The Four Old Lodges.

79 Crown ancl Angels , Little Sfc . Martins-lane SO Angel , Macclesfield 81 Golden Fleece , Bury Sfc . Edmunds 1 st Nov . 1731 82 Three Tuns , Newgate-streefc 21 st Oct . 1731 83 Three Tuns , Smithfield 17 th Dec . 1731 81 Old Castle of Antvvern . behind tho Roval

Exchange 85 Fountain , Borough of Soutlnvark 24 th Jan . 1732 8 G King ' s Arms , St . Margaret ' s-hill , Southwark 2 nd Feb . 1732 87 New King ' s Arms , Leigh , in Lancashire 22 ud Feb . 1732 88 Crow and Boll , Wolverhampton 28 th March 1732 89 Horse Shoo and Rummer . Drurv-lane Hth April 1732

90 At Hotel do Bussy , Rue de Bnssy a Paris 3 rd April 1732 91 Sun , Fleet-street 12 fch April 1732 92 King ' s Head , Tower-street ( ' ) 93 Two Heads , Rosemary-lane 21 st Juuo 1732 94 Arms ? Ludcate-streefc 29 th June 1732

95 King ' s Arms , Dorcett-street , Spittlefields 12 th July 1732 VG White Horse , Ipswitch 97 New Inn , Exeter ( s ) 11 th July 1732 98 King ' s Arms , Piccadilly 17 th Aug . 1732 99 Hoop and Griffin , in Lcadenhall-street ( ' ) 100 Geornrn nnd Drfttrnn Unt ^ lioi ' VAw Iflth Ann 17 iV ?

101 Crown , Upper Moore-fields 29 th Aug . 1732 102 Royal Vineyard , St . James ' s Park 5 th Sept . 1732 103 Royall Standard , Leiccster-fields ( ' ) 104 Virgins Inn , Derby 14 th Sept . 1732 105 A Private Room , Bolton lo Moors 9 th Nov . 1732

10 G Clothworkers Arms , Upper Moor-fields 15 th Nov . 1732 107 Turks Head , Greek-streefc , Soho 12 th Dec . 1732 108 Seven Stars , Bury St . Edmunds 15 th Dec . 1732 109 Old Mitre , Salisbury 27 th Dec . 1732 110 Ship Coffee House , near the Hermitage 2 nd Feb . 173 § Bridgo

111 Theatre Tavern , Goodman ' s-fields 17 th Feb . 173 } 112 King ' s Arms , Tower-street , near tho 7 Dials 3 rd March 173 } 113 Bear ancl Collar , City of Bath 18 th March 1733 114 The Fountain , in Catherine-street , Strand ( ' ) 115 Daniel ' s Coffee House , Temple Bar 116 Harrow aud Boar , Master Masons' Lodjro ,

Butcher-row 117 Shakespeare ' s Head , Stewards' Lodgo , 25 th Juno 1735 Covent Garden 118 Red Lion , Bury , in Lancashire 26 th July 1733 119 Lion , Stourbridge , Worcester 1 st Aug . 1733 120 Gate ' s Coffee House , Masters' Lodtre , Great

Whild-streefc 121 Crown , Fleet Market (••) 122 Forrest ' s Coffee House , Charing Cross 123 Castle , Kingston , Middlesex 124 Hamburgh , in Lower Saxony

125 Swan , Birmingham 126 Boston , inNewEnglaud ( 3 ) 30 th July 1733 127 Valenciennes , in French Flanders 128 D . M . and Figure , Peticoate-laue , White- 5 th Nov . 1734 chanel t

129 Masons Arms , Plymouth 130 Mitre , Mint-street , near St . George ' s 11 th Juno 1735 Church , Southwark 131 Afc the Hague 1735 132 Two Fencers , Newcasfcle-on . Tyne 24 th Juno 1735 133 Afc the Castle , Aubigny , in France 22 nd Ang . 1735

134 Sun , Old Round-courfc 26 th Aug . 1735 135 Lisbon Lodge 136 Lord Weymouth ' s Arms , Warminster , in Wiltshire 137 Rummer , Bristol 12 th Nov . 1735

133 Anchor , Cock-lanC ) Snow-hill 139 Savannah , in ye Province of Georgia 110 Ashley ' s London Punch House , Ludgafce-hill 1736 141 Three Cups , Colchester 142 Fountain , Shrewsbury 16 th April 1733 143 Fountain , Gateshead 8 th March 1735

114 Running Dog , Lamb-sfcreet , Spittlefields 11 th Juno 1736 145 Three Crowns , Weymouth 146 Head ? Norwich 147 George and Dragon , Tythe Barn-street , 25 th June 1736 Liverpool

148 Sun , Fish-streefc ^ hill 16 th Aug . 1736 149 King ' s Arms , Edgeburton-streefc , Birmingham 150 Yorkshire Grey , Beer-lane , Thames-street 2 nd Dec . 1736 151 Black Dog , Castle-street , Seven Dyals , 21 st Dec . 1736

Masters Lodge 152 Blossom ' s Inn , Lawrence-lane , Cheapside 31 st Dec . 1736 This is the latest List in Avhich all four of the Old Lodges appear . It Avill be seen thafc No . 13 is missing .

Correspondence.

CORRESPONDENCE .

We do not hold ourselves responsible for the opinions of our Correspondents . We cannot undertake to return rejected communications . All Letters must bear the name and address of the Writer , not necessarily for publication , but as a guarantee of good faith .

THE FOUR OLD LODGES .

