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Article MASONIC NOTES AND QUERIES. ← Page 3 of 4 →
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Masonic Notes And Queries.
THE ORDER OF ST . JOHN OE JERUSALEM . In my IAVO last communications I have sufficiently proved , 1 st . that there has always existed , and actually does exist , a head and supreme authority ofthe Sovereign Order of the Knights Hospitallers of St . John of Jerusalem ; and that the Supreme Authority is IIOAV vested in the Lieutenant of the Magistery and S . Council : and
2 ndly . That the Lieutenant of the Magistery and S . Council , and the Langues of Italy and Germany , the only two existing Langues of the Order , never approved nor sanctioned ' the alleged transactions of 1826-7-31 , by Avhich the " English Langue" claims to be re-established . My attention has been draAvn to a pamphlet entitled" Hospitallai'ia : or , a Synopsis of the Rise , Exploits ,
Privileges , Insignia of the A enenihle and Sovereign Order of the Knights Hospitallers of St . John of Jerusalem , with a brief account of the Sixth or British Branch . London : Mortimer , AViginore Street . 1 S 37 . "
It contains sixty-eight pages of matter , aud concludes" By order of the Right Rev . the Prior and Council of the British Order of Knights Hospitallers . K . B . London : Jan . 30 , 1837 . " At p . 49 we are informed ( " by Order of the Et . Eev .
the Trior , " & c . ) "On the resumption by Queen Elizabeth of the possessions of the Knights Hospitallers within her dominions , they gradually withdrew from England , but the act of Queen ' Mary , reincorporating the Sixth Language , never -was repealed , and conseqaenllii is hi full force al this day . "
I have already shown that the Charter of Philip and Mary never incoi-povated the LaAiguage of England - , and supposing even , that the Charter had not lapsed , as I proved it has done , it Avould have been repealed by "the resumption by Queen Elizabeth of the possessions of the Knights Hospitallers Avifcbiu her dominions ; " and Blackstone says that a Corporation may be dissolved , 1 ,
by Act of Parliament ; 2 , by the natural death of all its members , as in the case of an aggregate Corporation . ( Goriirn . B . i . c . 18 , p . 4 .-S 1-. ) Consequently , then , the Charter of Philip aud Mary has doubly lapsed . At p . 53 I read that : — "In compliance with the decree of the Council of London , A . T ) . 1126 , which provides that every Grand Prior must be in Priest ' s Orders , on February 24 th , 1834 , the present Grand Prior ( the late Rev . Sir Robert Peat ) qualified for his office under the Charter ot Philip and Mary iu the Court of King ' s Bench . "
If it was in consequence of this decree that the Eev . Robert Peat Avas elected " Grand Prior , " it follows as a matter of course that the present " Grand Prior " must also be in priest ' s orders , but I cannot find "his revorance ' s " name in the Clergy List ! At p . 56 I read : —
" By the Statutes of the Order , the British Language and the German Language are strictly Protestant . " ISTOAV I regret -much for the sake of the " Prior ( Sir E . Peat ) and Council" by Avhoso order this pamphlet was issued , to have to say , that , after carefully searching the Statutes , I cannot find a single statute , or ccen apart of onetcliich bears out the statement 1 have quoted !
, So much for the " Hospitallai'ia . " My attention has also been draAvn to another little pamphlet , entitled' ' Memoir in . regard to the Venerable English Langne of the Sovereign nnd Illustrious Order of St . John of Jerusalem , & c , as ordered to he printed for the Langne by the Chapter General on tho 24 th June , 1 SG . 1 "
This production has , I find , been distributed amongst the societies and associations in London , doubtless in the hope of beating up recruits . I wish I had seen it earlier , as it is the most satisfactory document of tho " English Langue" Avhich , as yet , 1 have come across , for the
author has to use a current expression , "let tho cat out of the bag , " whether Avittingly or not I cannot say , but this much I know , that my OAA ' doubts are DOAV entirely cleared away ; for , from this pamphlet I learn that the "English Langue " has made application to the Lieutenant of tlie Magistery and 8 . Council—tlie Supreme atitJioriti / of the Order—fo be recognised as TliE English Langue , and
I infer that the application has been refused ! Indeed , Major Porter distinctly says , that the authorities of the Order refuse to acknowledge the " English Langue " as a branch of the Order . Doubtless , the application for recognition made the most of the revival of the lapsed Charter of Philip and Mary ! But IIOAV I learn from the " Memoir " ordered to be printed by the Chapter General
of June 21 , 1861 , —that the " English Langue , " Avhatever it may be , is not the English Language , nor a branch of the S . Order of St . John ,- neither are its members , therefore , Knights Hospitallers of St . John . I presume the " Grand Prior" and the members did not see matters exactly in this light , Avhen they ordered the suicidal " Memoir " to be printed on June 24 , 1861 . Still , however , is is a satisfaction to remember the old proverb , " It is never too late to learn . " At p . 91
read"It may also be proper to stato that the utmost Avuhngnesshas been manifested on the part of the Council at Rome to amalgamate with the English branch so soon as a fund can be established for the necessary support of a Grand Priory upon tlie ancient basis of such a foundation "—but the recent political events have interrupted all negotiations , and desirable as it . would be to form a union , time and circumstances do not suit sucli a . purpose . "'
