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Article FRENCH FREEMASONRY IN ENGLAND. ← Page 2 of 2 Article BRO. SIR ALBERT WOODS, G.D.C. Page 1 of 1 Article BRO. SIR ALBERT WOODS, G.D.C. Page 1 of 1
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
French Freemasonry In England.
Croix Masons who signed the certificate , but the text does not state that Bro . Jean took the iS ° , but simply the Ch . \ D'or . { i . e ., Knight of the East ) . Any information additional from Bro . Speth will be most acceptable . I shall exhibit the Certificate at Shanklin , because of its rarity and interest . W . J . HUGHAN .
Bro. Sir Albert Woods, G.D.C.
BRO . SIR ALBERT WOODS , G . D . C .
We need offer no apology for introducing to our renders another of those graphic sketches of our " Celebrities at Home , " which for years past have been gracing the columns of the World . The subject on this occasion is Bro . Sir Albert W . Woods ( Garter ) , Grand Director of Ceremonies ot
England , and about the greatest living authority of the day on Heraldryin England , at all events . The pen of the writer is a familiar one , and many will no doubt fancy they recognise in it that of the able advocate , who so stoutly upheld the cause of Arabi Pasha , after the defeat by Lords Alcester and Wolselcy of that rebel against the Khedive's authority : —
The venerable building in which the thirteen official exponents of the mysteries of blazonry " congregate , speak , confer , and agree ( or disagree ) amongst themselves " has certainly witnessed many striking changes since Albert Woods first passed under its " hollow arch " and accompanied his father down St . Bennet's Hill on his way to Windsor to act as usher at the funeral of the Duke of Gloucester in St . George's Chapel . The once
famous entrance is itself buried out of sight ; Sir Christopher Wren ' s Ionic pilasters and time-mellowed brickwork seem lo shrink timidly from the whirl and bustle of the new thoroughfare to which they are ruttilessly exposed ; and Mr . Darbishire's elaborate portico and stucco balustrade wholly fail to console the Garter King of Arms for the banishment of the leaded window-panes of his youth , or the disappearance of the far-famed pump
which was once the pride of Doctors' Commons , and has long ago been sacrificed in its old age on the altar of sanitary improvement . The dusty ivy which surrounds the four doves of the Heralds over the porter's lodge mutely protests against the provoking smartness of the gilded portals through which you pass to the modest door in the right-hand corner of the quadrangle which leads to the private apartment of Sir Albert Woods . A
clerk in sober apparel conducts you at once to the well-lighted room on the first floor , where his master is already occupied with his morning ' s letters . Mahogany bookcases of almost phenomenal solidity are ranged along the pale green walls ; the wooden crests of deceased Knights of the Garter which surmount them harmonise strangely with the funereal character of the massive bronze handles of the drawers below ; the faded red drugget is
littered here and there with books and papers ; the monumental mantelpiece and square eight-day clock occupying the centre of a three-sided apse opposite the tall windows near the door , and the four well-laden writingtables are in perfect accordance with the horsehair seats and cane-backed writing-chairs , which form the sole adornment of the inner sanctuary of modern heraldry . You are , of course , somewhat disappointed to find the
Garter King oE Arms in the garb of every-day life ; you would naturally like to have seen him in the gorgeous tabard and silver - gilt crown , with the oak leaves and inscription , " Miscreri mei Deus magnam misericordiarn tuam ; " but these , with the sceptre and his other insignia , are far away in St . George's-road , for the age of defiances , truces , tilts , tournaments , and duels has passed away , and it is in an ordinary
frock-coat that Sir Albert Woods , undismayed by his threescore years and ten , has just attacked the six hours' work he generally gets through at the College of Arms . The present month is essentially one of creations , promotions , and investitures , so the Heralds are busier than usual . Peers , peeresses , baronets , and knights in embryo write perpetually and persistently to " Dear Sir Albert" for counsel and advice ; new members of the House of Lords
ask for information as to the manner of taking their seats in that august assembly ; complicated pedigrees demand conscientious investigation ; " supporters" must be discovered and " devices" invented ; heraldic collisions and infringements must be avoided ; a hundred pressing and perplexing questions of procedure and ceremonial require the " Garter ' s " immediate and personal attention , and he is superintending with due care the
preparation of the arms and banners of the Dukes of Norfolk and Northumberland and Lord Abergavenny for St . George's Chapel . While Sir Albert proceeds with the perusal of his letters you glance rapidly at his characteristic surroundings . On the ledge of the bookcase behind him the red and blue cover of the last special statute of the Order of St . Michael and St . George half hides the current number of the London Gazette ; pedigrees
and Scotch patents lie side by side in their tin cases ; elaborate sketches of " emblazonments" on vellum and proofs of seals rest on some well-used book of reference , and on the table near the door a dozen MS . " Grants of Dignities , " bearing the Royal sign-manual , are ready for transmission to those who are to be their happy recipients . The roomy shelves are given up entirely to genealogy , topography , and county history ; the dull drab binding of the Family Records is somewhat relieved by the brighter covers
of Sir H . Nicolas's "Historic Peerage , " "German Armorials , " or " Burke ; " but the ornamentation of heraldry is almost wholly wanting in the unromantic work-room of the chief of the Corporation ot Arms . The badge of the first order of English chivalry is , however , placed above a doorway in one side of the recess ; the photograph of " Garter " Sir Charles Young on the wall hard by is now scarcely recognisable ; but Sir Albert Woods just remembers Sir George Nayler , another " Garter , " who died in 1831 , and whose portrait hangs below it .
