Ancient British History.

cloned Mars for Minerva , and turned by a wonderful alchemy , their swords into quills . " The change of religion , called the Reformation , effected by Henry the Eighth , is attributed to various motives and causes , according to the bias of those who write or speak , but it was regarded at the time as being simply a return to the ancient British church . Lord Bacon , in his treatise on the Government of England ] thus describes it as the revival of "

the ancient British church . "The Britons . " he saj-s , "told Augustin thoy ivould not be subject to him nor let him pervert the ancient laws of their church . This was their resolution and they were as good as their word , for they maintained the liberty of their church six hundred years after his time , and were the last of all the churches of Europe that gave up their power to the Roman beastandiu the of Henry the Eihththat was

, , person g , of their blood by Osven Tudor , the first that took that power away again ; " and it would he an interesting task , if time allowed , to trace the gradual jirogrcss which since the time of Henry the Eighth has been made towards the completion of that restoration of the ancient British church which Henry the Eighth seems rather to have commenced than to have effected .

I or instance , he assumed the title of "Head ofthe Church , " whereas Elizabeth , under the special advice of Cecil , Lord Burleigh—one of those who accompanied Henry the Seventh from AVales—rejected that title as heing applicable to our Blessed Lord alone , and impious in any human being , Pope or Monarch , to assume . Ancl we all know the efforts made b y Cromwell to shake off those other remnants of popery whicli , iu his time as well as the t

presenday , are made subservient to the vanity of the weak or to the designs ofthe popish aud dishonest members of our Protestant established church . Cromwell and Milton , and many other of the leading spirits of those days brought with them into England , from Wales , the uncompromising spirit which they manifested in matters as well of church as state ; and the AVclsh , who were never thoroughlreconciled to Rome always to

y , appear have regarded the formularies of the established church as retaining too much of the forms and doctrines of popery . That nonconformity which in England has the character of dissent , bears to the people of AAldes the aspect rather of adherence to their ancient faith . They reject the characteristic of dissent , although the primitive church ' , us established by St . Paul , does certainly appear to have been episcopal in its name and character ;

though what the precise extent of power and authority implied by the term "bishop , " and " episcopacy , " was—is a fair subject of discussion . In further justice to this gallant and loyal class of _ our fellow- subjects , 1 may also again epiote Sir John Price , who states with truth that no differences ' either of race , religion , or-politics , have ever left the slightest stain upon their loyalty to the crown and constitution of the realm since it was

recognized by them . In their struggles to maintain their independence against the Normans , there is nothing in Greek or Roman story that surpasses the continuous and unaided efforts hy ivhich they resisted subjection : most of their native kings died upon the field of battle , and the Norman writers freely accorded to them the title of the " bravest of mankind . " They ever cherished throughout the darkest reverses fche belief that the throne of

England was destined to be restored fco their race , and the restoration of Henry Seventh was its realization . 'This belief was called by their bards the " lamp in darkness , " and it never failed to rally them in the field around every chief that presented himself as the Arthur of their future empire " . Henry the Seventh landed , as wc know , at Milford , and his forces at Bosworth ivere almost entirely composed of the AVelsh who had flocked to his standard .

In forest , mountain , and in camp , Before them moved 'the burning lamp ;' In blackest night its quenchless rays Beckoned them on to glorious days . " Ever true to this feeling of a common nationality , the AA elshunlike the Scottish or tlie Irish , who were generally found iu the ranks of England ' s enemies—never in instance took

any arms against the common interests of the British empire , ' . flic IVelsh took a leading part amongst the English forces , not only in the Crusades , but in the French wars of the Henrys and Edwards .

