and for (2), which is by far the most important modification, cf. the following lines: "The stár that bids | the shép herd főld Nów the | tóp of | heáv'n doth | hóld; Ilis glówling áx|le dóth | alláy." For (3) see 115, 116, 129–132. Then, it must be remembered that in all scansion of English poetry two things play a great part, viz. "contraction" and "elision." "Contractions" may be divided into (1) the abbrevia tions of everyday speech, "such as the perfect tenses and participles in ed, which Milton often writes t"; Contractions. and (2) those of poetical usage, such as the en=n_of the perfect participle, e.g. 'fall'n,' 'chos'n,' 'giv'n'; and est='st in the 2nd person singular of verbs, e.g. 'think'st,' 'saw'st,' 'gav'st.' Elision. By "elision" one means "slurring" a letter or syllable so that it scarcely sounds at all, and metrically does not count. The (1) main principle of elision is that .an "open" vowel, i.e. a vowel preceding a vowel, may be "slurred." The commonest instance is with the definite article. Compare line II "Amongst th(e) enthroned gods on sainted seats." So with words like 'mans(i)on,' 'aer(i)al,' 'reg(i)on,' 'ambros(i)al,' 'imper(i)al,' 'var(i)ous,'—all in the first 30 lines of Comus. Also, (2) this principle of elision applies to an unstressed vowel preceding or nor l in words like 'fev'rish,' 'ev'ry,' 'sev'ral,' 'wand'ring,' 'grov'lling,' 'om'nous,' 'count'nance,' 'advent'rous'; see Comus, 8, 19, 25, 39, 61, 68, 79. Many of the elisions roughly grouped under the headings (1) and (2) are such as we use in common speech. Finally, some allowance must be made for the different DEDICATION1 OF THE ANONYMOUS EDITION OF 1637. "To the Right Honourable John, Lord Brackley, son and heir-apparent to the Earl of Bridgewater etc." "MY LORD, This Poem, which received its first occasion of birth from yourself and others of your noble family, and much honour from your own person in the performance, now returns again to make a final dedication of itself to you. Although not openly acknowledged by the Author, yet it is a legitimate offspring, so lovely and so much desired that the often copying of it hath tired my pen to give my several friends satisfaction, and brought me to a necessity of producing it to the public view, and now to offer it up, in all rightful devotion, to those fair hopes and rare endowments of your much-promising youth, which give a full assurance to all that know you of a future excellence. Live, sweet Lord, to be the honour of your name; and receive this as your own from the hands of him who hath by many favours been long obliged to your most honoured Parents, and, as in this representation your attendant Thyrsis, so now in all real expression Your most faithful and most humble Servant, H. LAWES." 1 Reprinted in the edition of 1645: omitted in that of 1673. |