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Article THE FIRE AT ST. JOHN'S. Page 1 of 1 Article Original Correspondence. Page 1 of 2 Article Original Correspondence. Page 1 of 2 →
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
The Fire At St. John's.
THE FIRE AT ST . JOHN'S .
-DEAR BRO . KENNING . — I feel certain that you will require no noloo-y from me in calling attention , throngh ¦ our " widely-read paper , the Freemason , to the dreadfu l disaster which has fallen on NewBrunsvick . Every feeling of English humanity , and
every sentiment of English benevolence will concur with this seasonable reminder , as I venture to deem it , of a great disaste ^ and of a national calamity . For though the matter be foreign , perhaps , to Freemasonry proper , ( hence an ipolo-r apology be needed , for its appearance
, in your cosmopolitan pages ) , yet it is a subject which affects deeply the undying heart of human sympathy , and fraternal concern . That distant land is bound to us by many and enduring ties . Its people are "bone of our bone , and flesh of our flesh , " and all emotions of patriotism , as
well as many considerations of unsevered interests , would bid us feel for their calamities as for our own ; " to rejoice with them that do rejoice , and to weep with them that weep . " Perhaps a more startling and stunning disaster has seldom fallen upon a peaceful , industrious and
prosperous community ! We are told that " this disastrous lire began on the afternoon of Wednesday , J une 29 th , in a building on the south of York Point Slip . In a few minutes after the lirst outbreak it had already passed beyond control , and in half an hour ' s time it was threatening the
entire town . Although the firemen got to work ri'dit speedily , both sides of Union-street were soon in flames , and the conflagration , proceeding along Smyth-street in a southerly direction , soon reached Nelson-street and the South Wharf . With the strong wind from the north-west , the
entire wharf was soon in a blaze . All Wednesday nig ht and during the whole of Thursday the flames swept onwards , and ceased only when there was nothing left for them to feed upon . The greater number of the public buildings , churches , and newspaper offices were destroyed
and the bulk of tne inhabitants were left without food and . shelter . " We are also informed that " the loss of property is estimated at about 20 , 000 , 000 dollars , nnd the insurance amounts to about 6 , 000 , 000 dollars . The saddest part of all is the loss of life . Our people feel deeply
gratified for the very tangible feelings and expressions of sympathy that are showered upon us from all quarters , and the suffering of the poor and homeless is fast being alleviated . Rebuilding has already commenced in some quarters , and we think that the energy and pluck of our
business men have not been extinguished , but that in a very few years , by the blessing of Providence , our city will rise up from its ashes , and that we will be again a prosperous people . " In the United States great sympathy has been manifested , and considerable sums have already been forwarded
for the sufferers , at Liverpool jt ^ ooo have been alread y raised , while in London a subscription has been opened at the Mansion House by the Lord Mayor . It appears to me , though I speak deferentially , that it is a good opportunity for our Grand Lodge to comeforward and aid , by
a liberal grant to the Lord Mayor ' s Fund , in this great work of needful assistance . I admit at once that it is not strictlyMasonic , but it is most certainl y Jiumanitarian , and fully in harmony with the most genuine tenets and teaching of onr kindly and philanthropic Order . Why should
not a special Grand Lodge be summoned and vote , with hearty unanimity , a liberal grant to this most pressing claim and this most national object ? 1 can conceive of no objection , at least not of any valid one , and I feel sure , from what 1 know of the praiseworthy liberality and
strikln g Iarge-heartedness of our fraternity , that neither an adherence to routine nor technical difficulties will prevent them manifesting now , as ever , that they are always sensible to the claims of suffering fellow creatures , and the dictates of
-lie greatest of all virtues , true Charity . I am , yours fraternally , A PAST GRAND CIIAI ' LAIN . I do not append my humble name , as it will lend no force to my earnest utterance .
MASONIC SONGS . —A selection of Masonic MrFn-n ° . pular airs written b y Bro . It . Philpots , •"• , I ' . R . G . S ., is now ready , forming a handsome volume fro -j" h ' with S '" - ' * £ ' Price 3 s- Scnt Post free for ™ I 0 fficC ° f tllis W * - " ° " rccc-Pt - of Post-office Order
Original Correspondence.
