Freemasonry In England.

work and surveyor , with the assistance of his warden , Mr . Edward Sturg and his son . The mallet with wliich the King levelled this foundation stone was delivered by Sir Christopher Wren to the old Lodge of St . Paul , now the Lodge of Antiquity , where it is still preserved as a great curiosity . In pulling down the walls of the old building , which were about

eighty feet high and five feet thick , and clearing away the foundation , the builders met with great difficulties , which were only surmounted by untiring labour aud perseverance . The history of the ancient structure is interesting , and claims peculiar notice . It was generally supposed to have been founded on an ancient temple of Diana , built by the Romans , but with which supposition the

son of Sir Christopher Wren differs , and in his Parentalia , observes , that the first Cathedral of the episcopal see of London -was built in the area , where had been the Roman Prceterian camp , and in the situation on which all the succeeding fabrics stood , and that this structure was demolished during the great and general persecution under the Emperor Dioclesian . The church is supposed to have been re-erected under Constantinebut

, it was afterwards destroyed by the pagan Saxons , and restored on the old foundations when they embraced Christianity , in the seventh century , when Sebert , King of Essex , advanced Milletus to the bishopric of London . In 675 , Erkenwald , fourth bishop of London , from Milletus , expended great sums of money in repairing and beautifying the ancient edifice , and for that and many other benefactions , he was canonized

at his death , and his body placed in a glorious shrine above the high altar in the east part of the church , the admiration of succeeding ages , till the destruction of the whole fabric by fire , in the year 961 , but as it w as rebuilt in the same year , it is highly probable that those early structures , however magnificent they might then be thought , were only small wooden buildings . During the Saxon heptarchy , under

succeeding kings , this church flourished exceedingly , and Elielred and . Canute confirmed the charters which solemnly imprecated curses on all those who dared to violate it . Its next benefactor was Edward the Confessor , but at the Norman invasion which followed , some of its revenues were seized by the Conqueror . He was , however , no sooner seated on the throne than he caused full restitution to be made , with benedictions on

those who should augment its possessions , and solemn imprecations upon all who should violate any of the charters made in its favour . In that reign , a dreadful conflagration consumed the church a second time , and by this conflagration , wliich happened in 1086 , the greatest part of the city was also laid in ashes ; this destruction served to make w ay for a more magnificent building than had ever been yet applied to the

purposes of devotion in this kingdom . Maurice , then bishop of London , having undertaken this great work , obtained of the King the old stones of a spacious castle in the neighbourhood , called the Palatine Tower , situated near the river Fleet , and employed the Craft in its completion with unremitting industry for twenty years . At the expiration of this period he died , and left the completion of the work to his successor , who