quid ostendat, Naz. in quo et duobus Pall. ac Rot. tamen inquit effugere Tiberius ne hoc quidem modo quod vitabat potuit: sic quoque Ms. [Reg.] P. 622. 1. 5. est: non auxilium] est: auxilium. 1. 7, 8. nesciat accepisse se] nesciet accepisse sed. 1. 8. illi non sum] illi sum. 1. 12. premit frequens meritorum] premit meritorum. CAP. XI. 1. 17. ego te eripui] ego eripui. 1. ult. est instandum] est notandum. CAP. XVI. P. 631. 1. 13. non grande] nisi grande. 1. 15. non convenire fortunæ suæ] fortunæ suæ non convenire. CAP. XVII. P. 632. I. 4, 5. ejusmodi cavillatio turpissima est] t. ejusmodi cavillatio est. CAP. XXVII. P. 642. 1. ult. n. 4. tam pusilli "Pinciani et mei libri." tempus illi potius Ms. Regius. P. 643. 1. 1, 2. emittebat,-inopia erat] enutriebat-copia inerat. 1. 5. subinde Augusto] leg. subinde de Augusto. DE BENEFICIIS, LIB. HI. CAP. XIX. P. 674. 1. 6. eo magis sit] eo majus sit. CAP. XXIII. P. 676. l. 13. tradidit, Grumentum] Ms. Reg. del. -gumentum. ČAP. XXVII. P. 680. 1. 15. crederet] credet. 1. ult. fasti-diendam a] fastidiendam etiam a Ms. Reg. 1. 5. manumissum] manuantemissum. CAP. XXVIII. 1. 8. num est dubium] non dubium est. rium. DE BENEFICIIS, LIB. IV. CAP. VIII. P. 705. 1. 10. Si quid a] leg. Si quod a. CAP. XXVII. P. 726. l. ult. nec audacem q.] ne audacem q. CAP. XXXVII. P. 740. 1. 9. justus unus] Ms. Reg.justo. 1. 13. Hoc Philippus] hac Philippus. and emphatic syllable of the dactyl or spondee when it terminated a word; and in those kinds of verse which were recited by dipodes, it is more than probable that the less metrical pause, corresponding in a sense to the one just named, was made after the first foot of a dipode terminating with a word. Recited correctly in all these respects, as they undoubtedly were by the ancient bards and actors, the Grecian Epic and Tragic poetry must have displayed to the Grecian ear, both a rich exuberance of variety, and a beautiful and engaging uniformity; and we shall not, we hope, be accused of arrogance by our readers, if we claim for this basis of our metrical doctrine, the meed of superior rationality and consistency. We have now to apply these general principles to the anapastic verses of the Attic tragedians. These verses were composed of anapæsts -, dactyls -, and spondees --; and allowed, in cases of necessity, of a proceleusmatic. They were employed both in the choruses of the tragedies, and in separate systems of dimeters or verses containing four feet, with one or more monometers occasionally intermixed, and closed by a parœmiac or dimeter catalectic. Some critics have objected to the term dimeter being applied to anapæstic verses composed of four feet, arguing that the anapast, being equal in the time of pronunciation to the dactyl, has the same right as the latter foot, to be considered a metre of itself. But a moment's reflection will convince us of the propriety of the common designation: for it cannot be questioned, that a foot constituted a metre in those verses which were read by feet, but two feet in those which were read by dipodes; and the names assigned to the two kinds of verse, serve to show us that the dactylic is of the former, and the anapastic of the latter description. Accordingly, after each dipode, either the greater vocal pause designated thus, or the less thus, occurred, as the dipode terminated at the end, or in the middle of a word; also, the less occurred after the first foot of each dipode when it ended with a word. The anapæst, according to the general rule for the accentuation of feet, which mentions the long syllable of the foot as that which receives the accent, and the principal foot of the verse as determining the accent of those which have in this respect no decisive character, unquestionably received the accent, or more properly the metrical accent, on the last syllable; the dactyl evidently on the first: the proper method of accenting the spondee is a matter of doubt. In dactylic verses, the dactyl is the only foot to influence the accent of the spondee; and thus the spondee was in these invariably accented on the former syllable. Trochaic admitted trochees, dactyls, anapæsts, tribrachs, and spondees; but the anapæst being an unimportant foot, and never occurring but at the end of a dipode, the accent of the trochee was followed by the tribrach and spon dee. Iambic also, though they allowed of a dactyl in the first and third place, yet by refusing to admit the spondee in the second and fourth, annihilated all its pretensions to direct the position of the accent on the latter foot; and it need not be added, that to give the tribrach following the dactyl in the first place the accent of that foot, would be to outrage the most evident principles of metrical beauty. In anapæstic verses, on the contrary, the dactyl is admitted as a very important foot, some verses being entirely composed of dactyls and spondees; and this circumstance may produce a hesitation, whether the accent of this foot or of the anapæst should be ascribed to the spondee. The learned Dunbar of Edinburgh affirms without any qualification, (An. Maj. tom. 3. part 2. p. 233.) that in anapastics the anapæst has the ictus metricus on the last syllable, the dactyl and spondee on the first. But we scruple not to say, that this doctrine is both inconsistent with the general rule for the accentuation of feet, and decidedly militates against the elegance of the metre. And to attribute universally to the spondee the ictus of the anapast, is to disregard all those striking circumstances above alluded to, and will be attended by an injury to the sense equal to that resulting from the position advocated by Professor Dunbar. The truth lies, we conceive, between these two contradictory opinions. As has been already remarked, the anapæstic systems of the Grecian Tragic writers were recited in two dipodes; and these dipodes were anapæstic, dactylic, or spondaic; the first class containing an anapæst, the second a dactyl, and the third two spondees. When a spondee occurred in an anapæstic dipode, it is extremely probable, if not absolutely certain, that it was accented like the anapæst; when in a dactylic, like the dactyl; and in a spondaic it is best to assign to it the ictus of the anapæst. We should, accordingly, thus read the following verses of the Medea of Euripides : Δυστάνος ἐγώ, μελέα τε πονών, Μη. Ἰώιμοι μοί, πως ἂν δλοίμαν, Τρο. Τόδ' εκείνο, φιλοί παιδές Ιματήρι dě Κινεί | κραδίαν, | κινεί | δὲ χυλόν. vss. 95. sqq. Let it be remembered, that in this extract the metrical pauses are denoted, as they would occur independently of the sentential: every attempt to designate the pauses of the verse, varied as they were by the blending of the sentential and metrical, must prove fruitless. One of the most important features of our system of recitation is, that it supposes two regular metrical pauses of different lengths, which could be lengthened or shortened agreeably to the requisitions of the sense, and the less neglected when occasioned by casura, or occurring in the middle of a dipode, if called for by the meaning or grammatical construction; and that it permits the introduction of sentential pauses, when not coinciding with the metrical: thus giving every collection of verses an infinitude of variation, worthy of the authors and the audience. The above short extract will likewise illustrate, in some degree, the difference in the beauty of anapæstics, when read with the accent of the spondee, and when that foot receives the ictus invariably either on the former or the latter syllable; although quite inadequate to the displaying of the difference in its full extent. But on this point there is evidence still more conclusive than prosodial elegance. We do not see how the first dipode of the following verse can be recited on the former hypothesis, without improperly making the less metrical pause after the first foot; and the second, if recited on the latter, will, if we mistake not, involve the same impropriety. Μεγαλόσπλαγχνος, δυσκαταπαυστος. Before we enter on a consideration of the regulations of the metre, both as they have been unfolded by the critical sagacity and research of the learned, and as they are dependent on, and connected with the above method of recitation, it is necessary to premise, that they are strictly applicable only to the regular systems of dimeters. The choruses of the ancient Greek tragedies were designed, not only to afford the poet an opportunity of introducing many appropriate sentiments and reflections, which must otherwise have been excluded, and of varying his narrative, to the amusement of the hearers, by the relation of certain historical and mythological incidents, or by an account of some striking wonders of nature or of art; but also to prevent the satiety which must ensue from a diligent and uninterrupted attention to systems of verses, strict and in one sense labored in their execution, and to prepare the ear to return to them with a proper relish for their exquisite beauties. Thus it was, that in choruses the Tragedian was allowed a freedom, which he could not consistently claim in the dialogues that constituted the essence of the play. We have then to notice, in the first place, an observation of the great Bentley, that the last syllable of anapæstic verses is not common: in other words, that if the last foot be a dactyl, the last syllable may, on no account, be naturally long; and that if it be an anapæst or a spondee, the vowel of the last syllable must be long either by nature or by position, the consonants being contained in the same line, or distributed between it and the following one. This property originated in a peculiarity of recitation, which, though hinted at in the former paragraphs, we have reserved to this place fully to explain. It is, that anapæstic verses are not recited by dipodes and verses, like most other species of metre, but by dipodes only; the pause at the end of a verse not being, on that account, greater than that at the end of a dipode. But the very reason of the rule demonstrates that it may admit of exceptions: for the regular metrical pause at the end of the second dipode, may be so lengthened by the longer sentential ones, as to allow of the verse being classed among those at the end of which a distinct pause is made. The matter being thus set in a clear point of view, we shall not be at a loss to decide on what may be justly considered exceptions to the rule. One remark must here be prefaced, embracing a restriction, on the propriety of which all the learned are agreed, that a long syllable can in no case whatever be used for the last of a dactyl: indeed it may be said, that a long syllable was never used for a short one by the Tragic poets, except, perhaps, occasionally in the choruses of their plays. Hermann, then, is of opinion, that when an exclamation takes place, when some one is personally addressed, when the person' changes, and when a period occurs, a short final syllable may be considered as the last of an anapæst or spondee. If confined to the cases of exclamation, change of 'person,' and the occurrence of a full stop, we should not hesitate for a moment to assent to the propriety of the observation, as the regular metrical pause must have been considerably lengthened by all these circumstances. But we do not perceive how this can be said of the case of a person's being addressed; and we are inclined to think, that in advancing this opinion the learned critic has exceeded the limits prescribed both by the principle of the usage, and the authority of classic authors; and while we acknowlege our obligations to him for the mention of the other instances in which continuity of metre, as this property has been styled, may be safely disregarded, we cannot but consider this part of the remark as containing an error, though a trifling error of judgment. The only passage he adduces in its support, is Ed. Col. 188. of Brunck's edition, but which he arranges thus: *Αγε νῦν σύ με, παῖ, Ἵν ̓ ἂν εὐσεβίας ἐπιβαίνοντες, -an example altogether inapplicable to the subject. It is indeed true, that a final long vowel or diphthong before a word beginning with a vowel is so far shortened, as to be incapable, in itself, of standing for a long syllable; and if no sufficient principle can be found to authorise us to consider the diphthong in rai long, the above verse must be confessed to be an instance of the neglect of synapheia, or continuity of metre. But it is no less true, that a long vowel or diphthong so situated, is not equally short with a common short vowel followed by elision; and that the ictus metricus falling on it, lengthens the sound in some small degree, and altogether communicates to it a degree of importance, which qualifies it to stand for a long syllable, and will not allow of its being used for a short one: consequently, although rai would be without |