A History of English Versification

by J. Schipper

Of Álbion’s glórious ísle | the wónders whílst I wríte,

The súndry várying sóils, | the pléasures ínfiníte.

Drayton, Polyolbion, ll. 1, 2.

These are the principal forms of rhythmical sections made up of disyllabic feet that occur in Middle English and Modern English Poetry.

§ 78. The breaking up of these long lines (consisting of two rhythmical sections) into shorter lines is usually effected by rhyme. Thus, if both rhythmical sections of the acatalectic tetrameter are divided by what is called leonine rhyme we get the short four-foot couplet imitated from the French vers octosyllabe, as in the following verses taken from the Middle English A lutel soth sermon (ll. 17–20):

He máde him ínto hélle fálle,

And éfter hím his chíldren álle;

Þér he wás fortó ure dríhte

Hine bóhte míd his míhte.