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'dAnacreontick, 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 contemnGygeswealthy—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 andSound; 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: ThusStaffordends his Translation of that ofCamillafrom the 11th Æneid, 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; asDrydenhas done in his Translation of the 11th Æneid 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 thatLatianMonarchs wear,And Sums of Gold, &c.
And in the 7th Æneid he has committed the like fault.
Then they, whose Mothers, frantick with their Fear,In Woods and Wilds the Flags ofBacchusbear,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 inDryden, 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,And Heav'n it self with more serene and purer Light is blest.Dryd.
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,And sing toMemmiusan Immortal LayOf Heav'n and Earth; and every where thy wondrous Pow'r display(Dryd.
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.
Several Rules conducing to the Beauty of our Versification.
Our Poetry being very much polish'd and refin'd since the Days ofChaucer,Spencerand 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 LatinsHiatus; 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, theeof the ParticleTheought 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 makeTheand 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 ofHiatus, 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 makeAmazedof three Syllables, andLovedof two; instead ofAmaz'dof two, andLov'dof one.
And the second Person of the Present and Preterperfect Tenses of all Verbs ought to be contracted in like manner; asthou lov'st, forthou 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 inDryden'sTranslation of the first Pastoral ofVirgil;
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 theHaspirate, with which three Feet of thatVerse 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 kindParents, &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 byA 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; asUndutifulness.
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 inBeauteous: IOU inGlorious, UAI inAcquaint, &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 nextbegins 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.
ThusBeauteousis but two Syllables,Victoriousbut three, and it is a fault inDryden, to make it four, as he has done in this Verse:
Your Arms are on theRhinevictorious.
To prove that this Verse wants a Syllable of its due Measure, we need but add one to it; as,
Your Arms are on theRhinevictorious now.
Where tho' the Syllablenowbe 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: ThusPoet,Lion,Quiet, and the like, must always be us'd as two Syllables:Poetryand the like, as three.
And it is a fault to makeRiot, for Example, one Syllable, asMiltonhas 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; asDiamond,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 ParticleAbeing plac'd after a Word that ends in a Vowel, will sometimes admit of the like Contraction: For Example, after the Wordmany; 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.
AfterTo; as,
Can he to a Friend, to a Son so bloody grow.Cowl.
AfterThey; as,
From thee, their long-known King, they a King desire.Cowl.
AfterBy; 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.
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; asTemperance,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; asTemp'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, asFabulous,Enemy,Mariner, which may be contractedFab'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,Sonorousof 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; asPris'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; asMed'cine, forMedicine.
Or V Consonant; asCov'nantforCovenant.
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 fromTravel,Travelling, orTrav'ling; fromEndeavour,Endeavouring, orEndeav'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 ofDevourmust always be three Syllables,Devouring, notDev'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; asFoll'wing,Wall'wing.
The ParticleItadmits of an Elision of its Vowel beforeIs,Was,Were,Will,Would; as'Tis,'Twas,'Twere,'Twill,'Twould, forIt is,It was, &c.
Itlikewise sometimes suffers the like Elision, when plac'd after a Word that ends in a Vowel; asBy'tforBy it,Do'tforDo it: Or that ends in a Consonant after which the Letter T can be pronounc'd; asWas'tforWas it,In'tforIn it, and the like: But this is not so frequent in Heroick Verse.
The ParticleIsmay lose itsIafter any Word that ends in a Vowel, or in any of the Consonants after which the Letter S may be sounded; asshe'sforshe is: TheAir'sfor theAir is, &c.
To(sign of the Infinitive Mood) may lose its O before any Verb that begins by a Vowel; asT' amaze,t' undo, &c.
To(Sign of the Dative Case) may likewise lose its O before any Noun that begins with a Vowel; ast' Air,t' every,&c.But this Elision is not so allowable as the former.
Aremay lose itsAafter the Pronouns Personal,We,You,They;asWe'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.
WillandWouldmay lose all their first Letters, and retain only their final one, after any of the Pronouns Personal; asI'llforI will;He'dforHe would; or afterWho, aswho'llforwho will;who'dforwho would.
Have, may lose its two first Letters afterI,You,We,They; asI've,You've,We've,They've.
Not, its two first Letters after can; asCan'tforCan not.
Am, itsAafterI:I'mforI am.
Us, itsUafterLet:Let'sforLet us.
Taken, itsK, asTa'en: for so it ought to be written, notta'ne.
Heaven,Seven;Even,Eleven, and the ParticiplesDriven,Given,Thriven, and their Compounds, may lose their last Vowel, asHeav'n,Forgiv'n, &c.See the foregoing Section, p. 13.
To these may be addedBow'r,Pow'r,Flow'r,Tow'r,Show'r, forBower,Power, &c.
Never,Ever,Over, may lose theirV; 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, forBetween,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 theeof the ParticleThebefore 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; asTo th' Wall, forTo the Wall;By th' Wall, forBy the Wall, &c. But this is scarce allowable in Heroick Poetry.
The ParticlesIn,Of, andOn, sometimes lose their Consonants, and are joyn'd to the ParticleThein like manner; asi'th',o'th', forin the,of the.
