Must Be Feared And Avoided.

obligation , our personal duty , and not to b 3 vicariousl y complied with through tho Lodge . These duties may come to us to perform dail y or hourly , but they aro imperative . These principles , which with us aro fundamental , aro

thc landmarks which distinguish us from all other so-called benevolent ; societies and organisation ? . Our only danger , from these organisations i- ; that those from them , who may come among us , will infuse their health and lifo insurance notions into our organisations , aud displace , as they alread y

have in a measure , the true princi p les of our Order , of brotherly lovo and relief , as personal obligations of each Mason to every other . Let us guard tho portals of our Lodges from the intrusion of the unworth y , but above all

things suffer not innovations to creep in , nov the fundamental principles of our Institntion to bo vitiated so that we , knowing " what it is to ho a Freemason , " may remain such . — I nice of Maxonry .

About Books.

ABOUT BOOKS .

I ^ TTE loss which tho world sn . 9 tair . od by tho destruction of hundreds of" thousands of volnmes at the burning of the Alexandrian Library in the year A . D . (> I 2 , can never bo adequately realized . The Saracens had mado themselves masters of tho city , and this act of vandalism on the part of the now Caliph Omar , paved the way to those wild persecutions , those angry discissions and schisms which havo since been a disgraco to Christianity .

John , surnamed the grammarian , a famoas Peripatetic philosopher , being in tho city , and in high favour with Ajnri-Abnol-As , the Saracen general , begged of him the royal library . Amri replied that it waa not in his power to grant such a request , bnt that ho would communicate witli the caliph , as without his consent he dared not dispose of a single book , lie accordingly wrote to Omar , acquainting

him with his friend ' s request ; to which tho ignorant tyrant replied that " if those books contained the same dojtrine as the koran , thoy could be of no use , since the koran contained all necessary truths but if they contained anything contrary to that book , they onghfc to be destroyed , whatever their contents . " Accordingly they were distributed among the public baths , where , for tho space of six months ,

they served to supply the fires of those places , of which there was an incredible number in Alexandria . Tt is related of a knight of Venice , who had brought a certain book from Alexandra—a book which be had hired a monk to copy for him —that on presenting it to the Pope , he received in return not only a remission of all the sins and errors of his life , but a goodly estate ,

not far from tha Eternal City , which was bestowed upon him and his heirs for ever . A Dnke of Milan , wishing to procure n copy of a History of the Family of Delia Tore , offered for it as much silver as the strongest man in Milan conld lift . Here is an extract from tho Pastou Letters , ( circa 14 G 8 ) : — "Also , as for the Bible , ( probably somo MS . copy , as at this time there was

only one printed edition ) , that the master hath , I wend the utmost price had not past five marks , ( £ 3 Gs 8 d ) , and so I trow he will give it , weet I pray yon . " In tho year 1471 , when Louis XI . borrowed a single book , written by a celebrated Arabian physician , from tbe Faculty of Medicine in Paris , ho not only deposited in pledge a considerable quantity of

plate , but was obliged to procure one of the most reliable and trustworthy noblemen of his conrt to join him as surety , giving a bond , under heavy forfeiture , that it should be restored . When Caxton printed' his Booke of Eneydos , he asserted , wifch a self-assurance which would have been resented in these days , that " his worke was not intended for the simple , but for the gentle ; not

for a rude , uplandish man to labour therein , nor read it , but only for a clerke and a noble gentleman , that feulefh and understandetb in feats of arms , in love , and noble chivalry . " The introduction of printing into England is undoubtedly to be ascribed to William Caxton , who went to Germany entirely to learn tho art and having practised it himself at Cologne in 1471 , brought it to England two

years afterwards . He was not only a printer , but an author , as above indicated , and the Game of Chess , which appeared in 1474 , is considered as tbe first production of the English press . In the "Kingdom ' s Intelligencer , " a journal of the sixteenth century , appeared the following advertisement , regarding a work which has obtained universal popularity : — "There is stolen abroad

a most false and imperfect edition of a poem , called ' Hudibras , ' without name of either printer or bookseller , as lit for so lame and spurious an impression . The true aud perfect edition , printed by the Author ' s original , is sold by Richard Marriott , under St . Dnnstan ' s Church in Fleet Street . That other nameless impression is a cheat , and will but abase the buyer as well as tho Author , whose Poem deserves to have fallen into better hands . "

Mrs . Thompson , in her interesting book , " Literary Characters , " says : — "During the reign of Edward VI . the University of Oxford was doomed to witness that famous conflagration of books , which was intended to annihilate superstition and idolatry , by the destruction of all works containing the insignia of imageworshi p ; all invocations to saints ; all names of Popish worthies .

Under the act which enforced this destructive measure , tho libraries of Westminster and Oxford wore ransacked and purified ; but , as might be expected , the ore was sacrificed ns vvoll as the dross . Pions Protestant zeal de ' stroyed many more works for the sake of the rich clasps and bindings , which were ordered to bo saved ; and the University , trembling for its own safety , beheld with silent consternation illuminated manuscripts cast into the flames , any book that

About Books.

had red letters npou ifc exciting to its height the wrath of the populace . One cannot but sorrow over the enumeration of antiphones , missals , pailes , processionals , legends , portuasse ? , journals , ordinals , for ever lost to society , and to a country bnt lately awakened to tho deep interest of antiquarian lore . Tho deed was worthy of Pnritan times . "

The destruction of libraries in the time of Henry VIII . at the dissolution of tho monasteries was so great that John Bayle lame its it in his epistle upon Leyland ' s journal . Those who purchased these religious bouses , took th « libraries aa parb of their booty , with which they scoured their furniture ; somo lhey sold at the grocer ' s ; and others they sent over the sea to the bookbinders in ship loads .

