The Master then puts the ROLL into the coffin, and says, 'Almighty Father! into thy hands we commend the soul of our loving Brother!'

The Brethren answer three times, giving the grand honours each time,

"The will of God is accomplished! So be it!'

The Master then repeats the following prayer:

'Most glorious God! Author of all good, and Giver of all mercy! pour down thy blessings upon us, and strengthen all our solemn engagements with the ties of fraternal affection! May the present instance of mortality remind us of our approaching fate; and draw our attention to Thee, the only refuge in time of need! that when the awful moment shall arrive that we are about to quit this transitory scene, the enlivening prospect of thy mercy may dispel the gloom of death; and that, after our departure hence in peace, and in thy favour, we may be received into thine everlasting kingdom, and there enjoy, in union with the souls of our departed friends, the just reward of a pious and virtuous life! Amen.'

An anthem being sung, the Master retires to the pedestal, and the coffin is covered. An oration, suitable to the occasion, is then delivered; and the Master recommending love and unity, the Brethren join hands, and renew to each other their pledged vows. The lodge is then adjourned, and the procession to the place of interment is formed:

The different lodges rank according to seniority, the junior preceding; and each lodge forms one division. The following order is then observed:

The Tyler, with his sword;
The Stewards, with white rods;

The Brethren, out of office, two and two;
The Secretary, with a roll;

The Treasurer, with his badge of office;
The Senior and Junior Wardens, hand in hand;
The Past Master;
The Master;

The Lodge to which the deceased Brother belonged, in the
following order; all the members having
flowers or herbs in their hands;
The Tyler;

The Stewards;

Martial Music, [Drums muffled, and Trumpets covered];
The Members of the Lodge:

The Secretary and Treasurer;
The Senior and Junior Wardens;
The Past Master;

The Holy Writings, on a cushion, covered with black cloth,
carried by the oldest Member of the Lodge;
The Master;

The Choristers, singing an anthem;

One or two lodges advance, before the procession begins, to the church-yard, to prevent confusion, and make the necessary preparations. The Brethren are not to desert their ranks, or change places, but keep in their different departments. When the procession arrives at the gate of the church-yard, the lodge to which the deceased Brother belonged, the mourners, and attendants on the corpse, halt, till the members of the other lodges have formed a circle round the grave; when an opening is made to receive them. They then advance to the grave; and the clergyman and officers of the acting lodge taking their station at the head of the grave, with the choristers on each side, and the mourners at the foot, the service is resumed, an anthem sung, and the following exhortation given.

'Here we view a striking instance of the uncertainty of life, and the vanity of all human pursuits. The last offices paid to the dead are only useful as lectures to the living; from them we are to derive instruction, and consider every solemnity of this kind, as a summons to prepare for our approaching dissolution.

'Notwithstanding the various mementos of mortality with which we daily meet, notwithstanding Death has established his empire over all the works of Nature, yet, through some unaccountable infatuation, we are apt to forget that we are born to die. We go on from one design to another, add hope to hope, and lay out plans for the employment of many years, till we are suddenly alarmed with the approach of Death when we least expect him, and at an hour which, amidst the gaieties of life, we probably conclude to be the meridian of our existence.

'What are all the externals of majesty, the pride of wealth, or charms of beauty, when nature has paid her just debt? Fix your eyes on the last scene; view life stript of her ornaments, and exposed in her natural meanness; you will then be convinced of the futility of those empty delusions. In the grave all fallacies are detected, all ranks levelled, and all distinctions done away.

"While we drop the sympathetic tear over the grave of our deceased friend, let charity incline us to throw a veil over his foibles, whatever they may have been, and not with-hold from his memory the praise which his virtues may have claimed. Suffer the apologies of human nature to plead in his behalf. Perfection on earth has never been attained; the wisest, as well as the best, of men, have erred.

His meritorious actions it is our duty to imitate, and from his weaknesses we are to derive instruction.

"Let the present example excite our most serious thoughts, and strengthen our resolution of amendment. Life being uncertain, and all earthly pursuits vain, let us no longer postpone the important concern of preparing for eternity; but embrace the happy moment, while time and opportunity offer, to provide against that great change, when all the pleasures of the world shall cease to delight, and the reflections of a virtuous conduct yield the only comfort and consolation. Our expectations will not then be frustrated, nor shall we be burried, unprepared, into the presence of an all-wise and powerful Judge, to whom the secrets of all hearts are known, and from whose dread tribunal no culprit can escape.

