The Symbolism & Significance Of Numbers.

ber seven . In the old " Rosie Crusian , & c , quoted from by Bro . Hughan ,. in the Rosicrusian Record of April , seven is said to be a fit symbol of God , as He is considered having finished the six days' creation , for then He creates nothing

further [?] and therefore his creation is very fitly set out by the number 7 . And as Plato observes , " all numbers within the decade are cast in the three ranks . " Some beget but are not begotten , others are begotten but do not beget , the last both beget and are begotten ; the number 7 is

only excepted—that is neither begotten nor begets any number : which is a perfect emblem of God . In Masonry , the number seven is an essential number , the septenary influence exerting itself in many different ways . We have not space to notice the numerous significant ways in which the number 7 is signalised in the Bible .. ( To be continued . )

Ancient And Modern Mysteries.

ANCIENT AND MODERN MYSTERIES .

Bv BRO . ROBERT WENTWORTH LITTLE , Provincial Grand Secretory , Mida'lcsejr ; Presiihnl oj the London Literary Union ; Editor of " The Rosicrucian" & - * c . ( Continued from page IS 7- ) To these romantic tales of the paradise of the Old Man of the Mountain may be added one of a

still more juggling character , furnished by the learned and venerable Sheikh Abd-ur-Rahman ( Servant ofthe Compassionate , i . e ., of God ) Ben Ebubekr Al-Jeriri of Damascus , in the twenty-fourth chapter of his work , entitled "A Choice Book for Discovering the Secrets ofthe Art of Imposture . "

After giving some account of Sinan , the chief of the Syrian Assassins , whom we shall presently have occasion to mention , the [ Sheikh proceeds to narrate thc artifice which he employed to deceive his followers : — " There was near the sofa on which he sat a hole

in thc ground sufficiently deep for a man to sit down in it . This he covered with a thin piece of wood , leaving only so much of it open as would contain the neck of a man . He placed on this cover of wood a disk of bronze with a hole in the middle of it , and put in it two doors . Then taking one of

his disciples , to whom he had given a considerable sum of money to obtain his consent , he placed the perforated disk round his neck , and kept it down by weights , so that nothing appeared but the neck of the man ; and he put warm blood upon it , so that it looked as if he had just cut off his head . He then

called in his companions , and showed them the plate , on which they beheld the head of their comrade . ' Tell thy comrades , ' said the master to the head , ' what thou has seen , and what has been said unto thee . ' The man then answered as he had been previously instructed . ' Which wouldest thou

prefer , ' said the master , ' to return to thc world and thy friends , or to dwell in paradise ? ' ' What need have I , ' replied the head , ' to return to thc world after having seen my pavilion in paradise , and thc hoories , and all that God has prepared for me ? Comrades , salute my family , and take care not to

disobey this prophet , who is thc lord of the prophets in the state of time , as God has said unto me . Farewell . " These words strengthened the faith of the others ; and when they were gone tlie master took thc man up out of the hole , and cut off his head in right earnest . It was by such means as

this that ho made himself obeyed by his people . " The following instance of thc implicit obedience ofthe Fedavee to the orders of Hasan Sabah is given by a respectable Oriental historian . An ambassador from the Sultan Malek Shah having come to Alamoot to demand the submission and obedience

of the Sheik , Hassan received him in a hall in which he had assembled several of his followers . Making a sign to one youth , he said , " Kill thyself ! " Instantly the young man ' s dagger was plunged into his own bosom , and he lay a corpse upon the ground . To another he said , " Fling

thyself down from the wall . " In an instant his shattered limbs were lying in thc castle ditch . Then turning to the terrified envoy , "I have seventy thousand folloivers who obey me after this fashion . This be my answer to thy master . " Very nearly thc same talc is told of the Assassins

of Syria by a western writer . As Henry Count of Champagne was journeying , in the year 1194 , from Palestine to Armenia , his road lay through thc confines of the . territories of the Isma'llitcs . The chief sent some persons

to salute him , and to beg that , on his icturn , he would stop at , and partake of the hospitality of his castle . The Count accepted the invitation . As he returned , the Dail-Kcbir advanced to meet him , showed him every mark of honour , and led him to view his castles and fortresses . Having passed

