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The Cursus in Sir Thomas Browne

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 December 2020

Edward L. Parker
Edward L. Parker*
Affiliation:
New York University
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Extract

Professor Morris W. Croll at the end of his excellent article, “The Cadence of English Oratorical Prose,” says in a note: “Sir Thomas Browne, like his master Seneca, was fond of the cadence of oratory, and a profitable study of his form might be made by one who should be capable of interpreting the subtleties of a great master in variations.” This article is an attempt to carry out Professor Croll's suggestion, an attempt already made to some extent by Norton R. Tempest in his article, “Rhythm in the Prose of Sir Thomas Browne.” Tempest confuses the reader by including many things besides the cursus forms. I propose in this paper to limit myself to the cursus forms and their English variations as pointed out by Professor Croll, and to take as my working example only the Fifth Chapter of Hydriotaphia. There, I believe, will be found practically every variation Browne used, and the condensation of the material will enable the reader to follow the discussion conveniently, with the chapter before him.

Type
Research Article
Information
PMLA , Volume 53 , Issue 4 , December 1938 , pp. 1037 - 1053
Copyright
Copyright © Modern Language Association of America, 1938

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References

Note 1 in page 1037 SP, xvi (1919), 1–55.

Note 2 in page 1037 Ibid., p. 55n.

Note 3 in page 1037 RES, iii (1927), 308–318.

Note 4 in page 1037 Ibid., Prose Rhythm, pp. 312–314; Cadence, pp. 314–316; Rhythm, Syntax, and Sense, pp. 316–318.

Note 5 in page 1037 Norton R. Tempest, The Rhythm of English Prose (Cambridge University Press, 1930), p. 74. “The ancients considered, as we do, that their sentences were built up of separate parts which they called “commata” and “cola,” whilst the sentence itself they called “period.” They believed that the whole sentence was pervaded by rhythm or “number,” but the ends of the “period,” “cola,” and “commata” were rhythmically the most important parts of the sentence. In these places, particularly at the end of the “period,” they aimed at special rhythmical effect. For this purpose certain definite successions or sequences of feet seem to have been favoured; these are the cursus, so called because the name implies “a run,” thus suiting the trochaic movement which was an essential part of their composition.” and (page 87):” (1) All forms of cadence begin with a strongly stressed syllable. (2) Cadences need not begin at the beginning of either foot or word. (3) The most emphatic cadences are those coming at the end of a sentence. Less emphatic are those coming before a colon, semi-colon, or comma. (4) Both strong and weak syllables are necessary to the formation of any cadence. (5) All forms of the cursus end on a weak syllable; native cadences may end on either weak or strong.”

Note 6 in page 1038 Croll, op. cit., p. 2.

Note 7 in page 1038 A. C. Clark, Prose Rhythm in English (Oxford, 1916), p. 6.

Note 8 in page 1038 Croll, op. cit., p. 11.

Note 9 in page 1038 Charles Sears Baldwin, Medieval Rhetoric and Poetic (New York, 1928), pp. 223–227.

Note 10 in page 1038 George Saintsbury, History of English Prose Rhythm (London, 1922), p. 9 (note), p. 140 (note), and p. 477 (note). . . . “I doubt whether Latin cadences are patient of exact adjustment to English. I also doubt the possibility of effectually introducing with us the so-called [sic] cursus.” p. 9 (note).

Note 11 in page 1038 Ibid., pp. 184, 185, 186, 187, 189, 190.

Note 12 in page 1038 Ibid., p. 184.

