VOL. VIII.] PHILOSOPHICAL TRANSACTIONS. 63 



prove, that the music of the ancients is far to be preferred to that of our age, 

 forasmuch as speech, how powerful soever at this day, yet, when put into a 

 song, or rendered musical, is not of that efficacy in moving our senses, as it 

 was in times of old. The reasons of which he endeavours to explain. 



Among many other remarks, are the following curious ones. He laments 

 the cessation amongst musicians, of that great power of moving the affections, 

 for more than a thousand years ago. Observing further, that those motions 

 have so great a power, that, even without any voice and sound, they can raise 

 affections more strongly than any voice or oration. For the proof of which he 

 alleges the ancient pantomimi, whose feet and hands he makes no less eloquent 

 than the tongues of orators ; witness Cicero, who used to contend with Roscius, 

 the stage-player, which of the two should most vary the same sentence, the one 

 by words, the other by gestures ; hence our author affirms, that if we employed 

 as much labour and time in learning the pantomimical art, as we do in learning 

 a language, we might possibly come to express our mind and thoughts as clearly 

 by that way, as now we do by the aid of a language : nor does he think that 

 mankind would suffer any thing by it, if the pest and confusion (these are his 

 own words) of so many tongues were banished, and, instead of them, this sole 

 art of the pantomimes were known by all mankind, and men explained every 

 thing by signs, nods, and gestures ; on account of which he thinks the condi- 

 tion of brutes to be much better than that of men, seeing they signify without 

 an interpreter their sense and thoughts more readily, and perhaps better, than 

 any men can do. 



Also, the skill of exploring the internal affections of the body by touch alone, 

 as we perceive the external motions by the eye. Where our author exceedingly 

 commends the skill of the Chinese physicians in finding out, not only that the 

 body is diseased, (which he says is all that our practitioners know by it) but 

 also, from what cause or from what part the sickness proceeds. In short, to 

 make ourselves masters of this skill, he would have us labour in exploring the 

 nature of men's pulses, till they become as well known and as familiar to us, as 

 a harp or lute is to the players thereon; it not being enough for them to know, 

 that there is something amiss which spoils the tune, but they must also know 

 what string it is which causes that fault. 



On this occasion the editor thinks it will not displease the reader here to in- 

 form him, that he lately saw a letter written from Java in the East Indies, 

 mentioning an Indian treatise, much talked of, concerning the art and method 

 of knowing diseases and their events by the sole beating of the pulse : and that 

 some curious persons in that island had already written to some religious men 



