Masonic Gleanings.

one of his most trusty adherents , It is curious , too , that Sir David Milne was also an officer of the Grand Lodge and Grand Chapter of Scotland ; but the Jacques Molai collar story is , I fear , just worth as much as the Larmenins charter of transmission . As Mr . Irving states , the Order ofthe

Temple , or French Order as we call it for distinction , was founded by Sir Sidney Smith , a high Freemason , and the Duke of Sussex , our last Grand Master was one of its Priors—the patent for which was sent him by the Emperor Paul of Russia , another high grade Freemason .

With the ritual of the Scotch branch of the Order lying open before me , I readily acquiesce that they are compelled to have armorial bearings , bnt this was a fancy introduced by the Chevalier

x ) iimes ; and how , without the aid of the College of Arms or Lyons Office , this is complied with , the ritual indicates . Curiously , the Scotch Templars do occasionally admit non-Masons into the Order ; but the proportion is , as I am assured hy competent authority , not a fifth per ceutage of

the the whole number . The Order of Masonic Knights Templars have no reason to be ashamed of their lineage ; and , with all clue deference to Mr . Irving , if we do not recognise coats of arms from our candidates , neither do we wish to pass ourselves off as Knights Templars instituted by

Sir Sidney Smith ; but as a branch of the same Order as that of Christ of Portugal , whose reception , & c , is identical in all essentials with our own . " MATTHEW COOKE , K . T . K . M ., & c . ( To be continued ) .

Masonic Notes And Queries.

MASONIC NOTES AND QUERIES .

PINAL CAUSES , The letter from a brother at Cambridge gives me much satisfaction . The little manuscript tract , entitled " Final Causes , or a Freemason ' s Proof of the Existence of God , " is still in my possession . Whence the very numerous passages , Latin , French , Germnn , and Italian

, copied at the end of the tract , apparently as materials for some future composition , are taken , I do nofc know , wifch the exception of ' one passage , which will he found in the "Dictionnaire des Sciences philosophiques , " article " Causes Finales . " Professor Franck , Member of the Instituteis the author of the article

, . I subjoin the passage . My Brother will at once see that for the purpose he mentions it must assuredl y be far preferable to anything likely to be met with in a production which is both anonymous ancl imprinted : — " Mais lorsque les faits que nous avons serupuleusement etudies conspirent evidemment a \ m seul but

; quand nous les voyons disposes avec ordre , ayec intelligence , avec prevoyance pour le hesoin et le bien de chaque et-re , comment nous refuser de croire a l ' existence d ' une Cause intelligente et aouverainement bonne ? Cette maniore de raisonner dont Socrate le premier a fait un usage savant et reflechi , demeurera toujours la preuve la plus populaire de

l'Exisfcence de Dieu , et la plus accessible a toutes les intelligences . "—CHAEI . ES Pusxox COOPEE . PERSECUTION . In a pamphlet recently published . l : The Issues of Religious Rivalry ; a narrative of live venrs' persecution / ' by the Eev . Charles Rogers ' LL . D . F . S . A .

, , Scot ., I read the following painful statement : "I am held up to public disfavour by Dr . Davis because I was ' Master of the Stirling Freemasons . ' " It is to be feared that the members of our Order have to endure petty persecutions at the hands of the profane , for their adherence to Freemasonry , more frequently than

is imagined . A very gross case has lately come under my own observation . A clerical brother , possessing the highest testimonials as to character ancl attainments , was a short time since prohibited by a bishop in the south of Ireland from taking duty in the dioceseon the ground of his being a Freemasonwhich

, , this prelate considered no minister of the Gospel ought to be . It would be interesting to know whether instances of a similar nature are numerous . Will any brother who is acquainted with such , send them to the Notes and Queries column ? —J . KINGSTON .

03 ? THE I'EEEMASOS'S . 1733 . This writer supposes that this Fraternity might as well be called the Society of Carpenters , Joiners , Chimney-sweepers , or Eat-catehers , as Masons : and endeavours to prove this paradoxical truth , that the Masons are no Masons .

Agatharehus the Athenian , Archimedes , Yifcruvius , & c , as well as the later architects and mathematicians , have delivered their knowledge in this science freely , generally , and publicly . How then can this be the art that is kept secret in the breasts of the members of the modern lodges ? as the Constitution Booh

asserts , that although this society is possessed of many arts ( curious ones , no doubt ) yet do they dwell securely in the breasts of the brethren . Nor does it appear by their performances , that they are taught in the lodges to hew , square , mould stone , lay a level , or raise a perpendicularllow then can they he said to

, be Masons ? Is a drawer a Mason because he keeps his reckoning square ? Or a tinker because he rings his kettle by rule ? If a lawyer can compass his cause , or a bookseller erect monumental volumes ; if a porter stand strong as a colossus , and ancl an apothecarycan temper his electurial mortars and cements to new

frame and , as it were , rebuild our animate edifices ; yet cannot I perceive the least tincture of Yiiruoism , Euclidism , or JBiwlinyionism in any of these . Lastly , if the Art of Masonry be really and trulyvested in this society , how comes it to pass that the " brethren build no better than some of the monied

gentry among the grvis , who , I own , seldom build anything but castles in the air ? Having thus shown what they are not , let us now consider what they are , and from whence the word Mason , as applied to this club , may be corrupted . The society I allow to he a very ancient one ; and , 1

believe , they will not thank me for acknowledging that such a strange society may have been even as old as Chaucer ; in whose days the word Mase was used to signify a whim or $ mcy : ancl what could be more natural than to distinguish a society by this name , which hath so many peculiar whimsical oddities ? Doubt not , then , candid JBavy , that the word Mason