M U i 
■Nor does harmony defert us when we are in need of her 
foothing, conlolatory, or fympathetic, aid : for fhe, like 
divine Charity, can “ weep with thofe that weep,” as well 
as “ rejoice with thofe that do rejoice.” She willingly 
joins in the mournful dirge, or in the complaining elegy ; 
and, while fhe lends her cheerful notes to a Solomon, can 
gracioufiy condefcend to affift Ovid, Tibullus, and even 
Cornelius Callus, while they pour forth their plaintive 
drains. And gladly did (lie join with her favourite Gray, 
who, in fome of his fublime Odes, evinced that he had 
caught the lqfty fpirit of Pindar. But we have another 
illuftrious inftance of her kind and foftering influence, in 
the abftrabledly-refined and lofty genius of Collins ; who 
has in a mod expreflive and energetic Ode, aptly and won¬ 
derfully del'cribed the powers of harmony. This Ode, 
with that on the Poetic Character, may be confidered as 
Angular and extraordinary proofs of the exquifite taite, 
refined, elevated, and original, genius, of this exalted 
poet and deprefied unhappy man, to whole memory, while 
we give juft and unqualified praife, we cannot but afford 
a tributary tear of 1'orrow ; and lament, that the intellec¬ 
tual powers of this Bard, fo highly worthy of that digni¬ 
fied name, (for of him we may appropriately fay, 
Infundit lumen Camamis, et cedere nefcit 
Grascorum ingehiis;) 
iliould have been, by any earthly caufe, fubdued to imbe¬ 
cility ; and the brilliant light of his elevated foul extin- 
guilhed before that of his vital lamp ! See the article 
Collins, vol. iv. p. 779. 
The late James Harris, efq. (father of the prefent lord 
Malmelbury,) author of Philofophical Arrangements, 
Treatifes on Mulic, Painting, and Poetry, &c. &c. was 
an excellent mufician both in theory and practice. At 
Salifbury, where he refided, he was looked up to as the 
father of harmony. In his Tifcourfes on Mulic, &c. he 
fays, “ The fuperftitious have not a more previous ten¬ 
dency to be frightened at the light of lpedfres, or a lover 
to fall into raptures at the light of his miftrefs, than a mind 
tempered by the power of mufic, to enjoy all ideas which 
are fuitable to that temper. And hence the genuine 
charm of mulic, and the wonders which it works through 
its great profefl'ors. A power, which confifts not in imi¬ 
tations, and in railing ideas; but in railing aff'eftions to 
which ideas may correfpond. There are few to be found 
fo infenfible, I may even fay fo inhumane, as, when good 
poetry is juftly fet to mufic, not in fome degree to feel 
the force of lo amiable an union. But to the mufe’s 
friends, it is a force irrefiftible, and penetrates into the 
deepeft receffes of the foul.” Chap. vi. p. 98. ' 
The impreftions made on us by mufical founds are cer¬ 
tainly more lading than the impreftions made by words, 
as we know that we often retain every note of the melody 
of a long, when the poetry is forgotten. The Hon. Daines 
Barrington, in his Mil'cellanies, mentions a remarkable 
inftance of the lading imprefiion of mulic. He fays that, 
being in company with the late venerable lord Bathurft, 
the converfation turning upon mufic, and its impreftions 
or. the mind, his lordlhip mentioned a famous opera-long, 
fung by Nicolini, in the reign of queen Anne, which he 
had heard with great pleafure; B. requefted his lordlhip 
to give him an idea of the air, which he immediately com¬ 
plied with, by ftnging it throughout, and imitated, at the 
fame time, the peculiarities of Nicolini. Lord Bathurft, 
he fays, was at that time eighty-feven, and probably had 
not heard this fong for threefcore years. 
It is an undoubted fa< 5 l, that animals are fufceptible of 
the power of mufic, particularly horfes and deer ; nay, we 
are told, that even in feeds feel its influence. Playford, 
who was a confiderable writer on mufic in his day, fays, 
that he met a herd of flags upon the road to lioyfton, 
about twenty in number, following the found of l'ome 
mufical inltruments : as long as the mufic played, they 
went forward ; but, the moment it ceafed, they all flood 
itill 5 and by this means they were brought out of York- 
Vol. XVI. No. 1114. 
