And so the Ball takes flight.
Now at the length Good-liking proves
Content to be their Gain:
Thus in the Tennis-Court, Love is
A Pleasure mixt with Pain.
Of RINGING.
Whosoever would become an accurate Master of this excellent Art and Pleasure, and is very desirous to be esteemed an Elaborate and Ingenious Ringer, and be enrolled amongst that Honoured Society of =College Youths=; I must beg leave to instruct him before he enters the Bell-free, in these ensuing short Rules; which he must strictly observe, viz.
1. That as all Musick consists in these six plain Notes, La Sol Fa Mi Re Ut; so in Ringing, a Peal of Bells is Tuned according to these Principles of Musick: For as each Bell takes its Denomination from the Note it Sounds, by its being flatter or deeper, as, First, or Treble, second, third, fourth, &c. as they are in number to ten or twelve Bells, the last being called the Tenor; So must they successively strike one after another both Fore-stroke and Back-stroke, in a due Musical time or Equi-distance, to render their Harmony the more Pleasant, and to make the Young Practitioner the better informed to observe the Life of Musick, and indeed of true Ringing, Time; and therefore is called, Round-ringing.
2. As in Musick, so in Ringing there are three Concords, so called from their Melodious Harmony and Agreement, which Principally are these; Thirds, viz. 1 3, 2 4, &c. Fifths 1 5, 2 6, &c. Eights 1 8, 2 9, 3 10, &c. and these are the more pleasant according to the Number of Bells they are struck on, and as they are struck, whether separately or mutually. From hence Changes are made, which is only a Changing place of one Note with another, so variously, as Musick may be heard a thousand ways of Harmony; which being so obvious to common Observation, I shall not go about to demonstrate; for that if two may be varied two ways, surely by the Rule of Multiplication, a Man may easily learn how many times 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, or 12 Bells Notes may be varied; which will run almost ad infinitum.