'ART OF FII:ADNG AND "WRITING. To favour the metre, is to read two syllables distinct, or td contract them into one, according as the metre requires ; as the word glittering must make three syllables in this line ; "All glittering in arms he stood." But in the following line it makes but two ; as, All glitt'ringinhis arms he stood." The metre also is favoured sometimes by placing the accent on different syllables in some few words that will admit of it ; as the word avenue must have theaccent on the first syllable in this line, " Wideávenues for cruel death." But in the next line it mustbe accented on the second syllas ble ; as, " AWide avénue to the grave. "' To favour the rhyme, is to pronounce the last word of the line so as to make it chime with the line foregoing, where the word admits of two pronunciations ; as, " Were I but once from bondage free, " I'd never sell my liberty." Here I must pronounce the word liberty, as if it were writ+ ten with a double ee, libertee, to rhyme to the wordfree. But if the Verse ran thus ; " My soul ascends above the sky, " And triumphs inher liberty." The word liberty must be sounded as ending in i, that sky may have a juster rhyme to it. But whether you pronounce liberal as thoughit were written with ee or i, you must still pronounce that last syllable but feebly, and not so strong as to misplace the accent, and fix it on the last syllable, So in this Verse ; " Unbind my feet, and breakmy chain, " For I shall ne'er rebel again." Here you must give the diphthong ai its full sound, in the word again ;' but it must be pronounced ages in the following verse ; as, " Put Daniel in the lions' den, " When he's released, he'll pray again." Now having made these two small allowances, if the verse doesnot sound well andharmonious to the ear when it is read like prose,the fault must be charged on thepoet, and not on the rea'e der ; for it is certain that those verses are not well composed, which will not be read gracefully according to the common rules of pronunciation. Make an experiment now in the lines before mentioned, and if you read them like prose, youwill find the justness of thena- tural accent is maintained in every word, and yet the harmony Or muse of the verse sufficiently secured.
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