ployed themselves under grand master Nimrod, in the large and fertile vale of Shinai, along the banks of the Tigris, in building a great and stately tour and eity, the largest work the world ever saw; but they knew not when to desist till their Maker, provoked by their vanity, interrupted their grand design by confounding their speech; hence the city was called Babel or confusion.

From Shinai the sciences and arts were carried to the distant parts of the earth, notwithstanding the confusion of the dialects, that indeed gave rise to the Mason's faculty and universal praetice of conversing without speaking, and knowing each other by signs and tokens, which they settled on their dispersion or migration, in case any of them should meet in distant parts who before had been in Shinai.

It would be tedious and uninteresting to trace the regular progression of Masonry and the arts from these dates of antiquity down to modern times; we shall content ourselves with mentioning a few of the most remarkable particulars, the earliest and most remarkable display of industry and the arts after the confusion of Babel, was exhibited by the Egyptians, who were soon renowned for their taste and skill in the sciences; the celebrated cities of Memphis, Heliopolis and Thebes, with its hundred gates, besides their palaces and sepulchres, their obelisks and statues, their famous pyramids, the greatest of which is reckoned the first of the seven wonders of the world, stand as monuments of the industry and perseverance of this people.

The Egyptians excelled all nations also in their amazing labarynths, one of them is said to cover the ground of a whole province, containing many fine palaces and one hundred temples, disposed in its several quarters and divisions, adorned with columns of the best porphyre, and the statues of their gods and princes. Abram who was born in the 2008th year of the world, having sojourned in the land of Canaan till he was seventy-five years of age, was driven by famine down into Egypt, where he received instruction in all the arts of Geometry and Architecture, which he carefully communicated on his return to the free born of the Canaanites and particularly to his descendants; Isaac and Jacob did the like also to their families, while Joseph in process of time became the grand master of the Egyptian Masons. About eighty years before the Exodus of Moses, the Israelites became enslaved by the Egyptians, who caused them to la

bour exceedingly in stone and brick masonry, and made them build up many strong and stately cities. At length the measure of their sufferings being completed, Moses marched out of Egypt at the head of six hundred thousand Hebrew males, marshalled in due form; for whose sake God divided the Red Sea to let them pass through, and drowned Pharoah and the Egyptians that pursued them. A. M. 2513.

While marching through Arabia to Canaan, God was pleased to inspire their grand master Moses, Joshua his deputy, and Ahobab and Basaleel, grand wardens, with wisdom of heart, and the next year they raised the curious tabernacle where the divine Shecinia resided, and the holy Ark, the symbol of God's presence, which was framed by Geometry, a most beautiful piece of symmetrical architecture, according to the pattern which God discovered to Moses on Mount Sinai, and which was afterwards the model of Solomon's Temple.

But the temple of the most high at Jerusalem, far exceeded in magnificence and splendour, all the other structures in the world beside; it was built by that wisest man and most glorious king of Israel, Solomon the son of David, the prince of peace and Architecture, the grand master Mason of his day, who performed all by divine direction, and without the noise of tools; all the stones, timbers and foundings, being brought ready cut, framed and polished to Jerusalem.

It was founded in the fourth year of Solomon on the second day of the second month of that year, after the Exodus 480 years, Anno mundi 2993, before Christ 1011.

The following number of operators are said to have been em ployed in carrying on the work:

1st. Rulers, provosts or overseers of the people in working, who were expert master Masons,

3,600

Solomon was much obliged and assisted by Hiram, king of Tyre, who sent him many of his best artists and builders, together with the firs and cedars of Lebanon. But above all he sent his name-sake, Hiram Abbiff, the most accomplished designer and operator on earth, who in Solomon's absence filled the chair as deputy grand master, and was the principal surveyor and master of the work.

Solomon partitioned the fellow-crafts into certain Lodges with a master and wardens in each, that they might receive commands in a regular manner, might take care of their tools and jewels, might be regularly paid every week, and be duly fed and cloth. ed, &c. and the fellow-crafts took care of their succession, by educating entered apprentices.

Thus a solid foundation was laid of perfect harmony amongst the brotherhood; the Lodge was strongly cemented with love and friendship; every brother was duly taught secrecy and prudence, morality and good fellowship; each knew his peculiar business, and the grand design was vigorously pursued at a prodigious expense. No structure was ever like this for exact proportion and beautiful dimensions, from the most magnificent portico in the east, to the SANCTUM SANCTORUM in the west, with numerous apartments, pleasant and convenient lodgings and chambers for the kings and princes, the Sanhedrim, the priest, and Levites of Israel; and the outer court for the Gentiles, it being an house of prayer for all nations, and capable of receiving in all its courts and apartments together, about three hundred thousand peopleit was adorned with one thousand four hundred and fifty-three colums of parien marble, twisted or sculptured or fluted, with twice as many pilasters, both having exquisite capitals or chapters of several different noble orders, and about two thousand two hundred and forty-six windows, and it was lined with mass gold set with innumerable diamonds and other precious stones, in the most harmonious, beautiful and costly decorations.

