A Shakspearian Banquet.

Tarlelelics of Apples . " Carvel like an apple tart . " Cream Kisses . " Kissing comfits and snow eringoos . " " The last of many doubled kisses . " Tulti-Frulli Cream . "Tut , tut , thou arfc all ice , thy kindness freezes . "

Dessert . "A last year ' s pippin , * "" ' with a dish of Cai-raw-ays . " "Four pounds of primes , Avith as many raisins o' the sun . " "The fig of Spain , very good . " " There is a dish of leather-coats for you . " " Give * this * orange to your friend . " " And fetch the new nuts . " " My cheese , my digestion . " " Go , fetch me a quart of sack ; put a toast in it . " " And good store of fertile Sherris . " " Some aqua-vita ? , ho ! "

Masonic Notes And Queries.

MASONIC NOTES AND QUERIES .

IlElir . EAV LODGES . AA itrcn are the Hebrew Lodges par excellence , and is there any peculiar ceremonial amongst our Israelitish brethren?—J . D . A . nOMisit PRIESTS . Is it known if there are any Romish priests ivho are Freemasons?—f . —[ AVe personallknoiv of onebut have no desire to

y , disclose ^ his name ; perhaps some of our readers may know of others , if so , they will oblige by stating so . ] ALJIONElt . The Royal Cumberland Lodge , No . 48 , always appoints an Almoner . It has been found desirable—for obvious reasons—to continue the same brother in the appointment . —T . P . A .

ANCIENT BIBLES . _ The Royal Cumberland Lodge , No . 48 , has a large black letter bible , in excellent preservation , with a titlepage bearing date 1032—and a smaller one , dated a feiv years earlier . —T . P . A . ANCIENT BIBLES , [ p . 887 . ] The volume of the sacred laiv in use in the John of Gaunt

Lodge , No . 700 , Leicester , is also a copy of the " Breeches Bible , " printed by Barker , inlGlO , ivith the royal arms impressed on the sides , which , as the First JIaster , I had the pleasure of presenting to the Lodge on its formation in 1840 . St . John's Lodge , No . 318 , possesses an old black letter bible , iirinted b y Barker , in 1011 , and containing the folloiving inscription : — "The gift of Joseph Smith , macebearer , member of this Lodge , 1810 . " —AVIIXTAM KELLY , D . P . G . M .

ANCIENT FURNITURE . The Knights of JIalta Lodge , No . 58 , Hinckley , possess an old and curious chair for the AV . JI ., with emblematical columns , arched canopy , & c , attached , and two or three antique jewels for the officers . —AVILLIAM KELLY , D . P . G . M . SCRIl'TURAL . FOUNDATION OF JIASONRY . AA'hat are the proofs that JIasonry has a scriptural basis ? I

ask this , having been taunted with belonging to a society void of scriptural religion . —G . E . P . —[ The best answer we can afford our querist is , to advise him to procure and read Masonry Founded on Scripture ( a sermon , preached before the Lodges of Gravesend , on Neiv Year ' s Day , 1752 ) , by AA " . AVilliams , JI . A ., on the text , " And what doth the Lord require of thee , but to do justly , and to love mercy , and to walk humbly with th y God ? " Jficah vi . 8 . ]

THE SHAKSI'ERE LODGE AND THE CHARITIES . Being present the other day where the attachment of the Shakspere Lodge to the Girls School was spoken warmly of , perhaps a note , from the old Freemasons' Magazine on the subject may interest some of the brethren of that Lodge , and the supporters of tbe Girls School in particular . It occurs in the eighth volumepage 40 and is in the shape of a letteraddressed

, , , to the editor . The writer says : — " Having had the honour of visiting the Shakspere Lodge on the 22 nd ult ., I was highly gratified Avith the great spirit of universal benevolence which pervaded every breast there . The case of a poor hel pless widow of a deceased brother , with ten children , was mentioned , and instantly a subscription from the funds of the Lodge , as well as a priA-ate one , took place to relieve the distresses of this unhappy family .

