"Flota f=amig-heals, fugle gel=icost."
The floater foamy-necked, to a fowl most like.

This line, also from _Beowulf_ has eight syllables:--

"N=ipende niht, and norðan wind."
Noisome night, and northern wind.

Vowel alliteration is less common. Where this is employed, the vowels
are generally different, as is shown in the principal words of the
following line:--

"On =ead, on =aeht, on eorcan st=an."
On wealth, on goods, on precious stone.

End rime is uncommon, but we must beware of thinking that there is no
rhythm, for that is a pronounced characteristic.

Anglo-Saxon verse was intended to be sung, and hence rhythm and accent
or stress are important. Stress and the length of the line are varied;
but we usually find that the four most important words, two in each
half of the line, are stressed on their most important syllable.
Alliteration usually shows where to place three stresses. A fourth
stress generally falls on a word presenting an emphatic idea near the
end of the line.

[Illustration: EXETER CATHEDRAL.]

The Manuscripts that have handed down Anglo-Saxon Literature.--The
earliest Anglo-Saxon poetry was transmitted by the memories of men.