Chapter III: A Dictionary of RHYMES (1)

_By_ Edw. Bysshe. _Gent._

The Third Edition, with large Improvements.

_LONDON_

Printed for Sam. Buckley, at the _Dolphin_ in
_Little Britain_. MDCCVIII.

_The PREFACE._

So many are the Qualifications, as well natural as acquir'd, that are essentially requisite to the making of a good Poet, that 'tis in vain for any Man to aim at a great Reputation on account of his Poetical Performances, by barely following the Rules of others, and reducing their Speculations into Practice. It may not be impossible indeed for Men, even of indifferent Parts, by making Examples to the Rules hereafter given, to compose Verses smooth, and well-sounding to the Ear; yet if such Verses want strong Sense, Propriety and Elevation of Thought, or Purity of Diction, they will be at best but what _Horace_ calls them, _Versus inopes rerum, nugaeque canorae_, and the Writers of them not Poets, but versifying Scriblers. I pretend not therefore by the following Sheets to teach a Man to be a Poet in spight of Fate and Nature, but only to be of Help to the few who are born to be so, and whom _audit vocatus Apollo_.

To this End I give in the first Place _Rules for making_ English _Verse_: And these Rules I have, according to the best of my Judgment, endeavour'd to extract from the Practice, and to frame after the Examples of the Poets that are most celebrated for a fluent and numerous Turn of Verse.

Another Part of this Treatise, is a _Dictionary of Rhymes_: To which having prefix'd a large Preface shewing the Method and Usefulness of it, I shall trouble the Reader in this place no farther than to acquaint him, that if it be as useful and acceptable to the Publick, as the composing it was tedious and painful to me, I shall never repent me of the Labour.

What I shall chiefly speak of here, is the largest Part of this Treatise, which I call a _Collection of the most natural and sublime Thoughts that are in the best_ English _Poets_. And to be ingenuous in the Discovery, this was the Part of it that principally induc'd me to undertake the Whole: The Task was indeed laborious, but pleasing; and the sole Praise I expected from it, was, that I made a judicious Choice and proper Disposition of the Passages I extracted. A Mixture of so many different Subjects, and such a Variety of Thoughts upon them, may possibly not satisfy the Reader so well, as a Composition perfect in its Kind on one intire Subject; but certainly it will divert and amuse him better; for here is no Thread of Story, nor Connexion of one Part with another, to keep his Mind intent, and constrain him to any Length of Reading. I detain him therefore only to acquaint him, why it is made a Part of this Book, and how Serviceable it may be to the main Design of it.

Having drawn up Rules for making Verses, and a Dictionary of Rhymes, which are the Mechanick Tools of a Poet; I came in the next Place to consider, what other human Aid could be offer'd him; a Genius and Judgment not being mine to give. Now I imagin'd that a Man might have both these, and yet sometimes, for the sake of a Syllable or two more or less, to give a Verse its true Measure, be at a stand for Epithets and Synonymes, with which I have seen Books of this Nature in several Languages plentifully furnish'd.

Now, tho' I have differ'd from them in Method, yet I am of Opinion this Collection may serve to the same End, with equal Profit and greater Pleasure to the Reader. For, what are Epithets, but Adjectives that denote and express the Qualities of the Substantives to which they are join'd? as _Purple_, _Rosie_, _Smiling_, _Dewy_, Morning: _Dim_, _Gloomy_, _Silent_, Night. What Synonymes, but Words of a like Signification? as _Fear_, _Dread_, _Terrour_, _Consternation_, _Affright_, _Dismay_, &c. Are they not then naturally to be sought for in the Descriptions of Persons and Things? And can we not better judge by a Piece of Painting, how Beautifully Colours may be dispos'd; than by seeing the same several Colours scatter'd without Design on a Table? When you are at a Loss therefore for proper Epithets or Synonymes, look in this Alphabetical Collection for any Word under which the Subject of your Thought may most probably be rang'd; and you will find what have been imploy'd by our best Writers, and in what Manner.

It would have been as easie a Task for me as it has been to others before me, to have threaded tedious Bead-rolls of Synonymes and Epithets together, and put them by themselves: But when they stand alone, they appear bald, insipid, uncouth, and offensive both to the Eye and Ear. In that Disposition they may indeed help the Memory, but cannot direct the Judgment in the Choice.

But besides, to confess a Secret, I am very unwilling it should be laid to my Charge, that I have furnish'd Tools, and given a Temptation of Versifying, to such as in spight of Art and Nature undertake to be Poets; and who mistake their Fondness to Rhyme, or Necessity of Writing, for a true Genius of Poetry, and lawful Call from _Apollo_. Such Debasers of Rhyme and Dablers in Poetry would do well to consider, that a Man would justly deserve a higher Esteem in the World by being a good Mason or Shoo-maker, or by excelling in any other Art that his Talent inclines him to, and that is useful to Mankind, than by being an indifferent or second-Rate Poet. Such have no Claim to that Divine Appellation:

_Neque enim concludere Versum
Dixeris esse satis: Neque, si quis scribat, uti nos,
Sermoni propiora, putes hunc esse Poetam.
Ingenium cui sit, cui Mens divinior, atque Os
Magna sonaturum, des Nominis hujus Honorem._ Horat.

I resolv'd therefore to place these, the principal Materials, under the awful Guard of the immortal _Shakespear_, _Milton_, _Dryden_, &c.

_Procul o procul este Profani!_ Virg.

