Versifica- and we have now only to make some observations on tion. their particular effects in the formation of metre. "No scholar is ignorant that quantity is a term which relates to the length or the shortness of syllables, and that a long syllable is double the length of a short one. Now the plain meaning of this is, that a long syllable takes up double the time in sounding that a short one does; a fact of which the ear alone can be the judge. When a syllable in Latin ends with a consonant, and the subsequent syllable commences with one, every school-boy knows that the former is long, to use the technical term, by the law of position. This rule was in pronunciation strictly observed by the Romans, who always made such syllables long by dwelling on the vowels; whereas the very reverse is the case with us, because a quite contrary rule takes place in English words so constructed, as the accent or stress of the voice is in such cases always transferred to the consonant, and the preceding vowel being rapidly passed over, that syllable is of course short. "The Romans had another rule of prosody, that when one syllable ending with a vowel, was followed by another beginning with a vowel, the former syllable was pronounced short; whereas in English there is generally an accent in that case on the former syllable, as in the word pious, which renders the syllable long. Pronouncing Latin therefore by our own rule, as in the former case, we make those syllables short which were sounded long by them; so in the latter we make those syllables long which with them were short. We say ar'ma and virum'que, instead of árma and virumqúe; scio and túus, instead of sció and tuus'. "Having made these preliminary observations, we proceed now to explain the nature of poetic feet. Feet in verse correspond to bars in music: a certain number of syllables connected form a foot in the one, as a certain number of notes make a bar in the other. They are called feet, because it is by their aid that the voice as it were steps along through the verse in a measured and it is necessary that the syllables which mark pace; this regular movement of the voice should in some measure be distinguished from the others. This distinction, as we have already observed, was made among the ancient Romans, by dividing their syllables into long and short, and ascertaining their quantity by an exact proportion of time in sounding them; the long being to the short as two to one; and the long syllables, being thus the more important, marked the movement of the verse. In English, syllables are divided into accented and unaccented; and the accented syllables being as strongly distinguished from the unaccented, by the peculiar stress of the voice upon them, are as capable of marking the movement, and pointing out the regular paces of the voice, as the long syllables were by their Versificaquantity among the Romans. Hence it follows, that tion. our accented syllables corresponding to their long ones, and our unaccented to their short, in the structure of poetic feet, an accented syllable followed by one unaccented in the same foot will answer to their trochee ; and preceded by an unaccented one, to their iambus; and so with the rest. "All feet used in poetry consist either of two or three syllables; and the feet among the ancients were denominated from the number and quantity of their syllables. The measure of quantity was the short syllable, and the long one in time was equal to two short. A foot could not consist of less than two times, because it must contain at least two syllables; and by a law respecting numbers, which is explained elsewhere (see MUSIC), a poetic foot would admit of no more than four of those times. Consequently the poetic feet were necessarily reduced to eight; four of two syllables, and four of three. Those of two syllables must either consist of two short, called a pyrrhic; two long, called a spondee; a long and a short, called a trochee; or a short and a long, called an iambus. Those of three syllables were, either three short, a tribrach; a long and two short, a dactyl; a short, long, and short, an amphibrach; or two short and a long, an anapæst (Y). We are now sufficiently prepared for considering what Her lively looks a sprightly mind disclose, The (Y) For the convenience of the less learned reader we shall here subjoin a scheme of poetic feet, using the marks (-☺) in use among the Latin grammarians to denote the genuine feet by quantity; and the following marks (') to denote the English feet by accents, which answer to those. That áll was lost' back' to the thick'let slunk- The last line of the following couplet begins with a pyrrhic: She said, and mél ting as in tears she lay, In a soft silver stream dissolv'd away. But this foot is introduced likewise with very good effect into ot! er parts of the verse, as Pánt on thy lip' | and to | thy heart | be prest. The phantom flies me | as unkind as you. Leaps o'er the fence with ease | Intŏ | the fold. And the shrill' sounds | ran echoing through the wood. In this last line we see that the first foot is a pyrrhic, and the second a spondee; but in the next the two first feet are spondees. Hill's peép | o'ér hill's | and Alps | on Alps | arise. In the following verse a trochee is succeeded by two spondees, of which the former is a genuine spondee by quantity, and the latter equivalent to a spondee by accent. See the bold youth | stráin up' | the threat'ning steep. We shall now give some instances of lines containing both the pyrrhic and the spondee, and then proceed