See also:

• ALLITERATION (from Lat. ad, to, and littera, letter)

ALLITERATION (from See also:

• LAT

Lat. ad, to, and littera, See also:

• LETTER (through Fr. lettre from Lat. littera or litera, letter of the alphabet; the origin of the Latin word is obscure; it has probably no connexion with the root of linere, to smear, i.e. with wax, for an inscription with a stilus)

letter)  , the commencing of two or more words, in See also:

• CLOSE
• CLOSE (from Lat. clausum, shut)
• CLOSE, MAXWELL HENRY (1822-1903)

close juxtaposition, with the same See also:

• SOUND
• SOUND, THE (Danish Oresund)

sound . As See also:

• MILTON
• MILTON, JOHN (1608–1674)

Milton defined See also:

• RHYME

rhyme to be " the jingling sound of like endings," so See also:

• ALLITERATION (from Lat. ad, to, and littera, letter)

alliteration is the jingle of like beginnings . All See also:

• LANGUAGE (adapted from the Fr. langage, from langue, tongue, Lat. lingua)

language has a tendency to jingle in both ways, even in See also:

• PROSE

prose . Thus in prose we speak of " near and dear," " high and dry," " See also:

• HEALTH

health and See also:

• WEALTH

wealth." But the initial See also:

• FORM (Lat. forma)

form of jingle is much more See also:

• COMMON

common—" safe and sound," " thick and thin," " weal or woe," " See also:

• FAIR

fair or foul," " spick and span," " See also:

• FISH (O. Eng. fist, a word common to Teutonic languages, cf. Dutch visch, Ger. Fisch, Goth. fisks, cognate with the Lat. piscis)
• FISH, HAMILTON (1808-1893)

fish, flesh, or See also:

• FOWL (Dan. Fugl, Ger. Vogel)

fowl," " kith and See also:

• KIN (0. E. cyn, a word represented in nearly all Teutonic languages, cf. Du. kunne, Dan. and Swed. kon, Goth kuni, tribe; the Teutonic base is kunya; the equivalent Aryan root gan- to beget, produce, is seen in Gr. 'yEvos, Lat. genus, cf. "kind")

kin." The poets of nearly all times and See also:

• TONGUES, GIFT OF, or GLOSSOLALIA (yXwova, tongue, aXeiv, speak)

tongues have not been slow to seize upon the emphasis which could thus be produced . Although mainly Germanic in its See also:

• CHARACTER (Gr. xapareri7p, from xap&crew, to scratch)

character, alliteration was known to the Latins, especially in See also:

• EARLY
• EARLY, JUBAL ANDERSON (1816-1894)

early times, and See also:

• CICERO

Cicero blames See also:

• ENNIUS, QUINTUS (239-170 B.c.)

Ennius for See also:

• WRITING
• WRITING (the verbal noun of " to write," O. Eng. writan, to inscribe)

writing " 0 See also:

• TITE, SIR WILLIAM (1798-1873)

Tite tute, See also:

• TATI

Tati, tibi See also:

• TANTA

tanta, tyranne, tulisti." See also:

• LUCRETIUS (TITUS LUCRETIUS CARUS) (c. 98–55 B.C.)

Lucretius did not disdain to employ it as an See also:

• ORNAMENT (Lat. ornare, to adorn)

ornament . We read in See also:

• SHAKESPEARE, WILLIAM (1564-1616)

Shakespeare: " Full See also:

• FATHOM

fathom five thy See also:

• FATHER

father lies: Of his bones are See also:

• CORALS (KoRAis), ADAMANTIOS [in French, DIAMANT CORAY] (1748–1833)

corals made." In See also:

• POPE (Gr. irarraas, post-classical Lat. papa, father)
• POPE, ALEXANDER (1688–1744)
• POPE, ALEXANDER (1763-1835)
• POPE, JANE (1742-1818)
• POPE, JOHN (1822-1892)
• POPE, SIR THOMAS (c. 1507-1559)

Pope: " Here files of pins extend their shining rows, Puffs, powders, patches, bibles, See also:

