ey 
At proper times my voice I’ll raise, 
And sound to my subscribers’ praise.—(Buxted.) 
All you of Bath that hear me sound, 
Thank Lady Hopton’s £100.—(Bath Abbey.) 
I’m given here to make a peal, 
And sound the praise of Mary Neal.—(Alderton.) 
I am the first, although but small ; 
I will be heard above you all.-- (Devizes, St. Mary.) 
Be strong in faith, praise God well, 
Frances, Countess Hertford’s bell.—(Amesbury.) 
John Martin, of Worcester, has made wee, 
Be it known to all that do we see.—(Hambleton, Worcester.) 
“The art of ringing requires skill rather than strength. The 
bell revolves, not from the force supplied by the ringer, but by 
its own weight. St. Saviour’s Church, Southwark, has a tenor 
bell of 52cwt., with a diameter of three yards, yet it is rung often 
by the same man for four hours without stopping. On one 
occasion one man rung it for 6} hours continuously, but this 
performance may fairly rank as a feat. There are six stages to 
be gone through by a learner, 1st, to set a bell already raised ; 
2nd, to obtain dexterity in the first process, so as to have full 
control of the bell, and be able to let it fall or set as he pleases, 
and thus be prepared to follow in order some other ; 3rd, practice 
in raising or letting fall the bell by gradually shortening or 
lengthening the rope in hand, as the case may be; 4th, taking 
part with the other ringers in ringing straight down the scale. 
This is called ringing rounds; Sth, to study from diagrams and 
practice on handbells the order in which the bells have to follow 
each other ; 6th, to apply the change-ringing in the belfry.” 
‘With an inexperienced or clumsy ringer it does happen some- 
times that the bell is worked so violently that the striking of 
stay against slider breaks one or both, and the bell, instead of 
restraining its course, turns a somersault, winds up the rope with 
itself, and, not unfrequently, the ringer with the rope. In 
addition to temporary strangulation, broken bones, or concussion 
of the brain, the unhappy ringer has to pay the penalty of a fine 
for his culpable clumsiness.” 
Mr. Winfield concluded by arguing for the beneficial effect of 
change-ringing in influencing the longevity of ringers, instancing 
the case of Giles Mansfield, of Stroud. On May 5th, 1817, he 
with 9 others rang at Painswick a true and complete touch of 
Grandsire Caters containing 12,312 changes, in 7 hours 44 
minutes. Hesays in his account, ‘ The affair was advertised 
in a good many newspapers, and it drew thousands of people 
from all parts. It was thought there were 10,000 people in the 
churchyard when we had done, and a great deal of money 