to the consideration of the other four feet. That on weak wings | from far pursues your flight. Thro' the fair scene | roll slow | the ling'ring streams. On her white breast' | a sparkling cross she wore. I Of the four trisyllabic feet, the first, of which we shall give instances in heroic lines, is the dactyl; as Mur'muring, and with him' fled the shades of night. Hov'ering on wing | un'der | the cápe | of hell. Tim'orous and slothful yet he pleas'd the ear. Of truth in word | mightier | than they in arms. Of the anapast a single instance shall suffice e; for except by Milton it is not often used. The great hierarchal standard was to move. The amphibrach is employed in the four following verses, and in the three last with a very fine effect. With wheels yet hovering o'er the ocean brim. Rous'd from their slumber on that fiery | couch. While the promis'cu'ous crowd stood yet aloof. Throws his steep flight | in mány | ăn airy whirl. Having thus sufficiently proved that the English heroic verse admits of all the feet except the tribrach, it may be proper to add, that from the nature of our accent we have duplicates of these feet, viz. such as are formed by quantity, and such as are formed by the mere ictus of the voice; an opulence peculiar to our tongue, and which may be the source of a boundless variety. But as feet formed of syllables which have the accent or ictus on the consonant are necessarily pronounced in less time than similar feet formed by quantity, it may be objected, that the tion. measure of a whole line, constructed in the former man- Versificaner, must be shorter than that of another line constructed in the latter; and that the intermixture of verses of such different measures in the same poem must have a bad effect on the melody, as being destructive of propor tion. This objection would be well-founded, were not the time of the short accented syllables compensated by a small pause at the end of each word to which they be long, as is evident in the following verse: Then rustling crack'ling crashing thun' der down. This line is formed of iambics by accent upon consonants, except the last syllable; and yet by means of these soft pauses or rests, the measure of the whole is equal to that of the following, which consists of pure iambics by quantity. quan. O'er heaps | of rūļin stālk'd | the stately hind. Movement, of so much importance in versification, regards the order of syllables in a foot, measure their tity. The order of syllables respects their progress from short to long or from long to short, as in the Greek and Latin languages; or from strong to weak or weak to strong, i. e. from accented or unaccented syllables, as in our tongue. It has been already observed, that an English heroic verse may be composed wholly of iambics; and experience shows that such verses have a fine melody. But as the stress of the voice in repeating verses such uniformity would disgust the ear in any long suc of pure iambics, is regularly on every second syllable, cession, and therefore such changes were sought for as might introduce the pleasure of variety without prejudice to melody; or which might even contribute to its improvement. Of this nature was the introduction of the trochee to form the first foot of an heroic verse, which experience has shown us is so far from spoiling the melody, that in many cases it heightens it. This foot, however, cannot well be admitted into any other part of the verse without prejudice to the melody, beother directly oppssite. But though it be excluded cause it interrupts and stops the usual movement by anwith regard to pure melody, it may often be admitted into any part of the verse with advantage to expression, as is well known to the readers of Milton. "The next change admitted for the sake of variety, without prejudice to melody, is the intermixture of pyrrhics and spondees; in which two impressions in the one foot make up for the want of one in the other; and two long syllables compensate two short, so as to make the sum of the quantity of the two feet equal to two iambics. That this may be done without prejudice to the melody, take the following instances : Ŏn her | white breast | a sparkling cross she wore.— Nor the deep tract of hell-say first what cause.This intermixture may be employed ad libitum, in any part of the line; and sometimes two spondees may be sated by two pyrrhics in another; of which Mr Sheriplaced together in one part of the verse, to be compendan quotes the following lines as instances: Stood rul'd stood vast infinitude confined. She all night long | her ǎmorous des cant sung. That the former is a proper example, will not perhaps be questioned; but the third foot in the latter is certain ly She all night long her am'orous des'cănt sun'g. It is indeed a better example of the proper use of the amphibrach than any which he has given, unless perhaps the two following lines. Up to the fiery concave tow'ĕrling high Throws his steep flight | in man'ỹ | ăn áíry whirl. That in these three lines the introduction of the amphibrach does not hurt the melody, will be acknowledged by every person who has an ear; and those who have not, are not qualified to judge. But we appeal to every man of taste, if the two amphibrachs succeeding each other in the last line do not add much to the expression of the verse. If this be questioned, we have only to change the movement to the common iambic. and we shall discover how feeble the line will become. Throws his steep flight | in manly airy whirls. This is simple description, instead of that magical power