• BILLET

billet-doux." In See also:

• GRAY
• GRAY (or GREY), WALTER DE (d. 1255)
• GRAY, ASA (1810-1888)
• GRAY, DAVID (1838-1861)
• GRAY, ELISHA (1835-1901)
• GRAY, HENRY PETERS (1819-18/7)
• GRAY, HORACE (1828–1902)
• GRAY, JOHN DE (d. 1214)
• GRAY, JOHN EDWARD (1800–1875)
• GRAY, PATRICK GRAY, 6TH BARON (d. 1612)
• GRAY, ROBERT (1809-1872)
• GRAY, SIR THOMAS (d. c. 1369)
• GRAY, THOMAS (1716-1771)

Gray: "Weave the warp and weave the woof, The winding-See also:

• SHEET

sheet of See also:

• EDWARD

Edward's See also:

• RACE

race." In See also:

• COLERIDGE, HARTLEY (1796-1849)
• COLERIDGE, JOHN DUKE COLERIDGE, 1ST BARON
• COLERIDGE, SAMUEL TAYLOR (1772-1834)
• COLERIDGE, SARA (1802–1852)
• COLERIDGE, SIR JOHN TAYLOR (1790-1876)

Coleridge: " The fair See also:

• BREEZE

breeze blew, the See also:

• WHITE
• WHITE, ANDREW DICKSON (1832– )
• WHITE, GILBERT (1720–1793)
• WHITE, HENRY KIRKE (1785-1806)
• WHITE, HUGH LAWSON (1773-1840)
• WHITE, JOSEPH BLANCO (1775-1841)
• WHITE, RICHARD GRANT (1822-1885)
• WHITE, ROBERT (1645-1704)
• WHITE, SIR GEORGE STUART (1835– )
• WHITE, SIR THOMAS (1492-1567)
• WHITE, SIR WILLIAM ARTHUR (1824--1891)
• WHITE, SIR WILLIAM HENRY (1845– )
• WHITE, THOMAS (1628-1698)
• WHITE, THOMAS (c. 1550-1624)

white foam flew, The furrow followed See also:

• FREE

free; We were the first that ever burst Into that silent See also:

• SEA (in O. Eng. sae, a common Teutonic word; cf. Ger. See, Dutch Zee, &c.; the ultimate source is uncertain)
• SEA, COMMAND OF THE

sea." See also:

• CHURCHILL (MISSINNIPPI or ENGLISH)
• CHURCHILL, CHARLES (1731-1764)
• CHURCHILL, LORD RANDOLPH HENRY SPENCER (1849-1895)

Churchill describes himself, in his Prophecy of See also:

• FAMINE (Lat. fames, hunger)

Famine, as one " Who often, but without success, had prayed For See also:

• APT

apt alliteration's artful aid," an example which is itself a See also:

• PROOF (in M. Eng. preove, proeve, preve, &°c., from O. Fr . prueve, proeve, &c., mod. preuve, Late. Lat. proba, probate, to prove, to test the goodness of anything, probus, good)

proof of his failure; for alliteration is never effective unless it runs upon consonants . As thus far considered, alliteration is a See also:

• DEVICE

device wholly dependent on the poet's See also:

• FANCY (a shortened form, dating from the 15th century, of " fantasy," which is derived through the O. Fr. fantasie, modern fantaisie. from the Latinized form of the Gr. cbavraoia, Oavrai'ecv, Oat Pais, to show)

fancy . He may use it or not, or use it much or little, at his See also:

• PLEASURE (through Fr. plaisir from Lat. placere, to please; Gr. rlbovii)

pleasure . But there is an extensive range of See also:

• TEUTONIC
• TEUTONIC (GERMANIC) LANGUAGES

Teutonic See also:

• POETRY

poetry whose metrical See also:

• LAWS

laws are entirely based on alliteration . This, for example, is the principle on which Icelandic See also:

• VERSE (from Lat. versus, literally a line or furrow drawn by turning the plough, from vertere, and afterwards signifying an arrangement of syllables into feet)

verse is founded; and we have a yet nearer See also:

