A vindication of an Essay to the advancement of musick from Mr. Matthew Lock's Observations, by enquiring into the real nature and most convenient practise of that science / by Thomas Salmon ...

To Mr. T. S.

SIR,

HAving received consi∣derable advantages from your Musical Essay, &c. I was much concern'd to see so happy a Design so scurri∣lously traduced. But the a∣busiveness of the Language sufficiently bespeaks his spite to your Person, rather than any sober dislike of your Es∣say; that it is plain his design was not to return an An∣swer, but a Libel; and when

he had bark'd, and grin'd, and shew'd his teeth, his fear kept him at a distance, so that though he wrote an Answer, yet was afraid to meddle with the Controversie.

But your Credit is too sacred to be be-spatter'd by all his Ribaldry; and by throwing dirt at a person of so unblemish'd Fame, he only dirty's his own fingers. I hope you will laugh at, and con∣temn his malice, and by no means think him worthy a Reply. I am confident, there are few that have read both, that expect one; I am sure they cannot, if they under∣stand either.

And as for Tapsters and Drawers, the great admirers of your worthy Adversary (who think, he hath utterly bafled all your Musical Essays, out of Hudibras and the Ac∣cidence) you need not much care for satisfying them; especially since there is no question, but that a man of an ordinary capacity might so improve himself in one weeks time at Billingsgate, as to answer sufficiently his most substantial Objecti∣ons.

And, really, some of it is so nasty, that a modest man would be afraid to

touch it with a pair of Tongs; and its nothing but use that hath made himself not ashamed of it; you may see the same page divided betwixt Scripture and Ri∣baldry; Lust got into Para∣dise, and the Goat once more upon the Sacred Al∣tar, as if he had meant to droll Religion out of the world, and revive the Wor∣ship of Cotytto's Temple.

His 38^th page hath words so nasty, one would have thought he had spoken through a Clyster-pipe, and like the Apocryphal Beast, 2 Esdr. 11. 10. the voice had

not come out of his head, but the midst of his body.

As for his whole Book, he himself confesseth, p. 27. one third part of it to be no∣thing to the purpose: And of the poor Thirteen Leaves that remain, I find upon just account, That they are stuff'd with II dull Copies of Verses, XXIX merry Proverbs, III Scraps of Latine, IV Sen∣tences of Scripture, A Bawdy Story, A Sacred Anthem, O bone Jesu, &c. mixed in a general heap of Nastiness. Besides many pretty Quiblets and smart Rhithms, that come in as luckily, as if he

would have cap'd Verses with you.

He scorns to have one Period depend upon ano∣ther, but will have every Sentence set up for it self; and truly the Book is no∣thing but Thrums and Shreds, which being stitch'd together with blew Thred, look like a Taylor's Apron, or a Fool's Coat.

I find his very first Sen∣tence, line 7 (as well as ma∣ny other) to be such pitiful Nonsense and false English, that I should have left him, as a very Dunce, to the correction of the Rod and

Ferula, had he not told me in the next page, that he un∣derstood the degrees of Compa∣rison; yea, and that more∣over he had once learn'd the Syntax; and again, p. 31. that he happily remembred the definition of a Noun, to be either seen, felt, heard, or un∣derstood: which 'tis strange he should pretend to, and yet take falsity, insignificancy, and contradictory, for three Noun Substantives, p. 1.

Which truly may well be, since Musick is the only thing, where he can do more than pretend; though here∣in his Objections are so in∣significant,

that, were it not for that genuine malice, wherewith he always writes, I should have thought you had hired him to have credi∣ted your Essay.

Some of his Objections only shew the natural ad∣vantages which Musick ob∣tains by your design; others are so contradictory, that they fall together by the ears among themselves, like the fighting-race of Cadmus's Serpent's teeth; and you need only look on, for they naturally destroy one ano∣ther.

And really, a short expe∣ctation

is requisite, and will be sufficient: for, though I scarce know any new thing ever proposed, but it always met with some angry Anta∣gonist; yet the true nature of the thing, and the great∣est conveniency, have, in spite of all opposition, at last gain'd a general acceptance.

One that has had but a small insight into Musick, may easily perceive, how, ever since the days of Guido, 'tis continually altering into a greater ease, as well as excellency. Musicians have not long cast off those per∣plexed distinctions of Mood,

Time, and Prolation, the Li∣gatures of the long Notes, with the strict observance which way they wagged their tails; and many more trou∣bles they are now unwilling to undergo, which you may read more of in Mr. Morley.

