V. The long vowels 7, w, and the doubtful v, are never elided. VI. A diphthong cannot be elided before a short or doubtful vowel. VII. The diphthongs of the nominative plural of nouns are never elided either in Attic or Homeric Greek. VIII. The diphthong at is never elided by the tragic writers in the first or third persons of verbs, nor in the infinitive.1 IX. The elision of ou, even in the words μoì, ooì, Toì, is totally denied by some scholars, and allowed by others only in the case of oiμo before w.3 X. The short vowel is sometimes, in Attic Greek, cut off by apheresis from the beginning of a word, after a long vowel or diphthong in the close of the preceding word. XI. The instances in which the initial a appears to be so cut off, are, according to Elmsley, better referred to crasis. Hence, in his opinion, such forms as un 'μalɛi and μὴ 'ποτίσασθαι, ought to be pronounced μἀμαθεῖ and μάποτίσασθαι.5 Of Crasis and Synizesis. I. The article, followed by a short, always coalesces into ubi confusio inde oriri posset, i. e., in aoristis primis et perfectis.” Blomf. ad Esch. Choëph. 841. 1. Erfurdt, ad Soph. Aj. 190, where an examination and correction of the different passages that militate against this canon may be seen. On the same side is Elmsley, ad Eurip. Iph. Taur. 678. (Mus. Crit. vol. ii., p. 292.) Hermann, however, seems inclined not to make the rule so absolute a one, in his remarks on Soph. Philoct. 1060. "Non ubique equidem elisionem diphthongi defendam, sed hic eam nolim sine librorum auctoritate removeri. Nam minus suaviter ad aures accedit ep0nooμa cum ictu in ultima ante cæsuram," &c. 2. Elmsley, ad Eurip. Med. 56. "Sed hodie inter omnes fere eruditos convenit, dativum poì elisionem pati non posse, licet cum quibusdam vocibus per crasin coalescere possit." 3. Blomfield, Remarks on Matthiæ, G. G. p. xxxvii., third edition. Incorporated into the fifth edition by Kenrick, p. 87. Compare Soph. Aj. 587.-Koen. ad Greg. Corinth. p. 171. 4. Sandford, Gr. Pros. p. 299, in notis. 5. Elmsley, ad Eurip. Heracl. 460. long a ; as, ὁ ἀνήρ into ἀνήρ; τοῦ ἀνδρὸς into τἀνδρὸς, and the like.1 II. Kai never makes a crasis with ev, except in compounds; and never with ảɛì. III. In words joined by crasis, as κάτι, κάν, κἂν (for καὶ ἔτι, καὶ ἐν, καὶ ἂν), and the like, i should not be subscribed except where kaì forms a crasis with a diphthong containing an iota ; as, κᾆτα for καὶ εἶτα ; but κἀπι for καὶ ἐπί, &c. IV. Μή οὐ and ἤ οὐ always coalesce into one syllable with the Attics; thus, Tò μǹ oỶ Tód' ayyos (Trach. 622), is to be pronounced τὸ μου τόδ' ἄγγος, &c. V. Both in tragic and comic versification, a very frequent synizesis occurs in the words ἢ εἰδέναι, and μὴ εἰδέναι ; in ἐπεί οὐ, in ἐγώ ού, and in the concurrence of ω ον, and ω ει. VI. The tragic writers make the genitive singular and plural of the third declension in ɛwç, ɛwv either monosyllabic or dissyllabic, as suits the verse. Of Hiatus in the Iambic Trimeter,2 &c. I. Hiatus of any kind is not admitted by the tragic writers into their iambic and trochaic measures. But observe that, II. When a vowel in the end of a word, after another vowel or diphthong, is elided, a collision takes place between the preceding vowel or diphthong and the vowel or diphthong at the beginning of the next word; thus, Πασῶν ἀναίδει ̓ εὖ δ ̓ ἐποίησας μολῶν, Τεκμήρι ̓ ἀνθρώποισιν ὤπασας σαφῆ. III. The hiatus after Tɩ and otɩ is admitted in comedy; as, Tí að, Arist. Thesm. 852; tí ďv, Plut. 464; öri ȧxθέσεται, Αυ. 84 ; ὅτι οὐ, Ach. 516, &c. IV. In exclamations and the use of interjections, the 1. Dawes, Misc. Crit. p. 481, ed. Kidd.-Matthie G. G. § 54. The Ionians and Dorians, on the contrary, contracted 'výp, Túvdρós, &c. 2. Sandford's Gr. Pros. p. 308. 14 tragic writers sometimes allow a long vowel or diphthong to stand before a vowel; thus, Οτοτοῖ, Λύκει ̓ Απολλον· οἳ ἐγὼ ἐγώ. 'Ω οὗτος Αἴας, δεύτερον σε προσκολώ. (Esch. Αg. 1228.) (Soph. Αj. 89.) V. Interjections, such as pɛũ, pɛũ, &c., often occur extra metrum, and sometimes other words, especially in passages of emotion; thus, Τάλαινα· οὐκ ἔστιν ἄλλη· φαιδρὰ γ ̓ οὖν ἀπ ̓ ὀμμάτων. VI. The diphthongs at and or are occasionally shortened by the Attic poets before a vowel in the middle of a word; as, Παλαιόν τε θησαύρισμα Διονύσου τόδε. (Eurip. Electr. 