Original Correspondence .
£ Wc do not hold ourselves responsible for , or even AS approving of the opinions expressed by our correspondent :-, but we wish , in a spirit of fair play to all , to permit—within certain necessary limits—free discussion . —ED . 1
SHAKESPEARE AND FREEMASONRY . To the Editor of the "Freemason . " Dear Sir and Brother , — It is always unadvisable to weaken a cause by advancing a plausible but sophistical argument , and such I conceive to be the illustration adduced to day by " A Lover of Shakespeare" in support of his proposition that the
great poet was a member of our divine Craft . An analysis of the tiventy-four hours of the day has always been a favourite subject of intellectual exercise . The poets of the Augustan age of Latin literature indulged in these diversions . The monks and learned writers of the middle ages followed their example , and here , par parcnlhcsc , let us remember that , Henry , he within the " holy shade , " whose
great educational monument I am writing , who is supposed to apostrophise time in the lines quoted , vvas said to be more of a monk than a monarch—more fitted for a cowl than a crown—as his consoit , thc so-called " She Wolf of Anjou , " was reputed to be better qualified to strike with the sword than to save with the sceptre . What more likely then than that the devout and contemplative
king should , in his acute misery , recall some of thc excercitations over which he had pored in the cloister ? If this hypothesis be adopted , what a much higher estimate do we arrive at of the—I really want an adjective—may I say sublimely intuitive genius ?—of our divine bard , who puts into the mouth of a character hc has wonderfully elaborated , not only the utterance of thc reflections that might occur
to any afflicted potentate stricken from his high estate , but reflections the very form and direction of which history and literary enquiry prove that the mind and memory of this particular monarch must have been charged with . With that " great upheaval "as Lonl Bacon calls itthe Reformation—the outcome of which , in the shape of the printing press , we arc this year celebrating as a
quarcenlenary—the speculations perpetuated in the elegant Latin of Virgil , and Horace , and Propertius , and in the barbarous jargon of the monks of thc middle ages , became the common literary property of the Anglo-Saxon race , by their reproduction in a tongue " understanded of the people . " There exist many examples of this curious indulgence in metaphysical analysis . Thc one that occurs
most readily to my mind , although I do not guarantee its accuracy , antl quote only from memory , is said to be by the great Lord Coke—so-called—properly speaking , Sir Edward Coke , the "Coke upon Link-ton , " righteously abhorred by tlie drudges of the Temple , and runs as follows * . — " Six hours to sleep , to law ' s great study seven ,
Eig ht to thc world devote -, and—all to heaven !" The comprehensive peroration may be said to render detailed examination unnecessary , yet I venture a little surmise . The eight hours devoted to thc world I take to indicate the time to be alloted to " necessary labour . " The three hours not specifically accountetl for , it is not , I think , vcry extravagant , to attribute to the needs of " refreshment , " including
in that term the necessary recreation which may almost be said to be its equivalent . To give point to this argument , however , it is necessary to indicate that nobody ( so far as 1 am aware ) has ever asserted that the learned author of the above lines was a Freemason , and yet an allusion , obviously Masonic , will , in the last four words , strike every brother who can recall the address made to him on the presentation of the W . T ., during the ceremony of his
initiation . Where I am rusticating I have not at hand the " New Shakesperian Dictionary" by my friend ( not as yet a brother ) , G . Somers Bellamy , Esq ., published in 1 S 75 by the Charing Cross Publishing Company , and , if I mistake not , favourably reviewed in your columns at the time of its
appearance . I hate anything having the appearance of calling attention to one ' s friend ' s talents ; but , like the officer \ vho was so notoriously brave that he could afford to be called a coward , I will risk the imputation of puffing by referring "A Lover of Shakespeare , " and any other brother who feels an interest in the discussion , to that very exhaustive
work—it is in my library in London , but that is not here . Perhaps when 1 have had an opportunity ot consulting it , you will let mc bore your readers again . I am quite sure the correspondent whose interesting communication has evoked this epistle will recall Brutus ' s protestation of his love to Ciesar , and do me the credit of believing that , if he loves Shakespeare , I love him no less .
