Another irregularity is the insertion of syllables in the middle of lines. The dramatic verse is doubtless descended from the Old English decasyllables of Chaucer, and that his verse was divided actually into two sections is evinced by the punctuation of some MSS. The _licenses_ accorded to the beginnings and endings of the whole verse were also allowed, with some modification, to the end and beginnings of these _sections_, and accordingly, in early poetry, many verses will appear to a modern reader to have a syllable too many or too few in the part where his ear teaches him to place a cæsura. Exactly similarly, but more sparingly, syllables are omitted or inserted at the central pause of Shakespeare's verse, especially when this pause is not merely metrical, but is in the place of a stop of greater or less duration; and most freely when the line in question is broken by the dialogue. The following examples of a superfluous syllable at the middle pause are taken out of the beginning of the _Tempest_: Obey, and be attentive. Canst thou remember? I. 2. 38. But blessedly help hither. O, my heart bleeds. I. 2. 63. Without a parallel; those being all my study. I. 2. 74. With all prerogative:--hence his ambition growing. I. 2. 105. The extra syllables may be at the commencement of the second section: He was indeed the Duke; out o' the substitution. I. 2. 103. And the following are defective of a syllable: Dashes the fire out. O, I have suffered. I. 2. 5. Make the prize light. One word more; I charge thee. I. 2. 452. To these 'licenses' we may add verses sometimes with one and sometimes with two additional feet, and many half verses, and some a foot too short. When these inequalities are allowed, the reader will perceive much simpler and more general methods of scanning some lines supposed to be unmetrical than the Procrustean means adopted by Sidney Walker for reducing or multiplying the number of syllables in words. E. _Punctuation._ We have now to state our practice of punctuation. The Folio and other editions, starting with very different principles from those that guide the punctuation of this day, have acted on those principles with exceeding incorrectness. Questions are marked and unnoticed almost at random; stops are inserted in the ends of lines fatal to the sense. In fact, in many places, we may almost say that a complete want of points would mislead us less than the punctuation of the Folios. The consequence is, that our punctuation is very little dependent upon the Folios and Quartos, but generally follows the practice which has taken possession of the text of Shakespeare, under the arrangement of the best editors, from Pope to Dyce and Staunton. Only for an obvious improvement have we altered the punctuation on our own judgement, and in most cases the alteration is recorded in the notes.