Review Of A Curious Old Book.

toTn ' m ( Borri ) ; the two first , dated from Copenhagen in tho year 1666 , are in snbstance the very same with L'Compto do Gabalis , published by the Abbot de Villars in 1670 . Let the curious exa-nino which of those two pieces onsrht to pass for the original . " So many books have been palmed off as being tho works of some noted and notorious individuals , that there is really no wonder for

Bnvle ' s donbts abonfc tho authorship of the publication at Geneva in 1681 , whioh he says teas ascribed to Born . There is , however , a MS . footnote at the bottom of the last pago of the book , stating that in tho second lettor of Borri a descri ption is given of the hero ' s introdnction to the spirit world . If that statement is correct , I should be inclined to give tho de G-xbalis book the priority , for it is perfectly natural to suppose that the plagiarizer of a book would rather add

thereto a wanted sequel , than omit the final and most important part of the story . Having given all tho information I could gather upon the subject , I hope that some good English brother will further enlighten tho readers of the FREEMASON ' CHRONICLE with a synopsis of the aforesaid seqnel , and give ns a graphical description , or Tableau Vivant of the Spirits of the " Four Elements . " Boston , U . S ., 12 th July 1881 .

The Leak In Mirror Lodge, No. 82.

THE LEAK IN MIRROR LODGE , No . 82 .

INCIDENTS FROM THE RES GESTJE OF FREE \ rASONRY .

FROM THE MASONIC REVIEW . rpHERE is a leak in Mirror Lodge , No . 82 , beyond all doubt or con J- iroven > y . Bats do not eommnnicate Masonic intelligence ; mice and night-flying insects are reticent in divulging onr secrets ; the days of ghosts and fairies are long past . Yet they only , with three and twenty Masons , heard the fact communicated that "Bro . Bendle

was about to be tried for slandering Bro . Shaw ' s wife ; " yet , for all that , the fact has become as well known throughout the village of Scipio , and has excited as much speculation as the fact that Fill , more and Buchanan were opposing candidates for the Presidency that year . The only explanation to this that we can give is a Leak . Nor is this the first instance on record of a leak in a Masonic

Lodge . Far from it . We wish it was . But our Memorandum book too truthfully reveals a number of them , more or less unplug , able . There is one in Cotchecon Lodge , for instance , through whioh has oozed the unpleasant fact that " Barney Lenter was Blackballed in May last by seven votes . " There is one in Doleg Lodge , at this very time , out of which lately trickled the intelligence that

Mrs . Soaper ' s claim for charity , when he died , was refused because her husband was only a Fellow-Craft . " There is another in Rnsoy Lodge , at this minute , throngh which regularly drops everything that happens there , and a great deal still more curious and interesting that never happened there . These leaks , though unplugable , are not , then , altogether undiscoverable . The one in Cotchecon

Lodge , for instance , is owing to—bnt we are not jnsified in telling all wo know , and we spare Bro . the humiliation of this public exposure . ( Only we say this , if our wife were to ask us as many foolish questions , when we come home from the Lodge late at night , as Mrs . asks him , we would use onr privileges as a hnsband and command her tongue . That ' s rjoz . )

_ Bnt the leak in Mirror Lodge is as much worse than these so lightly touched above , as the consequences that have grown out of it are more grievous . The fact " that the Lodge is about to try Bro . Bendle for slandering Bro . Shaw ' s wife , " is in reality no fact at all . The true state of the case is , that somebody has been handling that estimable lady ' s character very shamefully , and as public opinion has fixed the charge upon Brother B . ( for the very

conclusive reason that there is no other Mason in the neighbourhood upon whom to fix it ) , the said Brother has requested the Lodge to investi gate tho matter with a view to bear favourably upon the pnblic sentiment , that his innocence may be made manifest . And this , too , against the wishes , against the better judgment of the Junior Warden , who has to prosecute the case , and of every member of the Lodge , who is as confident of Bendle ' s innocence as of hi 3

own . Yet the consequences of this leak are , that Bro . Bendle ' s Church looks askant at him , because he is " under Masonic discipline ;" Bro . Bendle ' s partner , who is not a Mason , and , for physical reasons , never can be , is talking of dissolving the connection on account of

the scandal ; the Scipio Investigator ( " weekly , two dollars per an . nnm , in advance " ) teems with insinuations against Bro . Bendle as a " calumniator of female innocence , " and , worst of all , Mrs . Benale , that estimable woman , the daughter of old Father Cornish , cannot be persuaded that her faithless lord has not committed one of V 9 ^ n , orta l sins , " else why shonld the Masons be trying

th \ * ' ' ^ P -e y ^ reader , what evil things have run out of nia leak , and the importance of its being properly and expeditiously th v searc ^ * ° J k SQ ip- board , yon muse stop the trip , keel j > e ship over to larboard or starboard till her bottom is exposed , and nen examine her with all , onr might for the place where the caulking

g 2 ctlvp" So when Brother Gnnther W . M . of Minor Lodge , No . rea , 1 to n f witn fi statement of facts , and craved onr advice , we disD •^ otwltnstal , fliln ? ° nr allegorical but sublime way of his « £ % ht > however , Bro . G . wrote again , reminding ns that ¦ was a Mnsonic , not a commercial . Question . " and wanting to

ctmH at he 8 f , 0 "' ' Descending with as good a grace ns we "St C 0 !? rnanrl to fcne lere ' ° f his comprehension , we explained : — SDor ° fh WOrk oF thp Lor 1 P 5 question the brethren individually ; GnnfL 9 ns P ? cterl brother ;"—and this was so plain that even Bro . « nrither understood it . "d the attentive Master acted npon our advice . He looked the

The Leak In Mirror Lodge, No. 82.

