The Freemasons And Archtecture In England.

clock at afternoon of the same clay , the first stone of our ladie ' s chapel Avithin the monastrie of Westminister , Avas laid by the hands of John Islip , abbate of the same monaslrie . Sir Keginal Braie , Knight of the garter , doctor Barne , maister of the idles , doctor Wallchapleine to the King ' s

, maietie , maister Hugh Oldham , chapleine to the countesac of Darbie , ancl Richmond the King ' s mother , Sir Edmund Stanhope Knig ht , arid diverse others . Upon the same stone Avas this scripture engrauen . ' Illnsstrisimus Honricus Septimus rex

Alig hts ancl Francise , ancl dominus Hiberuise posuit Lame patrant iu honors beatae virg inis Marisn , 21 die January , anno domini 1502 , Et anno dieti regis Heuriei septini decerno octane' The charge Avhcreof amounted ( as some report , upon credible

information as they saie ) , to fourteen thousand pounds . " Holinshed , Avho published his Chronicle in 1577 , seems to have derived the information contained in the above paragraph from authentic documents ancl from hearsay . The former , he scrupulously gave in . full and at length , viz . " the tAventie-fourth daie of Januario "; also , the precise time of the

clay Avhen the ceremony began , ancl the names of the most important personages Avho haA'e been present . The latter , he gave Avith some hesitancy , viz . " aS . some report upon credible information , as they say . " I have no doubt that in his younger

days , the author Avas acquainted with many persons Avho remembered the eveut , and from Avhom he gathered all the particulars he could . The fact that he carefully named the titled dignitaries present at the ceremony—even the chaplains of the King and

of his mother—Avithout naming tho presence of the King , shows , that he had no evidence of the King ' s presence on that occasion . Ilolinshed is the earliest authority upon the point at issue . Stow , in his Survey of London , gives the same date ; Holiushed

is therefore right , ancl Bro . Holmes is certainly wrong . Bro . Holmes says , that some years ago , he read the accompanying paper before an audience in a certain toAvn in the north of Englandthat it amused ancl instructed

; him in its compilation , " ancl in the hope that it may amuse ancl instruct some more ° f our Brethren , " he sent it to the " Magazine " for publication . And most strangel y limits at the same time , that" much might

The Freemasons And Archtecture In England.

be altered aud amended , " ancl that he does not vouch for its facta . Now , that its absurdities Avill amuse some , may be all true ; but IIOAV Bro . Holmes could seriously hope that his facts , Avhich are not facts , ancl Avhich he himself declines to vouch for , could possibly serve to instruct his

Brethren , is more than I can tell . A feAv years ago , such a specimen of Masonic otatory doubtless raised the lecturer to the rank of a Masonic oracle . But times have changed ; there is a great difference between now ancl then . Thenhe was applauded for

, hi profound scholarship ; but now , if any one attempted to deliver such a lecture , he Avould be laughed at by the best informed portion of his audience . And Avhen Bro . Holmes suffered his zeal to outrun his discretion , by having at tho present time all

these assertions Avhich are not historically correct , published in a Magazine , he ' should not feel surprised that his remarks are objected to . What Ave UOAV need are facts , not fiction ; and I trust that this Avarning , will , iu future , serve to restrain Brethren from rushing into print with Anderson ' s ancl Preston ' s statements , and trea ting them as Masonic history .

AVe publish this article , at Bro . Norton ' s request ' but in doing so , we think that he has beeu unnecessarily severe on Bro . Emra Holmes , who merely put together the statements of accredited historians . We have taken out several passages which seemed to us both somewhat personal and far too dogmatic . Bro . Norton sometimes forgets that the sifting process of Masonic History and Archaeology is necessarily of

very slow growth , and he should be a little moro tolerant of those who still cling to the annals of tho past , even though contemporary Masonic criticism pronounces thorn moro or less unreliable . —ED .

Woman's Choice —The Story Of A Hero.

WOMAN'S CHOICE —THE STORY OF A HERO .

CHAPTER I . BKIGHTLY on the old thick AVOOCIS of Brittany the Summer sun Avas shining , tinging their green leaves Avith the hue of the golden beetle ' s Aving , and cheering the voice of the glad birds and the blythe

forester , in Avhose bosom it aAvoke the hidden springs of joy , as it was fabled to have done in the marble breast of Meninon . Its bright light gilded also the hut of the serfs , causing the patient mother , Avho Avatched beside her slumbering infant , to

forget in its cheering radiance the bitterness of bondage—for AVUS not the glorious U