BEL 
had our forefathers had opportunities of being ac¬ 
quainted with the found of metals in this drape we fhould 
probably have had all our bells at preTent of this form.” 
The ufe of bells is very ancient, as well as extenlive, 
both among Jews, Greeks, Romans, Chriliians, and hea¬ 
thens; by all of whom they were varioufly applied; as 
on the necks of men, beads, birds, hordes, fheep, &e. A- 
mong the Jews it was ordained, that the lower part of the 
blue tunic which tire high-pried wore when lie performed 
religious ceremonies, Ihould beadorned with pomegranates 
and gold bells, intermixed equally and at equal diftances. 
As to the number of the bells worn by the high-pried, 
the fcripture is filent; and authors are not well agreed.; 
but the facred hidorian has let us into the ufe and intent 
of them in thefe words: (Exod. xxviii. 33-3$.) “ And-it 
(hall be upon Aaron to minider, and his found dial! be 
lieard when he goeth into the holy place before the I.crd, 
and when he cometh out, that he die not.” The kings of 
Perfia are faid to have the hem of their robes adorned like 
the Jevvilh high-prieds with pomegranates and gold-beds. 
It was, in the'opinion of Calmer, with a dedgn of giving 
notice that the high-pried was paffing by, that he wore 
little bells on the hem of his robe; or rather ii was as it 
were a kind of public notice that he was going to the fanc- 
tuary : for as, in the king of Perfia’s court, no one was 
f'uffered to enter the apartments without giving notice 
thereof by the found of fomething; fo the high-pried, 
out of refpeiSt to the divine prefence redding in the holy of 
holies, did, by the found of little bells fadened to the bot¬ 
tom of his robe, delire as it were permidioii to enter, that 
the found of the bells might be heard, and he not punifhed 
with death for an improper intention. The figure of thefe 
bells is not known to us. The prophet Zachariah (xiv. 
20.) fpeaks of bells hung to war-horfes. “ In that day 
(lays the prophet) there fhall be upon the bells of horfes, 
Holinefs unto the Lord.” 
Among the Greeks, thofe who went the nightly rounds 
in camps or garrifons, carried with them a little bell, which 
they rung at each fentry-box to fee that the foldiers on 
watch were awake. A codonophorotts or bell-anan alfo 
walked in funeral proceffions, at adiftancebeforethe corpfe, 
not only to keep od‘the crowd, but to advertife the flamcn 
dia/is to keep out of the way, for fear of being polluted 
by the fight, or by the funerary mode. The pried of Pro- 
ferpine at Athens, called hierophantus, rung a bell to call 
the people to facrifice. There were alfo bells in the hou¬ 
ses of great men to call up the fervants in a morning. Zo- 
nara allures us, that bells were hung with whips on the 
triumphal chariots of their victorious generals, to put 
them in mind that they were dill liable to public judice. 
Bells were put on the necks of criminals going to execu¬ 
tion, that perfons might be warned by tiie noife to get out 
of the way of fo ill-an omen as the fight of the hangman 
or the condemned criminal, who was devoted and jud go¬ 
ing to be facrificed to the diivianes. In England, the cur¬ 
few, or evening bell, was edablifhed by William the Con¬ 
queror, who appointed, under a fevere penalty, that, at 
the ringing of this bell at eight o'clock in the evening, 
every one fhould put out their fires and candle, and go to 
bed. It is remarkable, that thisinfiitution, though a mark 
of national difgrace and flavery, is continued in alrnod 
every town and city in the kingdom, to the prefent day. 
Bell, in chemidry, denotes a glafs veffei placed over 
fome matter in a date of exhalation, either to colleT the 
vapour or gather the flowers. Chemical bells are a fort 
•of receptacles chiefly ufed in preparing the oil or fpirit of 
fuj’pbur, for gathering and condenfing fumes into a liquor. 