A Mason the " Swan of Avon" undoubtedly was at heart and in soul , whether affiliated to a regular lodge or not . My opinion is—anil thcruii I agree with your correspondent , though I do not admit the force of the special proof he adduces , but base my theory upon other illustiations which I propose to postpone presenting for the presentthat hc was regularly initiated and passetl ; whether
raised or not is an enquiry involving " vexatio quajstio " with a discussion upon which I do not wish at present to trouble your readers . However , notwithstanding my mental conviction , thc subject must be admitted to be obscure , and I do hope that you will afford facilities for Its discussion in your columns , and , as any materials for elucidation must be valuable , allow me to quote the name
of another friend , perhaps thc most reliable of Shakespearian aethoritie ? , a gentleman—also alas ! not a Fieemason—my learned friend William Lowes Rushton , Esq ., of 2 , Plowden Buildings , Temple , E . G ., resident however in Liverpool . Many works en Shakespeare have proceeded from his pen , and liis illustrious position as thc English corresponding member of tbe great German Shakesperian Society , whose
Original Correspondence.
head-quarters are at _ Berhn , of course indisputably attaches considerable weight to his theories and speculations . I purpose writing to him on this most interesting subject , and pending his reply will refer to his published works . When I have done that and heard from htm , I shall be in a position to communicate with you again if you will allow
me a little space . I remain , dear Sir and Brother , yours fraternally , SAMUEL POYNTEH . P . M . antl Treas . Burgoyne , No . 902 , P . M ., Athenreum , No . 1491 . Datchet Common , near Eton , July 14 .
To the Editor of the " Freemason . " Dear Sir and Brother , — In thc last number of the Freemason a brother asks if Shakespeare was a member of our ancient Order . I think he was ; I remember once seeing an old book in
which it stated he vvas , but I forget the name of it . Our brother inserts a few lines in support of his argument . The following few quotations will ( if not written by a Mason ) easily be understood by one , viz .: — " Who builds stronger than a Mason ? "—Hamlet , a . - ; ,
s . 1 . " The labour we delight in physics pain . " —Macbeth , a . 2 , s . 2 . " We cannot all be masters , nor all masters cannot be truly follow'd . "—Othello , a . 1 , s . 1 .
" Friends now fast sworn whose double bosom seem to wear one heart . " —Coriolanus , a . 4 , s . 4 , " Love , friendship , charity , are subjects all . "—Troilus antl Cressida , a . 3 , s . 3 . " Even from the east to thc west . " —Ant . antl Cleo . a .
4 , s . 2 . " And thus our lifc exempt from public haunt funis tongues in trees , books in the running brook , sermons in stones , and good in everything . "—As Vou Like It , a . 2 , s . 1 . "Sweet mercy is nobility ' s true badge . " —Titus Andronicus , a . 1 . s . 1 .
" The quality of mercy is not strain'd , it droppcth as the gentle rain from heaven upon the place beneath . It is twice blessed , it blesseth him that gives antl him that takes ; ' tis mightiest in the mi ghtiest ; it becomes the throned monarch better than his crown . "—Mer . of Ven ., a . 4 , s . 1 .
I could quote several other passages from Shakespeare that point to Freemasonry , but am afraid to trespass on your valuable space and patience . I am , dear Sir and Brother , obediently and fraternally yours , STEPHEN C . HEATH , W . M . 797 .
LITTLE BRITAIN . To the Editor of the "Freemason . " Dear Sir and Brother , — I think that your worthy publisher may like to know the history of the street to which hc has given a cosmopolitan renown . Henry Thomas , in his valuable and careful " Ancient
Remains , Antiquities , | tS . -c , of the City of London , & c , " 1 S . 50 , states that " Little Britain was formerly the resilience of thc Duke of Bretagne , whose Palace was near St . Botol ph's Church -, one of the Earls of Bretagne , Alan , surnamed the Red , married Constance , daughter of William the Conqueror ; Alan Geoffrey Plantagenet , fourth son of Henry II ., who married Constance of Conan , was thc father
of the unfortunate Prince Arthur , Duke of Bretagne , presumptive heir to the throne of England , but prematurely murdered by his uncle King John , whose tragic history has been immortalised in the pages of our ' divine bard ' Shakespeare . " In Little Britain also were situated the mansions of the Earl of Peterborough and Lord Montague , whose nam * is yet preserved in the Court .
