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Article Gleanings From Old Chronicles, &c. ← Page 2 of 2 Article THE LAST TESTIMONY. Page 1 of 1
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
Gleanings From Old Chronicles, &C.
exercise due diligence , ami seize the thief or apprehend him afterward ** , he gets his goods hack again . Nor do such wait's become the property of tho King nntil they have heen seized b } ' somebody for hiuse , for if tho owner can secure them lirst , thev revert to him . If the
goods are hidden hy Iho thief , or left anywhere hv him , so that he had not them about him , when lie lied , and therefore did not throw them away in his flight , they are not brinn e-nr ' n ' d . The goods of a foreign merchant , though stolen and thrown away in ( light , are never waifs , as he is generally ignorant of our laws . "
" Strays" or Estrnvs are valuable animals found wandering in any manor or lordship without any apparent owner . Such formerly became the property of tho King , but now they must commonly belong to the lord of the manor , by special grant from the Crown . " Deoclands" wore chattels which were tho immediate occasion of the death of any reasonable creature . These were forfeited to tho King , and set apart to be applied to pious uses . ( Deo dandum . )
The Duchy of Cornwall was originally constituted as a Duchy , and granted to the Black Prince hy King Edward III . in lo 37 by charter , which charter was afterwards confirmed by Act of Parliament in the eleventh year of tlie samo reign . It laid it down that tho property should be for ever vested in tho Prince of Wales , tho eldest son of tho Sovereign , who becamo Duke of Cornwall at his birth , and it is by this
title tho Prince sits in tho House ot Lords . Baton his accession to the throne , in tho event of his having a son , tho property immediately became vested in that son ; but if he had none , then it remained vested in him until the birth of one . But tho connection of the county with onr Royal family can be traced still further back , for in an Exchequer Roll in the Remembrancer's Office it is stated that on tho death of
Edmund , Earl of Cornwall , son of Richard , Earl of Cornwall , and titular King of the Romans , who was brother o ? Henry III ., and younger son of John , iho county descended " unto Lord Edward in times past King of England , the first , as being kinsman and heir to tho present Edmond , lato Earl of Cornwall , that is to say , son of tho Lord Henry , & o . This same Edward remained
and died seised of tho said county , & c ., and at his death it descended to Edward II ., and throngh him to his son and successor , Edward III ., by whom , in tho first instance hy charter , and then more fully by Act of Parliament , it was ordained that it should for ever remain as a Duchy to the oldest sou of the King of England , which should he tho next heir to tho kingdom , without any form of gift . "
It was in the year 1558 that tho first embassy from Russia—Ivan Vasilievitch being Czar—arrived iu the neighbourhood , of London . On his entrance into tho chamber at tho lodgings provided for him in Fenchnrch-strect , his Excellency was presented , on tho Queen's behalf , with one rich piece of cloth of tissue , a piece of cloth of gold , another piece of cloth of gold , raised with crimson velvet a piece of crimson velvet in grain , a piece of purple velvet ; a niece
of damask purpled , a piece of crimson damask , & c , itc . This ambassador , whoso name was Oscp Napca , had the misfortune to bo wrecked off Kinnaird ' s Head . But he was subsequently received by tho King and Queen ( Philip ancl Mary ) , and having ' concluded a commercial treaty with this country , took his way homeward , laden with rich gifts , among which were a pair of lions male aud female .
Hall , in his life of Henry VIII ., as quoted by Strutt , describes how that monarch , " in the first year of his reign , one morning , by way of pastime , camo suddenly into the chamber where tho Queen and " her ladies were sitting . lie was attended by twelve noblemen , all apparelled in short coats of Kentish Kendal , with hoods and hoscn of
the same ; each of them had his bow , with arrows , and a sword , and buckler , 'like outlaws or Robin Hode's mon . ' Tho Queen , ifc scorns , was at first somewhat affrighted by thoir appearance , of which sho was not tho least apprised . This gay troop performed several dances , ancl then departed . "
Aubrey , in his History of Wiltshire , says : " There were no rates for the poor in my grandfather ' s days ; but for Kingston-Si . Michael ( no small parish ) the church-alo of Whitsuntide did the business . Iu every parish is ( or was ) a church-house , to which belonged spits ,
crocks , & c—utensils for dressing provisions . Here the housekeepers met , aud were merry , ancl gave their charity . Tho young people were thero , too , and had dancing , bowling , shooting at butts , & c , the ancients sitting gravely by , ancl looking on . All things were civil and without scandal .
