The Knights Templars.

MASONIC NOTES AND QTJEBIES . DOCTOR DESAGOTXIERS . Dear Bro . " W . C . L ., " look into the biographical dictionaries . I take what follows from the "

Biographie Universelle , " first edition : " Jean Theophile X ) esaguiliers naquit a la Rochelle en 1684 . Son pere , Ministre Protestant , ayant ete oblige de se retirer en Angleterre par suite de la revocation de l ' edit de Nantes , y hit charge de l'education de la jeunesse dans l ' ecole dTslington . Le jeune Desaguiliers

, ayant perdu son pere , quitta l'ecole dTslington , et ¦ alia etudier en philosophiedansl'TJniversite d ' Oxford . ... II se rendifc a Londres dans la vue de se consacrer a 1 ' etat eeclesiastique . II entra dans les ordres , precha a Hampton Court en 1716 devant 3 e Roi , et fut ordonne pretre en 1717 . II obtinfc

¦ ensuite deux cures , et fut ehapelain du Due de Chandos , et puis du Prince de Galles . " That such a man ^ should , on the revival of an Institution which ¦ was in its old state Christian , have made ifc in its new state theistic , appears somewhat improbable . AVhen all the facts in any way relating to the matter which

you are investigating shall have made their appearance in our periodical , you must have recourse to your dialectic . Tou will , I apprehend , find no great difficulty iu coining to a satisfactory conclusion . — C . P . COOPEE .

THE KNIGHTS TEJIPDABS . I am much gratified to learn from Bro . A >* Fs communication that my small attempts have been acceptable to the brethren . The fifth book of the History will take up the Templars from the bull of Pope John in 1319 to the present time . U the

pon suppression of the order , the Kni ghts were ordered to retire into some religious house ; nofc more than one to be in the same bouse , unless the house belonged to the Hospitallers . There never was , and there never has been , up till the end of the seventeenth or beginning of the eihteenth century

g any connection between the Templars and Freemasons . The true descendants of tbe ancient Templars are the barristers of the Temple , regarding whom quaint old Wick Fuller says , " They defend one Christian from another , as the old ones did Christians from Pagans . " In Scotland the order merged in that of the Hospital .

James IV . gave a charter to the Knights of the Hospital and the Temple , confirming previous grants ; hut this merely * was a law term , confirming the grantees of the charter , as holders of land known as Hospital and Temple lands . There is not a single document in existence previous

to 1700 which can prove the transmission of the Templars ; and brethren who argue upon the words " tradition " and " time immemorial" must have a very small knowledge of the history of the time between 1319 and 1700 , and also a small knowledge of the iron grasp of Church and State to maintain their decrees . There was no secret doctrine among the ancient Templars . —ANTHONY ONEAL HAYE .

A QUESTION . If the religion of our Institution is not Christianit y , with toleration , but mere theism , why do we in the provinces , on great and solemn occasions , go in pro-

The Knights Templars.

cessions of hundreds to Christian churches and cathedrals , and there offer up Christian prayers , and hear Christian sermons and Christian sacred music ? ( Question taken from one of Bro . Purton Cooper ' s notebooks . )

Correspondence.

CORRESPONDENCE .

The Editor ij no' responsible for the opinions expressed by Correspondent ) . J . A . H . AND THE PROA INCE OF JERSEY .

TO SUB EDITOR * OF THK EREBHASOIfS * 3 U . Gi . ZIH : E AND MASONIC MIBSOB . DEAR SIR ASD BROTHER , —I have been much gratified in reading the admirable articles on various subjects of interest to the Craft hy J . A . H . which have appeared in the Freemasons' Magazine , and their general accuracy and interesting style have been most

satisfactorily noticed by myself and friends . In the last , however , on " The Province of Jersey , " in describing the Cesaree Lodge , which is conducted in the French language , Bro . J . A . H . is in error in stating that " the Orateur of that lodge is tbe only officer of that name at present existing under the

English jurisdiction ; '' for at the present time , « a & . before the Cesaree Lodge was established , the Lodge of Antiquity ( JS o . 2 ) , Freemasons' Hall , London , in accordance with its time-immemorial privileges , has an Orator for one of its officers . Although but few lodges in England retain the office of Orator , such omission is more apparent than real , as the " Lecture

Master" at Hull , Birmingham , Truro , and other towns is virtually the Orator under another title , and is either supposed or required to deliver orations and lectures at suitable periods , and in some cases annually to the members of tbe lodge . For the credit of the fraternity in Jersey , I can

scarcely believe that the Masons who repeatedly assured Bro . J . A . H . that " previous to Bro . Hammond ' s appointment to the Grand Mastershi p there never had been a Grand Master of Jersey" were either versed m tbe history of tbe province or capable of giving an opinion on the matter , as even in the

Book of Constitutions , seventh edition , there is a record of such an appointment , A . D . 1781 ' , which work is actually in the library of the Masonic Temple , Jersey . I would rather consider that in this instance Bro . J . A . H . had not applied to the leading members of the fraternity in that island for his information .

In common with several brethren , I look with increasing interest for the next article from the pen of J . A . H ., and cannot see why he should adopt the anonymous style , when certainly the mention of his name would give still more authority to his contributions , and act as an inducement for others to do likewise .

His courteous reference to the Red Cross of Rome and Constantine in the article on " The Province of Jersey" is quite a pleasing contrast to the several letters on that order which have appeared in the Magazine of late . Tours fraternally , W . J . HUGHA-N-. Truro . May 9 th .