The matter is so ample, the ground so large, the reasons so many, which sound to her renowne: the thing it selfe so auncient, and so honorable, so generall, and so priuate, so in Churches, and so without, so in all ages, and in all places, both highely preferred, and richely rewarded: the princesse of delites, and the delite of princes: such a pacifier in passion, such a maistres to the minde, so excellent in so many, so esteemed by so many, as euen multitude makes me wonder, and with all to staie my hand, for feare that I shall not easely get thence, if I enter once in. I will not therfore digresse: bycause there is better stuffe in place, and more fit for my purpose, then the praise of _Musick_ is. The Philosophers, and Physicians, do allow the straining, and recoyling of the voice in children, yea though they crie, and baule, beside their singing, and showting: by the waie of exercise to stretche, and kepe open the hollow passages, and inward pipes of the tender bulke, whereby _Musick_ will proue a double principle both for the soule, by the name of learning, and for the body, by the waye of exercise, as hereafter shall appeare.
But for the whole matter of _Musick_, this shalbe enough for me to say at this time, that our countrey doth allow it: that it is verie comfortable to the wearyed minde: a preparatiue to perswasion: that he must needes haue a head out of proportion, which cannot perceiue: or doth not delite in the proportions of number, which speake him so faire: that it is best learned in childehood, when it can do least harme, and may best be had: that if the constitution of man both for bodie and soule, had not some naturall, and nighe affinitie with the concordances of _Musick_, the force of the one, would not so soone stirre vp, the cosen motion in the other. It is wonderfull that is writen, and strange that we see, what is wrought therby in nature of _Physick_, for the remedying of some desperate diseases.
And yet there groweth some miscontentment with it, though it be neuer so good, and that not only in personages of whom I make small account, but in some verie good, honest, and well disposed natures, though to stearnly bent, which neuerthelesse, for al their stearnnes, wil resigne ouer their sentence, and alter their opinion, sometimes of themselues vpon deeper meditation, what the thing in it selfe is, sometime by inducement, when they fal in with other which are better resolued: but most cheifly then, when _Musick_ it selfe consideratly applyed, hath for a while obtained the fauorable vse of their listning eares. The science it selfe hath naturally a verie forcible strength to trie and to tuche the inclination of the minde, to this or that affection, thorough the propertie of number, wheron it consisteth, which made the _Pythagorian_, and not him alone to plat the soule out so much vpon number.