Historical Relation Of Freemasonry To Ancient Egypt.

plains , and tho sacred river Hows onward to tho sea , as when Mizraim first pitched his ( cuts upon its banks , and laid the foundations of it mighty nation ; but all else is changed . Let ua for a moment turn back tho page of history and

Inok upon one of those great cities which in tho clays of E ^ vpl ' s « renin ess stood in majestic splendour along the banks of the Nile . The wealth aud civilization of the day had concentrated , as ifc does iu our own times , all the

improvements , comforts and luxuries thafc science so Freely contributes to mankind . In tho busy marts commerce flourished , the merchant sold his wares , tho artizan plied his trade and the crowded streets were life aud bustle and

activity ; while above them all went up tho rush and roar of a great ; city . Statesmen and philosophers and priests wrestled and strove over creeds and theories and doctrines .

Great temples reared their imposing fronts , tall monuments pierced the sky . Forth through an hundred gates the warrior led his hosts to battle and returned crowned with

liurel wreaths of victory , his " thousand captives chained to his chariot wheels . " Poets sang tho great deeds of their country's history , and men predicted thafc those towers , walls and battlements would endure for ever . But the inevitable

late ot all material structures has overtaken those grand monuments of Egyptian greatness . << * * * ' j im 0 ) warj fl 0 o (] and firo

Have dealt npon the great city ' s prido Chaos and ruin ! Who ahull trace tho void ? O ' er the dim fragments cast a lunar light , An 1 say " hero was , or is , " where all is doubly night

But if decay and ruin havo como upon what was once the pride and glory of Egypt ; if her temples have fallen , aud even the very sight of her onco great cities is unknown , aud all those wondrous works , the " Colossi of Ainenophis "

and the stupendous Pyramids alone arc standing , " serene and vigilant , still keeping their uutired watch over the lapso of ages aud the eclipse of Egypt "; if all else has passed into the unknown , there yet remains the doctrines

of undying truth which fcimo cannot touch , or storm or tempest shake , and they still exist , firm and unbroken today as in the times long gone by , when in the sanctuary of the old Egyptian temples the master taught and exemplified them to his initiates .

My brethren , God reigns , though Egypt dies ; bufc Freemasonry lives . Upon hor sacred altars throughout the world , wherever the beneficent teachings of this universal brotherhood have penetrated , the " Great Light" shines ,

and ifc shall continue to glow and burn for ages yet to come , even when the Pyramids , last vestiges of Egypt's greatness , have sunk into fche deserts , and time merges into eternity .

The Quatuor Coronati Lodge, No. 2076.

THE QUATUOR CORONATI LODGE , No . 2076 .

THB first volume of a new serial , entitled " Quatuor Coronatorum Antigrapha , " and edited by Bro . G . W Speth , having been lately published , we think a brief description of this new literary venture will be acceptable

to our readers , and the more so , because the rich provision of materials included between its two covers wholly forbids our subjecting them to anything like a critical review in the current number of the CHROMCLE .

The publication , as ifcs title imports , is composed , though nofc entirely , of Masonic Reprints . Pact I . consists " of Facsimiles and Transcripts of the " Masonic Poem , " MS .,

Bibl . Beg . 17 . A . I . ; " Urbanitatis , " Cott . MS . Caligula , A . II ., fol . 88 ; and of " Instructions for a Parish Priest , " Cott . MS . Claudius A . IL , fol . 127—the press marks being in each case those of the British Museum .

Part II . comprises No . 51 of the "Plain Dealer , "—14 th September 1724—containing an article on the Freemasons , and several letters alluding to tho Gormogons , "An Ode to

tho Grand Khaibar , 1726 ; " A Defence of Masonry , " originally printed iu 1730 ; and "Bro . Euclid ' s Letter to Dr . Anderson , " reprinted from fche "New Book of Constitutions , " 1738 .

Part 111 . contains "A Commentary on the ' Masonic Poem , '' Urbanitatis , ' and •Instructions to a Parish Priest , ' " by Bro . E . F . Gould .

Lastly , there is an Appendix , presenting us with three carefully executed Maps , and a Glossary , all of which are the work of the Editor , Bro . G . W . Speth .

The Quatuor Coronati Lodge, No. 2076.

