Masonic Orders Of Knighthood.

When in 1291 the Moslems became masters o * the Holy Land these military monks retired to Peruse in Italy . In the year 14-59 the Pope , Pius I . I ., being desirous of initiating a new military order under the title of " Our Lady of Bethlehem , "

suppressed several then existing orders , both religious , military , and hospitaller , and granted their property to the new creation . Among this number was the Order of the Holy Sepulchre , but the Canons Regular , being strongly opposed to

this change , strove with all their might against it , and in the end proved successful , as the Order of " Our Lady of Bethlehem" was never formally constituted . In 1484 the Pope , Innocent VIII ., incorporated the Order and wealth of the Holy Sepulchre with that of St . John of Jerusalem , or Rhodes , and

commanded its members to follow the same statutes and mode of life . In 1560 Pope Pius IY ., in the Bull commencing " Circumspecta Romani Pontificis providentia , " confirmed the acts of his predecessor . " Nee non confirmamus suppressionem ,

extinctionem , applicationem , approbationem , concessam per Inuocentium VIII . " In 1596 the Pope , Alexander VI ., who indeed may be considered the founder of the order which exists at the present time , transferred to the Holy See the power of

admitting knights , and the order was most probably then changed from a merely religious fraternity to one of a chivalric nature . This authority was delegated to the Latin Guardian Father of the Holy Tomb , who is the Vicar of His Holiness , and must in every case belong to the Order of St . Franciscus .

This order is conferred at the present time upon any wealthy Roman Catholic nobleman who visits the Holy Land , and feels inclined to give a donation of one hundred guineas to the funds of the Temple .

We read , some time ago , of the creation of the Marquis of Bute as an Honorary Guardian Knight , The ceremony was very simple , and consisted in his investiture with the ( reputed ) sword and spurs of Godfrey de Bouillion .

The working of this Order as a Masonic degree , in the face of historical facts and common sense , which are alike dead against them , is another charming instance of—well , let us say , presumption , ou the part of the revivers of the " Anglican

Branch of the Order of Constantine , " but this is not the real casus belli . Were these two Orders to be simply described as Masonic degrees , and

Masonic Orders Of Knighthood.

did they only claim such antiquity as they might do under such circumstances , I do not believe any one would take so much interest in them , in any shape . —Le jeu ne vaut pas la chandelle . But we are distinctly told by a writer in a contemporary *

that the present Masonic Order is the Anglican and only existing branch of the ancient and venerable Order , which , I contend , had no connectionwhatever at any time with Freemasonry , and could never be established in this country by the Abbe

Giuistiniani , or any other Grand Cross of the Genuine Order , who had no power to confer the knighthood of either of these Orders , than I ha , ve to create myself a Knight of the Garter or the Thistle .

The statement made by the writer above referred to , that the Masonic Order is the genuine , existing , legitimate representative of the Order of Constantine , is one of the deepest importance , aud must be supported by " confirmations strong as proofs of Holy Writ . Should this be impossible —Nous verrons .

Masonic Jottings.—No. 15.

MASONIC JOTTINGS . —No . 15 .

BY A PAST PROVINCIAL GRAND MASTEE . MYSTERIES OF ANTIENT NATIONS . See the Jotting thus entitled , page 47 , of the present volume . The Unity of God not being taught in the Mysteries of Antient Nations , our

Freemasonry of which the Unity of God is the essence , of course could not have formed part , although a Masonry of some other kind might have formed part , of those Mysteries . THE THEORY THAT OUR ENGLISH MASONRY

GOMESPROM THE ROSICRUCIANISM OE GERMANY . Respecting this theory , see Professor Buhle ' s " Origin and most striking passages in the history of the Rosicrucians and , Freemasons . " It was published at Gottingen in 1804 .

AN EPISODE . Whenever the full history of English Speculative Masonry during the 17 th century shall be written , Elias Ashmole and the Rosicrucians willfurnish matter for a curious and interesting

episode . —Old M . S . THE MORAL LA IV . The Moral Law , which is one of the ingredients of our Speculative Masonry , is eternal . It existed before our world was created . It will exist should , our world be annihilated .