1 will conclude this attempt to inspire you with a desire to know more of these early days and incidents of our national history , b y quoting the words of a prophecy , said to he contemporary with the first event whicli I mentioned to you—the arrival of the Trojans , one thousand years before Christ . It must ho admitted that if ever the claim to prophetic power was justified and sustained hy the realization of a future far beyond the keenest vision of man ' s intelligence , aud beyond , auv '

calculations of accomplishment by mere human power , such is due to the lines I . shall quote to you . Coasting the southern shore of the Mediterranean , in search of the island of the west , Brutus arrived at Melita , aud there consulted an oracle as to the future destinies of his family and nal ' m ;' . ; the response of this oracle , accepted by him as -Divine , was engraved in Archaic Greek , in his temple in London—it might be on . that very stone

to which I before called your attention , as having been the pedestal of the Palladium of Troy—and having been translated into Latin by Ncimius in the third century , has becu versified by Pope , as follows : — ' Brutus—there lies beyond the Gallic bounds , An island which the western seas surround ; Bancient iants held—now few remain

y g To bar thy entrance or obstruct thy reign ; To reach that happy shore , thy sails employ . There fate decrees to raise a second Troy . And found an empire in thy royal line , AVhicb . time shall ne ' er destroy nor bounds confine . " Such , my friends , is the Island in which we dwell ; and guided solely by human experience , it would demand less faith to believe Time

in the absolute and literal fulfilment of this prophecy-- ' * shall ne ' er destroy , nor bounds confine , " than to have anticipated the extent to which it has been already realized ; and still more difficult ivould ifc be to account by mere human agency for the past progress , the present position , and the prospects yet before us—or for the more than human vicissitudes and trials through which as a nation we have attained , and at this day hold so preeminent a position amongst the nations of the world .

Masonic Notes And Queries.

MASONIC NOTES AND QUERIES .

HAKE MASONIC BOOKS . Ix reply to the inquiry of "t * iV Bro . Spencer , of Great Queen-street , lias requested us to state that he wrote to his agent m Paris . vto buy several important lots in the Catalogue cVmie precieusc Collection de Livres , S > -c , eye , late the property of the "Archives G-. \ du Rit . Ecoss . Phque ., " and received a letfcer in reply stating that the collection had been sold in its entirety . He

will ascertain , if possible , who bought this valuable library . "T . C . E . " is informed Bro . E , Spencer has a set of Moore ' s Boston . Freemasons' Monthly Magazines for sale , complete in nineteen volumes . Should "T . C . E . " be travelling in Ireland next summer , Bro . Spencer will give him letters of introduction to two gentlemen who have complete sets in their libraries ( this of course will be with a reservation ) . Bro . Spencer supplies this work to

the Singapore Lodge library , the Nassau Lodge library , and the library of the Lodge of Hope , Launceston , Tasmania ; these Lodges have each a large and valuable collection of works on Ereemasonry . Bro . Spencer also writes— "I should remark I have no time to devote to gossiping ancl lounging brethren . I mi g ht also mention that our American brethren are buying up all the English ( old ) works on Masonry they can find , ancl are forming Masonic libraries in the different states ; private as well as in their Grand Lodges . "

MASONIC SONG BOOK . AVherc can I get a copy of Masonic Songs Adapted to Modern Melodies , by N . S . Evans , which ivas noticed in the Freemasons ' Quarterly Review for 1851 ?—VOCALIST . THE C'KENCU CALENDAR . Is the Neccssaire Maconni Caleiidricr Maconniipie du Grand

que , Orient tie France , to be had in London , and at what cost ?—P . Auiai'Kii . DI-: AI , ' AND IM ; MU MASONS . Before the Freemasons' Magazine adopted the phm of recording curious and extraordinary scraps of intelligence under "Masonic Notes and Queries" the publication of the latter namethe

ori-, , ginal . Notes and Queries , had now and then inserted communications on the subject , one of which occurring iu vol ix ., first series , p . 542 , 1 extract , thinking ifc ivorthy of being better known in the Craft . It is

headed"Freemasonry . A Hamburgh paper , Der Freisc ' liAit- , bring * in its " So . 11 the following : — " "Hie groat English Lodge of ! this town will initiate , in a few days , two deaf and dumb persons ; a very rare occurrence . ' "And says further , in JS o . 31—' '' AVith reference to our notice in No . 2 /" we further learned that ou tlie 4 th of March two brethren , one of ! them deaf and dumb , havo been initiated in the great English Lodge ; tho knowledge oi ! the language- ' without its pronunciation , has been cultivated by them to a remarkable degree , so that with noting the motion ol the lips they do not miss a