Knights Templar.

included E . Aitkon-Davies C . Guard Great Priory P . P . G . Constable , W . Taylor C . Guard Great Priory ; Provincial Great Officers—J . Du Pre Sob Prior , H . Stocker Chancellor , W . Trevena Constable , W . Bennett-Maye Marshal , J . R . Lord Treasurer ; Provincial Officers—A . Trout P .

Standard Bearer , J . B . Gover P . P . G . T . P . C . G ., Major Grey Shipwith G . S . B ., J . Gidley Guard , J . R , Wilson P . P . G . Treasnrer , P . B . Clemens P . P . G . M ., F . Crouch P . P . G . Standard Bearer , G . Dnnsterville P . M ., F . Adams Davson E . P ., T . J . Grossman P . M ., J . Wallis P . E . C ,

Sholto H . Hare P . Standard Bearer , F . E . Renfry Oxford Priory . The Provincial Chancellor reported that all the Preceptories iu the Priory had made their returns and paid their dues . All the Great Officers appointed had assumed their ranks and paid their fees . There had not

been a large increase of Fraters dnring the year . Five guineas were voted to the Devon Educational Fund , and one guinea to the South Devon and East Coi " wall Hospital . The Eminent Prior announced that the V . H . and E . Great Prior of Ireland , H . R . H . the Duke of

Connaught , had accepted the office of Provincial Prior of Sussex , vacated by the death of the lato Col . Shadwell H . Gierke . The installation of the Duke would take place shortly at Brighton , and be a brilliant affair . The Officers invested for Devon for the year were : —

Frater John Brewer - - . Sub-Prior Rev . J . F . Chanter , M . A . - Prelate Henry Stocker . •. Rougemont John " Da Pre ... Constable W . Roberts - - - Vice-Chancellor Dr . F . A . Davson - - Snb-Marshal

E . H . Shorto - - - Warden of Regalia E . Aslat •. - Std . Br . ( Beauseant ) Sholto H . Hare - - . Std . Br . ( Vexillium Belli )

W . H . Dillon - - - Prov . Prior s Banner Boarer J . B . Gover - ••Captain of Guards T . J . Grossman - - •Sword Bearer J . Gidley - - - Guard

Ancient Or Modern ?

ANCIENT OR MODERN ?

( Continued from page 356 . ) THAT excellent writer A . Hayward , in hia admirable essay , " Pearls and Mock Pearls of History , " destroys many illusions of our school-boy days . Amongst other things ho tries to prove that the story of Canute commanding the waves to roll back rests on tho authority of Henry of Huntingdon , who wrote about a hundred years after the death of the Danish monarch ; that Blondel de Nesle , harp

in hand discovering his master s place of imprisonment through hearing him chant one of his favourite French chansons , which the minstrel from without the castle walls responded to , is clearly a fancy picture , the seizure and imprisonment of Richard I . being matters . of European notoriety ; that the lesson of perseverance in adversity , taught by the spider to Robert Bruce , is said to have been

taught by the same insect to Tamerlaine ; that the echo which , Pat says , politely replies , " very well I thank you , " to the tourist's inquiry after health , may be heard in Gascony as well as at Killarney ; and that the embryo of Lord Macaulay's New Zealander has been discovered in a letter from Wal pole to Sir Horace Mann : — "At last some curious traveller from Lima will visit England , and givo a

description of the rnras of St . Paul s like the editions of Balbec and Palmyra . " "The New Zealander , " says Mr . Hay ward , " first came npon the stage in 1840 , in a review of Ranke ' s ' History of the Popes ; ' but the same image in a less compact shape was employed by Lord Maoauley in 1824 , in the concluding paragraph of a review of Mitford ' s ' Greece' : —' When travellers from some distant region

shall in vain labour to decipher on some mouldering pedestal the name of our proudest chief , shall hear savage hymns ohannted over some misshapen idol over tbe ruined dome of our proudest temple ?'" An old collection of French hon mots entitled the Nain Jaune ( Yellow Dwarf ) , anticipates many of the most celebrated English jokes .

Thafc story told of a minister , whose wife had recently become the mother of twins , and who in vexation gave out the hymn in church " Not more than others I deserve , but God hath givep me more , " has been ascribed to at least a dozen parsons . The Brahmins have a story which is very suggestive of another popular one of our youth , that of Bedd Gelbert . Ia the rousing

description of the chieftain who slew his faithful canine friend , only a copy of the following Indian story told by Cannop Thirlwall , Bishop of St . David ' s ? " The Brahmin ' s wife had gone to perform her ablutions , leaving him at home in charge of their infant . Presently arrives the King ' s messenger summoning the Brahmin to the

Shradda—the monthly offering to the departed , at which the officiating Brahmins receive handsome presents . This Brahmin was poor , and could not afford to lose his fee , but was afraid to leave the child alone . Suddenly the thought struck him , 'Here's my faithful ichneumon , * who has always been to me as a son . I can leave him

Ancient Or Modern ?

to take care of the baby . ' So off ha went . Soon after the ichneumon sees a black serpent approaching the cradle , and kills it , and less from appetite than from anger , devours a part of it . The Brahmin , on bis return , meets the ichneumon coming affectionately to meet him with his month smeared with blood , aud hastily kills him ; then comes in and finds his child safe and sound near the remains of the black serpent . "

