This meeter of twelue sillables the French man calleth a verse Alexandrine, and is with our moderne rimers most usuall:  with the auncient makers it was not so.  For before Sir Thomas Wiats time they were not vsed in our vulgar, they be for graue and stately matters fitter than for any other ditty of pleasure.  Some makers write in verses of foureteene sillables giuing the Cesure at the first eight, which proportion is tedious, for the length of the verse kepeth the eare too long from his delight, which is to heare the cadence or the tuneable accent in the ende of the verse.  Neuerthelesse that of twelue if his Cesure be iust in the middle, and that ye suffer him to runne at full length, and do not as the common rimers do; or their Printer for sparing of paper, cut them of in the middest, wherin they make in two verses but halfe rime.  They do very wel as wrote the Earle of Surrey translating the booke of the preacher.
  Salomon Davids sonne, king of Ierusalem.

This verse is a very good Alexandrine, but perchaunce woulde haue sounded more musically, if the first word had bene a dissillable, or two monosillables and not a trissillable:  hauing his sharpe accent vppon the Antepenultima as it hath, by which occasion it runnes like a Dactill, and carries the two later sillables away so speedily as it seemes but one foote in our vulgar measure, and by that meanes makes the verse seeme but of eleuen sillables, which odnesse is nothing pleasant to the eare.  Iudge some body whether it would haue done better (if it might) haue bene fayd thus,
  Roboham Dauids sonne, king of Ierusalem.
Letting the sharpe accent fall vpon bo, or thus
  Restore king Dauids sonne vnto Ierusalem. 
For now the sharpe accent falles vpon bo, and so doth it vpon the last in restore, which was not in th’other verse.  But because we haue seemed to make mention of Cesure, and to appoint his place in euery measure, it shall not be amisse to say somewhat more of it, & also of such pauses as are vsed in vtterance, & what commoditie or delectation they bring either to the speakers or to the hearers.

  CHAP.  IIII.

Of Cesure.

There is no greater difference betwixt a ciuill and brutish vtteraunce then cleare distinction of voices:  and the most laudable languages are alwaies most plaine and distinct, and the barbarous most confuse and indistinct:  it is therefore requisit that leasure be taken in pronuntiation, such as may make our wordes plaine & most audible and agreable to the eare:  also the breath asketh to be now and then releeued with some pause or stay more or lesse:  besides that the very nature of speach (because it goeth by clauses of seuerall construction & sence) requireth some space betwixt them with intermission of sound, to th’end they may not huddle one vpon another so rudly & so fast that th’eare may not perceiue their difference.