dered the required amount of silver to be
sent to the founder, who was, however, a great knave. He did not
use the silver at all, but, laying it aside for his own use, he
employed tin as usual in the bell, knowing that it would make a
very fair tone, and counting on the Emperor's not observing the
difference. The Emperor was glad when it was ready to be heard,
and ordered it to be hung, and the clapper attached. "That was soon
done," says the chronicler, "and then the warden of the church,
the attendants, and even the boys of the place, tried, one after
the other, to make the bell sound. But all was in vain; and so
at last the knavish maker of the bell came up, seized the rope,
and pulled at the bell. When, lo! and behold! down from on high
came the brazen mass; fell on the very head of the cheating brass
founder; killed him on the spot; and passed straight through his
carcase and crashed to the ground.... When the aforementioned weight
of silver was found, Charles ordered it to be distributed among
the poorest servants of the palace."

There is record of bronze bells in Valencia as early as 622, and
an ancient mortar was found near Monzon, in the ruins of a castle
which had formerly belonged to the Arabs. Round the edge of this
mortar was the inscription: "Complete blessing, and ever increasing
happiness and prosperity of every kind and an elevated and happy
social position for its owner." The mortar was richly ornamented.

At Croyland, Abbot Egebric "caused to be made two great bells which
he named Bartholomew and Bethelmus, two of middle size, called
Turketul and Tatwyn, and two lesser, Pega and Bega." Also at Croyland
were placed "two little bells which Fergus the brass worker of St.
Botolph's had lately given," in the church tower, "until better
times," when the monks expressed a hope that they should improve
all their buildings and appointments.

Oil that dropped from the framework on which church bells were
hung was regarded in Florence as a panacea for various ailments.
People who suffered from certain complaints were rubbed with this
oil, and fully believed that it helped them.

The curfew bell was a famous institution; but the name was not
originally applied to the bell itself. This leads to another curious
bit of domestic metal. The popular idea of a curfew is that of
a bell; a bell was undoubtedly rung at the curfew hour, and was
called by its name; but the actual curfew (or _couvre feu_) was an
articl