By this time Sir Albert Woods has finished the last of his letters , and as he lays down his pen across the great glass inkstand he is accustomed to use , he tells you that just half a century has passed since he worked at the same table , as his father ' s factotum , in the comparatively humble capacity of Fitz-Alan Pursuivant Extraordinary . In a few minutes he has forgotten all about his correspondence and the burning question of
the title of the De Bressies of Bulkeley ( which just now greatly exercises the College ) , and you revel in the reminiscences of the pageants of the past . It was at the funeral of William IV ., of pious memory , that Sir Albert donned his tabard for the first time ; and while he describes the effect of the solemn ceremonial at night , he produces the volume in which he has bound up every scrap of information relating to it , down lo one of the
painted escutcheons Irom the hearse , and an impression of the " Depositum , serenissimi , potenlissimi et cxccllentissimi , " fee . A month after the coronation of the Queen he became Portcullis Pursuivant , and in this capacity assisted at the Royal marriage in the Chapel of St . James's . He was Lancaster Herald when he helped Sir Charles Young to " marshal " the public funeral of the Duke of Wellington ; and while speaking of the burial of Oucen Adelaide , he explains the subtle distinctions between the
Bro. Sir Albert Woods, G.D.C.
functions of the Duke of Norfolk and those of the Lord Great Chamberlain . Sir Albert now passes to the more cheerful phases of his multifarious duties . Vases , portraits , and snuff-boxes still serve to remind him of his presence as Garter at the investiture of the Kings of Spain , Italy , and Saxony in their respective capitals ; and he was also attached as Herald to similar missions at Brussels and Vienna . During the present reign he has never missed a
single ceremonial . He saw the Prince of Wales christened and married ; and he sometimes feels a little sad when he turns over the pages of one of the earlier of the unique volumes of "orders" and "directions , " and finds himself the solitary survivor amidst a whole page of official spectators . He can of course relate innumerable stories of the investitures of the different orders of knighthood he has taken part in during the past 30 years ; but
time presses , and he has promised to show you the Court of Chivalry below-stairs before you leave . He tells you that the long leather-covered purple case , stamped with crowns and Royal monograms , contains an engrossed grant of arms with his seal and that of Clarencieux ; the modest casket beneath it is , it appears , nothing less than a "Garter Dispensation Box ; " and while he explains to you its precise signification , he takes you
lo the adjoining room , where his grandson is working hard at the science of heraldry , and where a portrait of George IV ., in his coronation robes , occupies a conspicuous place above the gray marble mantelpiece which supports a framed collection of the distinctive ribbons of the various orders of English knighthood . In another chamber on the floor below an artist
labours diligently at an elaborate emblazonment in the congenial society of a pile of purple patent-boxes and an enormous bookcase filled with innumerable volumes of the " Annual Register , " and crowned by the carved crests of departed Lansdownes , Gordons , and Percys , as well as a couple of tarnished Imperial diadems , which remind one forcibly of the mutability of things in general , and of chivalric honours in particular .
