The caesura is of special importance. Although from the first Shakespeare always allowed himself a great degree of variety in the caesura, he prefers during his first and second period the masculine and lyrical caesura after the second foot; in his third period, in _Macbeth_ especially, both the masculine and lyrical caesura occur as frequently after the third foot, and side by side with these the epic caesura after the second and third foot pretty often (§ 90); during the fourth period a great many double caesuras occur corresponding to the numerous run-on lines.[161] The old-fashioned disyllabic pronunciation of certain Romanic terminations (as _-ion_, _-ier_, _-iage_, _-ial_, &c.), so often met with in Marlowe, is not uncommon in Shakespeare, chiefly in his early plays, but also in those of later date (cf. § 107). As to inversion of rhythm (cf. § 88), it is a noteworthy feature that during the first period it occurs chiefly in the first foot and afterwards often in the third also. Disyllabic theses may be found in each of the five feet, sometimes even two at the same time: _Having Gód, her cónscience, | ánd these bárs agaínst me._ R. III, I. ii. 235. _Succéeding his fáther Bólingbróke, | did réign._ 1 H. VI, II. v. 83. _But thén we'll trý | what these dástard Frénchmen dáre._ 1 H. VI, I. iii. 111. _Thén is he móre behólding | to yóu than Í._ R. III, III. i. 107. _Pút in their hánds | thy brúising írons of wráth._ R. III, V. iii. 110. _My survéyor is fálse; | the ó'ergreat cárdinál._ H. VIII, I. i. 222. Disyllabic or polysyllabic line-endings are likewise of frequent occurrence: _I dáre avóuch it, sír, what, fífty fóllowers?_ Lear, II. iv. 240. _To yóur own cónscience, sír, befóre Políxenes._ Wint. III. ii. 47. Slurring and other modifications of words to make them fit into the rhythm are very numerous and of great variety in Shakespeare; we have referred to them before, §§ 108-11; here only some examples may be repeated, as _(a)bove_, _(be)cause_, _(ar)rested_, _th' other_, _th' earth_, _whe(th)er_, _ha(v)ing_, _e(v)il_, _eas(i)ly_, _barb(a)rous_, _inn(o)cent_, _acquit_ for _acquitted_, _deject_ for _dejected_, &c. On the other hand, many lengthenings also occur, as _wrest(e)ler_ A. Y. L. II. ii, 13; _pilg(e)rim_ All's Well, III. v. 43, &c. (Cf. §§ 87, 112.) In some monosyllabic words, as _fear_, _dear_, _hear_, _wear_, _tear_, _year_, it is not always necessary to assume with Abbott (§§ 480-6) a disyllabic pronunciation, e.g. _déàr_, _yéàr_. On the contrary, in many cases it is more probable that the emphasis laid on the monosyllable takes the place of the missing thesis, e.g.: