As the original design of casting Peals of Bells was in order to make pleasant Musick thereon; so the Notes in every Peal are formed apt for that end and purpose, every Peal of Bells being tun’d according to the principles of Musick; for in a Peal of six Bells are the six plain Song-Notes, whereupon all Musick consists, namely, la sol fa mi re ut. But in regard that in ringing of them the Notes cannot be had at command, as the Notes of other Instruments may; therefore, as the Practitioners in ancient time found some necessity to cause all the Notes to strike successively after one another, so likewise they thought fit in ringing them to place the Notes in this following order. The least note to lead or strike first, then the Note which is the next degree deeper or flatter, and so the rest of the notes to strike after each other according to their degrees, the flattest striking last; in which order the notes were successively reiterated both at fore-stroke and back-stroke, from the beginning to the end of each Peal. And at this day the same order is also observed in raising, ceasing, and ringing them at a low compass; wherein each note being confin’d to strike in a certain place, therefore had they their terms of First, Second, Third, Fourth, Fifth, &c. given them, to denote their order and places of striking; from whence also the Bells derive those terms of distinction by which they are now known. Although the ringing of a Peal of Bells in the aforesaid order, (which is commonly term’d Round-ringing) is in it self Musical; yet the Notes may be so placed in ringing, that their Musick may be rendred much more pleasant: for in Musick there are Concords, which indeed may be term’d the very life and soul of it, that renders all Musick exceeding pleasant: the principal are Thirds, Fifths, and Eights; Thirds are 1 3. 2 4. and such like: Fifths are 1 5. 2 6. &c. Eights are 1 8. 2 9. 3 10. &c. each Concord consisting of two notes. They may well be termed Concords, in respect of their agreement and harmony; for the two notes (as if it were by mutual consent) being struck together at one instant, or else immediately after one another, affords delightful melody to the ear; in which respect, a peal of five Bells are capable of making better Musick than a peal of four; six better than five; and more especially will ten or twelve make more excellent Musick than any lesser numbers can possibly do, there being greater variety of Concords therein, and especially of Eights. For this Musical end were changes on Bells first practised, changes being nothing else but a moving and placing of the Notes in ringing, whereby variety of pleasant Musick is made; and as the manner of moving the notes, is, for two notes to change places with each other, therefore are they called Changes. The methods of changes being somewhat intricate, I have therefore penn’d the following Treatise as a Clue to guide the Practitioner through the Labirinth of them, wherein I have made use of figures to represent the notes of Bells, the manner thus. In a peal of five Bells there are five several notes, which with figures are thus exprest, 1 2 3 4 5: the figure 1 represents the least or sharpest note, which is term’d the First, because its place in round ringing is to lead; this note is most commonly called the Treble. The figure 2 represents the note which is the next degree deeper or flatter, and is term’d the Second, because it strikes in the second place. And in like manner 3 represents the note of the third Bell, 4 the note of the fourth Bell, and 5 the note of the Fifth or Tennor. In which manner, the figures in all the following methods do likewise represent the notes of Bells.

Since the ringing of changes requires the peal of Bells, on which the changes are to be rung, to be first raised up to a set Pull, which compass is most proper for the ringing of them; therefore the Learners first practice must be to raise a Bell true in peal, to ring it at a low compass, and also to cease it true in peal, wherein consists the chief grounds of this Art, which depends on the Ear, and therefore much judgment is required therein. And to speak the truth, most practitioners are in these days somewhat deficient herein; the ringing of changes having generally diverted the Learners fancy from the practice of raising, round-ringing, and ceasing, by which means we have in a manner lost one Excellency in the pursuit of another. Therefore I could wish that the Practitioners of this Art would set a greater esteem on true Ringing in general, since the only excellency as well in the ringing of Changes as Rounds, depends thereon: the keeping of time being as essential to render all kinds of ringing pleasant to the ear, as ’tis to render any other kind of Musick; therefore the practitioner ought to have a Musical eare, and to have some judgment in beating time, without which he can never ring his Bell true in its place. A prospect of true ringing at any certain compass under the Sett, may thus be taken; for Instance, in ringing a peal of 5 Bells; from the fore-stroke of every note to the next fore-stroke of the same note, there ought to be eleven punctums or Beats of time, which are all supposed to stand at Æquidistances: now in ten of these punctums, the five notes ought exactly to strike at the fore-stroke and back-stroke, and the eleventh stands as a Cypher to guide the Treble-note at fore-stroke to a double proportion of time from the Tennor-note at back-stroke: which blank punctum must also be beaten in the same place by every note, to render its fore-stroke answerable to that of the Treble. For example; the third note having struck at fore-stroke, it must beat eleven punctums of equidistance unto its striking there again. The first punctum is that of the 4th note, the second 5, the third 1, the fourth 2, the fifth 3, the sixth 4, the seventh 5, the eighth 0, the ninth 1, the tenth 2, the eleventh its own place of striking again at fore-stroke. These punctums or Beats of time, must be proportioned either wider or closer, according to the compass of the Treble: therefore first the Treble must fix its compass certain and true at fore-stroke, which ought to be proportionate to what the number of the notes, and compass of the peal of Bells, may according to judgment permit; and then from one fore-stroke of it to the next, if there are five notes; there ought to be eleven punctums of equidistance assigned, wherein the notes should exactly strike (except the blank) as before. From hence ’tis, that the most judicious Ringer ought to be put to the Treble; for that bell cannot possibly be rung true by any other means than by beating of its own time; and although the exactness of true ringing requires the like in every note, when once the compass is fixed, yet the leading note being rung true, may be a guide to the rest of the notes, which may tolerably take their measures of time from the Treble-note: but for every note to take its measure of time solely from the next preceding note, must needs be very erronious; for thereby they implicitely lead one another out of the way. Or else in the ringing of five bells, from the fore-stroke of every note to the next fore-stroke of the same note, there may be one and twenty punctums or beats of time assigned, to stand at equidistances; and the five notes, as they follow one another, at the fore-stroke and back-stroke to strike in every second punctum, except the Treble-note at fore-stroke, which must strike in the third punctum from the Tenor at back-stroke; so that then there will be two of those spaces betwixt every note, and three betwixt the note of the Tenor at back-stroke and the note of the Treble at fore-stroke, which possibly by some may be held a better compass than the former: but quot homines tot sententiæ. Every Practitioner, that has judgment to beat his own time, has the advantage of ringing his bell true, whilst the rest of the notes commit faults; for the compass being once fixed, as many bells as do either rise or fall from thence commit errors.

The truest way of raising a peal of bells according to the best of modern practice, is, as quick as may be; every Ringer taking assistance to raise his bell, according as the going of it requires. In raising of them, the lesser bells as the Treble &c. ought at the first pull to be swayed very deep, and held down in the sway by strength of armes as much as may be, to delay the time of their first striking, by which means the bigger bells, which carry a large compass, may have space to come in; and the raising of the smaller bells to be continued with a strong pull, giving them scope over head (for the aforesaid reason) untill they come up Frame-high, or thereabouts, and then the pull to be slacken’d, and the bells leisurely to be raised to the intended height or pitch. The bigger bells of the peal, as the Tenor &c. must in their first raising be checkt or pinch’d over head, by which means the notes of all the bells may be made to strike round in their due place and order from the beginning; and observe, that at the first pull all the bells must follow one another as close as may be. A peal of bells may thus be ceased: the falling of the bells from a Sett-pull must gradually be done, by checking them only at Sally, until the low compass renders the Sally useless; and when they are ceased so low, that they scarce strike at back-stroke for want of compass: then he that rings the Treble, may give notice (by stamping on the ground) that the next time the bells come to strike at the fore-stroke, they may be checkt down so low as to cease their striking at the back-stroke, yet their striking round at the fore-stroke may be continued, until they are brought into a chime, which is a graceful conclusion of a peal.

In raising of a peal of bells, all the notes ought to strike round at one pull: but mistake me not, I do not mean at the first pull; for at small bells ’tis usual to sway them all round at the first pull without striking; at the second pull to strike them at the fore-stroke, and at the third pull at back-stroke. In raising of a peal of more weighty bells, ’tis usual to strike them double at the fourth pull, because the extraordinary weight and large compass of the hind-bells permits it not to be done sooner. In the first raising of a peal of bells, one bell ought not to strike before the rest, or to miss striking when the rest go round: neither ought any bell in ceasing to strike after the rest, or to leave striking before the rest; all which, according to the strictness of true ringing, are accounted great faults.

The peal of bells on which the changes are to be rung, must first be raised up to a Sett-pull, which compass is most proper for the ringing of changes; for then the notes of the bells may be had at command. Therefore before the young Practitioner can be capable of ringing changes, he must be extraordinary well skill’d in the managing of a bell at a Sett-pull, which is absolutely requisite, for this reason: In the ringing of changes, his mind will be so busied and wholly taken up with the consideration of the course and method of them, and his eye continually wandring about to direct his pull in the following of the other bells; that unless he has extraordinary skill in the managing of his own bell, and can set it in a manner hood-winkt, he will be apt either to drop or overturn it; or else on the other hand, for want of skill, his eye and mind will be so fixed on his own rope and bell to guide the managing of it, that he cannot at the same time mind the course of the changes, and then no wonder if he is in a wood, which consequently follows; and indeed hence partly ’tis, that the Learners in their first practice do oftentimes toil and moil themselves to so little purpose. Therefore ’tis not enough that the young Practitioner can set a bell it may be half a score times together, when ’tis an even wager that he either drops or overturns it in those ten-pulls: but he must be so perfectly skill’d, as that he might adventure to lay ten to one, that he can set it thirty or forty times together, both fore-stroke and back-stroke, without dropping or overturning it, and without looking directly either on his hands or rope whilst he sets it. Therefore in his practice of setting a bell, he may cast his eye about on the other bell-ropes whilst he manageth his bell, whereby he may accustom himself to manage it as the ringing of changes requires.

The ringing of changes is performed, partly by the ear, and partly by the eye; the ear informs when to make a change, the eye directs the pull in the making of it, but then again the ear guides the striking of the note true in its place according to time. So that the ear and eye have each of them its proper object in the ringing of changes, and therefore ought at the same time to be absolutely free from all others whatsoever, the notes of the bells being the object of the ear, and the bell-ropes the object of the eye. Now these two Senses in the time of ringing do each of them thus perform its office. First, the ear, as a Sentinel, discovers the near approaching change, and also the place wherein his note lies, that is, whether before or behind the note wherewith ’tis to make a change, and gives present information to the eye, to perform its part accordingly in the making of it; but then again the eye refers it to the ear, to place the note true in striking. But questionless (by the bie) the truest ringing of changes is to be performed only by the ear; but then the Practitioners must be capable to judg of time, and to beat it true, which must be the only direction to guide their pull; and then it must be performed at a peal of bells that may be managed with ease: and being so fitted in all respects, the changes may doubtless be rung more true, with greater pleasure to the Practitioners, and much more free from mistakes and forgets, only by the ear, than by making use of the eye to direct their pull. But in regard that either the ill going of the bells, or want of fit accomplishments in the practitioners, may render it unfit for common practice; therefore the surest way is to ring both by the eye and ear, as I said before. Now to render the eye and ear rightly useful in the ringing of changes, five things ought by the young Practitioner to be well understood. First, he must be able to distinguish the notes of a peal of bells, and to know one from another in the time of ringing. Secondly, he must apprehend the places of the notes. Thirdly, the precedency of notes. Fourthly, the manner of making a change in ringing. Fifthly, a general prospect of the manner of putting the four preceding notions into practice.

Observation 1. The Learner must be able to distinguish the notes of a peal of bells one from another, and to know them asunder; as the Treble-note from the Second, the Second from the Third, &c. which, tis true, may readily be done in round ringing, because each note may be known by the place wherein it constantly strikes; but in ringing of changes it is more difficult. For admitting that six bells should strike in this order, 5.3.6.1.4.2. it might puzzle an unskilful ear to judg which is the Treble, or which the Second note, especially whilst any other note strikes betwixt them: and the like difficulty might happen in distinguishing the rest of the notes, as the 2d from the 3d, &c. To remove this difficulty, he must endeavour to acquire some skill in tuning the notes of a peal of bells, with his voice, which he may do by imitating the notes of the bells when he hears them ring: or else any person that has skill in singing, will presently direct him therein, and also how to take the true pitch of any notes with his voice, which will be the only means to distinguish them asunder.

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