building their own houses, which they carried on with greater carnest ness than the house of God. However, they gave Tatnai a faithful account of the whole matter; and he very worthily represented it to the king, as they informed him, without any addition or diminution of his own; which shows that he and his companions were not their enemies, but impartially wrote what they affirmed to be true." (Patrick, Com vol. ii. p. 656.)

33 It is asserted in the above degree, that when Darius was a private man, he made a vow that if ever he should ascend the throne of Persia, he would send all the holy utensils which remained at Babylon back to Jerusalem. Zerubbabel had contracted a friendship with Darius, and on this occasion offered to take a long and tedious journey into Persia, for the purpose of reminding the king of his vow. It is needless to add that his mission was successful.

34 On this occurrence a degree has been formed, which is thus described in an authorized publication in the United States, called the Templar's Chart: "The Order of Knights of the Red Cross has been known and conferred in several parts of Europe by various titles; the present was given to it on account of the red cross which the knights bore on their banners when they took the field. The incidents upon which the order was founded occurred in the reign of Darius, King of Persia; and it is more particularly connected with Symbolic Masonry than any other order of knighthood. When Darius had established himself on the throne of Persia, Zerubbabel, being stimulated by a spirit of true patriotism, voluntarily offered to encounter the hazardous enterprise of traversing the Persian dominions and seeking admission into the royal presence, to plead the cause of his country. He had some hope of success, on account of having been formerly distinguished by the favourable notice and friendship of the king, while in private life. On his arrival, he waited a favourable opportunity to prefer his suit. An occasion soon offered itself, when Zerubbabel, by his consummate wisdom and persuasive arguments, obtained the king's favour, who gave him permission to rebuild his city and temple, and restored all the holy vessels which still remained at Babylon. The King of Persia, desirous of perpetuating a remembrance of those interesting events which had occasioned a renewal of the friendship which had formerly subsisted between himself and Zerubbabel, instituted a new order, which he called Knights of the East. This title was afterwards changed to Knights of the Eagle. In France they were known as Knights of the Sword; and in Palestine as Knights of the Red Cross."

35 Which originated thus: At the close of a sumptuous entertainment given to his nobles and tributaries, Darius proposed certain questions, ard decreed the highest honours to the person who should answer them most satisfactorily. The questions were these:-" Is there any thing stronger than wine? What can exceed the strength of kings? What is superior to the power of women? Can any thing surpass truth?" These questions Zerubbabel answered as follows:-" Neither the force of wine, nor the power of princes, can be denied; but women have incontestibly the superiority. Before the king, the mother of the king existed. The charms of women compel us to abandon our country, relations, and dearest friends, and to attach ourselves wholly to them. But neither women nor kings can be put in competition with the power of truth. Truth alone is immutable and perfect; the advantages we derive from it are not subject to the vicissitudes of fortune, but are pure, irreproachable, and eternal." This answer was so pleasing to the king, that he promised

Zerubbabel any thing he should desire; who immediately reminded him of his vow, which the king was graciously pleased to fulfil.

36 He issued orders to the governors of Samaria, Syria, and Phoenicia, to lend every assistance to the Jews in the prosecution of this work; exempted all who were engaged in it from imposts, and duties, and taxes; declared them FREE; and pronounced that the Samaritans, their ancient enemies, should contribute to the structure. These privileges were a source of so much joy to the Jews in Babylon, that when Zerubbabel returned to Jerusalem, he was followed by nearly five millions of people from the tribes of Judah, Benjamin, and Levi. (Jos. Ant. 1. xi. c. 4.)

37 The degree of Prince of Jerusalem is founded on the above facts. 38 As the Samaritans failed in their attempt to prevent the temple from being rebuilt, Manasses, brother of Jaddua, the high priest, having married the daughter of Sanballat, obtained leave from Alexander the Great to build a temple upon Gerizim, one of the highest mountains in Samaria, whither many of the apostate Jews fled along with Manasses, who was made their high priest; and this schism began the sect of the Samaritans.

39 The decree was in this form, as we learn from the records of the degree of Prince of Jerusalem :-" We, Darius, king of kings, willing to favour and protect our people at Jerusalem, after the example of our illustrious predecessor, King Cyrus, do will and ordain that the Samaritans, against whom complaints have been made, shall punctually pay the tribute money which they owe for the sacrifices of the temple; otherwise they shall receive condign punishment. Given at Shushan, the palace, this fourth day of the second month, in the year 3534, and of our reign the third; under the royal signet."