But let Men of better Minds be excited to a generous Emulation.

I have inserted not only Similes, Allusions, Characters, and Descriptions; but also the most Natural and Sublime Thoughts of our Modern Poets on all Subjects whatever. I say, of our Modern; for tho' some of the Antient, as _Chaucer_, _Spencer_, and others, have not been excell'd, perhaps not equall'd, by any that have succeeded them, either in Justness of Description, or in Propriety and Greatness of Thought; yet their Language is now become so antiquated and obsolete, that most Readers of our Age have no Ear for them: And this is the Reason that the good _Shakespear_ himself is not so frequently cited in this Collection, as he would otherwise deserve to be.

I have endeavour'd to give the Passages as naked and stript of Superfluities and foreign Matter, as possibly I could: but often found my self oblig'd for the sake of the Connexion of the Sense, which else would have been interrupted, and consequently obscure, to insert some of them under Heads, to which every Part or Line of them may be thought not properly to belong: Nay, I sometimes even found it difficult to chuse under what Head to place several of the best Thoughts; but the Reader may be assur'd, that if he find them not where he expects, he will not wholly lose his Labour; for

_The Search it self rewards his Pains;
And if like Chymists his great End he miss,
Yet things well worth his Toil he gains;
And does his Charge and Labour pay
With good unsought Experiments by the way._ Cowley.

That the Reader may judge of every Passage with due Deference for each Author, he will find their Names at the End of the last Line; and as the late Versions of the Greek and Roman Poets have not a little contributed to this Collection, _Homer_, _Anacreon_, _Lucretius_, _Catullus_, _Virgil_, _Horace_, _Ovid_, _Juvenal_, &c. are cited with their Translators: And after each Author's Name are quoted their Plays and other Poems, from whence the Passages are extracted.

The Reader will likewise observe, that I have sometimes ascrib'd to several Authors the Quotations taken from one and the same Play. Thus to those from the first and third Act of _Oedipus_, I have put _Dryden_; to those from the three other, _Lee_: Because the first and third Act of that Play were written by _Dryden_, the three other by _Lee_. To those from _Troilus_ and _Cressida_ I have sometimes put _Shakespear_, sometimes _Dryden_; because he having alter'd that Play, whatever I found not in the Edition of _Shakespear_, ought to be ascrib'd to him. And in like manner of several other Plays.

As no Thought can be justly said to be fine, unless it be true, I have all along had a great regard for Truth; except only in Passages that are purely Satirical, where some Allowance must be given: For Satire may be fine and true Satire, tho' it be not directly and according to the Letter, true: 'tis enough that it carry with it a Probability or Semblance of Truth. Let it not here be objected, that I have from the Translators of the Greek and Roman Poets, taken some Descriptions meerly fabulous: for the well-invented Fables of the Antients were design'd only to inculcate the Truth with more Delight, and to make it shine with greater Splendour.

_Rien n'est beau que le Vrai. Le Vrai seul est Aimable:
Il doit regner par tout; & meme dans la Fable:
De toute Fiction l'adroite Faussete
Ne tend qu' a faire aux yeux briller la Verite._ Boileau.

I have upon every Subject given both _Pro_ and _Con_ whenever I met with them, or that I judg'd them worth giving: and if both are not always found, let none imagine that I wilfully suppress'd either; or that what is here uncontradicted must be unanswerable.

If any take Offence at the Loosness of some of the Thoughts, as particularly upon _Love_, where I have given the different Sentiments which Mankind, according to their several Temperaments, ever had, and ever will have of it; such may observe, that I have strictly avoided all manner of Obscenity throughout the whole Collection: And tho' here and there a Thought may perhaps have a Cast of Wantonness, yet the cleanly Metaphors palliate the Broadness of the Meaning, and the Chastness of the Words qualifies the Lasciviousness of the Images they represent. And let them farther know, that I have not always chosen what I most approv'd, but what carries with it the best Stroaks for Imitation: For, upon the whole matter, it was not my Business to judge any farther, than of the Vigour and Force of Thought, of the Purity of Language, of the Aptness and Propriety of Expression; and above all, of the Beauty of Colouring, in which the Poet's Art chiefly consists. Nor, in short, would I take upon me to determine what things should have been said; but have shewn only what are said, and in what manner.

RULES
For making
ENGLISH VERSE.

In the _English_ Versification there are two Things chiefly to be consider'd;

1. The Verses.
2. The several Sorts of Poems, or Compositions in Verse.

But because in the Verses there are also two Things to be observ'd; The Structure of the Verse; and the Rhyme; this Treatise shall be divided into three Chapters.

I. Of the Structure of _English_ Verses.
II. Of Rhyme.
III. Of the several Sorts of Poems, or Compositions in Verse.

CHAP. I.

_Of the Structure of_ English _Verses._

The Structure of our Verses, whether Blank, or in Rhyme, consists in a certain Number of Syllables; not in Feet compos'd of long and short Syllables, as the Verses of the _Greeks_ and _Romans_. And though some ingenious Persons formerly puzzled themselves in prescribing Rules for the Quantity of _English_ Syllables, and, in Imitation of the _Latins_, compos'd Verses by the measure of _Spondees_, _Dactyls_, &c., yet the Success of their Undertaking has fully evinc'd the Vainness of their Attempt, and given ground to suspect they had not throughly weigh'd what the Genius of our Language would bear; nor reflected that each Tongue has its peculiar Beauties, and that what is agreeable and natural to one, is very often disagreeable, nay, inconsistent with another. But that Design being now wholly exploded, it is sufficient to have mention'd it.

