Our Masonic Mss.

OUR MASONIC MSS .

BY REV . A . F . A . WOODFORD . I give another extract from a MS . of the early part of the 15 th century , showing how contemporaneous were these exhortations to good mannersone of which forms

, concludes the Masonic Poem . Though this Uarleian MS . be not identical with "Urbauitatis , " orthe"MasonicPoem , "ithas many analogies , and much general resemblance .

It seems impossible to doubt but that the Masonic Poem is a transcription of the very early part of the 15 th century at latest , and represents a very much earlier version , probably translated from Latin or Norman French .

Brit , Mus . Had . Ms . 511 , fo . 207 . Kepe thy cloth clene the by forn , And here the so thou have no scorn

Byte not yi mete but kerve it clene , Be welle ware no drop be sene . Whan yu ety st gape not to wyde , That yi mouth be sene on yche a syde And son beware I rede of on thyng Blow neyr tin mete nor yi you drynk . And yif thi lord drynk at yat tyde

Drynk yu not but hym a byde , Be it at coyn be it at noone , Drynk yu not tyll he hatte done . Upon yi trencher no fyllth yusoe , It is not honest as I telle the . Ne drynk behynd no manne bakke

, For yf yu do thow art to takke . And chese come forthe be not to gredy Ne cette yow not thereof to hastely . Caste not yi bones ynto the fioro But ley yom fayrc on yi treuchore . Kepe clene yi cloth by fore alle

ye And set yu stylle what so be falle . Tyll grace be said unto ye ende , And tyll yu have wasshen wfc yi frend . Let the more worthy yan thow , Wassh to fore ye and that is yi prow . And spitte not yn yi basyn

My swete son yt yow wasshist yn . And aiyse up soft and stylle And jangyll nether with jak ne jylle , But lake yi leve of the hede lowly , And yank hym wt fchyn hert hyghly . An- ! idle yo gcntylles togydro yn same

Our Masonic Mss.

And bare the so thow haue no blame . Than men wyll say therafter , That a gentyllman was heere . And he gt dispiseth this techyng , He is not worthy wt ottte lesyng , Neither at good mannes tabull to sitte

Nor of no worship for to wytte , And therefore chyklren for chavyte , Lovyth this boke though yt lv til be . And pray for hym yt made it thus , That hyt may helpe swete IH C . [ Jhesus ] To ly ve and dye among his frendes .

And never to be combred wt no fendes , And geve us grace yn joy to be Amen , Amen for charytee . _ ... f Lerne or be lewde I Qo [ quoth 1 ] whytyng .

Lucy Matilda Jane.

LUCY MATILDA JANE .

I do not know , at least I do not feel sure , whether the little story I am about to tell will be fully appreciated by my many readers ; but , as 1 think it always best not only to " adorn a tale , " but to " point the moral , " I offer it in all good feeling to those who are in the habit of jjerusing

the pages of our Masonic magazine . Lucy Matilda Jane , when 1 first knew her , was a " strikingly good-looking gal , " as young Timmins would always call her , of sweet seventeen or " thereanent . " She was the youngest of a family of live , famed for the tastes and " proclivities" of its fair daughters . Maria was musical ; Kitty was given

up to severe reading , and was well up in Darwin and Lyell , Neile and Leebie ; Henrietta was the business one of the family ; Laura was always occupied in working carpets , & c , for the church \ and Lucy Matilda Jane read a good deal of FrenchGermanand Italianand was very

, , , sentimental . All the girls were good-looking , and as Mr . Wapshott used to say ( he is one of the Wapshotts of Wapshott ) , " They all resemble their dear mother , though m different ways . Yes , " he would add , " my

dear friend , Toinlinson , " putting his hand on my arm , and looking into my face as if to entreat credence for his gushing words , " that woman is really an angel , and all my girls take after her in one thing or the other . Maria has got her hair ,