Literature.

$ > e read with interest by those members of the Craft who make delight in tracing the antiquities of our Order , and of whom Bro . Cooke is certainly one of the most painstaking and persevering . We look upon the publication of this 3 ffS . ( which , if our rulers did their duty , should have been in a museum of the Craft ) as a most valuable addition to the literature of the Order , and , as specimens of the work

feelf , we append one or two extracts . Thus , in speaking of ¦ She antiquity of the Order , it says : — " Ye shall understand that among all the crafts of the world , of aian's craft , Masonry hath the most notability and most part of Ssis science , geometry , as it is noted and said in history , as in the lUhle , and in the master of history . And in [ the ] Policronicon , a chronicle printedand in the histories that is named Bede . De

, ' Imagine Mundi ,- ' et Isadoras Fthomolegiarmn . ' Methodius , Episaopus el Mariiris , and other , many more , said that Masonry is jjrincipal of geometry , as me thinketh it may well be said , for it was the first that was founded , as it is noted in the Bible , in the ih-st book of Genesis in the 4 th chapter ; and also all the doctors aforesaid accordeth thereto , and some of them saith it more openly , said plainly , right as it saith in the Bible , Genesis . Adam ' s line

jKneal son , descending down the 7 th age of Adam before Noah ' s ¦ flood , there was a man that was named Lamech , the which had 2 ¦ wives , the one bight Adah , and another Zillali ; by the first wife , that hight Adah , he begat 2 sons that one hight Jabal , and the other hight Jubal . The elder son , Jabal , lie was the first man that ever found geometry and Masonry , and he made houses , and [ is ] aamed in the Bible ' Pater habitancium in teutons atque pastorum , '

that is to say , father of men dwelling in tents , that is , dwelling Souses . And he was Cain's master mason , and governor of all his yroris , when he made the city of Enock , that was the first city : fhat was the first city that ever was made , and that made Cain , Adam ' s son , and gave to his own son Enock , and gave the city the amine of his son , and called it Enock . And now it is called Sphraim , and there was [ the ] science of Geometry , and Masonry , first occupied , and contrenid , for a science and for a craft , and so we may say that it was [ the ] cause and foundation of all orafts , and sciences , and also this man , Jaball , was cafled ' pater g 3 stcrnni . '"

Proceeding onwards after a very luminous history of the © refer we come to the following articles of Masonry : — * The first Article is this , —That every master of this art should Ba wise and true to the lord that he serveth , dispending his goods t-rnly as he would his own were dispensed , and not give more pay to no Mason than he wot he may deserve , after the dearth of corn and victual in the country , no favour withstanding , for every man

to ie rewarded after his travail . The second Article is this , —That 3-rery master of this art should be warned , before , to come to his congregation , that they come duly , but if they may [ be ] excused By some manner [ of ] cause . But , nevertheless , if they be found 2 E ? teI [ lious ] at such congregations , or faulty in any manner [ of ] fearm of their lords , and reproof of this art , they should not be © sensed in no manner [ with ] out taking peril of death , and though ¦ jbsy be in peril of death , they shall warn the master that is

prinsrpal of the gathering of his decease . The [ third ] Article is this , —That no master take no [ apprentice for [ a ] less term than 7 3 jear [ s ] at the least , because such as be within [ a ] less term may act , profitably , come to his art nor able to serve , truly , his lord [ and ] to take as a mason should take . The 4 th Article is this , — That no master , for no profit , take no [ apprentice , for to be Jearned , that is born of bond blood , for , because of bis lord , to

whom he is bond , will take him as he well may , from his art and Head him , with him , out of his lodge , or out of his place , that he srorketh in , for his fellows , peradventure , would help him and debate for him , and thereof manslaughter might [ a ] rise , it is for-KS [ den . ] And also for another cause of his art , it took beginning of great lords' children , freely begotten , as it is said before . The 5 th Article is this , —That no master give more to his [ apprentice in time of his [] prenticehoodfor no profit to be take [ n ] than

ap , , lie note [ s ] well he may deserve of the lord that he serveth , nor nob so much that the lord , of the place that he is taught in , may la're some profit by his teaching . The 6 th Article is this , —That Jio . master for no coveteousness , nor profit , take no [ apprentice to teach , that is imperfect , that is to say , having any maim for tho ^ thich he may not truly work as he ought for to do . The 7 th Article is this—That no master be found wittingl hel

, y , or p or proeuce , to be [ a ] maintainer and snstainer [ of ] any common night-¦ walker to rob , by the which manner of night-walking they may aot ^ fulfil their day ' s work and travail , [ and ] through the condition Siren- fellows . might be made wroth . The 8 th Article is this , — That if it befhl that any mason that be perfect , and cunning , come Sbrto seek work and find an imperfect , and uncunning working , t 3 » -master of the place shall receive the perfect , and do away the

imperfect , to the profit of his lord . The 9 th Article is this , —That no master shall supplant another for it is said , in the art of masonry , that no man Should make end so well of work begun by another , to the profit of his lord , as he [ that ] began it , for to end it by his matters , or to whom he sheweth his matters . " Tho following is a page of the facsimile printing , which we have selected at random -.

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lelauWe believe wo have said enough and extracted enough from thc work to show its value to the Craft , and we trust it will find its way not only into every Masonic library , but that of every enlightened Mason , as nothing but an extensive sale can repay Bro . Cooke not for his labour , but for his expense in producing it , many of the types having been specially engraved for the purpose . The work is printed on good paper and evidence is not wanting throughout of the great care which has been exercised in its production .

Modem Statesmen , or Sketches from the Strangers Gallery of the House of Commons . By J . EWING EITCHIE . William Tweedie , Strand . These sketches , if we mistake not , were originally published in one of the numerous popular periodicals of the day , but they are not , on that account , the less acceptable in

their collective form . Mr . Eichie ' s style is free and unrestrained , and though bis opinions evidently are in favour of the advanced liberals , he does not fail to do impartial justice to tho talents and motives of gentlemen adopting other views than those which he expresses . The work contains sketches of some twenty or more of our eminent statesmen , some of whom , though the work has been very recently published ,

have already departed from amongst us , including Lord Herbert of Lea , or when this work was written , the Eight Hon . Sydney Herbert . How melancholy it is to reflect that he of whom it was written in the early part of the present , or it mi ght be so far back as the close of the past year : — "What strength seems to lie in his well formed and manly figure ! How full is his face of po trer , and sharpness , and determination , " should , almost before the ink has had time to dry , be no more .