The Records Of An Ancient Lodge.

tlomas mein for four pound and it is in the hand of R mein for the soum 0-1 — 10 — 00 James Trotter & Thomas bunie neueicl . . . . Ij — 00 — 00 Jolm oramond for six pound Scots i 57 i 3 00 Ro bunie for eleuen pound There was of mony told and put in the box the soum of nin pound and fifteu shilin and

two penies scots being the 2 S of december 1696 Neusteid 31 of december Received from Ro' bunnie the soum of four pound ten shilin Scots for thomas meins ticket and the arrcn fourten shilin ten penis scots -q of he gave a shilin and promised to tak it again if it w not pas "

Upon this same page is engrossed a resolution of the brethren of the date 1740 , but the following pages , from 36 onward , contain the entries iu regular order . As they are almost a repetition of the foregoing , ive need not extract them ; but we make a note of the expenditure of the lodge for St . John ' s day , 1698 , which is entered as follows : —

" An aocompt of money debursed this day the 27 of de 1698 to andro mein bridgend for fleshe 04 — 01 — 00 to the said andro for a ticket 00 — 10 — 00 to John mein for two sheet of paiper . . . . 00 — 00 — 06 to James bunyie for keepin the key 00 — 14 — 00 to James bunyie for going to melrose about the flesh and the bread 00 — 03 — 00 to agnes philp for aile 06 —' 13 — -03 to agnes philp for making the meat ready and also for beai-e 01 — 15 — 00

14 09 10 to w brouin for whyt bread tbe soum of . . . 02 — 05 — 06 for two legs of muton and an pund of tobaco and pips . 02 — 03 — 10 for an capful of salt 00 — 03 — 00 19 02 — 02 11 08 10 07 11 04

this day being the 27 of december 1698-there was of mony told and put into the box 07 — 13 — 08 wherof ther was four pound and four shilin scots of English mony which is by the self in an pice of paper the forsd day ther was full pom- given to John mein tounheid and John mein wynd to put the bonds in execution against the first of march 1699 for buying the mort cloth upon the 27 of december ther was 1698 g iven out to ye smith of Eildon for mending of ye lok of ye kirk loft given out at night 00— 03— 08 . "

Having given the above " particular accompts ' in full as a sample of the style practised by these ancient brethren , we need not in future transcribe any more of these entries , but ivill content ourselves with quoting any note , or entry , or resolution that strikes us as curious . or likel y to throw any light upon the ancient working of the Craft . There is , for instance , an item , in the accounts for 1696 ivhich is of interest , namely , " There was three payd for not being perfy t , " Avhich seems to show that at that time there Avere fines or forfeiture

for those AVIIO Avere unable to pass an examination . The various items connected with the celebration of the festival of St . John are interesting . It must be borne in mind that the computation represents pounds , shillings , and pence Scots , not sterling , one shilling sterling "being about ecpiivalent to one pound Scots . All poiverful as the modern coin is supposed to be , the purchasing-power of a shilling in those clays was greater than it is now . The wort-cloth , -referred to is the velvet pail used at funerals , and this one would be specially kept by the Masons to be used at the funeral of any brother or member of his family . In the minutes of some of the old guilds or incor-