To guard it safe from violence.[171]
Anyone who compares the metre of Massinger with that of Fletcher will find that our author observes far stricter [pg 059] laws than his friend. The plays of Massinger abound in lines divided between two speakers, or even three, which, nevertheless, observe the strict rule of the metre.[172]
The way in which Massinger's style and metre suit one another can best be illustrated by a passage or two from The Parliament of Love; the first is where Bellisant speaks about the decay of chivalry.
Bellisant. Ere they durst
Presume to offer service to a lady,
In person they perform'd some gallant acts
The fame of which prepar'd them gracious hearing,
Ere they made their approaches; what coy she, then,[173]
Though great in birth, not to be parallel'd
For nature's liberal beauties (both set off