aid an observation made above in treating of the found of words, that they are more agreeable to the ear when composed of long and short fyllables than when all the syllables are of the same fort. A continued found in the fame tone, makes an impreffion that comes not up to any idea we have of music. The same note successively renewed by intervals, is more agreeable; but still makes not a musical impreffion. To produce this impression, variety is necessary as well as number. The successive founds or fyllables, must be some of them long, some of them short; and if also high and low, the music is the more perfect. Now if this impreffion can be made by fingle words, much more by a plurality in an orderly succession. The musical impreffion made by a period confifting of long and short fyllables arranged in a certain order, is what the Greeks call rhythmus, the Latins, numerus, and we modulation or meafure. Cicero justly observes, that in one continued found there is no modulation : "Numerus in continuatione nullus eft." But in what follows he is wide of the truth,

if by numerus he means modulation or mufical meafure. Distinctio, et æqualium

" et fæpe variorum intervallorum percuffio, " numerum conficit; quem in cadentibus " guttis, quod intervallis diftinguuntur, " notare poffumus." Falling drops, whether with equal or unequal intervals, are certainly not musical. We begin then only to be sensible of a musical expression, when the notes are varied. And this also was probably the opinion of the author cited, though his expreffion be a little unguarded *.

It will probably occur, that modulation, so far as connected with long and short syllables combined in a fentence, may be found in prose as well as in verse; confidering especially, that in both, particular words are accented or pronounced in a

higher tone than ordinary; and therefore that the difference betwixt them cannot consist in modulation merely. The obfervation is just; and it follows, that the diftinction betwixt prose and verse, since it depends not on modulation merely, must arife from the difference of the modulation. This is precisely the cafe, though the difference cannot with any accuracy be explained in words. Verse is more musical than prose; and of the former, the modulation is more perfect than of the latter. The difference betwixt verse and profe, resembles the difference in music properly fo called betwixt the fong and the recitative. And the resemblance is not the less complete, that these differences, like the shades of colours, approximate sometimes so nearly as scarce to be difcernible. A recitative in its movement approaches sometimes to the liveliness of a fong; which on the other hand degenerates sometimes toward a plain recitative. Nothing is more distinguishable from prose, than the bulk of Virgil's hexameters. Many of those compofed posed by Horace, are very little removed from profe. Sapphic verse has a very fenfible modulation. That on the other hand of an Iambic, is extremely faint *.

This more perfect modulation of articulate founds, is what distinguisheth verse from profe. Verse is subjected to certain inflexible laws. The number and variety of the component fyllables are afcertained, and in fome measure the order of fucceffion. Such restraint makes it a matter of difficulty to compose in verse; a difficulty that is not to be surmounted but by a fingular genius. Useful lessons of every fort convey'd to us in verse, are agreeable by the union of mufic with instruction. But are we for that reason to reject knowledge offered in a plainer dress? This would be ridiculous; for knowledge may be acquired without music, and music is entertaining independent of knowledge. Many there are, not less will

ing than capable to instruct us, who have no genius for verse. Hence the use of profe, which, for the reason now given, is not confined to precise rules. There belongs to it, a certain modulation of an inferior kind, which, being extremely ornamental, ought to be the aim of every writer. But to fucceed in it, practice is necessary more than genius. Nor are we rigid on this article. Provided the work answer its chief end of instruction, we are the less solicitous about its dress.

Having afcertained the nature and limits of our fubject, I proceed to the laws by which it is regulated. These would be endless, were verse of all different kinds to be taken under confideration. I propose therefore to confine the inquiry, to Latin or Greek hexameter, and to French and English heroic verse; which perhaps will carry me farther than the reader may chuse to follow. The observations I shall have occafion to make, will at any rate be sufficient for a specimen; and these with proper variations may easily be transferred to the compofition of other forts of verse.

Before I enter upon particulars, it must be