Masonic Notes And Queries.

PAST HASTEES . Can the Past Master ' s degree be given in England with the rank of Past Master without the brother being installed ? I have an offer of the degree in Scotland , but want it in England in order to entitle

me to sit iu Grand Lodge . —E . A . [ No ; and , if you receive the degree in the manner suggested , it will not entitle you to sit in Grand Lodge . —ED . P . M . ] 33 EO . MELVILLE AND THE OEDEES OE KNIGHTHOOD . I did not forget to make inquiry from my friends of the Bath , but , as Bro . Senex , C . B ., has forestalled me at p . 413 , 1 will spare your space . —LUPUS .

FEEEMASON—DEBITATION OE THE WOED . At page 362 , Bro . Melville says that" Freemason " is derived from " Priga , or Prig , meaning Pree , and Magon meaning Mason . ' ' Very good ! I have no objections to his applying that derivation to his " Celestial or Priga Masons , " who ( page 363 ) , he

says , "had no such mean employment as that of carrying stones and mixing mortar ; " but I object to the application of that derivation to our terrestrial Masons who did work with stone and mortar , and who played their part in the erection of our beautiful , or perhaps , more strictly speaking , sublime , old cathedralsetc

, . Then , at page 370 , my esteemed friend and Bro . " J . A . H ., "—who , I am half inclined to think , is perhaps joking—says that because he saw it stated in an old last century book that " the word free was added because they ( the Masons ) taught their art to the freeborn only , " therefore it " seems to me to

settle the question . ' ' Now I draw an exactly opposite conclusion from that of Bro . J . A . H ., as I do not give a pinch of snuff for what our last century pretended Masonic historians say about anything that happened , or was in existence previous to A . D . 1600 , if I have any reason to think otherwise . Further , said remark in this

" old book , entitled ' Hiram , ' or the ' Grand Master Key , ' is untrue . freemason means a mason who is free , that is a mason who has received certain privileges or has become free of his guild or sodality . I had the pleasure of speaking to Professor Cosmo Innes , on the 22 nd ult

., aneut this , and he said , — "It is not freeliomo that is spoken of , it is freemason , and your definition is quite correct . " Therefore , as I said before , I reject the "free-born" idea , and more especially now , as I consider the opinion of Professor Innes upon such a subject to be worth that of a hundred " Hirams ; " neither must I forget that also of " A Masonic Student . "

As to the origin of the simple word " Mason , " I can say nothing new in the meantime . In reference to the remarks of "Liber , " pp . 411 and 412 , headed " Freeborn , " from which I take it that he chimes in with the "freeborn" notion , I would remark that he must take a wider view of

things . A daA'e about six or seven hundred years ago , escaping from his lord or master , and residing unchallenged for a year and a day in a burgh , thereby became / we , as the following statute of the laws of the burghs says , —• ' Gif ony mannis thryll , barounis

Masonic Notes And Queries.

or knychtis , cummys to burgh and byis a borowage , and dtvellis in his borovrage a twelfmoueth and a day , foroutyn challenge of his lorde or of his bailye , he sail be ever mare fre as a burges within that kingis burgh , and joyse the fredome of that burgh . " The code of Scottish burghal regulations collected in

tbe reign of David ( 1124 to 1153 ) "Avas the result of experience ofthe towns of England and Scotland . " At page 142 of "Scotland in the Middle Ages , " we read as follows : —

" In 1247 , Patrick de Prendegest , burgess of Berwick , bought the freedom of Benaldus , a slave , with his whole following , for tAventy merks sterling . This is a remarkable transaction ; for Patrick , the burgess , had formerly been a slave , or at least a native , and obtained his liberty through the house of Coldingham ; butwhat is more curiousEeynaldwho was

, , , thus emancipated for a sum of money , is styled in the charter propositus , meaning , no doubt , alderman or bailie of the town of Berwick ; and that accounts for the greatness of his price ; for about the same time ,, the Abbey of Coldingham purchased the freedom of Joseph , the son of Elwald , and all his posterity , for

the price of three merks ; of Eoger Fitz Walter and all his posterity for tAvo merks ; and Eustace of Newbigging sold to the Prior of Coldingham the freedora of William of Kewbigging , and Brunhild his wife , and Walter and Mabil their children , and all their issue , for the sum of fifteen shillings . These are instances of purchased emancipation . "

After reading the above , I have no doubt "A Masonic Student " will be well pleased at seeing his view of the derivation of the prefix free in " freemason " proved to be correct , and , may I add—we consider it almost superflous to say more . —W . P . BUCHAN . P . S . —In reference to the interesting subject of "Biblical Eeferences " alluded to by Bros . Danum ,

Senex , Excelsior , etc ., I intend to give some remarks next week , and especially anent that in 1 st Kings . — W . P . B . INAUGUEATION OE GEAND LODGE BUILDINGS . Can any brother tell me when the jewel which was approved by the M . W . the Grand Master , commemorative of this occasion , will be issued ?—LUPUS

Correspondence.

CORRESPONDENCE .

The Editor is not responsible for the opinions expressed by

Correspondents-BEO . MELVILLE'S DISCOVEEIES .

10 THE EDITOR OF IHE " EEEEMASOXS * MAGAZINE A 1 TD JTASOSIC 1 T . IRUOS ; . Dear Sir and Brother , —I would consider that Bro . Melville may have been aware of the fact , but I do not suppose that Bro . " Excelsior " ( page 445 ) is , that I live in Glasgow ; consequently it would be a serious matter for me to leave my business and go

away up to London merely to see or hear what Bro . Melville has to say or point out . Had Bro . Melville been in Glasgow , I should then onl y have been too happy to call upon him , and I would most certainly have done every justice in my power to what he had to say . Unless , therefore , " Excelsior" can devise some means whereby Bro . Melville and I can be brought into closer connexion ( if it would do any