Multum In Parbo, Or Masonic Notes And Queries.

Multum in Parbo , or Masonic Notes and Queries .

o THE TEMPLARS AND THE CRAFT . After thanking Bro . " Lupus " for his complimentary reference ( p . 609 ) to my recently-published sketch of the " History

of Freemasonry in the Province of Leicester and Rutland , " I beg to inform him , that the lodge now known as the" Knights of Malta , " meeting at the Town Hall ( not the Plough Inn ) , Hinckley , is . . the same as the old

Athole Lodge , originally No . 47 . The old minute book of the lodge from the period of its removal , in the year 1803 , to Hinckley from Macclesfield , is in existence , and if " Lupus " will turn to the " history " he

will find that the Templar diploma to which he refers ( as well as other curious particulars ) is quoted from it . There can be no doubt of the fact , which is within the knowledge of the writer , that the degrees

of " Ark and Mark , " " Link and Wrestle , " "Royal Arch , ' , "Super-Excellent , " and " Knig hts Templar " Masonry continued to be conferred in this lodge for many years after the Union , of course without the

sanction or knowledge of the Grand Lodge , solely under the authority of the Craft Warrant from the " Ancient" Grand Lodge of England . The lodge does not now possess many

minute books relating to those degrees , but it is not impossible that such may still exist , as it is known that the Masonic books and papers of Bro . Need ham ( who was for many years , almost the only member of

the lodge competent to work the ceremonies , and Avho conferred those degrees ) were in the custody of one of his relatives ,

a lady only very recently deceased . Should such records be recovered , I hope to be able to lay a selection from them before the readers of THE FREEMASON .

In further elucidation of this curious subject of inquiry , I may mention that I possess the seals of the oldijAthole Lodge , No . 91 , formerly held in this town . They

comprise seals for the Ark Mariners * , Red Cross of Babylon , Royal Arch and Knight Templar Degrees , all of which , in like manner , were worked under the Craft Warrant . WILLIAM KELLY .

THE RED CROSS ORDER . I observe by advertisement that the General Statutesof the Imperial , Ecclcsiaslical , and Military Order of the Red Cross of Rome and Constantine , and the Laws of the K . H . S ., are now ready .

Perhaps some correspondent will say in your next if this is a new edition ? We have heard nothing as yet of the other documents in the box at Freemasons' Hall . I shall be glad to see a little information on this subject . LUPUS .

ORIGIN OF MASONRY . I have carefully lead the remarks of our justly highly-esteemed Bro . Hughan at page 641 , also what lie has written for years back , likewise what our able Bro . " Lupus " has written , yet I am

unable to remember any properly authenticated remark which proves " aflat contradiction to what Bro . Btichan has stated , " or which shows him to be wrong in his ideas . I greatly fear that some of Bro . Hughan ' s

remarks , or rather ideas , at page 641 contain a good deal of the logic which proved , in words , that a horse-chestnut was the same as a chestnut horse , only when the logician tried to ride the former he found his mistake in deed . Bro . Hughan

admits that " our system " was not " started before 1717 , " but only instituted then . " Very good ; only this shows that whatever thing under the name of Masonry or Freemasonry existed before 1717 , was different from the thing which under the name of Freemasonry existed after

Multum In Parbo, Or Masonic Notes And Queries.

1717 . Consequently , it appears tome that Bro . Hughan , in this case , makes too much of the name and too little of the thing . Although nonoperatives were admitted into the social Masonry , & c , before 1717 , yet as they did not thereby

receive the secrets , doctrines , degrees , & c ., of our speculative Freemasonry , I consider that in reality they became no more speculative Freemasons thereby than if they had joined the

carpenters or some other trade , social or con vivial society of the period . Consequently , by Bro Hughan ' s own showing , the use of the term " re vival" under the circumstances is wrong . \ V . P . BUCHAN .

The reference to the passage about the lodge quoted by Bro . Newnham may be found in the XXVth volume of the Quarterly Review , not the XXIVth ; but that does not give us the original authority . I hope to supply that before long . A MASONIC STUDENT .

THE APRON—THE BADGE OF OUR ORDER . Before I make any further observations on the interesting subject under discussion , I must beg the readers of THE FREEMASON to allow of the following corrigenda in my last

communication , which , owing to my own bad writing , are errata of the printer : —In the Sth line , " had " must be read hold , and " onis , " in the 19 th , onus ; "formed , " in the 21 st , formal Under note 2 : " compati , " in the 5 th line , must

read compoti ; " tunic , " in the 6 th , tunica ; and , again , in the Sth , " compati , " compoti . In the 13 th , " Dimwich , " Dumoich : " Bowie , " in the 15 th , Powle ; and the word was must be inserted before " paid , "' in the 16 th . Under note

6 : on the 23 rd line , " wordes , " must read l yvces . Having thus put myself right with my brethren I wish to add that I have taken no notice of Bro . Buchan ' s remarks about " white" or

" lambskin , " because I really consider them quite puerile and beside the question . With regard to the extract " properly tiled , " any such extract before 1600 would have a natural and positive meaning , any such after

1600 would have a derivative and metaphorical I see our able Bro . " Lupus " talks of the " minute book of a speculative lodge , " but as I understood the point , it was whether such an expression in the extract alluded to had a proper or purely speculative meaning at such a time .