Note 13 in page 1038 I give here the examples according to Professor Saintsbury's annotation. For page numbers see note 11. / buīldǐngs / ăbōve ǐt; / (5–2); and quīětly̌ / rēstěd / (5–2); wǐth prīncěs / and counsěllǒrs, / (6–3); thě prǒvinciăl / guārdǐăns / (5–2); ăs thěy hăve dōne / fǒr thěir rēlǐques, / (5–2); ǐn thě ārt ǒf pěrpētǔatiǒn. / (7–4–2), the accent of the second syllable of “perpetuation” is lighter than that of the fourth; py̌rāmǐdălly̌ / ēxtănt, / (6-2); ǐs ă fāllăcy / ǐn dǔrātǐon. / (7-4-2), “in” would take a secondary accent; măy bě būriěd / ǐn oǔr sǔrvīvǒrs. / (7-4-2), see above; like māny̌ / In Grūtěr, / (5-2); lǐke māny / ǒf thě mūmmiěs, / (6-2); scāttěrěth / hěr pōppy̌, / (6-2); tǒ mērǐt ǒf / pěrpětūīty. / (7-4-2), this is Professor Saintsbury's way of pronouncing “perpetuity”; thě fěūnděr / ǒf thě Py̌rămǐds? / (7-3); thě Tēmplě / ǒf Dǐānă, / (6-2); wě cǒmpūte / oǔr fělīcǐties / . (6-3); hăve ēquăl / dūrātiǒns; / (5-2), see the accentuation of “duration” above in “is a fallacy in duration” (Professor Saintsbury would probably have said my carping was due to an inexcusable lack of sensitiveness); ăs lōng ăs / Āgămēmnǒn. / (6-2); thăn āny̌ / thăt stănd rěmēmběred / (7-4-2), “stand” has a stronger stress than any of the crescent syllables; splēndǐd / ǐn āshěs / (5-2); ǐn thě ǐnfămy̌ / ǒf hǐs nātǔre. / (7-4-2); the [sic] ǐrrēgǔl / ārǐtǐes / ǒf vaǐnglōry̌, / (7-4-2); / ǒf ānciěnt măgnănimǐty̌. / (7-3); māgnānǐmoǔs / rěsǒlūtǐon / (7-4-2); ǐn thě Chrīstǐan / Rělīgiǒn, / (5-2); ǒn thě nēck / ǒf ămbītiǒn, / (5-2); hūmbly̌ / pǔrsūǐng / (5-2); thăt ǐnfāllǐblě / pěrpětūity, / (7-3), see accentuation of “perpetuity” above in “to merit of pěrpětūity̌”; ăll ōthěrs / mǔst dǐmīnǐsh / (6-2); ǐn ānglěs / ǒf/cǒntīngěncy. (7-3); In rāptǔres / ǒf fǔtūrǐty̌, / (7-3); thăn thě wōrld / thăt wăs běfōre ǐt, / (6-2); ănd nīght /ǒf thěir fǒre-bēǐngs / (6-2); Chrīstiăn / ănnīhǐlātiǒn, / (7-4-2); ăntǐcǐpātiǒn / ǒf hēāvěn; (5-2); tǒ līve/ǐn thěir prǒdūctǐons, / (6-2); ănd prēdicăměnt / ǒf chǐmērăs, / (7-4-2); ǒne pārt/ǒf thěir Ěly̌sǐǔms. / (7-3); ăn hōpe/bǔt ăn ēvǐděnce / (6-3); ǐn nōblě / běliēvěrs; / (5-2); Rēādy̌ / tǒ bě āny̌thǐng, / (7-3); Mōlěs / ǒf Ādrǐānǔs (7-4-2).

Note 14 in page 1040 Croll, op. cit., pp. 10 and 11.

Note 15 in page 1040 Croll, op. cit., p. 34.

Note 16 in page 1040 Ibid., p. 42.

Note 17 in page 1040 Ibid., p. 43.

Note 18 in page 1040 Norton R. Tempest, “Rhythm in the Prose of Sir Thomas Browne,” R. E. S., iii (1927), 312.

Note 19 in page 1041 Hereafter there will be ample quotation from Hydriotaphia. The references are to Simon Wilkin's edition. (London: G. Bell and Sons, 1910), iii, 40–49.

Note 20 in page 1041 Hydriotaphia, p. 42.

Note 21 in page 1041 Ibid., pp. 41 and 48.

Note 22 in page 1041 Ibid., p. 48.

Note 23 in page 1041 Ibid., p. 41.

Note 24 in page 1041 Ibid., pp. 48, 49.

Note 25 in page 1041 Ibid., p. 41.

Note 26 in page 1041 Ibid., pp. 44, 47, 49.

Note 27 in page 1041 It seems best, for conciseness, simply to give the patterns by the number of syllables in each word. The reader must try not to get these syllabic patterns confused with the cursus forms.

Note 28 in page 1042 The examples are to be found as follows: Hydriotaphia, pp. 41, 44, 44, 41, 45, 44, 44, 46, 49, 41.

Note 29 in page 1042 The examples may be checked as follows: Bydriotaphia, pp. 41, 48, 40, 41, 41, 42, 43, 42, 42, 41, 43, 43, 44, 46.

Note 30 in page 1043 Hydriotaphia, p. 46.

Note 31 in page 1043 The examples may be checked as follows: Hydriolaphia, pp. 44, 41, 44, 44, 46, 49, 46, 46, 41, 41, 46, 48, 48, 48, 43, 45, 48, 41, 46, 44, 44, 46, 48.

Note 32 in page 1044 The examples may be checked as follows: Hydriotaphia, pp. 46, 46, 48, 47, 42, 46, 46, 43, 42, 43, 41, 42, 46, 49, 43, 49, 41, 48, 41, 42, 48, 43, 48.

Note 33 in page 1045 Hydriotaphia, p. 42.

Note 34 in page 1045 See note 17.

Note 35 in page 1045 See notes 14 and 15.

Note 36 in page 1046 Check examples as follows: Hydriotaphia, pp. 41, 42, 42, 43, 43, 43, 44, 44, 44, 45, 46, 47, 48.

Note 37 in page 1046 Check examples as follows: Hydriotaphia, pp. 42, 42, 47, 46.

Note 38 in page 1048 Hydriolaphia, p. 43.

Note 39 in page 1048 Ibid., pp. 44, 45.

Note 40 in page 1049 Hydriotaphia, p. 45.

Note 41 in page 1049 Ibid.