Our Verses then consist in a certain Number of Syllables; but the Verses of double Rhyme require a Syllable more than those of single Rhyme. Thus in a Poem whose Verses consist of ten Syllables, those of the same Poem that are accented on the last save one, which we call Verses of double Rhyme, must have eleven; as may be seen by these Verses.

_A Man so various that he seem'd to be
Not one, but all Mankind's Epitome:
Stiff in Opinion, always in the Wrong,
Was ev'ry thing by starts, and nothing long:
But, in the Course of one revolving Moon,
Was Fidler, Chymist, Statesman, and Buffoon:
Then all for Women, Painting, Rhyming, Drinking;
Besides ten thousand Freaks that dy'd in Thinking.
Praising and Railing were his usual Themes;
And both, to shew his Judgment, in Extreams.
So over-violent, or over-civil,
That every Man with him was God or Devil._ Dryd.

Where the 4 Verses that are accented on the last save one, have 11 Syllables; the others, accented on the last, but 10.

In a Poem whose Verses consist of 8, the double Rhymes require 9, as,

_When hard Words, Jealousies and Fears,
Set Folks together by the Ears;
And made 'em fight, like mad, or drunk,
For Dame Religion, as for Punk;
Whose Honesty they all durst swear for,
Tho' not a Man of 'em know wherefore:
Then did Sir Knight abandon Dwelling,
And out he rode a Collonelling._ Hud.

In a Poem whose Verses consist of 7, the double Rhymes require 8, as,

_All thy Verse is softer far
Than the downy Feathers are
Of my Wings, or of my Arrows;
Of my Mother's Doves or Sparrows._ Cowl.

This must also be observ'd in Blank Verse; as,

_Welcom, thou worthy Partner of my Lawrels!
Thou Brother of my Choice! a Band more sacred
Than Nature's brittle Tye. By holy Friendship!
Glory and Fame stood still for thy Arrival,
My Soul seem'd wanting of its better Half,
And languish'd for thy Absence, like a Prophet,
Who waits the Inspiration of his God._ Rowe.

And this Verse of _Milton_,

_Void of all Succour and needful Comfort,_

wants a Syllable; for, being accented on the last save one, it ought to have 11, as all the Verses, but two, of the preceeding Example have: But if we transpose the Words thus,

_Of Succour and all needful Comfort void,_

it then wants nothing of its due Measure, because it is accented on the last Syllable.

SECT. I.

_Of the several Sorts of Verses; and first of those of ten Syllables. Of the due Observation of the Accent; and of the Pause._

Our Poetry admits for the most part but of three sorts of Verses; that is to say, of Verses of 10, 8, or 7 Syllables: Those of 4, 6, 9, 11, 12, and 14, are generally imploy'd in Masks and Operas, and in the Stanzas of Lyrick and Pindarick Odes, and we have few intire Poems compos'd in any of those sorts of Verses. Those of 12, and of 14 Syllables, are frequently inserted in our Poems in Heroick Verse, and when rightly made use of, carry a peculiar Grace with them. _See the next Section towards the end._

The Verses of 10 Syllables, which are our Heroick, are us'd in Heroick Poems, in Tragedies, Comedies, Pastorals, Elegies; and sometimes in Burlesque.

In these Verses two things are chiefly to be consider'd.

1. The Seat of the Accent.
2. The Pause.

For, 'tis not enough that Verses have their just Number of Syllables: the true Harmony of them depends on a due Observation of the Accent and Pause.

The Accent is an Elevation, or a Falling of the Voice, on a certain Syllable of a Word.

The Pause is a Rest or Stop that is made in pronouncing the Verse, and that divides it, as it were, into two parts; each of which is call'd an Hemistich, or Half-Verse.

But this Division is not always equal, that is to say, one of the Half-verses does not always contain the same Number of Syllables as the other: and this Inequality proceeds from the Seat of the Accent that is strongest, and prevails most in the first Half-verse. For, the Pause must be observ'd at the end of the Word where such Accent happens to be, or at the end of the following Word.

Now in a Verse of 10 Syllables, this Accent must be either on the 2d, 4th, or 6th; which produces 5 several Pauses, that is to say, at the 3d, 4th, 5th, 6th, or 7th Syllable of the Verse; For,

When it happens to be on the 2d, the Pause will be either at the 3d, or 4th.

At the 3d, in two manners:

1. When the Syllable accented happens to be the last save one of a Word; as,

_As busy--as intentive Emmets are;
Or Cities--whom unlook'd-for Sieges scare._ Dav.

2. Or, when the Accent is on the last of a Word, and the next a Monosyllable, whose Construction is govern'd by that on which the Accent is; as,

_Despise it,--and more noble Thoughts pursue._ Dryd.

When the Accent falls on the 2d Syllable of the Verse, and the last save two of a Word, the Pause will be at the 4th; as,

_He meditates--his absent Enemy._ Dryd.

When the Accent is on the 4th of a Verse, the Pause will be either at the same Syllable, or at the 5th, or 6th.

At the same, when the Syllable of the Accent happens to be the last of a Word; as,

_Such huge Extreams--inhabit thy great Mind,
God-like, unmov'd,--and yet, like Woman, kind._ Wall.