You next enter the court in which the Hereditary Earl Marshal ( of whose official conscience Sir Albert Woods is the keeper ) once did stern justice in matters of descent , style , and escutcheon . A century and a half have elapsed since its crier called on the case of " Blount versus Blunt , " and from that day this portion of the region of "gorgeous blazonments " at least has been practically deserted . No Duke of Norfolk has ever sought
to occupy the uncomfortable carved throne over which hang the tattered and dingy banners last used at the coronation of George IV . ; chests of worm-eaten records rest against the rails over which the lawyers once argued abstruse questions of pedigree ; the carved wooden chandelier is still suspended candleless from the ceiling , and the golden lion of the Howards above the door at one end of the hail surveys complacently the
Royal crest at the other . In the office beyond the picture of Lord Arundel " the collector " finds an appropriate background in the charming tracery of Grinling Gibbons's overmantel , and the portraits of Sir William Dugdale and Ralph Sheldon occupy places of honour on the dark oaken wainscoting at either side of the door . "Rouge Croix , " . Pursuivant , is the officer in attendance , and he is engaged at present in inspecting the
accounts of some ancient " visitation " at the polished table which commands a view of the Record Room beyond . Mr . Farnham Burke is treading worthily in the footsteps of his father , the Ulster King of Arms . Nubody knows better than he does how to deal gently with casual visitors who believe the College to be a post-office or a savings-bank , or country cousins who come there for grants of " initials , " information as to long-lost
relatives , or in search ot some other impossible intelligence j he even succeeded a few hours ago in appeasing the just wrath of the legal adviser of the Bulkeleys of Bulkeley , when he appeared there to solemnly protest against an alleged unwarrantable invasion of the name and style of his clients . He rises at once as you enter , and is only too delighted to do the honours of the Record Room .
Oaken presses and galleries fill every available space . Long bookcasetables are devoted to the requirements of the investigators of heraldic lore , and they are covered at present with the ponderous volumes which contain the story of the Brasseys and the Bressies . Never since the time when " Windsor , " five-and-thirty years ago , effected a genealogical junction between Thomas Brassey and the lineal descendants of " le Sieur " Ralph
Bressie of Bulkeley , through a long-since forgotten country parson , has there been more keen excitement known in the Heralds' College . Your eye at once lights on the mallard " argent " and the " Arduis soepe metu nunquam , " with which visitors to Normanhurst are possibly familiar . The Somerset Herald is pursuing , with feverish and disinterested anxiety , the investigations which will permit him to satisfactorily certify that
the ex-Lord of the Admiralty comes " of a family as ancient and well allied as that of nine-tenths of the existing nobility ; " the solicitor of Major Owen Bulkeley is peering anxiously into the great register marked " Norfolk , " with a view of demolishing the elaborate pedigree which has been attested in form by Thomas Brassey the elder . You refrain from interrupting ; heir serious occupations , and Mr . Burke speaks with a softness suitable to the
semi-religious character of the precincts while he shows you the portraits of " Garter" Ralph Bigland in his collar of ss , and Sir John Vanbrugh , the architect of Blenheim , and the author of the " Provoked Wife " and the " Relapse , " over the sarcophagus-like black marble mantelpieces ; the sword and dagger taken by Thomas Duke of Norfolk from the blood-smeared body ol James IV . of Scotland on the field of Flodden ; the delicate
turquoise ring sent to the luckless King by Queen Anne of France ; the marble bust of James Robinson Planche perched high up on the summit of the bookcases in the gallery which contains Sir Charles Young's library and the scarcely visible features of Queen Elizabeth's " Garter " Dethick ( the exemplifier of treasonable emblazonments ) , John Anstis , the historian of the Garter and the College , and several departed " Blue Mantles" and
" Chesters . " You look hastily , under his guidance , at the County Visitations , the Earl Marshal ' s Registers , the Baronets' Pedigrees , and the Licenses ; you smile at the record of Sir Gervase Clifton and his seven wives , the frequent ill-treatment of the too inquisitorial " visitors , " Prince Arthur ' s picture of the Ark , and the entry of the decease of Adam , from an attack of the " gowte , " at the mature age of nine hundred and ninety-nine .
The friends and foes of the Brasseys still continue their researches ; so you repair once more to Sir Albert's sanctum , where he talks to you with some pride of his 30 years' career as Grand Director of Ceremonies to the Freemasons , and of the responsibilities belonging to the "doyen " of the corps of Masonic Grand Officers , when you are interrupted by the arrival of one
of the new Colonial knights on business of pressing importance connected with his coat armorial . You are naturally unwilling to cause him any unnecessary delay ; so you leave the kindly Garter Principal King of Arms to explain the mysterious details of the emblazonment on vellum to his delighted visitor , while you bid farewell reluctantly to one of the most interesting ol the historical buildings ot the capital .
