Compare in English: “The queén was ín the párlour, éating bréad and
hóney.”
2552. Most of the Roman grammarians who discussed the nature of the
Saturnian seem to have regarded it as quantitative. In modern times the
quantitative theory has been advocated by Ritschl, Buecheler, Havet,
Christ, Lucian Mueller, W. Meyer, Reichardt and many others.
2553. (2.) THE ACCENTUAL THEORY. According to this theory, the Saturnian
is an accentual verse, constructed without regard to quantity. It is
divided by the principal break into two halves, the first of which has
three theses. The second half usually has three, but may have only two,
in which case it is usually preceded by an anacrusis (2529). Two
accented syllables are regularly separated by an unaccented syllable,
but in strictly constructed Saturnians the second and third unaccented
syllables are regularly separated by two unaccented ones. Hiatus was at
first freely admitted, but in the Saturnians of the second century B.C.
occurs only at the principal break. Examples of the Saturnian, measured
according to this theory, are:
Dábunt málum Metéllī # Naéviṓ poḗtae.
Nóvem Ióvis concórdēs # fī́liaé sorṓrēs. (Naevius.)