The Four Old Lodges.

a general union with all Regular Masons throughout the world , who shall join ns in supporting the original principles of Free Masonry , — in promoting and extending the authority of the said truly ancient Grand Lodge afc York , and under such respectable auspices in propagating Masonry on its pure , genuine and original plan .

XII . AND LASTLY , wo do earnestly solicit tho hearty concurrence of all regular Lodges of the Fraternity in all places where Freemasonry is legally established , to enable us to carry into execution the aforesaid plan , which is so apparently beneficial to our most excellent

institution , —and at tho present critical juncture , so essentially necessary to curb tho arbitrary power which has been already exerted , or which hereafter may be illegally assumed , by the nominal Grand Lodgo in London , —and so timel y prevent such un-Masonio proceedings from becoming a disgrace to the Society at large .

By order of the Right Worshipful Lodge of Antiquity , in open Lodge assembled , this 16 th day of December , A . D . 1778 . A . L . 5782 . J . SEALY , Secretary .

# * As a few Expelled Members of tho Lodge of Antiquity have presumed to associate as Masons at tho Mitre Tavern , in Fleet Street , under tho denomination of this Lodge , —Notice is hereby given , that

the Right Worshipful Lodge of Antiquity , acting by an Immemorial Constitntion , is removed from the said Mitre Tavern , to tho Queen ' s Arms Tavern , in St . Paul ' s Churcli-Yard ; where all letters to the Lodge are requested to bo directed .

( i ) It is somewhat singular aud noteworthy to mark tho fact that these Manuscript Constitutions , of whatever date , usually agree in stating that tho General Assembly was held at York ; oven tho M . S . Constitutions of Scotland contain the same statement , and admit York to havo been tho first favoured City for a General Assemblage

of the Craft . Though wo are not anxious to invest Legends with the significance of Historical facts , yet wo cannot bnt think so uniform an agreement respecting York , in Manuscripts found in different ; parts of England and Scotland , and of such various dates , must havo its origin in something moro stable than fiction . — " History of

Freemason in York ( Hnghan ) , p 38 . Much unnecessary stir has been made about tho York Constitntion of A . D . 926 . None such exist now , and no ono can say where they did , or when . —Ibid , p 39 . There can scarol y be a donbt thafc there does not exist a Masonic

Charter of the year 926 . Shonld , however , an original bo found similar to Krauso ' s translation , it could nevertheless lay no claim to be called a York Charter . — " Findel , " p 90 . The common legend of a Grand Lodgo having been convened at York by Edwyn , son of King Atholstane , A . D . 926 , is disposed of in

Sharon Turner ' s "History of tho Anglo-Saxons ( vol . ii ., pp 325-305 ) , where it appears that Athelstano acceded to tlio Crown in 924 , ho had no son , Edwyn was his brother , and in tho same year , on a false charge of conspiring against him , was exposed at sea in an open boat and drowned .

( ) In 1567 , it is stated in the famous Manifesto of tho Lodge of Antiquity of 1778 , the Grand Lodge permitted tho creation of a Grancl Master for tho Sonth , but of this no other proof is , as I am awaro , so far forthcoming , and this is the only existing evidence that in 1567 there was a Grand Lodge at York . — " Tho Connection of York with tho History of Freemasonry in England " ( Rev . A . F . A .

Woodford . ) But York being in a remote part of the kingdom , it was many years ago thought proper , for tho convenience of the Fraternity , to remove the Grand Lodgo from that city to tho Metropolis—and tho present Grancl Lod ge of England are tho true York Masons . (?)—" Principles of Freemasonry Delineated" ( Trueman ) , Exeter , 1777 , p 153 .

( ) As against this disparagement of the other old lodges , it will be sufficient to remind the reader that the 1 st Grand Lodge was held under tho banner of tho lodge , meeting at tho Apple Tree Tavern , original No . 3 , a member of which lodgo was elected the first Grand Master , upon whose vacation of this office , tho honour of

supplying the head of tho Craft next devolved npon original No . 4 . " It must be borne in mind that the seventeenth century had been very turbulent and full of commotions : Masonry , therefore , which can only flourish in times of peace , continued in a fluctuating state , and found many difficulties to struggle with . In such unsettled

seasons , particular Lodges could not bo regularly attended in tho Southern parts of England , near tbo principal theatre of political notion ; but wero held occasionally when circumstances favoured the brethre n , except in or near places where great Works were carried on . Thus Sir Robert Clayton held an occasional Lodge of his Brother

Masters at St . Thomas ' s Hospital , Sou thwart ; A . D . 1693 , and to advise the governours about the best design of rebuilding that Hospital as it now stands most beautiful ; near which a stated Lodgo continued for a long time afterwards . Besides that and the Old

Lodge of St . Pauls , some brothers , living in 1730 , remembered another in Piccadilly over against St . JAMES Church , one near Westminster Abby , another near Covent Garden , one in Holborn , one on Tower Hill , and some more that assembled statedly . "—( Constit 1738 , p 106 ; 1756 and 1767 , p 176 ; and 1781 , p 193 . )

( ) See §§ 3 , 15 and 22 ; also p 4 , note 7 , and p 67 , note 1 . ( = ) See §§ 6 , 9-12 , and 16 . ( o ) Compare with Part III . post . ( ) See § 22 ( II . ) !«»'•

The Four Old Lodges.

