s. 116. For further details, see Ten Brink's work on Chaucers Sprache und Verskunst. It may be as well to say that he has remarkably failed to understand the effect of the caesura, and is much troubled by the occurrence there of extra syllables. Yet this was the necessary result of Chaucer's copying French models. The explanation is simple. The caesura implies a pause. But elision can only take place where there is NO pause. Hence the caesural pause ALWAYS prevents elision. Hence, also, there is often a redundant syllable here, just as there is at the end of the line. This is a lesson which the student should learn at once; it is easily verified. I am aware that this lesson is difficult, being opposed to modern ideas; and it will be long before some readers will come to understand that the final _e_ should be kept in the French word _seg-e_, A 56; in the pp. _wonn-e_, A 59; in the pp. _y-com-e_, A 77; in the pl. _crull-e_, A 81; and so on. It is true that Chaucer, in such cases, usually begins the latter part of the line with a vowel, for the sake of smoothness; but he does not do this invariably; see A 77. Much clearer examples occur in the following (A 84, 130, 184, 198, 224, 343, 491):-- And-w['o]nder.l[`y] del['i]ver and-gr['e]et of-str['e]ngthe. |¯| ¯ |¯| . |¯ |¯| Wel-c['o]ud' she-c['a]rie | a-m['o]rsel [`a]nd wel-k['e]pe. |¯ |¯| . |¯| ¯ |¯| What-sh['o]ld' he-st['u]die | and m['a]k' him-s['e]lven w['o]od. |¯ |¯| . |¯ |¯| ¯¯ His-h['e]ed was-b['a]ll[:e]d | that-sh['o]on as-['a]ny gl['a]s. |¯ |¯| . |¯ |¯| ¯¯ Ther-['a]s he-w['i]st[:e] | to-h['a]n a-g['o]od pit['a]unc[:e]. |¯ |¯| . |¯ |¯ |¯| With['o]ute b['a]k[:e] m['e]t[:e] | was-n['e]v'r his-h['o]us. |¯| ¯| ¯| . |¯ |¯ [79]W['y]d-was his-p['a]rish' | and-h['o]uses f['e]r as['o]nder. ¯| |¯| . |¯| ¯¯ |¯| We have noted, however, that Chaucer varied from his French models in making the place of the caesura moveable; and the result was to bring the two portions of each line into closer relationship. Hence he takes great care to make his redundant syllables as light as possible; thus preparing the way for later authors, who came to regard a redundant syllable as a thing to be sparingly used. Moreover, when they did use it, inasmuch as the original value of the caesura was little known, they inserted such a redundant syllable in other positions; in order to avoid monotony. s. 117. A discussion of the four-accent metre, as in The House of Fame, &c., need not occupy us long. The line is shorter, so that the middle pause is less necessary and of much less account. Hence redundant syllables at the caesura are rare. On the other hand, omission of the first syllable is much commoner. In all other respects the laws are the same. Two examples of the loss of the initial syllable may suffice.