Batman vppon Bartholome his booke De proprietatibus rerum, newly corrected, enlarged and amended: with such additions as are requisite, vnto euery seuerall booke: taken foorth of the most approued authors, the like heretofore not translated in English. Profitable for all estates, as well for the benefite of the mind as the bodie. 1582.

De Cithera. cap. 143.

THe Harpe is called Cithera, and was first found of Apollo, as the Greek,

〈…〉〈…〉. And the harpe is like to a mans brest for likwise, as the voyce commeth of the brest, so the notes come of y^e harp, & hath therefore that name Cithara, for the breast is called Cithara, in Dorica lingua, & afterward some & some came foorth many maner instrumēts therof, & had y^t name Cithara, as y^e harp & psalte∣rie, & other such & some be foure corne∣red, and some three cornered: the strings be many, and speciall manner thereof is diuers. Men in olde time called y^e harpe Tidicula, and also Fidicen, for y^e strings thereof accord, as well as some men ac∣cordeth in saith. And the harpe had sea∣uen strings, and so Virgil saith.

Septem sunt soni septem discrimi∣na vocum.

There be vii. soundes, and vii. diffe∣rences of voyces: and are therefore cal∣led D••s••rimina, for one string next to a∣nother, maketh like sound: and strings be seauen, either for they fill all the note, or for because heauen soundeth in vii. mouings. A string is called Corda, and hath that name of Corde, the heart: for as the pulse of the heart, is in the brest, so the pulse of the strings is in the harpe. Mercurius founde out first suche strings: for he strained first strings, & made them to sound, as Isid. saith. The more dry the strings be, & the more strai∣ned, the more they sound: & the wrest is called Plectrum.