he has often feen Swans in Norway and Sweden towering to a very great altitude in the air; and a learned Friend of unquestionable veracity informs me, that in the fevere winter of 1745 many Swans to his knowledge came to Blenheim Park in Oxfordshire, which were never before feen in this country, and as he justly apprehends from the North; confequently they must have croffed the Seas. Olaus Magnus in his History of Northern Nations obferves, that the Swans remain in these Countries as long as the warmth continues, till at last, being conquered by the feverity of the weather, they raise themselves in air, and fly to the warmer regions, and one may fee them elevated among the higheft clouds'. Thus Thomas Bartholinus in his Anatomy of the Swan informs us, that this Bird has its principal ftrength in its wings from the union of its tendons and porous bones: whence it often expands its wings, and particularly when the zephyr blows: Hence fome are of opinion, continues he, that its found was occafioned not from its mouth, but from its expanded and inflated wings: To this allude the following lines, 2 3 Non canit affuetâ Cygnus vocalis in undâ, The ancient idea of the mufical quality of the Swan will be amply confidered in the following note; but here I may examine the fingular opinion, that the found was derived from the wings and not from the voice. Befides the above paffage Per altiffimas nubes evolare cernuntur. L. XIX. c. 14. p. 660. ed. 1555. 2 De Cygni anatome ejufque cantu, Ed. 1668. p. 65. 3 Here Bartholinus does not inform us of his authority for these verses; nor am I able at prefent to difcover it. 4 Bartholinus has cited Nazianzen, who in one place afferts, that the Swan fings, when it unfolds its wings to the air, while the whistling occafions the melody; and in another ', that it fings a fweet and harmonious ftrain, when the Zephyr inspires its wings. To this idea, adds Bartholinus, Statius probably alludes in that line of his first Sylva, 6 Claraque gaudentes plauferunt limina cygni. 7 (V. 146.) The above three mentioned paffages are contained in a note of La Cerda on the ninth Eclogue of Virgil, to whom Bartholinus is probably indebted for them: but the inference, which is drawn by the learned Critick, is very different from that of the ingenious Naturalift: The former folves the ancient opinion of the harmony of the Swan from the whistling of its wings: The latter condemns it as a most ridiculous error; for no Philofopher of found judgment in his opinion has ever taught, that the voice could refult from the clapping of the wings. It will be curious and interesting however to furvey the additional authorities of the Ancients in fupport of this extraordinary notion, as it has never yet been done to my knowledge. Homer, or the author of thofe Hymns attributed to him, thus addreffes Apollo : Φοῖβε σε μὲν, καὶ κύκνος ὑπὸ πτερύγων λίγ' αείδει, "Oxon inì Ogwonwv. (Odyff. & vol. II. ed. Clerke, p. 754.) The words in the original run thus: Τὶς ὁ κύκνῳ συνυφαίνων τὴν ὠδὴν, ὅταν ἐκπετάσῃ τὸ πλερὸν ταῖς αὔραις, καὶ Toin μéños tò σúpypa. (Orat. 34. tom. I. p. 541. 5 Ὅταν ἄνωμεν τῷ Ζεφύρῳ τὰς πτέρυγας ἐμπνεῖν ἡδὺ ed. 1630.) καὶ ἐναρμόνιον. (Epift. I. Id. p. 768.) edition. Lug. 1671. (V. 29. 9 P. 65. The Thus I un The Swan, exulting on the bank, fings thee, O Phœbus, with a delightful 10 found from under its wing. derstand the expreffion in Apollonius Rhodius, Κύκνοι κινήσωσιν ἑὸν μέλος. (Argon. 