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kestril, but must not hope to find your gier falcon there, which is the noble hawk; and I wish you one no worse than that of Henry king of Navarre; which, Scaliger saith, he saw strike down a buzzard, two wild geese, divers kites, a crane, and a swan.

Nor must you expect from high antiquity the distinctions of eyes and ramage hawks, of stores and entermewers, of hawks of the lure and the fist; nor that material distinction into short and long winged hawks: from whence arise such differences in their taking down of stones; in their flight, their striking down or seizing of their prey, in the strength of their talons, either in the heel and fore talon, or the middle and the heel: nor yet what eggs produce the different hawks, or when they lay three eggs, that the first produceth a female and large hawk, the second of a middler sort, and the third a smaller bird, tercellene, or tassel, of the male sex; which hawks being only observed abroad by the ancients, were looked upon as hawks of different kinds, and not of the same eyrie or nest. As for what Aristotle affirmeth, that hawks and birds of prey drink not; although you know that it will not strictly hold, yet I kept an eagle two years, which fed upon cats, kitlings, whelps, and rats, without one drop of water.

If anything may add unto your knowledge in this noble art, you must pick it out of later writers than those you enquire of. You may peruse the two books of falconry writ by that renowed emperor, Frederick the Second; as also the works of the noble Duke Belisarius, of Tardiffe, Francherius, of Francisco Sforzino of Vicensa; and may not a little inform or recreate yourself with that elegant poem of Thuanus.* I leave you to divert yourself by the perusal of it, having, at present, no more to say but that I am, &c.

*De Re Accipitraria, in 3 books.+

+ Or more of late by P. Rapinus in verse.-MS. note of Evelyn's.

TRACT VI.

OF CYMBALS, ETC.

SIR, With what difficulty, if possibility, you may expect satisfaction concerning the music, or musical instruments, of the Hebrews, you will easily discover if you consult the attempts of learned men upon that subject: but for the cymbals, of whose figure you enquire, you may find some described in Bayfius, in the comment of Rhodius upon Scribonius Largus, and others.

As for kúpßalov åλaλážov mentioned by St. Paul,* and rendered a tinkling cymbal, whether the translation be not too soft and diminutive, some question may be made: for the word aλaλáčov implieth no small sound, but a strained and lofty vociferation, or some kind of hallowing sound, according to the exposition of Hesychius, aλaλážare ἐνυψώσατε τὴν φωνήν. A word drawn from the lusty shout of soldiers, crying aλalà at the first charge upon their enemies, according to the custom of the eastern nations, and used by the Trojans in Homer; and is also the note of the chorus in Aristophanes aλalai Tawv. In other parts of Scripture we read of loud and high-sounding cymbals; and in Clemens Alexandrinus, that the Arabians made use of cymbals in their wars instead of other military music; and Polyænus in his Stratagems affirmeth that Bacchus gave the signal of battle unto his numerous army, not with trumpets but with tympans and cymbals.

And now I take the opportunity to thank you for the new book sent me, containing the anthems sung in our cathedral and collegiate churches: 'tis probable there will be additions, the masters of music being now active in that affair. Beside my naked thanks I have yet nothing to return you but this enclosed, which may be somewhat rare unto you, and that is a Turkish hymn, translated into French out of the Turkish metre, which I thus render unto you.

1 Cor. xiii. 1.

"O what praise doth he deserve, and how great is that Lord, all whose slaves are as so many kings!

"Whosoever shall rub his eyes with the dust of his feet, shall behold such admirable things that he shall fall into an ecstasy.

"He that shall drink one drop of his beverage, shall have his bosom like the ocean, filled with gems and precious liquors.

"Let not loose the reins unto thy passions in this world: he that represseth them shall become a true Solomon in the faith.

"Amuse not thyself to adore riches, nor to build great houses and palaces.

"The end of what thou shalt build is but ruin.

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Pamper not thy body with delicacies and dainties; it may come to pass one day that this body may be in hell.

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Imagine not that he who findeth riches, findeth happiness. He that findeth happiness is he that findeth God.

"All who prostrating themselves in humility shall this day believe in Vele,* if they were poor, shall be rich; and if rich, shall become kings.'

