[2552.] Most of the Roman grammarians who discussed the nature of the Saturnian seem to have regarded it as quantitative. In modern times the quantitative theory has been advocated by Ritschl, Buecheler, Havet, Christ, Lucian Mueller, W. Meyer, Reichardt and many others.
[2553.] (2.) The Accentual Theory. According to this theory, the Saturnian is an accentual verse, constructed without regard to quantity. It is divided by the principal break into two halves, the first of which has three theses. The second half usually has three, but may have only two, in which case it is usually preceded by an anacrusis ([2529]). Two accented syllables are regularly separated by an unaccented syllable, but in strictly constructed Saturnians the second and third unaccented syllables are regularly separated by two unaccented ones. Hiatus was at first freely admitted, but in the Saturnians of the second century B.C. occurs only at the principal break. Examples of the Saturnian, measured according to this theory, are:
Dábunt málum Metéllī # Naéviṓ poḗtae.
Nóvem Ióvis concórdēs # fī́liaé sorṓrēs. (Naevius.)
Vírum míhi, Camḗna, # ī́nsecḗ versū́tum. (Livius Andronicus.)
E͡ōrum séctam sequóntur # múltī mórtā́lēs. (Naevius.)
[2554.] The accentual theory was held by the scholiast on V. G. 2, 385, and in modern times has been upheld (in one form or another) by O. Keller, Thurneysen, Westphal, Gleditsch, Lindsay and others. The brief statement given above agrees essentially with that of O. Keller. Gleditsch holds that each half-verse has four accents, as: Dábunt málum Métellī́ ‖ Naéviṓ poḗtaé; Lindsay that the first hemistich has three accents and the second two, as: Dábunt málum Metéllī ‖ Naéviō poḗtae. The whole question is still far from its final settlement.
[DACTYLIC RHYTHMS.]
[2555.] These are descending rhythms belonging to the Equal Class (see [2527]). In them the fundamental foot is the dactyl (–́ ⏑ ⏑), for which its metrical equivalent, the spondee (–́ –), is frequently substituted.