Page:The Theatre of the Greeks, a Treatise on the History and Exhibition of the Greek Drama, with Various Supplements.djvu/410

 384 ox THE LANGUAGE, METRES AND PROSODY And very often the verse is even so constructed as to give a succes- sion of Iambic dipodias separately heard : Plut. 253, 4. *0 TToXXa hrj I Tw Seo-TTOTiy 1 TavTov Ovfxov 1 <j)ay6vT€S, avSp€s <fiLoL I KoX SrjfJiOTai | Kat tov ttovclv Ipaarai. After these pleasing specimens of the long Iambic, it is proper to state that the Comedy from which they are taken exhibits in all respects a smoothness and regularity of versification unknown to the earlier plays of Aristophanes. (Elmsley, u. s. p. 83.) N.B. Of the nature of that licence which admits the Anapest, whether more or less frequently, into any place of the comic verse but the last, some account may be reasonably demanded. A probable solu- tion of the difficulty will be offered in the note (C), ch. xvii., subjoined. VI. Tlie Trochaic Tetrameter Catalectic of Tragedy ^ 1. consists of eight feet all but a syllable, or may be considered as made up of two dimeters, of which the second is catalectic (vide ch. v. § 1) to the first. Its separate feet are shown in the scansional table below; and the Dactyl of a proper name, admissible only in certain places, is marked by the letters P. N. 5678 1 3 — j 4 — w v^v^ V^W P.N. — V_/"^ — wv^ — v^v^ The Dactyl of a pro^^er name is admitted chiefly where its two short syllables are inclosed between two longs in the same word ; very rarely where the word begins with them ; under other circumstances, never. Iph. A. 882. €is ap' 'I<^tyev€iav 'EA.evr;s ] vocrros ^v TreTrpw/xeVog. 1331. Travres "EA-Xryve?, (TTpard-i Sk | Mvp/xtSoi^wv oi; (tol Traprjv ; Orest. 1549. avyy ovov r ip^yv, HvXdSrjv re | tov rctSe ivvSptovTo, /xot. On the Dactyl or Anapest of proper names in the Trochaic or Iambic verse of Tragedy a suggestion will be offered in the note (C), ch. XVII. In the two following lines will be found specimens of the pure Tro- chaic verse and of the Trochaic Spondee in all its places : PJwen. 631. avTLTa^op.ai KTCvwi/ ere. | Kot/xe rov^ e/ows e^ct. 609. KO/>t7ros et, cTTTovSats TTCTTOt^ojs, I at (T€ (j(at,ov(Tiv Oaveiv.