

440 B E 



of them a punishment. A cathedral church was en- 

 titled to seven, or five at the least ; a collegiate church, 

 to three of different sizes ; and a parish church to 

 as many, or at least two. None were to be rung in 

 towers, until they received solemn benediction, and 

 they were to bear no profane figure or inscription, but 

 one in honour of the titular saint, a sacred image, or a 

 pious legend. The city of Bordeaux was deprived 

 of its bells on account of rebellion. When offered 

 to be restored, the inhabitants refused them, from 

 the satisfaction they had enjoyed in being free of 

 the constant noise of bells. Whether these bells had 

 been employed for sacred or profane purposes, we do 

 not discover ; but it is incredible how much of the 

 ceremonies of the Roman Catholic religion depended 

 on the ringing of bells, according to time and quan- 

 tity. 



Bells were anciently suspended from the neck of a 

 criminal who underwent scourging, which has been 

 construed into a warning, that people should avoid 

 the ominous consequences of his crossing their way. 

 We doubt if this interpretation be correct, and we 

 should rather be inclined to consider it a signal of pu- 

 nishment, and a Warning to the populace not to merit 

 the like. There are towns in modern days where the 

 bells toll during an execution, which may have origi- 

 nated in a warning to people to pray for forgiveness to 

 a departing soul ; but now it is chiefly to increase the 

 solemnity of the scene. 



Strabo relates, that the Troglodytes suspended 

 bells from the necks of animals in their flocks, for the 

 purpose of frightening away wild beasts. Some au- 

 thors have supposed, that this was to disclose the 

 places whither they had strayed : and also, that the 

 sound of bells was pleasing to the animals themselves. 

 The practice is continued to the present times, in 

 bells being suspended over horses, or from mules, 

 6heep, and goats ; but we suspect that it also has ori- 

 ginated from a superstitious custom, and that the 

 sound of the bells was to restrain demons from in- 

 juring the animals. Kings and nobles, anciently, had 

 the housings of their horses hung with silver bells. 

 Zachary the prophet, speaks of the bells of horses. 



As bells were of old the subject of pious donations, 

 he who could give the greatest gift claimed the most 

 merit, which has perhaps tended more than any thing 

 else to the enormous size of several bells, of which 

 we read in history. In addition to those large ones 

 already named, may be mentioned, a bell presented 

 by King Edward III. of England to St Stephen's 

 Chapel, which, according to an inscription on it 

 was 33,000 weight. Sallengre, or Swertzius, the com- 

 mentator on Hieronymus Magius, tells us, that the 

 largest bell in all France hung in St Mary's church, 

 at Rouen, in a lofty tower. It bore an inscription 

 in these words, which are always erroneously quoted : 



Je suis nominee George (VAmboise, 

 Qui pins que trcnte six mil poise / 

 Rt si qui bien me poysera, 

 Quarante mil y trouvLra. 



This bell was presented to the church by George, 

 Archbishop of Rouen, and the tower containing it 

 was equally famous. A great scarcity of oil prevail- 

 ing in the diocese, so that there was hardly enough 



L L. 



for Lent, the Archbishop permitted the inhabitants to 

 use butter, on each paying sixpence for the indulgence. 

 From the sum thus collected, the tower was built, and 

 always thereafter was called the Tour de la Beurre. 

 The great bell at Moscow, of which we have spoken, 

 and which hangs in the tower oi St Ivan, is 40 feet 9 

 inches in circumference, l(i| inches thick, and weighs 

 above 57 tons, or 111,000 pounds. The city of Nan- 

 kin, in China, is much celebrated for the size of its 

 bills. One of these, almost of a cylindrical figure, is 

 nearly 12 feet high, and 1\ in diameter : and there are 

 said to be seven bells in Pekm, each weighing 120,000 

 pounds. Yet, contrary to what we are told of the 

 Russian bell, the tone of these is reported to be of 

 very indifferent quality, partly in consequence of be- 

 ing struck with a wooden clapper. Such bells are 

 inconsiderable, compared with an immense one at 

 Erhirth, in Germany, which was long supposed the 

 largest bell in the world. We do not know if it be 

 still there. The clapper of this immense bell weigh* 

 ed 1100 pounds, and was 12 feet long, and its sound, 

 when the wind was not adverse, was heard at nine 

 leagues distance. A great artist, named Gerardus 

 Wou de Campis, cast it in 1497, and the expense 

 was defrayed by a subscription raised among the 

 great and wealthy, for the whole weighed 252,000 

 pounds. In correspondence with the ancient custom, 

 it was dedicated to the Virgin Mary, and bore a le- 

 gend : Laude patronos cano gloriosa, fulgur arcens 

 el demoncs maligna*, sacra templis apopiilo sonanda 

 carmine pulso ; which words are explanatory of the 

 efficacy supposed to reside in the sound of bells. Pos- 

 sibly no larger bells than this at Erfurth, and the 

 other at St Ivan's tower in Moscow, have ever been 

 hung : for although there be one far exceeding the 

 dimensions of either, and indeed of both united, it 

 has not been suspended. We allude to the great bell 

 of Moscow, emphatically termed by Dr Clarke, 

 " a mountain of metal." The exact dimensions of 

 the great bell are not ascertained, owing to the rim 

 lying buried in the earth ; but measured two feet 

 above the ground. Its circumference is 67 feet 

 4 inches. The perpendicular height is 21 feet 4* 

 inches, the metal measures 23 inches in the thickest 

 part, and the weight of the whole is 4-4-3,772 pounds. 

 A large proportion of silver is said to have been em- 

 ployed in casting it ; for while the metal was in fu- 

 sion, the nobles and people threw in their plate and 

 money as votive offerings : and it certainly has a white 

 shining appearance, according to authentic accounts, 

 unlike bell metal in general. There is a great frac- 

 ture in one side, which was occasioned by water pour- 

 ed on it while hot. The building or scaffolding erect- 

 ed over the pit in which it was cast having taken fire, 

 the metal heated, and the water employed in extin- 

 guishing the flames had that effect. The bell never 

 was removed from the pit ; therefore, what is com- 

 monly related of the tower where it was hung having 

 taken fire, and the beam suspending it being burnt, 

 whence it fell and was broke, is not true. At pre- 

 sent the pit is covered with a trap door : and on fes- 

 tival days, the bell is visited by peasants, with as 

 much devotion as they would visit the shrine of a tu- 

 telar saint. The Russians regard it with supersti- 

 tious veneration, insomuch, that they would not allow 



Bell. 