1. IV. v. 1301.) To imply that the Swans by their motion produce their melody: But Ariftophanes exprefsly alludes to this notion in the play of his Birds. Τοιάνδε κύκνοι Τιοτιοτιοτιότιγξ Συμμιγῆ βοὴν ὁμε Πτεροῖσι κρέκονες, ἴαχον Απόλλω, Τιοτιοτιοτιότιγξ. (v. 775-) And Anacreon is explicit to this purpose, Αζε τις κύκνος Καΐςρε Πολιοῖς πλεροῖσι μέλπων 'Avéμs σúvavλov xv. (Carm. 56. v. 33.) As the Swan of Cayfter, finging with its beautiful wings a ftrain in concert with the wind. Thus Philoftratus " in the life of Apollonius informs us, that the Swans, which were fed in the meadow, formed a chorus round his mother, as the was fleeping, and raising their wings according to custom refounded in concert, for the Zephyr breathed at the fame time 10 Thus I have tranflated the word aiya, for our Poet in his Heraclida bestows this epithet on the flute, aiyela Anty xágis (v. 893.) and in his Bacchæ he calls the flute suxéλades (v. 160.) or fweetly founding; confequently the former word aiyua must alfo imply an agreeable tone: Befides Helychius defines xiya, Xiyugas, news, which correfponds with the fame idea. 11 L. I. c. 5. p. 7. ed. Clear. in 13 12 in the meadow: The fame Author in one of his Images afferts, that it is the wind of the Zephyr, which inspires the Swans with their fong, and that the Swans expand their wings to receive this percuffion: And in another of his Images 3 he obferves, that the Swans made ufe of a gentle and obvious Zephyr, which is reported to confpire in concert with their mournful fong. Theodorus Bishop of Tarfus, as contained in Photius 4, exprefsly afks, whether the want of reafon in Swans prevented them ever from finging with their wings; and Himerius 15 the Sophift, preserved in the fame Author, afferts, that in a certain vernal meadow there was a Swan, who was ready to expand his wings to the Zephyr in order to fing. Chryfoftom 16 alfo draws a comparison from Swans finging with their wings. If we defcend to modern Authorities, in the Ornithology 17 of Aldrovandus, Politian is cited, as affirming that the Swan is declared never to fing, except when the Zephyr breathes, and the fame Naru ralift produces the following lines of another Author to this effect, Sed, qui tenent arcana Naturæ, negant Audiri olorem, ni fonent Favonii. He alfo obferves from Pierius 18, that among the Ægyptians a winged boy, representing the Zephyr, was painted as the fymbol of fong; for it is that wind which infpires and increases 12. Paludes, 1. I. c. 9. Id: P. 775: 13. Phaeton, Id. p. 781. 14 Bibliot. p. 686. ed. Schorrus. Is Id. p. 1127. 16. Orat. 33. 17 Tom. III. 1. 19, p. 31. ed. 1603. 18 Cantilenæ vero fignum videas puerulum alatum, qui ventus Zephyrus, is enim canton Oloribus infpirat & elargitur: Pingitur vero is delicatus molliş cujus modi est aura ejus, quam libenter adeò captamus; Olorum verò plumæ identidem afflatu eo furriguntur, quippe quæ repercuffu venti commoventur, (Pier. Hieroglyph. 1. XXIII. p. 830. ed. 1602.) the the melody, of Swans: He is depicted foft and delicate, like the gale, which we imbibe with fo much pleasure; the feathers of the Swan are inflated by its inspiration, as they are moved by the percuffion of the wind. Leland alfo in his Κύκνειον άσμα feems in the following lines to aliude to this notion. Strepitum dedit fonorum Cygnorum niveus chorus canentum Itiner. vol. IX. p. 10. ed. Hearne, The reader may perhaps be aftonished to find, that an idea of this extraordinary nature could prevail among fo many different Authors, and in ages fo remote from each other. 1 N° VII. Verfe 169. Τας καλλιφθογγὲς ᾠδες. 170. Or thou wilt fteep thy melody in blood. SINCE the Animal Creation is uniform in the exercife, of their faculties, implanted by Nature, the prevailing opi-. nion of the mufical power of the Swan among the Greeks. and Romans arretts the attention of curiofity, and demands, an inquiry into the nature of the evidence. When an ancient notion revolts against the reigning ideas of Mankind, we are too often difpofed to reject the teftimony of enlightened Nations, and to condemn it unheard, as a vulgar error: But Candour, unbiaffed by prejudice, fufpends her verdict, till the whole teftimony, fairly stated, is impartially difcuffed. |