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
French Freemasonry In England.
Croix Masons who signed the certificate , but the text does not state that Bro . Jean took the iS ° , but simply the Ch . \ D'or . { i . e ., Knight of the East ) . Any information additional from Bro . Speth will be most acceptable . I shall exhibit the Certificate at Shanklin , because of its rarity and interest . W . J . HUGHAN .
Bro. Sir Albert Woods, G.D.C.
BRO . SIR ALBERT WOODS , G . D . C .
We need offer no apology for introducing to our renders another of those graphic sketches of our " Celebrities at Home , " which for years past have been gracing the columns of the World . The subject on this occasion is Bro . Sir Albert W . Woods ( Garter ) , Grand Director of Ceremonies ot
England , and about the greatest living authority of the day on Heraldryin England , at all events . The pen of the writer is a familiar one , and many will no doubt fancy they recognise in it that of the able advocate , who so stoutly upheld the cause of Arabi Pasha , after the defeat by Lords Alcester and Wolselcy of that rebel against the Khedive's authority : —
The venerable building in which the thirteen official exponents of the mysteries of blazonry " congregate , speak , confer , and agree ( or disagree ) amongst themselves " has certainly witnessed many striking changes since Albert Woods first passed under its " hollow arch " and accompanied his father down St . Bennet's Hill on his way to Windsor to act as usher at the funeral of the Duke of Gloucester in St . George's Chapel . The once
famous entrance is itself buried out of sight ; Sir Christopher Wren ' s Ionic pilasters and time-mellowed brickwork seem lo shrink timidly from the whirl and bustle of the new thoroughfare to which they are ruttilessly exposed ; and Mr . Darbishire's elaborate portico and stucco balustrade wholly fail to console the Garter King of Arms for the banishment of the leaded window-panes of his youth , or the disappearance of the far-famed pump
which was once the pride of Doctors' Commons , and has long ago been sacrificed in its old age on the altar of sanitary improvement . The dusty ivy which surrounds the four doves of the Heralds over the porter's lodge mutely protests against the provoking smartness of the gilded portals through which you pass to the modest door in the right-hand corner of the quadrangle which leads to the private apartment of Sir Albert Woods . A
clerk in sober apparel conducts you at once to the well-lighted room on the first floor , where his master is already occupied with his morning ' s letters . Mahogany bookcases of almost phenomenal solidity are ranged along the pale green walls ; the wooden crests of deceased Knights of the Garter which surmount them harmonise strangely with the funereal character of the massive bronze handles of the drawers below ; the faded red drugget is
littered here and there with books and papers ; the monumental mantelpiece and square eight-day clock occupying the centre of a three-sided apse opposite the tall windows near the door , and the four well-laden writingtables are in perfect accordance with the horsehair seats and cane-backed writing-chairs , which form the sole adornment of the inner sanctuary of modern heraldry . You are , of course , somewhat disappointed to find the
Garter King oE Arms in the garb of every-day life ; you would naturally like to have seen him in the gorgeous tabard and silver - gilt crown , with the oak leaves and inscription , " Miscreri mei Deus magnam misericordiarn tuam ; " but these , with the sceptre and his other insignia , are far away in St . George's-road , for the age of defiances , truces , tilts , tournaments , and duels has passed away , and it is in an ordinary
frock-coat that Sir Albert Woods , undismayed by his threescore years and ten , has just attacked the six hours' work he generally gets through at the College of Arms . The present month is essentially one of creations , promotions , and investitures , so the Heralds are busier than usual . Peers , peeresses , baronets , and knights in embryo write perpetually and persistently to " Dear Sir Albert" for counsel and advice ; new members of the House of Lords
ask for information as to the manner of taking their seats in that august assembly ; complicated pedigrees demand conscientious investigation ; " supporters" must be discovered and " devices" invented ; heraldic collisions and infringements must be avoided ; a hundred pressing and perplexing questions of procedure and ceremonial require the " Garter ' s " immediate and personal attention , and he is superintending with due care the
preparation of the arms and banners of the Dukes of Norfolk and Northumberland and Lord Abergavenny for St . George's Chapel . While Sir Albert proceeds with the perusal of his letters you glance rapidly at his characteristic surroundings . On the ledge of the bookcase behind him the red and blue cover of the last special statute of the Order of St . Michael and St . George half hides the current number of the London Gazette ; pedigrees
and Scotch patents lie side by side in their tin cases ; elaborate sketches of " emblazonments" on vellum and proofs of seals rest on some well-used book of reference , and on the table near the door a dozen MS . " Grants of Dignities , " bearing the Royal sign-manual , are ready for transmission to those who are to be their happy recipients . The roomy shelves are given up entirely to genealogy , topography , and county history ; the dull drab binding of the Family Records is somewhat relieved by the brighter covers
of Sir H . Nicolas's "Historic Peerage , " "German Armorials , " or " Burke ; " but the ornamentation of heraldry is almost wholly wanting in the unromantic work-room of the chief of the Corporation ot Arms . The badge of the first order of English chivalry is , however , placed above a doorway in one side of the recess ; the photograph of " Garter " Sir Charles Young on the wall hard by is now scarcely recognisable ; but Sir Albert Woods just remembers Sir George Nayler , another " Garter , " who died in 1831 , and whose portrait hangs below it .