Let us, while in this stage of existence, support with propriety the character of our profession, advert to the nature of our solemni→ ties, and pursue with assiduity the sacred tenets of the Order: with becoming reverence, let us supplicate the Divine protection, and ensure the favour of that eternal Being, whose goodness and power know no bounds; and when the awful moment arrives, that we are about to take our departure, be it soon or late, may we be enabled to prosecute our journey, without dread or apprehension, to that far distant country from which no traveller returns. By the light of the Divine countenance, we may pass, without trembling, through those gloomy mansions where all things are forgotten; and at the great and tremendous day of trial and retribution, when arraigned at the bar of Divine Justice, we may hope that judgment will be pronounced in our favour, and that we shall receive our reward, in the possession of an immortal inheritance, where joy flows in one continued stream, and no mound can check its course.'

The following invocations are then made by the Master, the usual honours accompanying each:

MASTER." May we be true and faithful; and may we live and die in love!'

MASTER. May we profess what is good, and always act agree ably to our profession!'

ANSWER. So mote it be."

MASTER. May the Lord bless us and prosper us; and may all our good intentions be crowned with success !'

ANSWER. 'So mote it be.'

The Secretaries then advance, and throw their rolls into the grave with the usual forms, while the Master repeats, with an audible voice,

'Glory be to God on high! on earth peace! good will towards men!'

ANSWER. So mote it be, now, from henceforth, and for ever

more.'

The Master then concludes the ceremony at the grave in the fol lowing words:

'From time immemorial it has been a custom among the Frater

nity of free and accepted Masons, at the request of a Brother on his death-bed, to accompany his corpse to the place of interment; and there to deposit his remains with the usual formalities.

In conformity to this usage, and at the special request of our deceased Brother, whose memory we revere, and whose loss we now deplore, we are here assembled in the character of Masons, to resign his body to the earth whence it came, and to offer up to his memory, before the world, the last tribute of our fraternal affection; thereby demonstrating the sincerity of our past esteem, and our inviolable attachment to the principles of the Order.

'With all proper respect to the established customs of the country in which we live, with due deference to our superiors in church and state, and with unlimited good-will to all mankind, we bere appear clothed as Masons, and publicly express our submission to order and good government, and our wish to promote the general interests of mankind. Invested with the badge of innocence, we humbly bow to the universal Parent, implore his blessing on all our zealous endeavours to extend peace and good-will, and earnestly pray for his grace to enable us to persevere in the principles of piety and virtue.

'The great Creator having been pleased, out of his mercy, to remove our worthy Brother from the cares and troubles of this transitory life to a state of eternal duration, and thereby to weaken the chains by which we are united, man to man; may we, who survive him, anticipating our approaching fate, be more strongly cemented in the ties of union and friendship; and during the short space which is allotted to our present existence, wisely and usefully employ our time in the reciprocal intercourse of kind and friendly acts, and mutually promote the welfare and happiness of

each other.

"Unto the grave we have resigned the body of our deceased friend, there to remain until the general resurrection; in favourable expectation that his immortal soul will then partake of the joys which have been prepared for the righteous from the beginning of the world and may Almighty God, of his infinite goodness, at the grand tribunal of unbiassed justice, extend his mercy toward bim, and all of us, and crown our hope with everlasting bliss, in the expanded realms of a boundless eternity! This we beg, for the honour of his Name, to whom be glory, now and for ever. Amen.'

Thus the service ends; and, the usual honours being given, the procession returns in form to the place whence it set out, where the necessary duties are complied with, and the business of Masonry is renewed. The regalia, and other ornaments of the deceased, if he has been an officer of the lodge, are returned to the Master, with the usual ceremonies; after which the charges for regulating the conduct of the Brethren are rehearsed, and the lodge is closed in the Third Degree with a blessing.

BOOK III.

THE PRINCIPLES OF MASONRY EXPLAINED.

SECT. I.

A Letter from the learned Mr. John Locke to the Right Hon. Thomas Earl of Pembroke, with an old Manuscript on the Subject of Free Masonry.

My Lord, 6th May, 1696. I HAVE at length, by the help of Mr. Collins, procured a copy of that MS. in the Bodleian library, which you were so curious to see; and, in obedience to your Lordship's commands, I herewith send it to you. Most of the notes annexed to it are what I made yesterday for the reading of my Lady Masham, who is become so fond of Masonry, as to say, that she now more than ever wishes herself a man, that she might be capable of admission into the Fraternity.

The MS. of which this is a copy, appears to be about 160 years old; yet (as your Lordship will observe by the title,) it is itself a copy of one yet more ancient by about 100 years; for the original is said to be the hand-writing of K. Henry VI. Where that prince had it, is at present an uncertainty; but it seems to me to be an examination (taken perhaps before the king) of some one of the brotherhood of Masons; among whom he entered himself, as it is said, when he came out of his minority, and thenceforth put a stop to a persecution that had been raised against them: but I must not