CENTURY III. 121 



Experiments in consort touching melioration of sounds. 



229. All reflections concurrent do make sounds 

 greater ; but if the body that createth either the 

 original sound, or the reflection, be clean and smooth, 

 it maketh them sweeter. Trial may be made of a 

 lute or viol, with the belly of polished brass instead 

 of wood. We see that even in the open air, the 

 wire-string is sweeter than the string of guts. And 

 we see that for reflexion water excelleth ; as in music 

 near the water, or in echoes. 



230. It hath been tried, that a pipe a little 

 moistened on the inside;, but yet so as there be no 

 drops left, maketh a more solemn sound, than if the 

 pipe were dry : but yet with a sweet degree of sibi- 

 lation or purling ; as we touched it before in the title 

 of equality. The cause is, for that all things porous 

 being superficially wet, and, as itwere, between dry 

 and wet, became a little more even and smooth; 

 but the purling, which must needs proceed of ine 

 quality, I take to be bred between the smoothness of 

 the inward surface of the pipe, which is wet, and the 

 rest of the wood of the pipe unto which the wet 

 cometh not, but it remaineth dry. 



231. In frosty weather music within doors sound- 

 eth better. Which may be by reason not of the 

 disposition of the air, but of the wood or string of the 

 instrument, which is made more crisp, and so more 

 porous and hollow : and we see that old lutes sound 

 better than new for the same reason. And so do 

 lute-strings that have been kept long. 