Ancient And Modern Mysteries.

through several , they came at length to one , the towers of which rose to an exceeding height . On each tower stood two sentinels clad in white . " These , " said thc chief , pointing to them , " obey me far better than the subjects of you Christians obey their lords ; " and at a given signal two of them

flung themselves down , and were dashed to pieces . " If you wish , " said he to the astonished Count , " all my white ones shall do the same . " The benevolent Count shrank from the proposal , and candidly avowed that no Christian prince could presume to look for such obedience from his subjects . When

he was departing with many valuable presents the chief said to him , significantly , " By means of these trusty servants I get rid of the enemies of our society . " In Oriental , and also in Occidental history , the same anecdote is often told of different persons , a

circumstance which might induce us to doubt of its truth altogether , or at least of its truth in any particular case . The present anecdote , for instance , with a slight variation in the details , is told of Aboo Taher , a celebrated leader of the Carmathites . This chief , " after his expedition to Mecca—in which

he had slain 30 , 000 of thc inhabitants , filled the hallowed well Zemzem with the bodies of dead men , and carried off the sacred black stone in triumphhad the hardihood to approach Bagdad , the residence of the Khalif , with only 500 horsemen . The Pontiff of Islam , enraged at the insult , ordered his

general , Aboo Saj , to take 30 , 000 men , and make him a prisoner . The latter , having collected his forces , sent a man off to Aboo Taher to tell him on his part that , out of regard for him , who had been his old friend , he advised him , as he had so few troops with him , cither to yield himself at once to

the Khalif or to see about making his escape . Aboo Taher asked of the envoy how many men Aboo Saj had with him . The envoy replied , " Thirty thousand . " " He still wants three like mine , " said Aboo Taher ; and , calling to him three of his men , he ordered one of them to ¦ stab himself , another to

throw himself into the Tigris , a third to fling himself down from a precipice . His commands were at once obeyed . Then turning to the envoy , " He who has such troops fears not thc number of his enemies . I give thyself quarter ; but know that I shall soon let thee see thy general Aboo Saj

chained among my dogs , " In fact , that very night he attacked and routed the troops ofthe Khalif , and Aboo Saj , happening to fall into his hands , soon appeared chained among the mastiffs of the Carmathite chief . ( To be continued ) .

Cardinal Cullen.

CARDINAL CULLEN .

Archdeacon Goold , in a letter to the Evening Mail , makes a point against Cardinal Cullen in relation to his alliance with Mr . Gladstone , and its effects in Longford and elsewhere , thus : " That eminent , practical , Christian and able

theologian—Cardinal Cullen—has issued a voluminous pastoral , in which Freemasonry is denounced as the fous el origio of all that is atheistical , infidel , and revolutionary in society . I suppose that the lives and characters of the . amiable and

exemplary Duke of Lcinster , ancl thousands of my Roman Catholic countrymen , are ' confirmations strong as Holy Writ' ofthe truth of his Eminence ' s charitable invectives . " I was somewhat disappointed to find that not even one solitary nook was reserved in this precious

document for the condemnation of the holy proceedings of thc ' pious and patriotic priesthood' at the late Longford , Tipperary , Sligo , and Drogheda elections . Alas ! sir , it is come to this , that "' Every woe a tear can claim Save an erring brother ' s shame . '"

THE FREEMASONS' LIFE BOAT . —The committee of the above fund met at llro . Foster ' s , Railway Tavern , London-street , E . G ., on Thursday , May 51 I 1 . Bro . T . Mortlock , P . M . 186 , in the chair . There were also present Bros . S . Davis , 141 , Treasurer ; E . Gottheil , P . M . 141 , Hon . Sec . ; N . Gluckstein , 141 ., P . M . 51 , P . P . G . S . W . ; Mann , P . M . ancl P . Z ., iSG ; Wm . Carter , P . M . and Treas .

