The Anatomy of Melancholy

Which because it hath such excellent vertues, belike Homer brings in Phemius playing, and the Muses singing at the banquet of the gods. Aristotle Polit. l. 8. c. 5, Plato 2, de legibus, highly approve it, and so do all Politicians. The Greeks, Romanes, have graced Musick, and made it one of the liberall sciences, though it be now become mercenary.

All civill Commonwealths allow it: Cneius Manlius (as Livius relates) Aᵒ ab urb. cond. 567. brought first out of Asia to Rome singing wenches, players, jesters, and all kinde of musick to their feasts. Your Princes, Emperours, and persons of any quality, maintain it in their Courts; No mirth without musick.

Sr Thomas Moore in his absolute Utopian Common-wealth, allowes musick as an appendix to every meal, and that throughout, to all sorts. Epictetus cals mensam mutam præsepe, a table without musick a manger; for the concent of Musicians at a banquet, is a carbuncle set in gold; and as the signet of an Emerald well trimmed with gold, so is the melody of Musick in a pleasant banquet. Ecclus 32. v 5, 6.

Lewes the eleventh when he invited Edward the fourth to come to Paris, told him that as a principall part of his entertainment, he should hear sweet voices of children, Ionicke and Lydian tunes, exquisite Musick, he should have a —— and the Cardinal of Burbon to be his confessor, which he used as a most plausible argument: as to a sensuall man indeed it is.

Lucian in his book de saltatione is not ashamed to confess that he took infinite delight in singing, dancing, musick, womens company, and such like pleasures; and if thou (saith he) didst but hear them play and dance, I know thou wouldst be so well pleased with the object, that thou wouldst dance for company thy self, without doubt thou wilt bee taken with it.

So Scaliger ingenuously confesseth, exercit. 274. I am beyond all measure affected with musick, I do most willingly behold them dance, I am mightily detained and allured with that grace and comeliness of fair women, I am well pleased to bee idle amongst them. And what young man is not? As it is acceptable and conducing to most, so especially to a melancholy man.

Provided alwaies, his disease proceed not originally from it, that he bee not some light Inamarato, some idle phantastick, who capers in conceit all the day long, and thinks of nothing else, but how to make Jigs, Sonnets, Madrigals, in commendation of his Mistress. In such cases Musick is most pernicious, as a spur to a free horse will make him run himself blinde, or break his wind; Incitamentum enim amoris musica, for Musick enchants, as Menander holds, it will make such melancholy persons mad, & the sound of those Jigs, and Horn-pipes will not bee removed out of the ears a week after.

Plato for this reason forbids Musick and wine to all young men, because they are most part amorous, ne ignis addatur igni, lest one fire increase another. Many men are melancholy by hearing Musick, but it is a pleasing melancholy that it causeth; and therefore to such as are discontent, in wo, fear, sorrow, or dejected, it is a most present remedy; it expels cares, alters their grieved minds, and easeth in an instant.