& 
1810.] ' On the Scale of certain Musical Instruments. 
éasion; and adds that (with the French 
pronunciation) it “is certainly an imita- 
tion of asinine braying.” Lhe line is 
this: 
flex va! beava!l bes va bez! 
Kustathius, it seems, remarks that \ 
** blops is a sound in imitation of the clep- 
sydra.”* As the clepsydra was a water- 
clock, I suppose tis refers to the noise 
of the fluid in issuing from the vessel. I 
do not knowin what manner it ran; but, 
to judge from the foregoing expression, 
if was not in a smooth stream. I shall 
therefore place as parallel to this, a 
i’rench wood-cutter’s term for the sound 
of the liguor emptying from his bottle (1 
linagine, what we call a deathern-boltle ) 
into his mouth :+ 
Qv'ils sont doux, 
Bouteille jolie, _, - 
Ow ils sont dovx 
Vos petits glow-glou ! 8c.f 
In my former letter, ‘I presented you 
with a curious and. most valuable stute- 
ment, exhibiting the sounds of the strings 
of a vinlin in being put intotune, Ihave 
now the good furtune of being able to 
lay before your readers, from the author 
whom F have last quoted (Moligre), ano- 
ther article, almost equally valuable, in 
a similar display of the sounds produced 
by the strings of a lute, in undergoing 
precisely the same operation (of being 
put into tune). Itis, of course, neces- 
sary to remember that the instrument is 
out of tune at the time; and that the fol- 
lowing example should be read with the 
French pronunciation of the~ words: 
“plan, plan, plan; plin, plin, plin:— 
plin, plin, plin; plin, tan, plan; plin, 
plin :—=plin, plan.” || 
The same work supplies me also with 
ail expression (in the French pronunci- 
—_—_——— 
* In his note on the [liad, book 1, ver. 
499, his words are, Brébéc 6 sig uredddoug 
Gos mymulinds unre sao maraleg. § Blops, 
according to the ancients, is a sound in imi- 
tation of the clepsydra.’—From Walker's Key, 
- &. 
+ Molictre: Le Médecin malgré Lui; acte 
1. scéne 1. 
¢ $* My pretty bottle, how sweet is your 
little glu-glu !” 
|| Le Malade Imaginaire: premier inter- 
méde, scéne 4. The passave is as follows: 
** Polichinelle prend son Juth, dont il fait 
semblant de jouer, en imitant avec les lévres 
et Ja langue leson de cet instrument. Plan. 
é&c. Voila un tems facheux pour mettre up 
uth @agcerd. 
113 — 
ation of it) for the report of a pistol: i€ 
is powe.™ 
My last example has but lately come 
to my knowledge, and very unexpectedly ; 
but as an explanation concerning it may 
help to illustrate some texts of Scripture 
which I am sure must occasionally be 
liable to misconception, I shall employ 
afew lines onthe subject. There is a 
Latin verb pipio, given in some of our 
school-dictionaries with the translation 
merely ‘* to peep,” and in others more 
fully, ‘to peep like a chicken ;” and as 
the word hardly ever occurs, this inters - 
pretation might pass without causing any 
practical blunder. The idea, however, ' 
which the Latin verb really signifies, is, 
“to cry Peep!” this last word being 
merely an imitation of an inarticulate 
sound; and we have an obsolete verb 
‘to peep,” formed in the same mainer 
as “‘to huzzu, to whoop, and to hem and 
ha.”+ his verb is very appropriately 
applied to young birds inthe nest, in 
Isaiah, chap. 10, ver. 14: “ There was 
none that moved the wing, or opeived 
the mouth, or peeped.” In chap. 8, ver. 
19, of the same prophet, it 1s coupled 
with ‘mutter ;” and in the margin of 
chap. 29, ver. 4, is made equivalent to 
“ whisper,” and “ chirp.” —- The word 
‘then may be supposed to have been 
formed from the cry of young berds, and 
in this view itis suited to my present 
purpose. 
I conclude with my hearty commenda- 
tions to all ingenious projectors, whether 
in words or deeds; and am, Sir, 
/ Your's, &c. 
January 12th, 1810. 
eS 
For the Monthly Magazine. 
On the scatEe of certain MUSICAL IN- 
STRUMENTS, which are said tq.be with- 
out TEMPERAMENT. 
foi letter of your respectable corre= 
spondent, Capel Loft, esq. at page 
387 of the November Magazine,induces me 
to trouble you herewith, in order to men 
Sie 
* Le Malade Imaginaire : premiére entree 
de ballet. The passage is this; ** Polichi- 
nelle, faisant semblant de tirer un coup de 
pistolet. Poue !” 
+ Johnson, under ** to peep,” gives only 
(besides the most common meaning, of 
«6 looking slily,”) §* to make the first appear- 
ance; and then explains ‘* peeper’’ by 
‘6 young chickens just breaking the shell”* Hexe 
seems evidently some confusion or mistake, 
from a comparison with the signification 
given in the upper part of this page. te 
: : OR, 
