Paolo Cortese, De cardinalatu libri tres.

Paolo Cortese refers to the “hispana lyra,” probably the vihuela, in not very kind terms as producing “equal and soft sweetness” that “is usually rejected by the satiety of the ear”

quod idem fere esset de hispana lyra dicendum nisi eius aequalis lentaque; suauitas soleret aurium satietate sperni loniorque; similitudo uideretur que expectari aurium terminatione possit:

Pirrotta translates this passage as: “Almost the same could be said of the Spanish lyre [probably the vihuela], were it not that its equal and soft (lenta) sweetness is usually rejected by the satiety of the ear, and its uniformity is longer than could be desired by the limits imposed by the ear (aurium terminatio)” (pirrotta1966, 150). Schöner translates it to German (schöner1999, 120) very similarly: “Dasselbe wäre nun fast auch von der spanische Lyra zu sagen, wenn nicht deren gleichförmige und langanhaltende Sanftheit wegen der Übersättigung der Ohren verachtet zu werden pflegte, und wenn nicht ihre Gleichförmigkeit länger scheine, als vom Gehör erwartet werden kann.” Discussed in the context of Lyra = Vihuela in the Spanish context.