2556. The DACTYLIC HEXAMETER is the verse regularly employed in epic,
didactic, and bucolic poetry, and is used by the Latin writers oftener
than any other measure. It consists of six feet, the last of which is a
spondee (but with the privilege of _syllaba anceps_; see 2534). The
fifth foot is usually a dactyl; but sometimes a spondee is employed, in
which case the verse is called _spondaic_. In each of the other four
feet either a dactyl or a spondee may be used. The scheme is therefore:
-́ ⏔ | -́ ⏔ | -́ ⏔ | -́ ⏔ | -́ ⏔ | -́ ⏔
[In the final (fifth) ⏔, the long-syllable line is in brackets.]
2557. A caesura which comes immediately after the thesis of a foot is
called _masculine_; one which falls in the middle of the arsis (i.e.
after the first short of a dactyl) is termed _feminine_. The Roman
writers show a strong preference for masculine principal caesuras, and
in general their treatment of the caesura is more strict than that of
the Greek poets.
2558. The principal caesura in the Latin hexameter is most frequently
the penthemimeral (2544): as in:
Arma virumque canō ‖ Troiae quī prīmus ab ōrīs (V. 1, 1).
Next in order of frequency stands the hephthemimeral, which is usually
accompanied by a secondary trithemimeral, and in many cases also by a
feminine caesura in the third foot: as in the verse,
Īnsīgnem ‖ pietāte ‖ virum ‖ tot adīre labōrēs (V. 1, 10).
If the secondary trithemimeral caesura is lacking, the penthemimeral is
usually accompanied by a feminine caesura in the second foot. Sometimes,
though more rarely, the principal break in the line is the feminine
caesura in the third foot (often called the “caesura after the third
trochee”), as in the verse
Spargēns ūmida mella ‖ sopōriferumque papāver (V. 4, 486).
2559. The diaeresis (see 2542) after the fourth foot (often called
“bucolic diaeresis” from its use by pastoral writers) sometimes occurs,
but is much less common in Latin hexameters than in Greek. An example is
Dīc mihi, Dāmoetā, ‖ cuium pecus? # An Meliboeī? (V. _E._ 3, 1).
This diaeresis, though common in Juvenal, is rare in most of the Latin
poets (even the bucolic), and when it does occur, it is usually
accompanied by a penthemimeral caesura. Lucian Mueller and others deny
that the bucolic diaeresis ever forms the principal break in a line.
2560. When a line has several caesuras, it is often hard to determine
which is the principal one. In general, masculine caesuras out-rank
feminine; the penthemimeral takes precedence over the hephthemimeral,
and the latter over all other caesuras. But if the hephthemimeral, or
even one of the minor caesuras, coincides with an important pause in the
sentence, it may out-rank the penthemimeral. Thus in the verse
Paulāt(im) adnābam ‖ terrae; ‖ iam tūta tenēbam (V. 6, 358),
the principal caesura is after #terrae#, not #adnābam#.