Charter np in his bureau at home ; refused to open the Lodge for three months ; called upon eaoh member individually , and put him to the torture ; examined witnosses , particularly Mrs . Assyd , wifo of Bro . Assyd , the Tyler ( suspected of having a pivot tonguo , id est , one hung in the middle , and moveable as a jewel , at either end ); Miss Moggoly , daughter of Bro . Obed Moggoly ( known to have

AUyn's Ritual in her possession , and believed to put her religions trust therein ) , and old mother Thoroughblood . Those three wero particularly selected as being most likely to point out the leak , or the leaker , if such an one was there . Bnt Gnnther might as well have asked the right hand pillar at the entrance of King Solomon ' s Temple as to question these females . In fact , ho bad better , for

the aforesaid pillars might symbolically have told him a great deal more than he knows , or it is likely ever will know . Bnt Mrs . Assyd simply told him that her husband stayed ont too late at the Lodge for lier good , and , if he didn't come home earlier hereafter , that tho Lodge might find him in lodgings for all she cared ; Miss Moggoly , instead of enlightening him in relation to the leak , put the

leak into him , as Sam Slick oils it , by inqniring whether the ceremony on page 79 of AUyn ' s Ritual is exactly the way Past Masters are made ? And Mother Thoroughblood told him to get out of the house , and not be asking her any of his consulting questions ! And that ' s all that Gnnther got out of these three witnesses . Ifc has been our hap to investigate a great many hard questions ,

and if we have been able to settle a few of them , by dint of time , patience , and perseverance , no wonder , seeing we have failed in so many more . But when by a vote of Mirror Lodge ( we are an honorary member of that Lodge , you know , ) " the intelligent , & c , & c , was requested , in the abundance of his , & c , & c , to advise his loving & c , & o ., members of Mirror Lodg * how to conduct themselves in this

emergency , & c , & c . " we acknowledged we were almost cornered . The Master had tried every nook to get testimony that would convict somebody of nnmasonically communicating the proceedings of the Lodge ; and tho nearest he bad come to it was to prove that Bro . Sore , the carpenter , had inadvertently observed in public that one step to the Junior Warden ' s station was an inoh and a half higher than Bro . Morris had advised . And what could be made out of that ?

After rebuking Bro . Sore , however , in open Lodge , so as to get our hand in , we set to work . Was there any place overhead where a cowan or an eavesdropper could disguise himself ? To answer this Bro . Sore broke open one of the planks in the weather-boarding , and let out such a drift of bats as convinced ns incontinently that no man could hide in that loffc .

Was there any means of reaching a window by ladder during the meetings of the Lodge ? This was satisfactorily answered in the negative . What then P Nobody could answer ; and we all went to bed intending to pursue the investigation next day . That night we were put in the same room with Franklin Harper , that gross man in the flesh , whose weight is said to be unknown .

Bro . Harper eats as though he had the dyspepsia , and digests it afterwards as thongh he hadn't . Being good company , we entertained him after retiring to bed with several chaste and agreeable anecdotes , —so agreeable , in point of fact , that the Brother slightly shook the building , which was of brick , laughing at them . Our stock being exhausted , we let the obese brother go to sleep , whioh he

did instantaneously , and immediately afterwards opened all his batteries with the most fearful snores . As we cannot endure snoring , we lay awake , and for a cheerful entertainment ran over in our mind the demonstration of the fortyseventh problem of Euclid , whioh we had been trying to elucidate to the Lodgo that night , iu connection with the Eureka Hiatus .

But we had hardly got to the fourth step in the demonstration , when , to our surprise , Bro . Harper stopped snoring and began to talk in his sleep . At first he spoke of the girls , as every fellow does who somnambulizes ; but then , to our admiration , he took up Masonry . He talked of the case that had so bothered ns ; explained its difficulties as clearly as , as , as—well , a 3 we ourself

could have done it ; and insinuated , in a maudlmg sort of way , that there was an explanation , " if Bro . Morris only could get at it . " Then be spoke of more private matters still , and only that Brother Franklin Harper knows little or nothing of Masonry , and probably never will , he being so obese , the very mischief might have been played by the sleep-talker .

Here was the leak in Mirror Lodge with a vengeance ! We hurried down to the lower story ; called in all the Masons in the house , and gratified them with the evidence which so well accounted for all these difficulties . Ifc is unnecessary to detail all that followed ; but at the next

Grand Lodge , Bro . Gnnther informed ns with great glee that Bro . Harper lad been put upon a cracker diet , and had married Miss Moggoly—whioh two events were found happily to cure the evil complained of . So the leak in Mirror Lodge tuas plugged after all .

Bro . James Terry P . M ., P . Z ., & c , rehearsed the ceremonies of Consecration and Installation on Wednesday , 27 th instant , at the Mount Lebanon Lodge of Instrnction , Horse Shoe Inn , Newington Causeway . The Lodge was attended by thirty-nine brethren , amongst whom were

Bros . R . Gallant , Glad well , J . H . Gabb , Moore , and Ball , Past Masters ; Croaker , Catterson , Forster , Morrison , and R . Taylor , W . Masters . The musical portion of the ceremonies was conducted by Bro . R . Taylor , assisted by Bros . Chapman , Moorcroft , Cooper , G . W . Evans , Chubb , and Dnffield .