BELL. Moses ordain’d, that the lower part of the blew Robe, which the High-Priest wore when he perform’d religious Ceremonies, should be adorned with Pomegranates and gold Bells intermixed equally, and at equal distances. The Pomegranates were of Wool, in colour blew, purple and crimson, and the Bells were of Gold. Moses Exod. xxviii. 33, 34.adds, And it shall be upon Aaron to minister; and his sound shall be heard when he goeth in unto the holy place before the Lord, and when he cometh out, that he dye not. Some of the Hebrews believe these little Bells to be round like ours; others that they were such as were then commonly in use.
The Kings of Persia are said to have had the hem of their Robes adorned like that of the Jewish High-Priest, with Pomegranates and gold Bells1. The Arabian Ladies who are about the King’s Person2, who serve and divert him, have little gold Bells fastened to their legs, their neck, and elbows, and when they dance, the motion of these Bells makes a very agreeable harmony. The Arabian Princesses3 wear large hollow gold Rings, which are filled with little flints, that sound like little bells when they walk: Or they are large circles with little rings hung all round, and produce the same effect. These rings are open in one place in the form of a crescent, through which they get in the small of their legs. Besides these they have abundance of flat bobs fixed to the end of their hair, which is matted and hangs long behind; these make a noise as often as they stir, and give notice that the Mistress of the house is going by, that so the Servants in the family may behave themselves respectfully, and Strangers may retire, to avoid seeing the Person who is passing.
It was therefore in all probability with a design of giving notice, that the High-Priest was passing by, that he too wore little Bells at the hem of his robe; or it was as it were a kind of publick notice that he was going into the Sanctuary. In the King of Persia’s Court no one entered the apartments without some warning, not by knocking or even speaking, but by the sound of something. Thus the High Priest out of respect did not Judith xiv. 8, 9.knock as he went into the Sanctuary, but by the sound of the little Bells fastened to the bottom of his robe, he in some sort desired permission to enter, that the sound of the Bells might be heard, and he not punished with death, says Moses.
As to the number of Bells worn by the High-Priest, Authors are not agreed. Some say there were twelve, others fifty, others sixty six, some again seventy two, and others fourscore: but there is nothing certain in any of these suppositions; it depending on the size which they were made of; for if they were small Bells, there might be a good many of them used in embellishing the bottom of the High-Priest’s tunick.
There is frequent mention in the Scripture of Bells, which were sometimes made use of in the Temple. The figure of them is 1 Chron. xv. 19.not known to us. The Hebrew4 terms them Mizeloth, or Mizlothaim. They were of copper, the sound of them was sharp, and heard at a great distance. The Prophet Zachary speaks of Bells hung to the bridles of War-horses, that thereby they might be Zach. xiv. 20.accustomed to noise. In that day, says the Prophet, shall there be upon the bridles of the horses Holiness unto the Lord. A horse which had not been trained, nor used to wear Bells by the Greeks, was called one that had never heard the noise of Bells. The mules that were employed in the funeral pomp of Alexander the Great had at each jaw a gold Bell w.
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