At the 5th in 2 manners:

1. When it happens to be the last save one of a Word; as,

_Like bright_ Aurora--_whose refulgent Ray
Foretells the Fervour--of ensuing Day;
And warns the Shepherd--with his Flocks, retreat
To leafy Shadows--from the threaten'd Heat._ Wall.

2. Or the last of the Word, if the next be a Monosyllable govern'd by it; as,

_So fresh the Wound is--and the Grief so vast._ Wall.

At the 6th, when the Syllable of the Accent happens to be the last save two of a Word; as,

_Those Seeds of Luxury,--Debate, and Pride._ Wall.

Lastly, When the Accent is on the 6th Syllable of the Verse, the Pause will be either at the same Syllable, or at the 7th.

At the same, when the Syllable of the Accent happens to be the last of a Word; as,

_She meditates Revenge--resolv'd to die._ Wall.

At the 7th in two manners:

1. When it happens to be the last save one of a Word; as,

_Nor when the War is over,--is it Peace._ Dryd.

_Mirrors are taught to flatter,--but our Springs._ Wall.

2. Or the last of a Word, if the following one be a Monosyllable whose Construction depends on the preceeding Word on which the Accent is; as,

_And since he could not save her,--with her dy'd._ Dryd.

From all this it appears, that the Pause is determin'd by the Seat of the Accent; but if the Accents happen to be equally strong, on the 2d, 4th, and 6th Syllable of a Verse, the Sense and Construction of the Words must then guide to the Observation of the Pause: For Example; In one of the Verses I cited as an Instance of it at the 7th Syllable,

_Mirrors are taught to flatter, but our Springs._

The Accent is as strong on _Taught_, as on the first Syllable of _Flatter_, and if the Pause were observ'd at the 4th Syllable of the Verse, it would have nothing disagreeable in its Sound: as,

_Mirrors are taught--to flatter, but our Springs
Present th' impartial Images of things._

Which tho' it be no Violence to the Ear, yet it is to the Sense, and that ought always carefully to be avoided in reading or in repeating of Verses.

For this Reason it is, that the Construction or Sense should never end at a Syllable where the Pause ought not to be made; as at the 8th and 2d in the two following Verses:

_Bright_ Hesper _twinkles from afar:--Away
My Kids!--for you have had a Feast to day._ Staff.

Which Verses have nothing disagreeable in their Structure but the Pause; which in the first of them must be observ'd at the 8th Syllable, in the 2d at the 2d; and so unequal a Division can produce no true Harmony. And for this Reason too, the Pauses at the 3d and 7th Syllables, tho' not wholly to be condemn'd, ought to be but sparingly practis'd.

The foregoing Rules ought indispensibly to be follow'd in all our Verses of 10 Syllables; and the observation of them, like that of right Time in Musick, will produce Harmony; the neglect of them, Harshness and Discord; as appears by the following Verses.

_None think Rewards render'd worthy their Worth.
And both Lovers, both thy Disciples were,_ Dav.

In which tho' the true Number of Syllables be observ'd, yet neither of them have so much as the Sound of a Verse: Now their Disagreeableness proceeds from the undue Seat of the Accent: For Example, the first of them is accented on the 5th and 7th Syllables; but if we change the Words, and remove the Accent to the 4th and 6th, the Verse will become smooth and easie; as,

_None think Rewards are equal to their Worth._

The harshness of the last of them proceeds from its being accented on the 3d Syllable, which may be mended thus, by transposing only one Word;

_And Lovers both, both thy Disciples were._

In like manner the following Verses,

_To be massacred, not in Battle slain._ Blac.

_But forc'd, harsh, and uneasie unto all._ Cowl.

_Against the Insults of the Wind and Tide._ Blac.

_A second Essay will the Pow'rs appease._ Blac.

_With_ Scythians _expert in the Dart and Bow._ Dryd.

are rough, because the foregoing Rules are not observ'd in their Structure: For Example, the first, where the Pause is at the 5th Syllable, and the Accent on the 3d, is contrary to the Rule which says, that the Accent that determines the Pause must be on the 2d, 4th, or 6th Syllable of the Verse; and to mend that Verse we need only place the Accent on the 4th, and then the Pause at the 5th will have nothing disagreeable, as,

_Thus to be murther'd, not in Battle slain._

The second Verse is Accented on the 3d Syllable, and the Pause is there too; which makes it indeed the thing it expresses, forc'd, harsh, and uneasie; it may be mended thus,

_But forc'd and harsh, uneasie unto all._

The 3d, 4th, and 5th of those Verses, have like faults; for the Pauses are at the 5th, and the Accent there too, which is likewise contrary to the foregoing Rules: Now they will be made smooth and flowing, by taking the Accent from the 5th, and removing the Seat of the Pause; as,

_Against th' Insults both of the Wind and Tide.
A second Trial will the Pow'rs appease.
With_ Scythians _skilfull in the Dart and Bow._

From whence we conclude, that in all Verses of 10 Syllables, the most prevailing Accents ought to be on the 2d, 4th, or 6th Syllables; for if they are on the 3d, 5th, or 7th, the Verses will be rough and disagreeable, as has been prov'd by the preceeding Instances.

In short, the wrong placing of the Accent is as great a fault in our Versification, as false Quantity was in that of the Antients; and therefore we ought to take equal care to avoid it, and endeavour so to dispose the Words, that they may create a certain Melody in the Ear, without Labour to the Tongue, or Violence to the Sense.

