and at these times the Monarch was accustomed to confer on novices in Chivalry, its highest honor, and the ceremonies of "investiture" then used, added greatly to the dignity of the occasion. The full ritual was then observed, and it was a very solemn and impressive one. The candidates watched their arms all night in a Church or Chapel, and prepared for the honor to be conferred on them by vigil, fast and prayer. They were solemnly divested of the brown frock, which was the appropriate dress of the Squire, and having been bathed as a symbol of purification of the heart, they were attired in the richer garb appropriate to Knighthood. They were then solemnly invested, with the appropriate arms of a Knight; and it was not unusual to call the attention of the novice to a mystical or allegorical explanation of each piece of armour, as it was put on. These exhortations consisted mainly of parallels, sometimes rather overstrained, between the temporal and spiritutal states of warfare. The underdress of the Knight was a close jacket of chamois leather, over which was put the mail shirt, composed of rings of steel artificially fitted into each other, as is still the fashion in some parts of Asia, A suit of plate armour was put over the mail shirt, and the legs and arms were defended in the same manner.

Even this accumulation of defensive armour was thought by some to be insufficient. In the combat of the Infantes of Carrion with the Champion of the Cid, one of the former was yet more completely defended, and to little purpose.

"Onward into Ferraud's breast the lancer's point is driven,

Full upon his breast-plate, nothing would avail;

Two breast-plates Ferraud wore, and a coat of mail,

The two are riven in sunder, the third stood him in stead,

The mail sank in his breast, the mail and the spear-head;

The blood burst from his mouth, that all men thought him dead."

The novice being accoutred in his Knightly armour, but without helmet, sword or spurs, a rich mantle was flung over him, and he was conducted in solemn procession to the Church or Chapel in which the ceremony was to be performed, supported by his god-fathers, and attended with as much. pomp as circumstances admitted.

High Mass was then said, and the novice advancing to the altar, received from the sovereign the accolade. The Churchman present of highest dignity, then belted on the sword, which for that purpose, had been previously deposited on the altar; and the spurs were sometimes fastened on by ladies of quality. The oath of Chivalry was then taken, to be faithful and loyal to God, the King, and the ladies. Such were the outlines of the ceremony, which was, however, varied according to circumstances; but, in all, the belting on of the sword was the crowning point of the "investiture." A King of Portugal once Knighted his son in presence of the dead body of

the Marquis of Marialva, slain in that day's action, and impressively conjured the young Prince to do his duty in life and death, like the good Knight, who lay dead before him. Alms to the poor, largesses to the her. alds and minstrels, and a liberal gift to the Church, were necessary accompaniments to the "investiture" of a person of rank. The new-made Knight was conducted from the Church with music and acclamations, and usually mounted his horse, and executed some curvets in the presence of the multitude, couching his lance, and brandishing it, as if impatient to open his Knightly career. It was at such times also that the most splendid tournaments were executed, it being expected that the young Knights would display the utmost efforts to distinguish themselves.

Such being the solemnities with which Knighthood was conferred, it was no wonder that the power of couferring it should, in peace as well as in war, be almost confined to sovereign princes, or nobles, who nearly equalled them in rank and independence. By degrees these restrictions were drawn more and more close, and at length it was held that none but a Sovereign or a Commander-in-Chief, displaying the royal banner, and vested with plenary and vice regal authority, could confer the degree of Knighthood. Queen Elizabeth was particularly jealous of this part of her prerogative; and nothing more excited her displeasure and indignation against her favorite Essex, than the profuseness with which he distributed the honor at Cadiz, and afterwards in Ireland. We may add-although it is irrelevant to the particular subject of "investiture"-that the Knight had several priv. ileges of dignity and importance. He was associated into a rank, wherein Kings and Princes were in one sense only his equals. He took precedence in war and in counsel, and was addressed by the respectful title of Messire in French, Sir in England, and his wife by that of Madame and Dame. A Knight was also, in point of military rank, qualified to command any body of men under a thousand. His own service was performed on horseback, and in complete amour of many various fashions, according to the taste of the warriors and the fashion of the times. Chaucer has enumerated some of these varieties, and his description is interesting, even in an antiquarian point of view :