500.) Καμ ̓ ἂν τοιαύτῃ χειρὶ τιμωρεῖν θέλοι. (Ed. Τ. 140.) Of the Comic and Satyric Trimeter I. The comic iambic trimeter admits an anapæst into the first five places of the verse; as, Καταβᾶ | καταβα | καταβα | καταβᾶ Η καταβη | σομαι. || (Vesp. 979.) II. It also admits a dactyl into the fifth place; thus, Πυθοίμ | εθ ̓ ἂν [] τὸν χρησμ [ δν ἡ ][ μῶν ὅτι | νοεῖ. || (Plut. 55.) III. It allows of lines without cæsura; and, though somewhat rarely, such also as divide the line by the dipodia of scansion; thus, 1. Compare the language of Blomfield, ad loc. "Notanda est ultima syllaba rov ky in hiatu porrecta. Hoc ut recte fiat, hiatus in ictum cadere debet." 2. Ed. Col. 318. Compare Trach. 1087.-Electr. 1159, &c. 3. Compare page 4, note 3. 4. Gaisford, ad Hephast. p. 242.-Tate, Introd. p. 9.-Hermann, Elem. Doctr. Metr. p. 80, ed. Glasg. ̓Απολῶ τὸν ἄνθρωπον κάκιστα τουτονί. (Plut. 68.) Σπονδὰς φέρεις | τῶν ἀμπέλων | τετμημένων ; (Ach. 183.) IV. It violates the rule respecting the Porsonian pause; thus, (Ιb. 29.) Δοῦλον γενέσθαι παραφρονοῦντος | δεσπότου. (Plut. 2.) (Ιb. 63.) V. It permits also the concurrence of resolved feet, yet not so that an anapæst should come after a dactyl or tribrach. VI. The iambic trimeter of the satyric drama appears, in its structure, to occupy a middle place between the nicety of the tragic laws and the extreme license of comedy; as far, indeed, as we are able to form any opinion concerning it from the scanty remains that have come down to our times.1 VII. The anapast is found, as in the case of the comic trimeter, in the first five places of the verse; the pause is in like manner neglected, and trisyllabic or resolved feet are of frequent occurrence.2 We will now return to the most important of the remaining iambic measures. 8. Trimeter Catalectic. ἔχῶν [ ἔμ' ῶσ | τε ναῦσ | ἱπομπ | ὅν αῦρ | αν. 9. Trimeter Brachycatalectic. Švyēvт | ă πaid || ŏπoī | ŏv ā || Sõvāv. | 10. Scazon, or Choliambus. ☎ç oì | μěv ā || yɛi Bov | nặλṣ || kĀTĪ | PāVTō. || 1. The only satyric drama that has reached us is the Cyclops of Euripides. 2. Gaisford (ad Hephast. p. 242) inclines to exclude the anapæst from the third place in the satyric trimeter, but without sufficient authority. On the occurrence of trisyllabic feet, consult Casaubon, de Sat. Poes. p. 222 222. I. This measure is nothing more than the iambic trimeter acatalectic, with a spondee instead of an iambus for the sixth foot. Hence its name of scazon (σkášwv, “limping") or choliambus (xwλíaubos, "lame iambus"). II. The fifth foot is generally an iambus, since the line would otherwise be too heavy if both the fifth and sixth feet were spondees; though instances of this kind occur even in Theocritus; as, ὁ μου | σοποι || ὃς ἐν | θάδ' Ιππ || ὢναξ | κεῖται || εἰ μὲν | πονη | ρὸς μὴ | ποτέρχ || εν τῷ [ τύμβῳ. [ III. This species of verse is also called the Hipponactic trimeter, from the virulent poet Hipponax, who invented it, and after whose example it was employed for purposes of railing and sarcasm. The writers who used it constructed it generally in the neatest and most exact manner, rarely employing resolutions, and entirely avoiding the anapæst, except that Babrius has sometimes taken it into the first place. The tragic writers abstained altogether from this measure, nor did the comic poets use it, unless, perhaps, with allusion to the iambic writers, as Eupolis in the Baptæ (ap. Priscian, p. 1328).1 11. Tetrameter Catalectic. εῖ μοῖ | γένοῖ | τὸ πᾶρ | θενος || καλή | τε καὶ || τερεῖ | να. || I. This measure was much used by the comic poets, but not at all by the tragic writers. It may be considered as two dimeters, the first complete, the second wanting one. syllable.2 1. Hermann, Elem. Doctr. Metr. p. 94, ed. Glasg. 2. The iambic tetrameter catalectic is used also in English; as in the song called "Miss Bailey," viz., "A captain bold from Halifax," &c. It forms also the prevalent measure of the modern Greek poetry, or, in other words, it is their heroic verse. (Consult Fauriel, Chants populaires de la Grèce Moderne, vol. i., p. cxix., Disc. Prelim.) The following lines will illustrate this, the pronunciation being regulated entirely by accent: |