EleBrical Bells, are ufed iii a variety of entertaining 
experiments by electricians. The apparatus, which is of 
German invention, confills of three final 1 bells fufpended 
from a narrow plate of metal; the two ourermoft by chains, 
and that in the middle, from which a chain pafles to the 
floor, by a filken dring. Two fmall knobs of brafs are 
alfo hung by filken firings, one on each fide of the bell in 
the middle, which ferve for clappers. When this appa- 
B E L S71 
ratus is contiefled with an electrified conduftor, the outer- 
mod bells fufpended by chains will be charged, attract 
the clappers, and be (truck by them. The clappers be¬ 
coming electrified likewife will be repelled by thefe bells, 
and attracted- by the middle bell, and difeharge themfelves 
upon it by means of the chain extending to the floor. Af¬ 
ter this, they will be again, attracted by the outermod 
bells, and, by (hiking them alternately, will occallon a 
ringing, which may be continued at plea-fure. Flafiies of 
light will be feen in the dark between the bells and clap¬ 
pers ; and,.if the electrification be drong, the difeharge 
will be made without actual contaCf, and the ringing will 
ceafe. An apparatus of this kind, connected with one of 
thofe conductors that are erected for fecuring buildings 
from lightning, will ferve to give notice of the approach 
and pafT.tge of an eleCtrical cloud. 
To Bell, v. n. To grow in buds or flowers-, in the form 
of a bell.—Hops, in the beginning of Align It, bell, aryl me: 
fometimes ripe. Mortimer. 
Diving- Bell. See Diving. 
Bell-fashioned, adj. [from hell and fa/hion.~\ Having 
the form of a bell ; campaniform.—The thorn-apple nfes- 
with a drong round (talk, having large be.ll-fajhion.ed. flow¬ 
ers at the joints. Mortimer. 
Bell-Flower. See Campanula and Canapuna. 
Bell-Foundery'. See Foundery. 
Bell-Weed, in botany. SeejACEA. 
BEL'LA (Stefano de la), an eminent engraver, born at 
Florence in i6to. He was a difciple of Canta Gallina, the 
in(traclor of Callot. De la Bella at fird imitated the- 
manner of Callot; but his abilities footi began to mani- 
fed themfelves ; and, as by degrees he acquired a facility 
in handling the graver, he quitted the dyle in which he on¬ 
ly (hone as an imitator, and adopted one entirely his own,, 
which in freedom and fpirit is faid to have furpaffed that 
of his fellow-difciple. He went to Paris in 1642, wherfe- 
he formed an acquaintance with Ifrael Silvedre, then new¬ 
ly returned from Rome; and he was much employed by 
Henriete the uncle of Silveffre. Cardinal Rich lien enca¬ 
ged him to go to Arras and make drawings of the fiege- 
of that town by the royal army; which drawings he en¬ 
graved at his return. After abiding fome confiderable 
time at Paris, his family-affairs obliged him to return to> 
Florence; where he obtained a penfion from the grand 
duke, and was appointed to indruCt the prince Cofmus his 
fon in the art of defign. Being fubjeCt to violent pains in 
the head, his life was rendered very uncomfortable by that 
cruel diforder, which put an end to it in 1664, when lie 
was only fifty-four years of age. De la Bella drew very 
corredly, and with great tafie. His works manifed much- 
genius and vad fertility of invention. The fire and ani¬ 
mation which appear in them com pen fate for their flights 
nefs; and we may reafonably expecl to find them flight, 
when we at’e told that he engraved 1400 plates! 
BELLAC', a. town of France, and principal place of a 
difirift, in the department of the Upper Vienne, fituated on 
the Vincon. it owes its name to an ancient cadle, built in 
the tenth century. The number of. inhabitants is about 
2500, and it is feven leagues N. N. W, of Limoges, and five 
north of St. Junien. Lat.46. 7. N. Ion. 18. 43. E. Ferro. 
BELLADAC', a. town of Ada, in the province of Di- 
arbekir, forty-five-miles wed of Rabba. 
BELLA DON'N A, f. [from hella donna, ital. hanch'ome 
lady.] Deadly nightfhade. It is fo called becaufe the la¬ 
dies of Italy ufe it to take away the too florid colour of 
their faces. See Amaryllis and Ayropa. 
BELLAI' (William du), lord of Langey, a French ge¬ 
neral, who fignalized himfelf in the fevvice of Franc'13 I. 
He was alfo an able negociator ; fo that the emperor 
Charles V. ufed to fay, “ that Larigey’s pen had fought 
more againll him than all the, lances in France.” He was 
fent to Piedmont in quality of viceroy, where lie took* fe- 
veral towns'from the Imperialifls. His nddrefs in pene¬ 
trating into the enemy’s defigns was fiirpriling. In this 
he (pared no expence, and thereby had intelligence of the- 
tnoIL 
