Century II. 



?5 



to be falfe, in that the Sound of a Bell,String, or the like,continueth melting, 

 fometime, after the Percufiion^ but ceafeth ftraight-waies,. if the Bell, or 

 Stringjot touched and frayed : whereas,if it were the Elifion of the Air, that 

 made the Sound-, it could not bee, that the Touch of the Be/I, or String, 

 fbould extinguifh fo fuddenly that Motion, caufed by the Elifion of the 

 Air. This appeareth yet more manifeiHy, by Chiming with a Hammer up- 

 on the Out-fide of a BelL\ For the Sound will be according to the inward 

 Concave of the Bell whereas the Elifion, or Attenuation of the Air cannot 

 be but only between the Hammer and the Out-fide of the Bell. So again 

 ifitwerean Flifion, abroad Hammer, and a' Bodkin y ftruck upon Metall, 

 would give a diverie Tone as well as a diverfe Loudnefs : But they do not 

 fc>} For though the Sound o( the one be Louder, and of the other Softer , | 

 yet the Tone is the fame. Befiides,in Ec chd j(whereof fome are as loud as the j 

 Originall Voice,) there is no new Elifion, but a Repercufiion only. But 

 that which convinceth it molt of all,, is ^ that Sounds are generated, where 

 there is no Air at all. But thefe and the like Conceits, when Men have 

 cleared their underftanding, by the light of Experience, will fcatter, and 

 break up like a Mid. 



It is certain, thitSoundis not produced at the firft, but with fome Locall 

 Motion of the Air, ox Flame • or fome other Med turn Nor yet without fome 

 Refiflance, either in the Air, or the Body Percujfed, For if there be a meer 

 Yeelding or Ceflion, it produceth no Sound h As hath been faid. And 

 therein Sounds differ from Light, and Colours * which pafs through the Air, 

 or other Bodies, without any Locall Motion of the Air \ either at the firft, or 

 alter. But you muft attentively diftingmfn between the Locall Motion f& the 

 Air, (which is but Vehiculum cauf<e, a Carrier of the Sounds,) and the Sounds 

 themfelves, Conveighed in the Air. For as to the former,we fee manifeft- 

 Iy, that no fomd is produced (no not by Air it felf againft other Air, as in 

 Organs, &c. ) but with a perceptible Blaft of the Air « and with fome Refi- 

 ftance of the Air ftrucken. For,even all Speech, (which is one of the gentleft 

 Motions of Air,) is with Expulfion of a little Breath. And all Pipes have a 

 Blaft, as well as a Sound. Wefeealfo mamfeftly, that Sounds are carried 

 with Wind : And therefore Sounds will be heard iuither with the Wind,t\\m 

 againft the wind : and likewife do rife and foil with the Intenfion or Re- 

 miflion ofthe Wind. But for the Jmprefiion of the Sound,\t is quite another 

 Thing ; And is utterly without any Locall Motion of the Air, Perceptible.-, 

 And in that refembleth the Species Vifible ; for after a Man hath lured, or a 

 Bell is rung, we cannot difcern any Perceptible Motion (at all J in the Air^ 

 along as the found goeth but only at the firft. Neither doth the wind (as 

 farre as it carrieth a Voice,) with the Motion thereof, confound any of the 

 Delicate," and Articulate Figurations of the Air , in variety of Words. 

 And if a Man fpeak a good loudnefs, againft the Flame of a Candle, it will 

 not make it tremble much • though moft, when thofe Letters are pronoun- 

 ced, which contracl: the mouth as F, V; and fome others. But Gentle 

 Breathing, or Blowing without Speaking, will move the Candle farre more. 

 And it is the more probable, that Sound 'is without any Locall Motion of the 

 Air, becaufe as it dirFereth from the Sight, in that it needeth a Locall Motion 

 of the Air at firft • So it paralleleth in fo many other things with the Sight, 

 and Radiation of T kings mvifible ^ which( without all queftion)induce no Lo- 

 call Motion in the Air, as hath been faid. 



Neverthelefs it is true, that upon the Noife of Thunder, and great Ord- 

 nance Glafs windows will fhake- and Fifhes are thought to be frayed 



with 



521 



621 



