THO the following POEM was at first Translated for my own Diversion, and has lain by a great while, without any other Design, yet having con­sented to the Publication of it, I thought it might de­serve the Ceremony of a short Preface to Introduce it.

The Original was Writ in Latin many Years ago, and having been always esteem'd an Extraordinary Poem. This Consideration, I presume, may be a sufficient Plea for any One, whose Fancy might incline him to Tran­slate it.

I must confess, that tho' the Fiction is very well Con­triv'd, and contains abundance of Wit, yet being de­sign'd in Praise of Musick, it may be thought an Unhap­piness, that the very Foundation of the Story seems ta­citly to oppose the Reputation of that Noble Art: For here Musick is represented as of dangerous Consequence, in occasioning the Distraction and Death of a Young Man; whereas it may be objected that this Art seems rather Adapted and design'd, for quite contrary Ef­fects, viz. not only for Recreating and Refreshing the Spirits, when depress'd and languishing, but also by a [Page] Charming Efficacy composing and restraining them from all Extravagant Excursions, and by this means, accord­ing to the Opinion (if not Experience) of the Antients, by degrees effecting a Serious Conformation of the Mind to the right Notion of Things, and consequently an Aptitude and Inclination to the Practice of Moral Vertues. All this must certainly be granted, and yet that Musick might by chance have as ill Effect as is described in the following Poem, may be no [...]reat Derogation from the Excellence of the A [...]t; but only represents to us, that like a Good Medicine, tho' it is of great efficacy, yet still it may be injudiciously apply'd.

That different Sorts of Musick may be contriv'd so as to have contrary Effects, our own Experience may con­vince us; for as the Grave Air does by a powerful Sym­pathy depress us to Sadness, so Quicker and more Spright­ly Strains, with a proper Rythmus do equally excite the Spirits to a chearful and delightful Temper. And in like manner Antient Philosophers, particularly the Pla­tonists and Pythagoreans inform us, that it was in the Power of the Musick, us'd in their Time, to incline the Mind either to Vertue or Vice. And thus tho' They greatly esteemed, and recommended this Art in General, yet still it was with this Caution, that some sorts of Airs were dangerous to Morality. And thus also we meet with some Instances recorded by Antient Authors, that this Art has been so managed, as both to Cause and Cure Madness.

The Story of Alexander and Timotheus is commonly known. Jamblicus in his Life of Pythagoras, Chap. XXV. and Boethius, in Presat. Mus. both speak of a Young Man, who by the Phrygian Kind of Musick be­came Distracted, and afterwards by Doric Measures [Page] was reduc'd again to his Right Senses. And Galen from the Testimony of Posidonius writes to the same Effect, that Damon of Miletus happening to come where a Mu­sician by Phrygian Airs had Incens'd his Hearers to Madness, directing the Artist to change his Hand and play a grave Doric Strain, they were thereby charm'd into a Tranquillity and Composedness of Mind.

Saxo Grammaticus, an Ancient Historian, Lib. XII. Historiae Danicae. tells us of a certain Danish King, who by the Power of Musick became Distracted. The Story may seem more remarkable if we consider the Par­ticulars, as they are there related, which are to this Ef­fect.

It happen'd, that among several Musicians that attend­ed the King at Supper, there was One most Eminent Ar­tist, who, upon a Dispute about the Force of Musick, be­ing ask'd whether it was in the Power of his Art to Pro­voke a Man to Rage and Fury, affirm'd it possible, and being afterwards question'd, whether he knew the Way or Method of such a Performance, confess'd he did: Whereupon the King, being curious to Try the Experi­ment, desired, and at last by Threats compell'd Him to use his utmost Endeavours to perform what he pretended to. The Musician perceiving no way of Declining the Undertaking, order'd that all Arms and dangerous In­struments should be remov'd out of the Room, and that several Persons, placed out of the Sound of his Musick, as soon as they heard any extraordinary Noise, should break open the Doors, to prevent what Mischief might happen. And this being accordingly done, he began so Grave a Strain, that it presently fill'd the Hearers with Sadness, and lull'd their Spirits into a deep Supefaction: After he had thus play'd a convenient Time, by a Brisker [Page] and more Sprightly sort of Musick; he rais'd them from their. Dullness to a chearful Temper, so that being cured of their Melancholy they were now Dancing for Joy: At last running over a confus'd Division with a most Vi­olent quickness, he made them so Impatient, that they fill'd the House with Clamours; such an absolute Power had the Variety of Sounds over the Affections of their Mind. When those therefore that were without, under­stood that the King, and they that were with him, were grown Furious; they broke open the Doors, and took hold of the King, to secure him from doing himself a Mischief. But He, being incens'd and strengthen'd with Passion, threw himself out of their Arms, and having got a Sword, presently Killed Four of his Guards, that were next him, and by a greater Number of Them, not without their great Danger, was at last over-power'd.

This strange Relation our Historian confirms by this memorable Instance, that it occasion'd a Revolution in the Goverment. For the King, when reduced to his Sen­ses, being very Sorry for the Ill he had done; for the Ex­piation of his Crime, enjoyn'd Himself a Religious Pil­grimage, designing to visit the Holy-Land: And accor­dingly having Committed the Administration of the Go­verment to his Son Haraldus; in his Travels he dy'd, and was Bury'd in the Island of Cyprus.

I must leave the Reader to his own Liberty, whether he will believe this to be matter of Fact, or no; I shall not Vouch for the Historian. Tho' I might Expostulate in his behalf, what Interest he could have to mention such an Vntruth, and to confirm it by such Remarkable Cir­cumstances.

