In the 9th Century Ratoldus Sacramentary, we have an example of the vesting prayers of a Bishop. It contains rubrics for the Bishop and his ministers at the Vesting. For the Dalmatic, we have the following:
"Therefore, Over these [i.e. previous vestments] is the blue tunic ministered to him with the small bells around the hem; and the minister says as above [i.e. asking a blessing]. The Bishop responds: 'Sanctify this tunic with which I am now clothed, O Almighty Eternal God, without Whose help no human power is able to prevail, and Who hast willed me to wear the sacred vestments, do Thou give me a faithful mind to serve Thee, O Loving Judge. Through all the ages of ages. Amen."
The Latin would be:
"Super haec itaque ministretur ei tunica gyris in tintinabulis myrice refecta. Et dicat minister ut supra. Respondet episcopus: 'Sanctifica tunicam qua nunc superinduor istam, Omnipotens Aeterne Deus, sine numine cuius, nil humana talet devoti condere virtus, et qui me sacris voluisti vestibus uti, da servire tibi iudex pie mente fideli. Per omnia.." [pg. 237 of the "Sacramentary of Ratoldus" as published by the Henry Bradshaw Society]
We can learn a few things from this; one of which is that the Dalmatic [referred to simply as a 'tunica' [though, from the context, in the section, which isn't reproduced all the way here, it is clearly not referred to the tunicle], was blue, and had a number of bells attached to it. Of course, the true and inner spiritual meaning for an Orthodox Christian is that the Bishop should rely upon the power of God to help him, and that it is God Who sanctifies and clothes the Bishop in the Priesthood; the Sacerdotal Order is not the property of men, but, truly of God who clothes men with it!
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