MISCELLANEOUS THOUOIUTS. 447 Now these pauses in the sense, and consequently these rests in the voice, should be judiciously fixed through all the parts of the verse or line in such a manner, that no one.sort of pause or cadence should return too often and offend the ear ; and this may be happily performed in some measure in -verse with rhyme, though not so well as where there is none.* To render blank verse more perfect in this kind, what if one should propose the following rules? I. Since there are ten syllables in a line of heroic measure, it follows that there are ten places where the sense may be finish- ed, and a stop may be placed ; and therefore if we would ob- serve any thing of proportion, there should be at least a colon or period at the' end -of one line in ten ; but perhaps the ease and rest of the ear, the proper partition of the verses one from ano- ther, and the distinction of poesy from prose, would require it rather a little more frequent, This Milton himself has by no means observed, but has sometimes drawn out his sense from one verse into another, as he expresses it, to such a length, as to run on for sixteen or twenty lines together, without so large a stop as a semicolon at the end of a line ; and in many places there is not so much as a comma for four or five lines successively, or sometimes for six or seven. There are so many instances of this in his work, that I need not point to any particularpage. 2. Though there are ten places in-a line wherein the sense may end, or a strong stop may be fixed, yet I think a very strong stop should scarce ever be placed at the first syllable, or the ninth, without some very extraordinary reason for it ; the grace fulness of sound will hardly admit it : it seems too abrupt, un- less some peculiar beauty in the sense is supposed to be expres- sed thereby. 3. Two lines should not very often come together, where the stop is placed at the same syllablesof the line, whether it be comma, colon, or period ; three lines very seldom, and four never; for this would bring in that unpleasing uniformity, which it is the design and glory of blank verse to avoid. This Milton seems to have observed almost every where with great care. 4. Where there is a very strong period, or the end of a paragraph, there the line should generally end with the sense; and an entire new scene, or episode, ought generally to begin a new line. 5. The end of a line demands always some small pause of half a comma in the reading, whether there be auty in the sense or no, that hereby the ear of the hearer may = obtain a plain and Is verse with rhyme, custom has almost made it necessary that there should be more colons and periods disposed at the end of couplets, than blank vase steads is need of, which knows no distinctes of couplets, nor soy sort of stanzas.
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