About two hundred years ago and later Little Britain was celebrated for the booksellers of various kinds who lived there , and sold and issued their works . Many books of all kinds , as collectors well know , were printed at the Pellican and other signs in Little Britain . I think this may interest Bro . Kenning . I am , dear Sir and Brother , yours fraternally , Alicn . i * ji , ot ; isT .
CHRIST'S HOSPITAL . To the Editor of the " Freemason : ' Dear Sir and Brother , — I venture to send you a few lines to day , as I sec with great regret that the discussion in the Times already overpasses , in my humble opinion , the limit of fair play to the authorities . Many of the writers who declaim so
dogmatically seem to forget in their zeal that there is such an axiom in personal antl public ethics as " audi alteram partem . " I do not blame the Times for its insertion of such a plethora of excited appeals , for if it tlitl not tlo so " Othello ' s occupation" would be " gone ; " but f do blame some of the writers who are masters themselves , forgetting that by the tone of the letters ( like Mr . Butler , of Winchester )
they are throwing the greatest impediments in the way of school administration , and making the rcsponsibilityof the authorities , great as it is , still greater in the eyes of the public , by interjecting doubts as to the school government and the like . I cannot help being amusetl , especially with Mr . Butler ' s letters from Winchester School . One would think that he
had never heard of a " Prefect ' s licking . " One cannot hel p feeling , and I hope hc will pardon the expression of my opinion , that had he had one himself it would have done him a great deal of gootl , and taught him to write a little more moderately than he has been pleased to tlo . But the main object of my letter is this . Two very worthy brethren of ours are connected closely with the administration of the school , Bro . Derby-AUcroft and Dr ,
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
The Fire At St. John's.
THE FIRE AT ST . JOHN'S .
-DEAR BRO . KENNING . — I feel certain that you will require no noloo-y from me in calling attention , throngh ¦ our " widely-read paper , the Freemason , to the dreadfu l disaster which has fallen on NewBrunsvick . Every feeling of English humanity , and
every sentiment of English benevolence will concur with this seasonable reminder , as I venture to deem it , of a great disaste ^ and of a national calamity . For though the matter be foreign , perhaps , to Freemasonry proper , ( hence an ipolo-r apology be needed , for its appearance
, in your cosmopolitan pages ) , yet it is a subject which affects deeply the undying heart of human sympathy , and fraternal concern . That distant land is bound to us by many and enduring ties . Its people are "bone of our bone , and flesh of our flesh , " and all emotions of patriotism , as
well as many considerations of unsevered interests , would bid us feel for their calamities as for our own ; " to rejoice with them that do rejoice , and to weep with them that weep . " Perhaps a more startling and stunning disaster has seldom fallen upon a peaceful , industrious and
prosperous community ! We are told that " this disastrous lire began on the afternoon of Wednesday , J une 29 th , in a building on the south of York Point Slip . In a few minutes after the lirst outbreak it had already passed beyond control , and in half an hour ' s time it was threatening the
entire town . Although the firemen got to work ri'dit speedily , both sides of Union-street were soon in flames , and the conflagration , proceeding along Smyth-street in a southerly direction , soon reached Nelson-street and the South Wharf . With the strong wind from the north-west , the
entire wharf was soon in a blaze . All Wednesday nig ht and during the whole of Thursday the flames swept onwards , and ceased only when there was nothing left for them to feed upon . The greater number of the public buildings , churches , and newspaper offices were destroyed
and the bulk of tne inhabitants were left without food and . shelter . " We are also informed that " the loss of property is estimated at about 20 , 000 , 000 dollars , nnd the insurance amounts to about 6 , 000 , 000 dollars . The saddest part of all is the loss of life . Our people feel deeply
gratified for the very tangible feelings and expressions of sympathy that are showered upon us from all quarters , and the suffering of the poor and homeless is fast being alleviated . Rebuilding has already commenced in some quarters , and we think that the energy and pluck of our
