Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
Multum In Parbo, Or Masonic Notes And Queries.
Multum in parbo , or Masonic notes and Queries .
—» " . HUGHAN AND THE BIBLE QUESTION . " I shall have much pleasure in replying to the fraternal remarks by Bro . Jacob Norton , of Boston , U . S ., in about a fortnight . I
shall be away from home all the next week , and being so much engaged one way and another , it is quite impossible for me to do so before . As a member of the Jewish persuasion ,
Bro . Norton naturally views Freemasonry in a somewhat different light to myself , as a professed Christian ; but as the point at issue is neither what are his proclivities , nor what are mint , but what are the evidences
in support of my article inserted in THE FREEMASON for January 7 th , we need not labour under any difficulty because of our religious beliefs . I object to gratuitous assumptions , and shall notice no objections
unless made to certain statements of mine . I mention this because part of Bro . Norton ' s letter I strongly support , and therefore that intelligent and zealous Mason will see he has done wrong to class me among
those who oppose absolute freedom for all religionists , as to their obligations upon entering Freemasonry , and as to their
continuance as members of our universal and unsectarian Institution . W . J AMES HUGHAN . Truro , 25 th Feb ., 1871 .
" COWAN , " " HELE , " SZC . I have long thought that the word cowan has a Masonic origin , and that consequently we need not accept fanciful notions of its derivation , as some learned Masonic authors favour us with .
If it be not a Masonic word exclusively , will some brother kindly instance its use by a non-Mason at a period when it is evident Freemasonry could not have been in any way connected with its origin .
That " hele " means to " cover or hide , " as Bro . W . Carpenter well observes , and which view is supported by Bro . W . de St . Croix , I have no doubt . The use of three apparent synonyms like
" hele , conceal , " & c , seems to be for the purpose of drawing more than ordinary attention to the solemnity and importance of the O . B ., as with " evasion , equivocation , " & c . W . J AMES HUGHAN .
ANCIENT AND ACCEPTED RITE . I am enabled to enlighten " Historicus " on the reception of Bros . Goss { alias Crucefix ) and Leeson in the following extract , for which I am indebted to a friend ; it is valuable and worthy of your pages .
There is no doubt that both Bros . Goss and Leeson violated their obligations when they established their self-elected , so-called , S . C . In their case , the violation is the more reprehensible as they could have had
no object but the acquisition of power by any or every means , as the degrees were under a better elective government than that they established , and which is now again revived by my own and many other
chapters of the Templar high grades , which organisation our friends are invited to join . But the facts seem to be that all reformers hive thrown their ] obligitions to the winds of heaven when it suited their
purpose ; prove a wrong ( they say ) and the obligations founded on it ceases . If we are bound to support an obligation after conviction of error , then the first line of the Prayer Book is wrong ; and the Irish Church would not have fallen . Is that
Multum In Parbo, Or Masonic Notes And Queries.
which is not binding on statesmen binding onothers ? WasGalileo bound in honournot to divulge the fact that the earth was round ? Still more , Savonarolo against his priestly obligation ; and , again , still more , Martin
Luther ? Are all seceding clergymen from the 39 Articles dishonourable ? These make it no question of honour at all , but one of logic . To bring the matter home to our own Order , we are informed by Cornelius
Agrippa that the followers of the material philosophy of Aristotle , bound their disciples by oath never to transgress his rules . Take down a copy of the Mosaicall Philosophy , of Robt . Fludd , the Rosicrucian
( 1633 ) , and we find him glorying in the fact that he repudiated an oath he had vowed " by a ceremonial rite" to this papal philosophy in his youth . A brother may
therefore be justified in repudiating a promise of obedience where that is a tendency to ' evil , as in the case of the A . and A . Rite .
I mention this as anticipatory of any reply the Rev . Bro . Newnham may make to my last , and would not wish to discuss the question further , as I consider such a discussion altogether unsuited to your
pages . I hold my plighted word as sacred as any man , but these are casuistical questions for one ' s own judgment , and on which one may be quite as capable of deciding as Bro . Newnham .
[ Extract above alluded to . ] Laws and Regulations of the Cross of Christ Encampment , No . 20 , ' London , 1837 . R . T . Crucefix , E . Commander . X . That the admission fee to this Encampment
be five guineas ; that the Candidates for the Superior Degrees of R . C . and N . P . U ., do pay thres guineas each ( which shall include the expenses of the banquet ); and should any Knight Companion of the Encampment be desirous of
receiving the Order of K . of M ., he shall pay the additional fee of two guineas on his admission to such Order . Page S . A joining Member , according to rule xi ., not having " received the Superior Degrees of R . C .
and N . P . U . and K . of M ., he shall be entitled to those degrees on the same terms as the other Members of the Encampment . " XIV . That a Sovereign Chapter of the R . C . and N . P . U . Degrees shall be holden once a year on or
near Good Friday ( emergencies excepted ) , & c . Robert Thos . Crucefix , M . D ., joined the En campment 33 rd September , 1831 , from Edinburgh
Henrv Beaumont Leeson , A . M ., Blue Stile , Green wick , ' was installed K . T . Dec . 16 , 1836 , and R . C and N . P . U . May 5 , 1837 . J YARKER .