• INTEREST

interest in it, because it furnishes the See also:

• KEY
• KEY (in O. Eng. tang; the ultimate origin of the word is unknown; it appears only in Old Frisian kei of other Teutonic languages; until the end of the 17th century the pronunciation was kay, as in other words in O. Eng. ending in aeg; cf. daeg, day; clang
• KEY (the phraseograms being indicated by hyphens)
• KEY, SIR ASTLEY COOPER (1821-1888)
• KEY, THOMAS HEWITT (1799-1875)

key to Anglo-Saxon and a large portion of early See also:

• ENGLISH

English verse . For a specimen take the following lines, the spelling modernized, from the beginning of Piers the Plowman: " But in a May See also:

• MORNING

morning I on See also:

• MALVERN

Malvern hills, Me befel a ferly I of See also:

• FAIRY (Fr. fee, faerie; Prov. facia; Sp. hada; Ital. fata; med. Lat. fatare, to enchant, from Lat. fatum, fate, destiny)

fairy methought; I was weary of wandering I and went me to See also:

• REST (O. Eng. rest, reste, bed, cognate with other Teutonic forms, e.g. Ger. Rast, Riiste, rest, and probably Gothic Rasta, league, i.e. resting or stopping place)

rest Under a broad See also:

• BANK

bank I by a See also:

• BURN, RICHARD (1709-1785)

burn-See also:

• SIDE
• SIDE (mod. Eski Adalia)

side; And as I See also:

• LAY

lay and leaned 1 and looked on the See also:

• WATERS, TERRITORIAL

waters, I slumbered in a sleeping I it sounded so merry." The See also:

• RULE

rule of this verse is indifferent as to the number of syllables it may contain, but imperative as to the number of accented ones . The See also:

• LINE

line is divided in the See also:

• MIDDLE

middle by a pause, and each See also:

• HALF

half ought to contain two accented syllables .

Of the four accented syllables, the first three should begin with the same See also:

• LETTER (through Fr. lettre from Lat. littera or litera, letter of the alphabet; the origin of the Latin word is obscure; it has probably no connexion with the root of linere, to smear, i.e. with wax, for an inscription with a stilus)

letter; the See also:

• FOURTH

fourth is free and may start with any letter . Those who wish for a more See also:

• MINUTE
• MINUTE (Lat. minutes, small; minuere, to make less)

minute See also:

• ANALYSIS (Gr. avci and Meta, to break up into parts)

analysis of the laws of alliterative verse, as practised by the Anglo-Saxon and early English poets, may consult an exhaustive See also:

• ESSAY, ESSAYIST (Fr. essai, Late Lat. exagium, a weighing or balance; exigere, to examine; the term in general meaning any trial or effort)

essay on the subject by See also:

• PROFESSOR (the Latin noun formed from the verb profiteri, to declare publicly, to acknowledge, profess)

Professor W . W . See also:

• SKEAT, WALTER WILLIAM (1835– )

Skeat, prefixed to vol. iii. of See also:

• BISHOP (A.S. bisceop, from Lat. episcopus, Gr. irio-Korros, " overlooker " or " overseer ")
• BISHOP, ISABELLA (1832-1904)
• BISHOP, SIR HENRY ROWLEY (1786-1855)

Bishop See also:

• PERCY (FAMILY)
• PERCY, SIR HENRY
• PERCY, THOMAS (1729-1811)
• PERCY, THOMAS (c. 156o-16os)

Percy's See also:

• FOLIO (properly the ablative case of the Lat. folium, leaf, but also frequently an adaptation of the Ital. foglio)

Folio See also:

• MANUSCRIPT

Manuscript; only the reader must be on his guard against an See also:

• ERROR (Lat. error, from errare, to wander, to err)

error which pervades it, and which this able writer seems to have derived from See also:

• RASK, RASMUS CHRISTIAN (1787-1832)

Rask . The question arises—What is the nature of the See also:

• CADENCE (through the Fr. from the Lat. cadentia, from cadere, to fall)

cadence in alliterative verse ? Now all metrical See also:

