Correspondence.

the chivalric degrees cannot be allowed to be performed on Grand Lodge property , condescendingly telling us that Ave may be permitted to find a home in the tavern to be attached to the neAV Masonic Hall ; and the same article ranks us Avith the Odd Felloivs , & c ., and yet Bro . Cooke coolly tells us we are a Masonic body . I cannot reduce the Knight Templar at one swoop to

be an armed secret societ j ' , for , however derogatory it may appear to Bro . Cooke , Ave cannot help ourselves , for we are so , but though Ave xaaj be , strictly speaking , incompetent , to claim exemption under the Act of 1789 , there is very little chance of such an Act being put in force against us , though how our being an illegal society , if such is the fact , can make us Freemasons , I cannot pretend to understand .

So long as Ave admit Masons only to the honour of Knighthood , Ave must insist upon candidates being properly qualified , but there is no clause in our charter of constitution rendering it compulsory upon us to admit Freemasons only . The Duke of Sussex Avas Grand Prior of England under . he French constitution , but he was installed Grand

Master of the Holy Temple and Sepulchre , and of Saint John of Jerusalem ; August 6 tb , 1862 , he never issued auy warrant of confirmation , nor , if he did , was any such necessary . Bro . Cooke was joking when he accused me of making Walter deCliffcon Grand Master to Prince Charles Stuart , for he knows perfectly Avell , that inserting a comma after

the AA'ords Grand Master , which the compositor omitted to do , though it was in my copy , would have rendered my meaning perfectly plain , viz .: that the Scotch Templars claim an uninterrupted descent from Walter de Clifton , Grand Preceptor of Scotland in 1309 , and afterwards Grand Master , down to Prince Charles Edward Stuart , Avho Avas elected Grand Master in 1745 ; my printed copy of the Duke of Perth ' s letter is dated 1745—in page 256 of tho MAGAZINE it is dated 1746 , a difference of one year .

Is such . quibbling worthy of Bro . Cooke ? I never said that the conversion of Edwin by his wife confirmed the tradition that he Avas Grand Master , but that it was an historical fact that Edwin laid the foundation of the first stone cathedral in York ; and in Masonic anguage , that Avould mean Echvin , by laying such foundation , would be said to have sat or acted as Grand Master

Mason ; and it would be well for Masonry if all her traditions could be so strongly supported . But , leaving the sixth century , we will come to tho reign , of Henry 2 nd , Avhen the lodges Avere superintended by the Grand Master of Knights Templar , Avho employed them in building a Temple in Fleet-street in the year 1155 . Masonry continued under the patronage of

the Order till the year . 1199 , Avhen John succeeded Richard 1 st on the throne of England , and Peter de Colechurch Avas then appointed Grand Master ( Fncyclopcedy ' ut , Londinicnsis ) , and there exists not the slightest doubt that Freemasonry was established in York long prior to the eleventh century . I must certainllead guilty to the fact that I cannot

y p prove that the Templars were joyfully received by the Masonic fraternity ; but Bro . Cooke pays but a ' poor compliment to the brotherhood , Avhen he admits any doubt that the Craft would have welcomed their brethren in adversity .

The Templars have always been known , since Pope Eugenius 2 nd invested them Avith the title of Knights of the Temple , as Knight Templars or holy Knights , in Hebrew Kadosh ( La Maconnerie , Tome 1 , p . 436 , ) but this appellation had no connection with the Masonic degree so called , Avhich , indeed , Avas not then in existenceit is very likelencampments ' Avorking the Rose

, y Croix' add the Kadosh to it , but Grand Conclave most properly refuses to recognise mere Masonic degrees as part of the Chivalric Order of the Temple . Bro . Cooke does not require me to tell him why , as Anglicans , Ave could not use the Ancient Ritual for

Correspondence.

enthroning the Grand Master , there is quite triflingenough already with sacred things in Freemasonrv Avithout the Order of the Temple profaning the services of the Roman Catholic Chui-ch . There is no doubt that we have not adhered closely to our ancient statutes , but have our French brethren done better , do they keep the VOAVS of poverty , obedience ,

and chastity , does their Grand Master reside in Palestine , do they don steel armour aud tilt at each other in the Place de Carousel ? But does Bro . Cooke seriously argue that because Ave do not carry out these and many other parts of our duty Ave must necessarily be Freemasons . His brother knights ought to be deeply indebted to him for informing them that Equitissa is the feminine of

Egnes a Knight , some time back he ridiculed the Scotch adoptive system , now he wants to introduce it into the Chivalric Orders . But , after all , what is the main point at issue , what has put our usually good humoured brother into such a fit of ill temper ? It is simply whether a body of English gentlemen , second to none in education , personal

influence , or social position , should continue a connection Avith a society , Avhich appears to me to take every opportunity in its power to sheAv how little it reciprocates their friendship . I hope I shall never feel ashamed to be a Freemason , but , should I ever be so tempted , it would be to see a brothereminently qualified bhis learning to ornament

, y the Craft , forget for even one moment that excellent gift of charity so dear to every Freemason ' s heart , the very bond of peace , and of all virtue . I remain , Dear Sir Knight , yours very fraternallv , SCRUTATOR .

Scottish Knights Templar And The Uninitiated.

SCOTTISH KNIGHTS TEMPLAR AND THE UNINITIATED .

TO THE EDITOR OF THE FREEMASONS * MAGAZINE AND MASONIC MIRROE . DEAR SIR AND BROTHER , —The correspondence at present being carried on through the columns of THE MAGAZINE as to the connection subsisting between the Templars and Freemasonry is of a highly interesting . character , and being so , it is of the utmost importance that erroneous , statements therein emitted should meet with ] Drompt

correction . It is indeed pleasing to recognise- in the arena of discussion Sir Knights of such acknowledged ability to grapple Avith the question as MattheAV Cooke and Si . H . ShuttleAvorth , and the further elucidation of tho subject under discussion must be looked forward to with interest . " Scrutator" states that " the Scottish Priories have for many years admitted the uniniated . "

Whatever , in this respect , may have been the practice obtaining in former years among the Scottish Priories or Encampments , I can assure "Scrutator" that the having taken the Royal Arch Degre is IIOAV a sine qua non to admission into the Order of the Temple . The statutes of the Chapter-General , and the by-laAVS of subordinate Encampments are alike explicit on this head . The reformation in 1560 had the effect of disuniting the Knight

Templars m this country , and causing the Protestant portion of them to fraternise Avith Freemasons , and to the Democratic branch of the Order it is pretty generally believed are Ave indebted for the impressive ceremonies employed by us in our receptions . The jealousies and hearfcbui-nings for many year . ? existing between the Masonic and Chivalric branches tended to keep the Order in

a very disorganised state ; and it was from the conviction that a reunion of the branches would be tho best security for its prosperity that the heads of both classes agreed to a conference , having for its object the remodelling of their Constitution , and adopting such other measures as would put an end to former jealousies , and at the same time purge Che Masonic section of the Order of those impurities which the very loose and disorganised system of working the degree had introduced . It is quite true that at one period of the history ; of the Order in Scotland , and