SECT. II.

_Of the other Sorts of Verses that are us'd in our Poetry._

After the Verses of 10 Syllables, those of 8 are most frequent, and we have many intire Poems compos'd in them.

In the Structure of these Verses, as well as of those of 10 Syllables, we must take care that the most prevailing Accents be neither on the 3d nor 5th Syllables of them.

They also require a Pause to be observ'd in pronouncing them, which is generally at the 4th, or 5th Syllable; as,

_I'll sing of Heroes,--and of Kings, }
In mighty Numbers--mighty things; }
Begin, my_ Muse,--_but lo the Strings, }
To my great Song--rebellious prove,
The Strings will sound--of nought but Love._ Cowl.

The Verses of 7 Syllables, which are call'd _Anacreontick_, are most beautiful when the strongest Accent is on the 3d, and the Pause either there, or at the 4th, as,

_Fill the Bowl--with rosy Wine,
Round our Temples--Roses twine;
Crown'd with Roses--we contemn_
Gyges _wealthy--Diadem._ Cowl.

The Verses of 9, and of 11 Syllables, are of two sorts, one is those that are accented upon the last save one, which are only the Verses of double Rhyme that belong to those of 8 and 10 Syllables, of which Examples have already been given. The other is those that are accented on the last Syllable, which are employ'd only in Compositions for Musick, and in the lowest sort of Burlesque Poetry; the disagreeableness of their Measure having wholly excluded them from grave and serious Subjects. They who desire to see Examples of them, may find some scatter'd here and there in our Masks, and Operas, and in our Burlesque Writers. I will give but two.

Hilas, O Hilas, _why sit we mute?
Now that each Bird saluteth the Spring._ Wall.

_Apart let me view then each Heavenly Fair,
For three at a time there's no Mortal can bear._ Congr.

The Verses of 12 Syllables are truly Heroick, both in their Measure and Sound; tho' we have no intire Works compos'd in them; and they are so far from being a Blemish to the Poems they are in, that on the contrary, when rightly employed, 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 Translation of that of _Camilla_ from the 11th AEneid, with a Verse of 12 Syllables.

_The ling'ring Soul th' unwelcom Doom receives,
And, murm'ring with Disdain, the beauteous Body leaves._

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

_Millions of op'ning Mouths to Fame belong; }
And every Mouth is furnish'd with a Tongue; }
And round with list'ning Ears the flying Plague is hung._ Dryd. }

And here we may observe by the way, that whenever a Triplet is made use of in an Heroick Poem, it is a fault not to close the Sense at the end of the Triplet, but to continue it into the next Line; as _Dryden_ has done in his Translation of the 11th AEneid in those Lines.

_With Olives crown'd, the Presents 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 AEneid he has committed the like fault.

_Then they, whose Mothers, frantick with their Fear, }
In Woods and Wilds the Flags of_ Bacchus _bear, }
And lead his Dances with dishevel'd Hair, }
Increase the Clamour_, &c.

But the Sense is not confin'd to the Couplet, for the Close of it may fall into the middle of the next Verse, that is the Third, and sometimes farther off: Provided the last Verse of the Couplet exceed not the Number of ten Syllables; for then the Sense ought always to conclude with it. Examples of this are so frequent, that 'tis needless to give any.

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

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

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

_That such a cursed Creature--lives so long a space._

When it is at the 4th, the Verse will be rough and hobbling: as,

_And Midwife Time--the ripen'd Plot to Murther brought._ Dryd.

_The Prince pursu'd--and march'd along with equal Pace._ Dryd.

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

_The Prince pursu'd, and march'd--along with equal Pace._

the Verse would be much more flowing and easie.

The Verses of 14 Syllables are less frequent than those of 12; they are likewise inserted in Heroick Poems, _&c._ and are agreeable enough when they conclude a Triplet and Sense, and follow a Verse of 12; as,

_For thee the Land in fragrant Flowers is drest; }
For thee the Ocean smiles, and smooths her wavy Breast, Dryd.}
And Heav'n it self with more serene and purer Light is blest._ }

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

_While all thy Province, Nature, I survey, (Dryd.}
And sing to_ Memmius _an Immortal Lay }
Of Heav'n and Earth; and every where thy wondrous Pow'r display_ }

Especially if it be the last of a Couplet only; as,

_With Court-Informers haunts, and Royal Spies,
Things done relates, not done she feigns, and mingles Truth with
Lies._ (Dryd.

But this is only in Heroicks; for in Pindaricks and Lyricks, Verses of 12 or 14 Syllables are frequently and gracefully plac'd, 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 observing, and therefore I shall content my self with having made mention of them. They are, as I said before, us'd only in Operas, and Masks, and in Lyrick and Pindarick Odes. Take one Example of them.

_To rule by Love,
To shed no Blood,
May be extoll'd above;
But here below,
Let Princes know,
'Tis fatal to be good._ Dryd.

SECT. III.

_Several Rules conducing to the Beauty of our Versification._

Our Poetry being very much polish'd and refin'd since the Days of _Chaucer_, _Spencer_ and the other antient Poets, some Rules which they neglected, and that conduce very much to the Ornament of it, have been practis'd by the best of the Moderns.

The first is, to avoid as much as possible the Concourse of Vowels, which occasions a certain ill-sounding Gaping, call'd by the Latins _Hiatus_; and which they thought so disagreeable to the Ear, that, to avoid it, whenever a Word ended in a Vowel, and the next began with one, they never, even in Prose, sounded the Vowel of the first 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 by a Vowel; as,

_With weeping Eyes she heard th' unwelcome News._ Dryd.