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After the sermon ended, which was made upon a verse in the Alcoran containing much morality, the Dervises in a gallery apart sung this hymn, accompanied with instrumental music, which so affected the ears of Monsieur du Loir, that he would not omit to set it down, together with the musical notes, to be found in his first letter unto Monsieur Bouliau, prior of Magny.

Excuse my brevity: I can say but little where I under

stand but little.

* Vele, the founder of the convent.

I am, &c.

TRACT VII.

OF ROPALIC OR GRADUAL VERSES, ETC.

Mens mea sublimes rationes præmeditatur.

SIR, Though I may justly allow a good intention in this poem presented unto you, yet I must needs confess, I have no affection for it; as being utterly averse from all affectation in poetry, which either restrains the fancy, or fetters the invention to any strict disposure of words. A poem of this nature is to be found in Ausonius, beginning thus,

Spes Deus æternæ stationis conciliator.

These are verses ropalici or clavales, arising gradually like the knots in a poráλn or club; named also fistulares by Priscianus, as Elias Vinetus* hath noted. They consist properly of five words, each thereof increasing by one syllable. They admit not of a spondee in the fifth place, nor can a golden or silver verse be made this way. They run smoothly both in Latin and Greek, and some are scatteringly to be found in Homer,

Ω μάκαρ Ατρείδη μοιρηγενὲς ὀλβιοδαίμον,

Libere dicam sed in aurem, ego versibus hujusmodi ropalicis, longo syrmate protractis, Ceraunium affigo.

He that affecteth such restrained poetry, may peruse the long poem of Hugbaldus the monk, wherein every word beginneth with a C, penned in the praise of calvities or baldness, to the honour of Carolus Calvus, king of France,

Carmina clarisonæ calvis cantate Camænæ.

The rest may be seen at large in the Adversaria of Barthius : or if he delighteth in odd contrived fancies, may he please himself with antistrophes, counterpetories, retrogrades, rebuses, leonine verses, &c., to be found in Sieur des Accords. But these and the like are to be looked upon, not pursued.

*El Vinet. in Auson.

Odd work might be made by such ways; and for your recreation I propose these few lines unto you.1

Arcu paratur quod arcui sufficit.

Misellorum clamoribus accurrere non tam humanum quam sulphureum est. Asino teratur quæ asino teritur.

Ne asphodelos comedas, phoenices manduca.

Coelum aliquid potest, sed quæ mira præstat papilio est.

Not to put you unto endless amusement, the key hereof is the homonomy of the Greek made use of in the Latin words, which rendereth all plain. More enigmatical and dark expressions might be made if any one would speak or compose them out of the numerical characters or characteristical numbers set down by Robertus de Fluctibus.2*

As for your question concerning the contrary expressions of the Italians and Spaniards in their common affirmative answers, the Spaniard answering cy Sennor, the Italian Signior cy, you must be content with this distich,

Why saith the Italian Signior cy, the Spaniard Sy Sennor?
Because the one puts that behind, the other puts before.
And because you are so happy in some translations, I pray
return me these two verses in English,

Occidit heu tandem multos quæ occidit amantes,
Et cinis est hodiè quæ fuit ignis heri.3

My occasions make me to take off my pen.

* Tract 2, part lib. i.

I am, &c.

and, &c.] MS. Sloan. reads thus, "And I remember I once pleased a young hopeful person with a dialogue between two travellers, beginning in this manner : well drunk, my old friend, the famous king of Macedon; that is, well overtaken, my old friend Alexander, your friend may proceed. With another way I shall not omit to acquaint you, and for your recreation I present these few lines."

2 More enigmatical, &c.] These are more largely noticed in MS. Sloan. 1837: thus, "One way more I shall mention, though scarce worth your notice :-Two pestels and a book come short of a retort, as much as a spear and an ass exceed a dog's tail. This is to be expounded by the numerical characters, or characteristical numbers set down by Robertus de Fluctibus, and speaks only this text :-two and four come short of six, as much as ten exceed six; the figure of an ass standing for a cipher."

13 Occidit heu tandem, &c.] In MS. Sloan. 1827, is the following translation

"She is dead at last, who many made expire,
Is dust to-day which yesterday was fire."

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