Illustrations Of The History Of The Craft.—No. 3.

we may Avell remember , are purely Jewish , such as the Pentalpha aud the double triangle or Solomon ' s seal . And despite the hasty and unreasoning assertions of some modern writers , I see as yet no

cause whatever to doubt the truth , or reject the authority of the Hebrew legends of our order . There is some evidence to shew that there was

attached to the lemple , a secret order called Kharidini or Haridim , whose special object was c ' to preserve it from injury and decay , " though whether they were attached to other religious buildings is not clear . ( Some writers contend that from the Ivharidim

sprang the Essenes—a remarkable sect of the Jews , from whom some Masonic writers have of late asserted that Freemasonry is derived . From Josephus and other sources we gain the following particulars , which are striking to

Freemasons . On initiation , at the close of the probation and his novitiate , the candidate was presented with a white garment . He was required to take an oath * not to divulge the secrets with which he was entrusted , ancl was then made acquainted with the

customary words and signs of recognition . He was afterwards instructed in the traditionary teachings of the order , and devoted himself with his brethren to the " acquisition of knowledge and the dispensation of charity . '

And though I cannot shut my eyes to the remarkable similarity between the customs of the Essenes and those of Freemasonry , like Ki-ause , I believe the safest course , on historical grounds , is to endeavour to trace the origin and continuation

of Freemasonry to the building corporations ofthe past . When we turn to the Roman building colleges we are able to adduce a remarkable amount of most striking and interesting evidence .

Whether the Roman workmen wers divided by Numa Pompilius , or Servius Tullius , into colleges or sodalities , matters little , though one statement of the historians deserves notice , that Numa Pompilius brought Greek architects to organise the first Roman Collegia of builders . ( To be Continued . )

The History Of Freemasonry In Portugal,

THE HISTORY OF FREEMASONRY IN PORTUGAL ,

Being an Historical Account of the Origin , Bise , and ' Progress of the Grand Orient of Lusitania . Translated from Dr . A . M . de Ounha Bellem ' s " Abridgment of the History of Masonry in Portugal . "

( Continued from Page 122 ) We now have to chronicle the events of the year 1834 , when we find the cause of liberty victorious . The exiles return to the bosom of their country ; the scaffold is overthrown , never to be

re-established ; fanaticism finds itself powerless ; the religious orders are suppressed ; the monasteries are vacated , and the dispersed monks become priests , or return to the secular world , according to their own dispositions .

Light is thrown where darkness ever before existed , aud hope smiles her sweetest smile on . those who devoted themselves to the victorious dissemination of liberal belief . "Unfortunately for Masonry , her name had been

used for political purposes , and the uninitiated were too apt to consider that such were her real objects . The strife of party , so prevalent in the country , found a place within its sacred portals , and not content with having two rival Grand Masters at Lisbon , the Lodge of Oporto elected still another , the honourable and patriotic Emmanuel da Silva

Passes ( better known in history by the name of Passes Manuel . ) From this time till the commencement of 1859 , Portuguese Masonry was but a confused mass of political elements , which the breath of the most

unruly ambition called together or separated , according to the interest or caprice of their chiefs . Amidst tumult and riot came the oblivion of Masonic duties , which reduced Masonry in this country to a wan phantom—a mere shadow of its

proper self . It is almost impossible to unravel the obscure and confused history of Portuguese Masonry in the midst of civil strife , aud while conspiracies were frequently organised under the guise of

Masonic work . As new parties came , aud opposing factions held the reins of Government , Masonry found herself now protected and now persecuted , according to the attachment or hatred of the heads of the parties which happened to be in power .

In the year 1836 , after a popular emeuie , Joseph da Silva Carvaiho , absented himself from the kingdom , and the Grand Orient of which he was