"The Freemasons' School ( which I learnt is a standing theme at thenelegant , hospitable , and festive board ) then came under consideration ; and upwards of eighty pounds ivere subscribed in half an hour . I also learnt that at the former meeting of this Lodge , which was tho first for

the season , fifty guineas were subscribed for the same laudable purpose . The R . AV , in a short persuasive speech , aftenvards acquainted the Lodge that a concert will be performed on Thursday , the 9 th of February next , for the benefit of that charity , AA-heii immediately one hundred and twenty tickets were tnkeu aud paid for by the members present . " In justice , and as a small tribute of praise to this respectable Lodge , I request will have the goodness to insert this in excellent

you your Freemasons' repository ; . and above all , what induces me to ask this favour of you , is , that other Lodges may also bo influenced to give their support to au institution AA-hich so effectually relieves tho distresses of our indigent brethren , by completely providing for their helpless offspring . "A YOUXC ; BUT ZEALOUS MASON . "December Ulh , 1790 . "

AAlthont attempting to chronicle the good deeds of the Shakespcrians , which have kept pace down to the present day , I wish to ask a question about the concert alluded to above . At page ISO ofthe same magazine , there is some slight notice of the concert as liaving taken place , and it states that Bros . Dr . Arnold and Cramer ivere tlie directors ( conductors not having come into musical fashion in those days ) , and we also learn that Signora

Storace sung Pin-cell ' s " Mad Bess , " and the late T . AVelsh ( then JIaster AA eish ) , Handel ' s "Holy , Holy "—and it furthermore gives us the words of the Children's Hymn , there called " An Occasional Address , sung hy the children , written by a younglady , the daughter of a freemason , and composed hy Dr . Arnold . " I should be very much obliged if any of my elder brethren could furnish me with a sight of , or tell me where I could see the programme of this concert at full length?—M . C .

TIIE REVEREND JONATHAN ASHE , D . D . A querist , in a former number , asks if anything is known of Bro . Dr . Ashe's clerical preferments . I cannot afford the information sought , but am inclined to suppose he was connected with the Irish branch of the church , because , in 179-1 , he is said to be Chaplain to the Royal Arch Lodge in Dublin , and on St . John ' s day , in that year , preached a sermon before the Royal Arch

Lodge ( not Chapter ) in that city . —A . A . Z . THE PERFECT LODGE . This Lodge , No . 552 , was constituted on the 14 th January , 1796 , at the Horse and Star , Woolwich . Iu 1812 , it was meeting at the Royal Artillery Hotel ; in 1815 , it became No . 570 , and met at the King's Arms Hotel , and does not appear to have been removed from tbe Calendar until the year 1822 . —C . G . AV . —

[ AA e are much obliged for the above information ; but although the name ivas retained in the Calendar until 1822 , ii'e are informed hy old Jlasons that there is no record of its meeting since 1805-6 , consequently it was virtually defunct in the latter year . ]

THE LATE DUKE OF GLOUCESTER . It was said in a public room , in this University , that our late Chancellor , the Duke of Gloucester ( AA'I IO we know was a JIason ) , was a JIasonic Knight Templar . Is this so ?—CANTAB . —[ Yes . The duke was initiated in the Britannic Lodge , No . 27 , exalted to the Royal Arch , and on the llth of January , 1797 , installed as a Knight Templar and Kni ght of St . John of Jerusalem . ]

JIASONRY AND THE CANONBURY TOWER . Scraps of information , such as tbe following , I conceive to be interesting to all , but more particularly so to residents or Lodges in localities . There is IIOAV a Canonbury Lodge , but IIOAV feiv of its members knoiv that in the old building close to their Lodge room , the Canonbury House , the Free and Accepted Jlasons ( the Prince of AA ' ales Grand JIaster ) held their annual feast , on AVednesday , July 5 th , 1797 , under the direction of the Lodge of Country Stewards . —AN EX-CANONBL -RYITB .

MASONIC LIBRARY . Several of the books in the JIasonic library announced for Sale by Bro . Spencer , are from the late Duke of Sussex's Library ; the second edition ofthe "Book of Constitutions , " by Dr . Anderson , printed in 1738 ( in the same collection ) , was bought at the Strawberry Hill Sale , and has the book plate of Horace AValpolc on the cover ; pasted in at the end is a very curious coloured

broadside , entitled " Mock JIasonry , or the Grand Procession , " printed in 1741 , and inscribed to the Antient and Honourable Society of Free and Accepted Jlasons . LADY BYRON . This lady ' s decease must have some interest for the JIasonic body as well as the popular world . She was the last actor in that melancholy and mysterious tragedy the clue to which was destroyed by the poet Thomas Jloore in deference to her feelings . She ivas the only child and heiress of the late Bro . Sir Ralph Milbanke ,