business men have not been extinguished , but that in a very few years , by the blessing of Providence , our city will rise up from its ashes , and that we will be again a prosperous people . " In the United States great sympathy has been manifested , and considerable sums have already been forwarded
for the sufferers , at Liverpool jt ^ ooo have been alread y raised , while in London a subscription has been opened at the Mansion House by the Lord Mayor . It appears to me , though I speak deferentially , that it is a good opportunity for our Grand Lodge to comeforward and aid , by
a liberal grant to the Lord Mayor ' s Fund , in this great work of needful assistance . I admit at once that it is not strictlyMasonic , but it is most certainl y Jiumanitarian , and fully in harmony with the most genuine tenets and teaching of onr kindly and philanthropic Order . Why should
not a special Grand Lodge be summoned and vote , with hearty unanimity , a liberal grant to this most pressing claim and this most national object ? 1 can conceive of no objection , at least not of any valid one , and I feel sure , from what 1 know of the praiseworthy liberality and
strikln g Iarge-heartedness of our fraternity , that neither an adherence to routine nor technical difficulties will prevent them manifesting now , as ever , that they are always sensible to the claims of suffering fellow creatures , and the dictates of
-lie greatest of all virtues , true Charity . I am , yours fraternally , A PAST GRAND CIIAI ' LAIN . I do not append my humble name , as it will lend no force to my earnest utterance .
MASONIC SONGS . —A selection of Masonic MrFn-n ° . pular airs written b y Bro . It . Philpots , •"• , I ' . R . G . S ., is now ready , forming a handsome volume fro -j" h ' with S '" - ' * £ ' Price 3 s- Scnt Post free for ™ I 0 fficC ° f tllis W * - " ° " rccc-Pt - of Post-office Order
Original Correspondence.
Original Correspondence .
£ Wc do not hold ourselves responsible for , or even AS approving of the opinions expressed by our correspondent :-, but we wish , in a spirit of fair play to all , to permit—within certain necessary limits—free discussion . —ED . 1
SHAKESPEARE AND FREEMASONRY . To the Editor of the "Freemason . " Dear Sir and Brother , — It is always unadvisable to weaken a cause by advancing a plausible but sophistical argument , and such I conceive to be the illustration adduced to day by " A Lover of Shakespeare" in support of his proposition that the
great poet was a member of our divine Craft . An analysis of the tiventy-four hours of the day has always been a favourite subject of intellectual exercise . The poets of the Augustan age of Latin literature indulged in these diversions . The monks and learned writers of the middle ages followed their example , and here , par parcnlhcsc , let us remember that , Henry , he within the " holy shade , " whose
great educational monument I am writing , who is supposed to apostrophise time in the lines quoted , vvas said to be more of a monk than a monarch—more fitted for a cowl than a crown—as his consoit , thc so-called " She Wolf of Anjou , " was reputed to be better qualified to strike with the sword than to save with the sceptre . What more likely then than that the devout and contemplative
king should , in his acute misery , recall some of thc excercitations over which he had pored in the cloister ? If this hypothesis be adopted , what a much higher estimate do we arrive at of the—I really want an adjective—may I say sublimely intuitive genius ?—of our divine bard , who puts into the mouth of a character hc has wonderfully elaborated , not only the utterance of thc reflections that might occur
to any afflicted potentate stricken from his high estate , but reflections the very form and direction of which history and literary enquiry prove that the mind and memory of this particular monarch must have been charged with . With that " great upheaval "as Lonl Bacon calls itthe Reformation—the outcome of which , in the shape of the printing press , we arc this year celebrating as a
quarcenlenary—the speculations perpetuated in the elegant Latin of Virgil , and Horace , and Propertius , and in the barbarous jargon of the monks of thc middle ages , became the common literary property of the Anglo-Saxon race , by their reproduction in a tongue " understanded of the people . " There exist many examples of this curious indulgence in metaphysical analysis . Thc one that occurs
