Basilica Antglicana—V.

The choir is divided from tho side aisles by two rich screens , which are supposed to have been erected b y Bishop Pox , about 1525 . On the top of these arc arranged a number of chests richly carved and gilt , and surrounded with the representation of regal crowns . These , we learn , are the remains of Saxon kingsprelatesand other distinguished

, , persons , benefactors of the cathedral . Lot us read a few of tho inscriptions on these mortuary cabinets : —• " King Edrcd died A . D . 1 ) 55 . In this tomb rests pious King Edrcd , who nobly governed the country of the Britons . " " King Edmoiid died A . D . . . . Ednioud , whom this chest contains , and who swayed the royal sceptre while his father was

living , do thou , 0 Christ , receive . " _ " In this and the other chest opposite are the remaining hones of Canute and Rums , Kings ; of Emma , Queen ; and of AVynaand Alwyn , . Bishops . " " In this chest , in the year of our Lord 1661 , were promiscuously laid together the bones of princes and prelates , which had been scattered about with sacrilegious barbarity in the of

year our Lord 1042 . " " King Kenulp died A . D . 714 . " " King E g bert died A . D . 887 . " " Here King Egbert rests , with King Kcnulph , both of them bestowed upon us munificent gifts . " " King Kenegils died A . D . 041 . " " King Adulhus died A . D 857 "

p . . " In this chest lie together the bones of Kenegils and Adulphus ; the first was the founder , the second the benefactor of this church . " There is a full service , and the organ swells to the anthem of thanksgiving and praise . The voice of mortality is silent nowand the ministers in their white lices and black

, surp stoles solemnl y intone the litany ,, while the musical response littered in full deep mellow chorus echoes from the ancient roof , as if the supplication were gathering force for its fli ght upwards . Let us , too , kneel and pray .

The Spirit Of Freemasonry.

THE SPIRIT OF FREEMASONRY .

WHEJT we take our solitary rambles along the seashore , we are often struck with the variety and the diversity , the minuteness and the vastness , the beauty and the deformity , tho calm tranquillity and tho rugged harshness , of the objects by which we are surrounded . Here the grains of sand are so small that they can hardly be distinguished one from

another , and are easily impressible by the water , while yonder , the rocks , from which they are but the disintegrated crumbs , rise in . huge misshapen masses , hard in outline , grand in form , frowning in majesty , and seeming to bid defiance to the angry waves as they toss them into foam . Here the graceful and transparent shrimp darts from side to side of a

tranquil pool left by the retiring tide in a hollow of the rock , hiding himself in a bed of vegetation , adorned with shells so gracefull y disposed that no art of man could successfully compete with its natural arrangement ; or the beautiful seaancinone expands with a variet y of brilliant colouring ,

stretching out its tentacles in search of food . There the ugly porpoise rolls sporting on the surface of the water ; or the corpse of the dogfish thrown up by the tide lies rotting on the beach . Here at one time the ocean sends its quiet ripple to our feet with the faintest murmuring as if afraid to wet them , or to disturb our meditations with its sound

while at another time the winds lash the waves into fury , and in dashing them against the rocks sends forth a roar which might well strike terror into the boldest , but for tho recollection that " The Lord on high is mi ghtier than the noise of many waters , yea , than the might y waves of the sea ¦ " and that " He makoth the storm a calm , so that the

waves thereof are still . " Nevertheless all these diversities and incongruities blend together and form an harmonious whole , displaying the power , the wisdom , the goodness of the Almi ghty Creator . If we direct our steps towards rural scenes , still every where is visible , among the vegetable world , among animal

The Spirit Of Freemasonry.

and insect life , in tho extent and nature of the scenery , the same variety of features , in form , in size , in colour , in beauty , in limitation , in expansivencss , in height , in depth ; yet all minister to the same ends—perfection as a whole , the gratification or tho benefit of mankind , tho evidence of the glory , omniscience and omnipotence of God . If in our closet we

indulge in private thought , without external objects to attract our attention , our mind naturally reverts to scenes in which we have / taken jiart , to events which have happened to us or to our Mends , to the characters of those with whom we have had relations ; and how various and extraordinarily conflicting they sometimes appear—as unlike to each other

as aro the countenances of the persons to whom they belonged . Yet all these blend ill one compact and well arranged whole , and produce an amount of enjoyment , of happiness , of sociability , which mig ht seem wonderful , considering the elements of which they are composed , without due consideration of the dealings of God with his creatures . The

writer remembers an occasion when he unexpectedly found himself surrounded at his own table by about thirty persons , casually and without previous arrangement invited to join in an evening repast . On examination it was found that the party was composed of individuals belonging to not less than a dozen distinct sects of religionists , yet all united together

in kindly intercourse , seeking rather points of agreement than of difference , ready to learn and to communicate . Let us apply this to Freemasonry , an essential characteristic of which is the avoidance of everything which may tend to cause division , jealousy , or bitterness when we assemble under our glorious banner . All of us may enjoy our own peculiar opinions on disputed points , but we must not intrude them when met together for our mutual celebrations .

Thus it is , that as a body we aro so united , that even if discord does manage to get in the thin part of the wedge , means are generally at hand to prevent full access , and to restore the wonted equilibrium . Aud yet there is a great diversit y among men as to what Freemasonry is . Some there are who estimate it so low as to say " Freemasonry is the

banquet ; " of these the number is but small , and is rapidly diminishing . Others regard it as a divine institution , coeval with the creation of man ; some think that it took its rise at the time of the building of King Solomon ' s temple ; others that it is a modern invention without any claim to veneration on account of its antiquity ; some that it is only a social body ,

pretending to have certain secrets , merely for the purpose of maintaining a supposed self-importance ; a few desire that those secrets should not be held as secret , but very properly see no means of divulging them without breach of an obligation ; some believe Freemasonry to be a peculiar system of moralitywhile others say that connection with it saps the

, foundation of all morals . Many of these notions may be traced to neglect of study and inquiry , or perhaps to some unfortunate occurrence at the time of initiation , which has led the individual to decline to proceed farther . Such cases the writer has sometimes met with , and has succeeded in attempts to explain and clear away misconceptions which

might easily have been prevented . Notwithstanding these apparent discrepancies and discordant elements , as already pointed out in the material world , and among men of different religious creeds or political opinions , a general harmony subsists , and all true brethren can unite and work together for one common object . And what is that object ? I answer , the glory of God and the good of men . How is this to be accomplished 1 By regard to the following , which I quote from the well known exportation : —

"As a Mason , I would first recommend to your most serious contemplation the volume of the sacred law ; charging you to consider it as the unerring standard of truth and justice , and to regulate your actions by the divine precepts it contains . Therein you will be taught the important duties you owe to God , to your neighbour , and to yourself . To God , by never mentioning his name but with that awe and reverence which are due from the