Counsels to Lewis XIV. Perd la Flandre (4). Ah Dieux! les bons auteurs.". "Vous avez effacé, grand Roi, toute la gloire A de quoi s'occuper en lisant votre histoire; Air-Confiteor. "Rends-moi, Varus, mes légions, Demandez-les á Villeroi (6), Il en a plus perdu que moi. Couronne l'œuvre á Tirlemont (9). Sont-ils bien recompensées :"(11) (1) This is false. Tessé was at least a brave man. (2) M. de Tallard had sunken eyes and short-sight. (3) The Elector of Bavaria and that of Cologne, his brother. (4) The battle of Ramillies. (5) On the 13th April, 1704, he was beaten at Hochstet,, where he and a great part of his army were made prisoners. (6) He lost the battle of Ramillies, the 23d May, 1706. (7) In 1704. (8) In raising the siege of Barcelona. (9) The village of Ramillies is not far from Tirlemont. (10) The duke of Feuillade, who conducted badly the siege of Turin, raised it after losing a battle, 7th Sept. 1706. (11) All these unfortunate generals received favours from Lewis XIV. after their misfortunes. Air. Follies of Spain. "De Ramilli, benissons la defaite ! Philipe-Auguste (1), en manquant Barcelone, Sans les Tessé, les Boufflers, les Tallard?" Few poets, we believe, would venture to satirize any of Buonaparte's marshals, even if they did lose a battle. It would seem as if our disgraced generals were thought beneath the attention of the satiric muse in this country. Le due nuove Campane di Campidoglio benedetto dalla Santità di N. S. Pio. VII. P. O. M. &c. On the two new Bells of the Roman Capitol, blessed by his Holiness our boly Pius VII. Sovereign Pontiff, and described by Francis Cancellieri, with numerous Observations on Belfries, or Church Steeples, and all kinds of Clocks, and an Appendix on Monuments. pp. 200, 4to. Rome. The Protestant reader, who knows nothing of the superstitious rites of the Popish church, may perhaps think that the ceremony of " blessing bells" is rather too ridiculous to be seriously performed. It is, however, actually done, and the new bells are blessed with all the gravity of any other religious sacrament in the church of Rome. The performance of this act of idolatrous irrationality occupies several hours, and to convey any adequate idea of the whole ceremonies, would require several pages. This consecration, or as it is called, "baptism of bells," was performed by the present Pope himself, and may be ranked among the worthy deeds of his life, such as crowning Buonaparte, &c. The term "baptism," if it were not otherwise a prophanation, is not altogether improper, as each bell receives a distinct name, thus we hear Saints Peter, Paul, John, Ambrose, Augustin, Francis, &c. Saintesses, Mary, Gertrude, Clare, Magdalene, &c. Many a vigorous youth is called to his knees by the soft tones of Miss St. Clare, many a heart beats tremulous at the grave melody of the (1) Epithet of derision to Philip V. for raising the siege of Bar lona. match-making St. Nicholas, while many tender sympathies are excited by the vivifying sounds of the dalliance-loving St. Francis. Such are the pleasures of popery, such its practical morality. Signor Cancellieri dedicates his labours to his holiness; assigns 'his reasons for engaging in such a work, with the assistance which he has received, and gives a brief account of the writers who have treated of church bells. Several authors indeed have investigated the history, origin, and use of bells, whether for religious or other purposes, and particularly Thiers, who has acquired a reputation, by numerous publications on this subject. An abstract of the contents of this volume will show that it contains, notwithstanding the apparent insignificance of its title, much curious matter. The author commences by deriving the Italian name of bell, campana from campanum, because the bronze of Campagnia was the most proper for making bells. This etymology, it must be confessed, is somewhat obvious; but, after having satisfied himself on this head, he proceeds to examine the different metals and alloys which have been used for the fabrication of bells. Here the author would have required very considerable chemical knowledge, as this is a field for skill in that science, as well as classical reading. He is more correct in detailing the history of their different uses. Among the Hebrews, the stockings of the high priest, when in full dress, were decorated with little bells, according to St. Prosperus, to the number of 50, according to St. Jerome 62, and St. Clement, of Alexandria, 366, in reference to the days in the year. Little bells were also used by the Greeks, and the temple of Dodona was hung round with them like a Chinese pavillion at the present day. The tomb of king Porsenna, in Etruria, had similar ornaments; and the priests of Bacchus wore small bells, as appears by several monuments. The domestic uses of bells are very numerous. In baths, in markets, in the houses of the rich they are used to announce the hour of repast, or call for attendance; soldiers going their rounds carry little bells; triumphers sometimes have them in order to prevent them from being too much elated, as they are fixed on the bodies of criminals who have been executed, that no one may touch them; the harness of horses, black cattle, and even elephants have been ornamented with little bells. In short the superstition is established even among nominal Christians, that the sound of a bell preserves animals from contagion. It is for this reason that bells are put to the necks of