The praise of musicke wherein besides the antiquitie, dignitie, delectation, & vse thereof in ciuill matters, is also declared the sober and lawfull vse of the same in the congregation and church of God.

THE PARTICVLER VSE OF MVSICKE IN CI∣uill matters, especially in sacrifi∣ces, feasts, mariages and Burials. CHAP. VII. (Book 7)

NOw the ciuil vse, to let passe all generalities which I touched before with a wet finger, may best be collected out of these solemn either a∣ctions or assemblies, which are frequented in al politique states, & may be listed for breuities sake within the com∣passe of these foure things, to wit, sacrifices, feasts, mariages and burials. For I dare not speake of dauncing or theatrall specta∣cles, least I pull whole swarmes of eni∣mies vpon me. Albeit Lesbonax of My∣tilen, honestus plane vir & bonus,* 1.1 a man I

am sure, aswell titled, as the curiously min∣ded called dauncers 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, men teaching wisdome euen with their hands, & oftē went to theaters, giuing this testimony of them, that he euer returnd home the better by thē. I confesse I am accessory to their iniurie against Musick in bereauing it of these two so ample & notable prouinces, bicause I doe not by open resistance hinder their riot. For howsoeuer obcenity may bring the stage in suspicion of vnchastnes and incontinency, make dauncing disfauorable & odious, I am sure that neither of them keeping them selues vnder saile, that is not ouerreaching their honest and lawfull circumstances, can want either good groundes to authorize them,* 1.2 or sufficient patronage to maintaine thē. As for these sacred or rather prophane churchrites vsed amōgst the heathē & pagās in reuerence of their supposed gods, let that sorting of Musicke into Sophronisticè appli∣ed to Sobriety and Temperance,* 1.3 Encomi∣asticè to praises, Orchematicè to dancings, Threneticè to calamities, & Paeanicè to sacri∣fices be sufficient to discharge me of farther paines.* 1.4 Notwithstanding because exāples stick deeper than precepts, & both these will

skāt serue to win some mēs credence, let thē call to minde what the priestes of Rhea in Creete called Curetes or these Coryban∣tes in Phrygia did. What kinde of seruice Apollo founde in Delos, or the Sunne a∣mongst the Indians, in what manner those gadding huswiues of Thrace worshipped Bacchus. And if one Proctor Antoninus the Emperour may not serue to answere throughly enough in behalfe of Rome, who in sacrificing to Heliogabalus appointed Carthaginian Dames to daunce, and make melodie about the altars, let the whole cler∣gie of Mars called Salij (perhaps as some haue gessed of dancing and leaping) instruct them what the vsage, and fashion was a∣mongest the Romanes.

Touching banquets,* 1.5 let no man I would aduise him exclude pleasure and recreation from thence, vnlesse he haue a forehead to set against the whole world, and a face to be at defiance with all countries. For other∣wise why haue the feastmakers prouided meates for the mouth, sightes for the eye; perfumes for the nose, yea why haue they strowed Violets and Roses for the feete to walke vpon, but to allure and detaine their

guestes with all maner of delectation? And must the eare sleepe al this while? No, there are questions of nature, of policy, or maners to be disputed on as amongst the Persians. There are riddles and mystical speeches to be explicated (for examples sake, A man and yet no man of an Eunuch, a stone and yet no stone of a pumeise, a birde and yet no bird of a reremouse) as amongst the Greci∣ans. You may eate bookes in time of meals as did Alexander Seuerus: you may giue eare to tragical & comical Poets as did Ha∣drianus. Or if such table talke be too graue for your light humour, bring in young chil∣dren to find you occupied with their apish pratling as amongst the Abydens. Bring in fooles and iesters (the very skornes and reproches of nature) to delite you with their toies as amongst the Romans. And I praie why not Musicke as wel as al these? sure if I were priuy to any reasons of yours, which either are few & wil shrink in the nūbering, or light & wil vanish in y^e weighing, I wold neuer suffer my pen to belie my hart: either I would bend al my force to conuince them, or if I could not, vtterly forsake the defence of Musick. In the meantime if I erre I am

glad that my error is not yong or selfwilled but sprong euē frō the most anciēt & best ap∣proued maners of many countries. The Ar∣cadians (what speake I of the Arcadians?) veteres: The anciēts (for so in Athenaeus the patents are general, and concerne other pla∣ces) were enioined by vertue of their lawes and statutes in time of feasting to sing forth praises vnto their gods. Cato his originals for ought I knowe are not extant amongst vs. Howbeit if wee will be tried by one of Cato his peeres,* 1.6 Tullie can tell vs that eue∣ry guest was bound in musicall sort to ex∣presse the feates of armes and chiualrie at∣tempted and performed by thier noble cap∣taines. I am bolde to say they were bound,* 1.7 for their Feastes in those dayes represented euen the whole body of a Common-wealth. They had Regem & Legem, their King and their lawes, & euery inferiour vpon paine of some mulct or other sworne to alleagiance. Now amōgst these decrees one was that a Lawrel or mirtle bough shold passe through out the table from hand to hande as an en∣signe or standard for each man in his time & course to sing vnder. Afterward they were put to the harp, & he that refused it sped no

