legie,
Epitaph, Epigramme or such meetres, of plaine concord not harmonically
entertangled, as some other songs of more delicate musick be.

A staffe of foure verses containeth in it selfe matter sufficient to make
a full periode or complement of sence, though it doe not alwayes so, and
therefore may go by diuisions.

A staffe of fiue verses, is not much vsed because he that can not
comprehend his periode in foure verses, will rather driue it into six then
leaue it in fiue, for that the euen number is more agreeable to the eare
then the odde is.

A staffe of sixe verses, is very pleasant to the eare, and also serueth
for a greater complement then the inferiour staues, which maketh him more
commonly to be vsed.

A staffe of seuen verses, most vsuall with our auncient makers, also the
staffe of eight, nine and ten of larger complement then the rest, are
onely vsed by the later makers, & vnlesse they go with very good bande, do
not so well as the inferiour staues. Therefore if ye make your staffe of
eight, by two fowers not entertangled, it is not a huitaine or a staffe of
eight, but two quadreins, so is it in ten verses, not being entertangled
they be but two staues of fiue.

_CHAP. III._

_Of proportion in measure._

Meeter and measure is all one, for what the Greekes call [Greek: metron],
the Latines call _Mensura_, and is but the quantitie of a verse, either
long or short. This quantitie with them consisteth in the number of their
feete: & with vs in the number of sillables, which are comprehended in
euery verse, not regarding his feete, otherwise then that we allow in
scanning our verse, two sillables to make one short portion (suppose it a
foote) in euery verse. And after that sort ye may say, we haue feete in
our vulgare rymes, but that is improperly: for a foote by his sence
naturall is a member of office and function, and serueth to three
purposes, that is to say, to go, to runne, & to stand still so as he must
be sometimes swift, sometimes slow, sometime vnegally marching or
peraduenture steddy. And if our feete Poeticall want these qualities it
can not be sayd a foote in sence translatiue as here. And this commeth to
passe, by reason of the euident motion and stirre, which is perceiued in
the sounding of our wordes not alwayes egall: for some aske longer, some
shorter time to be vttered in, & so by the Philosophers definition, stirre
is the true measure of time. The Greekes & Latines because th