1, for ganto, read gan to. 25, 18, for we find this syllable preserved also in the plural, read we find also this termination furnished with two syllables in the plural. 28, 20, after helle, read (the gen. of hel). 30, 7, dele and it seems to have been occasionally used as the accusative singular, just as the datives of the personal pronouns invaded the province of their accusatives. 31, 34, 37, 9, for knabe, read cnapa. 36, for in three words, read in three cases. 9, for angynnan, read onginnan. 38, 13, for twelfth, read thirteenth. 38, 23, for subjection], read subjection. 45, 24, after to, insert the mark of accentuation. 50, 29, for 50, 55, 57, 58, dele note *— a memorandum for the author's own guidance, which, by some blunder, found its way into the text. 14, for meditation, read mediation. 1, for seventeenth century read sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. 3, for In the Anglo-Saxon and early English dialects such a combination was common, and in the latter was expressed by the French ending re, read In some of our Old English dialects such a combination was common, and was expressed by the French ending re. 63, 12, for Shot manly at me | with read : fierce intent Shot manly at me with fierce intent 64, 19, for we have the same verb, &c. read the same verb seems to be, &c. 65, 32, for For she had great | doubts] : of his safety| read For she had great]: doubts | of his safety| 66, 16, for eomth, read comth. 67. 4, for She read The. Page line 68, 9, for Sometimes s and t belong to different syllables, read Sometimes the vowel was elided, in cases where, according to modern pronunciation, the s and t are given to different syllables. 69, 33, for courtsy read curtsy. 78, 26, for two or more syllables, read three or more syllables. 4, for Temple Gode, read Tempel Gode. 10, for æltmiht-ne, read ælmiht-ne. 11, see note (B.) 79, 79, 84, 86, 5, see note (B.) 100, 24, for blackbirds, read black birds. 102, 29, for sawykkytly, read sa wykkytly. 107, 28, for tenth and twelfth, read eleventh and twelfth. 109, 4, for all cases, read almost every case. 109, 27, The asterisk referring to the note, should have followed the word tongue. 110, 19, for upheld, read upholden. 111, 18, see note (A.) 113, 20, dele the same rhythm has been employed as above, but. See note (E). 114, 17, for Establishment, read Embellishment. 116, 15, for may be divided into, read will be considered as made up of. 9, for dip adays, read dip adays. 119, 119, 10, for Staglyrite, read Stag\yrite. 119, 22, for form, read adopt. 120, 16, see note (D). 121, 30, for supposed to have been tampered with, read supposed to have been a mere corruption. 125, 24, for never, read seldom. 131, 34, for ad, read and. 133, 13, for Ex MS. read The Grave-song. 133, 22, for loud, read lond. 134, 21, for Seafowl, read Seafola. 135, 14, for" tinkling," read " jingling." 142, 11, for ninth, read tenth. 143, 1, dele on last leg|dun : lathum leodum. All the best MSS. have lathum theodum. 143, 23, for ninth, read tenth. 143, 28, for reign, read æra. 145, 11, for Frynd sind hie minle georne: holde on hyrahyge-sceaftum read Frynd sind hie mine georne Holde on hyra byge-sceaftum. 146, 20, for Facundi, read Fæcundi. 154, 1, see note (E.) 160, 11, for Glories, read Glories. 164, 2, for shenest, read sheenest. 164, 34, a third rule was omitted by mistake. 165, 2, see note (E.)' 165, 12, for are, read is. See note (E). 167, 11, for it would have been impossible, read still it would have been Page line 174, 35, for fourth, read fifth. 175, 38, The authority of Bede, &c. The passage in Bede, referred to, is for several reasons obscure, but, on further consideration I would 177, say, cannot possibly bear the inference which is here drawn from it. 2, for with the forms of metrical verse, read with the forms of a later and more artificial system. 178, 31, for ballad stanza, read ballet-stanza. 179, See note (B). 8, on the whole should have been printed in italics. 191, 8, The words or short should have been in Roman letters. 195, 20, dele Sweartle swog an: sæs upstig on. See note (B). 195, 30, dele Lifjes bryt|ta: leoht | forth cum an. 196, 1, dele thægn ra sin ra thær | mid was an. 196, 16, dele stream as stod on: storm | up gewat. 196, 19, see lathe cyrm don lyft | up geswearc. 200, 25, dele ferlede and nerede : fiftena stod 9, dele deop ofer dun um sæ dren ce flod 2, dele and Reltie ricles hirde. See note (E). 17, for fontome, read fantome. 201, 204, 207, 208, 211, : 4, for 5 11: 6, read 5 11 : 9. See note (B). 1, dele In setting and sowing: swonke| full sor e 214, 18, see note (E). 217, 11, for wh, read who. 217, 23, for siththau, read siththan. 217, 24, dele this and the following line. See note (C). 218, 2, dele this line. 219, 220, See note (C). 