of numbers which to the imagination produces the object itself, whirling as it were round an axis. Having thus shown that the iambus, spondee, pyrrhic, and amphibrach, by accent, may be used in our measure with great latitude; and that the trochee may at all times begin the line, and in some cases with advantage to the melody; it now remains only to add, that the dactyl, having the same movement, may be introduced in the place of the trochee; and the anapæst in the place of the iambus. In proof of this, were not the article swelling in our hands, we could adduce many instances which would show what an inexhaustible fund of riches, and what an immense variety of materials, are prepared for us, " to build the lofty rhyme." But we hasten to the next thing to be considered in the art of versifying, which is known by the name of pauses. 66 "Of the poetic pauses there are two sorts, the cesural and the final. The cesural divides the verse into equal or unequal parts; the final closes it. In a verse there may be two or more cesural pauses, but it is evident that there can be but one final. As the final pause concerns the reader more than the writer of verses, it has been seldom treated of by the critics. Yet as it is this final pause which in many cases distinguishes verse from prose, it cannot be improper in the present article to show how it ought to be made. Were it indeed a law of our versification, that every line should terminate with a stop in the sense, the boundaries of the measure would be fixed, and the nature of the final pause could not be mistaken. But nothing has puzzled the bulk of readers, or divided their opinions, more than the manner ia which those verses ought to be recited, where the sense does not close with the line; and whose last words have a necessary connection with those that begin the subsequent verse. "Some (says Mr Sheridan) who see the necessity of pointing out the metre, pronounce the last word of each line in such a note as usually accompanies a comma, in marking the smallest member of a sentence. Now this is certainly improper, because it makes that appear to be a complete member of a sen tence which is an incomplete one; and by disjoining Versificathe sense as well as the words, often confounds the tion. meaning. Others again, but these fewer in number, and of the more absurd kind, drop their voice at the end of every line in the same note which they use in marking a full stop; to the utter annihilation of the sense. Some readers (continues our author) of a more enthusiastic kind, elevate their voices at the end of all verses to a higher note than is ever used in the stops which divide the meaning. But such a continued repetition of the same high note becomes disgusting by its monotony, and gives an air of chanting to such recitation. To avoid these several faults, the bulk of readers have chosen what they think a safer course, which is that of running the lines one into another without the least pause, where they find none in the sense; but by this mode of recitation they reduce poetry to something. worse than prose, to verse run mad. But it may be asked, if this final pause must be marked neither by an elevation nor by a depression of the voice, how is it to be marked at all? To which Mr Sheridan replies, by making no change whatever in the voice before it. This will sufficiently distinguish it from the other pauses, the comma, semicolon, &c. because some change of note, by raising or depressing the voice, always precedes them, whilst the voice is here only suspended. Now this pause of suspension is the very thing wanting to preserve the melody at all times, without interfering with the sense. For it perfectly marks the bound of the metre and being made only by a suspension, not by a change of note in the voice, it can never affect the sense; because the sentential stops, or those which affect the sense, being all made with a change of note, where there is no such change the sense cannot be affected. Nor is this the only advantage gained to numbers by this stop of suspension. It also prevents the monotony at the end of lines; which, however pleasing to a rude, is disgusting to a delicate ear. For as this stop has no peculiar note of its own, but always takes that which belongs to the preceding word, it changes continually with the matter, and is as various as the sense. Having said all that is necessary with regard to the final, we proceed now to consider the cesural, pause. To these two pauses it will be proper to give the denomination of musical, to distinguish them from the comma, semicolon, colon, and full stop, which may be called sentential pauses; the office of the former being to mark the melody, as that of the latter is to point out the sense. The cesural, like the final pause, sometimes coincides with the sentential; and sometimes takes place where there is no stop in the sense. In this last case, it is exactly of the same nature, and governed by the same laws with the pause of suspension, which we have just described. The cesure, though not essential, is however a great ornament to verse, as it improves and diversifies the melody, by a judicious management in varying its situation; but it discharges a still more important office than this. Were there no cesure, verse could aspire to no higher ornament than that of simple melody; but by means of this pause there is a new source of delight opened in poetic numbers, correspondent in some sort to harmony in music. This takes its rise from that act of the mind which compares the relative proportions