A foot is always composed of two syllables

3. A verse, or line, is named from the number of feet it contains: six feet, hexameter; nve, pentameter; four, tetrameter; three, trimeter ; two, dimeter.

4. The most common measure is the hexameter, or heroic measure, always used in epic poetry, tragedy, and comedy ; often in satires, eclogues, and didactic poems ; and sometimes in stanzas, epistles, élégies, and epigrams.

Verses of ten, eight, and seven syllables are very common ; those of eleven and nine uncommon ; those of less number than seven are seldom used except in union with longer Unes.

5. In the following sélections the hexameter line is most used; lines of eight syllables are common (see p. 14) ; a few stanzas are composed of lines having seven syllables (see p. 78) ; but Unes of six syllables are found in conjunction with longer lines (see p. 4). Lines of other lengths are not found.