For Naming. Cap. primo.

There bee sixe names, Vt, Re, Mi, Fa, Sol, La. The order of ascention & descention with them is thus. [...]

For Quantitie. Cap. 2.

There be eight quantities whereof euery one hath his proper marke, and proper rest, as followeth.

• [Page]Large. [...]
• Longe. [...]
• Breefe. [...]
• Semibreefe [...]
• Minim. [...]
• Cratchet. [...]
• Quauer. [...]
• semiquauer [...]

The proportion that these quantities hath one to an­other is that there should goe two of euery one to the next vpward as two semiquauers, to a quauer, two qua­uers to a cratchet, two cratchets to a minim, &c.

To these are reduced the quantities of proportions, as where there goeth three cratchets to a minim length of which the black semibreefe comprehendeth two, & ther the minim rest is but as long as one of these cratchets. [...]

Heere note that the prick is in quantitie half so long as the note before it: as a prick after a large, is in quan­titie as a long. &c.

Prickes of diuision are vsed to seperate diuersitie of kindes in quantitie.

For Time. Cap. 3.

There be 2. kindes of time, Semibreefe time, & three [Page] minim time. Semibrefe time is the striking vp & downe of the hand equally in length continuing. Three mi­nim time is the striking downe & then vp of the hand equally in length, making each latter stroke, iust halfe the former.

The marke of the former kinde of time is. [...] The marke of the latter is. [...]

In tuning Songs of Semibreefe time, you must put of the notes, as much as maketh a minim lēgth to euery mouing of the hand, likewise in the minim time, saue that to euery stroke there goeth but a minim length.

Heere note that these two kindes of time, may be de­uided into minim time, by keeping all strokes equall in length, putting a minim length to euery whole stroke.

For Tune. Cap. 4.

There be eight notes, whose ascention, and descention doe comprehend all tunes, as the roote doth the tree, be they neuer so difficult, with flats and Sharps, who so knew how to vse them, the notes are common, the vse is rare, or not yet found, which being knowen, will giue great light to Musitions, & breed great ease to Singing men, the eight notes are these that follow, as:

The tune of these eight Notes is to be learned by practise, and to be beleeued as a principle in Musicke.

Tune the first Note of any song as it serueth best for the voyce.

[Page] If the Note from which and to which you goe, be both according to the Ʋt, of the Song, count according to the eight notes altogether.

If the note to which you goe bee altered by some intermingled flat, then for comptings sake name the Note from which you goe, as well as the note to which you goe, according to the Vt, of that intermingled flat, and in so doing take great care not to loose the tune of the note from which you compt, as, sol fa sol fa fa fa [...]

First sing thus: then compt thus: and so proceede thus.

If the Note to which you goe, be altered in tune by some intermingled sharp, obserue both in the note from which and to which you goe, this Rule.

Compt to the tune of sharps by the Vt, put down to the third place, when you haue thus compting by wrong names gotten the right tunes, giue the right names af­ter, as: la sol fa mi sol fa [...]

First sing thus: then compt thus: and so proceede thus.

The sharp may be put in the vpper fa, in the nether fa, and in Vt.

The sharp in the Vt, taketh place of the sharp in the vpper or nether fa, for by the Vt of it, the other two pla­ces should be sharp, the rest of the places remaining na­turally [Page] as, [...]

For naming. Cap. I.

THe exceptions from the order of as­cention & descention are diuersely vsed according to the diuersitie of place, and accordingly, they are to bee giuen, for each order in naming seemeth best to them that haue beene brought vp withall.

D, is sometimes vsed in old songs as a Cleue, and putteth Vt downe to the fift place.

In Italy (as I vnderstand) they change Vt into Sol: In England they change Re, into La: when the next remouing Note before or after be vnder.