By this time Sir Albert Woods has finished the last of his letters , and as he lays down his pen across the great glass inkstand he is accustomed to use , he tells you that just half a century has passed since he worked at the same table , as his father ' s factotum , in the comparatively humble capacity of Fitz-Alan Pursuivant Extraordinary . In a few minutes he has forgotten all about his correspondence and the burning question of
the title of the De Bressies of Bulkeley ( which just now greatly exercises the College ) , and you revel in the reminiscences of the pageants of the past . It was at the funeral of William IV ., of pious memory , that Sir Albert donned his tabard for the first time ; and while he describes the effect of the solemn ceremonial at night , he produces the volume in which he has bound up every scrap of information relating to it , down lo one of the
painted escutcheons Irom the hearse , and an impression of the " Depositum , serenissimi , potenlissimi et cxccllentissimi , " fee . A month after the coronation of the Queen he became Portcullis Pursuivant , and in this capacity assisted at the Royal marriage in the Chapel of St . James's . He was Lancaster Herald when he helped Sir Charles Young to " marshal " the public funeral of the Duke of Wellington ; and while speaking of the burial of Oucen Adelaide , he explains the subtle distinctions between the
Bro. Sir Albert Woods, G.D.C.
functions of the Duke of Norfolk and those of the Lord Great Chamberlain . Sir Albert now passes to the more cheerful phases of his multifarious duties . Vases , portraits , and snuff-boxes still serve to remind him of his presence as Garter at the investiture of the Kings of Spain , Italy , and Saxony in their respective capitals ; and he was also attached as Herald to similar missions at Brussels and Vienna . During the present reign he has never missed a
single ceremonial . He saw the Prince of Wales christened and married ; and he sometimes feels a little sad when he turns over the pages of one of the earlier of the unique volumes of "orders" and "directions , " and finds himself the solitary survivor amidst a whole page of official spectators . He can of course relate innumerable stories of the investitures of the different orders of knighthood he has taken part in during the past 30 years ; but
time presses , and he has promised to show you the Court of Chivalry below-stairs before you leave . He tells you that the long leather-covered purple case , stamped with crowns and Royal monograms , contains an engrossed grant of arms with his seal and that of Clarencieux ; the modest casket beneath it is , it appears , nothing less than a "Garter Dispensation Box ; " and while he explains to you its precise signification , he takes you
lo the adjoining room , where his grandson is working hard at the science of heraldry , and where a portrait of George IV ., in his coronation robes , occupies a conspicuous place above the gray marble mantelpiece which supports a framed collection of the distinctive ribbons of the various orders of English knighthood . In another chamber on the floor below an artist
labours diligently at an elaborate emblazonment in the congenial society of a pile of purple patent-boxes and an enormous bookcase filled with innumerable volumes of the " Annual Register , " and crowned by the carved crests of departed Lansdownes , Gordons , and Percys , as well as a couple of tarnished Imperial diadems , which remind one forcibly of the mutability of things in general , and of chivalric honours in particular .
