CENTURY II. 03 



his master, but, that which is to the present purpose, 

 with so small and exile a voice, as Hercules thought 

 he had been three miles off, when the fountain&quot;, 

 indeed, was fast by. 



156. In lutes and instruments of strings, if you 

 stop a string high, whereby it hath less scope to 

 tremble, the sound is more treble, but yet more 

 dead. 



157. Take two saucers, and strike the edge of 

 the one against the bottom of the other, within a 

 pail of water ; and you shall find, that as you put 

 the saucers lower and lower, the sound groweth 

 more flat ; even while part of the saucer is above the 

 water ; but that flatness of sound is joined with a 

 harshness of sound ; which no doubt is caused by 

 the inequality of the sound which cometh from the 

 part of the saucer under the water, and from the 

 part above. But when the saucer is wholly under 

 the water the sound becometh more clear, but far 

 more low, and as if the sound came from afar off. 



158. A soft body dampeth the sound much more 

 than a hard ; as if a bell hath cloth or silk wrapped 

 about it, it deadeth the sound more than if it were 

 wood. And therefore in clericals the keys are 

 lined ; and in colleges they use to line the tablemen. 



159. Trial was made in a recorder after these 

 several manners. The bottom of it was set against 

 the palm of the hand ; stopped with wax round 

 about ; set against a damask cushion ; thrust into 

 sand ; into ashes ; into water, half an inch under the 

 water ; close to the bottom of a silver bason ; and 



