administer it to the learner-a process which, if it were possible, would make the study of philosophy very conve nient and easy." But for the very reason that he does not attempt this, and gives us only a "few finger-points" towards the right path, his directions are the more valuable and trustworthy.

In quitting our subject, we would say, to those of our readers who have leisure and ability for the prosecution of such studies, and who feel impelled to seek a farther acquaintance with Plato-go on. Even if you do not at first find that help from him which you seek, yet you may surely take the word of thousands who have gone before you, that a persevering study will furnish those aids to thoughtfulness, self-acquaintance, and true wisdom, which you may require. We are not deterred from saying this by the recollection that there are minds so inveterately Aristotelian that they will find no congenial elements in Platonism; because it may be safely taken for granted that such persons will not be induced, either by our exhortations, or by any other excitement, to pursue the study. In the meantime, there is one consolation which may support us under the grievous affliction of not being able to make all men see with our eyes; namely, that "the truth endureth, and is always strong; it shall live and conquer for ever more."

ART. III.-1. The Anglo-Saxon Poems, -Beowulf, The Traveller's Song, and The Battle of Finnes-burh. Edited by JOHN M. KEMBLE, Esq., M. A. of Trinity College, Cambridge. London: 1835. Second Edition. 12mo. 2. A History of English Rhythms. By EDWIN GUest, Esq., Fellow of Caius College, Cambridge. London: 1838. 2 vols. 8vo.

3. Rask's Anglo-Saxon Grammar. Part V. Of Versification. Copenhagen: 1830. 8vo.

4. Bosworth's Anglo-Saxon Grammar. Part IV. Prosody.

London: 1823. 8vo.

WE propose, in the following paper, to direct our inquiries to the very earliest age of English poetry-to the time, even,

when the Angle roamed in his native wood on the continent, and hence it may be necessary for us to state, as briefly as possible, some leading historical facts, in order that the reader who is not familiar with Saxon history, may see that we are fairly entitled to claim all the Anglo-Saxon remains as English, even though written before they left the continent.

The foundation of the Anglo-Saxon confederacy was laid by these tribes, speaking the Low German, as it is now sometimes called. (1.) The Jutes, who gained a foothold in Kent, and some of the islands on the coast, about A. D. 449. They afterwards obtained possession of a part of Hampshire. (2.) The Saxons. These laid the foundations of three kingdoms: (a) the South-Saxons, or South-Sax, now Sussex, about A. D. 491. (b) The West-Saxons, or West-Seaxe, including Berks, Wilts, Dorset, Somerset, Devon, and a part of Hampshire and Cornwall, about A. D. 519. (c) The East-Saxons, or East-Sax, now Essex, including Essex, Middlesex, (Middle-Sax,) and a part of Hertfordshire, about A. D. 527. (3.) The Angle, or Engle, who gained a foothold in Britain, and laid the foundation of the kingdom of Angle, since East-Anglia, including Norfolk, Suffolk, Cambridge, and a part of Bedfordshire, about A. D. 527. Other kingdoms were subsequently established, until the whole of what now forms England had been subjected to the rule of these foreign invaders.

The Angles migrated so numerously, as to leave their former country destitute of inhabitants. They gave their new residence the name of Engla-land, subsequently contracted to England. The Angles, or Englen, became, therefore, extinct on the continent; and consequently the present English are their only successors. All remains of the literature of that tribe, may, therefore, with the utmost propriety, be called English. After the migration of the Saxons to Britain, those in Britain were called Saxons, and those on the continent, Old Saxons. Subsequently, on the union of the several kingdoms, the two leading tribes, the Angles and the Saxons, gave name and character to the whole, and have since borne the title of Anglo-Saxon. Hence, also, it follows, that all the productions of the Saxons anterior to their migration into England, belong equally to the English and the Saxon. The remains of the early literature of these tribes are few, but such as have come down to us, are clearly entitled to a place among the early English productions. At present we are

only concerned with English poetry and poets, among which we rank the Angle, the Saxon, and the Anglo-Saxon.

But at the very outset of a history of poetry and poets, the inquiry presents itself, What is poetry? To this inquiry various answers have been given, some quite suitable to our purpose, and others wholly foreign to the object of our present inquiry. We shall state, therefore, distinctly, but briefly, what is that characteristic to be found in all poetry, which will be the main object of the brief history contained in this article. But to do this, we must attend a moment to the philosophy and manner of its production.

If we carefully consider the manner in which the voice proceeds from the glottis, we shall find that it does not continue to flow in a current of uniform size and force, but that it comes out in waves, or swells, so to speak. This is dependent, partly, at least, upon the process of inhaling and exhaling; perhaps, partly on the intermittent muscular action of that mechanism which produces vocal sounds. Now, it will be evident, at first sight, that a word spoken on the wave, or in the swell of the voice, will be uttered with greater force than one spoken in another part of the column of vocal sound. Such a syllable is said to be accented. More properly, it would be said to receive a syllabic emphasis. These accents naturally occur at regular intervals; generally on every other, or at farthest, on every third syllable, producing a measured cadence, which is called rhythm. Hence we derive the following definitions.

