iori_ that the participle will be in the
instrumental case, when such exists in the language: and when not, in some
case allied to it, i.e., the ablative or dative.

In Latin the ablative is the case that is used absolutely. _Sole orto,
claruit dies._

In Anglo-Saxon the absolute case was the dative. This is logical.

In the present English, however, the nominative is the absolute case. _He
made the best proverbs, him alone excepted_, is an expression of
Tillotson's. We should now write _he alone excepted_. The present mode of
expression is only to be justified by considering the nominative form to be
a dative one, just as in the expression _you are here_, the word _you_,
although an accusative, is considered as a nominative. A real nominative
absolute is as illogical as a real accusative case governing a verb.

* * * * *

PART VI.

PROSODY.

s. 520. The word _Prosody_ is derived from a Greek word (_prosodia_)
signifying _accent_. It is used by Latin and English grammarians in a wider
sense, and includes not only the doctrines of accent and quantity, but also
the laws of metre and versification.

s. 521. Observe the accents in the following lines:--

Then f['a]re thee w['e]ll, mine ['o]wn dear l['o]ve,
The w['o]rld hath n['o]w for ['u]s
No gre['a]ter gri['e]f, no pa['i]n ab['o]ve
The pa['i]n of p['a]rting th['u]s.--MOORE.

Here the syllables accented are the 2nd, 4th, 6th, 8th, 10th, 12th, 14th,
16th, 18th, 20th, 22nd, 24th, 26th, 28th; that is, every other
syllable.--Again,

At the cl['o]se of the d['a]y, when the h['a]mlet is st['i]ll,
And the m['o]rtals the swe['e]ts of forg['e]tfulness pr['o]ve,
And when n['o]ught but the t['o]rrent is he['a]rd on the h['i]ll,
And there's n['o]ught but the n['i]ghtingale's s['o]ng in the
gr['o]ve.--BEATTIE.

Here the syllables accented are the 3rd, 6th, 9th, 12th, 15th, 18th, 21st,
24th, 27th, 30th, 33rd, 36th, 39th, 42nd, 45th, 48th; that is, every third
syllable.

s. 522. _Metre is a general term for the recurrence within certain
intervals of syllables similarly affected._ The syllables that have just
been numbered are similarly affected, being similarly accented. Accent is
not the only quality of a syllable, which by returning at regular intervals
can constitute metre. It is the one, however, upon which English metre
depends. English metre essentially consists in the regular recurrence of
syllables