And it is a fault to make _The_ and the first Syllable of the following word two distinct Syllables, as in this,

_Refrain'd a while by the unwelcome Night._ Wall.

A second sort of _Hiatus_, and that ought no less to be avoided is, when a Word that ends in a Vowel that cannot be cut off, is plac'd before one that begins by the same Vowel, or one that has the like Sound; as,

_Should thy Iambicks swell into a Book._ Wall.

The second Rule is, to contract the two last Syllables of the Preterperfect Tenses 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; instead of _Amaz'd_ of two, and _Lov'd_ of one.

And the second Person of the Present and Preterperfect Tenses of all Verbs ought to be contracted in like manner; as _thou lov'st_, for _thou lovest_, &c.

The third Rule is, not to make use of several Words in a Verse that begin by the same Letter; as,

_The Court he knew to steer in Storms of State.
He in these Miracles Design discern'd._ Dav.

Yet we find an Instance of such a Verse in _Dryden's_ Translation of the first Pastoral of _Virgil_;

_Till then a helpless, hopeless, homely Swain._

Which I am perswaded he left not thus through Negligence or Inadvertency, but with design to paint in the Number and Sound of the Words the thing he describ'd, a Shepherd in whom

_Nec spes libertatis erat, nec cura peculi._

Now how far the Sound of the _H_ aspirate, with which three Feet of that Verse begin, expresses the Despair of the Swain, let the Judicious judge: I have taken notice of it only to say, that 'tis a great Beauty in Poetry, when the Words and Numbers are so dispos'd, as by their Order and Sound to represent the things describ'd.

The fourth is, to avoid ending a Verse by an Adjective whose Substantive begins the following; as,

_Some lost their quiet Rivals, some their kind
Parents_, &c. Dav.

Or, by a Preposition when the Case it governs begins the Verse that follows; as,

_The daily less'ning of our Life, shews by
A little dying, how outright to dye._ Wall.

The fifth is, to avoid the frequent Use of Words of many Syllables, which are proper enough in Prose, but come not into Verse without a certain Violence altogether disagreeable; particularly those whose Accent is on the fourth Syllable from the last; as _Undutifulness_.

SECT. IV.

_Doubts concerning the Number of Syllables of certain Words._

There is no Language whatsoever, that so often joyns several Vowels together to make Diphthongs of them, as ours; this appears in our having several compos'd of three different Vowels: as EAU, and EOU in _Beauteous_: IOU in _Glorious_, UAI in _Acquaint_, &c.

Now from hence may arise some Difficulties concerning the true Pronunciation of those Vowels: Whether they ought to be sounded separately in two Syllables, or joyntly in one.

The antient Poets made them sometimes of two Syllables, sometimes but of one, as the Measure of their Verse requir'd; but they are now become to be but of one, and it is a fault to make them of two: From whence we may draw this general Rule;

That whenever one Syllable of a Word ends in a Vowel, and the next begins by one, provided the first of those Syllables be not that on which the Word is accented, those two Syllables ought in Verse to be contracted and made but one.

Thus _Beauteous_ is but two Syllables, _Victorious_ but three, and it is a fault in _Dryden_, to make it four, as he has done in this Verse:

_Your Arms are on the_ Rhine _victorious._

To prove that this Verse wants a Syllable of its due Measure, we need but add one to it; as,

_Your Arms are on the_ Rhine _victorious now._

Where tho' the Syllable _now_ be added to the Verse, it has no more than its due number of Syllables, which plainly proves it wanted it.

But if the Accent be upon the first of these Syllables, they cannot be contracted to make a Diphthong, but must be computed as two distinct Syllables: Thus _Poet_, _Lion_, _Quiet_, and the like, must always be us'd as two Syllables: _Poetry_ and the like, as three.

And it is a fault to make _Riot_, for Example, one Syllable, as _Milton_ has done in this Verse.

_Their Riot ascends above their lofty Tow'rs._

The same Poet has in another place made use of a like Word twice in one Verse, and made it two Syllables each time.

_With Ruin upon Ruin, Rout on Rout._

And any Ear may discover that this last Verse has its true Measure, the other not.

But there are some Words that may be excepted; as _Diamond_, _Violet_, _Violent_, _Diadem_, _Hyacinth_, and perhaps some others, which, though they are accented upon the first Vowel, are sometimes us'd but as two Syllables; as in the following Verses,

_From Diamond Quarries hewn, and Rocks of Gold._ Milt.

_With Poppies, Daffadils, and Violets joyn'd._ Tate.

_With vain, but violent Force their Darts they flung._ Cowl.

_His Ephod, Mitre, well-cut Diadem on._ Cowl.

_My blushing Hyacinths, and my Bays I keep._ Dryd.

Sometimes as three; as

_A Mount of rocky Diamond did rise._ Blac.

_Hence the blue Violet and blushing Rose._ Blac.

_And set soft Hyacinths of Iron Blue._ Dryd.

When they are us'd but as two Syllables they suffer an Elision of one of their Vowels, and are generally written thus, _Di'mond_, _Vi'let_, &c.

This Contraction is not always made of Syllables of the same Word only; for the Particle _A_ being plac'd after a Word that ends in a Vowel, will sometimes admit of the like Contraction: For Example, after the Word _many_; as,

_Tho' many a Victim from my Folds was bought,
And many a Cheese to Country-Markets brought._ Dryd.

