REMARKS

ON

MILTON'S VERSIFICATION.

DR. JOHNSON has written several pages on Milton's versification, which have been reprinted by Todd as an essay: the whole is written in Johnson's best manner; but I venture, however presumptuous it may appear, to assert that it is based on a theory wholly wrong. Johnson assumes, as many others have done, that the true heroic verse is the iambic; such as Dryden, Pope, and, I may add, Darwin, have brought to perfection; and that all variations from the iambic foot are irregularities, which may be pardonable for variety, but are still departures from the rule. Upon this ground, Milton is perpetually offending; and that which is among his primary beauties of metre is turned into a fault.

Let me be forgiven for my boldness in suggesting and exemplifying another theory of the great poet's versification, which I am convinced will be found a clew to the pronunciation of every

part of his blank verse, and especially in ‘Paradise Lost.'

I believe that Milton's principle was to introduce into his lines every variety of metrical foot which is to be found in the Latin poetry, especially in the lyrics of Horace; such as not merely iambic, but spondee, dactyl, trochee, anapest, &c., and that whoever reads his lines as if they were prose, and accents them as the sense would dictate, will find that they fall into one, or rather several of these feet; often ending like the Latin, with a half foot: wherever they do not, I doubt not that it arises from a different mode of accenting some word from that which was the usage in Milton's time. If there is any attempt to read Milton's verses as iambics, with a mere occasional variation of the trochee and the spondee, they will often sound very lame, instead of being, as they really are, magnificently harmonious.

If Johnson's rules are adopted, some of Milton's most tuneful lines become inharmonious; and, in the same degree, one of Cowley's, exquisite if properly scanned, but which Johnson exhibits as very faulty—

And the soft wings of peace cover him round ;— this, taken to be an iambic, is full of false quantities but I assume the proper mode of scanning it to be this:

And thě | sōft wings | of peace | cōvěr hím | round : viz. first, a trochee; then a spondee; third, an

iambic; fourth, a dactyl; fifth, a demi-foot.

Thus Milton,

Partaken, and uncropt falls to the ground,

should be scanned thus:

Părtā kěn, and | ūncrōpt | fålls to thě | ground.

first, an iambic; second, an iambic; third, a spondee; fourth, a dactyl; fifth, a demi-foot. Take the following:

Of sense, whereby they hear, see, smell, touch, taste, which I accent thus :

Of sense wherebỹ | thěy hear, | sée, smēll, | toūch, taste. first, an iambic; second, a spondee; third, an iambic; fourth, a spondee; fifth, a spondee.

The following lines, cited by Johnson, I scan thus:

1. Wisdom to folly, as nourishment to wind.

Wisdom to fōlly ǎs | nōurish|mēnt to | wind. 2. No ungrateful food, and food alike those pure. No ungrateful food | and food | ǎlīke | thōse pūre. 3. For we have also our evening and our morn. For we have ǎlsŏ | oŭr ēveļnīng and | our mōrn. 4. Inhospitably, and kills their infant males.

Inhospitably, and kills | their infǎnt māles. 5. And vital virtue infused, and vital warmth.

And vităl virtue Infused | ǎnd vīļtăl wārmth. 6. God made thee of choice his own, and of his own. Gōd māde | thēe of choice | his ōwn |ånd ōf | his ōwn.

7. Abominable, inutterable, and worse.

Abominablě, inūt|těrāļblě, and worse.

|

8. Impenetrable, impaled with circling fire.
Impē❘nětrā blě, impaled with | circling | fire.
9. To none communicable in earth or heaven.
To nōne cōmmūļnīcā|ble in earth | Ŏr heaven.
10. In curls on either cheek play'd: wings he wore.

In curls | on either cheek | play'd: wings | he wōre. 11. Lies through the perplex'd paths of this drear wood. Lies through the perplex'd | paths of this drear wood.

12. On him, who had stole Jove's authentick fire. On him | who had | stōle Jōve's | aŭthēn tick fire. 13. Universal reproach, far worse to bear.

Universal rē prōach, får | wōrse tŏ | beār.

14. With them from bliss to the bottomless deep. With them from bliss | to thě | bottomless deep. 15. Present? thus to his son audibly spake.

Present? | thūs to | his sōn | aūdibly | spāke.

16. Thy lingering, or with one stroke of this dart. Thy lingering, ōr | with ōne | strōke öf | this dart.

17. To do aught good never will be our task.

To do aught goōd | něvěr will | bē oūr | tāsk. 18. Created hugest, that swim the ocean stream.

Created hūgěst | that swim | the ō|ceăn stream. 19. Came singly where he stood on the bare strand. Came singly where | he stood | on the bāre | strand. 20. Light from above, from the fountain of light.

Light from | ǎbōve, | frōm thě | foūntăin of | light. 21. Things not reveal'd, which the invisible king. Things not reveal'd | which thě | învisi|blě kíng. 22. With their bright luminaries, that set and rose.

With their bright lū│minā|ries that set | ănd rōse.