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

NOTES ON THE " UNITED ORDERS OF THE TEMPLE AND HOSPITAL . "

A Lecture delivered before the Fratres nf the Pru deuce Encampment qf Masonic Knights Tem plar , al Ipswich , on the 31 st July , 1872 .

BY EMKA HOLMES , 31 ° , Eminent Commander of the Encampment , Grand Provost of England , Provincial Grand Banner Bearer of the Royal Order of Scotland , & c .

( Continual from page 545 J Apropos of the Arabs and their masonry , I came across the following significant quotations the other day : —

' " All the secrets of Masonry are concealed in the Hebrew or Chaldee language . " * " Your popular societies are an emanation

from the lodgesofthe rreemasons , mlike manner as these proceeded from the funeral pile of the Templars . " , The following- curious document is to be found

in Lemming ' s " Encyclopadie der Freimaurerei , " in German . The original is in French , and is in the possession of the Grand Lodge of Sweden at Stockholm , and lias been thought to be the

groundwork of the Swedish higher degrees of masonry ;—thc degrees into which our brother Sir Knight the Prince of Wales was initiated , and first saw the light .

Be that as it may , there are many allusions to the decorations of the Lodges , Chapters , & c , of tliose degrees which will be readily perceived by those who June been admitted under the Swedish

system , it not by others , and as it is believed that the account given has never been published before for the benefit of English Freemasons , it is

thought it would not be out of place inserting it here , tho gh I would express no opinion as to its being historical , except in part : —

" The Testament of Jaques de Molay . " Jaques de Moley saw at last from tlie course that the process against him began to take that there was nothing further to hope , either for

himself or for the order , and as no opportunity was afforded him of consulting with the other Kni ghts of the Temple * , some of them being like himself in prison , and the greater part concealed after

having escaped from the fury of tbeir persecutors , he cast his eyes upon his nephew , the yonng Count Francis de Beaujeu , who was also the nephew of Molav ' s predecessor , the Grand Master , Pierre de

Beaujeu , \ with the intention of making him the means of transmitting the secrets of the Order nnd the proofs ofhis innocence to posterity . With this purpose he , shortly before the final close of

the process , sent for him , and addressed him in the following terms : — ' My son , I liavesumnioiied thee to me in this prison to ask thy advice in a very difficult matter . I allude to the process

against me , in which the final sentence will very soon be pronounced . They promise to spare my fife , yes , they promise me pardon—run ! even a

great reward , on condition that I acknowledge the dishonourable calumnies that wicked men have invented to the destruction of the Order to be true and worthy of belief ; and , on the other

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

hand , if I maintain the innocence of the Order , 1 place my freedom and even my life in certain danger . ' Beaujeu , without hesitating an instant , answered that it was to be sure his most ardent wish that the life of the Grand Master should be

spared . It was , however , his opinion , and which he must proclaim without concealment , that in tin ' s case honour and integrity demanded that tlie voice of truth alone should be listened to . and

that he ought therefore to defend the Order , and rather to sacrifice freedom , nay , even life itself , and become a martyr in the cause of religion and truth . MoJay , beside himself with joy , tenderly

embraced his nephew , and said to him— ' My dear son , this is the answer , and this the advice I had expected from thee , but would ' st thou thyself , if placed in like jeopardy , be capable of

thinking and acting only as truth and honour mi ght demand ? ' To which Beaujeu answered that lie had given him tlie same advice as he himself would certainly follow in a like situation . Molay

proceeded therefore— ' Thou hast at all times appeared a zealous admirer of the Order , and hast always shown an inclination to enter into it ; but dost thou still discover in thyself the same zeal ,

dost thou cherish the same wish , althongh all hope that the Order will ever be restored to its pristine perfection hath vanished ? Hast thou ( he courage , determination , and fortitude to defy

persecution and endure every vexation and humiliation : ' ' Yes , answered Beaujeu , and it is even at this moment my wish to become a member ofthe Order , and whatever may be the trials

to winch I may subject myself , I feel strong enough to overcome every difficulty , and zealously and constantly to maintain truth and propagate the July Order . '

" It is well , my son , ' said Molay , and thus speaking he drew from untler his inner garment a cord ' ' ' to which three keys were attached , loosened them and burnt the cord . ' Thou

seest , ' proceeded he , ' how this cord consumetli A similar file will soon , perchance , be our lot Hast thou the courage and the strength to sacrifice even thy life in defence of thy brethren , and to shed thy blood in the cause ot truth " Count

Beaujeu declared his readiness to do all this , and in consequence Molay proceeded— ' Thou must give me a proof of thy courage , and for that

purpose he handed him the three keys , with the words— ' The first of these keys openeth thc smaller portal of tlie vault of tlie Grand Masters . Into it must thou descend at the hour of

midnight , wrapped in a cloak , and provided with a dark lantern ; then must thou raise up the coffin of th y uncle the Grand Master Beaujeu , and draw

forth from under it a triangular casket of crystal , then ascend , lock behind the door which leadeth to the vault , and bring me the casket . !'

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

Count Beaujeu performed the orders of the Grand Master with the utmost exactitude , and brought to him thc triangular silver-mounted casket . As soon as Molay saw it , he took it in

his hands , and covered it with kisses ; he then said to Beaujeu— " My dear son , this basket containetli thc most sacred relic that the Order received from King Baldwin , namely , the

forefinger of the ri ght hand of St . John the Baptist * The coffin from under which thou hast drawn the casket containeth not the remains of thine uncle , but a large silver coffer : as soon as thou

enterest thou wilt find thyself in a spacious subterraneous chamber , in thc middle of which thou must dig up another coffer , which containeth all the ancient papers and documents that belong to

the Archives of the Order , together with the Crown of the Kings of Jerusalem , f the Lamp that once burned at the Holy Sepulchre , the seven branched Candlestick , the four Gospels , the

Sword , the Square , and thc Standard ofthe Or . der . j With the third key thou mayest open the coffer , under the pretence that thy uncle , tin

Grand Master Pierre de Beaujeu , had ordered his remains to be brought from the East to the sepulchre of the Grand Masters in Paris . I caused all these precious things which I had saved from

the hands of the Infidels to be brought thither , and yet every one is firml y persuaded that they have all become the booty of the Infidels . The

two pillars with which the vault of the Grand Master is adorned are hollow , and in them is a treasure which hath been for some time

collected thero : it hath been saved of the remains of the Order , and by degrees placed there after removing the capitals of the pillars , which may be taken off Promise now , and swear unto me that thou wilt preserve this treasure to the use of