"With him there wenten Knights many on :

Som wol ben armed in a habergeon,

And in a brest-plate, and in a gipon;
And som wol have a pair of plates large;
And som wol have a pruse sheld, or a targe;
Som wol been armed on his legges wele,
And have an axe, and some a mace of stele;
Ther n' is no newe guise, that it n' as old,
Armed they weren, as I have you told,
Everich after his opinion."

To return however from a divergence from the immediate subject under consideration a divergence into which the great interest attaching to the whole systern of Knighthood and Chivalry has led us-let us now briefly compare with what has been stated, certain points in the "investiture" of Masonry. The instrument of "investiture"-if we may so speak —with us, is the lambskin, or white apron, bound round the waist, and thus bearing, in this respect a direct analogy to the girdles of the Eastern systems, and in its color, as emblamatic of purity, a no less striking correspondence with the white robe of the Essenes, the white apron of the Mysteries of Mithras, and the white garment placed upon the initiate in the Eleusinian Mysteries of Greece. By the whiteness of its color and the innocence of the animal from which it is obtained, we are admonished to preserve that blameless purity of life and conduct, which will alone enable us to present ourselves before the Grand Master of the Universe unstained with sin, and unsullied with vice. This, our Masonic Apron, is a pure white lambskin, from fourteen to sixteen inches wide, and from twelve to fourteen deep, with a fall of three or four inches deep. It is square at the bottom, without ornament, and bound, in the symbolic degrees, with blue, and in the Royal Arch with scarlet; in which circumstance we at once recognize the resemblance-by no means a mere fortuitous one, in our opinion -to the colors in the apron worn by the Jewish Priesthood.

In this country, the construction of the apron is the same in each of the symbolic degrees, which we only distinguish by the mode in which the apron is worn. But in England and Germany the apron varies in each of the degrees. That of the Entered Apprentice is plain white without any ornament. The apron of the Fellow-Craft has an addition of two sky-blue rosettes at the bottom-and that of the Master Mason has an additional rosette on the fall, together with sky-blue lining and edging, and silver tassels; while W. Masters and Past Masters, in lieu of rosettes, wear perpendicular lines on horizontal ones, like a T reversed, forming three sets of two right angles. In this adornment of the English apron, we at once no. tice the accordance with the fringe of blue riband used on the robe of the Essenes, and the intermixture of the same color in the sacred Jewish gir. dle. The inferences to be drawn, as we think, from a review of all the above stated facts is, firstly, that in certain points, there must have been a close relationship between Masonry and those sacred and secret organizations of the olden time. It is quite unreasonable to suppose that such strik. ing resemblance in the system of "investiture" would have resulted from mere chance; and, when we come to examine more closely those ancient, Eastern systems, we find that they sedulously inculcated many of the best and purest principles of Masonry, and symbolized them in a like manner.

And secondly, we would draw especial attention to the fact that, in all the societies to which reference has been made, even from the earliest times, the completion or consummation of the "investiture," was connected with the binding of the body of the initiate, in some form, with a girdle. This is a matter of more importance than may, at first sight, appear, for we cannot be too careful, in every thing connected with Masonry-its symbols, no less than its solid realities, to adhere as closely as possible to the ancient landmarks.

And as the "investiture" of the initiate is only completed by the girdling of the apron round his waist, so is the "investiture" of the higher officers of the Order, only consummated and rightfully performed, by the placing round their necks the band or girdle, which supports the jewel of the office. The latter is the emblem or symbol of the office, but the "investiture" of the officer is intimately and indissolubly connected with the girdle-symbol, which solemnly binds him to the faithful performance of his appointed duties. We recommend this fact for the serious consideration of all our Brethren as one of the most important lessons to be derived from the history of "Investiture."

THE DIPLOMA.

