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Rvonn \o t,t^*'R q ^ V

W'\\r nrn 9 |\n,lUt.e^1

Appendix
cv Comic Meters in Terence
Most Plautine plays and just about all Terence'sare written in ei-
ther iambic or trochaic lines, which were felt to represent ordinary
speech.The two most common lines are the iambic senarius (Latin
version of Greek iambic trimeter) and the trochaic septenarius(Latin
version of the trochaic tetrarneter catalectic, which Menander uses
sparingly). The Romans allowed considerably more freedom than
the Greeks had done, and we must be prepared for frequent elision
and substitution for iamb and trochee in every foot except the last.

Basicsenarius (6 iambs)
- -l- =l -=l -=l- zl-z
vos istaec intro auferteJabite.-Sosia (Andria 28)

Basicseptenarius(7.5trochees)
= - l = - l g - - l c - - 1 . l = - l = - l =
sed non credidi adeo ut etiam totamhanc odisset domum.

(Hecyra22l)

Thefollowingmaybe substituted:

For an iamb For a trochee


Tribrach u \ i v

Spondee - 3 3 . _

Anapest v v - ! v v -

Dactyl - \ i v

Proceleusmatic v v r i v

NEVERATROCHEE NEVERANIAMB

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