In some of our Poets we find the PronounHislose its two firstLetters after any Word that ends in a Vowel; asto's,by's, &c. forto his,by his, &c. Or after many Words that end in a Consonant, after which the Letter S can be pronounc'd; asIn's,for's, forIn his,for his, &c. This is frequent inCowley, who often takes too great a Liberty in his Contractions; ast' yourforto your,t' whichforto which, and many others; in which we must be cautious of following his Example: But the contracting of the PronounHisin the manner I mention'd, is not wholly to be condemn'd.
We sometimes find the WordWho, contracted before Words that begin by a Vowel; as,
Wh' expose to Scorn and Hate both them and it.Cowl.
And the PrepositionByin 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 straitTo 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 disagreeableHiatus. 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 theeof the ParticleThe, 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 ParticleThemay be cut off; As,
Th' Heroick Prince's Courage or his Love.Wall.Th'HesperianFruit, and made the Dragon sleep.Wall.
Of Rhyme.
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: ThusMaidandPerswade,LaughandQuaff, tho' they differ in Writing, rhyme very well: ButPloughandCough, 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 ShadeOf 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 ismade 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 likeMercury.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. ThusTendernessrhymes not only toPoetess,Wretchedness, and the like, that are accented on the last save two, but also toConfess,Excess, &c. that are accented on the last; as,
Thou art my Father now, these Words confess,That Same, and that indulgent Tenderness.Dryd.
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. ThusNationandAffection,TendernessandHapless,VillanyandGentry,FollowandWillow, and the like, were allow'd as Rhymes to each other in the Days ofChaucer,Spencer, and the rest of the Antients; but this is now become a fault in our Versification; and these two Verses ofCowleyrhyme not at all.
A clear and lively brown wasMerab'sDye;Such as the proudest Colours might envy.
Nor these ofDryden.
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 ofEnvy, nor on the last save one ofunnavigable; which nevertheless we must be oblig'd to do, if we make the first of them rhyme toDye, the last toUnstable.
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 Vowelain the last Syllable but one ofEcclesiastick, the Verse will lose all its Beauty and Rhyme. But this is allowable in Burlesque Poetry only.
Observe that these double Rhymes may be compos'd of two several Words; provided the Accent be on the last Syllable of the first of them; as in these Verses ofCowley, speaking of Gold;
A Curse on him who did refine it,A Curse on him who first did coin it.
Or some of the Verses may end in an entire word, and the Rhyme to it be compos'd of several; as,
Tho' stor'd with Deletery Med'cines,Which whosoever took is dead since.Hud.
The Treble Rhyme is, when in words accented on the last save two we begin the Rhyme at the Vowel of that Syllable, and continue it to the end of the word: ThusCharityandParity,TendernessandSlenderness, &c., are treble Rhymes. And these too, as well as the double, may be compos'd of several words; as,
There was an ancient sage Philosopher,That had readAlexander Rossover.Hud.
The Treble Rhyme is very seldom us'd, and ought wholly to be excluded from serious Subjects; for it has a certain flatness,unworthy the Gravity requir'd in Heroick Verse. In whichDrydenwas of Opinion that even the double Rhymes ought very cautiously to find place; and in all his Translation ofVirgil, he has made use of none except only in such words as admit of a Contraction, and therefore cannot properly be said to be double Rhymes; asGiv'n,Driv'n,Tow'r,Pow'r, and the like. And indeed, considering their Measure is different from that of an Heroick Verse, which consists but of 10 Syllables, they ought not to be too frequently us'd in Heroick Poems; but they are very graceful in the Lyrick, to which, as well as to the Burlesque, those Rhymes more properly belong.
Further Instructions concerning Rhyme.
The Consonants, that precede the Vowels where the Rhyme begins, must be different in Sound, and not the same; for then the Rhyme will be too perfect; asLight,Delight;Vice,Advice, and the like; for tho' such Rhymes were allowable in the Days ofSpencerand the other old Poets, they are not so now; nor can there be any Musick in one single Note.Cowleyhimself owns, that they ought not to be employed except in Pindarick Odes, which is a sort of free Poetry, and there too very sparingly, and not without a third Rhyme to answer to both; as,
In barren Age wild and inglorious lye,And boast of past Fertility,The poor Relief of present Poverty.Cowl.
Where the wordsFertilityandPovertyrhyme very well to the last word of the first Verse,Lye; but cannot rhyme to each other, because the Consonants that precede the last Vowels are the same, both in Writing and Sound.
But this is yet less allowable if the Accent be on the Syllable of the Rhyme; as,
Her Language melts Omnipotence, arrestsHis Hand, and thence the vengeful Lightning wrests.Blac.
From hence it follows that a word cannot rhyme to it self, tho' the signification be different; asHe Leavestothe Leaves, &c.
Nor the words that differ both in Writing and Sense, if they have the same Sound, asMaidandMade,PreyandPray,to Bowanda Bough: as,
How gawdy Fate may be in Presentssent,And creep insensibly by Touch orScent.Oldh.
