Masonic Facts.

Dimock published the Metrical Life of St . Hugh , jBisliop of Lincoln , printed from Copies in the British Museum and Bodleian Libraries , written between 1220 and 1235 , and it is distinctly recorded therein that the Bishop worked at the Cathedral with his OAVU hands , carrying stones , & c , probably to stimulate the zeal of others . In the life mention is made of

Ganfrido , " Constructor Eeelesia 3 , " to whom the Bishop gave directions on his death-bed respecting his burial and tomb . There are some singular Masons' marks ( Eigs . 21 , 22 , 23 , 24 ) in this cathedral , which possibly may be of some use in ascertaining from whence Ganfrido camea moot

, point at present . The first mark is precisel y like one at the Church of St . Eadegonde , Poitiers ; a similar one occurs at Glasgow Cathedral , 1188-1258 , but with a slight addition made to it as though two masons with the same mark were working at the building .

85 . The foundations of Eheims Cathedral ( Eig . 25 ) , kid in 1211—the altar dedicated hythe Archbishop on the 18 th Oct ., 1215 ; and the Canons of Eheims entered their new choir on the Vi gil of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin in the year 1241 . The completion and decoration are due to Eobert de Coucy , who died in 1311 . Coucy also completed the Abbey Church

of St . Nicaise , Eheims . He was an artist who equalled , and probably surpassed his numerous contemporaries in richness and fertility of genuis . — Felibien Arch ., iv ., p . 246 . " Coucy ' s Epitaph is in the cloisters of St . Denys at Eheims : — " Cy gist Eobert de CoucyMaistre de

, Notre Dame et de Sainte Nicaise qui trepassa l ' an 1311 . " —3 pit . Citron . S . Nicas . Item ., cap . iii . 86 . The Abbey of Bee , commenced in 1212 b y Ingelramme , a Norman architect , who raised the greater part of the structure in a year and a half , and then retired . The work was finished by Walter

de Meulan in 1216 . —Felibien Arch , iv ., p . 205 . " 1214 . Jactis inaltumfundamentis , ipse ( Eichardus de Sancto Leodegario abbas Becci ) manibus suis primum lapide , eircumstante conventu suo super fundamentum possuit prima die luuaj Quadragesima } ,

proeurante , et co-operante Ingelramno , magistro operis beatae Marire Eothomagensis , cujas eonsilio se commisit . Idem vero Ingelramnus viriliter agens , opus incceptum primo anno cum magna virtute a _ di ficavit ; et frontem ecelesise et navem in longitudinem auxit , et duabus amplissimisturribus mirificeadornavit . Peracto autem anno et semi retraxit se aliquantulum

, opus retardando , et non ut promiserat , perfieiendo . Quo viso , et comperto , abbas sapienti usus eonsilio , jam uno anno , et octo mensibus expletis , amoto Ingelramno , ipso facto tradiditillud opus ad perficiendum magistro Walteris de Mellento , qui tertio anno adduxit et exaltavit prtedictum opus . "—Glvron

Seceense , pp . 214 , 215 . 87 . The foundations of the church of Notre Dame des Dunes , in Elanders , were laid by the Abbot Pierre , 7 th Abbot of the Convent , in 1214 . The edifice Avas erected hy the monks , assisted by the lay brothers and servantsamounting to 400 persons ; some lied

, app themselves to designs , some to painting , some to sculpture , others to Masonry , & c . —Felibien Arch . IV . p . p . 213 214 . 88 . Eouen Cathedral , [ rebuilt from the design and under the direction of Ingelramnus , finished by Walter de Meulan . —Bourasse Gatltedrals de France .

S 9 . The church of the Virgin Mary at Assisi , finished by James the German in 1218 , in the pointed style . —Felibien . - p . 217 . 90 . The remarkable church of St . Eraneis at Assisi commenced A . D . 1228 , and finished , in all essentials , in 1253 , by Jacob or Jacopo the German . —Fergusson , volii 769

. . p . . 91 . The foundation stones of Salisbury Cathedral were laid on the 28 th of April , or 4 th Kalends of May , 1220 . There is some doubt who laid the first ; according to William de Wanda , who was Precenter in 1218 and Dean 1220 . The Bishop ( Eichard Poore )

after performin g diAfine service , took of his shoes , and went in procession with the clergy , singing the Litany , to the place of foundation . Here , after the ceremony of consecrating the ground , and an address to the people , he laid the first stone for Pope Honorius , the second for the Archbishop of Canterbury , and the

third for himself . William Longspec , Earl of Sarum , who Avas then present , laid the fourth stone ; Elai de Vitri Countess of Sarum , and wife of the said Earl laid the fifth stone ; after her , certain nobleman added each of them a stone ; the Dean , the Chanterthe Chancellorthe Treasurer

, , , and the Archdeacons and Canons of the church of Sarum , who Avere present , did the same , amidst the acclamations of multitudes of the people , weeping for joy and contributing thereto their alms with a ready mind , according to the ability which God had given them . But in course of time the nobilitreturning

y , from Wales , several of them coming hither , laid a stone , binding them to some special contribution for the Avhole 7 years following . —Account of old Sarum , 1787 , p . 5 .

It will he observed that there was no stone laid for the King ; now GodAvin asserts that Pandul ph , the Pope ' s Legate laid the first five stones ; the first for the Pope ; the second for the King ; the third for the Earl of Salisbury ; the fourth for the Countess ; and the fifth for the Bishop . The corporation of Salisbury possess a charter of

Hen . 3 rd , dated 30 th Jan . 1226 , which confirms the privileges of the Cathedral " in the foundation of ivhich Church we have laid , the first stone , " this charter grants that Salisbury shall be a Eree Cit y for ever , and that the citizens be exempt from Tolls & c—Gentleman ' s Mac / ., 1858 , p . 262 .

The church was completed in 1258 , and the 30 th of Sept . of that year was observed as a festival for a full dedication of the same . The tower and spire , and part of the Chapter house , were erected subsequentl y ; the cost of the buildings up to this time was 40 , 000 marks , equal to £ 26 , 666 13 4 .

Mr . Hallam , in his History ofthe Middle Ages , saya that in order to find the value of money previous to the time of Henry the Gth , Ave must multiply by 20 , we shall thus find the cost of Salisbury Cathedral to have been upwards of £ 533 , 320 . This is the only Cathedral in England built in one

style of Architecture , the plan is a Patriarchal cross , ( Pig . 18 ) . Professor Willis , says that one of its most peculiar features is the Masonry . " The regularity of the size of the stones is astonishing . As soon as they had finished one part , they copied it exactly in the next , even though the additional expense was considerable . The Masonry runs in bands , and you may follow it from the South Transept eastward , round to the North .