Some there bee that vse sometimes in defending at this day, the names of Re, and Vt, there be that name at randon, some for pleasure, and some through ignorant imagination, often times beareth great force in making a thing seeme comely, or vncomely, as if in comming downe, Sol, Fa, La, Sol, a man should name the first two notes Re Mi, it would seeme to a singing man very vncomely: yet if the singing man did imagin, that the singer were putting a dittie, or word of foure sillables, [Page] as: Remigrare, to these foure Notes, he would not think it vncomely, & yet in doing the deed, both waies are all one, for the first two sillables of, Remigrare, are Re, Mi.

For Quantitie. Cap. II.

TO make one and the selfe same mark of quantitie sometimes long, and sometimes short, Musitions in old time, borrowed colours of the Painters, sometimes making it red, and sometimes black, &c.

They borrowed numbers of Arithmatike, somtimes making this, and sometimes that figure, &c.

They borrowed Circles and Semicircles of Geome­trie: sometimes putting in the Center or a lyne, & some­times leauing it out, &c. Sometimes also thereby signi­fying alteration in time.

They borrowed similitudes of Philosophie, some­times leauing fulnesse, and sometimes Eclips, as appea­reth in the Moone, sometimes knitting and sometimes loosing, as in generation and corruption.

They vsed moreouer many signes and tokens and marks of Quantitie, that are cut off as superfluous.

They vsed also manifold names to distinguish these things one from another, to the wonderfull pestering of the memory, & great toile of the vnderstanding, though some of them wer necessary, yet many were superflous.

The Quantities in Proportion are diuers, according to the diuersitie of Proportions, which are infinite in po­tentia, that is to say, in possibilitie of increase, as nūber is.

Many of these things are yet vsed, as the Semibreefe [Page] rest, in three minim time, for three minim rests.

Some strange markes and knitting of Notes which time I doubt not will cut off, neuerthelesse heere shall follow examples of some, to which the redsidue are to be reduced.

Perfect moode. Perfect moode. Imperfect moode. Perfect time. [...] Imperfect time. Maior prolation. Minor prolation. [...]

• Diminution, Imperfect time.
• Diminution, perfect time.
• Prolation Minor, Imperfect time.
• Prolation Minor, perfect time.
• Imperfect moode, Imperfect time.
• Imperfect moode, perfect time.
• Perfect moode, Imperfect time.
• Perfect moode, perfect time.

[Page] By these examples following, the foure Modes are knowne what quātitie the lesser notes are to the greater.

[...] The lovver notes are as much in quantitie as the higher vvith their pricks. [...] Pricks of Diuision are those, vvhich are set aboue notes and not by them, and they shevv the note to bee perfect before the prick: and the note follovving doth be­long to another stroke. [...]

• [Page]2 longs to the blacke large.
• 2 briefes to the black long.
• 2 semibreefes to the black briefe.
• 2 minims to the black semibrief.

[...]

For Time. Cap. III.

IN timing hard proportions that go odding, many take care onely of the whole stroke, wholy kept without deuiding it to the go­ing vp & then downe agayne of the hand.

Some keepe Semibreefe time, as sufficient easie of it selfe, and doe not diuide it into minim time.

Three minim time is more difficult, and therefore some doe diuide it into minim time: as, [...] 2 mi: 4 mi: 3 mi: 8 mi:

Take a stick of a certaine length, and a stone of a certaine weight, hold the stick standing vpon an end of [Page] some table: See you have vpon the stick diuers marks: hold the stone vp by the side of the stick: then as you let fall the stone, instantly begin to sing one Note, and iust with the noyse that it maketh vpon the table, bee­gin another Note, and as long as thou holdest the first Note, so long hold the rest, and let that note thy Crat­chet or thy Minim, &c. as thou seest cause, and thus maist thou measure the very Time it selfe that thou kee­pest, and know whether thou hast altered it, or not.

For Tune. Cap. IIII.

SOme learne to Tune only by the Voice of anoher: some vse helpe of an Instru­ment, which is the better way.

Learners vse to tune by a certaine conti­nuance of time, according to the Ʋt of the song, before they practise intermingled Flats or sharps.