Nor a Compound to its Simple; asMovetoRemove,TaughttoUntaught, &c.
Nor the Compounds of the same Words to one another, asDisprovetoApprove, and the like. All which proceeds from what I said before,viz.That the Consonants that precede the Vowel where the Rhyme begins, must not be the same in Sound, but different. In all which we vary from our Neighbours; for neither theFrench,ItaliansnotSpaniardswill allow that a Rhyme can be too perfect: And we meet with frequent Examples in their Poetry, where not only the Compounds rhyme to their Simples, and to themselves; but even where words written and pronounc'd exactly alike, provided they have a different Signification, are made use of as Rhymes to one another: But this is not permitted in our Poetry; and therefore, tho' in the two former Editions of this Book I said thatRhyme is only a Sameness of Sound at the End of Words, I have in this given it a Definition which I take to be more agreeable to our Practice, and call'd ita Likeness or Uniformity of Sound in the Terminations of two Words.
We must take care not to place a Word at the middle of a Verse that rhymes to the last Word of it; as,
So young in show, as if he still should grow.
But this fault is still more inexcusable, if the second Verse rhyme to the middle and end of the first; as,
Knowledge he only sought, and so soon caught,As if for him Knowledge had rather sought.Cowl.Here Passion sways; but there the Muse shall raiseEternal Monuments of louder Praise.Wall.
Or both the middle and end of the second to the last Word of the first; as,
Farewell, she cry'd, my Sister, thou dear Part,Thou sweetest part of my divided Heart.Dryd.
Where the tenderness of Expression will not attone for the Jingle.
Of the several sorts of Poems, or Compositions in Verse.
All our Poems may be divided into two sorts; the first of those that are compos'd in Couplets; the second are those that are compos'd in Stanzas consisting of several Verses.
Of the Poems compos'd in Couplets.
In the Poems compos'd in Couplets, the Rhymes follow one another, and end at each Couplet; that is to say, the 2d Verse rhymes to the 1st, the 4th to the 3d, the 6th to the 5th, and in like manner to the end of the Poem.
The Verses employ'd in this sort of Poems, are either Verses of 10 Syllables; as,
Oh! could I flow like thee, and make thy StreamMy great Example, as it is my Theme;The deep, yet clear tho' gentle, yet net dull;Strong, without Rage; without o'erflowing, full.Denh.
Or of 8; as,
O fairest Piece of well-form'd Earth,Why urge you thus your haughty Birth;The Pow'r, which you have o'er us, liesNot in your Race, but in your Eyes.Smile but on me, and you shall scornHenceforth to be of Princes born;I can describe the shady Grove,Where your lov'd Mother slept withJove;And yet excuse the faultless Dame,Caught with her Spouse's Shape and Name;Thy matchless Form will Credit bring,To all the Wonders I shall sing.Wall.
Or of 7; as,
Phillis,why should we delayPleasures shorter than the Day?Could we, which we never can,Stretch our lives beyond their Span.Beauty like a Shadow flies,and our Youth before us dies,and our Youth before us dies,Or would Youth and Beauty stay,Love has Wings, and will away.Love has swifter Wings than Time.Wall.
But the second Verse of the Couplet does not always contain a like number of Syllables with the first; as,
What shall I do to be for ever known,And make the Age to come my own?I shall like Beasts and common People dye,Unless you write my Elegy.Cowl.
Of the Poems compos'd in Stanzas: And first, of the Stanzas consisting of three, and of four Verses.
In the Poems composed in Stanzas, each Stanza contains a certain number of Verses consisting for the most part of a different number of Syllables: And a Poem that consists of several Stanzas, we generally call an Ode; and this is Lyrick Poetry.
But we must not forget to observe that our Antient Poets frequently made use of intermixed Rhyme in their Heroick Poems, which they dispos'd into Stanzas and Cantos. Thus theTroilusandCressidaofChauceris compos'd in Stanzas consisting of 7 Verses; theFairy QueenofSpencerin Stanzas of 9,&c.And this they took fromItalians, whose Heroick Poems generally consist in Stanzas of 8. But this is now wholly laid aside, andDavenant, who compos'd hisGondibertin Stanzas of Verses in alternate Rhyme, was the last that followed their Example of intermingling Rhymes in Heroick Poems.
The Stanzas employ'd in our Poetry, cannot consist of less than three, and are seldom of more than 12 Verses, except in Pindarick Odes, where the Stanzas are different from one another in number of Verses, as shall be shewn.
But to treat of all the different Stanzas that are employ'd or may be admitted in our Poetry, would be a labour no less tedious than useless; it being easie to demonstrate, that they may be vary'd almost to an Infinity, that would be different from one another, either in the Number of the Verses of each Stanza, or in the Number of the Syllables of each Verse; or lastly, in the various intermingling of the Rhyme. I shall therefore confine my self to mention only such as are most frequently us'd by the best of our modern Poets. And first of the Stanzas consisting of three Verses.
In the Stanzas of three Verses, or Triplets, the Verses of each Stanzarhyme to one another; and are either Heroick; as,