40 Many of the Tyrians had been carried into captivity by Nebuchadnezzar, and liberated along with the Jews.

41 On this stone were engraven SEVEN EYES, at the express command of God, which were intended to represent the eyes of the Lord, which run to and fro throughout the earth; and had a symbolical reference to the Lamb who was afterwards slain for the sins of the world, which St. John saw in heaven, having seven eyes, which are the seven spirits of God. (Zech. iii. 9; 2 Chron. xvi. 9; Rev. v. 6.)

42 The temple had been forty-six years in building. It was begun in the second year of Cyrus, and finished in the ninth of Darius. Cyrus reigned twenty-nine years after it was commenced; Cambyses eight, and Darius nine years, making together forty-six years.

43 In the construction of a degree from the above materials, by whatever name it may be denominated, and the Brethren of different countries are not agreed on the point, there exist some few anomalies. The names of Ezra and Nehemiah are associated with those of Z. J. H.; which must be erroneous, as I think will appear from hence. The foundation of the second temple was laid in the year B. c. 535; the building was hindered after this till B. c. 520, when it went on by order of Darius, and was dedicated B. c. 515. Ezra did not come up from Babylon till the reign of Artaxerxes, B. c. 457, being fifty-eight years after the dedication of the second temple, and seventy-eight after the foundations were laid; and Nehemiah was not made governor till twelve years later still. They could not then have participated with the original builders of the temple. And I suppose this anachronism arose from Ezra having recorded in his first six chapters, what happened from sixty to eighty years before his time; and from the name of Nehemiah, evidently a different person,

appearing in that account as one of the persons who came with Zerubbabel.

"Of true religion Artaxerxes gave a specimen early in his reign, when he sent Ezra to Judea, with ample cominission to establish the law of God, and the law of the king, in the western provinces; and for beautifying the house of the Lord in Jerusalem, and providing for regular sacrifices there. Artaxerxes was happy in two such master councillors as Ezra and Nehemiah." (Hales' Anal. vol. iv. p. 191.)

45"On his arrival, he delivered up to the temple the offerings which had been made to it by the king and nobles, and the rest of the people of Israel thet stayed behind, which amounted to one hundred talents of gold, twenty basins of gold of the value of one thousand daries, and six hundred and fifty talents of silver, with vessels of silver of the weight of about one hundred talents more." (Prid. Con. p. 1, b. v.) A daric was worth about twenty-five shillings of our money.

46 The Jews, according to the Koran, say that Ezra was the son of God; which the commentators observe referred to some heterodox Jews of Medina, who believed that all the copies of the Sacred Law were lost during the Babylonish captivity; and that Ezra was raised to life a century after he had been gathered to his fathers, for the purpose of restoring the Scriptures to their original perfection. That having dictated them to the Scribes from memory, they concluded that he must have been the son of God.

47 He collected and collated the Hebrew Scriptures, and digested them into a systematic form, and read them periodically in the ears of the people. His wisdom and prudence procured him such a high degree of reputation, that many later writers have pronounced him to be no other but Malachi the prophet. But there is no foundation for this conjecture. An ancient copy of the law might possibly have been found at the rebuilding of the second temple, which would be exceedingly valuable; but it is scarcely to be doubted that there were many copies, or at least detached parts, of the sacred writings in existence amongst the Jews at Babylon, to which Ezra had access; and his principal labour would be in collating and comparing the ancient and modern copies, which were written in two different languages; in making a regular distribution of the canonical books, and in transcribing the whole in the Chaldean character, which was now almost universally substituted for the ancient Hebrew.

66

In the twentieth year of his reign," says Hales, (Anal. vol. ii. p. 184) Artaxerxes granted that permission which he had so long refused, of rebuilding the walls of Jerusalem at the instance of Nehemiah, a Jew, and his cup-bearer (when Esther the queen was present), whom he appointed Tirshatha, or governor of Judea, in succession to Zerubbabel, whose death about this time might furnish an additional reason for his appointment; while Ezra, the scribe, zealously co-operated with him in his proper function of teaching the law to the people."

