Modern literature on ancient prose rhythm has a character that one might almost call naive. For everyone knows that metrical prose deviates from non-metrical prose and that the peculiarities of metrical texts lie precisely where they differ from non-metrical texts. All researchers can likely agree on this. The method of investigation follows naturally from this: comparing metrical texts with non-metrical texts. For it can hardly be disputed that the high frequency of a form only indicates that the form was sought when it is less common in non-metrical texts. Understanding ancient prose rhythm in general and prosody in particular, especially in its historical development, is an essential prerequisite for understanding ancient literature as a whole.