RHYTHM, OF POETRY, is that arrangement of heavy and light, or accented and unaccented syllables, which causes them to succeed each other in a systematic order, generally by twos or threes. In other words, poetry is the genuine language of animated nature, expressed in words whose heavy and light syllables correspond with the natural waves of the voice. Hence why it is so universally admired — why it abounds to such an extent in the literature of halfcivilized nations; and also, why we may be interested in the recitation of poetry of which we do not understand a word. RHYME is made when the words or syllables of certain corresponding rhythmical measures agree in sound.

But rhythm is of two kinds. First, that which depends upon the quantity or time of the syllables, as in the Greek, Latin, and Sanscrit; second, that which depends upon the accent, as in the Gothic languages. In the accentual rhythms, rhyme is

always found, and no nation, it is believed, has adopted the first, without also adopting the last. In the accentual rhythm there are three elements of rhyme: first, the vowels; second, the initial consonants; third, the final consonants; or, uniting all, fourth, the whole word. The different position of these syllables has given rise to several species of rhyme, all of which we shall briefly notice.

1. Perfect Rhyme is made when all the three elements of a rhyming syllable are combined. This is called rich rhyme by the French, and is much sought after. It is also desirable with them, that some of the letters of the preceding syllables should be alike.

"Then feir nocht

Nor heir nocht."- KING JAMES.

"Je vous veux devant elle expliquer sa naissance;

Vous verrez s'il le faut remettre en sa puissance."—RACINE.

The perfect rhyme is generally discountenanced in English, except in double or triple rhymes, when the light or unaccented syllables should rhyme perfectly.

In

"Then come ere a minut's gone,

For the long summer's day

Puts her wings swift as lin | nels on,
For hieing away."-CLARE.

2. Alliteration is when only the initial sounds of words correspond. This pervades all the earlier Saxon and English poetry. The rules for regulating this species of verse are thus laid down by RASK, (A. S. Grammar, § 423–432.) every alliterative couplet there must be three (and no more) syllables beginning with the same letter, two in the first section, and one in the last section. It is also to be observed, that the rhyming letters must always begin accented syllables. The rhyming letter of the second section is called the chief letter, and must be the first accented syllable in the section. The others are called sub-letters, and must begin the accented syllables of the first section. Thus Beowulf, 2: 17.

"þá Wæs æfter Wiste

Wop up-a-hafen.

Ther was after the feast
A cry up-raised."

But if the chief letter is a vowel, the sub-letter must also be a vowel; yet, if possible, not the same.

1: 118.

"Eotenas and Ylfe

and Orceas.

Thus Beowulf,

Giants and elves
and spectres."

This account of the principles of Anglo-Saxon versification, of which Rask supposed himself the discoverer, is but little, if any thing more, than a transcript of the rules given by OLAUS WORMIUS, (a learned Dane, who died 1654,) in his Literatura Danica, for Icelandic verse. And the same rules, in substance, had been given in the Háttalykill, or "Key to Versification," by Snorro Sturlson, three hundred years before. It was, however, suggested, soon after the appearance of Rask's grammar, by Rev. Dr. BOSWORTH, (A. S. Grammar, 8vo. London: 1823,) and it has since been proved by GUEST, (Hist. Eng. Rhyth.) that this account is better suited to the Icelandic, than to the Anglo-Saxon. A better account of the matter is given by Guest, in the work which stands at the head of this article.

(a) Every alliterative couplet has two accented syllables, with the same initial consonants, one in each section.

(b) Often, especially in the larger couplets, the first section has two such syllables. This custom grew up gradually, but after the ninth century may be considered as a law.

(c) Sometimes, though rarely, the second section has two such syllables. This point is denied by Rask, but it is clearly proved and sustained by Guest.

(d) The absence of consonants satisfies the alliteration; consequently no correspondence was here sought. Whether an effort was made to avoid it, as Rask declares, is a matter of doubt.

3. Vowel Rhyme occurs when the vowels agree in sound, no regard being paid to the consonants. This has never been used in English, but was common in Hiberno-Celtic.

4. Consonantal Rhyme occurs when the consonants agree in sound, no regard being paid to the vowels. When both the initial and final consonants correspond, it is called full consonantal rhyme.

5. Modern Alliterative Rhyme. This has been confounded with alliteration, but it differs from it, as that regarded only the initial consonants, while this regards initial syllables.

6. Final Rhyme. This is made by the agreement of the vowels and final consonants; and constitutes our common rhyme. It forms a principal characteristic of the middle and modern English poetry.

The origin of final rhyme is involved in much obscurity, and has given rise to considerable discussion. Rask tells us that final rhyme has been used in Anglo-Saxon up to the earliest