The history of his appointment to this office is thus related :—" Walking near Susa, the capital of Persia, Nehemiah heard some people conversing in Hebrew, on which he asked them whence they came. They said from Judea ; and on his enquiry respecting Jerusalem, they said that the walls were destroyed, the country exposed to the inroads of the enemy, the people carried into captivity, and the dead bodies left on the highways. While Nehemiah was bitterly lamenting these grievous calamities, he was informed that the king was going to supper, on which he hastened to attend his duty. After supper, the king observing Nehe

miah's grief, enquired the cause; on which he said, 'How can I but be miserable, when the place of my birth is destroyed; Jerusalem become a heap of rubbish; the gates of the city burnt; the tombs of my ancestors violated; and the ashes af the dead profaned? And I must request your royal permission to go to Jerusalem, to assist in completing the temple, and rebuilding the walls.' The king complied with his wishes, and gave him letters to his governors, commanding them to assist him in the intended work." (Jos. Ant. 1. xi. c. 5.)

50 The following chronology may be usefully consulted :-Nebuchadnezzar destroyed Jerusalem, B. c. 586. Belshazzar's death, 553. The Jews return from captivity, under Zerubbabel, 536. The second temple begun, 535. Cambyses, 529. Darius Hystaspes, 521. The temple finished, 485. Artaxerxes stops the building of Jerusalem. 463; marries Esther, 458; deputes Ezra, 457; and Nehemiah, 444. The walls and the city rebuilt, 432. Nehemiah's reform, 420.

51 And it being recollected that a traditional account was in existence, how Jeremiah the prophet, when the temple was sacked and plundered by Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard, commanded certain priests to hide the sacred fire in a dry vault; Nehemiah summoned the posterity of those priests, to whom the signs and marks by which the place might be known had been confided, and with their assistance the vault was discovered. But not finding any fire there, the vault containing nothing but muddy water, he carried some of it away, and sprinkled it upon the altar, when, to his great astonishment, the wood took fire as soon as the sun shone upon it. When the king of Persia was informed of this miracle, he encompassed the vault where the holy fire had been hid by Jeremiah with walls, and confirmed the privileges which had been given to the liberated Jews. The fire, according to the Rabbins, was found at the feast of tabernacles, after the walls of the city had been completed. In honour of this event, a commemorative festival was instituted, called "the Feast of the New Fire."

52 A profound peace, attended with a long course of uninterrupted prosperity, was favourable to the practice of all those arts and sciences which embellish, and stamp a value on the enjoyment of social life; and amongst the rest, the comprehensive science of Freemasonry received distinguished marks of attention. The encouragement afforded by Z. H. and J., seconded by E. and N., and their successors, to the sublime science, which united religion and morals in a bond of social harmony, gave a new stimulus to the exertions of those worthy and faithful few, who had been the conservators of Freemasonry in Babylon.

LECTURE XLI.

THE BURNING BUSH.

"Now Moses kept the flock of Jethro, his father-in-law, the priest of Midian; and he led the flock to the back part of the desert, and came to the mountain of God, even to Horeb. And the angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a flame of fire, out of the midst of a bush; and he looked, and behold, the bush burned with fire, and the bush was not consuined. And Moses said, I will now turn aside and see this great sight, why the bush is not burnt. And when the Lord saw that he turned aside to see, God called unto him out of the midst of the bush, and said, Moses, Moses. And he said, Here am I. And he said, Draw not nigh hither; put off thy shoes from off thy feet, for the place whereon thou standest is holy ground."-Exodus.

Klõði пvçòs τηv pwvýv.-Hear. the voice of Fire.

ORACULA MAGICA ZOROASTRI.

WHEN the death of the twelve patriarchs had effaced the memory of those essential benefits which the Egyptians derived from the wisdom and foresight of Joseph,' and the Israelites increased so rapidly that the inhabitants entertained some apprehensions lest their liberties. should be endangered by the existence of such a numerous band of strangers, governed by a foreign policy, and worshipping a different God. They thought it possible that this people, though now pursuing a pastoral and quiet life, might be incited to unite with the enemy in the event of a foreign invasion; and Amenophis, or Memnon, who was the monarch of a new dynasty, and, therefore, did not know Joseph, and his council of state held many an anxious consultation to devise a method of neutralizing the danger, without depriving themselves of the advantages which they derived from their services.5 And at length they came to the resolution of paralyzing their strength by hard and incessant labour, and thinning their numbers by the destruction of all their male children.

2

Things were in this state when the time approached,