To the Editor of THE FREEMASON ' S CHRONICLE . DEAR SEE AND BROTHER , —Feeling assured that anything , however remotely associated with tho Four Old Lodges , will prove of interest to your readers , and especially at tho present time , when Bro . Gould ' s scries of articles is appearing in your columns , I submit the following particulars relating to tho original Nos . 1 and 4 , which happily still

exist . They aro gathered from a valuable publication of Messrs . Cassell , Better and Galpin , entitled Old and New London , tho first two volumes of tho work having been compiled by that able writer Mr . Walter Thornbnry . ( a ) Original No . 1 , —hodie , Antiquity No . 2 . This Lodge , as most of us aro aware , held its meetings at an alehouse in St . Paul ' s

Churchyard , bearing tho uncommon sign of tho " Goose and Gridiron . " This sign , writes Mr . Thornbnry , is found at Woodhall , in Lincolnshire , and other places , but the St . Paul's Churchyard Goose and Gridiron is supposed to have been originally the Mitre , a Musical house in Loudon House-yard , at tho north-west corner of St . Paul ' s . Two origins are given of the name . ( 1 ) According to tho Taller , when the

Mitre ceased to bo a music-houso , the new landlord set np as his sign a goose striking the bars of a gridiron , in ridicule of tho " Swan and Harp , " a common sign for Music Houses . ( 2 ) It may be a vernacular rendering of the coat of amis of tlio Company of Musicians , which was probably suspended at tlio door of tlio Mitre , when a Music-house . These arms wero " A Su-nn with his wings expanded

within a double treasure , counter , Jlury , argent , and Ihe double treasure might easily bo mistaken for a gridiron . This was the first music-house in London , and its first master , Robert Herbert , alias Farges , sworn servant to His Majesty , besides being a publican and lover of music , was a great traveller , who , in the course of his thirty years' wanderings , collected many natural rarities , which Avere on

view " at the Mitre , near tho West end of Sfc . Paul's Church , 1664 . " A great portion of tho collection Avas purchased by Sir Hans Sloane , and it is conjectured thafc the site of this Mitre was afterwards ocoupied by tho Goose and Gridiron alehouse . I should add thafc the foregoing particulars havo been excerpted by Mr . Thornbnry from Messrs . Hotten and Larwood ' s Malory of Inn and , Tavern Siqns .

In a few years Original No . 1 , migrated from the Goose and Gridiron to the King ' s or Queen ' s Arms in St . Paul ' s Churchyard , where it remained till after 1715 . Respecting this we learn that , in order to keep Avell Avith tho City men , Garrick was in the habit of attending a Club held hero . Hero , too , Dr . Samuel Johnson , tho great ; lexicographer , started a City Club , of which we read in Boswell , and

hero , somo years later , there was a sixpenny Card Club , of which a Mr . Brasbridge , silversmith of Fleet-street , has left some interesting particulars . The Mitre , Fleet-street—not the present Mitre in Mitre-court—¦ ceased to be a tavern in 1788 , and became , first , Macklin ' s Poets ' Gallery , and then an auction room . It stood next to Hoare ' s Bank ,

and was pulled down in 1829 , in order to enlarge the latter . Tho Society of Antiquaries met here from 1728 to 1753 . In 1733 , Thomas Topham , "Tho Strong Man , " rolled up a large pewter dish in his fingers in the presence of a goodly company afc the Mitre , and it waa at the Mitre that in 1765 Johnson and Boswell met by appointment , when Avas formed that intimacy which is so memorable .

Goldsmith was often with them , and tho famous "Tour to the Hebrides " Avas planned here . It was henco likewise thafc the Masters , Wardens , and members of the Lodge walked in procession and wearing their regalia , to St . Dnnstan's Chnrch to attend Divine service , and then back again in like form . This apparently innocent perambulation was one of the causes which led to tho rupture iu 1779 between the Grand

Lodgo and tho Lodge of Antiquity , in consequence of which the latter threw off its allegiance , as Grand Lodgo held tho procession in full Masonic clothing to be in violation of its law against such display . The healing of this rupture and the restoration of Antiquity to its place on the roll of Grancl Lodge was one of the last Masonio acts of tha Duke of Cumberland , GrandMasfcer 1782-90 , his death occurring very

shortly after the reconciliation had taken place . ( 6 ) Original No . 4 , hodie R . Somerset House , Inverness , No . 4 . This Avas held at the Rammer and Grapes in Channel-row , Avhich is the same as Canon or Cannon-roAV , so called from ifcs being assigned as a residence to tho canons of St . Stephen ' s Chapel . According to Stow , the inhabitants in his timo included " divers

noblemen and gentlemen , " as Sir Edward tlobbes , John Thynuo Esq ., Henry Clinton , Earl of Lincoln , and the Earl of Derby ancl tho Duchess of Somerset , mother of tho Earl of Hertford . Ou tho south side is a dull and heavy building , erected in 1781- for tho Board of Ordnance , but devoted to the then newly-fbrmed Board of Control .

This is now the Civil Service Commission . In this row , too , stood "the Rhenish Wiuo House of good resort , " mentioned by Strype , and referred to by Prior aud Montague : — " What Avretcb . would nibble on a hanging shelf , When at Pontack ' a ho may regale himself , Or to tho house of cleanly Rhenish go ,

Or thafc at Charing Cross , or that iu Channel Row . " This is no doubt "the Rummer ar . d Grapes , " where our original No . 4 held its meeting : * . Ifc was tho Lodge of Mr . George Payne , Antiquary and twice Graud Master , who , like many another Anti . quary , Avas probably a man of taste iu things vinous as well as a man of learning .