The following enigmatical epitaph on a tablet to the memory of Anno , wife of Laurence Gibson , who died 29 th December 1 G 11 , and their three sons , is , or was , to be found in one of the City churches . It is quoted iu Strypc ' s edition of Stow : — What ! is she dead ? j doth ho survive ?
No : both aro dead , and both alive . She lives , heo ' s dead , by love , though grieving , In him , for her , yet dead , yet living . Both dead and living , then what is gone ?
Ono half of both , not any one . Ono Mind , ouo Faith , one Hope , one Grave , In Life , in Death , they had , and stili they have .
Visitors lo the charming watering place of Folkestone are always heartil y welcomed at tho Templo Lodge ; indeed , the brethren meet during the summer months with a view to afford intending visitor- ' au opportunity of attending . I
The Last Testimony.
THE LAST TESTIMONY .
T . V many a Buriai Service we have taken a part ; in not a i ' ow wc have wielded the emblem of authority , and cast the first evergreen sprig and the lirst handful of mould upou departed brethren . Many an incident of a touching character connected with these solemn occasion .- " is insc-ibed upon our memory , and as wc travel alone over th-. wastes of life's journey , we recall them to mind , and live buried
years over again iu tho contemplation . Ono such incident occurred to memory a fesv evenings since , as we sat , gavel iu hand , iu our own Lodge , aud we here commit it to paper . The death of Bro . Sales ( somo who read this sketch will remember the incident , though tho name is fictitious ) occurred in 1 S 5 f-, whilo wo wero lecturing in tho Lodges of our district . A deputation came
over the river to invito in : o attend tho burial , ancl to preside . Having first assured ourselves of the creditable Masonic standing of tho deceased ( without that wo will never nnito in , much loss preside over , the burial of a Mason ) , wo consented to no , aud many inombors of tho Lodge went with us . Arrived there early ia the day , we found tho deceased , prepared for interment , at his father ' s house , and an
adjoining tenement reserved expressly for Masonic use . This was convenient for tho performance of tho ceremonies that followed . Having authority from tho heart-broken father ( it was a favourite son who was dead ; talented , enterprising , filial ) , we directed tho cotii'i to bo brought into the reserved room , and placed on two trestles in tho midst . Wo then proceeded to open tho funeral Lodge , the pale
face of the deceased brother looking steadfastly upward in the sight of all around . It was a solemn opening . Scarcely conld tho officers repect their responses for emotion . Tho aged preacher stopped in the midst of his prayer , and could not resume it for sobbing , while from tho adjacent house , the screams of distracted mother ancl widow camo plainly to our cars . It was , indeed , a solemn opening .
The appointment of Marshal having been made , aud careful directions for the burial ceremonies given to him in the hearing of all present ( the attentive countenance in the coffin seeming to wait upon every word ) , wo then inquired , as is our custom , " whether thero wero any present who desired to say a word as a last testimony for his departed friend and brother , ere the earth should cover him for ever from their view ?"
A few moments' silence , and the old minister replied in language something liko this : Theso hands baptised him in infancy . This right hand welcomed him to tho fold of tho Lord Jesus whilo yet he was scarcely a man . I performed his wedding service . I buried his four deceased children , ono by ono . I therefore givo tho history of his whole life when I say , —that ho was a Mason , a Christian , and a
man without guile , moral and upright before God and the Lodge . This was a good testimony ., A yonng and plainly dressed person then arose , and with that earnestness that causes all audiences to lose sight of awkwardness , said : "Yon know , my brethren , how J . havo been ravaged by sickness ancl misfortune . Death , fire ancl plunder havo been my lot ; and had it not been for Bro . Sales , my
family and I could never have made a support . Ho has given us , first and Inst , nigh on to a fortune , and Iconic ! almost wish I was in yonder coflin iu his place . " As he spoke he walked to where that solemn face looked upward , and bowed down over it in an outburst of irrepressible emotion . It was long before tho next person could speak . Then the Master born witness : "I havo lived from childhood near
this deceased man . I mado htm a Mason . His record is clear . Wherever ho has gone , I CMR willing to follow , lie was always first at the Lodge , lirst in charity , first in discipline , first in warning his brethren of their faults nnd dangers . Bro . Morris , write upon your memorandum book that when you wish fo express a Mason in a single word , use his naniel" Oh how tenderly that Master ( acircuit judge
of his district , a goodly ancl gracious man)—how tenderly he looked towards that palo face in tho coffin while he expressed , at some length , encomiums liko these ! It was scarcely fancy that saw upon that dead countenance a smile of loving response . Then the Tyler , a crooked , homely old man , having heard all that had been said in the Lodge , bogged for admission that he , too , might
testify to the character of the departed . Substituting a brother in his place , wc granted his request , and then followed an outpouring of words , incoherent and ill-chosen , but singularly inspiring , that bathed every face in tears . The old man , too , had beeu a recipient of a thousand bounties from Bro . Sales , aud at the conclusion of his words ho fell exhausted and fainting upon the floor .
