+‡Musike‡+, of Motion, hath his Originall cause: Therfore, after the motions most swift, and most Slow, which are in the Firmament, of Nature performed: and vnder the _Astronomers Consideration_: now I will Speake of an other kinde of _Motion_, producing sound, audible, and of Man numerable. _Musike_ I call here that _Science_, which of the Grekes is called _Harmonice_. Not medling with the Controuersie betwene the auncient _Harmonistes_, and _Canonistes_. +Musike is a Mathematicall Science, which teacheth, by sense and reason, perfectly to iudge, and order the diuersities of soundes, hye and low.+ _Astronomie_ and _Musike_ are Sisters, saith _Plato_. As, for _Astronomie_, the eyes: So, for _Harmonious Motion_, the eares were made. But as _Astronomie_ hath a more diuine Contemplation, and cõmodity, then mortall eye can perceiue: So, is _Musike_ to be considered,
that the * Minde may be preferred, before the eare. And from audible sound, we ought to ascende, to the examination: which numbers are _Harmonious_, and which not. And why, either, the one are: or the other are not. I could at large,
in the heauenly * motions and distances, describe a meruailous Harmonie, of _Pythagoras_ Harpe
with eight stringes. Also, somwhat might be sayd of _Mercurius_ * two Harpes,
eche of foure Stringes Elementall. And very straunge matter, might be alledged of the _Harmonie_,
to our * Spirituall part appropriate. As in _Ptolomaus_ third boke, in the fourth and sixth Chapters may appeare.
*And what is the cause of the apt bonde, and frendly felowship, of the Intellectuall and Mentall part of vs, with our grosse & corruptible body: but a certaine Meane, and _Harmonious Spiritualitie, with both participatyng, & of both (in a maner) resultynge In
* the sound of Instrument_, what might be sayd, of _Harmonie_: No common Musicien would lightly beleue.
[I. D. Read in Aristotle his 8. booke of Politikes: the 5, 6, and 7. chapters. Where you shall haue some occasion farder to thinke of Musike, than commonly is thought.]
But of the sundry Mixture (as I may terme it) and concurse, diuerse collation, and Application of these _Harmonies_: as of thre, foure, fiue, or mo: Maruailous haue the effectes ben: and yet may be founde, and produced the like: with some proportionall consideration for our time, and being: in respect of the State, of the thinges then: in which, and by which, the wondrous effectes were wrought. _Democritus_ and _Theophrastus_ affirmed, that, by _Musike_, griefes and diseases of the Minde, and body might be cured, or inferred. And we finde in Recorde, that _Terpander_, _Arion_, _Ismenias_, _Orpheus_, _Amphion_, _Dauid_, _Pythagoras_, _Empedocles_, _Asclepiades_ and _Timotheus_, by _Harmonicall_ Consonãcy, haue done, and brought to pas, thinges, more then meruailous, to here of. Of them then, making no farder discourse, in this place: Sure I am, that Common _Musike_, commonly vsed, is found to the _Musiciens_ and Hearers, to be so Commodious and pleasant, That if I would say and dispute, but thus much: That it were to be otherwise vsed, then it is, I should finde more repreeuers, then I could finde priuy, or skilfull of my meaning. In thinges therfore euident, and better knowen, then I can expresse: and so allowed and liked of, (as I would wish, some other thinges, had the like hap) I will spare to enlarge my lines any farder, but consequently follow my purpose.