Hood, Thomae PRACTICAL GUIDE TO 19171 ENGLISH VERSIFICATION. WITH A COMPENDIOUS DICTIONARY OF RHYMES, AN EXAMINATION OF CLASSICAL MEASURES, BY TOM HOOD. A New and Enlarged Edition. MICHIGAN TO WHICH ARE ADDED, BYSSHE'S "RULES FOR MAKING ENGLISH LONDON: JOHN HOGG, PATERNOSTER ROW. 1877. PREFACE. I AM anxious at the first outset that the object of this work should not be misunderstood. It does not assume to be a handbook for poets, or a guide to poetry. The attempt to compile such a book as is implied by either of those titles would be as absurd as pretentious. A Poet, to paraphrase the Latin, is created, not manufactured. Cicero's "nascimur poetæ, fimus oratores," is, with some modification, even more to the point. In a word, poetical genius is a gift, but education and perseverance will make almost any man a versifier. All, therefore, that this book aims to teach is |