Freemasonry In The Seventeenth Century.

FREEMASONRY IN THE SEVENTEENTH CENTURY .

CHESTER , 1650—1700 . WE mentioned at the close of our article on this subject last week , that in Randle Holme ' s MS . in the British Museum was a list , in which were recorded the names of certain persons who had been made Freemasons ,

together with the amounts paid by each as initiation fee . It may be as well , perhaps , if we reproduce this list as furnished by Bro . Rylands . and which reads thus : — William Wade w - giue for to be a free Mason .

I I I I I I I I - 20 a . Robert Morna I I I II I I I - - 10 Willra Street Aldm I 15 John Hnghes II ... 5 Sam Pikes taylor I ... 8- WillmWade

Willm Harvey . . - 20 Mich Holden 20 Pet downbam 20 Thoffoulkes ... 10 Will Hughes ... 8 Jo ffletoher ... 10

Seth Hilton ... 15 Ban Holme 10 Ric Taylor ... 10 Rio Eatcliffe 20 Will Woods 5

Jo Parry- 10 Tho Morris 10 Tho May 10 Will Robinson- - . 20 James Morfc 20

Jo Lloyd- --. 20 Geo Harvey ... 20 Will Jackson ... 10 Bobfc Harvey 20 John Madook . - 10 for 1 li . 9 for 10 s . . 9 for 15 s . - 1 for 5 s . - 1 for 8 s . - 1

As regards the differences in the amounts paid by the several initiates we are equally with Bro . Rylands unable to explain them , but it is some satisfaction to know that our esteemed Brother has , after much careful inquiry , been able—to all appearance—to verify the personages mentioned

in this list . That is , he has searched for and found the wills of a great majority of them , and the reprint of the wills forms the Appendix to his article , and is published in the current number of the Masonic Magazine . Presuming that the persons whose wills are quoted are the same with

those whose names appear in the above list , we gather that William Wade was a Mason ; Robert Morris , Glazier ; John Hughes , Slater or Husbandman ; Samuel Pikes , Tailor ; W . Wade , Mason ; William Harvey , Alderman ; Thomas ffoulkes , Carpenter ; Will Hughes , Gentleman ;

Jo ffletcher , Clothworker ; Richard Ratcliffe , Gentleman ; William Woods , Mason ; William Robinson , Labourer ; James Mort , Mason ; John Lloyd , Mason ; William Jackson , Tanner ; Robert Harvey , Alderman , and John Madock , Alderman . Bro . R ylands is naturally careful to point out

that the wills he gives in his Appendix are not necessarily those of the persons correspondingly named in the list quoted from Randle Holme ' s MS ., bufc the wills were all proved between 1660 and 1716 , and the list must have been written between the former year ancl March 1699-1700 , when Randle Holmes died .

For full particulars of these wills we must refer our readers to the Masonic Magazine . We may , however , indulge in one or two general remarks , with a view to supporting the idea held by " Masonic Student , " as described on frequent occasions in the pages of the Freemason , and as

more than once enunciated in these columns . Here we have , thanks to the diligent researches of Bro . R ylands , evidence of a most satisfactory character as to the existence of non-operative Freemasons in Cheshire in the interval between 1646 and 1700 . We may even

carry this period further back , as Mr . Penket , Warden , and the other brethren present at the initiation of Elias Ashmole and Colonel Mainwaring in October 1646 , must have been Accepted Masons for a longer or shorter period

anterior to that date . We learn from the records of the Edinburgh Lodge , No . 1 ( St . Mary ' s Chapel ) , as described in Bro . D . Murray Lyon ' s valuable History , that there were non-Operative Masons in Scotland in 1034 .

Dr . Plot , in his History of Staffordshire , mentions the existence of Lodges in that county circa , 1680 , and Ashmole tells us that he was present , as the senior Fellow , in a Lodge of Freemasons , held in London , at Masons' Hall , in the year 1682 . All these statements point , in our

humble opinion , to tho undoubted fact that non-Operative Freemasonry was widespread in Britain for not far short of a century before 1717 , which is usually set down as the date of its birth . We shall gladly hear the opinions of other brethren on the subject .

