knowledge and energy of Alderman GEORGE FINCH. The CRAFT, through all its various gradations, secret as well as obvious, is considerably indebted to his skill and industry.

PROVINCIAL GRAND LODGE.

In consequence of a petition, signed by the Masters and Wardens of the respective Lodges of this Province, to his Royal Highness WILLIAM DUKE OF CUMBERLAND, Grand Master, praying to have a Provincial Grand Lodge, WILLIAM HENRY LAMBTON, Esq. M. P. was, on the 6th of October 1787, by patent under the hand and seal of his Royal Highness, appointed to that office.

May 1, 1788. The P. G. Master appointed Brother Alderman FINCH his Deputy, and Brother ROBERT BONE Secretary.

September 9. Brother LAMB TON was installed Provincial Grand Master in the presence of upwards of 150 Brethren. He then appointed the Grand. Officers for the ensuing year; and the day was spent with a splendour and festivity that did honour to those who conducted the arrangement.

October 14. Laws and Regulations for governing the P. G. Lodge were agreed to.

August 15, 1791. The Grand Lodge walked in procession, and laid the foundation-stone of a new theatre in the city of Durham.

*

September 24, 1793. A Grand Lodge was held in the Phoenix-hall, Sunderland, when a procession of about 200 Brethren took place. After hearing divine service in the parish church, they proceeded across the river Wear, and assisted Brother RowLAND BURDON, Esq. M. P. in laying, with the usual forms, the first stone of an intended bridge.

PRESENT GRAND OFFICERS.

W. H. LAMBTON, P. G. M.

GEO. FINCH, Esq. D. P. G. M.

T. BROWN, M. D. S. G. W.-M. SCARTH, Esq. J. G. W. Rev. W. NESFIELD (Chaplain to the Prince of Wales), G. C. Mr. LEWIS PENNINGTON, G. T.—Mr. R. BONE, G. S. Mr. C. EBDON, G. A.-Mr. J. NICHOLSON, G. S. B.

PAST GRAND OFFICERS.

T. EBDON, ESQ. S. G. W.-G. WOOD, Esq. S. G. W. J. R. ROWNTREE, Esq. S. G. W.-J. MOWBRAY, Esq. S. G. W. J. BULMER, Esq. S. G. W.-Mr. JOHN TAYLOR, J. G. W..

GRAND STEWARDS.

Rev. J. HESKETT.-Mr. J. HORSELEY.-Mr. W. STOTT.
Mr. A. HEDLEY.-Mr. S. NICHOLSON.-Mr. T. WILSON.

*In our next a particular account of this procession and ceremony will be given.

ROYAL ARCH CHAPTER OF CONCORD.

Was constituted by the Grand and Royal Arch Chapter of England, August 5, 1787.

Comp. FINCH, Z.

SAMPLE, H.-BRIGHT, J.
BONE, E.

PENNINGTON, CASTLE, STOTT, C. Sojourners.
NICHOLSON, Janitor.

GRANBY LODGE No. 166.

Private room in Old Elvet, Durham. Meet on the first Tuesday in every month-Master's Lodge during the winter, on the third Tuesday. In 1791 the Lodge-room was rebuilt by Brother RICHARDBY, and furnished and beautified by a voluntary subscription of the Members.

This Lodge is most respectably attended; many of its members are among the foremost both in rank and science. The business of the CRAFT is carried on with a laudable industry. In these secret mysteries Brother FINCH has been a prime mover. Much has been de rived from the knowledge of our deceased and worthy Brother, G. Nicholson, P. Grand Architect; under whose intelligent eye commenced, and from whose plans are proceeding the masterly repairs and improvements of our venerable cathedral: and Brother WooD, the present R. W. M. has, with a becoming zeal, followed the steps of his worthy predecessors, and takes the lead in MASONIC OPERATIONS, with a skill that does honour to his application and understanding.

A

PRESENT OFFICERS.

GEO. WOOD, Esq. W. M.

SAM. CASTLE, Esq. S. W.-Captain SID DON, J. W.
Rev. EDWARD PARKER, C.

Mr. L. PENNINGTON, T.-Mr. R. BONE, S.
Mr. WOODIFIELD, Steward-Mr. J. NICHOLSON, T.

