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[77] Equal care must however be taken to avoid any phrase of a definitely metrical character, such as the following passage from Sallust: Falso queritur de natura sua.1For although the language of prose is bound by certain laws, it should appear to be free. None the less Plato, despite the care which he devotes to his rhythm, has not succeeded in avoiding this fault at [p. 551] the very opening of the Timaeus,2

1 Jug. I. “The human race complains of its own nature without reason.” Last five feet of iambic trimeter!

2 The phrase is εἷς, δυό, τρεῖς, δὲ τέταρτος ἡμῶν, φίλε εἷς, δυό, τρεῖς give the opening of a hexameter, δὲ δὴ τέταρτος ἡμῶν the Anacreontic, δυό . . . φίλε the Iambic trimeter and εἷς . . . δὴ the πενθημιμερές.

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