P . S . —This is itself quite conclusive of the sole legal right of the Templars to their own degrees ; for the so-called S . C . was not established till 1845 . I may state that some years ago I was
informed that the Ne Plus Ultra practised by the Cross of Christ Encampment was the Templar Priest , or N . P . U . of the Ancient York Rite ; and that neither Dr . Goss ( alias Crucefix ) or Dr . Leeson ever
had the degrees which they set up to confer . This is confirmed by the list of degrees and titles possessed by Bro . " Crucefix , " given in the " Freemasons' Quarterly , " vol . Sth ,
1 S 41 , and by the fact that the system of " Cross of Christ " was identical with the official ritual of the Scottish Templars . J- Y .
MASONS' COMPANY . From the " City of London Directory " we learn the following particulars respecting this company : — Office . —Their hall in Basinghall-street is now let ,
the income being devoted to charity . Charters . —This company was originally designate the " Citizens and Freemasons of London" in
1410 . They were first incorporated by 29 th Cnarles II ., December 17 th , 1677 , and their byelaws were approved shortly afterwards . James II . gave them a new charter February 9 th , 1686 . This
Multum In Parbo, Or Masonic Notes And Queries.
was , however , vacated by statute of William and Mary , and Queen Anne exemplified and confirmed their previous charter , December 17 th , 1677 . Arms . — Sable : on a chevron , between three towers argent , a pair of compasses of the first .
Crest : on a wreath a castle , as in arms . •Motto : " In the Lord is all our Trust . " Fees Payable . — Upon taking up the freedom : by patrimony or servitude , ^ 5 s . ; by purchase , £ 7 7 s . Upon admission to the livery , £ 1 $ 15 s . Upon
election to the Court of Assistants , , £ 5 ; Wardens , , £ 15 ; Master , ^ 10 . Charities . — These are several small pensions given to decayed members of the company or their widows ; for particulars application should be made to the clerk .
THE ARK DEGREE . Having seen so much in your paper lately about this degree , and coming across the " Scenes in the Life of Savonarolo , " I
send you an extract , with an enquiry whether the teachings conveyed in that degree correspond with those of that excellent man : —
" In Advent , Savonarolo had pointed out the need in which the Church stood of chastening and purifying , and that the scourge which was to perform this office was close at hand ; and now he proceeded
to treat of a sort of allegorical ark , which was to be the refuge of those who wished to escape from those imminent perils . This ark , literally speaking , was the ark built by Noah , but Savonarolo represents it
figuratively as a sort of haven of safety for the righteous ; faith is the length of it , charity is the breadth of it , and hope is the height of it . Savonarolo discoursed upon this strange allegory throughout Lent ; every day , he
added , he would ? ay , 'a new plank to the ship , ' and by this he would explain that he meant another of the virtues necessary to all faithful Christians . At last , on the morning of Easter-day , the allegorical ark was
completed . ' Let every one hasten , ' he said , when concluding his sermon that day , ' let every one hasten to enter into the Ark of
the Lord . To-day Noah invites you all to enter in ; the door is open now , but a day is coming when it will be shut , and many will seek to enter in , but shall not be able . '" W . D .
RODOCANACHI AND RHODOCANAKIS . When I inform " W . M . " that Prince Demetrius Rhodocanakis ( not
Rodocanachi ) is under thirty years 01 age , he will at once see that the Demetrius Rhodocanachi about whom he inquires is not the same individual .
From twenty years knowledge of the Greeks , I may add also that he cannot be a near relative either ; but i ( it is of any importance to " W . M . " to find a cousinship , I will try to ascertain for him .
There was a D . K . Rodoconachi , a Greek merchant who failed in Manchester some time ago , who , I know , assumed the name on leaving Smyrna . He held no blood relationship whatever . J YARKER .
Will you kindly answer the following query through the medium of your columns : Is it perfectly correct for a brother , who is not a W . M . or a P . M ., to
deliver the lectures on the tracing boards , either as a sequel to the degree , or for the instruction of such brethren as wish to hear those lectures ? JUNIOR .
[ There is no law in the Masonic Constitutions to preclude a W . M . from calling upon any brother to assist either by delivering the lecture on the lecture or explanation of working tools , & c . ED . ]
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
Multum In Parbo, Or Masonic Notes And Queries.
