er like
were the obseruations of the Greeke and Latine versifiers.

_CHAP. XIIII_.

_Of your feet of three times, and first of the Dactil._

Your feete of three times by prescription of the Latine Grammariens are of
eight sundry proportions, for some notable difference appearing in euery
sillable of three falling in a word of that size: but because aboue the
_antepenultima_ there was (among the Latines) none accent audible in any
long word, therfore to deuise any foote of longer measure then of three
times was to them but superfluous: because all aboue the number of three
are but compounded of their inferiours. Omitting therefore to speake of
these larger feete, we say that of all your feete of three times the
_Dactill_ is most usuall and fit for our vulgar meeter, & most agreeable
to the eare, specially if ye ouerlade not your verse with too many of them
but here and there enterlace a _Iambus_ or some other foote of two times
to giue him grauitie and stay, as in this _quadrein Trimeter_ or of three
measures.
_Rende`r a`gai-ne mi`e li-be`rti`e
a`nd se-t yo`ur ca-pti`ue fre-e
Glo-ri`ou`s i`s the` vi-cto`ri`e
Co-nque`ro`urs u-se wi`th le-ni`ti`e_

Where ye see euery verse is all of a measure, and yet vnegall in number of
sillables: for the second verse is but of sixe sillables, where the rest
are of eight. But the reason is for that in three of the same verses are
two _Dactils_ a peece, which abridge two sillables in euery verse: and so
maketh the longest euen with the shortest. Ye may note besides by the
first verse, how much better some _bisillable_ becommeth to peece out an
other longer foote then another word doth: for in place of [_render_] if
ye had sayd [_restore_] it had marred the _Dactil_, and of necessitie
driuen him out at length to be a verse _Iambic_ of foure feet, because
[_render_] is naturally a _Trocheus_ & makes the first two times of a
_dactil._ [_Restore_]is naturally a _Iambus_, & in this place could not
possibly haue made a pleasant _dactil_.

Now againe if ye will say to me that these two words [_libertie_] and
[_conquerours_] be not precise _Dactils_ by the Latine rule. So much will
I confesse to, but since they go currant inough vpon the tongue and be so
vsually pronounced, they may passe wel inough for _Dactils_ in our vulgar
meeters, & that is inough for me, seeking but to fashion an art, & not to
finish it: which time only & custom haue authoritie to do, specially in
a