Masonic Oration.

passion swells the fcchng breast ; while amidst the cheerful exertions of inoffensive mirth , of heart enlarging , friendly communication— -reflection shall be enabled to look back with pleasure , and impartial conscience shall find nothing to disapprove : then , my brethren , may we , with comfort and with confidence , lift up our adoring hearts . And we do lift them up to Thee , great nature's adorable and

wondrous Geometrician ; almighty Parent of the world . ; wise former of man ; imploring on this , and on all our other laudable undertakings , thy favour , thy blessing , thy aid , without which , vain and fruitless are all the efforts of feeble man . 'Tis from Thee , beneficent founder of our frame , that we have received the heart to feel ; the hand to labour ; the eye to behold ; the ear to hear ; the tongue to proclaim ; ancl all the faculties which make

us susceptible or moral partakers of natural good . Teach us , then , to delight in them , to improve them as thy blessing ; and through the beauty , order , and excellence of created things , to view , contemplate and adore thy uncreated excellence ancl beauty . Formed as thy tenq . le , and enriched with the ornaments of thy creative wisdom , consummate Architect of th y master buildingman—wc look up to theo to inspire us with understanding , with science , with virtue , with all which can dignify , refine , and exalt our nature , and render the temple at least not wholly unworthy of its sacred inhabitant . To this end , direct us to make thc

hicssod volume of thy instructive wisdom , thc never erring square to regulate our conduct ; tho compass , within whose circle wc shall ever walk with safety and with peace ; tlie infallible plumb lino and criterion of rectitude and truth . Enable us to fill up every sphere of duty with exactness and honour ; and by our amiable attention to all the sweet and blessed offices , the endearing charities of social life in i . articular , teach us to win the love of

those ivho unite in those tender offices with us ; and as fathers , husbands , friends , as worthy men and worth y Masons , to distinguish and exalt thc possession ivhich wc boast . And , while through thy bounty , rich Dispenser of every blessing , our cups overflow with plcnteousness , and wine , and corn , ancl oil delight and cheer our boards , oil ! may our full hearts never be wanting in gratitudeand in tlie voice of thanksgiving to

, thee ; in liberal sentiments and succour towards every laudable undertaking ; in the quickest-sensibility and readiest relief we can give to the woes and distresses of our fellow creatures—of all mankind—of every being , universal Lord , who bears thy image , and looks up to thy providence ; ivho is led by thy hand , hopes for th y future ancl all comprehending mercy , ancl can and will triumphantly unite with us—with the general voice of Masons and

of men , earnestly and emphatically saying' - ' Father of all ! in every age . In every clime ador'd ; By saint , by savage , and by sage , Jehovah , Jove , or Lord . To thee , whose temple is all space , AVhoso altar earth , sea , skies ; One chorus let all being raise , All nature ' s inc-ensc rise . "

Masonic Notes And Queries.

MASONIC NOTES AND QUERIES .

1 'ALTAI ! IO ANI 1 JIASOX 11 Y . ' : BuKOiiE I was in the habit of taking notes , I remember seeing . 111 Italian largo folio work of Palladio ' s giving designs for buildings . On the front of one of the houses therein represented was a his relief having the Masonic emblems pmirtrayed . AVill some of your ' architectural readers kindly toll me the name of the hook?—Ax OpKi . A'i'tv'i- ; , FI ;_ . __ _ ASOX .

I'OirniAiT OF int . mump I . AYKS AT TIIR VUHKIIASOXS' TAVEKN . On the staircase at the Freemasons' Tavern hangs a portrait of Dr . Philip Hayes in bis robes as an Oxford Doctor of Music . Why does it hang there ? Was he a Mason ? and do those portrait ' s belong to the Grand Lodge?—Q , i \ - TUT . COUXKI :, MASONIC l'Oli'l'l : ATI'S . Tn reply lo the inquiry as to what Lodges have Masonic

portraits , I beg to say that we , of the United Pilgrims Lodge , have a very excellent likeness of our P . M ., Bro . John Thomas , hanging in the ante-room , adjoining our Lodge room . —Ax O . ' .-fenn ov No . 715 . nno . . iAims Axi-nnsoN , it . A . The first volume of the Imperial Dictionary of llnirersiil JSiography thus describes " James Anderson , a Scotcli genealogist , lived in the earlier half of the eighteenth century , ancl was pastor of a presbyterian church , in Swallow Street , Piccadilly , London , and also Chaplain to a Lodge of Freemasons . It was doubtless

his holding the latter office that led him to publish in 1728 a book called The Constitutions of Freemasons . His genealogical works , which are the result of some labour , but display little judgment , are Royal Genealogies , or the Genealogical Tables of Emperors , Kings , and Princes , from Adam to these Times also a genealogical History of the House of Yrery , prepared and published at the expense of the Earl of Egmont . " This latter work is now

very rare and obtains a high j . riee whenever it is sold , as much as forty pounds having been bid for the two volumes at a recent sale . AVanted to know what was Anderson ' s connection with the Earl of Egmont ?—LO _ ST . DINEX . STS .

