, Colour, Hair, and all like Mercury.

Wall.

But if they end in a Confonant or mute E, the Rhyme must begin at the Vowel that precedes that Confonant, and continue to the End of the Word; as has been fhewn by the former Examples.

But we must take Notice, that all the Words that are accented on the last fave two, will rhyme not only to one another, but also to all the Words whofe Terminations have ⚫ the fame Sound, tho' they are accented on the laft Syllable. Thus Tenderness rhymes not only to Poetess, Wretchedness, and the like, that are accented on the laft fave two, but also to Confefs, Excefs, &c. that are accented on the last; as,

C 2

Thou

Thou art my Father now thefe Words confefs
That Name and that indulgent Tenderness.

Dryd.

SECT. III.

Of Double and Treble Rhyme.

LL Words that are accented on the laft fave one, require Rhyme to begin at the Vowel of that Syllable, and to continue to the End of the Word; and this is what we call double Rhyme; as,

Then all for Women, Painting, Rhyming, Drinking,

Befides ten thousand Freaks that dy'd in Thinking. Dryd.

But it is convenient to take Notice, that the ancient Poets did not always obferve this Rule, and took Care only that the laft Syllables of the Words fhould be alike in Sound without any Regard to the Seat of the Accent. Thus Nation and Affection, Tenderness and Haplefs, Villany and Gentry,. Follow and Willow, and the like, were allow'd as Rhymes to each other, in the Days of Chaucer, Spencer, and the reft of the Ancients; but this is now become a Fault in ourVerfification; and these two Verfes of Cowley rhyme not at all

A clear and lively Brown was Merab's Dye;
Such as the proudest Colours might envy.

Nor thefe of Dryden..

Thus Air was void of Light, and Earth unftable,
And Waters dark Abyfs unnavigable.

Becaufe we may not place an Accent on the laft Syllable of Envy, nor on the laft fave one of unnavigable; which nevertheless we must be oblig'd to do, if we make the first of them rhyme to Dye, the laft to Unflable.

But we may obferve, that in Burlefque Poetry it is permitted to place an Accent upon a Syllable that naturally has

none; as,

When Pulpit, Drum Ecclefiaftick,
Was beat with Fift inflead of a Stick.·

Where,