That in the time of Henry VI ., lodges were attached to monasteries is clear from the extract relating to the lodge attached to Christ Church , Canterbury , when Chicherley was Archbishop .

In that extract we have the names of the Master , of the Gustos , of the Masons , and Apprentices , who received "livery" from the monastery annually . If Bro . " Lupus ' ' wishes , I will g ive the ex tract /// extenso .

Probably the Act Bro . "Lupus" alludes to is the Act I have quoted to-day—2 Henry VII ., cap . 3 . 4—but at the same time I have heard of the Act of Edward VI ., though I have never

yet been able to find it . I am not aware of any other Act relative to Masons . I am , I confess , much astonished to see that Bro . Btichan again ventures to fix the date of the " Halliwell MS . " at 1500 . If there is one point more clear

than another , it is that that MS . belongs to the close of the 14 th century—from 1370 to 1400 . I challenge Bro . Btichan to produce any competent authority to prove that his statement of

the age of that most interesting poera is correct . His statement that " speculatyf" is synonymous with " knowledge " - —begging his pardon—requires a little more proof than his simple assertion . A MASONIC STUDENT .

THE R 0 SICRUC 1 AXS . The following , from an old dictionary of 1776 , may be interesting for what it is wortli : — "Rosycrutiaus , g . D . Brothers of the Rosy Cross . —Their chief was a German Gentleman ,

educated in a monastery , where , having learned the languages , he travelled to the Holy Land , anno 137 8 , and being at Damascus , and falling sick , he had the conversation of some Arabs and other oriental Philosophers , by whom he is

Multum In Parbo, Or Masonic Notes And Queries.

supposed to be initiated into this mysterious art > At his return into Germany , he formed a society 1 ancl communicated to them the secrets he had brought with him out of the East , and died anno 1484 . A sect orcabal ' of hermetical philosophers ,

who bound themselves together by a solemn secret , which they swore inviolably to observe , and obliged themselves at their admission into the order to a strict observance of certain established rules . They pretended to know all

sciences , and especially medicine , of which they published themselves the restorers . They also pretended to be masters of abundance of important secrets , and , among others , that of tlie Philosopher ' s stone , all of which they affirmed

they had received by tradition of the Egyptians , Chaldeans , the Magi , and the Gymnosophists . They pretended to protract the period of human life by means of certain nostrums , and even to restore youth . They pretended to know all

things . Ihey are also called' the Invisible Brothers , because they have made no appearance , but have kept themselves incog , for several years . This ' society is frequently signified by the Letters F . R . C . —Fratres Roris Cocti , it

being pretended that the matter of the Philosopher ' s stone is dew concocted and exhalted . " No disrespect is meant to the worthy brothers of the present Rosicrucian Society , but the above may amuse them , as being the opinion of an author of nearly a century ago . C . G . FORSYTH .

BRO . STONEHOUSE . A learned German , Bro . Findel , states that no such Mason ever was known at York . Would some one of tlie intelligent brethren of the York

Lodge look carefully through their rolls from 17 S 0 downwards and see if such be the fact ? I am doubtful of it for a variety of reasons . EDWIN .

The Royal Masonic Institutions For Girls And Boys.

THE ROYAL MASONIC INSTITUTIONS for GIRLS and BOYS .

Special General Courts of these two schools were held simultaneously on Thursday week , at Freemasons' Hall , to receive the report of the committee appointed to inquire into thc qualifications and privileges

of the Vice-Presidents and Life Governors of , and the Life and Annual Subscribers to , the institutions , and to receive any notices of motion which might be given for amendment or alteration of the laws . Bro . John

Hervey , V . P . of both institutions , presided , and among thc other subscribers present , wc observed Bros . J . R . Sheen , W . Mann , Major J . Creaton , John A . Rucker , H . Massey , G . Gumbleton , thc Rev . C . H . Martyn , G . C ., and James Brett .

The conclusion that thc special joint committee by their report came to was , that , as a matter of principle , it was inexpedient at present to make any alterations in the qualifications of donors , subscribers , & c .

Bro . J . Symonds , V . P ., proposed , and Bro . J . Chadwick seconded , the following addition to thc report : " That , having reference to the preceding resolution , this court

earnestly hopes that the friends of both institutions throughout thc kingdom will use their influence to increase tlie number of individual subscribers . "

This was carried , and ordered to be communicated to all thc lodges in the country ; and a vote of thanks to Bro . Hervey for presiding brought thc meeting to a close .

HOLLOWAY ' S OINTMENT AND PILLS . — Help under Suffering- —When multitudes arc sorely afflicted with compl , lints which , snort of emlan-jerin ; . life , brin ^ about almost every otlier personal trouble it would he well were the know led ^ e of these remedies widel y disseminated . No diseases which afflict tlie human body arc more irksome to bear , or more difficult to cure , than skin disca . es . whether superficial sores or deep ulcerations . llollcway ' s Ointment has proved itself a ready remedy for these maladies ; it at once nssuau . es pain , cleans the wound , and works out a sound and lasting cure more certainly and more rapidly , than any other application . In eld affections , debilitated habits , and constitutional ailments , Holloway ' s Pills should be taken to increase Ihe salutary eflecte of hU Ointment . —[ Advt . J