Dear David-
As I read the passage, it seems that Webbe is appalled at the change
in meter--"A" being a reference to a gratuitous syllabic addition in
order to allow for a rhyme. The end result, however, appears to be a
feminine rhyme, making "a iercke in the end."
I look forward to seeing other responses!
All the best,
Mitch
Mitchell M. Harris
Assistant Professor
Department of English
Augustana College
2001 S. Summit Ave.
Sioux Falls, SD 57197
(605) 274-5297
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"To stand inquiring right, is not to stray;
To sleep, or run wrong, is."
- John Donne
On Sep 15, 2011, at 1:44 PM, David Wilson-Okamura wrote:
> In A Discourse of Englishe Poetrie (1586), William Webbe dismisses
> “the vncountable rabble of ryming Ballet makers and compylers of
> sencelesse sonets” whose only claim to the name of poet is a “iust
> number of sillables, eyght in one line, sixe in an other, and there
> withall an A to make a iercke in the end” (ECE 1:246–47). Several
> years ago, I convinced myself that "an A" was the a-rhyme in a stanza.
> Now I am not so sure. Can anyone confirm, debunk, or replace this
> hypothesis?
>
> --
> Dr. David Wilson-Okamura http://virgil.org
> [log in to unmask]
> English Department Virgil reception, discussion,
> documents, &c
> East Carolina University Sparsa et neglecta coegi. -- Claude
> Fauchet
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