Reviews.

them in a purely English way , and claims thorn as" Masons : " These holy martyrcs foivre , That yn thys Craft were oTgret hononre ; ¦ They were as gode Masonns as on orthe schnl go , Olivers and ymage makers they lvere also . " ¦ Whilethenwe agree with Bro .

Stein-, , brenner , that this allusion hi the oldest Masonic MS . so far discovered , proves , the early , acceptance by the guilds , of this old legend , in this country , we are obliged to differ from him in the conclusion he conies tothatthus the identity of the English

, , guilds with tho German Steinmetzen , is made out , or that we derived this history of the Four Martyrs from the German guilds . But having said all this , as we felt it our duty to do , by way of friendly protest , and in the interest of Masonic truth and

histori-; cal accuracy , we are anxious to commend Bro . Steinbrenner ' s work to the notice of our English Brotherhood . We think , also , that all . who read Bro . Steinbrenner ' s carefully collected facts , and interesting evidences , will come to the conclusion of a Masonwho said thne

non- , once upon a , " -well there ¦ is a good deal to be said for you Masons . " And what a wonderful history , is that of Freemasonry after all ? For say what we will , propound . what favourite theory we may , start what difficulties we likeinsert

, what claims wo choose there is this simpleyet-startling fact , Freemasonry was ; Freemasonry is ; how can you account for its origin and development , its existence and perpetuation in the world ?

Now : it is clearly altogether useless , in this sapient and calculating age , to come before the public , or the critical mind , with statements in which nothing is stated and with "conclusions in which nothing is concluded . " It is hopeless also to propound same wonderful theorybased on

, no evidence whatever , or . on dates which are defective , and on authorities which do not exist , and then in answer to queries and- complaints , to say , as people are so fond : of , saying dogmatically , " you must accept this statement , or that hypothesis as the "

case may be , because theone or the other is commonly received among us . " .: ¦ It seems , therefore , far wiser to endeavour , to ascertain what is after all the credible history of . Ereemasonry on the safer laws oi . ' iPause and effect , and thus also to sock w payethe way , for a critically correct , and

w ^ y historically tnisr ^^ j ^ iffistory of our great association . Hence the value of all such works as tho one of Bro . Steinbrenner ' s , wo have before us . They arc " Pioneers " so to say in tho way , preparatory efforts which may enable some competent brother

some clay to give us a new and enlarged history of our order . In saying this , we do not wish to ignore or undervalue Anderson , and Preston , and Laurie , and Oliver , our earlier Masonic Historians . Anderson , and Preston have certainly tho great merit

of pointing out clearly the true solution of our . history , namely , our connection as a speculative body , now with tho . old Operative guilds . It may be , that their works are somewhat deficient , in what the Germans would call a correct estimate

of the approximate value , of the authorities they quote , and of the statements they endorse . But yet Anderson and . Preston wrote bond fide , '• honestly , evidently accepting the facts they j > ht forward , without entering into any critical examination of the legends of the guilds , one way or the other , but many of their statements were based on an . unscientific

acquaintance with MSS ., and are weakened b y a too hasty acceptance of dubious authorities . History , however , like all matters and sciences , is after all progressive , and we often have to surrender unwillingly too , as evidences turn up from some dusty

corner of the State Paper- Office , some cherished tradition and belief of our youth , or maturer years . Indeed , it was said , in an able review in The Times newspaper some thne back , that , if new evidences continued to " crop up" at the . rate they

were almost daily doing , we should have to re-write English history altogether . It is not then , neither will it ever be , an easy task to write a new Masonic history , but still let us hope , one day , to witness that much to bo desired consummation .

And hi tho . meanwhile , let us hail and applaud all those Masonic writers , like Bro . Steinbrenner , who not only , furnish us with a very readable book in itself , but tender it to us in all fraternal goodwill , ' a praiseworthy offering , in every sense of tho word in the great and good cause of Masonic Truth . W .