lled Synal[oe]pha, Ecthlipsis, Synaeresis, Diaeresis, and Caesura.

Synal[oe]pha is the cutting off a vowel at the end of a word, before
another at the beginning of the next; as

[O]cclUsIs EvAsi {o}c{u}lIs nAsOqu{e} cruEntO:

I came off with my eyes bunged up and a bloody nose.

We have here _knocked out an i_ in evasi, on the strength of a
synal[oe]pha.

But heu and o are never cut off-- at least there are no cases on record
in which this operation has been performed.

Ecthlipsis is as often as the letter m is cut off with its vowel; the
next word beginning with a vowel, as

MOnstrum hOrrEndum InfOrme IngEns-- spectAv{i}m{u}s hOrtIs:

We saw a horrible, ugly, great monster in the gardens.

If every _bear_ and _boar_ were kept in a den-- what a fine world this
would be.

Synaeresis is the contraction of two syllables into one, as in alvearia,
pronounced alvaria.

StrAv{i}t h{u}mI dEmEns cOnfErta AlveAr{i}{a} JUnO:

Mad Juno threw the crowded beehives on the ground.

Hydrophobia occurring in a queen bee from the bite of a dog would be an
interesting case to the faculty.

Diaeresis is the separation of one syllable into two, as evoluisse for
evolvisse. Thus Ovid says, alluding probably to the _padding_ system
adopted by dandies and theatrical artists,

DEb{u}{e}rant fUsOs Ev{o}l{u}Iss{e} s{u}Os:

They ought to have unwound their _spindles_.

Caesura is when after a perfect foot (though not one like Taglioni's),
a short syllable is made long at the end of a word, as

PEct{o}r{i}bUs {i}nh{i}Ans-- mOllEs, En, dEs{e}r{i}t AlAs:

Intent upon the breasts (of the fowls) lo! he deserts
the tender wings.

OF THE KINDS OF VERSES.

Should any one seek here for an account of every kind of verse used by
the Latin poets, all we can say is-- we wish he may get it. As it
behoveth no one to be wiser than the law, so it behoveth not us to be
wiser than the Eton Grammar.

The verses which boys are commonly taught to make are hexameters and
pentameters.

An hexameter verse consists of six feet. As the ancient heroes were at
least six feet high, this is probably the reason why it is also called
an _heroic_ verse.

The fifth foot in this kind of verse should be a dactyl, the sixth a
spondee; the other feet may be either dactyls or spondees; as

[O]bstAntI pl{u}v{i}Is vEnIt cUm tEgm{i}n{e} SAmbO:

Sambo came with his Macintosh.

The fifth foot also is sometimes a spondee, as