han the first, which is all
that makes an Iambick _Latin_ Foot.

The following Words, _People_, _Substance_, _Angels_, _Chearful_, and
the like, are all Trochaick Feet; for it is easily observ'd, that the
first Syllable dwells longer on the Ear than the latter.

I wonder that _Vossius_, who was a Canon of _Windsor_, did not
perceive this in the Metre which he could not but often have heard at
Church.

"All People that on Earth do dwell
Sing to the Lord with chearful Voice.

Suppose these two Lines were alter'd thus,

"All ye People that on Earth dwell,
Sing to the Lord with Voice chearful.

Here the natural Sound of the Words _People_ and _Chearful_ is very
much alter'd, by their being wrong plac'd; or rather, the Verse is
quite destroy'd: But to chuse an Example from _Milton_.

"And if our _Substance_ be _indeed Divine_.--

Let this be alter'd,

"And indeed Divine if be our Substance.--

Is not the Verse quite destroy'd by this Alteration? And does it not
appear to be so, because _Indeed_ and _Divine_, which are Iambick
Feet, are plac'd as if they were Trochaick, and _Substance_, which is
a Trochaick Foot, is plac'd as if it were an Iambick? But I might have
omitted the altering of this Line of _Milton_'s, if I had thought of
one in _Cowley's Davideis_, which is as barbarous as it is possible
for the Wit of Man to make a Verse.

"To Divine Nobe directs then his Flight.
_Lib. 3. v. 3._

_Nobe_, Mr. _Cowley_ says in his Notes, he puts instead of _Nob_,
because that Word seem'd to him to be _unheroical_. But that is not
what I am chiefly to take notice of. _Divine_ and _Directs_ are both
Iambicks, but Mr. _Cowley_ has made them both Trochaicks, which makes
this Line so terrible to the Ear.

It is plain that _Vossius_, who came into _England_ when he was pretty
much advanc'd in Years, and in all probability convers'd chiefly in
_Latin_ or _French_, knew nothing at all of the Pronunciation of
_English_ Words. We have as certainly Feet or Numbers in our Language,
as in the _Latin_; and indeed the _Latin_ seems to me to be rather
more arbitrary in this respect than the _English_. What Reason can be
given why _ma_ in _manus_ is short, and _ma_ in _manes_ long? Why is
_a_ in _amens_ long, and _a_ in _amans_ short, and the like of other
Words too numerous to relate?

That all _English_ Verses are _Iambick_, appears most plainly by
considerin