" I know a merchant , " says Bayl ? , ' who bought two noble libraries for forty shillings each . " In the sixteenth century we find the greatest extravagance displayed in tho titles given to books , as for instance : "Tho I'ious Lark , with its Trill—tho little Body aud Feathers of our Lark are Spiritnnl Songs , " by Father Automo de la Cauchie ; " Bread Cooked

on fche Ashes , brought by un Angel to tho Prophet Elijah , to comfort the Dyins ; " " Spiritual Ginger for Flatulent Sinners ; " " The School of the Encharist , established on tho miraculous Respect that tbe Beasts , Birds , and Insects have shown on different Occasions to the Holy Sacrament of tbe Altar ; " The Silver Bell , tho Sound of whioh will , by the Grace of God , make of a Usurer a perfect Christian ;"

" Some Beautiful Biscuits , cooked in the Oven of Charity , and put aside carefully for the Fowls of the Church , the Spat rows of the Spirit , and the Swallows of Salvation ; " "A Bouquet of Delicious Perfume , prepared for £ he Saints of the Lord ; " " Buttons and Button , holes for Believers' Breeches ; " " High-heoled Shoos for those whoare Dwarfs in Sanctity ; "' aud " Crumbs of Consolation for the Chickens

of the Covenant . " "Though we hold ourselves bound to accept a thing if it be according to Cocker , " says a writer , " it is not afc all certain that snch a person as Cocker over lived . The book attributed to him called ' Arithmetic the Incomparable Art , ' was printed in lu' 77 , and tan through thirty , seven editions between that date and 1720 . But ifc is believed to have

beon written by the publisher , John Hawkins , writing master , near St . George ' s Church in Southwark . The writer boasts that 'by the sacred influence of Divine Providence , he has been instrumental to fche benefit of many . ' " That wonderfnl publication , " The Gentleman ' s Magazine , " was commenced in 1735 , and printed afc St . John ' s Gate , under the title

of a " Magazine Extraordinary , prizes being offered for the best poem . Dr . Johnson was an early contributor to its pages , tho founder and editor being Edward Cave , who adopted the soubriquet of Sylvanus Urban , Esq ., now become immortal . Cave was an oddity in his way , one of his absurdities consisting in the purchase of au old coach , and a pair of still more ancient horses , and , that he might

escape the imputation of pride , he displayed a representation of St . John ' s Gate , by way of arms , on the panel of his carriage . The Duke of Wirtemberg , a celebrity of the last century , had a curious library of very great value . It was begun in 1768 , and amounted to over 10 , 000 volumes in the year 1799 . The prince was n great collector of ancient books , and often travelled in pursuit of

them , giving liberal prices . His collection of bibles was unique ; they amounted to 9 , 000 , all different editions , and it is supposed that threo thousand more were wanting to render ib complete . This library contained moro than two thousand volumes printed before the year 1500 , and a complete collection of all sovereign families and towns . Bishop Heber , the author of the famous missionary hymn , "From

Greenland's Icy Mountains , " had a brother , whose learning and talents would have secured for him fame and influence but for his persistence in misusing them . He was a bibliomaniac , and spent one half of his life , thirty years , iu travelling over Europe to collect rare boobs . His learning and fortune enabled him to malce such an immense collection of rare and valuable works , that when he

died he owned four large libraries in England , and seven or eight on fche Continent . He cared little to read his books , and seldom visited his libraries , except to place newly-acquired volumes ou their shelves . At his death there were found in warehouses scores of boxes filled with books which he had not found time to unpack . His life was useless , except in saving other bibliomaniacs labour and

expense . After his death , at the salo of his libraries in London , which occupied several weeks , rival book collectors bought what they wanted without travelling all over Europe to find them . A set of essays were published in 1844 , called " Colloquies Besultry , but chiefly upon Poetry and Poets , " a volume containing

250 pages , of which not a word was really ever written . The clever printer and publisher , Mr . Lordan , of Romsey , set np tbe types while mentally composing the book ; whioh is highly | creditable to the author , who , however , never wrote it . " The Book of Rarities , " by Brother EDWARD ROBERTS P . M .

Tuesday , the 2 nd May , has been appointed for the reception of Works of Art intended for the Summer Exhibition ( fche thirtieth ) of the 19 th Century Art Society , afc the Conduit ; Street Galleries .

HOT , LO" ** A" **' Frets . —Dismiss your doubts , lot no one be longer oppressed with the notion that his malady ia inc . ur . iblo till these purifying Pill s have had a fair trial . AVhen ordinary preparations have failed , these Fills havo been used with the most marked success . A course of fins admirable medicine clears tho blood from all impurities and improves its quality . Thu whnlo system is thus benefited through the usual ctiannels without reduction

of strength , shock to the nerves , or any other inconvenience ; in lace , heath is renewed by natural means . For curing diseases ot" tho throat , windpipe and chest these Pills have pre-eminently established a world-wide fame , ami in complaints of the stomach , liver , and kidneys they are equally efficacious . Thoy aro composed of rare balsams without a single grain of mercury or any other Uoleterious substance .