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
No 162.
consist wholly of iambus's, as in the two following verses of Horace:
1 2 3 4 5 6
Dim. Inar fit et suos suos
Trim. Suis et ipsa Roma viribus suis.
Or, a dactylus, iambus, anapetus, 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,
1 2 3 4 5 6
Canidila tra|stavit|dapes
Vide|re prop|pantes domum
Trimeter.
Quo| quod| sce|le|si| rui|tis|pule|re| dex|teris.
Pris|que| cas|um| si|det| in| fer|us| mari.
Alit|bus| at|que| can|bus| boni|cid| H|storem.
Pavidi|um|que| lep|or| aut| ad|ven|am| laque|grum.