worked out. It may also be mentioned that one or tw modern English poets who seemed to be unduly neglected in the German book have received a larger share of atten tion in the English edition. Some errors of the original work have, of course, also been corrected here. The treatment of the subject in this handbook is the same as in the author's larger work. The systematic arrangement of the different kinds of verse in Book I and of the varieties of stanzas in Book II, will enabl the reader easily to find the appropriate place for any new forms of verse or stanza that may come in his way and will also facilitate the use of the large German work to which frequent references are given, for the benefit of those students who may desire more detailed informa tion. From the Preface to the German edition of the present work some remarks on the accents, chiefly in Part II of Book I, may be repeated here in order to prevent misunderstanding. These accents on particular syllables in equal-measured rhythms are merely meant to facilitate the scansion of the verse according to the author's view of its rhythmical movement, and to enable the student to apprehend more readily the precise meaning of the descriptions. They are by no means intended to dictate a schematic scansion to the reader, as it is obvious that the finer shades of the rhythm cannot be indicated by such a mode of accentua Ition. The safer and easier way undoubtedly would have been to put no accents at all; but this would have been less convenient for the reader, to whose own judgement it may be left in every case to be guided by the accents just so far as he may think proper. In making this statement, however, I may be allowed to mention that none of the English friends who kindly w assisted me in revising my manuscript has found fault te with my system of accentuation. er My sincerest thanks for their kind help and advice are n due to Dr. Francis J. Curtis, now Professor of English Philology in the Mercantile Academy at Frankfort on the th Main, and in a still higher degree to Dr. James Morison, at of Shotover Cottage, Headington Quarry, Oxford, Ex aminer in Sanskrit and German, both of them formerly bl Lectors of English in the University of Vienna. I am an under equally great obligations to Dr. Henry Bradley, aj to whose care the final revision of the MS. was entrusted orl by the Delegates of the Clarendon Press, and who also tc had the great kindness to superintend the printing of it. na To him I am indebted for several useful suggestions regarding the typographical arrangement, and still more en for his valuable help in regard to the style of the book, I To the Delegates and the Secretary of the Clarendon en Press I feel greatly obliged not only for undertaking the publication, but also for the patient consideration re they have shown me during the slow progress of this Cwork. J. SCHIPPER. Ica CONTENTS 18. Accentuation of Old English 20. Division and metrical value of syllables 21. Structure of the whole alliterative line 22. The structure of the hemistich in the normal alliterative line 30. Type A*, with sub-types A* 1, 2; Type B*; Type C*; Type D*, 31. Principles adopted in classification 43. Development of the progressive form of the alliterative line 44. Nature and origin of the four-beat short-lined metre 49. Further development of the Layamon-verse 50. The metre of King Horn and its affinity to the alliterative line THE ALLITERATIVE LINE IN ITS CONSERVATIVE FORM A. THE ALLiterative VERSE WITHOUT RHYME. 52. Homilies and lives of the saints in rhythmical prose. Poems 55. Comparison of Middle and Old English alliterative verse B. THE ALLITERATIVE LINE COMBINED WITH RHYME. 71. Irregular tail-rhyme stanzas: Skeltonic verse 72. Examples from Gascoigne, Wyatt, Spenser, &c. 73. Attempted modern revival of the old four-beat alliterative line |