Искусства и ремесла Средневековья

146 Аi-ts ancl Сгаfts in tlie l\Iiddle Ages

аЬопt а bell огdегеd Ьу Cl1arlemagne. Chaгleшa.gne haYing admiгed tl1e tone of а certain bell, tl1e foundeг, named Tancho, said to Ыm: " Lшd Emperor, giYe orders that а great ,Yeight of copper Ье brought to me that I шау rcfine it, ancl instead of tin give ше as шuch silveг as I пееd, - а hundгed pouпds at least, - апd I ,vill cast sнch а bell fог уон that this ,vill seem dumb in compaгison to it." Cl1aгlemagne ordered the required amow1t of silveг to Ье seпt to the fouнdcг, ,vho was, 110,vever, а great knave. Нс clid воt usc tl1e silver at all, Ьнt, laying it aside for his o,vn use, he employcd tin as usнal in the bell, kno,Yiнg that it ,vould make а vегу fair tone, and coнnting оп the Empeгor's not obscгviпg tl1e differcncc. Thc Empeгor was glad ,vhen it ,vas ready to Ье l1ea1·d, and ordeгed it to Ье hung, and the clapper attached. " That was sооп done," says the chroniclcr, " and tl1en the warden of the church, thc attendants, and even the boys of the place, tгied, one after the other, to make the bell sound. But all was in vain; and so at last the knavish maker of the bell саше up, seized the горе, and pulled at the bell. vVhen, lo ! and behold ! down from on high саше the brazen mass; fell on the vегу head of the cheating b1·ass founder; killed hiш on the spot; and passed stгaight through his carcase and crashed to the groнnd. . . . 1Vhen the aforementioned weight of silver was foнnd, Charles ordered it to Ье dis .:. tributed among the poorest servants of the palace." There is recoгd of bгonze bells in Valencia as early as 622, апd an ancient mшt ar Vi·as fонпd near Monzon,