Notes On The " United Orders Of The Temple And Hospital."

T , , xnourned as well as flourished , but there . - it nature and constitution a principle of ism . . . ....

., - •( . „ which has carried it through all the storms of life . Its cant '¦ iliiuance , by representatives , as well as , title is a '"* ' indisputable a fact as the existence

f any other Chivalric fraternity . The Templars f these days -Claim no titular rank , yet their tition is so far" i &' etitified with that of the other orders of knig tttL ' -ood that they assert equal

purity of descent from the same brig ht source of chivalry . Nor is" it possible to impugn the leg itimate claims to 'honorable estimation , which the modern brethren * if * Temple derive from

the antiquity and prist ine . lustre of their Order , without at the same time shaking toits centre the whole venerable fabric of knightly honour . " Mackay , in his "Lexicon of Masonry , " quotes

this statement , and gives' a list of the Grand Masters ofthe Order down f P ^ sent day . Lawrie , in his History of Frt -emasonry in Scotland , gives the charter of transm . '" * ** 51011 m "" ' ¦

This charter has . been declared i > « ; l clever forgery from beginntng to end , and ' c * whicli all the members have been dupes , but Br /' - Woof very justly remarks in his valuable little w ork on

the Order , * that though it is advanced in support of the allegation that Bertrand du Guesclin signed his name to the charter as Grand Master , when history says he could not write ; yet this

of itself would not be sufficient to prove it a forgery . Moreover , it appears from Bro . Woof ' s account , that Guesclin ' s name is signed with a cross on the charter , and some of the signatures have been identified , notably that of the Due

deDuras , in wsi . A portion of the charter of Mark Larmenius , who succeeded Jaques de Molay as Grand Master , translated from the orig inal Latin , runs -as follows :

" Lastly , with the decree of the Grand Convent of the brethren , by my supreme authority , I will declare and decree the Scotch Templars deserters of the Order , cast off with an anathema

they and their brethren of St . John of Jerusalem , J [ despoilers of the dominions of the militia to whom may God show mercy without the pale of the Temple , now and for ever .

Ar00303

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Reviews.

Reviews .

The Old- Charges of English Freemasons . By WILLIAM J AMES HUGHAN , with a Preface b y the Rev . A . F . A . WOODFORD , M . A . For some time past we have hailed , with heartfelt pleasure , a growing tendency in our excellent Order , carefully to consider , and criticisingly to

study , ' those traditions and legends which form so striking , and in some respects , so peculiar a feature in its existence and history-Like the poet , we are tempted to say , to many pseudo-critics now-a-days , of Masonic history generally

Spare the legend for its beauty Carp not , what is it to you ? If the letter is a fable In its spirit it is true ? Not that we at all wish to imply that we deem the Masonic Legend a fable in any sense , but

only that their words seem to contain a truth , which we shall all do well to bear in mind . As a general rule , it is to be feared , that we English Masons content ourselves with the now time-honoured records of the Cratt , contained in the earlier works of our brethren , J .

Anderson and W . Preston , and thc later productions of Bro . Laurie and Bro . Dr . Oliver . Beyond their range of investigation and of research , many worthy brethren seem to dislike to stray , believing apparently , that if we do so , we are wandering into some "terra incognita "

altogether , and that in this respect , as in many others in this world , the good old adage is still , on thc whole , both true and trustworthy , which bids us " quieta non movere . " But several influences have combined to render any such stationary views almost untenable at

the present day , and to open out before us , on the contrary , a wide and progressive field of inquiry and investigation . There has been , for instance , that Germanic Masonic movement , which has been going on practically ever since the '* jjj ! end of * the last century , and

which has culminated , so to say , in the very interesting and admirable history of German Freemasonry , regard being also had to its history in general , recently put forth by our learned brother , J . Findel , and which has been alread y translated into English , for our brethren in this country .