EOAV hero AVC are distinctly told that on certain conditions , i . e . " so soon as a fund can be established for the necessary support of a Grand Priory upon the ancientbasis of such a foundation "— " tha vimost willingnesshas been manifested , on the part of the Council at Home to amalf / a-maie with the English branch . " But if the " English Langue " really is a branch , or
the English Langue of the Order , no amalgamation Avould be necessary . Then Ave are told that " recent political events have interrupted all negotiations . " Here Ave learn that negotiations have been going on with a view to the amalgamation , and the fact of negotiations having been begun proves that the " English Langue " Avas fully aivare of the
importance of the amalgamation . This is evident -. Why then are the results of the negociations so carefully passed over , just asAvas the case Avith " the apecia . 1 communications " of 18-1-3 , " which were acknoAvledged by a letter from the Grand Bailli de Candida , Grand Master ad interim ., dated Eome , August 17 , of that year ? ( See Byiwpiknl Sketch , p . 26 ) . If the negotiations had been successful , Avould that result have been concealed or
passed over ? But then the interruption of the negotiations is attempted to be explained aAvay on tho grounds that " recent-political events havo -interrupted all negotiations . " Grcdat J-udmus ! AVhat in tho world can politics have to do Avith the negotiations for the amalgamation of the " Langues of England" Avith the S . Order of St . John ?
Then we are finally told that , " desirable as it would be to form such a union , time and circumstances do not suit for such a purpose . " So now , after all that has been said about the revival or re-organisation of the English Langue " of the Order of St . John in 1826-7-31 , and the revived Corporation under the lapsed Charter of 1557 , AVO actually learn from
this " Memoir ordered to be printed for the Langue by the Chapter General of June 24 , 1861 , " that there is no 'union ichataccr between the "English Langue" and the Sovereign- Order of St . John , of Jerusalem , and therefore that Ilia "English Langue" is not ilia English Branch oj ilia Order , and is in no way connected icith it . And thus the Chapter General has given- the death-bloAV to the institution Avhich it has been trying to establish . As
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
Masonic Notes And Queries.
THE ORDER OF ST . JOHN OE JERUSALEM . In my IAVO last communications I have sufficiently proved , 1 st . that there has always existed , and actually does exist , a head and supreme authority ofthe Sovereign Order of the Knights Hospitallers of St . John of Jerusalem ; and that the Supreme Authority is IIOAV vested in the Lieutenant of the Magistery and S . Council : and
2 ndly . That the Lieutenant of the Magistery and S . Council , and the Langues of Italy and Germany , the only two existing Langues of the Order , never approved nor sanctioned ' the alleged transactions of 1826-7-31 , by Avhich the " English Langue" claims to be re-established . My attention has been draAvn to a pamphlet entitled" Hospitallai'ia : or , a Synopsis of the Rise , Exploits ,
Privileges , Insignia of the A enenihle and Sovereign Order of the Knights Hospitallers of St . John of Jerusalem , with a brief account of the Sixth or British Branch . London : Mortimer , AViginore Street . 1 S 37 . "
It contains sixty-eight pages of matter , aud concludes" By order of the Right Rev . the Prior and Council of the British Order of Knights Hospitallers . K . B . London : Jan . 30 , 1837 . " At p . 49 we are informed ( " by Order of the Et . Eev .
the Trior , " & c . ) "On the resumption by Queen Elizabeth of the possessions of the Knights Hospitallers within her dominions , they gradually withdrew from England , but the act of Queen ' Mary , reincorporating the Sixth Language , never -was repealed , and conseqaenllii is hi full force al this day . "
I have already shown that the Charter of Philip and Mary never incoi-povated the LaAiguage of England - , and supposing even , that the Charter had not lapsed , as I proved it has done , it Avould have been repealed by "the resumption by Queen Elizabeth of the possessions of the Knights Hospitallers Avifcbiu her dominions ; " and Blackstone says that a Corporation may be dissolved , 1 ,
by Act of Parliament ; 2 , by the natural death of all its members , as in the case of an aggregate Corporation . ( Goriirn . B . i . c . 18 , p . 4 .-S 1-. ) Consequently , then , the Charter of Philip aud Mary has doubly lapsed . At p . 53 I read that : — "In compliance with the decree of the Council of London , A . T ) . 1126 , which provides that every Grand Prior must be in Priest ' s Orders , on February 24 th , 1834 , the present Grand Prior ( the late Rev . Sir Robert Peat ) qualified for his office under the Charter ot Philip and Mary iu the Court of King ' s Bench . "
If it was in consequence of this decree that the Eev . Robert Peat Avas elected " Grand Prior , " it follows as a matter of course that the present " Grand Prior " must also be in priest ' s orders , but I cannot find "his revorance ' s " name in the Clergy List ! At p . 56 I read : —
" By the Statutes of the Order , the British Language and the German Language are strictly Protestant . " ISTOAV I regret -much for the sake of the " Prior ( Sir E . Peat ) and Council" by Avhoso order this pamphlet was issued , to have to say , that , after carefully searching the Statutes , I cannot find a single statute , or ccen apart of onetcliich bears out the statement 1 have quoted !
