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Article MASONIC REMINISCENCES. ← Page 6 of 7 →
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Masonic Reminiscences.
the gentlest courtesy , with the most eccentric humour . We remember reading a case in which this last trait was manifested by one of this order at a most grave and solemn moment ; on a trial for the highway robbery of a banker , on whose firm at the time of the robbery there happened to be " a run , " and whose notes were in such disrepute as not to pass current After conviction , the highwayman was asked in the usual form , why sentence of death should not be pronounced upon him , and concluded a clever rambling speech with the following witty commentary on the banker ' s
evidence : — "My Lord , with regard to the testimony of Mr . I submit that his baseness and ingratitude should disentitle him to credit in this court , for upon his own showing , I did him the favour to take his notes , ivhen nobody else would .
De Courcy reached the foreign capital with his faithful Mary , presented his letters , received his commission , and was at once despatched to the seat of w ar . During several campaigns he went on winning fame and promotion on every field ; wdierever the red flag of war was unfurled , there , in the front rank , flashed the sword of De Courcy ; and though he voluntered for every dangerous enterprise and forlorn hope , yet as if he possessed a charmed life he still escaped without a fatal w ound . Before the close of the war he had attained the highest
rank in his profession ; when peace was proclaimed he was appointed aide-de-camp to the royal master whom he so well served , and soon after received a handsome pension and a title ; his true and noble
wife , too , became attached to the court , where he frequently related the history of his life , and both became objects of the deepest interest .
In his elevation he forgot not his benefactor , with whom he regularly corresponded , and to whom he sent a valuable sword , won from a gallant foeman , richly ornamented with Masonic emblems in precious stones ; he made the fullest restitution in his power to all who
had suffered during his career of knight-errantry ; until he , at last , felt justified in seeking admission to the order of Freemasonry , and the night he was raised to the Sublime Degree , he declared he felt prouder of that peaceful honour than of all the distinctions his sword had won . lie lived the life of a true Mason , cherished its
principles , aided its charities , nn ENCOunAGEn all those who LAEouuEn in the viNEYAiU ) OE its LiTEiiATUitE , and the quickest passport to his house and heart was to be a member of the Masonic Order . We take leave of De Courcy , wishing all to avoid his follies and his errors , and to imitate only his virtues ; and to each true Brother
we can offer no better wish , than that his wife , sister , or daughter , may prove as fond , faithful , tender , and wise as the true and gentle wife of De Courcy . Phil Simpson , blundered on through life after his own silly fashion , the butt of all practical jokers , the unfortunate victim of parental indulgence and defective education ; his wife also dragged on an l , u happy ? monotonous existence , sacrificed by the bad example of her ¦ roue fattier , and a defective , as well as improper education . The
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
Masonic Reminiscences.
the gentlest courtesy , with the most eccentric humour . We remember reading a case in which this last trait was manifested by one of this order at a most grave and solemn moment ; on a trial for the highway robbery of a banker , on whose firm at the time of the robbery there happened to be " a run , " and whose notes were in such disrepute as not to pass current After conviction , the highwayman was asked in the usual form , why sentence of death should not be pronounced upon him , and concluded a clever rambling speech with the following witty commentary on the banker ' s
evidence : — "My Lord , with regard to the testimony of Mr . I submit that his baseness and ingratitude should disentitle him to credit in this court , for upon his own showing , I did him the favour to take his notes , ivhen nobody else would .
De Courcy reached the foreign capital with his faithful Mary , presented his letters , received his commission , and was at once despatched to the seat of w ar . During several campaigns he went on winning fame and promotion on every field ; wdierever the red flag of war was unfurled , there , in the front rank , flashed the sword of De Courcy ; and though he voluntered for every dangerous enterprise and forlorn hope , yet as if he possessed a charmed life he still escaped without a fatal w ound . Before the close of the war he had attained the highest
rank in his profession ; when peace was proclaimed he was appointed aide-de-camp to the royal master whom he so well served , and soon after received a handsome pension and a title ; his true and noble
wife , too , became attached to the court , where he frequently related the history of his life , and both became objects of the deepest interest .
In his elevation he forgot not his benefactor , with whom he regularly corresponded , and to whom he sent a valuable sword , won from a gallant foeman , richly ornamented with Masonic emblems in precious stones ; he made the fullest restitution in his power to all who
had suffered during his career of knight-errantry ; until he , at last , felt justified in seeking admission to the order of Freemasonry , and the night he was raised to the Sublime Degree , he declared he felt prouder of that peaceful honour than of all the distinctions his sword had won . lie lived the life of a true Mason , cherished its
principles , aided its charities , nn ENCOunAGEn all those who LAEouuEn in the viNEYAiU ) OE its LiTEiiATUitE , and the quickest passport to his house and heart was to be a member of the Masonic Order . We take leave of De Courcy , wishing all to avoid his follies and his errors , and to imitate only his virtues ; and to each true Brother
we can offer no better wish , than that his wife , sister , or daughter , may prove as fond , faithful , tender , and wise as the true and gentle wife of De Courcy . Phil Simpson , blundered on through life after his own silly fashion , the butt of all practical jokers , the unfortunate victim of parental indulgence and defective education ; his wife also dragged on an l , u happy ? monotonous existence , sacrificed by the bad example of her ¦ roue fattier , and a defective , as well as improper education . The