Hurl’d, huge, Heaps, Head, all in the same Line, imitate Virgil’s Metuens, Molem, Montis.

And again,

  “—­Facti de nomine Byrsam;
  Sed vos qui tandem, quibus aut venistis ab oris,
  Quove tenetis iter?—­

Dr. Trapp,

“—­And the Name of Byrsa gave In Mem’ry of the Deed.  But, in your turn, At length inform me, who, and whence you are, And whither bound?—­

Mr. Pit,

“Hence Byrsa nam’d:  But now ye Strangers, say,
Who?  Whence you are?  And whither lies your way?—­

There is no Occasion to make any more Remarks upon these Lines.

Nov. 20. 1736.

I am, SIR, _&c._

LETTER VIII.

SIR,

It has been said by several Persons, especially by Foreigners, that there is no such thing as Measure or Feet, or long and short Syllables in English Words.  This Mistake, I believe, is chiefly owing to Vossius, who has advanc’d it in his Treatise De Poematum Cantu, &c.  As also, that the French Language is more fit for Heroick Verse than the English.  To examine one or both of these Points will be the Subject of this Letter.

That our Language does not abound with Dactyls and Spondees is very true; but that we have Words enough which are perfect Iambick and Trochaick Feet is very certain, and this naturally makes our Verse Iambick.

Divine, Attend, Directs, are as perfect Iambicks as any Latin Words of two Syllables, and so are most of our Monosyllable Nouns with their Particles.

The Lord, The Man, The Rock.  Every one must perceive that in all these Words, the last Syllable strikes the Ear more than the first, or, in other Words, the last is longer than the first, which is all that makes an Iambick Latin Foot.

The following Words, People, Substance, Angels, Chearful, and the like, are all Trochaick Feet; for it is easily observ’d, that the first Syllable dwells longer on the Ear than the latter.

I wonder that Vossius, who was a Canon of Windsor, did not perceive this in the Metre which he could not but often have heard at Church.

  “All People that on Earth do dwell
  Sing to the Lord with chearful Voice.

Suppose these two Lines were alter’d thus,

  “All ye People that on Earth dwell,
  Sing to the Lord with Voice chearful.

Here the natural Sound of the Words People and Chearful is very much alter’d, by their being wrong plac’d; or rather, the Verse is quite destroy’d:  But to chuse an Example from Milton.

  “And if our Substance be indeed Divine.—­

Let this be alter’d,