It was finished in the short space of seven years and six months, to the amazement of all the world, when the cape stone was celebrated with great joy by the fraternity. But their joy was soon interrupted by the sudden death of their dear master Hiram Abbiff, whom they decently interred in the Lodge near the temple agreeable to ancient usage.

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After Hiram Abbiff was mourned for, the tabernacle of Moses and its holy reliques being lodged in the temple, Solomon in a general assembly dedicated and consecrated it by solemn prayer and costly sacrifices past number, with the purest music, vocal and instrumental, praising Jehovah upon fixing the holy Ark in its proper place, between the cherubims, when Jehovah filled his own temple with a cloud of glory.

This glorious edifice attracted soon the inquisitive connoisseurs of all nations, to travel and spend some time at Jerusalem, to survey its peculiar excellencies, as much as was allowed to the Gentiles, and they soon discovered that all the world with their joint skill, came far short of the Israelites in the wisdom, strength and beauty of Architecture, when the wise king Solomon was grand master of all Masons at Jerusalem, and the learned king. Hiram was grand master at Tyre, and inspired Hiram Abbiff had been master of work; when true and complete Masonry was under the immediate care and direction of Heaven; when the noble and wise thought it their honor to be the associ ates of the ingenious craftsmen, in their well formed Lodges; and so the temple of Jehovah, the one true God, became the just wonder of all travellers, by which as by the most perfect pattern, they resolved to correct the architecture of their own countheir return.

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From this time Masonry in systematic form could be traced as propagated and encouraged by all the succeeding kings and princes in their time throughout the civilized world but the various revolutions of empires, the rising and falling of kingdoms in succession, would produce such changes in every art, science and institution, as could not with propriety be here enumerated; the inquisitive Mason can ascertain from history and various records, that, the royal Art was encouraged and propagated through the whole age of promise and expectaney, by both the Jewish and Roman kings, till in process of time the world was made flesh, or the Lord Jesus Christ, Immanuel, was born, the Architect or grand master of the Christian Church, in the computed year of Masonry 4006; during the reign of Pontius Pilate, the Roman governor of Judea, our Lord Jesus Christ was crucified and by his order, without the walls of Jerusalem, and rose again from the dead, on the third day, for the justification of all that believed in him.

Rude ages of barbarity, ignorance and oppression intervened at different periods of the world, during which it was difficult to propagate, and keep alive the various improvements and discoveries that had been adopted; but institutions and advancement in science, thus founded on the eternal rock of truth, are not to be easily demolished. As christianity and civilization progress ed, Masonry also rose in esteem. We find that it was early introduced into Great Britain by the Romans; Cæsar, particularly, and the other Roman generals who succeeded him, were reckoned patrons and protectors of the craft. The successive wars which ensued between the contending emperors and generals, considerably obstructed the progress of Masonry in Britain, till the time of the emperor Carausius, by whom it was revived and párticularly encouraged. Having shaken off the Roman yoke, he contrived the most effectual means of rendering his person and government agreeable to the people, and assuming the character of a Mason, he acquired the love and esteem of the most enlightened part of his subjects: he possessed real merit, encouraged learning and learned men, improved the country in the civil arts, and in order to establish an empire in Britain, he collected into his dominions the best workmen and artificers from all parts. Among the first class of his favourites came the Masons; for their tenets he professed the highest veneration, and appointed Albamus the principal superintendant of their assemblies. Under his patronage Lodges and conventions of the fraternity were regularly formed, and the rights of Masonry regularly practised. To enable Masons to hold a general counsel, to establish their own government, and correct errors among themselves, hé granted to them a charter, and commanded Albamus to preside over them as grand master. This worthy knight proved a zealous friend to the craft, and afterwards assisted at the initiation of many persons, into the mysteries of the order. Albamus or St. Alban was the first who suffered martyrdom for the Christian religion in Britain, and the old constitutions affirm, that he was employed by the emperor Carausius to build a wall round the city of Vemlam, and erect for him a splendid palace, and that to reward his diligence in executing those works, the emperor made him steward of his household, and chief ruler of the realm. However this may be, we are assured from the corroborating testimony of ancient historians, that he was an able architect and real encourager of the craft.