JAMBIC, in ancient poetry, a sort of verse, so called from its consisting either wholly, or in great part, of iambus's. See Iambus.
Ruddiman makes two kinds of iambic, viz. dimeter and trimeter; the former containing four feet, and the latter six. And as to the variety of their feet, they consist wholly of iambus's, as in the two following verses of Horace:
1 2 3 4 5 6
Dim. Inar|sit a|fluct|fuit|
Trim. Suis| & ipsa Roma v|tribus|ruit.
Or, a dactylus, spondeus, anapestus, and sometimes tribrachys, obtain in the odd places; and the tribrachys also in the even places, excepting the last. Examples of all which may be seen in Horace; as,
Dimeter.
1 2 3 4 5 6
Canid|a tra|stavit|dapes|
Vide|re pro|p|terantes domum|
Trimeter.
Quo| quos|secle|sti ruitis| au|cur dexteris.
Prius|que co|lum|f|det in|ferius|mar.