Freemasonry In The 17th Century.

FREEMASONRY IN THE 17 TH CENTURY .

LONDON , SATURDAY , MAT 23 , 1863 .

A VISIONARY DIALOGUE . By Bro . H . B . WHITE . I " sat myself clown to write something for the P . M ., I was weary after a hard days work and fell into a reverie , Anderson's Constitutions , the

old lodge Bible ( 1599 ) which had just come back from being newly bound , and the last number of the F . M . were before me , and imperceptibly I passed from reverie into dreamland . I stood in . one of the principal streets of an old town , * which ,

although materially different from my waking knowledge of it , I recognised by some of its wellknown peculiarities , I observed a number of intelligent looking and respectably dressed men by twos and threes entering a house , the appearance

of which was more or less familiar to me , they conversed with some animation and I could perceive from their manner that business of importance and solemnity was about being transacted in the building which they were entering . I

approached a group who halted a few moments at the door , and from their conversation and otherwise readily discovered that they were Masons ,

and that a special lodge had been convened for the purpose of initiating one Elias Ashmole , a gentleman of considerable learning and an intimate friend of Col . Henry Mainwaring , of Kerthingham in the adjoining county of Chester , who was about to be

admitted with him to the privileges of the Craft . On inquiring for the Master of the lodge I was introduced to Bro . Richard Penketh , who told me that he was the Senior Warden , and being a M . M . presided over the lodge in the absence of the

Master . I made myself known to him and with little difficulty satisfied him that I was a Mason , although I perceived that he appeared somewhat surprised at some portions of my proceedings , which were evidently new to him and which he

afterwards told mehelookeduponas unwarrantable innovations . I entered the lodge room and as a visitor was saluted with the honours due to my proper rank in Masonry , and was assigned a seat on the left of the chair . I recognised some of the

furniture in use as at the present time in the possession of the Lodge of lights , and particularly the old Bible which lay open on the pedestal at the

1 st chap , of the Gospel according to St . John . The lodge was duly opened and Mr . Ashmole and Col . Mainwaring were admitted and initiated . The ceremony was in its leading features similar to that with which I was already familiar , but I was greatly

struck and pleased with the reverent religious feeling which pervaded the whole , and was particularly delighted to hear the prayers , L ' iio wording of which was entirely different to that at prosent in use , offered up through the medium of our

heavenly Master . At the conclusion of the ceremony the J . W . reminded the brethren that ifc was noon , whereupon they drew up to a table , which . occupied a portion of the middle of the room , and partook of moderate refreshment , the health of the

initiates was proposed and duly honoured and responded to , several decorous and appropriate songs were sung sufficiently well , and after the Tvlers

toast had been given the brethren were recalled to labour , a portion of the ancient charges ( which I also perceived had been handed down to us in a sadly mutilated condition ) were read and commented upon by Bro . Penketh , the clues were

collected , and after several propositions for the good of the Order had been received , and a thanksgiving prayer offered , the lodge was closed and the brethren separated . As a visitor and a stranger Bro . Penketh invited me to his house , an

invitation which I gladly accepted as 1 was anxious to have some conversation with a brother , who , I had already perceived , was thoroughly conversant with the history and principles of the Craft , and so improve my Masonic knowledge . I was most

hospitably entertained , and enjoyed a most delightful conversation of several hours duration with my host . I retired to bed and to slesp , and on awakening was no little astonished to find myself

m my own study with the firo gone out and a silence pervading the house , which convinced me that unless I soon joined nry alter ego , T . should bs reminded that I devoted more time to Masonic matters than was reasonable in a benedict . The

next morning I recalled my visionaiy convcr- 'ation . of the previous evening as well as I was able , and wrote it down in the form of a dialogue as follows : —

Quest . It is commonly taught and aoc & pted . s . s truth amongst Masons , that Freemasonry was originated at the building of King Solomon ' s Temple , is this correct , or do you assign it a different origin ? FLost . It is not correct , although an excusable