lambs, and even swine have been thus accoutred to keep the devil out of them! Many of the more superstitious or puritanical members of the order of St. Anthony wear a little bell hung round their necks. The Pagans, too, like the Christians, employed little bells at funerals, but it was to chase away the spectres. The use of great bells must be very ancient; although in the first ages of the church, the Christian assemblies being necessarily secret, in consequence of persecutions, the people were invited only by the information of cursors, or messengers, and deacons. The first mention that we find of bells is in the life of St. Colomban in 599. In the eastern church, the earliest use of bells on record, according to our author, was in 866. In the ancient Greek church they used flat pieces of bronze, or wood, which were struck against each other. The Mahomedans make no use of bells; they are called to the mosque by men who on high turrets cry, allach hech her, the true and only God. With respect to the Popish superstition of baptizing or bless ing bells, we find that it was rigorously prohibited as a scan dalous prophanation by Charlemagne in his chapters. Christianity had not then attained its utmost corruption; but this and many other abuses began to increase about 968, when Pope John XIII. blessed the bell of the church of St. John of Latran. We believe Mrs. Pope Joan, during her pope-ship, added some new superstitious rites to the process of bell-baptism. The abuse of male and female gossips originated in Germany and Catalonia. Signor Cancellieri's history of bell-worship presents a melancholy picture, either of the gross perversion, or of the little progress of the true principles of Christianity in popish countries. Will not every reasoning being, every true Christian, blush to bę told, that bells have always been held in great veneration among Christians, that people swear on bells as on the Evangelists? By a decree of the council of Cologne, it was ordered they should be rung only by a clerk dressed in a surplice, and that the laity ought not to keep them in their houses, or sound them!!! Hospitals were privileged with bells to call the faithful to offices of charity; and the churches of mendicant monks were allowed only one bell. The kings of France granted to districts the right of having bells. Bells were also transported to camps, were they were used to give the signal for battle; they were surrounded and defended by select troops; and it was as disgraceful to suffer them to be taken, as it is still among the Mahomedans to lose their Koran. They were also covered with inscriptions in verse and prose, many of which are interesting to chronology and history. It is still usual for the names to be cut on the bells for popish worship. Signor APPENDIX, ANTIJAC. REV. Vol. 32. 2 H Cancellieri has collected some of the most curious inscriptions, and accompanied them with interesting explanations; he also notices verses and emblems applied to persons called campana (bell,) and campanella (little bell.), We regret that our limits prevent us from enumerating all the various uses to which bells are applied; and, particularly, their important part, not only in announcing, but in actually assisting popish worship. Notwithstanding the semper cadem of the Roman Church, however, many, comparatively modern, superstitions have crept into it. Thus, the superstitious custom, derived from the Jews, of ringing a little bell when the mass-priest elevates the host or sacrament before the people, was not introduced till the 11th century, during the heresy of Berenger, when the sound of little bells was preceded by that of the steeple bells. In a description of the supposed Chalice, of St. Malachy, by Macer, it is represented as surrounded with little bells, the sound of which admonish the faithful to mediate the moment of adoration. In 1713, a heretic, of Catana, made an unsuccessful attempt to break the host in the hands of the priest; he was massacred and burned to ashes by the people. Hence arose the custom in Sicily of sounding the steeple bells, before and during the elevation, in order to prevent a similar attempt. A moment's reflection will suggest some of the numerous offices of bells even in this country, from the solemn knell to the merry peal, the tinkle of the tea-table or the team; they are, of course, much more numerous in countries where the religion of Rome is established. Otway is, perhaps, the first tragic author who adopted the sound of bells to affect an audience in a theatre; and Arnaud has successfully applied the same agents in his Count de Comminge. The Tocsin has been sufficiently used by the modern French, and the Curfew was formerly known in this country. The chancellor Seguier, says Signor Cancellieri, was a Carthusian in his youth; he obtained permission of his superior to ring a bell every time that he should be tempted with an evil spirit, in order that his brethren might pray for him, and that he might triumph over the enemy of his salvation. The young novice, however, experienced such frequent combats, that he had recourse incessantly to this remedy, till the superior was obliged to interdict the use of a means, which disturbed the tranquillity of the whole convent. The author, after detailing, at great length, all the uses of bells,* gives an account * Signor C. has omited the anecdote of St. Francis, who caused the devil to carry a woman to hell, for ringing a bell when he was preaching. |