141 ; Cobham , P . M . 145 , etc . Several resolutions tending to promote the interest of the movement were proposed and carried . The I Ion . Sec . then announced the following additional subscriptions : Acknowledged in THE FREEMASON April 16 th , 1870 , , £ 72 19 s . Lodges — St . Matthew ' s , 850 , £ 1 ; Virtue and Honour , 494 , £ 1 is . ; Anglesca , 1113 , ^ 1 is . ; Wilton , 1077 , £ 2 2 s . ; Freedom ,

77 , £ 5 ; Royal , 643 , £ 1 is . ; Harmony , 156 , £ 1 Is . j Portland , 1037 , ^ 5 ; St . Luke ' s , 144 , £$ 5 s . ; St . David's , 393 . £ ' is . ; Faith , 141 , £$ 5 s . liros . Mann , P . M . 186 , £ 1 is . ; G . Kelly , P . M . 63 , 2 / 6 ; G . Henley , 186 , 2 / 6 ; II . Carpenter , 1 S 6 , 2 / 6 ; G . F . Berry , P . M . 144 , 2 / 6 ; Morton Edwards , 144 , 2 / 6 ; W . Nott , 141 , 5 / 0 ; Kcv . Brcnchly Kmgsford , 10 / 6 ; CL Parsons . 10 / 0 : Thomas

Seahon , 10 / 0 ; T . Mortlock , P . M . 1 S 6 , £ 1 is . ; per S . Davis , 141 , £ 1 is . ; total , £ 107 7 s . A vote of thanks to the chairman terminated the proceedings . —It is requested that those brethren who have taken charge of receipt books , will forward them and cash received , at the next meeting of the committee , which will lake place on Thursday , the 2 nd of June , 1870 , at 8 p . m .

Provincial Grand Lodge Of Middlesex.

PROVINCIAL GRAND LODGE OF MIDDLESEX .

A meeting of this Provincial Grand Lodge was held at the Northumberland Arms Hotel , Isleworth , on Saturday , the 7 th inst ., under the auspices of the Villiers Lodge , No . 1194 . About half-past four o'clock , the Provincial Grand Officers entered the Iodide room in the following order : — Bros . A . J . Codner , J . Taylor , G . Kenning , T . Cuhitt ,

A . Avery and Major H . W . Palmer ( Acting ) , P . G . Stewards ; J . G . Marsh , Asst . G . Purst . ; W . Smeed , G . Purst . ; J . J . Wilson , J . G . D . ; R . Wentworth Little , G . Sec . ; G . Cordwell , G . Reg . ; H . G . Buss , G . Treas . ; Rev . D . Siiaboe , ( Acting ) G . Chaplain ; . J . M . Stedwell , J . G . W . ; John Hervey ( G . Sec , Eng . ) , as D . P . G . M . ; Colonel F . Burdett , P . G . Master , and the acting D . C .

The P . G . M . then assumed the chair , which had previously been filled by Bro . E . Clark , P . G . Supt . of Works , P . M . 1194 , and the Provincial Grand Lodge was opened in due form . The minutes of the inaugural meeting were then read by the P . G . Secretary and unanimously confirmed , and the by-laws can , therefore , now be issued ; after which Col .