But I remember particu∣larly in his Second Part, p. 104, he gives a more per∣spicuous way of pricking Canon: And this (saith he) I thought good to shew you, not for any curiosity which is in it, but the easiness and com∣modity which it hath; because it is better than to prick so, as to make one sit five or six hours

beating his brains to find out the following part. But such hath been our manner in many things heretofore, to do things blindly, and to trouble the wits of Practitioners.

As I know Musicians are now more ingenious than those resolute Blades whom the good old man had just cause to be angry at; so I do not know of any Persian Sta∣tute that has be'n since made to forbid them to accept of any thing that shall be proposed for the ease and advancement of Musick, which is the pre∣sent controversie.

I am a little more con∣cern'd

in that doughty Ob∣jection, where he destroys your Reputation in Mu∣sick, because you once studi∣ed Physick.

Pretty subtle! Packolet's Horse had a wooden Peg in his head, therefore M. L. must needs have a crack in the place where the Peg should have been. I appeal to any sober man, Whether this be not as rational a conclusion, as can be drawn from the o∣ther in disgrace of your Book. For had your Ad∣versary read Plato, or Athe∣naeus, Porphyrie, or Jamblious, the excellent Physician Cel∣sus,

or amongst the Moderns, Paracelsus, &c. he would have met with those that stu∣died Musick upon the very account of curing Diseases; and that both consist in ma∣king and producing Har∣mony.

He might have remem∣bred (if he had ever known it) that the Ancients were so sensible of this, as to make the one God Apollo, Patron of both the Sciences. But alas! Don Quixot and Rib∣lais have wrote nothing of the Subject, and therefore I hope you will pardon the mistake.

So that in good earnest, had this Author any such learned design, as I have met with in a Pamphlet that was wrote in our late Warrs, where the Author ingenu∣ously confessed, That he wrote that only to make the number of his Books just Two-dozen; or else had he designed to have begg'd the pity of the World, by dis∣covering his nastiness and ignorance, as Beggars expose their Ulcers to raise compas∣sion; I say, had either of these been his reason, I should have applauded his design: But for a man, when he

raves, to think himself seri∣ous and rational; nay, and to be angry with every body else, that will not think so too, is certainly the grand distemper of Bedlam, and too plainly shews, that the poor man wants trepaning in the Peg-place.

But I'le tell you what is a great design of his, and which most about London are sensible of, That he takes upon him to be a ge∣neral Confounder of all Mu∣sical undertakings; in so much as he never wrote any thing in his life, but in contradi∣ction to some other men,

who would fain have known something as well as he; but he resolves they sha'n't, and therefore whoever pretends, must justly suffer.

If any man speak of the Theory of Musick, Have at him! In his Epistle to Mr. Simpson's Compend. He is one of our New Lights (of which this Age hath been monstrous fruitful). He is a Speculator how many Hairs-breadths will reach from the top of Paul's Steeple to the Center of a Full-Moon; and demon∣strate, That the thousandth part of a Minute after, there will be so many thousand more Hairs

necessary, by reason of the Earth's or Moon's motion. And hereby he thinks that he has so undone all Mathe∣maticks, as no Gentleman will ever after study a Sci∣ence which is so despised and droll'd upon.

And for Practical Musi∣cians, he is also in as great a rage at them too, when ever they lye in his way; witness his Little Consort, and that fury he was in for his unfor∣tunate Musick, April 1. 1666. where he is so severe upon those Gentlemen that were performers of it (however it suited best with his occasi∣ons

to commend them in his Book against you), that he plainly tells them in his print∣ed Vindication, That it was not his business to find Eyes, Ears, or Honesty, for any; or to answer for other mens faults: And then roundly con∣cludes; In fine, this Vindication offers at no more, than denying those to be judges in Science, who are ignorant of its Prin∣ciples. Thus the Dictator.

So that whether Specula∣tive, or Practical, no man must judg but himself; though how unfit he is to judg of the nature of Musick, who un∣derstands nothing of a Pro∣portion

wherein it consists, I leave even himself to judg.

I must again renew my Entreaties, That since all sorts of persons have hither∣to despised his Raillery, you would not give him occasi∣on to be proud of an An∣swer; or have to do with a person who is of such a de∣filing Fancy, that can turn the bare Letters of the Al∣phabet into Bawdery, and make the most obliging page in your Book to be an abuse of some deceased Patriot.

I have read a story of Aga∣memnon, that he kept his (o∣therwise lewd) Queen chast

for ten years together, only by the graveness of the Odes, he enjoyn'd her to sing and play till he return'd. I have nothing to entreat of your Antagonist, but that he would compose some such Odes for his own use; and that you would let him alone in that most necessary employment, since that all persons are satis∣fied, His Design has ever been to discourage Musick, yours to advance it.

Norwich, May 28. 1672.

Your Friend and Servant, N. E.