Of 0 XFO ^D^SHI'KE. u 
lables increafe, till I meet with an Echo fit for the purpofe. 
20. The reafon of the difference between day and night, why 
it fliould return feventeen fyllables in the one, and twenty in the 
other, may lie, I fuppofe, in the various qualities, and confti- 
tution of the medium in different feafons ; the Air being much 
more quiet, and ftock'd with exhalations in the night than day, 
which fomthing retarding the quick motion of the voice to the 
objed, and its return to the fpeaker fomwhat more, (by reafon 
the voice muft needs be weakned in the reflexion) muft neceffari- 
ly give fpacefor the return of more fyllables. 
21. Amongft other tryals of this Echo^ I difcharged a Piftol, 
which made a return much quicker then my voice, and (at which 
I ftill wonder) with a much different found from that the Piftol 
made, whence I can only conclude, that the more forcibly the 
Air is ftricken, (as alfo in the proje6:ion of a ball) the fooner the 
refponfe is made, and that poffibly there may be fomc founds 
more agreeable to every Echo^ than others. And it being my 
Lord Bacon^s opinion. That there are fome letters that an Echo 
will hardly exprefs, and particularly the letter S, which, faies 
he, being of an interior and hifling found, the Echo ztPont Cha- 
renton would not return " ; hereupon I tryed,as well as his Lord- 
fliip, with the word Satan^ belide many others of the fame ini- 
tial, but found the Echo here neither fo modeft or frighted, but 
that, though the Devil has been bufie enough hereabout (as (liall 
further be fhcwn near the end of this Hiftory) it would readily 
enough make ufe of his name. 
22. Juft fuch another polyjyllahical Echo we have at Magdalen 
College^ in the water-walks, near the Bull-work called Dover 
Peer ; it repeats a whole Hexameter verfe, but not fo ftrongly as 
Woodftock: Where the true objeft of this may be, cannot fo well 
be found by meafure, becaufe of the many Buildings interpofing ; 
but I conjefture it may be about the publick Schools, or New Col- 
lege I could gladly, I confefs, have afligned it fomthing fur» 
ther off, becaufe I fear that diftance falls fomwhat fliort of our 
former account, but the buildings beyond lying all lower then 
thofe, it muft by no means be admitted ; which makes me think, 
there muft be a latitude allowed in thefe matters, according to the 
" Nat. Hi^. Cent. 3. Numb. ^1)1. * Since j New College hath been advanced a Story higher, A. D 
167^. this Echo is Jomwhat alter'd. 
B 2 dif- 