that Versification. that the members of a verse thus divided bear to each other, as well as to those in the adjoining lines. In order to see this matter in a clear light, let us examine what effect the cesure produces in single lines, and afterwards in comparing contiguous lines with each other. With regard to the place of the cesure, Mr Pope and others have expressly declared, that no line appeared musical to their ears, where the cesure was not after the fourth, fifth, or sixth syllable of the verse. Some have enlarged its empire to the third and seventh syllables; whilst others have asserted that it may be admitted into any part of the line. "There needs but a little distinguishing (says Mr Sheridan), to reconcile these different opinions. If melody alone is to be considered, Mr Pope is in the right when he fixes its seat in or as near as may be to the middle of the verse. To form lines of the first melody, the cesure must either be at the end of the second or of the third foot, or in the middle of the third between the two. Of this movement take the following exam ples: 1. Of the cesure at the end of the second foot. Our plenteous streams || a various race supply; The bright-ey'd per'ch || with fins of Tyrian dye; The silver eélin shining volumes roll'd; The yellow carp' || in scales bedrop'd with gold. 2. At the end of the third foot. With tender billet-doux || be lights the pyre, And breathes three amorous sighs || to raise the fire. 3. Between the two, dividing the third foot. The fields are rávish'd|| from the industrious swains, From men their cíties, || and from gods their fanes. These lines are certainly all of a fine melody, yet they are not quite upon an equality in that respect. Those which have the cesure in the middle are of the first order; those which have it at the end of the second foot are next; and those which have the pause at the end of the third foot the last. The reason of this preference it may not perhaps be difficult to assign. In the pleasure arising from comparing the proportion which the parts of a whole bear to each other, the more easily and distinctly the mind perceives that proportion, the greater is the pleasure. Now there is nothing which the mind more instantaneously and clearly discerns, than the division of a whole into two equal parts, which alone would give a superiority to lines of the first order over those of the other two. But this is not the only claim to superiority which such lines possess. The cesure being in them always on an unaccented, and the final pause on an accented syllable, they have a mixture of variety and equality of which neither of the other orders can boast, as in these orders the cesural and final pauses are both on accented syllables. In the division of the other two species, if we respect quantity only, the proportion is exactly the same, the one being as two to three, and the other as three to two; but it is the order or movement which here makes the difference. In lines where the cesure bounds the second foot, the smaller portion of the verse is first in order, the greater last; and this order is reversed in lines which have the cesure at the end of the third foot. Now, as tion. the latter part of the verse leaves the strongest and most Versificalasting impression on the ear, where the larger portion belongs to the latter part of the line, the impression must in proportion be greater; the effect in sound being the same as that produced by a climax in sense, where one part rises above another. Having shown in what manner the cesure improves and diversifies the melody of verse, we shall now treat of its more important office, by which it is the chief source of harmony in numbers. But, first, it will be necessary to explain what we mean by the term harmony, as applied to verse. Melody in music regards only the effects produced by successive sounds; and harmony, strictly speaking, the effects produced by different co-existing sounds, which are found to be in concord. Harmony, therefore, in this sense of the word, can never be applied to poetic numbers, of which there can be only one reciter, and consequently the sounds can only be in succession. When therefore we speak of the harmony of verse, we mean nothing more than an effect produced by an action of the mind in comparing the different members of verse already constructed according to the laws of melody with each other, and perceiving a due and beautiful proportion between them. The first and lowest perception of this kind of harmony arises from comparing two members of the same line with each other, divided in the manner to be seen in the three instances already given; because the beauty of proportion in the members, according to each of these divisions, is founded in nature. But there is a perception of harmony in versification, which arises from the comparison of two lines, and observing the relative proactly to each other by similar divisions, as in the couplets portion of their members; whether they correspond exalready quoted; or whether they are diversified by cesures in different places. As, See the bold youth || strain up the threatening steep, Where we find the cesure at the end of the second foot Hang o'er their coursers heads || with eager speed, Thy forests, Windsor, || and thy green retreats, the tion. John Denham's Cooper's Hill, where he thus describes Versificathe Thames: Versifica- the second foot in each line of the last; which gives a similarity in each couplet distinctly considered, and a diversity when the one is compared with the other, that