• MOVEMENT

movement is of two kinds, according as the See also:

• BEAT (a word common in various forms to the Teutonic languages; it is connected with the similar Romanic words derived from the Late Lat. battere)

beat or emphasis begins the movement or ends it . If the beat is initial, we say in classical language that the movement is See also:

• TROCHAIC (from Gr. rpoxalos, rpoxaixos; Lat. trochaeus)

trochaic or dactylic, according to the number of its syllables; and if the beat is final, we in like manner say that the movement is See also:

• IAMBIC

iambic or anapaestic . Skeat and many others See also:

• OBJECT

object with some See also:

• REASON (Lat. ratio, through French raison)

reason to use the classical terms, and therefore brushing them aside, let us put the question in the simplest form—Has the movement of alliterative verse got the initial or the final beat ? In the middle of the 18th See also:

• CENTURY (from Lat. centuria, a division of a hundred men)

century Bishop Percy decided this question with sufficient accuracy, though he mixed up his statement with a blunder which it is not easy to See also:

• ACCOUNT
• ACCOUNT (through O. Fr. acont, Late Lat. comptum, cornputare, to calculate)

account for . He points out how the poets began to introduce rhyme into alliterative verse, until at length rhyme came to predominate over alliteration, and " thus was this See also:

• KIND (O. E. ge-cynde, from the same root as is seen in " kin," supra)

kind of See also:

• METRE ((terpuc?, sc. rFxvf, from Gr. Or poi', measure)

metre at length swallowed up and lost in the common See also:

• BURLESQUE (Ital. burlesco, from burla, a joke, fun, playful trick)

burlesque Alexandrine or anapaestic verse, as " A cobbler there was, and he lived in a See also:

• STALL (0. Eng. steall, stael, cf. Du. stal, Ger. and Swed. Stall, a common Teutonic word for a place, station, place for standing in; the root is the Indo-European std–, to stand, seen also in Latin stabulum, Greek vraO bs, and in stallion, an entire hors

stall." Percy made a serious See also:

• MISTAKE (i.e. take amiss)

mistake when he gave the name of Alexandrine to anapaestic verse; but he is quite right in his See also:

• GENERAL
• GENERAL (Lat. generalis, of or relating to a genus, kind or class)

general statement that alliterative verse became lost in a measure the movement of which had the final beat . See also:

• CONYBEARE, WILLIAM DANIEL (1787–1857)
• CONYBEARE, WILLIAM JOHN (1815–1857)

Conybeare has stated the fact still more accurately . " In the Saxon poetry a trochaic character is predominant .

In Piers the Plowman there is a prevailing tendency to an anapaestic cadence." It is the result of a See also:

• CHANGE (derived through the Fr. from the Late Lat. cambium, cambiare, to barter; the ultimate derivation is probably from the root which appears in the Gr. «a urmu', to bend)

change in the language—the loss of See also:

• INFLEXION (from Lat. inflectere, to bend)

inflexion . Take the word See also:

• MAN
• MAN, ISLE OF (anc. Mona)

man . The genitive in Saxon would be mannes, a trochee; in English, of man, an iambus . The tendency of the language was thus to pass from a metrical movement, in which the beat was initial, to one in which it was final . It may therefore be quite right to speak of Anglo-Saxon alliterative poetry as trochaic or dactylic, and quite wrong to apply the same terms to the cadence of our later alliterative verse . And this is precisely the error into which Skeat has fallen . He says—" Lines do not always begin with a loud syllable, but often one or two and sometimes (in early English especially) even three soft syllables precede it . These syllables are necessary to the sense, but not to the scansion of the line." That is just the point at issue . By leaving out of account the See also:

• LIGHT

light syllable or syllables at the beginning of a line, and taking his start from the first syllable that has the alliterative beat, Skeat may certainly prove that all the later alliterative poetry has a movement of initial beat . But English ears will not submit to this rule . It is those light syllables of no account which have altered the See also:

• RHYTHM (Greek pvBµds, from bap, to flow)

rhythm of English descant from one of initial to one of final beat .