19. is occasionally found in our ballads and old ro mances. The queyne duelt thus in Kildromey, : And the king and his company| The Bruce, 2. 763. As the section 1. is rare in Anglo-Saxon verse, we have as yet met with few alliterative couplets; but many are found beginning with the lengthened section 17. VERSES BEGINNING WITH SECTION 17. 17: 1. has for ages, been well-known to our poetry; when lengthened it forms one of the commonest couplets in our Anglo-Saxon poems. And the milkmaid: sing|eth blithe L'Allegro. The Anglo-Saxon couplets will be classed according to the alliteration, beginning with one that rhimes all the four syllables. The number, ranged under each head, will give the reader some notion of the comparative frequency of their occurrence in Anglo-Saxon verse; Sweartle swoglan sæs | upstig on. Cadmon. 17: 2. is found in Anglo-Saxon, but very rarely in 17:5. was a well-known couplet in Anglo-Saxon. It was very common in our old romances, and was still flourishing as late as Elizabeth's reign. It must now be considered as obsolete; Oht | mid eng|lum and or|leg nith]. : Cæd. Cad. Alf. Alf. Sceot ta leoda: and scip]-flotan]. nym | the heo | wæs: ahaf|en on'. Storyss to rede are delitabill, Brunanburgh War-song. Supposs that thai be nocht but fabill. Than suld storyss: that suth fast wer], Set me a new robe by an olde, And coarse cop|par: by duck|ate gold, Cæd. The Bruce, 1. 1. Putt. Parth. 15. Welcome welcome ye dark | blue waves]. The lengthened verse is more rare; Burton, Anat. of Mel. Byron. Seow and set te geond seflan mon❘na. Ex. MSS. Wille burn an on wor|uld thring|an. Cæd. Verses beginning with 1 l. are occasionally met with, but chiefly in the tumbling verse; for instance 1: 1.; With him man fully for | to fight. : M. for M. Flodd. Fielde, 2. With such holiness: can | you do | it. H 6, 2. 1. It would be useless to mark down every variety, which has been stumbled upon by the writers of such licentious metre as the tumbling verse. Those verses only, which occur often enough to give a character to the rhythm, will be noticed. Verses beginning with Section 2. 21. were always rare. The lengthened verse is found in Anglo-Saxon; All the commownys went him fra, He that keeps nor crust nor crumb, The Bruce, 2. 304. Lear, 1. 4. 2. 2. is now seldom met with; the lengthened verse is a common Anglo-Saxon couplet; We did observe] : cousin Aumerle], How far brought you high Her'ford on his way? The verse from L'Allegro is, I believe, the only one written by Milton in this rhythm. The verse 2: 5, has long been one of the standard verses. Where the great sun begins | his state]. Ere the first cock|: his mat in rings]. L'Allegro. L'Allegro. 2: 6. was very common in the tumbling verse. Now am I bond sometime | I was free]. Same, 5. Same, 7. : Pray we that God will grant | us his grace. Flodden Field, 6. Same. Same. Sone then the gunnes] : began | a new play]. Same. This is one of those verses which belong to the triple measure; and though never used by Cowper, and those who have left us the happiest specimens of that rhythm, is far from uncommon in the works of our later poets. 2: 9. is only found in the tumbling verse; In the vaunt-garde]: forward fast | did hye|. M.for M. Flod. F. 6. Give the Scots grace by King Jem yes fall. Same, 25. |