Salvete flores martyrum, Quos lucis ipso in limine Christi insecutor sustulit, Ceu turbo nascentes rosas. Quid crimen Herodem iuvat? Vos prima Christi victima, Grex immolatorum tener, Palma et coronis luditis.... _Cathemerinon_ xii. 125: AH 50: 27. The accentual habit spread slowly and intermittently as a change of control from one element of verse to another. Both elements continued in the better hymns to vary and enhance what must otherwise become monotonous or bald; but the control, the rhythm, gradually changed from time to stress. Variety through shifting the places of stress[35] appears in several hymns of the sixth century. The Ambrosian quoted by Bede as an example of _rhythmus_[36] even begins with a stress;[37] and the probable following of word-accent often gives a dactylic opening. Réx ætérne, Dóminé, Rérum creátor ómniúm, Qui éras ánte sǽculá Sémper cum pátre fíliús, Qui múndi ín primórdió Ádam plasmásti hóminém, Cuí tuaé imáginís Vúltum dedísti símilém; ... AH 51: 5. Similar variations appear in the “Versus Flavii ad Mandatum.” Téllus ac ǽthra iúbilént In mágni céna príncipís, Quæ prótoplásti péctorá Vítæ purgávit férculó. Hac nócte fáctor ómniúm Poténti sát mystérió Cárnem súam cum sánguiné In éscam tránsfert ánimǽ.... AH 51: 77. Though possible lingering or revival of a sense of quantities, and the shifting pronunciation of proper names, leave uncertainties (as above, for example in _Adam_ and _vitæ_), there is little doubt that such variations were not only accepted, but even sought. They often relieve dubious measures; and conversely they are sometimes used in ruder _rhythmi_ so excessively as to blur the verse pattern. One of the Bangor hymns seems to run best as follows: Médiæ nóctis témpus ést; Prophética vóx ádmonét, Dicámus laúdes út Deó Pátri sémper ac fílió Sáncto quóque spírituí. Perfécta énim trínitás Úniúsque substántiǽ Laudánda nóbis sémper ést.... Folio 11 _verso_; AH 51: 3. If so, the syncope in line 2 serves to emphasize _vox_. But the verse of this hymn is inferior.[38] The better hymns use the variations with better art. 2. Trochaic More immediately suggestive of accentual rendering was another soldiers’ measure used by Prudentius in the first poem of his _Crowns_ (_Peristephanon_), a commemoration of two soldier martyrs. It was better known through a hymn taken from the ninth poem of his _Days_. Corde natus ex parentis ante mundi exordium, A et O cognominatus, ipse fons et clausula Omnium quæ sunt, fuerunt, quæque post futura sunt, Ipse iussit, et creata; dixit ipse, et facta sunt: Terra, cælum, fossa ponti, trina rerum machina, Quæque in his vigent sub alto solis et lunæ globo,