20, for fræt | wum, read fræt wum. 5, for Pipes trompes : nakers and clarionnes That in the bataille : blow en blodly sowen es read 223, 17, dele gar um agetfed: guma northerna]. 223, 20, dele up pe mid eng lum: ecle stath elas]. 223, 25, dele this line for the same reason. See note (C). See note (C). 224, 9, dele the example from the Samson Agonistes. Its rhythm has for its index 21: 51, not 21: 1. 229, 10, dele Besloh | syn sceath an : sig|ore and"] geweal de. See note (B). 229, 24, for The swerd flaw fra him a furbreid on the land The swerd | flaw fra | him a fur[breid on the land] 232, 26, dele Which him | after cursed for his | trangression 233, 239, 241, 20, dele sit tan let e ic hinle with | me sylf|ne. : 245, 23, after the words whose ear was so delicately sensitive, read unless it were that assigned in p. 227. 253, 15, for Nud, read Mid. Page line 256, 18, for generally, read always. As to the nature of the modern French alexandrine, see note (G). 257, 262, 263, 272, 6, for Described by all men, read Describing all men. 11, for iheot, read ibeot. It should have been noticed, that the examples, quoted in this chapter, have been arranged generally according to the authors, as the number of varieties was too scanty to render the mode of subdivision, hitherto followed, advisable. The index 51: 1 c. 5 should also have preceded the 5th, 6th, and 7th examples, quoted in this page, and 2: 51: 1 the ninth. 272, 30, dele The sea and un frequented deserts : where the snow dwells. 274, 13, for gewendam, read gewendan. 275, 15, after the words But to bring in St. Peter, read (as Milton has 278, 11, for as yet wide | land, read as yet wide land. 278, 19, for the last verse, read the last verse but one. 281, 9, for 7:1:91c, read 71: 1: 91 c. 283, 15, the notation, used in this chapter, readily adapts itself to verses of six or seven accents, but when a verse contains eight or more accents, the reader must be furnished with some further intimation than is given by the mere numerical index, before he can hope to follow its rhythm. Even in tracing the rhythm of a verse which contains only six or seven accents, he will require the like assistance, if the middle pause of the compound section fall in the midst of a word. But, in both these cases, I believe the index, followed by such explanation, to afford the shortest and readiest means of pointing out the rhythm. 283, 32, for 7: 3: 611. c. read 81: 11: 71. c. 284, 30, for 21: 11c: 11:11. c. read 21:11c: 11: 1. c. 286, 18, in this last example the accents are properly eleven, not twelve. Thas lean es the he him on | tham leoh te gescyrlede thon ne let e he his hin|e langle weal dan. 294, 300, and there may even be a question, if we should not read thon ne letle he his hin|e, and, by this elision of the vowel, reduce the number to ten. 22, for O Troy | Troy | Troy, read O Troy | Troy Troy. 3, for The section 1. p. is occasionally found in Anglo-Saxon poems, of the first class, read The section 1 p, of the first class, is occasionally found in Anglo-Saxon poems. 305, 27, for lord ys, read lordys. 307, 23, after the word verse put a full stop in place of the semicolon, and then read Owing to the license, which certain of our poets allow themselves in the management of their pauses, there is danger, &c. 311, 1, for mor eattention, read more attention. CHAPTER I. RHYTHM in its widest sense may be defined as the law of succession. It is the regulating principle of every whole, that is made up of proportional parts, and is as necessary to the regulation of motion, or the arrangement of matter, as to the orderly succession of sounds. By applying it to the first of these purposes we have obtained the dance; and sculpture and architecture are the results of its application to the second. The rhythmical arrangement of sounds not articulated produces music, while from the like arrangement of articulate sounds we get the cadences of prose and the measures of verse. Verse may be defined as a succession of articulate sounds regulated by a rhythm so definite, that we can readily foresee the results which follow from its application. Rhythm is also met with in prose, but in the latter its range is so wide, that we never can anticipate its flow, while the pleasure we derive from verse is founded on this very anticipation. As verse consists merely in the arrangement of certain sounds according to a certain rhythm, it is obvious, that neither poetry nor even sense can be essential to it. We may be alive to the beauty of a foreign rhythm, though we do not understand the language, and the burthen of many an English song has long yielded a certain pleasure, though every whit as unmeaning as the nonsense verses of the schoolboy. In considering the general character of any proposed metre, we should have especial regard to three circum |