It is uot too much really , to say , that we owe to a great extent , to our German brethren , and not the least to Bro . J . Findel , the great impetus , and the clear direction , which have been given to a more accurate and critical examination of our Masonic annals , and

of our Masonic archaeology . Much attention has also lately been paid to the antiquities and claims of what are termed , sometimes , the Chivalric Orders in Freemasonry , and Bro . Leeson , and Bro . Yarker , have both contributedmore than one interesting paper and able

essay on the subject . They both , if we understand their views aright , build up the whole fabric of Freemasonry , or some mystic Order or Rosicrucian Confraternity , and though we cannot pause now , to point out the utter helplessness of any such theories , on any safe grounds of authentic

history , as it seems to us , yet we can , as Freemasons , anxious for inquiry , and always ready to hear both sides , gladly welcome all such contributions to the common store of Masonic Archaeology generally . And happily too , of late years , our Craft history has been more carefull y

sifted and studied , than of yore , and very praiseworthy efforts have been made to give a more intellectual tone to our literature and discussions on the subject . Curiously enough , a non-mason , Mr . J . O . Halliwell , may be said to have led the way , some

years ago , by the publication of that very interesting Masonic poem , ofthe latter pa ** t ofthe fourteenth century , among the King ' s MSS . in the British Museum , and our Bro ., M . Cooke , published also some few years back , the earliest prose " Constitution , " among the additional MS .

in the same great repository of national literature , and which has ever seemed to us quite a Landmark ,, if we may use the word , in our Masonic investigations . . .... Bro . W . J . FIughan , to \ Vhbrri our Craft is greatly indebted , for his untiring energy , has contributed more than one most interesting Constitu-

Reviews.

tion , from timeto time , ancl printed each , separately or conjointly with others , for the use ofthe brethren , while Bro . D . Murray Lyon , Bro , J . Mackay m America , as well as anonymous correspondents like " Lupus , " "A Masonic Student , " & c , have called the attention of the brethren repeatedly of

late years , to many subjects of interest and importance . Nor can we forgot Bro . W . P . Buchan , who has upheld his favourite theory , and vindicated his ' peculiar explanation of our Masonic history , with his wonted earnestness and tenacity , and let us say , in all fraternal friendship ,

sometimes with a little more zeal than discretion . All these , and in some respects , opposing influences have compelled us , as it were , to reopen the whole question of Masonic history , and to endeavour to substantiate the claims we have put forward , and the statement that all wore

in the habit of making as Freemasons . This has entailed a great deal of controversy , because , as a general rule , we are in the habit of relying with comfortable complacency or tranquil indifference , on the assertion and opinions of our earlier writers .

Our- German brethren , with that closeness of historical research , and that patient investigation so peculiar to themselves , have for a long time subjected all Masonic documents , and historical Legends , and antiquarian claims , to the crucible , so to say , of a calm and careful criticism .

And tints , as these investigations have proceeded , we have found it necessary to see , whether some of our anachronisms might not be corrected , some of our conflicting statements mi ght not be reconciled , and same of the . occasional errata of our traditionary legends , might

not be removed , which the lapse of time ot unavoidable mistakes have occasioned , so that , no longer upholding what a modern writer has termed too hastily , "the fables of the Freemasons , " we can , at any rate , offer to the Craft , and to the world , a reasonable and trustworthy history of

our world-wide association , whose continuance and preservation in the world , constitute in themselves one of the most marvellous facts in thc annals and progress of mankind . But in order to arrive at such a consummation , so devoutly to be wished for by ail lovers

of our good old Craft , we naturally require both evidences and authorities , which can meet alike the most searching criticism , and the most accurate investigation . And in these two points , some of our Alasonic writers appear to us somewhat at times to be deficient .

l'hey often do , as it seems to us , what a learned judge once said of a barrister , pleading before him , " You assume the point , und then argue upon it , and in both you are wrong . "

We have often ourselves ,, for instance , favourite views and preconceived theories to uphold , and we accordingly try to square facts to our own theories , or make tlie evidence dovetail in with our own views .

Hence , it has been considered , and we think both wisely and seasonably , that the best and safest way is , to use a military term , as it werc , to" break ground" afresh , and following a metaphor , derived from the same line profession , to make our " advances" and " covered ways , " aud " connecting parallels , " before the great fortress

of historic truth , and by careful compilation and collation of all known and existing sources of evidence and information , manuscript or printed , to collect data , reliable in themselves , and on which , like the " faithful sojourners , " we can build up a lasting fabric on sure and safe foundations .

But to do this thoroughly , necessarily , of course , will and must entail much studious comparison of available documents , both untiring lesearchandhonestcriticism , and above all , should

ever be marked by a scrupulous regard for Truth qua Truth , as without this last and abiding characteristic of our enquiries , they never can reall y tend to any good purpose , or satisfactory conclusion .

If we go to work in this spirit , we may , without much difficulty , as it appears to us , prove to our many opppauerits and satisfy ourselves , that our Masonic history is after all , not onl y in the main authentic , but , that , there is in it much , not onl y calculated to interest our own Craft but those who are not Masons . Now , we do uot mean to say for one mo-