CENTURY II. 95 



Experiments in consort touching the loudness or soft 

 ness of sounds, and their carriage at longer or 

 shorter distance. 



163. The loudness and softness of sounds is a 

 thing distinct from the magnitude and exility of 

 sounds ; for a base string, though softly strucken, 

 giveth the greater sound ; but a treble string, if 

 hard strucken, will be heard much farther off. And 

 the cause is, for that the base string striketh more air, 

 and the treble less air, but with a sharper percussion. 



164. It is therefore the strength of the per 

 cussion, that is a principal cause of the loudness or 

 softness of sounds ; as in knocking harder or softer, 

 winding of a horn stronger or weaker, ringing of a 

 hand-bell harder or softer, &c. And the strength of 

 this percussion consisteth as much or more in the 

 hardness of the body percussed, as in the force of 

 the body percussing: for if you strike against a 

 cloth, it will give a less sound, if against wood, a 

 greater, if against metal, yet a greater, and in 

 metals, if you strike against gold, which is the more 

 pliant, it giveth the flatter sound : if against silver 

 or brass, the more ringing sound. As for air, where 

 it is strongly pent, it matcheth a hard body. And 

 therefore we see in discharging of a piece, what a 

 great noise it maketh. We see also, that the charge 

 with bullet, or with paper wet and hard stopped, or 

 with powder alone, rammed in hard, maketh no great 

 difference in the loudness of the report. 