Heere note, that C. called Csolfavt cleue, is a fift be­neth G. called Gsolrevt cleue, and F. called F favt cleue, is a fift beneth C. called Csolfavt, Cleue.

Also a man may compt from any cleue, by the let­ters, compting them forward when hee goeth vpward, and acompting them backward when he goeth down­ward, telling but the first seuen letters: by the know­ledge of this, men may giue their tunes to the parts without knowledge of the Gamvt. Yet for the com­mon vse, it were not amisse, that learners should some­time or other commit the Gam-vt to memory.

Many things are heere taught by rule, for which [Page] teachers heeretofore, gaue no rule, and if they were as­ked how shall a man know the like? they would ans­were, that is according to the course of the Song, but this answere is so vncertaine, that it is as good for the yong Scoller, they had said we know not.

The exposition of the figure of obseruation.

THe first and second figures sheweth what distaunces (in respect of the latter notes of the course) should not come twise together, remouing one way with the latter notes, and also where in respect of the latter note of the course, a [Page] flat for a sharp, or a sharp for a flat, contrary to the or­der of the place should not bee.

The third & fourth sheweth what mouing one way with the place, iust so long after as the following part resteth, maketh discords.

The fift and sixt serueth wherein the distance, there should not be like mouing one way with the place iust so long after as the following part resteth, and the fift fi­gure. Also where sharp for flat, or flat for sharp, contra­ry to the order of the place should not bee iust so long after as the following resteth.

Heere note, that vnder each number are compre­hended all those that maketh eights, or concords, of that kinde to it, except that vnder the last figure of obserua­tion such as make eights to the number one way with the place, and such as make ninthes to it in the contrary way are comprehended.

Heere note that two parts in one in the vnizon, fourth, and fift, doe differ from the rest, for in the rest, both parts are tyed, to like order of ascention, but in these both parts do keepe like order according to their place.

Note also, that in two parts in one, in the fourth vp, and in the fift downe, the vpper fa, kept flat in the ne­ther parts causeth a strange flat to be brought in the vp­per part, therefore the best way is to make it sharp, vn­lesse it bee in such places as a strange flat will doe well to come in.

[Page]

[Page] IN this Table or figure aforesayde, foure things are comprehendend, the places, the 6. figures of obseruati­on belonging to them, the courses and concords ser­uing for them, for the seuen places, there be seuen words in the blade of the Sword: the first word, Aggredior, is alwaies for the first place: the second word downward, quo, is for the second place downeward, &c. And the second word vpward, mi, is for the second place vpward, &c. This word, Ihesu, is cut off from the rest, to signifie that it beelongeth to another kinde, for in it the letters numerable being 5. doe fignifie the first and second fi­gures of obseruation, and it is written one way with the verse, to signifie that it goeth according to the woord of the verse, which is for the place, for it signifieth one number with the word of the verse, that standeth for the place, as if the world bee the fourth world of the verse, then it signifieth, 4. &c. and 5. signifieth the fift num­ber, to that, as the fift number to foure is 8. and so are the first and second figures of obseruation found. Then are the other foure figures of obseruation to bee found by the crosse verse, which sayth: adde one to the place, take one from the place, let the place stand, adde foure to the place, and so shall you finde the third, fourth, fift, and sixt figures of obseruation.

Heere note, that if the place be the vnizon, because you cannot take one from a vnizon, take it from eight, which is of the same kinde, when you haue thus done, tourne the poynt of the Sword downe, and then the se­uen woords, serueth for the seuen courses in this order: First the word that serueth for the place, serueth for the [Page] first course, the second woord vpward, for the second course vpward: the second woord downeward, for the second course downward, &c. As the Sword now stan­deth, compting about vpon the seuen words, when you haue found what woord serueth for the course, looke what vowels bee in it, and thereby you shall know the concords, that serueth for that course, as if the vowell bee A. it signifieth the vnizon. If it be E, it signifieth the third, If it bee I, it signifieth the fift. And if it be O, it signifieth the sixt. Lo, thus are all the things expressed at large in the table, briefely contriued in the compasse of two verses.