3* | S\(dturall Hijiory: 



103 



104 



105 



106 



[07 



108 



create Tones ^ Percujjion of Met alls, (comprehending Glajs, and the like) 

 Percufjionsof Air-, and Pensions of Water. 



The Diafafon or J5i£& in jtf is the fweeteft Concord Infomucb,as it 

 is in effecl: an Unifon ^ As we fee in Lutes, that are ftrung 111 the Bafe Strings 

 with two ftrings,one an Eighth above another which make but as one Sound, 

 And every Eighth Note in Afcent, (as from Eight to Fifteen, from Fifteen to 

 Twenty two,znd fo in infnituntyae but 5Wa of Diapajon.The Cauje is dark, 

 ! and hath not been rendred by any h And therefore would be better contem- 

 I plated. It feemeth that Air, ( which is the Subjeft of Sounds) in Sounds 

 I that are not T ones, {which are all unequally hath been laid) admitteth much 

 I Variety •, As we fee in the Voices of Living Creatures-^ And likewifein the 

 i Voices of feverall Men (for we are capable to difcern fcverall jtf^ by their 

 j Voices) And in the Conjugation of Letters, whence Articiilate Sounds pro- 

 ceed ; which of all others are moft various. But in the Sounds which we 

 \cz\\Tones, (that are ever Equall) the Air is not able to caft itfelf into any 

 j fuch variety - But is forced to recurre into one and the lamePofture or Fi- 

 | gure, only differing in Greatnefs and fmalnefs. So we fee Figures may be 

 made of lines,Crooked and Straight, in infinite Variety , where there is In- 

 equality-, But Circles, or: Squares, or Triangles Equilateral^ (which are all 

 J/g0W,of Equall lines) can differ but in Greater ,or Lefl'er. 



It is to be noted (the rather left any Man mould think, that there is any 

 thing in this Number of Eight, to create the Diapafov) that this Computa- 

 tion of Eighths a thing rather received, than any true Computation. For a 

 true Computation ought ever to be, by Diffnbution into equall Portions. 

 Now there be intervenient in the Rife of Eight (in T ones) two Beemolls, or 

 Half-notes ; So as if you divide the Tones equally, the Eighth is but Seven 

 whole and equall Notes ^ And if you fubdivide that into Half -notes, (as it is 

 in the Stops of a Lute) it maketh the Number of Thirteen. 



Yet this is true $ That in the ordinary Rifes and Fals of the Voice of Man 

 (not meafuring thereby whole Notes, and half Notes, which is the E- 

 quall Meafure) there Fall out to be two Beemols (as hath been faid) between 

 the Unifon and the Diapafon : And this Varying is naturall. For if a Man 

 would endeavour toraiie or fall his Voice, lftj.ll by Half notes, like the Stops 

 of a Lute or by whole Notes alone, without Half 's, as farre as an Eighth - 7 he 

 will not be able to frame his Voice unto it. Which meweth, that- after every 

 three whole Notes Nature requireth, for all Hsnnonicall ufe, one half Note 

 to be interpofed. 



It is to be considered, that whatfoever Venue is in Numbers, for Con- 

 ducing to Concent of Notes, is rather to be afcribed to the Ante-number, 

 than to the Entire Number •, As namely, that the Sound returneth after Six, 

 or after Twelve-, So that the Seventh or the Thirteenths not the Matter, 

 but the Sixth, or the Twelfth • And the Seventh and the Thirteenth are but 

 the limits and Boundaries of the ret urn. 



The Concords in Mufick which are Perfect^ or SemiperfetJ^ between the 

 Unifon^nd the Diapajonj.xe the Fifth, which is the moft Perfett ; the Third 

 next And the Sixth which is more harlh : And as the Ancients efteemed, 

 and fo do my felf andfome Other yet, the Fourth which they call Diatef- 

 f iron, As for the T enth,T welfth,T hirteenth ,and fo in Ixfinitum;they be but 

 Recurrences of the Former viz. of the Third,l\\t Fifth ? and the Sixth ; being 

 an Eighth refpedtively from them. 



For Difcords^ the Second, and the Seventh, are of all others the moft odi- 

 ous,^ Harmony, to the Senfe $ whereof the One is next above the Unifon, the 



Other 