A CURE FOR ENVY.

LL great and noble men who raise themselves above the common rank of mankind by meritorious actions, are sure to meet with envy and obloquy from their ungrateful countrymen. There is but one thing that can reconcile these snarlers to the object of their hatred. Let the envied man be but unfortunate, and they will pity him.

Pericles, for a great number of years, administered the affairs of Athens with ability and integrity. This alone was sufficient to raise against him a host of foes: he was the constant aim of public hatred, till he lost a beloved son: this accident affected him so much, that he was quite inconsolable. The people, now seeing him upon a level with themselves, afflicted with like passions, and liable to the same misfor tunes, turned all their hatred and envy to pity, which, too often, is but a respectful kind of contempt.

D

CONTINUATION OF THE SUFFERINGS OF

JOHN COUSTOS, FOR FREEMASONRY,

IN THE INQUISITION AT LISBON.

(Continued from Page 172.)

URING my stay in this miserable dungeon I was taken three times before the Inquisitors. The first thing they made me do was, to swear on the Bible that I would not reveal the secrets of the Inquisition, but declare the truth with regard to all such questions as they should put to me: they added, "That it was their firm opinion "that Masonry could not be founded on such good principles as I, in "my former interrogatories, had affirmed; and that, if this Society of "Freemasons were so virtuous as I pretended, there was no occasion for their concealing, so very industriously, the secrets of it."

I told them, " That as secresy naturally excited curiosity, this in"duced great numbers of persons to enter into the Society; that all "the money given by members at their admission were reserved for "works of charity; that, by the secrets which the several members "practised, a true Mason instantly knew whether a stranger, who "would introduce himself into a Lodge, was really a Freemason; that, "was it not for such precautions, this Society would form confused assemblies of all sorts of people, who, as they were not obliged to pay obedience to the charter of the Lodge, it, consequently, would "be impossible to keep them within the bounds of that decorum and "good-manners which are exactly observed, upon certain penalties, "by all Freemasons.

"That the reason why women were excluded this Society was, to "take away all occasion for calumny and reproach, which would have "been unavoidable had they been admitted into it. Farther, that since "women had, in general, been always considered as not very well "qualified to keep a secret, the founders of the Society of Freema

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sons, by their exclusion of the other sex, thereby gave a signal proof "of their prudence and wisdom." They then insisted upon my revealing to them the secrets of this art. "The oath," says I, "taken by me at my admission, never to divulge them, directly or indirectly, will not permit me to do it; my conscience forbids me, and "I therefore hope your lordships are too equitable to use compul"sion." They declared-" That my oath was nothing in their pre"6 sence, and that they would absolve me from it." "Your lordships," continued I," are very gracious; but, as I am firmly persuaded that it is not in the power of any being upon earth to "free me from my oath, I am firmly determined never to violate it." This was more than enough to make them order me back to my dungeon, where, a few days after, I was seized with a violent sickness. A physician was sent to me, who, finding me exceedingly ill, made a report thereof to the Inquisitors. These, on being informed of it, gave immediate orders for my being removed from this frightful dungeon, VOL. II.

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into another which admitted some glimmering of day-light. They appointed, at the same time, another prisoner to look after me during my sickness, which, very happily, was not of long continuance.

Being recovered I was again brought before the Inquisitors, who asked me several new questions with regard to the secrets of Masonry; "and whether, since my abode in Lisbon, I had received any Portuguese into the society?" I replied "that I had not: that it was true, indeed, that Don Emanuel de Sousa, Lord of Calliario, and captain of the German guards, hearing that the person was at Lisbon who had made the Duke de Villeroy a Freemason, by order of the French King, Lewis the XV. Don Emanuel had desired M. de Chavigny, at that time Minister of France at the Portuguese court, to enquire for me; but that, upon my being told that the King of Portugal would not permit any of his subjects to be Freemasons, I had desired two of the brethren to wait on M. de Calliario above mentioned, and acquaint him with my fears; and to assure him, at the same time, that, in "case he could obtain the king's leave, I was ready to receive him "into the Society; I being resolved not to do any thing which might draw upon me the indignation of his Portuguese Majesty; that M. "de Calliario, having a very strong desire to enter into our Society, declared, that there was no foundation for what I had observed in regard to his Majesty's prohibition, it being unworthy the regal dignity to concern itself with such trifles. However, being certain that what I had mentioned proceeded from very good authority, and knowing that M. de Calliario was a nobleman of great economy, I "found no other expedient to disengage myself from him, than by demanding fifty moidores for his admission; a demand which, I was persuaded, would soon lessen, if not entirely suppress, the violent desire he might have to enter into the Society."

