158 A NATURAL HISTORY 



THEOPHRASTUS is faid to cure Perfons that had been 

 wounded by Serpents, with various kinds of Mufick. — Probatum 

 eji *. Another Obfervation of his was, that Difeafes were 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 Mind, 

 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 againft Agamemnon by Mufick, which 

 he had learned of Chirofz. Afclepiades, a Roman Phyfician of 

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

 People, by vocal and inftrumental Mufick J. The learned Nea- 

 politan adds, Tanta homini's natures cutn harmonia confenfio eft. 



Whatever be the Caufe of it, there is nothing more power- 

 ful than Mufick for moving the human Pafiions, making fome 

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

 fays the Learned JVallis, we can match moft of the antient Stories 

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



I F Timotheiis could excite Alexanders Fury with the Phrygian 

 Mood^ and footh him into Indolence 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, ivhe- 

 ther a Mujiciaii fpoke true, who boafted, that by vi'rtue of his Mu- 

 fick, 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 kill'd fome of his beil Friends \\. 



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

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

 pafTes into the Soul, and puts the animal Spirits into a rapid Mo- 

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



different 



* Quibufdara viperarutn morfibus cantus tibiarum aut fidicinum atque alia or- 

 gana artis muficx modulare adhibita apuffitne mederi. Alexander ah Alexand. . . . 

 Genialium, lib. ii. cap. xvii. p. 81. The Title is, ^od Theopbraftus fejifit qu:huf~ 

 dam Viperarum morfihus tibicines medsri, probatum expermentum. Ba^livi DillerC. i. 

 de Tareiit. cap. xiii. 



"l" De LegibsiS. 



i Qui Phrenecicos mente imminuta, & valetudine animi affeilcs, nulla re magis 

 qu'am iymphonia, & vocum concentu, & modulis refipifcere,- & fanitati reflitui 

 cenfuit. A/ex. ab Alex. lib. II. cap. xvii. p. 81. 



j) Father Regnauli's Converf. from Re^ub. des Let. p. 25.J.. 



