Contest, Book 1.

From the aforementioned Fourthoriginal: Diatessaron; a musical interval spanning four notes of the scale is born the Octaveoriginal: Diapason, which ends in the middle of the sun’s sphere. This is called the "sphere of equality" because it is where the two pyramids Fludd’s famous diagrams of the "Pyramid of Light" descending from God and the "Pyramid of Matter" ascending from the Earth intersect one another, and that equal bond between matter and form is created.

They conceive of a spiritual Octave rising upward from the very center of the sun, which is far more noble than the lower one. Its foundation is a perfect Fifthoriginal: Diapente; an interval spanning five notes, just as the elemental, lower Octave was based on an imperfect Fourth. They place the remaining part of the sun at a semitonea half-step in music, so that the lower part of the sun completes the minor semitone needed to finish the lower Octave's Fifth, while the upper part provides the minor semitone where the upper Octave's Fifth begins. Since these two semitones do not quite make a full tonea whole step, they attribute the two remaining commastiny musical intervals, the minute difference between two nearly identical notes in different tuning systems to the sphere of equality and the sun's equilibrium. Meanwhile, the spheres of Jupiter, Mars, and Saturn are filled out to complete a new Fifth. Upon this, they place a spiritual Fourth composed from the lowest part of the empyrean heaven The highest, most spiritual part of the sky, which produces a whole tone, as does the middle part, while the highest part corresponds to a semitone. The hand or power of the divine deity loosens or tightens the strings of that monochorda single-stringed instrument used to demonstrate the mathematical ratios of music at the whim of his will. By this means, he brings forth wondrous consonances and composes the sweetest harmony, by which the celestial inhabitants and the minds of the blessed, as well as mortals, may easily be carried away.

He has even extracted these words verbatim from Book 3, Tract 1 of our History of the Physics of the Macrocosm, in the book titled On Mundane Music. I refer you, just Readers, to that work so that you may draw out the full intention of our Music. I ask that your eyes be fixed not only on those external figures of ours, but also on the internal and formal speculations of our mind. By doing so, you may more correctly understand the true intention of both my pyramids and the harmony created from their proportions. So that this may be more easily accomplished according to your wishes, we shall provide a broader and clearer discussion concerning this knowledge further below.

And because this "good Inquisitor" of ours A sarcastic reference to Marin Mersenne attributes our entire system of world-building and harmonic arrangement to "others unknown"—claiming it belongs to me alone only when it suits him—he speaks always in the plural. This clearly proves that there is actually no fault to be found in the work itself. For this reason, out of malice toward me, he refused to attribute to me the good things he observed in that work. However, at the end, by his "good grace," he finally deigned to name me by my proper name as follows:

7. Marin’s text, Column 110.

Column 110.Whose figure Robert Fludd displays in Tract 1, Book 3, on Mundane Music.

So, while Marin attributes the entire description of my Macrocosmic substance or subject to "unknown and unnamed others," he leaves me with only the credit for one illustration. It is as if I, Robert, following Marin’s own habit, had usurped the inventions of others and made them my own, or accepted what belongs to others as my own work! Truly, Marin, it would befit men who are truly Philosophical and Christian to act more seriously in their corrections and refutations, and to conduct themselves with greater modesty and justice. This means bringing things that truly deserve to be rejected and refuted out into the open, before the eyes of men, along with the author’s name, and then proceeding to correct what is worthy of correction. This is how men driven by justice and piety usually act. If it happens otherwise, the mark of scandal or ill-will in the critic will be apparent not only to the wise man, but even to the ignorant. But now let us see with what wisdom and subtle genius this "Herculean man" Another sarcastic jab at Mersenne's self-importance is able to refute these opinions in Fludd regarding the fabric of the world and its harmony, so that the world may see if he truly is the kind of man he proclaims himself to be in his writings.