/ 
34 
2 35 
Experiments 
in Conforc 
coaching the 
imitation of 
Stands. 
*$6 
37 
$\QituralJ Hijlgry: 
n* 
fweet. And To I conceiuc it would, if it were a Song in Parts, fu'nginto 
federal! Drums j And for handfomnelfe and ftrangenefTe fake,it would 
not be amiffe to hauea Curtaine bet weene the Place where the Drums 
are, andthe Hearers. 
When a Sound is created in a windrlnjlrument , betweene the Breath 
and the Airepjet if th^<w$ 4 t*e communicate withamoreequail Bo- 
die of the Pipe,it melioratetlothe Sound. For ( no doubt) there would be 
a differing sound in a Trumpeter Pipe of fVood^ And againc in a Trum¬ 
pet or Pipe of Brajfe, It were good to trie Recorders and Hunters Hornes 
of Brajfe,what the Sound would be. 
Sounds are meliorated by the Intension, of th 0 Senfe • where the Com¬ 
mon Senfe is colleded moft, to the Particular Senfe of Hearings and the 
Sight fufpcnded:And therefore ^Sounds are fweeter,(as well as greater,) 
inlhe Night, than in the Day-, And I fuppofe,they are fweeter to blinde 
Men, than to Others: And it is maniieft, that betweene sleeping and 
Wakings ( when all the Senfes are bound and liifpen ded)Muficke is farre 
fweeter, than when one \s> fully waking. 
F T is a Thing ftrange in Nature, when it is attentiuciy confidcred b 
I. How children and lome Birds, learne to imitate Speech. They take no 
Markc ( at all) of the Motion of the Mouth of Him thadbeaketh • For 
Birds are as well taught in the Darkens by Light. 1 The Wmds of Speech 
are very Curious and Exquifite:So one would thinke it were a Leffon 
hard to learne. It is true,thac it is done with time, and by little and Ho 
tle,and with many Effayes and Proffers: But all this difehargeth not 
the Wondcr.lt would make a Man thinke(though this which we {hall 
fay mayfeeme exceeding ftrange ) that there 1$ fome Tranfmipon of 
Spirits-and that the Spirits of the Teacher,put inMotion,{hould worke 
with the Spirits of tne Learner , a Pre-difpofition to offer to Imi¬ 
tate • And fo to perfed the Imitation by degrees. But touching Opera¬ 
tions by Tranfmifsions of Spirits (which is one of the higheft Secrets in 
Nature,)we fhall fpeake in due place $ Chiefly when wee come to en¬ 
tire of Imagination. But as for Imitation, it is certaine, that there is in 
Men, and other Creatures, a predifpofltion to Imitate. Wee fee how 
readie Apes and Monkies are, to imitate all Motions of Man ; Andin 
the Catching of Dottrells, wefee,howthe Foolifh Bird playeth the 
Ape in Geftures: And no Man ( in effed) doth accompany with o- 
thers,but hee learneth, ( ere he is aware,) fome Gefture, or Voice, or 
Fafhion of the other. 
In Imitation of Sounds, that Man fbould be the Teacher, is no Part of 
the Matter • For Birds will learne one of another • And there is no Re¬ 
ward,by feeding, or the like giuen them for the Imitation^ Andbefides, 
you fhall haue Parrots, that will not only imitate Voyces, but Laugh- 
ing,Knocking,SqucakingofaDoore vpon the Hinges, or of a Cart- 
wheele; And (in effed) any other Noife they heare. 
No Beafi can imitate the Speech of Man Jowt Birds onely^For the Ape 
it 1 