_They many a Trophy gain'd with many a Wound._ Dav.

After _To_; as,

_Can he to a Friend, to a Son so bloody grow._ Cowl.

After _They_; as,

_From thee, their long-known King, they a King desire._ Cowl.

After _By_; as,

_When we by a foolish Figure say._ Cowl.

And perhaps after some others.

There are also other Words whose Syllables are sometimes contracted, sometimes not: as, _Bower_, _Heaven_, _Prayer_, _Nigher_, _Towards_, and many more of the like Nature: But they generally ought to be us'd but as one Syllable; and then they suffer an Elision of the Vowel that precedes their final Consonant, and ought to be written thus: _Pow'r_, _Heav'n_, _Pray'r_, _Nigh'r_, _tow'rds_.

The Termination ISM is always us'd but as one Syllable; as

_Where griesly Schism and raging Strife appear._ Cowl.

_And Rhumatisms I send to rack the Joynts._ Dryd.

And, indeed, considering that it has but one Vowel, it may seem absurd to assert that it ought to be reckon'd two Syllables; yet in my Opinion, those Verses seem to have a Syllable more than their due Measure, and would run better if we took one from them; as,

_Where griesly Schism, raging Strife appear.
I Rhumatisms send to rack the Joynts._

Yet this Opinion being contrary to the constant practice of our Poets, I shall not presume to advance it as a Rule for others to follow; but leave it to be decided by such as are better Judges of Poetical Numbers.

The like may be said of the Terminations ASM and OSM.

SECT. V.

_Of the Elisions that are allow'd in our Versification._

Our Verses consisting only of a certain Number of Syllables, nothing can be of more ease, or greater use to our Poets, than the retaining or cutting off a Syllable from a Verse, according as the measure of it requires; and therefore it is requisite to treat of the Elisions that are allowable in our Poetry, some of which have been already taken notice of in the preceding Section.

By Elision, 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 last save two, the Liquid R, happens to be between two Vowels, that which precedes the Liquid admits of an Elision, Of this 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'd as such in Verse; 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_, _Vict'ry_. The like Elision is sometimes 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 so frequent.

Observe, that I said accented on the last save two; for if the Word be accented on the last save one, that is to say, 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 drowsie Day._ Blac.

Which always ought to be of three; as in this,

_Sonorous Metals blowing martial Sounds._ 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'ness_, &c.

Or the Letter C when 'tis sounded like S; that is to say, whenever it preceds the Vowels E or I; as _Med'cine_, for _Medicine_.

Or V Consonant; as _Cov'nant_ for _Covenant_.

To these may be added the Gerunds of all Verbs whose Infinitives end in any of the Liquids, preceded by a Vowel or Diphthong, and that are accented on the last save 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 last save one of the Infinitive, comes to be on the last save two 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 last Syllable of such a Verb, its Gerund will not suffer such an Elision: Thus the Gerund of _Devour_ must always be three Syllables, _Devouring_, not _Dev'ring_; because all Derivatives still retain the Accent of their Primitives, that is, on the same 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 last save two, suffer an Elision of the O that precedes the W; as _Foll'wing_, _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_ likewise sometimes suffers the like Elision, 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 Consonant 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 so frequent in Heroick Verse.

The Particle _Is_ may lose its _I_ after any Word that ends in a Vowel, or in any of the Consonants after which the Letter S may be sounded; as _she's_ for _she is_: The _Air's_ for the _Air is_, &c.

_To_ (sign of the Infinitive Mood) may lose its O before any Verb that begins by a Vowel; as _T' amaze_, _t' undo_, &c.

_To_ (Sign of the Dative Case) may likewise lose its O before any Noun that begins with a Vowel; as _t' Air_, _t' every_, _&c._ But this Elision is not so allowable as the former.

_Are_ may lose its _A_ after the Pronouns Personal, _We_, _You_, _They_; as _We're_, _You're_, _They're_: And thus it is that this Elision ought to be made, and not as some do, by cutting off the final Vowels of the Pronouns Personal; _W'are_, _Y'are_, _Th'are_.

_Will_ and _Would_ may lose all their first Letters, and retain only their final one, after any of the Pronouns Personal; as _I'll_ for _I will_; _He'd_ for _He would_; or after _Who_, as _who'll_ for _who will_; _who'd_ for _who would_.

_Have_, may lose its two first 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_: _Let's_ for _Let us_.

_Taken_, its _K_, as _Ta'en_: for so it ought to be written, not _ta'ne_.

_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 these may be added _Bow'r_, _Pow'r_, _Flow'r_, _Tow'r_, _Show'r_, for _Bower_, _Power_, &c.

_Never_, _Ever_, _Over_, may lose their _V_; and are contracted thus, _Ne'er_, _E'er_, _O'er_.

Some Words admit of an Elision of their first Syllable; as _'Tween_, _'Twixt_, _'Mong_, _'Mongst_, _'Gainst_, _'Bove_, _'Cause_, _'Fore_, for _Between_, _Betwixt_, _Among_, _Amongst_, _Against_, _Above_, _Because_, _Before_. And some others that may be observ'd in reading our Poets.

I have already, in the 3d Section of this Chapter, spoken of the Elision of the _e_ of the Particle _The_ before Vowels: But it is requisite likewise to take notice, that it sometimes loses its Vowel before a Word that begins by a Consonant, 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 scarce allowable in Heroick Poetry.