Multum in parbo , or Masonic notes and Queries .
—» " . HUGHAN AND THE BIBLE QUESTION . " I shall have much pleasure in replying to the fraternal remarks by Bro . Jacob Norton , of Boston , U . S ., in about a fortnight . I
shall be away from home all the next week , and being so much engaged one way and another , it is quite impossible for me to do so before . As a member of the Jewish persuasion ,
Bro . Norton naturally views Freemasonry in a somewhat different light to myself , as a professed Christian ; but as the point at issue is neither what are his proclivities , nor what are mint , but what are the evidences
in support of my article inserted in THE FREEMASON for January 7 th , we need not labour under any difficulty because of our religious beliefs . I object to gratuitous assumptions , and shall notice no objections
unless made to certain statements of mine . I mention this because part of Bro . Norton ' s letter I strongly support , and therefore that intelligent and zealous Mason will see he has done wrong to class me among
those who oppose absolute freedom for all religionists , as to their obligations upon entering Freemasonry , and as to their
continuance as members of our universal and unsectarian Institution . W . J AMES HUGHAN . Truro , 25 th Feb ., 1871 .
" COWAN , " " HELE , " SZC . I have long thought that the word cowan has a Masonic origin , and that consequently we need not accept fanciful notions of its derivation , as some learned Masonic authors favour us with .
If it be not a Masonic word exclusively , will some brother kindly instance its use by a non-Mason at a period when it is evident Freemasonry could not have been in any way connected with its origin .
That " hele " means to " cover or hide , " as Bro . W . Carpenter well observes , and which view is supported by Bro . W . de St . Croix , I have no doubt . The use of three apparent synonyms like
" hele , conceal , " & c , seems to be for the purpose of drawing more than ordinary attention to the solemnity and importance of the O . B ., as with " evasion , equivocation , " & c . W . J AMES HUGHAN .
ANCIENT AND ACCEPTED RITE . I am enabled to enlighten " Historicus " on the reception of Bros . Goss { alias Crucefix ) and Leeson in the following extract , for which I am indebted to a friend ; it is valuable and worthy of your pages .
There is no doubt that both Bros . Goss and Leeson violated their obligations when they established their self-elected , so-called , S . C . In their case , the violation is the more reprehensible as they could have had
no object but the acquisition of power by any or every means , as the degrees were under a better elective government than that they established , and which is now again revived by my own and many other
chapters of the Templar high grades , which organisation our friends are invited to join . But the facts seem to be that all reformers hive thrown their ] obligitions to the winds of heaven when it suited their
purpose ; prove a wrong ( they say ) and the obligations founded on it ceases . If we are bound to support an obligation after conviction of error , then the first line of the Prayer Book is wrong ; and the Irish Church would not have fallen . Is that
Multum In Parbo, Or Masonic Notes And Queries.
which is not binding on statesmen binding onothers ? WasGalileo bound in honournot to divulge the fact that the earth was round ? Still more , Savonarolo against his priestly obligation ; and , again , still more , Martin
Luther ? Are all seceding clergymen from the 39 Articles dishonourable ? These make it no question of honour at all , but one of logic . To bring the matter home to our own Order , we are informed by Cornelius
Agrippa that the followers of the material philosophy of Aristotle , bound their disciples by oath never to transgress his rules . Take down a copy of the Mosaicall Philosophy , of Robt . Fludd , the Rosicrucian
( 1633 ) , and we find him glorying in the fact that he repudiated an oath he had vowed " by a ceremonial rite" to this papal philosophy in his youth . A brother may
therefore be justified in repudiating a promise of obedience where that is a tendency to ' evil , as in the case of the A . and A . Rite .
I mention this as anticipatory of any reply the Rev . Bro . Newnham may make to my last , and would not wish to discuss the question further , as I consider such a discussion altogether unsuited to your
pages . I hold my plighted word as sacred as any man , but these are casuistical questions for one ' s own judgment , and on which one may be quite as capable of deciding as Bro . Newnham .
[ Extract above alluded to . ] Laws and Regulations of the Cross of Christ Encampment , No . 20 , ' London , 1837 . R . T . Crucefix , E . Commander . X . That the admission fee to this Encampment
be five guineas ; that the Candidates for the Superior Degrees of R . C . and N . P . U ., do pay thres guineas each ( which shall include the expenses of the banquet ); and should any Knight Companion of the Encampment be desirous of
receiving the Order of K . of M ., he shall pay the additional fee of two guineas on his admission to such Order . Page S . A joining Member , according to rule xi ., not having " received the Superior Degrees of R . C .
and N . P . U . and K . of M ., he shall be entitled to those degrees on the same terms as the other Members of the Encampment . " XIV . That a Sovereign Chapter of the R . C . and N . P . U . Degrees shall be holden once a year on or
near Good Friday ( emergencies excepted ) , & c . Robert Thos . Crucefix , M . D ., joined the En campment 33 rd September , 1831 , from Edinburgh
Henrv Beaumont Leeson , A . M ., Blue Stile , Green wick , ' was installed K . T . Dec . 16 , 1836 , and R . C and N . P . U . May 5 , 1837 . J YARKER .