DURING the war of 1812, Brother Porter, of Easton, Maine, had taken passage on a sailing packet for Boston. The following day the packet was captured by His Majesty's ship "La Hoge," carrying seventy four guns. The passengers and crew of the packet were ordered on board of the ship. During the transfer of baggage, and through the carelessness of the crew, Bro. Porter's trunk was thrown upon the deck with such force as to cause it to open. His diploma, lying in the upper part, was thus observed by the lieutenant, who had the trunk placed by the cabin door. Upon the order being given for the prisoners to claim their baggage, Bro. Porter pointed to his at the cabin door. Whereupon the lieutenant said to him, "You will take a room with me," and to which they soon retired, where they were joined by the commodore, who was also a Mason. On the following day they captured a schooner loaded with wood. When the captain came on board of the ship, and after a few preliminary questions, the commodore said, "I have an American gentleman on board who is exceedingly anxious. to be landed at Portland; on condition of your landing him there as soon as the wind will carry you, I release you and your vessel." The offer was accepted with grateful acknowledgment, and Bro. Porter was soon landed at Portland, and on the day following his landing he arrived in Boston.

The above facts were given me by Bro. Porter himself. This illustrates the value of always having a diploma with you.-Bro. Clark, of Michigan.

ANGRY ALMS.

WHILE Gotthold was one day occupied with important business, and deeply absorbed in thought, his daughter unexpectedly entered his room, and presented to him a paper stating the case of a poor widow, with the causes of her penury, and soliciting an alms in her behalf. Losing temper, he spoke harshly to the girl, and, in an ill humor, flung to her the sum she asked. Ere long, however, he recollected himself, and cried out: "Wretched man that I am! how fair a show 1 make with my Christianity, in my own eyes at least, and how boldly I venture to say: 'Lord Jesus, thou knowest all things, thou knowest that I love thee;' and yet now that the Saviour has come and craved a mite for this poor widow, as a practical evidence of my affection, I take offence at him for disturbing my poor thoughts, though for so short a time and so good a cause. Go, now and plume thyself on thy faith and piety."

'My God! thou invitest me to come to thee whenever my pleasure leads, or my necessities compel me; and come when I may, never is my coming unseasonable or inopportune. Thou hast the whole world to govern, and yet I trouble thee not, though I break in at morning, noon or night, and claim an alms from thy mercy. How conceited I must be, to reckon my concerns and cogitations of greater account than the prayers and sighs of my suffering fellow Christian. I now see that sin is rashness, and have good cause henceforth to give a more gracious reception to the Lord Jesus in his members, lest in my hour of need he turn his back upon me. 'God loveth a cheerful giver. (2 Cor. 9: 7.) A benefaction to the poor should be like oil, which, when poured from one vessel into another, flows in silence, and with a soft and gentle fall. An alms reluctantly bestowed is like a rose spoiled and discolored with the fumes of sulphur, like sanded flour or oversalted meat. He who exercises charity with a reluctant heart and angry words, resembles the cow who yields her milk, but puts her foot into and overturns the pail.-Gotthold's Emblems.

STARR KING LODGE.

A NEW Lodge has lately been organized in Salem, Mass., under Dispensation bearing the name of Starr King Lodge. We congratulate our Brethren of the new Lodge upon their happy selection of a name. As a general rule we are opposed to the practice of naming Lodges for individuals, but if Brethren have an inclination to do so, let the name selected be that of one whose life has been an exemplification of those shining virtues which characterize the true and consistent Mason. Such an one was our lamented Brother, Thomas Starr King. His ear was ever open to the tale of sorrow and distress, and no worthy suppliant for relief ever went from his door empty handed. His memory will be fondly cherished in the hearts of many a widow and orphan; hearts that, although bowed down with a crushing weight of affliction, were made to sing for joy, not more by his liberal bounty than by his warm, cordial, earnest sympathy. It is good to perpetuate the remembrance of such men by bestowing their names upon our Lodges.--Mercury, San Francisco.