Burdett proposed that addresses of condolence be forwarded to the M . W . Grand Master , the Earl De Grey and Ripon , ICG ., and also to the Earl of Carnarvon , Deputy Grand Master-Nominate , expressing at once , the deep regret felt by every member of the Provincial Grand Lodge for the recent tragic occurrences in Greece , and their sympathy with both the noble brothers under the afflicting

circumstances ofthe barbarous murders of Bro . Herbert , and Mr . Vyner . Bro . CORDWELL , G . R ., acting as S . G . W ., seconded the resolution , which was unanimously carried . The P . G . M . then invested Bro . the Rev . D . Shaboeas P . G . Chaplain . The next business was the promulgation of a scheme

for the establishment of an anmia \ Masonic Calendar for Ihe Province , which was submitted by Bro . LITTLE , P . G . Sec , who briefly enumerated the advantages likely to result from such a publication , intimating that the calendar would be based upon the plan of that now produced for Oxfordshire , by Bro . R . J . Spiers , D . P . G . M ., Oxon .

Bro . CORDWELL , Acting S . G . W ., seconded the proposition , and it was carried without a dissentient voice . There being no further business the P . G . Lodge was closed , and the brethren adjourned to banquet , under thc chairmanship of the Provincial Grand Master , who after the cloth was cleared , gave the following toasts : — " The Queen and the Craft , " "The M . W . Grand Master , thc

Earl De Grey and Ripon , A . G ., " "The M . W . Past Grand Masters , the Earl of Zetland , K . T ., H . R . H . the Prince of Wales , K . G ., and the rest of the Grand Officers Past and Present . " Bro . HERVEY , G . Secretary , responded , and spoke iu feeling terms ol the private benevolence Lord Zetland had ever exhibited , in addition to his liberal support of the

charities ; no well-founded application for relief had ever been made to his lordship in vain , and his heart and hand were ever open when the distressed or bereaved preferred their sorrowful suit . ( This testimony to Lord Zetland's virtues was received wilh prolonged manifestations of approval . ) Bro . Hervey then proposed in most eulogistic language , " The health of Col . Burdett , P . G . M ., —( great

cheering , )—observing that in him Middlesex possessed a man who was an honour to the Craft at large , and one , who by his diligence in the performance of his duties , and the zeal he possessed for Freemasonry , was eminently calculated to adorn the high position to which he had been nominated . The toast was enthusiastically received , and the P . G . M .

expressed his acknowledgments in a speech of such remarkable felicity and power as to elicit tlie frequent applause ofthe brethren . The next toast was " The Provincial Grand Officers , " associated with the name of Bro . Stedwell , J . G . Warden , the senior present , and to which that worthy brother responded very appropriately .

Bro . E . CLARK , P . G . Supt . of Works , P . M . and Treas . 1194 , then proposed " The health of the Initiate " of the Villiers Lodge , No . 1194 , Bro . T . P . Vcowell , who had received the Light of Freemasonry that day . The toast was well received , and , Bro . YEOWELL in returning thanks , said that his most ardent desire was to become a good and true Mason .

( Cheers . ) "The healths ofthe W . M ., Officers and Brethren of Villiers Lodge " were given from the chair ; and a hearty fire having been accorded thereto , llro . CLARK , in reply , expressed his great regret that the W . M . Bro . J . Trickett , was unable to be present to do honour to the occasion , his public duties as Chief

Inspector of Machinery at Keyham Dockyard , to which he had been recently transferred from Woolwich , entirely preventing his attendance . The P . G . M . then announced thc next toast , " Success to the other lodges in the province , coupled wilh the names of Bros . A . J . Codncr , Steward for the oldest ' 3 82 , ' Uxbridge , and J . Coutts , W . M . of the youngest ' 1310 , '

Harrow , " which had only been consecrated by the P . G . Sec the day before . Both brethren having responded very ably on behalf of their respective lodges , and assured thc P . G . M . that he might rely upon their support , the R . W . Chairman left the chair escorted by the Stewards , and the proceedings

terminated . It is but fair to state that the banquet and wines were all that could be desired , and reflected great credit upon Bro . Jones , the proprietor . Besides the P . G . Officers we noticed the following brethren present , but had not lime to obtain a complete list —Bros , C . Horsley ( P . M . 382 ) , G . King , jun . ' ( W . M