You next enter the court in which the Hereditary Earl Marshal ( of whose official conscience Sir Albert Woods is the keeper ) once did stern justice in matters of descent , style , and escutcheon . A century and a half have elapsed since its crier called on the case of " Blount versus Blunt , " and from that day this portion of the region of "gorgeous blazonments " at least has been practically deserted . No Duke of Norfolk has ever sought
to occupy the uncomfortable carved throne over which hang the tattered and dingy banners last used at the coronation of George IV . ; chests of worm-eaten records rest against the rails over which the lawyers once argued abstruse questions of pedigree ; the carved wooden chandelier is still suspended candleless from the ceiling , and the golden lion of the Howards above the door at one end of the hail surveys complacently the
Royal crest at the other . In the office beyond the picture of Lord Arundel " the collector " finds an appropriate background in the charming tracery of Grinling Gibbons's overmantel , and the portraits of Sir William Dugdale and Ralph Sheldon occupy places of honour on the dark oaken wainscoting at either side of the door . "Rouge Croix , " . Pursuivant , is the officer in attendance , and he is engaged at present in inspecting the
accounts of some ancient " visitation " at the polished table which commands a view of the Record Room beyond . Mr . Farnham Burke is treading worthily in the footsteps of his father , the Ulster King of Arms . Nubody knows better than he does how to deal gently with casual visitors who believe the College to be a post-office or a savings-bank , or country cousins who come there for grants of " initials , " information as to long-lost
relatives , or in search ot some other impossible intelligence j he even succeeded a few hours ago in appeasing the just wrath of the legal adviser of the Bulkeleys of Bulkeley , when he appeared there to solemnly protest against an alleged unwarrantable invasion of the name and style of his clients . He rises at once as you enter , and is only too delighted to do the honours of the Record Room .
Oaken presses and galleries fill every available space . Long bookcasetables are devoted to the requirements of the investigators of heraldic lore , and they are covered at present with the ponderous volumes which contain the story of the Brasseys and the Bressies . Never since the time when " Windsor , " five-and-thirty years ago , effected a genealogical junction between Thomas Brassey and the lineal descendants of " le Sieur " Ralph
Bressie of Bulkeley , through a long-since forgotten country parson , has there been more keen excitement known in the Heralds' College . Your eye at once lights on the mallard " argent " and the " Arduis soepe metu nunquam , " with which visitors to Normanhurst are possibly familiar . The Somerset Herald is pursuing , with feverish and disinterested anxiety , the investigations which will permit him to satisfactorily certify that
the ex-Lord of the Admiralty comes " of a family as ancient and well allied as that of nine-tenths of the existing nobility ; " the solicitor of Major Owen Bulkeley is peering anxiously into the great register marked " Norfolk , " with a view of demolishing the elaborate pedigree which has been attested in form by Thomas Brassey the elder . You refrain from interrupting ; heir serious occupations , and Mr . Burke speaks with a softness suitable to the
semi-religious character of the precincts while he shows you the portraits of " Garter" Ralph Bigland in his collar of ss , and Sir John Vanbrugh , the architect of Blenheim , and the author of the " Provoked Wife " and the " Relapse , " over the sarcophagus-like black marble mantelpieces ; the sword and dagger taken by Thomas Duke of Norfolk from the blood-smeared body ol James IV . of Scotland on the field of Flodden ; the delicate
turquoise ring sent to the luckless King by Queen Anne of France ; the marble bust of James Robinson Planche perched high up on the summit of the bookcases in the gallery which contains Sir Charles Young's library and the scarcely visible features of Queen Elizabeth's " Garter " Dethick ( the exemplifier of treasonable emblazonments ) , John Anstis , the historian of the Garter and the College , and several departed " Blue Mantles" and
" Chesters . " You look hastily , under his guidance , at the County Visitations , the Earl Marshal ' s Registers , the Baronets' Pedigrees , and the Licenses ; you smile at the record of Sir Gervase Clifton and his seven wives , the frequent ill-treatment of the too inquisitorial " visitors , " Prince Arthur ' s picture of the Ark , and the entry of the decease of Adam , from an attack of the " gowte , " at the mature age of nine hundred and ninety-nine .
The friends and foes of the Brasseys still continue their researches ; so you repair once more to Sir Albert's sanctum , where he talks to you with some pride of his 30 years' career as Grand Director of Ceremonies to the Freemasons , and of the responsibilities belonging to the "doyen " of the corps of Masonic Grand Officers , when you are interrupted by the arrival of one
of the new Colonial knights on business of pressing importance connected with his coat armorial . You are naturally unwilling to cause him any unnecessary delay ; so you leave the kindly Garter Principal King of Arms to explain the mysterious details of the emblazonment on vellum to his delighted visitor , while you bid farewell reluctantly to one of the most interesting ol the historical buildings ot the capital .