most readily to my mind , although I do not guarantee its accuracy , antl quote only from memory , is said to be by the great Lord Coke—so-called—properly speaking , Sir Edward Coke , the "Coke upon Link-ton , " righteously abhorred by tlie drudges of the Temple , and runs as follows * . — " Six hours to sleep , to law ' s great study seven ,
Eig ht to thc world devote -, and—all to heaven !" The comprehensive peroration may be said to render detailed examination unnecessary , yet I venture a little surmise . The eight hours devoted to thc world I take to indicate the time to be alloted to " necessary labour . " The three hours not specifically accountetl for , it is not , I think , vcry extravagant , to attribute to the needs of " refreshment , " including
in that term the necessary recreation which may almost be said to be its equivalent . To give point to this argument , however , it is necessary to indicate that nobody ( so far as 1 am aware ) has ever asserted that the learned author of the above lines was a Freemason , and yet an allusion , obviously Masonic , will , in the last four words , strike every brother who can recall the address made to him on the presentation of the W . T ., during the ceremony of his
initiation . Where I am rusticating I have not at hand the " New Shakesperian Dictionary" by my friend ( not as yet a brother ) , G . Somers Bellamy , Esq ., published in 1 S 75 by the Charing Cross Publishing Company , and , if I mistake not , favourably reviewed in your columns at the time of its
appearance . I hate anything having the appearance of calling attention to one ' s friend ' s talents ; but , like the officer \ vho was so notoriously brave that he could afford to be called a coward , I will risk the imputation of puffing by referring "A Lover of Shakespeare , " and any other brother who feels an interest in the discussion , to that very exhaustive
work—it is in my library in London , but that is not here . Perhaps when 1 have had an opportunity ot consulting it , you will let mc bore your readers again . I am quite sure the correspondent whose interesting communication has evoked this epistle will recall Brutus ' s protestation of his love to Ciesar , and do me the credit of believing that , if he loves Shakespeare , I love him no less .
A Mason the " Swan of Avon" undoubtedly was at heart and in soul , whether affiliated to a regular lodge or not . My opinion is—anil thcruii I agree with your correspondent , though I do not admit the force of the special proof he adduces , but base my theory upon other illustiations which I propose to postpone presenting for the presentthat hc was regularly initiated and passetl ; whether
raised or not is an enquiry involving " vexatio quajstio " with a discussion upon which I do not wish at present to trouble your readers . However , notwithstanding my mental conviction , thc subject must be admitted to be obscure , and I do hope that you will afford facilities for Its discussion in your columns , and , as any materials for elucidation must be valuable , allow me to quote the name
of another friend , perhaps thc most reliable of Shakespearian aethoritie ? , a gentleman—also alas ! not a Fieemason—my learned friend William Lowes Rushton , Esq ., of 2 , Plowden Buildings , Temple , E . G ., resident however in Liverpool . Many works en Shakespeare have proceeded from his pen , and liis illustrious position as thc English corresponding member of tbe great German Shakesperian Society , whose
Original Correspondence.
head-quarters are at _ Berhn , of course indisputably attaches considerable weight to his theories and speculations . I purpose writing to him on this most interesting subject , and pending his reply will refer to his published works . When I have done that and heard from htm , I shall be in a position to communicate with you again if you will allow
me a little space . I remain , dear Sir and Brother , yours fraternally , SAMUEL POYNTEH . P . M . antl Treas . Burgoyne , No . 902 , P . M ., Athenreum , No . 1491 . Datchet Common , near Eton , July 14 .
To the Editor of the " Freemason . " Dear Sir and Brother , — In thc last number of the Freemason a brother asks if Shakespeare was a member of our ancient Order . I think he was ; I remember once seeing an old book in
which it stated he vvas , but I forget the name of it . Our brother inserts a few lines in support of his argument . The following few quotations will ( if not written by a Mason ) easily be understood by one , viz .: — " Who builds stronger than a Mason ? "—Hamlet , a . - ; ,
s . 1 . " The labour we delight in physics pain . " —Macbeth , a . 2 , s . 2 . " We cannot all be masters , nor all masters cannot be truly follow'd . "—Othello , a . 1 , s . 1 .
