Insular Latin writers’ rhythms

Following the models of fifth-century Romano-British writers Hiberno-Latin writers of the sixth and seventh centuries composed prose that exhibits both stressed rhythms of the cursus and quantitative rhythms of clausulae. They composed syllabic verse in which shifts of stressed rhythm articulate structures, and they understood the principles of composition of quantitative verse. Anglo-Latin writers from the seventh century onward also composed such prose and verse. The consistent correctness of their works may issue from tuition by Welsh descendants of Romano-Britons, whose Latin was not influenced by evolving proto-Romance vernaculars, or from intellectual archaeology and book-learning with little exposure to native speakers.