I C. 313 
fhire to Hampton-court. The duke of Newcaftle, in his 
Book of Horfemanfhip, afierts, that horfes are delighted 
with mufic. Shakefpeare afierts the fame thing : 
For do but note a wild and wanton herd. 
Or race of youthful and unhandled colts, 
Fetching mad bounds, bellowing and neighing loud, 
(Which is the hot condition of their blood ;) 
If they but hear, perchance, a trumpet found, 
Or any air of mulic touch their ears, 
You fhall perceive them make a mutual ftand ; 
Their favage eyes turn’d to a modeft gaze 
By the l'weet power of mufic. Merchant of Venice. 
The following anecdote was communicated, fome years 
fince, by James Tatlow of Manchefter, who had it from 
thole who were witnefl'es of the fabl. On a Sunday even¬ 
ing, five chorifters were walking on the banks of the 
river Marcey, in Chefhire ; after fome time, they fat down 
on the grafs, and began to ling an anthem. The field in 
which they fat, was terminated at one extremity byawood, 
out of which, as they were finging, they obferved a /tare 
to pafs with great fwiftnefs towards the place where they 
were fitting, and to flop at about twenty yards diftance 
from them. She appeared highly delighted with the mulic, 
often turning up the fide of her head to lillen with more 
facility. This uncommon appearance engaged their at¬ 
tention ; and, being defirous to know whether the crea¬ 
ture paid them the vifit to partake of the mufic, they 
finiftied the piece, and fat Hill. As foon as the harmo¬ 
nious found was over, the hare returned flowly towards 
the wood. When Ihe had reached nearly the end of the 
field, they began the fame piece again, at which the hare 
flopped, then turned about, and came fwiftiy back again, 
to about the fame diftance as before; where Ihe feemed to 
liften with rapture and delight, till they had finiihed the 
anthem, when fhe returned again by a flow pace up the 
field, and re-entered the wood. 
There is a curious ftory given by fir John Hawkins, in 
his Hillory of Mufic, which will afford fome entertain¬ 
ment to the reader. He tells us, that a captain of the re¬ 
giment of Navarre, being confined in pril'on, requefted 
the governor to give him leave to fend for his lute, to be¬ 
guile the fad hours of his captivity; which favour was 
granted him. After finging and playing fome time, he 
was greatly aftonifhed to fee the 7 nice come out of then- 
holes, and thefpulers defeend from their webs, and form 
a circle round him : he Hood motionlefs, and, laying 
down his lute, thefe animals and infedls retired to their 
lodgings. After fix days filence, in which time he was 
without a vifitor, he ufed the fame means, and produced 
the lame effedl; and, trying the fame experiment fre¬ 
quently, he always found that, whenever he chofe to per¬ 
form, he wasfure to be attended by an attentive and nu¬ 
merous company; and by this means he formed an acquaint¬ 
ance which alleviated the dilinal hours of imprifonment. 
We have feen that mulic, in lefs civilized times than the 
prefent, was in fuch great eftimation, that whoever culti¬ 
vated letters thought it likewil'e neceflary to make mufic 
their particular ftudy ; and it was thought as difgracefu! 
then for learned men to be ignorant of it, as it is for per- 
fons of rank, at this time, not to be able to write or read. 
Milton fays, in his Trablate on Education. “ If wile 
men and prophets are not out, mufic has a great power 
over the dilpofitions and manners, to foothe and make 
them gentle from ruftic harlhnefs and diftempered paf- 
fions.” He recommends to his young difeipies the com- 
pofing of their fpirits by the aid of this divine art. 
But, though mufic muft be allowed to have the power 
of exalting the foul, and of calming and fubduing the 
pafiions, and though it has been admired and cultivated 
by the greateft pliilofophers and moil eminent perfons in 
every age and country, yet we cannot agree with our im¬ 
mortal bard, when he lays that “ The man who has not 
mufic in his foul is fit for treafons, llratagems, and fpoils.” 
Many intelligent and amiable perfons, who poffefs in no 
4 - L final! 