The Particles _In_, _Of_, and _On_, sometimes lose their Consonants, and are joyn'd to the Particle _The_ in like manner; as _i'th'_, _o'th'_, for _in the_, _of the_.

In some of our Poets we find the Pronoun _His_ lose its two first 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 Consonant, 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 _t' your_ for _to your_, _t' which_ for _to which_, and many others; in 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.

We sometimes find the Word _Who_, contracted before Words that begin by a Vowel; as,

_Wh' expose to Scorn and Hate both them and it._ Cowl.

And the Preposition _By_ in like manner; as,

_B' unequal Fate, and Providence's Crime._ Dryd.

_Well did he know how Palms b' Oppression speed._ Cowl.

And the Pronouns personal, _He_, _She_, _They_, _We_; as,

_Timely h' obeys her wife Advice, and strait
To unjust Force sh' opposes just Deceit._ Cowl.

_Themselves at first against themselves th' excite._ Cowl.

_Shame and Woe to us, if w' our Wealth obey._ Cowl.

But these 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 sunk 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 lost in its Pronunciation: For, to leave two Vowels opening on each other, causes a very disagreeable _Hiatus_. Whenever therefore a Vowel ends a Word, the next ought to begin with a Consonant, or what is Equivalent to it; as our W, and H aspirate, plainly are.

For which reason 'tis a Fault in some 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' hasty Troops march'd loud and chearful down._ Cowl.

But if the H aspirate be follow'd by another E, that of the Particle _The_ may be cut off; As,

_Th' Heroick Prince's Courage or his Love._ Wall.

_Th'_ Hesperian _Fruit, and made the Dragon sleep._ Wall.

CHAP. II.

_Of Rhyme._

SECT. I.

_What Rhyme is, and the several Sorts of it._

Rhyme is a Likeness or Uniformity of Sound in the terminations of two Words, I say, 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 _Perswade_, _Laugh_ and _Quaff_, tho' they differ in Writing, rhyme very well: But _Plough_ and _Cough_, tho' written alike, rhyme not at all.

In our Versification we may observe 3 several sorts of Rhyme; Single, Double, and Treble.

The single Rhyme is of two sorts: One of the Words that are accented on the last Syllable: Another, of those that have their Accent on the last save two.

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

_Here might be seen that Beauty, Wealth, and Wit,
And Prowess, to the Pow'r of Love submit._ Dryd.

In mute E; as,

_A Spark of Virtue by the deepest Shade
Of sad Adversity, is fairer made._ Wall.

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

_Next to the Pow'r of waking Tempests cease,
Was in that Storm to have so calm a Peace._ Wall.

If the Words accented on the last 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 wing'd with Praise we penetrate the Sky,
Teach Clouds and Stars to praise him as we fly._ Wall.

To the Diphthong; as,

_So hungry Wolves, tho' greedy of their Prey,
Stop when they find a Lion in the way._ Wall.

The other sort of single Rhyme is of the Words that have their Accent on the last Syllable save two. And these rhyme to the other in the same manner as the former; that is to say, if they end in any of the Vowels, except mute E, the Rhyme is made only to that Vowel; as,

_So seems to speak the youthful Deity;
Voice, Colour, Hair, and all like_ Mercury. Wall.

But if they end in a Consonant or mute E, the Rhyme must begin at the Vowel that precedes that Consonant, and continue to the end of the Word. As has been shewn by the former Examples.

But we must take notice, that all the Words that are accented on the last save two, will rhyme, not only to one another, but also to all the Words whose Terminations have the same Sound, tho' they are accented on the last Syllable. Thus _Tenderness_ rhymes not only to _Poetess_, _Wretchedness_, and the like, that are accented on the last save two, but also to _Confess_, _Excess_, &c. that are accented on the last; as,

_Thou art my Father now, these Words confess,
That Same, and that indulgent Tenderness._ Dryd.

SECT. II.

_Of Double and Treble Rhyme._

All Words that are accented on the last save one, require the 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,
Besides ten Thousand Freaks that dy'd in Thinking._ Dryd.

But it is convenient to take notice, that the ancient Poets did not always observe this Rule, and took care only that the last Syllables of the Words should be alike in Sound, without any regard to the Seat of the Accent. Thus _Nation_ and _Affection_, _Tenderness_ and _Hapless_, _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 rest of the Antients; but this is now become a fault in our Versification; and these two Verses of _Cowley_ rhyme not at all.

_A clear and lively brown was_ Merab's _Dye;
Such as the proudest Colours might envy._

Nor these of _Dryden_.

_Thus Air was void of Light, and Earth unstable,
And Waters dark Abyss unnavigable._

Because we may not place an Accent on the last Syllable of _Envy_, nor on the last save one of _unnavigable_; which nevertheless we must be oblig'd to do, if we make the first of them rhyme to _Dye_, the last to _Unstable_.

But we may that observe in Burlesque Poetry, it is permitted to place an Accent upon a Syllable that naturally has none; as,

_When Pulpit, Drum Ecclesiastick,
Was beat with Fist instead of a Stick._

Where unless we pronounce the Particle A with a strong Accent upon it, and make it sound like the Vowel _a_ in the last Syllable but one of _Ecclesiastick_, the Verse will lose all its Beauty and Rhyme. But this is allowable in Burlesque Poetry only.