better than we read Themistocles did. For Habilis est indoctior.* 1.8 Hee was condemned of ignorance and vnkilfulnesse. What neede I specifie Lacedaemō or Athens? we neede not trauell farre to bee seene in their anti∣quities. Euerie Historiographer especi∣ally in this argument, hath matter enough to cloy and ouercharge the hungriest mind. And that one song in commēdation of Har∣modius and Aristogiton for rooting out the tyranny and memory of Pisistratus 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉:* 1.9 Thou art not yet dead sweete Harmodius (for his name was re∣uiued in euerie banquet) makes it a cleare case touching the Athenians. The Sibarits besides all variety of minstrelsie brought in horses at their times of feasting, to tread the measures. But to set the Sunne against the lesser starres, I meane the sonne of Si∣rach against all prophane authors (for how can I but confound my self and the readers in so ample a maze of authorityes?) he com∣pares Musicke in a feast to an emerauld or carbuncle set in gold: if it be perillous why doth the wiseman commend it to vs in his writings? if vile why doth he match it with two so excellent & precious stones? But his

bare word is to me a better warrant for the ratifieng of it than al their peeuishe & scarce colorable wrāgling to reproue it. I come to mariages,* 1.10 wherin as our ancestors (I do wil¦lingly harp vpon this string that our yonger wits may know they stand vnder correctiō of elder iudgemēts) did fondly,* 1.11 & with a kind of doting maintaine many rites & ceremo∣nies, some whereof were either shadowes or abodements of a pleasant life to come, as the eating of a quince peare, to be a prepara∣tiue of sweete & delightfull dayes betweene the maried persons, the ioyning of Mercury and Venus togither, as a token that loue must bee preserued & fostered by curteous speeches, with other not vnlike: so in the time of solemnising the same they had choise & set songs appointed for the purpose.* 1.12 The Grecians generally by report of Aristopha∣nes one of their Poets sang Hymen, O Hy∣maenaee, O Hymen. Calling vpon the name of him whom they made their chiefe super∣intendent ouer such matters. And Plato in his booke intitled Gorgias makes mention of this dittie as peculiarly belonging to those festiual times. Formosum esse, & di∣uitē, & bene valere, summū existimatur bonū.

Wilt thou be blessed and happie indeede? Be faire, rich and healthy, if thou wilt speede.

The Atheniās one of y^e best flours in greece sang incōditū carmen, perhaps some blacke saunt w^tout order or distinction, & it is re∣ported to be this: Bonos ama, timidos repelle, scimus enim timidorū paruā esse vbi{que} gratiā.

Embrace & loue the good, the carpet knights repel,How litle fauor they haue foūd elswhere who knowes not wel?

* 1.13I wil end w^t death the end of al mortality, which though it be the dissolutiō of nature, & parting of the soul frō the body, terrible in it self to flesh & blood, & amplified w^t a nūber of displeasant, & vncōfortable accidents, as the shauing of the head, howling, mourning ap∣parel, funeral boughes of yeu, box, cipresse, & the like, yet we shal find by resorting to anti∣quities, that musick hath had a share amōgst them, as being vnseasonable at no time. I let passe the Thraciās with their triūphes & iu∣bilies for the happy estate of their deceased friēds & kinsfolk.* 1.14 The Lybiās most honora∣ble mētion of those principally which were slain either by elephāts or other wild beasts or spēt their blood & liuelihood in y^e field for maintenāce of their coūtry, I cānot omit w^t∣out iniury to their thākfulnes & mine owne cause. The rather sith y^e cause which moued thē to these exigēts cānot be vngrateful to a∣ny

loial & wel disposed eares. Autumn winds are not so cōmon as authorities if I would vse thē. Euery grāmer scholer that openeth but an orator, poet, or historiographer shal see trumpets, pshalms, & singings attributed to funerals. And to reduce al vains to the hart, & al autorities to one head, if there were no such remēbring of the dead, why haue they deified a goddes of these songs,* 1.15 that as Ian{us} amōgest them was the first god to open the dore & entrāce of their liues, so Maenia shold be the last to do them any seruice, by quick∣ning them after their deathes, and raising vp a second life, by a wailful and yet musical commemoration of their laudable deserts.

Notes

• * 1.1

  Cael. Rhod.
• * 1.2

  1 In sacrifices.
• * 1.3

  Cael. Rhod.
• * 1.4

  Ibidem.
• * 1.5

  2 In banquets.
• * 1.6

  Tull. in Brut.
• * 1.7

  Stuckius.
• * 1.8

  Tuscul.
• * 1.9

  Cael. Rhod.
• * 1.10

  3 In mariages.
• * 1.11

  Plutarch.
• * 1.12

  In auibus.
• * 1.13

  4 In funerals.
• * 1.14

  Theat.
• * 1.15

  Varro Teren∣tius.