SONNETS OF MISCELLANEOUS STRUCTURE.

The sonnets in this sub-section are such as do not fall naturally into any one of the three greater groups.

BLACKIE, JOHN STUART-The Origin of Evil-L.,

Blunt, Wilfrid ('Proteus ')-The Triumph of Love,

CLARE, JOHN-First sight of Spring,

The Happy Bird, .

DISRAELI, BENJAMIN (LORD Beaconsfield)—

On the Portrait of the Lady Mahon,

DIXON, RICHARD WATSON-Perished Ideals,

DOBELL, SYDNEY-The Army Surgeon,

The Common Grave,

DRUMMOND, WILLIAM—

'Ah! burning thoughts, now let me take some rest,'
The Golden Age, .

To Sleep, .

GRAY, DAVID-'Sweet Mavis ! at this cool delicious hour,'

PAGE

140

193

88

89

308

195

180

181

37

34

33

211

HALLAM, ARTHUR HENRY-The garden trees are busy with the shower,' 146

KEMBLE, FRANCES ANNE- Art thou already weary of the way,'

NOEL, THE HON. RODEN- Stain not thy soul with the unholy strife,' .

SHELLEY, PERCY BYSSHE-' Ye hasten to the grave! what seek ye there,'
Ozymandias,

METRICAL FORMS IN EARLY ITALIAN POETS.

To notify the various leading types of the early Italian sonnets (which have been referred to in classifying the English) may not be superfluous.

FRA GUITTONE D'AREZZO.

This author (perhaps too frequently and specially cited by critics) has 217 sonnets, of which 209 have the octave constructed on an alternate rhyme-scheme similar to that adopted by Shakspeare, except that two rhymes are employed instead of four. Eight of Guittone's sonnets are of the Petrarchian rhymearrangement; 158 of them have four rhymes only throughout, and 59 have five rhymes; 2 are of 16 lines.

DANTE ALIGHIERI.

There are 80 sonnets attributed to Dante, and no doubt most of these are genuine; 10 of the whole number have the octave constructed on the alternate rhyme-scheme running on two rhymes, the remaining 70 being of the arrangement known as Petrarchian; 52 of them have five rhymes throughout, and 28 have four rhymes; 12 close with a couplet, and 2 are of 16 lines.

FRANCESCO PETRARCA.

The series entitled In Vita di M. Laura contains 152 sonnets with five rhymes throughout, and 73 sonnets with four rhymes. The other series, In Morte di M. Laura, contains 51 sonnets with five rhymes, and 39 sonnets with four rhymes. The variation in all cases is in the sestet only the octave running uniformly on two rhymes. Several of Petrarch's sonnets have in the octave the alternate rhyme-arrangement adopted in the great body of Guittone's sonnets, and one of

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METRICAL FORMS IN EARLY ITALIAN POETS. 331

them closes with a couplet, but is otherwise regular as to form. Certain exceptional, and wholly irregular, pieces of fourteen lines are found in Petrarch, and these are of the Ballata character.

To follow the entire course of the voluminous series of poets preceding Dante might be to overload these indices with foreign matter. Suffice it that they may on an average be said to follow the same proportionate rule as Guittone. It may be well to note that the sonnet printed first in Italian collections, and dated 1200, being by Lodovico della Vernaccia, is of Petrarchian rhymearrangement, and has five rhymes.