The want of proper measures, or a mixture of weak and strong syllables, is very remarkable in a passage of the Declaration of Independence. "We must therefore acquiesce in the necessity, which denounces our separation, and hold them, as we hold the rest of mankind, _enemies in war_, _[)i]n p[=e]ace_, _fri[=e]nds_." The three last syllables form, if any thing, a Bacchic; the first syllable, short, and the two others, long. But in a just pronunciation, the foot is necessarily broken by a pause after _peace_. This interruption, and the two long syllables, render the close of the sentence extremely heavy. The period is concise and expressive, as it stands; but the arrangement might be much more harmonious--"O[)u]r [=e]n[)e]m[)i]es [)i]n w[=a]r; [)i]n p[=e]ace, o[)u]r fri[=e]nds." Here the measure and melody are perfect; the period closing with three Iambics, preceded by a Pyrrhic. [L], page 111. In a Scotch Ballad, called _Edom o Gordon_, we find the word _dreips_ for _drops_. "--And clear, clear was hir zellow hair Whereon the reid bluid _dreips_." But it was often spelt _drap_, agreeable to the pronunciation. See Edward. Rel. An. Poet. 53. The dialect in America is peculiar to the descendants of the Scotch Irish. [M], page 111. Mought is the past time or participle of an old Saxon verb _mowe_ or _mowen_, _to be able_. It answered to the _posse_ of the Romans, and the _pouvoir_ of the French. This verb occurs frequently in Chaucer. "But that science is so fer us beforne, We _mowen_ not, altho we had it sworne, It overtake, it slit away so fast, It _wol_ us maken beggers at the last." Cant. Tales, l. 16, 148, Bell's edit. "To _mowen_ such a knight done live or die."----Troil. and Cres. 2. 1594. That is, _to be able_ to make such a knight live or die. "And _mought_ I hope to winne thy love, Ne more his tonge could saye." Sir Cauline, an old Ballad, l. 163. "The thought they herd a woman wepe, But her they _mought_ not se." Adam Bell, &c. part 3. l. 2. in Rel. of An. Poet. "So _mought_ thou now in these refined lays Delight the dainty ears of higher powers. And so _mought_ they in their deep scanning skill, Allow and grace our Collen's flowing quill." Spenser, Hobbynall. There seem to have been among our Saxon ancestors two verbs of nearly or exactly the same signification, _may_ and _might_; and _mowe_ and _mought_. There is some reason to think they were not synonimous; that _may_ was used to express _possibility_, as _I may go next week_; and _mowe_ to express _power_, as _they mowen go_, they are able to go. But it is not certain that such a distinction ever existed. The Germans use _moegen_, in the infinitive; _mag_, in the indic. pres. _mæge_, in the subj. pres. in the imperfect of the ind. _mochte_; and in the imp. of the subj. _mæchte_. The English use _may_ and _might_ solely in their writing; but _mought_ is still pronounced in some parts of America.