, So much for the " Hospitallai'ia . " My attention has also been draAvn to another little pamphlet , entitled' ' Memoir in . regard to the Venerable English Langne of the Sovereign nnd Illustrious Order of St . John of Jerusalem , & c , as ordered to he printed for the Langne by the Chapter General on tho 24 th June , 1 SG . 1 "
This production has , I find , been distributed amongst the societies and associations in London , doubtless in the hope of beating up recruits . I wish I had seen it earlier , as it is the most satisfactory document of tho " English Langue" Avhich , as yet , 1 have come across , for the
author has to use a current expression , "let tho cat out of the bag , " whether Avittingly or not I cannot say , but this much I know , that my OAA ' doubts are DOAV entirely cleared away ; for , from this pamphlet I learn that the "English Langue " has made application to the Lieutenant of tlie Magistery and 8 . Council—tlie Supreme atitJioriti / of the Order—fo be recognised as TliE English Langue , and
I infer that the application has been refused ! Indeed , Major Porter distinctly says , that the authorities of the Order refuse to acknowledge the " English Langue " as a branch of the Order . Doubtless , the application for recognition made the most of the revival of the lapsed Charter of Philip and Mary ! But IIOAV I learn from the " Memoir " ordered to be printed by the Chapter General
of June 21 , 1861 , —that the " English Langue , " Avhatever it may be , is not the English Language , nor a branch of the S . Order of St . John ,- neither are its members , therefore , Knights Hospitallers of St . John . I presume the " Grand Prior" and the members did not see matters exactly in this light , Avhen they ordered the suicidal " Memoir " to be printed on June 24 , 1861 . Still , however , is is a satisfaction to remember the old proverb , " It is never too late to learn . " At p . 91
read"It may also be proper to stato that the utmost Avuhngnesshas been manifested on the part of the Council at Rome to amalgamate with the English branch so soon as a fund can be established for the necessary support of a Grand Priory upon tlie ancient basis of such a foundation "—but the recent political events have interrupted all negotiations , and desirable as it . would be to form a union , time and circumstances do not suit sucli a . purpose . "'
EOAV hero AVC are distinctly told that on certain conditions , i . e . " so soon as a fund can be established for the necessary support of a Grand Priory upon the ancientbasis of such a foundation "— " tha vimost willingnesshas been manifested , on the part of the Council at Home to amalf / a-maie with the English branch . " But if the " English Langue " really is a branch , or
the English Langue of the Order , no amalgamation Avould be necessary . Then Ave are told that " recent political events have interrupted all negotiations . " Here Ave learn that negotiations have been going on with a view to the amalgamation , and the fact of negotiations having been begun proves that the " English Langue " Avas fully aivare of the
importance of the amalgamation . This is evident -. Why then are the results of the negociations so carefully passed over , just asAvas the case Avith " the apecia . 1 communications " of 18-1-3 , " which were acknoAvledged by a letter from the Grand Bailli de Candida , Grand Master ad interim ., dated Eome , August 17 , of that year ? ( See Byiwpiknl Sketch , p . 26 ) . If the negotiations had been successful , Avould that result have been concealed or
passed over ? But then the interruption of the negotiations is attempted to be explained aAvay on tho grounds that " recent-political events havo -interrupted all negotiations . " Grcdat J-udmus ! AVhat in tho world can politics have to do Avith the negotiations for the amalgamation of the " Langues of England" Avith the S . Order of St . John ?
Then we are finally told that , " desirable as it would be to form such a union , time and circumstances do not suit for such a purpose . " So now , after all that has been said about the revival or re-organisation of the English Langue " of the Order of St . John in 1826-7-31 , and the revived Corporation under the lapsed Charter of 1557 , AVO actually learn from
this " Memoir ordered to be printed for the Langue by the Chapter General of June 24 , 1861 , " that there is no 'union ichataccr between the "English Langue" and the Sovereign- Order of St . John , of Jerusalem , and therefore that Ilia "English Langue" is not ilia English Branch oj ilia Order , and is in no way connected icith it . And thus the Chapter General has given- the death-bloAV to the institution Avhich it has been trying to establish . As