But, what is most to our present Purpose, I shall offer some Reasons for supposing that the Musick of the [Page] Antients might possibly be so managed as to cause Madness.

And first of all, it is not to be imagin'd how great Com­mand of this Art they might have arriv'd to, by long Practice, and those Improvements which so many Lear­ned Men, for several Ages, must successively have ad­ded; especially considering the vast Scope of the Antient Musick, when compar'd to the Modern. 'Tis probable, that the Art of Composing in Parts, may now be better Understood and Practic'd, than it was in their Time: But it must be supposed that while they neglected this Part of Musick; they might improve their Art to a grea­ter Influence over the Fancy by a long Study and Pra­ctice in the several Kinds of Musick: And this will ap­pear more Probable, if we consider that the Chromatic and Enharmonic Kinds, (which are not much us'd by Modern Musicians,) seem to be adapted to affect the Imagination with greater Force and Efficacy, than the Diatonic Genus, which is now chiefly practic'd.

And Dr. Holder, in his Treatise concerning the Na­tural Grounds and Principles of Harmony, confirms the same Opinion in these Words.

This way of theirs, seems to be more proper (by the Elaborate Curiosity, and Nicety of Contrivance of Degrees, and by Measures, rather than by Harmo­nious Consonancy; and by long study'd Performance) to make great Impressions upon the Fancy, and Ope­rate accordingly, as some Histories relate: Ours more sedately affects the Understanding and Judgment from the Judicious contrivance and happy Composition of Melodius Consort. The One quietly but powerfully affects the Intellect, by true Harmony: The Other [Page] chiefly by the Rythmus, violently attacks and hurries the Imagination.

Having thus considered the Art of Musick in Gene­ral; if we inquire into the Nature and Properties of Sounds, we may with greater Certainty guess their Effects.

That they Cure the Sting of the Tarantula, is a Truth so generally receiv'd, and confirm'd, by several Persons, that have been Eye-Witnesses of it in some parts of Italy, That it may be no unworthy Employment of our Thoughts, to enquire into the manner of this their O­peration, And in the first place we may reasonably sup­pose, that this Malady does partly proceed from a great Effervescence of the Animal Spirits of the Insect, actu­ated by a Violent Intention, as it is in Mad Dogs, and Communicated by the Sting to the Patient. Secondly, by the Effects we may perceive, that the Poyson receiv'd chiefly affects the Spirits, the Symptom discover'd being only a Frenzy. And lastly, considering the Quantity of the Poysonous Matter compar'd to that of the whole Mass of Blood, we may conclude that It is neither pro­portion'd nor qualified to Disorder, any thing but the A­nimal Spirits, and that this Disorder, as in all other Fer­mentations, chiefly consists in a too Violent and Preter­natural Motion. Now if Musick Cures this Distemper by Actuating the Spirits so as to oppose the Incursion of the Poyson, It may be, as it is in Women, in a longing Condition, when the Imagination directs the Animal Spirits to collect and compose out of the Blood of the Parent such Particles as come nearest to the Thing long'd for, in outward appearance; the Imagination always act­ing according to the Sense that informs it; these Parti­cles being thus muster'd up to supply the Foetus with what [Page] Nature seems to Want; they are fix'd by the Spirits and Mark the same Part of the Child's Body, as the Mother chances first to think of, or touch of her own, this Accident determining and directing the Operation of the Spirits, by the resemblance of the Parts to the Ima­gination. And thus possibly Musical Sounds may streng­then and empower the Imagination to employ the Spirits so as to gather out of the Blood such Principles as may resist and oppose the Contagion.

But since we suppos'd that the Sting of the Tarantula only causes an extraordinary commotion of the Animal Spirits, it seems most probable that Musick by such an Influence as that whereby it inclines us to Sadness, may be adapted to allay or restrain that unnatural Efferve­scence, till Nature has disperst or wrought off the Fer­mentative Matter; and thus it seems most reasonable to believe, that the Cure of the Bite of the Tarantula is ef­fected.

Now from this Consideration of Musical Sounds, we may infer, that they may be also capable of producing contrary Effects: For if They can thus allay and mo­derate the Motion of the Spirits when in a high Frenzy, 'tis equally probable that by contrary measures they may excite Them to as great a Distraction. Nay, the Musick of the Antients, as we have before represented it, seems more adapted to Cause than to Cure Madness, not only upon the Account of its Variety, but even from our own Observation that the sprightly Air more power­fully elevates the Spirits, than the Grave Composition depresses and restrains Their Motion.

And it may appear an unreasonable Suspicion to di­strust the Concurring Testimony of Antient Authors concerning the Wonderful Operation of Musick upon the [Page] Mind, if we reflect upon the Exquisiteness of the Sense, which it affects. For the Objects of the Visive Faculty are so Imaginary and Intellectual, that they produce in us rather a Perception than a Sensation; and on the other Hand, the Inferiour Senses are Gross and Material; whereas Harmonious Sounds Act with greater and Nobler Force upon the Ear; for Insinuating themselves into the Affections, by[?] co-operating with the Motions of the Ani­mal Spirits, they gain a great Influence both over Soul and Body.

Thus we have taken a short and Transient View of the Natural Effects of Musick upon the Mind, as far as might be pertinent to our present Purpose, as well for the Curiosity of the Subject, as to advance the following Poem, by making the Fiction appear more Probable.