We bore the deceased Mason solemnly to his bed , his chosen resting-place—hollowed out between two little mounds , beneath which lay his four deceased children—followed by all the population of tho neighbourhood . Wo took him in fraternal hands , no others being allowed to participate , and in straight lines , at right angles turning , with slow steps and bowed heads , wo led the great procession to tho
Necropolis of that vicinage . Arrived there we formed our circle , none being admitted therein save those wlio . se interest in the departed was even more than our own , and never was tho beautiful service of Webb more earnestly heeded ; or , wo may say , more earnestly uttered , than it was that day . And when , just before " the last honours of Masonry " were tendered to ono whose face was now scaled from our eyes , wo , as the presiding
oiiicer of the obsequies , repeated to tho audience around the glowing testimonials that his friends had so profusely heaped , upon him , wo think there was not a dry oyc in all that assembly . The remembrance lives incur heart , though the actors aro scattered ancl many of them dead . And you , oh faithful Mason , 'though now but ii part of the mould wo heaped over you , tho record of yonr virtues is made up , and at tho judgment day , yon shall hear the words of welcome— "inasmuch as yon did it unto tho least of these !"llasi'iiic Review .
These men of the world , who go through it iu armour , defend themselves from quite as much good as evil . — The Old Curiosity Shop .
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
Gleanings From Old Chronicles, &C.
exercise due diligence , ami seize the thief or apprehend him afterward ** , he gets his goods hack again . Nor do such wait's become the property of tho King nntil they have heen seized b } ' somebody for hiuse , for if tho owner can secure them lirst , thev revert to him . If the
goods are hidden hy Iho thief , or left anywhere hv him , so that he had not them about him , when lie lied , and therefore did not throw them away in his flight , they are not brinn e-nr ' n ' d . The goods of a foreign merchant , though stolen and thrown away in ( light , are never waifs , as he is generally ignorant of our laws . "
" Strays" or Estrnvs are valuable animals found wandering in any manor or lordship without any apparent owner . Such formerly became the property of tho King , but now they must commonly belong to the lord of the manor , by special grant from the Crown . " Deoclands" wore chattels which were tho immediate occasion of the death of any reasonable creature . These were forfeited to tho King , and set apart to be applied to pious uses . ( Deo dandum . )
The Duchy of Cornwall was originally constituted as a Duchy , and granted to the Black Prince hy King Edward III . in lo 37 by charter , which charter was afterwards confirmed by Act of Parliament in the eleventh year of tlie samo reign . It laid it down that tho property should be for ever vested in tho Prince of Wales , tho eldest son of tho Sovereign , who becamo Duke of Cornwall at his birth , and it is by this
title tho Prince sits in tho House ot Lords . Baton his accession to the throne , in tho event of his having a son , tho property immediately became vested in that son ; but if he had none , then it remained vested in him until the birth of one . But tho connection of the county with onr Royal family can be traced still further back , for in an Exchequer Roll in the Remembrancer's Office it is stated that on tho death of
Edmund , Earl of Cornwall , son of Richard , Earl of Cornwall , and titular King of the Romans , who was brother o ? Henry III ., and younger son of John , iho county descended " unto Lord Edward in times past King of England , the first , as being kinsman and heir to tho present Edmond , lato Earl of Cornwall , that is to say , son of tho Lord Henry , & o . This same Edward remained
and died seised of tho said county , & c ., and at his death it descended to Edward II ., and throngh him to his son and successor , Edward III ., by whom , in tho first instance hy charter , and then more fully by Act of Parliament , it was ordained that it should for ever remain as a Duchy to the oldest sou of the King of England , which should he tho next heir to tho kingdom , without any form of gift . "
It was in the year 1558 that tho first embassy from Russia—Ivan Vasilievitch being Czar—arrived iu the neighbourhood , of London . On his entrance into tho chamber at tho lodgings provided for him in Fenchnrch-strect , his Excellency was presented , on tho Queen's behalf , with one rich piece of cloth of tissue , a piece of cloth of gold , another piece of cloth of gold , raised with crimson velvet a piece of crimson velvet in grain , a piece of purple velvet ; a niece
of damask purpled , a piece of crimson damask , & c , itc . This ambassador , whoso name was Oscp Napca , had the misfortune to bo wrecked off Kinnaird ' s Head . But he was subsequently received by tho King and Queen ( Philip ancl Mary ) , and having ' concluded a commercial treaty with this country , took his way homeward , laden with rich gifts , among which were a pair of lions male aud female .