TIIF . MYSTICS AND JIASOXEY . Have the Mystic writers anything in common with Freemasonry ? AVho , and what are they ?—A—[ The mystic writers , both theological and philosophical , have much that borders on Freemasonry in their productions . To the Freemason who is well up in the various degrees of the several Orders and grades of Masonry , there are constantl y recurring in the works of these

writers large extracts and descriptions that make one involuntarily exclaim , "This man was a Mason in heart if not in practice !" To give a list of the mystic writers would be to fill columns of this journal ; so suffice it to say , thatFlndd , Jacob Biihmen , Law . tho author of The Serious Call to the Unconverted , and Mr . AValtcm of the present day , besides the whole of the writings of what avc popularly termed ' the "Non-jurors , " all abound in Masonic

allusions . There is also a sermon , now excessively rare , by George AVatson , M . A ., Fellow of University College , Oxford , printed about 1750 , and entitled Christ the Light , of the World , that is so Masonic in its tone , and so very excellent in its argument and large views of humanity , charity , brotherl y love , and truth , that we should bo glad to know if the author " cvcr was an initiate of our Order . It seem-., almost impossible for anyone but a brother to have penned such a production . ]

. 11 : 0 HOAX ' S I . QOIC ox . Ki' ; i-:. r .. f . o _ . KY . A Vas thc book ever published ? If so , what was its title?—J . E . ]{ , . —[ It was . Thc original title was The Mysteries of Freemasonry , containing all , llie Degrees of the Order conferred in a Master ' s Lodge . 15 y Captain AA'illiam Morgan . A later edition , which we have seen , bears , in addition to the former , the following : —All Ihe Degrees Conferred in the Hoyal Arch Chapiter

, and Grand Encampment , of Knights Templar , Knights of llie lied Cross , of the Christian Mark , aud of ihe . Holy Sepulchre . Also , the Eleven Iiiej /' able Degrees conferred in the Lodge of Perfection , and the still higher Degrees of Prince of Jerusalem , Knights of the East and West , Venerable Grand Masters of Symbolic Lodges , Knights and Adepts of llie Eagle or Sun , Princes of the Hoyal Secret , Sorereign Inspector General & 'C . Revised and corrected to correspond

, with the most approved forms and ceremonies in the various Lodges of Freemasons throughout the United States . B y Geo . 11 . Crafts . Svo .: New York ; 112 pages . AVe believe the name of " Crafts" to be as spurious as the rest of the book . It , however , has one value , viz ., to show the excitement occasioned b y the Morgan case in America , which was so great that numbers of American Masons seceded from Masonry and published all thej- knew of its

mysteries , but a reaction at length set in , and those who were duped by tho revelations of thc seceders at length asked themselves this question , " If men have sworn such oaths never to reveal these things , they must he perjurers , and no dependence can be placed upon the oaths they now swear that these are the secrets of Masonry . " To such a pitch did the secession arrive at one time that there was scarcely an American Lodge ivhich did not have somo of its members enrolled amongst the false brethren , and they gloried in acknowledging their infamy . AVell may thc Masons of Europe look with suspicion on all American Masons and Masonry ] .

. TI . lir . SDTCTION OL' AXCII . NT TVNTCAIIl ' -ill-NTS . Some Encampments boast thc power of being able to confer the high grades up to the fid " , and refer to old books of statutes as authorizing such extraordinary proceedings . Can you inform me in what year such laws were made?—A . Jrxt . oi ; KKIGIIT . — [ The ancient Encampments were under the G . Mastership ol ' the late Duke of Kent , and warrants granted by him gave the

power of installing brethren up fo the oil " . Now , however , the Masonic Knights Templar is an Order of itself , holding nothing in common with any of the high grades , who arc in allegiance to the 111 . G . Soy . I ' nsp . Gen . of the Ancient and Accepted Bite . The book you inquire for is the Statutes of the J'oyal , Exalted , Religious , und Military Order of IHR . D . M . Grand Elected Masonic Knights Templar , K . D . S . H . of St .. John of Jerusalem , Palestine , Jihotlcs , lye . Passed ou the 24 . 7 i dag of June , 1791 ; Revised