A commendation of musicke and a confutation of them which disprayse it.

A commendation of Musicke , And a confutation of them which disprayse it . WHen first within the corps of man , dame Nature built her bower : She saw what troubles eke & thral , was bent them to deuower . To whome she gaue as in reward , a pleasaunt note or sound : Their carkes and cares to dryue away , wherby much ease was found . Whereof in children proofe is had , whome nurses haue in charge : How soone they stop and stay their cry , when she doeth sound at large . The Plowman eke , and Carter both , with ease doeth passe away : In singyng of some mery note , their tranayle all the day . Wherefore to Lady Nature I , doe render prayse and wyll : By whome not onely man alone , but byrdes in song hath skyll . The Poetes fayne that Amphion , who buylded Thebes towne : Did fyrst inuent the pleasaunt note , whereby he got renowne . To Dionisius some the name , and some contrary wyse : To Zephus , who Eusebius sayth , the same dyd first deuyse . Solinus sayth that men of Crete , by ryng and sound of brasse : By Thacbadianes doeth Polibius say , inuented first it was . In déede I thinke soone after that , dame Nature made the sound : That Reason did the measure make , the concord and the ground . And then in Mercury first it wrought , as auctour of the same : The which euen hée ( as worthy prayse ) did publish and proclame . Then Reason , as one not full suffysde , did seeke for to deuyse : Some instrument to geue a sound , by whome there did aryse A foreward wit in Mercury , for to inuent the same : Who made a Harpe of fyshes bone , a Tortes cald by name . Which hée by Nilus ryuer found , the fysh was dryde away : And nothyng but thrée sinowes left , whereon he sought to play . But when they gaue a sound agayne , thus doe the Poetes fayne : He made a Harpe much lyke that bone , by th inuent of his brayne . Thrée strynges to it did he apply , a Treble Base and Meane : The which he made for to accord , in Musickes pleasaunt vayne . Then he it to Apollo gaue , as gyft of wonderous weyght : And he the same to Orpheus handes , made redeliuery streyght . Some thinke Amphion first it found , and some to that say no : And some in Tuball thinke the lyke , but that can not be so . Then Pan the Pype , Apollo eke , the Shalme he did inuent : Then Dauid Regalles sought to make , by Reasones whole consent . And Orphen first , with Linus nexte , and Arion als by name : Timarias , and Trezenius both , thereby did purchase same . Nor Cibell yet , with Pises too , their labour ought did cease : But in the same did sore apply , their cunnyng too encrease . Thus haue we proued by Poetes lore , how auncient Musicke is : And now I meane by Scripture playne , to proue the lykeiwis . We read how Dauid daunct and soung , before the Arke of God : And how his wyfe which flowted him , was by the Lorde forbode For hauyng chyldren any more , but barren should she be : Whereby I proue that God is pleasde , with such lyke armony . When MirIam with the Israelites , the red sea déepe had past : And Pharaos hoste were drowned all , who did pursue them fast , Then tooke they Timbrelles in their handes , and to the Lord sang prayse For that he was their ayde and shyeld , to passe the daungerouse seas . The Shepherdes eke , and Angelles both , we read how they reioyst : When they once heard and vnderstoode , the byrth of Iesus Christ . We sée by this what Musicke is , we néede no better proofe : The Scripture is a buckeler good , in Musickes right behoofe . In Fucsius , and in Galen both , who lyst to looke shall fynd : How much that Musicke doeth appease , the dolours of the mynd . You know what tauntes Themistocles , in banket did sustayne : When he good musicke did disprayse , accoumptyng it but vayne . They iudged his learnyng much the worse , because he did defye That , which all men did much estéeme , regard and eke set bye . I pray you was not Socrates , whome crooked age had caught : With Musickes skyll and armony , as one with Cupid fraught ? And sayd that concord was the ground , and eke the sure stay : Without the which nothing is good , this could that wyse man say . And measure is a mery meane , and meane who doeth embrace : Of euery vertue hath the ground , which bryngeth man to grace . This haue I doen in Musickes cause , my pen now wyll I rest : Syth that I haue that worthy science , as famouse once profest . And who that séekes the losse of it , néedes must I speake my mynd : A great disprayse is to his wit , his wordes are coumpted wynd . ¶ FINIS . ( ꝙ ) Nicholas Whight .