Hall , in his life of Henry VIII ., as quoted by Strutt , describes how that monarch , " in the first year of his reign , one morning , by way of pastime , camo suddenly into the chamber where tho Queen and " her ladies were sitting . lie was attended by twelve noblemen , all apparelled in short coats of Kentish Kendal , with hoods and hoscn of
the same ; each of them had his bow , with arrows , and a sword , and buckler , 'like outlaws or Robin Hode's mon . ' Tho Queen , ifc scorns , was at first somewhat affrighted by thoir appearance , of which sho was not tho least apprised . This gay troop performed several dances , ancl then departed . "
Aubrey , in his History of Wiltshire , says : " There were no rates for the poor in my grandfather ' s days ; but for Kingston-Si . Michael ( no small parish ) the church-alo of Whitsuntide did the business . Iu every parish is ( or was ) a church-house , to which belonged spits ,
crocks , & c—utensils for dressing provisions . Here the housekeepers met , aud were merry , ancl gave their charity . Tho young people were thero , too , and had dancing , bowling , shooting at butts , & c , the ancients sitting gravely by , ancl looking on . All things were civil and without scandal .
The following enigmatical epitaph on a tablet to the memory of Anno , wife of Laurence Gibson , who died 29 th December 1 G 11 , and their three sons , is , or was , to be found in one of the City churches . It is quoted iu Strypc ' s edition of Stow : — What ! is she dead ? j doth ho survive ?
No : both aro dead , and both alive . She lives , heo ' s dead , by love , though grieving , In him , for her , yet dead , yet living . Both dead and living , then what is gone ?
Ono half of both , not any one . Ono Mind , ouo Faith , one Hope , one Grave , In Life , in Death , they had , and stili they have .
Visitors lo the charming watering place of Folkestone are always heartil y welcomed at tho Templo Lodge ; indeed , the brethren meet during the summer months with a view to afford intending visitor- ' au opportunity of attending . I
The Last Testimony.
THE LAST TESTIMONY .
T . V many a Buriai Service we have taken a part ; in not a i ' ow wc have wielded the emblem of authority , and cast the first evergreen sprig and the lirst handful of mould upou departed brethren . Many an incident of a touching character connected with these solemn occasion .- " is insc-ibed upon our memory , and as wc travel alone over th-. wastes of life's journey , we recall them to mind , and live buried
years over again iu tho contemplation . Ono such incident occurred to memory a fesv evenings since , as we sat , gavel iu hand , iu our own Lodge , aud we here commit it to paper . The death of Bro . Sales ( somo who read this sketch will remember the incident , though tho name is fictitious ) occurred in 1 S 5 f-, whilo wo wero lecturing in tho Lodges of our district . A deputation came
over the river to invito in : o attend tho burial , ancl to preside . Having first assured ourselves of the creditable Masonic standing of tho deceased ( without that wo will never nnito in , much loss preside over , the burial of a Mason ) , wo consented to no , aud many inombors of tho Lodge went with us . Arrived there early ia the day , we found tho deceased , prepared for interment , at his father ' s house , and an
adjoining tenement reserved expressly for Masonic use . This was convenient for tho performance of tho ceremonies that followed . Having authority from tho heart-broken father ( it was a favourite son who was dead ; talented , enterprising , filial ) , we directed tho cotii'i to bo brought into the reserved room , and placed on two trestles in tho midst . Wo then proceeded to open tho funeral Lodge , the pale
face of the deceased brother looking steadfastly upward in the sight of all around . It was a solemn opening . Scarcely conld tho officers repect their responses for emotion . Tho aged preacher stopped in the midst of his prayer , and could not resume it for sobbing , while from tho adjacent house , the screams of distracted mother ancl widow camo plainly to our cars . It was , indeed , a solemn opening .
