Masonic And General Archaeologia.

MASONIC AND GENERAL ARCHAEOLOGIA .

IT has been asserted that Chaucer was a " Freemason . There are in his poems certain allusions to operative Masonry , ancl he was , probably , an hermetic . He was appointed in 1389 , by King Richard IL , " clerk to the royal works , " and , in 1390 , " was directed to cause the collegiate chapel at Windsor to be repaired . " The original appointnient , and the subsequent , are to be found in " extenso " in the " appendix " to Godwin ' s Life of Chaucer , and might well be reproduced in this page of the magazineas all such facts

, tend to illustrate and open out clearly the history of the Mason Guilds . If any of our readers have access to Godwin ' s Life of Chaucer , we shall be obliged by a transcript of those documents . In the extract from the original patent , which we have seen , Chaucer was empowered to " impress " masons . No doubt all these documents are originally to be found in Rymer .

We now offer to our readers a catalogue of a mediseval library given by the Earl of Warwick to the convent of Bordeslowe in the fourteenth century , about 1350 . Not only is it " per se " a very curious and striking list of the current ancl customary literature , but it opens out many thoughts and considerations which will be patent to many of our readers , but are beyond the purpose of this paper . We are indebted to the late able ancl lamented Dr . Todd for first

introducing it to the notice of students , in his well-known " Illustrations of Gower aud Chaucer , " mainly from the " Lambeth MSS . " It has been reproduced in Sharon Turner ' s admirable History of England . We append a translation of the " Norman French , " as some of our readers may not be quite ready with it . " Sachez nous aVier ball e en la garde le Abbe e le Covent de Bordesleye lesse a demorer a touzjours touz les Romaunces desonz nonies ceo est assaveyr :

un volum qe est appele Tresor ; un A'olum en le quel est le premer lievre de Lancelot ; e un volum del Romaunce de Aygnes ; un Sauter de Romaunce ; un volum des Evangiles e de vie des Seins ; un volum qe p'le des quatre principals gestes de Charles e de dooun , e de Meyace , et de Girard de Viene , e de Emery de Nerbonne ; un volum del Romaunce Eniond de Agelond , et den Roy Charles dooun de Nauntoile ; e le Romaunce de Gwyoun de Nauntoyl ;

e un volum del Romaunce Titus et Vespasien ; e un volum del Romaunce Josep ab Arimathie , e den Saint Grace ; e un volum qe p'le coment Adam fust euieste hors de Paraclys , el le Genesie ; e un volum en le quel sount contenuz touns les Romaunces , ceo est assaveir , Vitas Patmm an comencement ; e pus un Counte de Anteypt ; e la Vision Seint Pol ; e pus les Vies des XII . Seins ; e le Romaunce de Willanie de Loungespe ; e autorites des seins humes ; e le Mirour de Ainie ; un volum en le quel sont contenuz la vie

Seint Pere e Seint Pol , e des autres live ; e un volum qe est appele l'Apocalips ; e un livre de Phisik e de Surgie ; un volum del Romaunce de Gwy e de la Reygne tut enterement ; un volum del Romaunce de Willa-me de Orenges et de Tebaud de Arabia ; un volum del Romaunce de Amase et de Idoine ; un volum del Romaunce Girard de Viene ; un volum del Romaunce deu Brut del Roy Costentine ; un volum cle la enseigment Aristotle enveirz an Roy

Alisaundre ; un volum cle la Mort ly Roy Arthur e de Mordret ; un volum en le quel sont contenz les Enfaunces Nostra Seygneur coment il fust mene en Egipt ; ela vie Seint Edward ; e la visioun Seint Pol ; La Vengeance n ' re Seygneur par Vespasian e Titus ; e la vie Seint Nicolas que fustnez en Patras ;