Masonic Jottings.—No. 58.

MASONIC JOTTINGS . —No . 58 .

BY A PAST PROVINCIAL GRAND M ASTEE . NON-OPERATIVE MASONS 1650-1700 . " A Correspondent" is in error ; he will find in No 1 of these jottings , 27 fch November , 1869 , the Allowing : — " According to Bro . Findel , in the ia

tter part of the 17 th century , 1650-1700 , the v- on-operative Masons brought forth from the ncient guild-chests the records of the lodges , and revived the old traditions , usages , and customs of the fraternity , rejecting whafc seemed fco fchem unsuitable for the age in which they lived , or else remodelling to make ifc suitable . "

THE FIRST REVIVAL PROCEEDINGS . A learned brother thinks that an attentive examination of all the information we possess will show that some years before 1717 attempts at Revival were made both in the North and in the South of England . My brother calls those attempts " The First Revival Proceedings . "

MASONRY . Masonry is social , ethical , contemplative , devotional , and sometimes it approaches the mystical In Lessing and Goethe ifc became pantheistical , and then it ceased to be true Masonry .

OUR HISTORICAL MATERIALS . The mind that at one comprehensive view takes in all our large historical materials , and then carefully arranges and distinguishes them , will find little difficulty in coming to a satisfactory conclusion on the several points , as regards our English

Masonry , that during the last three years have been discussed in the columns of the " Freemasons ' Magazine . "

TRUE FREEMASONRIES—MIDDLE AGES . The numerous Christian Freemasonries which during the Middle Ages flourished in Germany , Scotland , and England—each , Brother , Avas a true Freemasonry ; bufc being a particular Freemasonry only , and there being in those days no Toleration , ifc could nofc become a Universal Freemasonry also .

A SUPPOSITION . Brother , —Supposing it should turn out that a system of Freemasonry resembling our present system was established amongst us afc fche end of the 17 fch or the beginning of the 18 fch century , itwould by no means ensue thafc there Avas no

Speculative Masonry in this country and in other countries , both in mediaeval times , and in ancient times .

Masonic Jottings.—No. 58.

RECENT GEOLOGICAL AND BIBLICAL DISCOVERIES . Recent Geological and Biblical Discoveries cannot injure the general Christianity of our charges of 1723 , although it is possible the discoveries may injure some of the particular

Christianities of those charges . SYLLOYISTIC . The Freemasonry of the Revival , and the Freemasonry of fche four old London Lodges were alike . Bufc fche Freemasonry of the Revival was in great

part Speculative Masonry . Therefore the Freemasonry of the four old London Lodges was in great part Speculative Masonry . THE REVIVAL CONSTITUTIONS—THE ANTE-REVIVAL CONSTITUTIONS . A correspondent is mistaken . It Avas a great

Masonic critic , Docfcor George Kloss , who compared the Revival Constitutions wifch the Anfce-Revival Consfcifcntions—See Brother Findel's History , page 156 . OUR MYTHS AND LEGENDS .

Our Myths and Legends are a priceless portion ofthe philosophy which the Avorld ' s ancient Masons have bequeathed us to be used for the amelioration of ourselves and fellow men .

Masonic Notes And Queries.

MASONIC NOTES AND QUERIES .

THE HON . J . L . LEWIS AND THE PASSAGE IN THE TATLER . The Honourahle J . L . Lewis in an article entitled "Fragment of History , published in an American periodical makes the following remarks upon the well known passage in the Tatler of Thursday , June 9 fch . 1709 . " Ifc was a favourite position of the

anti-, masonic writers thirty years ago , and it is asserted and believed at the present time by those who agree Avith them in sentiment , tl * at lTreemasonry had its origin in 1717 , eight years after the date of the paper in question at the time of the Revival of the Grand Lodge : thuspreviously to that time its only

exis-, tence was in the company or guild of operative Masons , atyled free , because they were Freemen of London ; and that the secret lauguage of the Craft was invented in 1717 by Payne , Desaguliers , Anderson , and their assistants . The passage is important therefore in its hearing upon the history of the [

Fraternity at the beginning of the eighteenth century , and there is something more in it than a hare allusion . " From a bundle of Masonic Excepts . — CHARLES PUB-TON COOPER . EMBLEM OP THE POINT WITHIN A COMPASS . A very expressive emblem is "the pointwithin a

compass , " this circle is supported on both thesides by two perpendicular parallel lines , which reposing the two Sfc . Johns , on the periphery of which rests the Holy Bible . In going round this circle Ave necessarily