" Friends now fast sworn whose double bosom seem to wear one heart . " —Coriolanus , a . 4 , s . 4 , " Love , friendship , charity , are subjects all . "—Troilus antl Cressida , a . 3 , s . 3 . " Even from the east to thc west . " —Ant . antl Cleo . a .
4 , s . 2 . " And thus our lifc exempt from public haunt funis tongues in trees , books in the running brook , sermons in stones , and good in everything . "—As Vou Like It , a . 2 , s . 1 . "Sweet mercy is nobility ' s true badge . " —Titus Andronicus , a . 1 . s . 1 .
" The quality of mercy is not strain'd , it droppcth as the gentle rain from heaven upon the place beneath . It is twice blessed , it blesseth him that gives antl him that takes ; ' tis mightiest in the mi ghtiest ; it becomes the throned monarch better than his crown . "—Mer . of Ven ., a . 4 , s . 1 .
I could quote several other passages from Shakespeare that point to Freemasonry , but am afraid to trespass on your valuable space and patience . I am , dear Sir and Brother , obediently and fraternally yours , STEPHEN C . HEATH , W . M . 797 .
LITTLE BRITAIN . To the Editor of the "Freemason . " Dear Sir and Brother , — I think that your worthy publisher may like to know the history of the street to which hc has given a cosmopolitan renown . Henry Thomas , in his valuable and careful " Ancient
Remains , Antiquities , | tS . -c , of the City of London , & c , " 1 S . 50 , states that " Little Britain was formerly the resilience of thc Duke of Bretagne , whose Palace was near St . Botol ph's Church -, one of the Earls of Bretagne , Alan , surnamed the Red , married Constance , daughter of William the Conqueror ; Alan Geoffrey Plantagenet , fourth son of Henry II ., who married Constance of Conan , was thc father
of the unfortunate Prince Arthur , Duke of Bretagne , presumptive heir to the throne of England , but prematurely murdered by his uncle King John , whose tragic history has been immortalised in the pages of our ' divine bard ' Shakespeare . " In Little Britain also were situated the mansions of the Earl of Peterborough and Lord Montague , whose nam * is yet preserved in the Court .
About two hundred years ago and later Little Britain was celebrated for the booksellers of various kinds who lived there , and sold and issued their works . Many books of all kinds , as collectors well know , were printed at the Pellican and other signs in Little Britain . I think this may interest Bro . Kenning . I am , dear Sir and Brother , yours fraternally , Alicn . i * ji , ot ; isT .
CHRIST'S HOSPITAL . To the Editor of the " Freemason : ' Dear Sir and Brother , — I venture to send you a few lines to day , as I sec with great regret that the discussion in the Times already overpasses , in my humble opinion , the limit of fair play to the authorities . Many of the writers who declaim so
dogmatically seem to forget in their zeal that there is such an axiom in personal antl public ethics as " audi alteram partem . " I do not blame the Times for its insertion of such a plethora of excited appeals , for if it tlitl not tlo so " Othello ' s occupation" would be " gone ; " but f do blame some of the writers who are masters themselves , forgetting that by the tone of the letters ( like Mr . Butler , of Winchester )
they are throwing the greatest impediments in the way of school administration , and making the rcsponsibilityof the authorities , great as it is , still greater in the eyes of the public , by interjecting doubts as to the school government and the like . I cannot help being amusetl , especially with Mr . Butler ' s letters from Winchester School . One would think that he
had never heard of a " Prefect ' s licking . " One cannot hel p feeling , and I hope hc will pardon the expression of my opinion , that had he had one himself it would have done him a great deal of gootl , and taught him to write a little more moderately than he has been pleased to tlo . But the main object of my letter is this . Two very worthy brethren of ours are connected closely with the administration of the school , Bro . Derby-AUcroft and Dr ,