has a very pleasing effect. Nor is the pleasure less where we find a diversity in the lines of each couplet, and a similarity in comparing the couplets themselves. As in these, Not half so swift || the trembling doves can fly, When the fierce eagle || cleaves the liquid sky; Not half so swiftly the fierce eagle moves, When thro' the clouds || he drives the trembling doves. There is another mode of dividing lines well suited to the nature of the couplet, by introducing semipauses, which with the cesure divide the line into four portions. By a semipause, we mean a small rest of the voice, during a portion of time equal to half of that taken up by the cesure; as will be perceived in the following fine couplet : Warms in the sun refreshes in the breeze, Glows in the stars and blossoms in the trees. That the harmony, and of course the pleasure, resulting from poetic numbers, is increased as well by the semipause as by the cesure, is obvious to every ear; because lines so constructed furnish a greater number of members for comparison: but it is of more importance to observe, that by means of the semipauses, lines which, separately considered, are not of the finest harmony, may yet produce it when opposed to each other, and compared in the couplet. Of the truth of this observation, the following couplet, especially as it succeeds that immediately quoted, is a striking proof: Lives thro' all life || extends | thro' all extent, Spreads undivided || operates | unspent. What we have advanced upon this species of verse, will contribute to solve a poetical problem thrown out by Dryden as a crux to his brethren: it was to account for the peculiar beauty of that celebrated couplet in Sir Tho' deep yet clear || tho' gentle | yet not dull. Strong without rage | without o'erflowing | full. This description has great merit independent of the harmony of the numbers; but the chief beauty of the versification lies in the happy disposition of the pauses and semipauses, so as to make a fine harmony in each line when its portions are compared, and in the couplet when one line is compared with the other. Having now said all that is necessary upon pauses and semipauses, we have done the utmost justice to our subject which the limits assigned us will permit. Feet and pauses are the constituent parts of verse; and the proper adjustment of them depends upon the poet's knowledge of numbers, accent, quantity, and movement, all of which we have endeavoured briefly to explain. In conformity to the practice of some critics, we might have treated separately of rhime and of blank verse; but as the essentials of all heroic verses are the same, such a division of our subject would have thrown no light upon the art of English versification. It may be just worth while to observe, that the pause at the end of a couplet ought to coincide, if possible, with a slight pause in the sense, and that there is no necessity for this coincidence of pauses at the end of any particular blank verse. We might likewise compare our heroic line with the ancient hexameter, and endeavour to appretiate their respective merits; but there is not a reader capable of attending to such a comparison who will not judge for himself; and it may perhaps be questioned, whether there be two who will form precisely the same judgement. Mr Sheridan, and all the mere English critics, give a high degree of preference to our heroic, on account of the vast variety of feet which it admits: whilst the readers of Greek and Latin poetry prefer the hexameter, on account of its more musical notes and majestic length. tion. Pogge POG POGGE, the MAILED or ARMED GURNARD, or COTTUS CATAPHRACTUS. See COTTUS, ICHTHYOLOPoggy GY, p. 89. islands. POGGIUS BRACCIOLINUS, a man of great parts and learning, who contributed much to the revival of knowledge in Europe, was born at Terranuova, in the territories of Florence, in 1380. His first public employment was that of writer of the apostolic letters, which he held 10 years, and was then made apostolic secretary, in which capacity he officiated 40 years, under seven popes. In 1453, when he was 72 years of age, he accepted the employment of secretary to the republic of Florence, to which place he removed, and died in 1459. He visited several countries, and searched many monasteries, to recover ancient authors, numbers of which he brought to light: his own works consist of moral pieces, orations, letters, and A History of Florence from 1350 to 1455, which is the most consider able of them. POG form part of a chain of islands which stretch along the Poggy whole length of Sumatra, in the East Indies, and lie at islands. the distance of twenty or thirty leagues from the west coast of that island. The northern extremity of the northern Poggy lies in latitude 2° 18' S. and the southern extremity of the southern island in latitude 3° 16' S. The two are separated from each other by a very narrow passage called the strait of See Cockup, in latitude 3° 40' S. and longitude about 100° 38' east from Greenwich.-The number of inhabitants in these islands amounts to no more than 1400. Mr Crisp, who staid about a month among them, carefully collected many particulars respecting their language, customs, and manners. He adverts to one circumstance relative to this people, which may be considered as a curious fact in history: "From the proximity of the islands (says he), to Sumatra, which, in respect to them, may be considered as a continent, we should naturally expect to find their inhabitants to be a set of people originally derived from G the |