( 8 ) Bro . Hnghan says ( , ! History of Freemasonry in York , " p 56 ) , " Reasons were nofc wanting to give a colour to the action on the part of the York authorities ; on the other hand , the ' Lodgo of Antiquity' presumed too much on their 'timo immemorial' privileges after forming a part of tho Grand Lodgo of England , 1717 . " But with all deference to so high an authority , I venture to question tho

soundness of tho conclusion ho has drawn . The right to expel from the Union ( exercised by the Grand Lodge in 1747 , seo § 12 ) wonld imply a right to secede from tho Union ; if many could withdraw from ono , one conld withdraw from many . If tho Union could become inconvenient or disagreeible to all the

Lodges but one , such majority might become disagreeable to thafc one . If tho many , for that reason could expel , why could nofc the ono for that reason retire ? And if tho logic of expulsion be sound , that of secession is equally sound . Theso rights it might bo contended — if there was any right at all to break up the compact of Unionwero correlatives .

But tho privilege of secession , possessed by the timo immemorial lodges , though fully justified by precedent , derived yet a higher sanction from principle . Since without conceding tho rights of expulsion and secession to be correlatives , either of the four old Lodges could protest against ejection because it involved compulsion , and yet claim a right to retire , because if compelled to remain , that was

equally a compulsory restraint . Both really involve tho same principle , ejection and imprisonment , they aro equally acts of compulsion , and this might bo alike objected to in both cases . A Lodgo compelled to go or remain had a forcible restraint imposed on its will , but in seceding it imposed no restraint on tho will of others—they remained free to follow ( i . e ., tho timo immemorial

lodges ) or to continue as before . It may bo urged that reasonable men would not havo framed a system exposed to ruin at any timo by tho secession of its constituents . But the qnostion is , not whether tho terms of tho compact wore wise or prudent , but simply what those terms wero , and the force they possessed . ( " Ambrose ' s Letters , " New York , 1865 , pp 41 , 205 ; " Spence ' s American Union , " 2 nd Ed ., pp 198—200 and 210 . ) Many points of

similarity will be found in tbe principle of State Rights ( U . S . A . ) , and in that npon which tho rights of the Old Lodges are , or were , based . A comparison is recommended between Art . 39 " Consfcitutions G . L . of England , A . D . 1723 " (§? 15 ( V . ) mite and 22 post ) , and Art . 2 " Constitutions U . S . of America , A . D . 1781 , " viz .: "Each State retains its sovereignty , freedom , and independence , and every power , jurisdiction and right , which is not , by this confederation , exprcssly delegated to tho United States in Congress assembled . "

Compare also : 1 . Tho four original Lodges— 1 . The thirteen original Statesrights of ? rights of ? 2 . Now Lodges — rights of—by 2 . Now States—rights of—by Grant or Charter of Grand Grant or Charter of Con-Lodge F gress ? 3 . The rights of all Lodges ( 1717 3 . Tho rights of all States , to 1813 ) original and new original and new — ns —as affected by Amend- affected by Amendments ments of Constitution ? of Constitution .

New Zealand.

NEW ZEALAND .

OUR Budget of News from this prosperous colony , which came to hand by tho mail on Monday , is somewhat voluminous . We gather from it that Masonry is in a very flourishing condition in tho Northern Island , and Lodges are being multiplied rapidly . Tho District G . Master of Auckland , Bro . Graham , had left for tho South ,

which was causing somo inconvenience , especially as his Depnty , Bro . Wildman , resides on tho Thames Goldfield , somo forty miles distant . A now Lodge , under the Irish Constitution , was shortly to bo opened at Gisborne .

Funeral of a Veteran . —Donald McKenzie , who , as a man , soldier and Freemason , was ono of the oldest in the colony , expired on Friday , 14 th June , at his residence , Onehunga . Amongst his last wishes was that he should bo buried with Masonic honours . Tho request was conveyed through the Officers of Lodge Manukan ,

and of course it was complied with . The deceased was born in the year 1800 , and consequently at the time of his death was 78 years of age . His father was a soldier in the 42 nd Highlanders ( the famous " Black Watch" ) , and young McKenzie , on the discharge of his father , joined the regiment when 19 years of age , and in November 1819

ho was initiated a Freemason in tho 42 nd Highlanders Lodge , hailing under the Grancl Lodgo of Scotland . This Lodge has since become dormant . Mr . McKcuzie served with the regiment in which he was born , during the trying times of 1815 , when the famous battle of Waterloo was won and lost . Ho did not take an active part in that ;

famous fight and victory , but he was on the scone tho preceding day , and was under fire . He was then connected with tho baggage guard , which was several times attacked by the French troops . He was amongst tho oldest settlers in the Pensioners' Settlement of Onehunga . On the opening of Lodge Manukan , S . G ' ., of Onehunga ,

he resumed his connection with Freemasonry , and , as already stated , one of his latest wishe * was that he should be recognised as a Mason , with the customary mortuary ceremonials . The Masonic brethren responded in a most fraternal spirit . Not only did Lodge Mannkau muster in full strength on Sunday , but every Lodge in Auckland ,

including Lodge Rotnuera , was fully represented by Officers and brethren , aud afc least 150 members of the Craft took part in the procession . Captain Burns , of the Artillery Company , kindly placed the excellent band of his corps at the disposal of the parade , as a recognition of the military claims of the veteran , and they added