Female Freemasons.

FEMALE FREEMASONS .

SOME of our readers will , doubtless , be amused on reading the following article , which appeared originally in the columns of the Tiirmingliam Daily Post . In France , they have long had a system of what is known as "Adoptive Masonry , " and in some parts of the United States there is a quasi-Masonic Female Order known

as the " Eastern Star . " None the less , however , are we of opinion that the ladies are much better placed outside the Lodge portals . There is one well authenticated case of a lady Freemason , but we shall regret exceedingly when the instances of these lady Freemasons may be described in the

plural instead of the singular number . Our principles are known and appreciated , but it would be an utter subversion of those principles if ladies were permitted to undergo the rite of initiation . They are most darling creatures in their various capacities of mother , wife , sweetheart , daughter ;

but what would become of our Lodge work if there were lady members ? For instance , could Bro . S . Warden fulfil his duties while engaged in a flirtation with Sister A ., or , we will ask , what would become of Bro . Senior Deacon if it

should be his fate to assist in the initiation of Sister B . ? No , let our fair friends know as little as possible of Masonic Lodge work , and we feel assured they will appreciate the tenets of our Craft the more certainly : —

A French Masonic Lodge has not only decided to admit women as members on eqaal terms , bnfc has , according to the Eappel , already elected one lady , initiated her into the mysteries of the Craft , and entrusted her with a first instalment of those secrets whicbMrs . Candle was so eager to discover , and which her sleepy husband dare

not divulge . Ifc is not very likely that the example thus set by the Pecq Lodge will be copied in England . We are much too Conserva . tive for such a startling innovation to find favour among the brethren j and even in these days of "woman's rights" there is not much fear of " the sex " being successful in passing the stern Janitor who

stands at the Lodge portal to keep otf all intruders , and of their becoming practically familiar with the Eleusinian mysteries of the " hot poker , " concerning which the outer world professes to be so wise . Tbe curiosity of the ladies on these grave matters cannot , therefore , be satisfied jnst yet in England ; at any rate not by the legitimate

method of membership . Legend has it that one woman did contrive , by secreting herself in a hiding-place in a Lodge , to learn some of the secrets of the Craft ; and a mysterious shake of the head on the part of the narrators of the story is meant to imply that " the subsequent proceedings interested her no more . " If there had been dail y

journals in those days-, a paragraph would have gone the round of the papers , headed " Mystorious disappearance of a woman . " Why women should be excluded from participation in the benefits of Freemasonry is a bit of a pnzzle to those who impartially inquire into tbe subject . Somo people say it is because a lady cannot keep a

secret , and that if she were entrusted with the signs and passwords of the Order she would be bound to communicate them to her bosom friend the very first time they met . That is very hard on the fair sex . They do impart their little confidences , we a » know ; and they don't like to be uncommunicative when some particular information

has been entrusted to their keeping ; but there is no reason wh y they should not be as " mum " regarding the secrets of "Masonry aa the mosfc taciturn of men . In some respects , perhaps , the Craft would gain by the introduction of female members . If the principles of Freemasonry are good for men , ifc is difficult to see how

they can be bad for women . But then , we selfish creatures like to have some place of well-fenced seclusion to which our women-kind cannot gain admission . Masonry would probably lose half its charm to a great many men if they knew that they were going to meet their wives at Lodge . Their Masonic engagements constitute a sort of

domestic holiday—a temporary escape from the yoke . They know that the " better half " cannot follow them ; that they are safe from intrusion and interruption . It is no doubt very bad taste , but this gleeful sense of liberty does undoubtedly exist on the part of some married Masons . If their wives were eligible , these Benedicts

would speedily discover that the advantages of Masonry had been greatly overrated , and would become very lax in their attendance . The great principles of Brotherhood and Charity would bo fonnd less attractive than they are under existing conditions .

We are by no means sure that the Pecq Lodgo means to admit the wives of its brethren . The lady initiated a few days ago was a " mademoiselle . " Perhaps , on tho wholo , much of thafc sort of thing would be rather worse than a liberal allowance of " madame . " Theso venturesome spinsters , who boldly pry into the dread secrets of ,