ictus must fall on -am. We ought to know next from our inflexions that the o of the dative and ablative is long. If we do, we shall see that -to must receive a new ictus. We should always say prófugus in prose, consequently the quantity of the u is determined as short. So an ictus must come on -gus. The standing rhythm of the verse will finish the line correctly, since i before a cannot be long and hence cannot be anything but a consonant (just as we should say in English, a million intrúders) if the verse is to have only six feet. So we are sure that it is Ítali ám fa tó profu/gús La víniaque | vénit. In the next line; as we pronounce litora in prose, o is short, and a is a neuter plural ending besides, and therefore short. The rest of the line goes by the rule of a vowel before two consonants, if we remember to cut off the -um before ille. The next line is determined by súperum and mémorem, which show short penults in pronunciation. The rules already given enable us to read the fifth line, except that genus might give some trouble if it were not so near the end that we can see that the line could not read other way. in any The enclitic -que makes it impossible to go astray on the sixth line. Thus our three main rules with three very common finals, and three common penults, that we can hardly help having pronounced before, enable us to read the first six lines. A very few more rules of the same sort would determine the metre through the whole book. Of course if students have been wont to pronounce quantitatively, reading will be easier still. A few irregularities will be found, which will, however, manage themselves, because there is in general only one possible way to read the lines. A little practice will make conscious attention to quantities almost unnecessary, for the lines will run of themselves as they did to the Romans, and the lines will determine the quantities rather than the quantities the lines. The principal thing is never to read verse in any other way, and in nine cases out of ten the feet will divide themselves. But be sure to read feeling the time as distinctly as if it were a hymn tune sung in church. This rhythm of time is the essence of ancient verse and ought always to be observed, though it has no place in our own poetry. In any event do not scan (i.e. separate feet) but read (continuously), feeling the words and sense and observing the main cæsura with an almost imperceptible but conscious pause. In this way Latin poetry will become a new and pleasing form of musical composition as grateful to the ear as the first nursery rhymes of our childhood. |