By the Rev. W. C. Lukis. 



69 



ringing of bells ; so that it is common for a number of them that 

 have got a glass in their heads to get up into the belfry and ring 

 the bells for hours together for the sake of exercise." A very 

 curious Latin book, published about the year 1600, contains a 

 lawyer's decision whether the number of bells might be increased 

 in a church, and whether their ringing could be stopped. It speaks 

 of idle boys being very fond of running to the towers to do the 

 work. (Ellacombe). When bell ringing was more appreciated than, 

 unfortunately, it is now, there were societies of ringers in Cam- 

 bridge, Oxford, London, — such as the college youths (from their 

 practising at St. Michael's, on College Hill, London) founded in 

 1637, — Birmingham, and in other places There are some societies 

 I of ringers now in various parts of England, and there is, among 

 others in London, a society of college youths, but it is said not to 

 be descended from the ancient society above mentioned, which 

 became extinct in 1788. There is, I believe, an excellent society 

 of Norwich scholars. I do not know where to find a society of 

 ringers in Wiltshire. There are sets of men who ring for what 

 they can get, which they consume in drink ; but there is very little 

 love for the science or its music. There is no " plucking at the 

 bells" for recreation and exercise. Church ringers with us have 

 degenerated into mercenary performers. In more than one parish 

 where there are beautiful bells, I was told that the village youths 

 took no interest whatever in bell ringing, and had no desire to 

 enter upon change ringing. The whole number of changes that 

 can be rung on any given number of bells is called "a peal"; and 

 various series of changes or permutations have been invented, 

 which are known by the names of their composers. One such 

 series, called Grandsire Triples, was invented by M. Benjamin 

 Anable, who died in 1755; and was subsequently improved by 

 ! Mr. Holt. Another composer was Mr. Patrick, a maker of baro- 

 i meters, in the beginning of the last century. But one of the 

 j earliest composers was Mr. Fabian Stedman, of Cambridge, who, 

 about the year 1657, invented a complex method of ringing, which 

 i has ever since been called " Stedman' s principle." It is not my 

 intention to enter here into the intricacies of change ringing, nor 



