The stanza of twelve lines was probably first employed in the north of
England; at least it would be difficult to prove the existence of a poem
composed in this metre in the southern part of the country; therefore it
is beforehand probable that the romance of _Torrent_ was composed either
in some part of the Midlands or in the North. In order to determine the
dialect more precisely, we restrict ourselves to a careful consideration
of the rhymes.