A young author came to read his tragedy to Piron . The five acts were brimful of the most flagrant plagiarisms . Piron listened very gravely , and kept repeatedly taking off his cap with great politeness . When asked tbe reason of this gesture , he replied , " I am always in the habit of saluting old acquaintances . " A Cork poet once wrote of the famous Foundling Hospital at Blackpool , near Cork , that it was the place wherein were kept

children" Who never had father or mother , But were found in the groves of Blackpool . " This is a very fine joke , but the poet only copied Horace in the sixth satire , first book . Sheridan , being unexpectedly called upon to say grace nt a publio dinner , replied , " What ! no clergyman present ? Thank God for all

things !" Foote ' s biographer ( Bee ) , * speaking of Sheridan says : — " His wit was mostly mechanical or studied ; his repartees never reached the point that Foote ' s did ; in number they fell short of his ; and among Brinsley's papers , since bis death , we are told that the jests of Foote were treasured up ( with others ) to be shot off as occasion required . "

And so with the above story . It is probable that the anticipation of the remark may be found in the observation of Lady Hobart , recorded in the " Merry Passages and Jests of Sir Nicholas L'Estrange : "" Every one being set at table , f . nd nobody blessing it , but gazing ono npon another , in expectation who should be cbaplaine— ' Well , ' sayes my lady , ' I thinke I must say as one did in the like case , God

be thanked , nobody will say grace . Jerrold ' s " Candle Curtain Lectures" were anticipated by " A Boulster Lecture , " published in 1646 . At page 107 there is used the phrase , " A Morning Curtaine Lecture . " The following was addressed many years ago to the Editors of Chambers ' s Journal : —

" GENTLEMEN—In your Edinburgh Journal , No . 570 , there is an article headed ' Sir Walter Scott and a Scotch Blacksmith , ' as follows : — ' It happened , at a small country town , that Scott suddenly required medical advice for one of his servants , and , on inquiring if there was any doctor at the place , he was told that there were two , one long established , and the other a new comer . The latter gentle .

man , being luckily found at home , soon made his appearance—a grave , sagacious-looking personage , attired in black , with a shovel hat , in whom , to his utter astonishment , Sir Walter recognised a Scotch blacksmith , who had formerly practised , with tolerable success , as a veterinary operator in the neighbourhood of Ashestiel . " How , in all tbe world ! " exclaimed he ; " can it be possible that this is John

Lundie ? " " In troth is ' t , yer honour ; just a' that ' s of him ? " " Well , but let us hear ; you were a horse-doctor before j now it seems you are a man-doctor ; how do you get on P" " Ou , just extraordinary weel ; for your honour maun ken my practice is very sure and orthodox . I depend entirely upon two simples . " " And what may their names be ? Perhaps it is a secret . " " I'll tell your honour , " in

a low tone ; " my twa simples are just laudamy and calamy . " " And Simples with a vengeance ! " replied Scott . " But , John , do you nover happen to kill any of your patients ? " " Kill ? Oh ay , may be sae ! While they die , and whiles no ; but its the will of Providence . Only how , your honour , it wad be lang before it makes up for Flodden !"' " Now as far as Sir Walter is concerned , and is made to

take this story to himself , I am sorry to say there is no truth in it . Such a occurrence did take place ; but it happened to Sir Robert Murray Keith , commonly called Ambassador Keith . Sir Robert was going to London ; but on arriving at one of tho small towns in Yorkshire , he found himself not very well , and asked the landlord if there was any medical man in the place . Tbe land .

lord said there were two . ' Which do you reckon the besfc ? ' asked Sir Robert . The landlord said ' he did not know , bufc one was a Scotchman , and perhaps his honour ( for he knew Sir Robert ) might prefer him . ' Sir Robert , knowing the high character which the medical school in Edinburgh had even then acquired , desired the landlord to send for the Scots doctor . Accordingly , ho soon came ,

and made his bow in what Sir Robert thought rather a familiar and forward manner ; but he said nothing , and allowed the doctor to feel his pulse , and examine his tongue , and so on . All this fche doctor did , but always kept smirking ancl smiling , so that at last Sir Robert took notice of it , and asked the doctor if he knew him . ' To be sure I do , Sir Robert ; I was one of your gardener lads in the country . '

' Were you so' said Sir Robert ; ' and pray , how did you become a doctor ? ' ' Oh , you know , Sir Robert , gardeners are ayo taught to bleed , and I had some sum' skill in simples ; and then I gaed into Edinburgh , ancl hyred myself as a porter to a laboratory , whero I waa employed above six months in pounding in a mortar , and mixing up receipts ; and so I came and settled here , and I am doing extraordinar well . ' ' But , doctor , I doubt if your patients do as extraordinary

well , for I fear you must as often kill as cure . Does your conscience never trouble you on such occasions ? ' ' Na , na , my conscience is muckle at ease on fchat score . Ic will be long or I make up for Flodden field ! ' Sir Robert often amused his friends by this anecdote . Among others , he told it to an old relation of mine , from whom I had

it many years ago , when air Walter must havo been a mere child , for I am now an old man myself , aud my relative has been dead more than half a century . " Lord Brougham ' s remark thafc " tho Whigs were all ciphers , and he was tbo only unit in the cabinet which gave tlie ciphers their value , "