The reproduction , in facsimile , of the oldest document of tho Craft , would of itself justify the issue of the handsome volume in which it appears , bnfc the value of fche publication is very sensibly enhanced by the attempt which is now made ,

strangely enough for tho first time , to penetrate beneath iho nyfc ' iicxl colouring with which tho earliest written traditions of Masonry are surrounded . This , as wo aro told

by Bro . Guuld , in his Commentary , is a portion of tho task which ho set himself to perform , and upon a future occasion wo shall hope to lay before our readers the result ; of , i fuller and more critical examination of tho various positions which that Brother claims to havo established , as well as a general review of tho entire subject matter of

the volume . Tho present notice , however , cannot , in mere justice to Bro . G . W . Speth , be brought to a close without awarding the highest possible praise to his editorial supervision , the

excellence of which is apparent on every page . Nor can we stop here , bufc must go on to say thafc his versatility in original work , as evidenced by fche Appendix , leads us fco hope that further examples of his skill as a draughtsman and philologist may be given to the readers of " Quatuor

Coronatorum Antigrapha" in future volumes of the scries .

Wakefield Masonic Literary Society .

WAKEFIELD MASONIC LITERARY SOCIETY .

ON fcho 29 th ult . Bro . T . B . Wh i tehead P . M ., of York , gave a lecture to tho above newly-formed society , in the Freemasons ' Hall , Wakefield ; Bro . Henry Smith , D . P . G . M . of West Yorkshire , presiding . There was a large assemblage of influential brethren . The originator of tlie society is Bro . J . Matthewman P . M . 1019 , Prov . Assist . Grand Secretary for West Yorkshire , and Bro . T . W .

Tow Prov . Grand Master is the President . The meeting having been opened with sundry formalities , the lecturer was introduced by tho Chairman , iu a complimentary manner . Bro . Whytehead then proceeded to give an address on the origin and objects of Speculative Freemasonry . In doing this he glanced at the earliest notices of

Masonic gatherings , where persons were introduced as members who wore in no way connected as operatives with the guilds . He traced this movement down to the period when the Four Lodges met in London , at the Appletree Tavern , noticed the several schisms thafc occurred , gave a brief sketch of the career of the Grand Lodge of

All England at York , and finally related the story of the junction of tho two remaining ruling bodies in 1813 . During this sketch he spoke of tho early Christian character of tho Order , not finally lost until the union in the present century , tho suggested origin of the various Christian Degrees , and the extraordinary spread of Freemasonry in

modern days , reminding his audience thafc , after all , Freemasonry as now known was wholly derived from this country , and that any variation made by bodies since the first origin of the present Order about 1720 , was no part of Ancient Freemasonry . Whatever existed in 1717 was justifiable if practised by those bodies who derived ex .

ist < u ; ce from England during tho eighteenth century , and that , therefore , those Grand Lodges on the Continent who maintained the distinctly Christian character of the Order were not only within their rights , but were actually more orthodox than their later brethren who had eliminated all Church teaching . The Lecturer then went on to

state what wero the objects of the foundation of the Order in the early portion of fche eighteenth century , showing that they were principally for charitable purposes of the highest kind , nofc merely for tbe collection and doling out of alms , but for mutual support and moral protection of tbe brethren . Ho then

proceeded to indicate by what means the Freemasons could best preserve and uphold the intentions of the founders , and gave many hints as to the conduct of the Lodges , both daring and after working hours . He advocated the advancement of Masonio teaching , urgingthafc it was absurd for brethren to go aimlessly and parrot-like through the offices ,

unaware of the reasons for the existence of their Society , ignorant of its history , and looking upon ifc as a sort of mixed or Republican Club . He thought there was encouragement in the fact that so many Societies wero being formed for the extension of Masonic knowledge , and instanced the Quatuor Coronati Lodge in London , and the

Provincial Literary Societies springing up under the auspices of the Craft , as showing that the fraternity were no longer disposed to drift helplessly and rudderless along fche tide of careless ritualism , but were becoming anxious to bo able to render an account of the faith that waa in them , A cordial vote of thanks was passed to the speaker , and after some routine business the meeting was closed .

Tho Langton Lodge of Instruction , No . 1673 , has adjourned until the second Thursday of October .

Bros . Berridge and Driver , fche architects for the alteration of the premises , lately Bacon ' s Hotel , Great Queenstreet , for the purposes of the Grand Lodge of Mark Master Mason ? , have received tenders ranging from £ 5 , 873 to

£ 4 , 943 . The lowest , that of Mr . Lawrence has been accepted .