158 A NATURAL HISTORY 



THEOPHRASTUS is faid to cure Perfons that had been 

 wounded by Serpents, with various kinds of Mufick — Probatum 

 efi*. Another Obfervation of his was, that Difeafes w^ere made 

 and' mitigated by Mufick. Plato forbids Mufick and Wine to 

 young Perfons, left one Fire fhould kindle another -f*. 



The Pythagoreans, to appeafe the Troubles of the Min^?, 

 lulled themfelves afleep by Tunes upon the Harp : Thus Homer 

 brings in Achilles relieving his Melancholy by playing on his Lute^ 

 and mitigating his Anger againfl Agamemnon by Mufick, v/hich 

 he had learned of Chiron. Afctepiades, a Roma?i Phyfician of 

 great Reputation, is fiid to heal frantic Melancholy, and mad 

 People, by vocal and inftrumental Mufick t. The learned Ned' 

 politan adds, Tanta homifiis natures cum harmonia conjenfio eft. 



Whatever be the Caufe of it, there is nothing more pow'er- 

 ful than Mufick for moving the human Pafilons, making fome 

 penfive and melancholy, others briflv and lively. The truth is, 

 fays the Learned Wallls^ we can match moll of the antient Stories 

 of this kind in the modern Hiftories. e.g. 



I F Timotheus could excite Alexander^ Fury with the Phrygian 

 Mood, and footh him into Indojence with the Lydian, a more 

 modern Mufician is faid to have driven Eric King of Denmark^ 

 into fuch a Rage, as to kill his beft Servants. The Occafion was 

 thus — The King willing to make Trial in his own Perfon, whe- 

 ther a Mufician fpoke true^ who boajled, that by virtue of his Mii^ 

 ficky he could make People mad: The Artift play'd, and the King 

 became outragious, and experienced the Truth of it fo thoroughly, 

 that in the Excefs of his Rage, he kili'd fome of his beft Friends )|. 



This may be owing to the Impreffion made by the Vibra- 

 tions of the Air, being carried as far as the Origin of the Nerves, 

 pafi^es into the Soul, and puts the animal Spirits into a rapid Mo- 

 tion, determines them to run into different Nerves, diffufed thro' 



different 



* Quibufdam viperarum morfibus cantus tibiarum aut fidicinum atque alia or- 

 gana artis muficx modulare adhibica aptiflimc mederi. yilexander ab Alexaiid, . . . 

 Gemalium-i lib. ii. cap. xvii. p. 81. The Title is, ^od Theo^l^aftus Jhifit quibuf. 

 dam Viperarum morftbus tibkines 7riederi, probarum experitnentitm. Baglivi Dillert. i. 

 de Tarent. cap. xiii. 



\ De Legihus. 



t Qui Phrencticos mente imminuta, & valerudine animi alfeflrsj nulla re magis 

 quam fymphonia, & vocum concentu, & modulis rehpifccre; & lanicati reftirui 

 4;enfLiit. y^/ex. ab Alex. lib. II. cap. xvii. p. 81. 



.| Father Regnauh's Converf. from Rej.ub. des Let^ p. 26/^. 



