an Infant Mujician. 185 
from the difficulty of its attainment, and the delight it 
affords to the admirers and judges of both, is treated with 
refpedt, a premature difpofition to either ufually excites 
the fame kind of wonder as a phenomenon or prodigy. 
But as perfons confummate in thefe arts, and who are 
acquainted with the ufual difficulties which impede the 
rapid progrefs of common ftudents, can only judge of 
the miraculous parts of a child’s knowledge or perfor- 
mance, it will be neceffarv, before I fpeak of the talents 
peculiar to the child who is the fubject of the prefent in- 
quiry, to diftinguifh, as far as experience and obfervation 
lhall enable me, between a common and Supernatural 
difpofition, during infancy, towards the art of mufic. 
In general a child is not thought capable of profiting 
from the inftrudtions of amufic-maftertillfiveorfix years 
old, though many have difcovered an ear capable of be- 
ing pleafed with mufical tones, and a voice that could 
imitate them, much fooner. The lullaby of a nurfe 
during the firft months of a child’s exiftence has been 
found to fubdue peevifhnefs, and, perhaps, divert atten- 
tion from pain ; and in the fecond year it has often hap- 
pened, that a child has not only been more diverted with 
one tune or feries of founds than another, but has had 
fufficient power over the organs of voice to imitate the in- 
flexions by which it is formed; and thefe early proofs of 
Vol. LXJX* B b what 