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To this one of the Inquisitors said, "That it was not only true that his Portuguese Majesty had forbid any of his subjects to be made

Freemasons, but that there had been fixed up, five years before, upon

the doors of all the churches in Lisbon, an order from his Holiness strictly enjoining the Portuguese in general not to enter into that So"ciety; and even excommunicated all such as were then, or should "afterwards, become members of it."-Here I besought them to consider that," If I had committed any offence in practising Masonry at Lisbon, it was merely through ignorance, I having resided but two years in Portugal; that, farther, the circumstance just now mentioned by them, entirely destroyed the charge brought against me, viz. of my being the person who had introduced Freemasonry in Portugal." They answered, "That as I was one of the most zealous partisans of this Society, I could not but have heard, during my "abode in Lisbon, the orders issued by the Holy Father." I silenced them by the comparison I made between myself and a traveller (a foreigner), who, going to their capital city, and spying two roads leading to it, one of which was expressly forbid (upon pain of the severest punishment) to strangers, though without any indication or tokens being set up for this purpose; that this stranger should thereby

strike accidentally, merely through ignorance, into the forbidden road.

They afterwards charged me with drawing away Roman Catholics of other nations residing in Lisbon. I represented to them," That "Roman Catholics must sooner be informed of the Pope's injunction "than I who was a Protestant; that I was firmly of opinion, that the severe orders issued by the Roman Pontiff, had not a little induced many to enter into the Society; that a man who was looked upon as a heretic was no ways qualified to win over persons who considered him as such; that a Freemason who professed the Romish religion was, I presumed, the only man fit to seduce and draw away others "of the same persuasion with himself; to get into their confidence and remove successfully such scruples as might arise in their minds, both with regard to the injurious reports spread concerning Masonry, and to the Pope's excommunication; of which a vile heretic entertained "an idea far different from that of the Romanists." They then sent me back to my dungeon.-Being again ordered to be brought before the Inquisitors, they insisted upon my letting them into the secrets of Masonry; threatening me in case I did not comply.-I persisted as before," in refusing to break my oath, and besought them either to write, or give orders for writing, to his Portuguese Majesty's ministers both at London and Paris, to know from them whether any thing was ever done in the assemblies of Freemasons, repugnant to decency and morality, to the dictates of the Romish faith, or to the obedience which every good Christian owes to the injunctions of the monarch in whose dominions he lives." I observed farther, "that the King of France, who is the eldest son of the Church, and despotic in his do"minions, would not have ordered his favourite to enter into a Society to proscribed by Mother Church, had he not been firmly persuaded, "that nothing was transacted in their meetings contrary to the state

or to religion." I then referred them to Mr. Dogood, an Englishman, who was both a Roman Catholic and a Freemason. This gentleman had travelled with, and was greatly beloved by, Don Pedro Autonio, the king's favourite, and who (I observed farther), having settled a Lodge in Lisbon fifteen years before, could acquaint them, in case he thought proper, with the nature and secrets of Masonry. The Inquisitors commanded me to be taken back to my dismal abode.

Appearing again before them they did not once mention the secrets of Masonry, but took notice that I, in one of my examinations, had said, that it was a duty incumbent on Freemasons to assist the needy: upon which they asked, whether I had ever relieved a poor object? I named to them a lying-in woman, a Romanist, who, being reduced to extreme misery, and hearing that the Freemasons were very charitable, she addressed herself to me, and I gave her a moidore.I added, "that the convent of the Franciscans having been burnt the fathers made a gathering, and I gave them on the exchange three quarters of a moidore." I declared farther, "That a poor Roman Catholic who had a large family, and could get no work, being in the utmost distress, had been recommended to me by some Freemasons, with a request