A | c=obl~er th~ere | w=as ~and h~e | l=iv'd ~in ~a | st=all,
Wh~ich | s=erv'd h~im f~or | k=itch~en, f~or | p=arl~our ~and | hall;
N~o | c=oin ~in h~is | p=ock~et, n~o | c=are ~in h~is | p=ate;
N~o ~am | -b=it~ion h~e | h=ad, ~and n~o | d=uns ~at h~is | g=ate."
—Comp. Gram., p. 150.
To this, the author adds, "Dactylic measure becomes Anapestic by setting off an Iambic foot in the beginning of the line."—Ib. These verses, all but the last one, unquestionably have an iambic foot at the beginning; and, for that reason, they are not, and by no measurement can be, dactylics. The last one is purely anapestic. All the divisional bars, in either example, are placed wrong.
ORDER V.—COMPOSITE VERSE.
Composite verse is that which consists of various metres, or different feet, combined,—not accidentally, or promiscuously, but by design, and with some regularity. In Composite verse, of any form, the stress must be laid rhythmically, as in the simple orders, else the composition will be nothing better than unnatural prose. The possible variety of combinations in this sort of numbers is unlimited; but, the pure and simple kinds being generally preferred, any stated mixture of feet is comparatively uncommon. Certain forms which may be scanned by other methods, are susceptible also of division as Composites. Hence there cannot be an exact enumeration of the measures of this order, but instances, as they occur, may be cited to exemplify it.
Example I.—From Swift's Irish Feast.
"O'Rourk's | noble fare | will ne'er | be forgot,
By those | who were there, | or those | who were not.
His rev |-els to keep, | we sup | and we dine
On sev |-en score sheep, | fat bul |-locks, and swine.
Usquebaugh | to our feast | in pails | was brought up,
An hun |-dred at least, | and a mad |-der our cup.
O there | is the sport! | we rise | with the light,
In disor |-derly sort, | from snor |-ing all night.
O how | was I trick'd! | my pipe | it was broke,
My pock |-et was pick'd, | I lost | my new cloak.
I'm ri |-fled, quoth Nell, | of man |-tle and kerch |-er:
Why then | fare them well, | the de'il | take the search |-er."
Johnson's Works of the Poets, Vol. v, p. 310.
Here the measure is tetrameter; and it seems to have been the design of the poet, that each hemistich should consist of one iamb and one anapest. Such, with a few exceptions, is the arrangement throughout the piece; but the hemistichs which have double rhyme, may each be divided into two amphibrachs. In Everett's Versification, at p. 100, the first six lines of this example are broken into twelve, and set in three stanzas, being given to exemplify "The Line of a single Anapest preceded by an Iambus," or what he improperly calls "The first and shortest species of Anapestic lines." His other instance of the same metre is also Composite verse, rather than Anapestic, even by his own showing. "In the following example," says he, "we have this measure alternating with Amphibrachic lines:"
Example II.—From Byron's Manfred.
"The Captive Usurper,
Hurl'd down | from the throne.
Lay buried in torpor,
Forgotten and lone;
I broke through his slumbers,
I shiv |-er'd his chain,
I leagued him with numbers—
He's Ty |-rant again!
With the blood | of a mill |-ion he'll an |-swer my care,
With a na |-tion's destruc |-tion—his flight | and despair."
—Act ii, Sc. 3.
Here the last two lines, which are not cited by Everett, are pure anapestic tetrameters; and it may be observed, that, if each two of the short lines were printed as one, the eight which are here scanned otherwise, would become four of the same sort, except that these would each begin with an iambus. Hence the specimen sounds essentially as anapestic verse.