Masonic Jottings.—No. 13.

not have acquired ultimately a predominance not less than that which it got more speedily by the organisation of 1717 . EARLY SPECULATIVE MASONRY . —TWO PROCEEDDINGS .

Early Speculative Masonry . There were two proceedings—improvement—augmentation . First , improvement by the culture of necessary sciences . Next , augmentation by the importation of sciences not necessary , but useful and ornamental . The

improvement was chiefly effected by the instructed Operative Masons ; the augmentation by amateurs , by non-Operative Masons .

DISCUSSION OP CERTAIN MASONIC MATTERS . Avoid the discussion of certain Masonic matters with those whom education has not fitted for literary controversy . You will probably obtain an easy victory . But the proceeding is displeasing to some brothers , disgusting to others , and agreeable to none .

TWO THINGS NATURAL TO MAN . These two things are natural to man , the love of God ' s works , and rightly understood Masonry . THE 1717 THEORY . Could this theory be established , our

Freemasonry might not unfitly be called indigenous . THE ABBE GRANDIDIER'S DISCOVERY . The vanity of the Craft is thought to have been sorely wounded , when towards the end of the last century , publication was made of the Abbe

Grandidier ' s discovery that our modern organisation comes not from a Knightly Order , but from the Building Fraternities of mediasval times . — MS . no date , about 1853 .

Masonic Notes And Queries.

MASONIC NOTES AND QUERIES .

HATOT HUTTE—GEAND LODG-E . My answer to the inquiry of an "Entered Apprentice" is that the Haupt Hutte of Germany in the 15 th century had an organisation analagous to the organisation of our Grand Lodge of 1717 ; and therefore in the passages of Bro . Findel ' s History , to which

an "Entered Apprentice" refers , the Haupt Hutte of Germany in the 15 th century is properly translated Grand Lodge . See the Note to Jotting , " Grand Lodges Germany , Switzerland , 15 th Century , " page 127 of the present volume . —CHAELES PUETON CoOPEB . 33 E 0 . W . J . HUQEAIT AND " THE 1744 D ' ASSINGNT " ( p . 248 . )

In all my intercourse with Bro . Hughan , I am very iappy to say that J never found anything which would lead me to support the idea or assertion of " Leo Sficundus , " but quite the opposite . —W . P . BUOHAN .

Masonic Notes And Queries.

BEOTHER "EBOE . Speculative Masonry of to-day . A correspondent at Sheffield is mistaken in supposing that age has dimmed his memory in the matter respecting which he writes . About seven years ago , a learned and esteemed brother , whose contributions to the

Freemason ' s Magazine were then commonly subscribed "Ebor , " recorded in its columns that "he traced the history of the Speculative Masonry of to-day through the Operative Guilds before 1700—through the Operative Sodalities of the middle and earlier ages—to the Eoman colleges , and thence to the Tyrian and Hebrew Masons . "

I have transcribed these lines from a Masonic Commonplace Book , which does not mention the volume of our periodical containing them , hut it notices that the word " sodalities" has been substituted for the word '' feudalities , " au obvious error of the press . My correspondent will pereeire that these lines entirely accord with his recollection . —* CHAEIIBS PUETON COOPEE .

OEDEB 03 ? . TUB TEHPI / E AND EOSY OEOSS . I notice Bro . Yarlrer ' s observations as to the Ordredu-Temple of France , at page 248 . I do not offer any observations as defending the authenticity of the much discussed " charter of transmission , " but I would suggest that the anathema of the Scottish Templars

and their brethren of St . Jolin of Jerusalem is in itself a much greater proof of the authenticity of the charter than of its spurious origin . The amalgamation of the Templars in Scotland with the Hospitaller Order must have occurred shortly before the date upon which the charter of transmission professes to

be made—13 th February , 1324 . The Templars and Hospitallers were antagonistic Orders , and generally at enmity with each other , and to a section of the Order which sought its own perpetuation , pure and simple , it would no doubt be a high misdemeanor for the brethren in another country to enter the ranks of its enemies , in preference to awaiting their doom , even

with so tragical a perspective as the stake . Here we have at once a perfectly reasonable explanation of the anathema—one much more probable than that a clever forger would commit so gross a blunder as to anathematise a dozen or two of Freemasons in 1705 , in a document which he was intending to date nearly

four centuries earlier . On all hands it seems admitted that the Due do Duras' signature is genuine . He signed the charter in 1681 : how , therefore , could it be forged in 1705 ? Supposing , even , that he signed it in 1 G 86 , when Bro . Yarker alleges that he took out his patent , how can this help the 1705 theory ? It

appears to me that there is no room whatever to assume that the charter was forged since 1 GS 1 . Morison himself is the only member of the Order , of whom I have heard , who has attempted to throw discredit upon it ; he was once its strenuous supporter , and reasons , which are far from creditable to him , have been given for his conduct lam acquainted with two ( I think I may say three ) members of the Ordre-du-