Ashmole And The Craft.

The serious error is the interpolation of the word /;// ( placed by me in brackets in the following excerpt ) , which makes Eiias Ashmole state he was " admitted into the Fellowship of Freemasons " hi / Sir William Wilson and others , whereas that particular Knight and his live companions mentioned , were the " New accepted Masons , " for whose initiation the Lodge was convened .

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-MASONIC MKKTIXIiS . Kill ! . V liisi . —( . !/«» . J / V /;/ ., HS 1 ) .

The additional and superfluous word />// was a puzzle to my lamented friend Dr . Albert Gallatin Mackey , of the U . S . A ., who in a posthumous work of an elaborate character , published by the " Masonic History Company " of Xew York , entitled " Tut : His't'onv OF FHKK . MAKOXKY , " devotes some three pages to an elucidation of the mystery . He considers that Sir William Wilson [ one of the Candidates ' ] was jirobably the

Master , and with the other Fellows , admitted Ashmole into the Fellowship , he being only an ordinary member of the Craft before . Since the decease of that learned Craftsman , in 1881 , many important discoveries have been made known to the Brotherhood , which , bad he been spared , would have been eagerly and ably treated in relation lo the subject . As a matter of fact , there is nothing in either of the entries

( l () 4 ( i and 1682 ) suggestive of more than the one Ceremony , common lo both periods . " Admission into the Fellowship of Free Masons , "' being equivalent to being " made Free . Masons " ; and Ashmole himself writes in . 1682 that he was the senior fellow present , being 35 years since

he was admitted . He also terms the Candidates received in that year , "New-accepted Masons . " Tlie second entry is dated llth March , 1682 .

"Accordingly t went , ami about Xoone wove admitted into the Fellowship of Free Masons [/>//]* Sir William Wilson Knight , Capt . Hich . Borthwick , Mr . Will . Woodman , Mr . Wm . Oivy , Mr . Samuell Tavlour and Mr . William

Wise . I was the Senior Fellow among ihem ( it being 35 years since 1 was admitted ) . There were prsent beside my so ! I ' the Fellowes after named . Mr . Tho . Wise , Mr . of the Masons

Company this pi-sent yea re , Mr . Thomas Shorthosc , Mr . Thomas Shadbolt , Waindsl ' ord , Esqr ., Mr . Nich . Young , Mr . John Shorthose , Mr . William {[ anion , Mr . . John Thompson , and Mr . Will . Stanton .

'Wee all dvued at the llnll ' e Mount Taverne in Cbeapside , at a noble Dinnei propuircd at the charge of the Newaccepted Masons . " In an interesting List of Officers of the Company prepared by . Bro . Condor , it will be seen

that the Messrs . Thomas Wise , John Shorthose and William Stanton were Master and Wardens for the years 1 ( 581 -2 . the Wardens and others of the Lodge becoming Masters subsequently . All the names mentioned as present at the

meeting , to which Flias Ashmole was invited , both Fellows and Candidates were members of the Masons' Company , excepting Mr . William Wilson , and Captain Borthwick . The kind of By-laws which regulated the transactions of the Bodge , may he sinmised by

a perusal of the " Additional Articles , " to be found in a few of the MSS . of the "Old Charges " of the 17 th Century and later , wherein many of the features of more modern

lic'Uilations will be found dul y provided for , and are of a most suggestive character . W . •/ . HfCiHAX . " The word by in brackcls occurs in ihe editions of 1717 and 1774 . but is not in the original Diary .

Ar00301

A handsome silver rose bowl has recently been presented by the brethren of the Royal Order of Scotland to Bro . Thos . B . Whytelicad , P . G . S . B , Grand Master of the Order in Yorkshire . The bowl , which was handed to Bro . Wbytchcad at a congratulatory gathering on Saturday , is beautifully embossed with two carved handles , and stands on an ebony plinth . On

the rim is engraved the monogram '' T . B . W ., " on one side being Bro . Wh i tehead ' s family crest , and on the other ( he Anns of the Order . The bowl bears the following inscription : " Royal Order of Scotland : Presented to Right Worshipful Bro . T . B . Whytchead , J . P ., Provincial Grand Master of Yorkshire , by the brethren of the province as a token of their esteem and affection . December 17 II 1 , 1 904 .

An unusual incident occurred tlie other day al the opening of a nirrder trial at Cork Assizes , The accused man , John Foster , indicted for the murder of William Regan , was stated to be a Freemason , and a number of the jurors who had been summoned , were members of the Craft . In each case the Crown took objection to their serving .

& & & The installation of Colonel Piatt , C . B ., as Provincial Grand Master of North Wales in succession to the late Colonel Greuvillc Williams is to take place at Bangor at the New Hall , attached to the University College .