The philosophie, commonlie called, the morals vvritten by the learned philosopher Plutarch of Chæronea. Translated out of Greeke into English, and conferred with the Latine translations and the French, by Philemon Holland of Coventrie, Doctor in Physicke. VVhereunto are annexed the summaries necessary to be read before every treatise

CHAP. XIX. Of the Voice. [ 40]

PLATO defineth the Voice to be a spirit, which by the mouth is brought and directed from the understanding; also a knocking performed by the aire, passing through the eares, the braine, and the bloud, as farre as to the soule; after an unproper maner & abusively we attri∣bute Voice to unreasonable creatures, yea & to such as have no soule or life at al, namely, to the neighing of horses, and to other sounds; but to speake properly, there is no voice but that which is articulate, and called it is 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 in Greeke, for that it declareth that which is in the thought.

EPICURUS holdeth the Voice to bee a fluxion sent foorth by such as speake and make a noise, or otherwise doe sound; which fluxion breaketh and crumbleth into many fragments of [ 50] the same forme and figure, as are the things from whence they come; as for example, round to round, and triangles whether they have three equall sides or unequall, to the like triangles: and these broken parcels entring into the eares, make the sense of the Voice, which is hearing; a thing that may be evidently seene in bottles that leake and runne out, as also in fullers that blow upon their clothes.

DEMOCRITUS saith, that the very aire breaketh into small fragments of the same figure,

that is to say, round to round; and roll together with the fragments of the Voice: for accor∣ding to the old proverbe:

One chough 〈◊〉〈◊〉 to another chough, loves 〈◊〉〈◊〉 for to pearch, And God hath so appointed 〈◊〉〈◊〉 , that all their like should search.

For even upon the shores and sea-sides, stones are evermore found together semblable, to wit, in one place round, in another long; in like manner when as folke doe winnow or purge come with the vanne, those graines alwaies are ranged and sorted together, which be of one and the same forme; insomuch as beanes goe to one side by themselves, & rich pease to another a part [ 10] by their selves: but against all this it may be alledged and objected: How is it possible that a 〈◊〉〈◊〉 fragments of spirit and winde should fill a 〈◊〉〈◊〉 , that receiveth ten thousand men?

The STOICKS say, that the aire doth not consist of small fragments, but is continuall throughout, and admitteth no voidhesse at all: howbeit, when it is smitten with spirit or winde, it waveth directly in circles infinitly, untill it fill up all the aire about, much after the manner as we may perceive in a pond or poole, when there is a stone throwen into it; for like as the wa∣ter in it mooveth in flat circles; so doth the aire in roundles like to bals.

ANAXAGORAS faith, that the Voice is formed by the incursion and beating of the Voice against the solide aire, which maketh resistance, and returneth the stroke backe againe to the eares, which is the manner also of that reduplication of the Voice or resonance called Eccho. [ 20]