Milton's Sonnet XVII generally follows an iambic pentameter, as is most explicit in lines 3 ("The helm of Rome, when gowns not arms repell'd"), 6-9, 12, and 14. As the meter traditionally employed in epics, the iambic pentameter appropriately emphasizes Milton's praise of Vane.
Where the meter deviates from a strict iambic pentameter, Milton's use of alternative meter or foot substitutions complement more specific aspects of Milton's view of Vane.
Beginning with the short, stressed syllable "Vane", line 1 resembles a dactylic tetrameter where the two unstressed syllables of the fourth dactyl is subsumed by the comma at the end of the line. This dactylic meter boldly announces Vane as the subject of the sonnet and launches the sonnet on an energetic, forward-heavy motion.
In line 4, the accents fall on the word "fierce", "bold", and the first syllables of "Epirot" and "African". The spondee in "fierce Epirot" imbues the line with extra force.
In line 5, the pyrrhus created by the trochaic substitution in "Whether to settle" seems to echo the uncertainty that accompanies political decisions.
In line 11, the trochaic substitution in "thou hast" emphasizes Vane as an exceptional example.
In line 13, the spondee in "firm hand" explicitly emphasizes a heaviness.
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