The appointment of Marshal having been made , aud careful directions for the burial ceremonies given to him in the hearing of all present ( the attentive countenance in the coffin seeming to wait upon every word ) , wo then inquired , as is our custom , " whether thero wero any present who desired to say a word as a last testimony for his departed friend and brother , ere the earth should cover him for ever from their view ?"
A few moments' silence , and the old minister replied in language something liko this : Theso hands baptised him in infancy . This right hand welcomed him to tho fold of tho Lord Jesus whilo yet he was scarcely a man . I performed his wedding service . I buried his four deceased children , ono by ono . I therefore givo tho history of his whole life when I say , —that ho was a Mason , a Christian , and a
man without guile , moral and upright before God and the Lodge . This was a good testimony ., A yonng and plainly dressed person then arose , and with that earnestness that causes all audiences to lose sight of awkwardness , said : "Yon know , my brethren , how J . havo been ravaged by sickness ancl misfortune . Death , fire ancl plunder havo been my lot ; and had it not been for Bro . Sales , my
family and I could never have made a support . Ho has given us , first and Inst , nigh on to a fortune , and Iconic ! almost wish I was in yonder coflin iu his place . " As he spoke he walked to where that solemn face looked upward , and bowed down over it in an outburst of irrepressible emotion . It was long before tho next person could speak . Then the Master born witness : "I havo lived from childhood near
this deceased man . I mado htm a Mason . His record is clear . Wherever ho has gone , I CMR willing to follow , lie was always first at the Lodge , lirst in charity , first in discipline , first in warning his brethren of their faults nnd dangers . Bro . Morris , write upon your memorandum book that when you wish fo express a Mason in a single word , use his naniel" Oh how tenderly that Master ( acircuit judge
of his district , a goodly ancl gracious man)—how tenderly he looked towards that palo face in tho coffin while he expressed , at some length , encomiums liko these ! It was scarcely fancy that saw upon that dead countenance a smile of loving response . Then the Tyler , a crooked , homely old man , having heard all that had been said in the Lodge , bogged for admission that he , too , might
testify to the character of the departed . Substituting a brother in his place , wc granted his request , and then followed an outpouring of words , incoherent and ill-chosen , but singularly inspiring , that bathed every face in tears . The old man , too , had beeu a recipient of a thousand bounties from Bro . Sales , aud at the conclusion of his words ho fell exhausted and fainting upon the floor .
We bore the deceased Mason solemnly to his bed , his chosen resting-place—hollowed out between two little mounds , beneath which lay his four deceased children—followed by all the population of tho neighbourhood . Wo took him in fraternal hands , no others being allowed to participate , and in straight lines , at right angles turning , with slow steps and bowed heads , wo led the great procession to tho
Necropolis of that vicinage . Arrived there we formed our circle , none being admitted therein save those wlio . se interest in the departed was even more than our own , and never was tho beautiful service of Webb more earnestly heeded ; or , wo may say , more earnestly uttered , than it was that day . And when , just before " the last honours of Masonry " were tendered to ono whose face was now scaled from our eyes , wo , as the presiding
oiiicer of the obsequies , repeated to tho audience around the glowing testimonials that his friends had so profusely heaped , upon him , wo think there was not a dry oyc in all that assembly . The remembrance lives incur heart , though the actors aro scattered ancl many of them dead . And you , oh faithful Mason , 'though now but ii part of the mould wo heaped over you , tho record of yonr virtues is made up , and at tho judgment day , yon shall hear the words of welcome— "inasmuch as yon did it unto tho least of these !"llasi'iiic Review .
These men of the world , who go through it iu armour , defend themselves from quite as much good as evil . — The Old Curiosity Shop .