The English Language

by R. G. Latham

a a x a x	a x a x a x
a x x a x	a x a x a x
a x x a x	a x a x a x
	a x x a x
a x x a x	a x a x a x
a x x a x	a x a x a x
a x x a x	a x a x a x
	a x x a x

Latin Asclepiad.

Horace, Od. I. i., 1-6.

x a x a x x	a x x a x x
a x x a x x	a x a x a x
a x a x a x x	a x x a x x
a x a x a x	a x x a x x
a x a x a x	a x x a x x
x a x a x x	a x x a x a x

Latin Hexameter.

Æn. i., 1-5.

a x x a x a x a x x a x x a x

x a x x a x a x x x a x x a x

a x x x a x a x x x a x x a x

x a x x a x a x x x a x x a x.

A longer list of examples would show us that, throughout the whole of the classical metres the same accents recur, sometimes with less, and sometimes with but very little more irregularity than they recur in the unsymmetrical metres of our own language.

[§ 665]. Conversion of English into classical metres.—In the preface to his Translation of Aristophanes, Mr. Walsh has shown (and, I believe, for the first time), that, by a different distribution of lines, very fair hexameters may be made out of the well-known lines on the Burial of Sir John Moore:—

Not a drum was