Hi. When you find that your Dinner has been well season’d.

Sb. What, with a good Stomach?

Hi. Yes, indeed.

Cr. Hilary, do you know what Task I would have you take upon you?

Hi. I shall know when you have told me.

Cr. The Choir sings some Hymns, that are indeed learned ones; but are corrupted in many Places by unlearned Persons.  I desire that you would mend ’em; and to give you an Example, we sing thus: 

      Hostis Herodes impie,
      Christum venire quid times?

      Thou wicked Enemy Herod, why dost thou dread the Coming
      of Christ?

The mis-placing of one Word spoils the Verse two Ways.  For the Word hostis, making a Trochee, has no Place in an Iambick Verse, and Hero being a Spondee won’t stand in the second Place.  Nor is there any doubt but the Verse at first was thus written,

      Herodes hostis impie.

For the Epithete impie better agrees with Hostis than with Herod.  Besides Herodes being a Greek Word [Greek:  e or ae] is turned into [Greek:  e] in the vocative; as [Greek:  Sokrataes, o Sokrates]; and so [Greek:  Agamemnon [Transcribers Note:  this word appears in Greek with the o represented by the character omega.]] in the nominative Case is turned into [Greek:  o].  So again we sing the Hymn,

      Jesu corona virginum,
      Quem mater ilia concepit,
      Quae sola virgo parturit.

      O Jesus the Crown of Virgins,
      Whom she the Mother conceiv’d,
      Which was the only Person of a Virgin that brought forth._

There is no Doubt but the Word should be pronounc’d concipit. For the Change of the Tense sets off a Word.  And it is ridiculous for us to find Fault with concipit when parlurit follows.

Hi. Truly I have been puzzled at a great many such Things; nor will it be amiss, if hereafter we bestow a little Time upon this Matter.  For methinks Ambrose has not a little Grace in this Kind of Verse, for he does commonly end a Verse of four Feet with a Word of three Syllables, and commonly places a caesura in the End of a Word.  It is so common with him that it cannot seem to have been by Chance.  If you would have an Example, Deus Creator.  Here is a Penthemimeris, it follows, omnium; Polique rector, then follows, vestiens; diem decoro, and then lumine; noctem soporis, then follows gratia.

Hi. But here’s a good fat Hen that has laid me Eggs, and hatch’d me Chickens for ten Years together.

Cr. It is Pity that she should have been kill’d.

Ca. If it were fit to intermingle any Thing of graver Studies, I have something to propose.

Hi. Yes, if it be not too crabbed.