P . S . —This is itself quite conclusive of the sole legal right of the Templars to their own degrees ; for the so-called S . C . was not established till 1845 . I may state that some years ago I was
informed that the Ne Plus Ultra practised by the Cross of Christ Encampment was the Templar Priest , or N . P . U . of the Ancient York Rite ; and that neither Dr . Goss ( alias Crucefix ) or Dr . Leeson ever
had the degrees which they set up to confer . This is confirmed by the list of degrees and titles possessed by Bro . " Crucefix , " given in the " Freemasons' Quarterly , " vol . Sth ,
1 S 41 , and by the fact that the system of " Cross of Christ " was identical with the official ritual of the Scottish Templars . J- Y .
MASONS' COMPANY . From the " City of London Directory " we learn the following particulars respecting this company : — Office . —Their hall in Basinghall-street is now let ,
the income being devoted to charity . Charters . —This company was originally designate the " Citizens and Freemasons of London" in
1410 . They were first incorporated by 29 th Cnarles II ., December 17 th , 1677 , and their byelaws were approved shortly afterwards . James II . gave them a new charter February 9 th , 1686 . This
Multum In Parbo, Or Masonic Notes And Queries.
was , however , vacated by statute of William and Mary , and Queen Anne exemplified and confirmed their previous charter , December 17 th , 1677 . Arms . — Sable : on a chevron , between three towers argent , a pair of compasses of the first .
Crest : on a wreath a castle , as in arms . •Motto : " In the Lord is all our Trust . " Fees Payable . — Upon taking up the freedom : by patrimony or servitude , ^ 5 s . ; by purchase , £ 7 7 s . Upon admission to the livery , £ 1 $ 15 s . Upon
election to the Court of Assistants , , £ 5 ; Wardens , , £ 15 ; Master , ^ 10 . Charities . — These are several small pensions given to decayed members of the company or their widows ; for particulars application should be made to the clerk .
THE ARK DEGREE . Having seen so much in your paper lately about this degree , and coming across the " Scenes in the Life of Savonarolo , " I
send you an extract , with an enquiry whether the teachings conveyed in that degree correspond with those of that excellent man : —
" In Advent , Savonarolo had pointed out the need in which the Church stood of chastening and purifying , and that the scourge which was to perform this office was close at hand ; and now he proceeded
to treat of a sort of allegorical ark , which was to be the refuge of those who wished to escape from those imminent perils . This ark , literally speaking , was the ark built by Noah , but Savonarolo represents it
figuratively as a sort of haven of safety for the righteous ; faith is the length of it , charity is the breadth of it , and hope is the height of it . Savonarolo discoursed upon this strange allegory throughout Lent ; every day , he
added , he would ? ay , 'a new plank to the ship , ' and by this he would explain that he meant another of the virtues necessary to all faithful Christians . At last , on the morning of Easter-day , the allegorical ark was
completed . ' Let every one hasten , ' he said , when concluding his sermon that day , ' let every one hasten to enter into the Ark of
the Lord . To-day Noah invites you all to enter in ; the door is open now , but a day is coming when it will be shut , and many will seek to enter in , but shall not be able . '" W . D .
RODOCANACHI AND RHODOCANAKIS . When I inform " W . M . " that Prince Demetrius Rhodocanakis ( not
Rodocanachi ) is under thirty years 01 age , he will at once see that the Demetrius Rhodocanachi about whom he inquires is not the same individual .
From twenty years knowledge of the Greeks , I may add also that he cannot be a near relative either ; but i ( it is of any importance to " W . M . " to find a cousinship , I will try to ascertain for him .
There was a D . K . Rodoconachi , a Greek merchant who failed in Manchester some time ago , who , I know , assumed the name on leaving Smyrna . He held no blood relationship whatever . J YARKER .
Will you kindly answer the following query through the medium of your columns : Is it perfectly correct for a brother , who is not a W . M . or a P . M ., to
deliver the lectures on the tracing boards , either as a sequel to the degree , or for the instruction of such brethren as wish to hear those lectures ? JUNIOR .
[ There is no law in the Masonic Constitutions to preclude a W . M . from calling upon any brother to assist either by delivering the lecture on the lecture or explanation of working tools , & c . ED . ]