The moral code, as delivered in the charges, is in the language of the day, severe; and the tests have such reference to the capability of labour, as would almost make it appear that speculative Masonry was at the time hardly in the ascendant; thus no man could be admitted but "whole of limbs, as a man ought to be." And again, "that he have his right limbs as a man ought to have."

The pamphlet is not without its value, even in the present day, for it has become a link in Masonic antiquity. The possessor of this copy, which chance has thrown in his way, might be envied, but that envy is not a Masonic virtue.

KILWINNING, AND THE KILWINNING ARCHERS.

THE annual meeting of the Kilwinning Archers was held on Saturday, the 26th of August last, being the birth-day of H.R.H. Prince Albert, the present patron of that ancient society. On the occasion of obtaining his Royal Highness's patronage, the society presented him, through their deputation, with a handsome bow, and other accoutrements of a Kilwinning Archer, to the value of thirty pounds. We have not heard whether it is the royal patron's intention to give an "Albert arrow" or other appropriate prize to be shot for. The association of the Kilwinning Archers, sprung originally from the taste created for archery by the institution of the weaponschaws, or district meetings appointed, by the Scottish parliaments, to be held periodically for the use of arms, more especially for the practice of archery. Oft had the serried ranks of the Scottish spearsmen felt the fell force of the southron shaft piercing through buckler and coat of steel; and oft did the Scottish monarchs endeavour, by decree and otherwise, to promote the practice of the powerful long-bow. Of this we have an early instance in the reign of James I. of Scotland, A.D. 1424, when it was enacted,

"That all men busk them to be archeres, fra they be twelve zeir of age; and that within ilk ten pundis worth of lande there be maid bowmarkes, and speciallie neir to paroche kirkes quhairin upon halie days men may cum, and at the least schutte thrise about, and have usage of archerie, and quha sa usis not the said archerie the Laird of the Land sall raise of him a wedder."

And in a succeeding Act of the same year, "It is ordained that in ilk scheriffedome of the realme be maid weaponschawinges foure times in the zeir."

In the reign of James II., it is similarly "decreeted and ordained that the weaponschawinges be halden be the Lords spiritual and temporal foure times in the zeir. And that the Fute-ball and Golfe be utterly cryed down, and not be used. And that bow-markes be maid, at ilk parish kirk a pair of Buttes, and schutting be usid, and that ilk man schutte sex schottes at the least."

But in spite of these and similar enactments by succeeding sovereigns and their parliaments, to encourage archery by making it, in some sort, a holiday pastime, the use of the bow never became popular in Scotland as a national weapon, at least among the Lowland Scots. But the Highlanders, whom Lindsay enumerates as forming part of the army of James

III., in 1488, to the number of ten thousand, are described to have been all armed with bows. These, however, were probably of very inferior length and strength to the formidable English long bow. So much for the earlier state of archery in Scotland.

The minute book of the Kilwinning company of Archers, under date 1688, intimates that for some time previous to that period, the game of archery having fallen into disuse, the shooting at the Papingo (or painted parrot), and butts was restored, and the society renewed at Kilwinning on the 14th September of the above year, by the following gentlemen:William Blair of that ilk, Hugh Montgomery of Cailsfield, William Baillie, merchant in Edinburgh, Hugh Stevenson, &c. &c.

The Papingo or Papinay, which was originally a live bird, was attached to the extremity of a pole projecting from the top of the tower of Kilwinning Abbey, and was shot for, as it is now, by the archers stationed in the churchyard directly beneath it. The present town, which is a very modern erection, was built upon the same spot and after the same plan as the ancient and original one, which fell down a number of years ago, and is upwards of 100 feet in height. The prize, at the period above alluded to, appears by the number, to have consisted of a piece of fine "Persian taffety," three ells long, and three quarters broad, of different colours, and of the value of twenty pounds Scots at the least, which trophy was termed a Benn. The archer who gained this by bringing down the Papingo from the church tower, had it tied as a badge of honour about his waist, and was demonstrated thereupon Captain. He then made a triumphant progress through Kilwinning, attended by the other captains, if such there were present, each decorated with his Benn, and followed by the rest of the archers in array. Every change-keeper in these days brought forth to them all and other liquors to drink the Captain's health; and certainly on the late competition for the Papingo prize, the ancient practice seemed to have been followed up; for at every halt in the gallant Captain's progress, there was neither lack of "mountain dew," nor eke of "the blude red wine," although the genius of "jolly good ale and old," has long been banished in a manner from the northern to the southern side of the Tweed, by that fairy spirit, John Barleycorn, vulgarly known by the name of whiskey.

The first prize which seems to have been shot for after the revival of the society, is mentioned in the minutes to have been gained by James Ferguson, Esq., advocate, on the first Tuesday in May, 1690. It is not specified of what the prize consisted.

The first Butt prize expressly mentioned, was given by Hugh Montgomery of Coilsfield, being a prize of silver plate, and which was gained by James Stevenson, Esq., Advocate.

Since the above period, many noblemen and gentlemen have joined the society, and subscribed the form of obligation, as set forth by the rules, to present a piece of gold or silver plate, when it shall fall in rotation for them to do so.

At the meeting in the end of August last, the Butt prize was an elegant silver cup, the gift of the Captain, W. C. Patrick, Esq., of Ladyland.

Though there were nearly fifty members on the ground, only eighteen competed for the cup; so shy were the majority of entering against so many crack marksmen. The shooting was excellent from the outset, and continued to the close a very keen affair. The prize was finally

won by Mr. Anderson, of Glasgow, (also a member of the Glasgow Archers' Club), who gained by two points-13 to 11. Three of his competitors attained the latter number, viz., Mr. William Brown of Glasgow, Mr. Fullarton, younger, of Fullarton, and Mr. P. Muir, of the Archers' Hall, Edinburgh, on whom the odds rather lay at starting, from his professional skill and experience. Mr. Muir, some time before, had carried off the prize at an archery meeting at York.

At two o'clock, after the close of the Butt shooting, the archers, preceded by their instrumental band, marched to the churchyard of Kilwinning parish; the papingo, or painted bird, projecting from the end of a pole at the top of the belfry tower. And here, surrounded with the ruins of the ancient abbey of Kilwinning, the spectator feels himself on interesting and historic ground. Here, if he be a Freemason, he will reflect was first founded the ancient Lodge of Kilwinning, the mother of all the Scottish Lodges, so far as the revivification of Masonry went, more especially in its operative or architectural sense: for there can be no doubt that speculative Freemasonry was planted and propagated throughout Scotland, centuries before, by the Brethren of the Caledonian Fraternities. A considerable concourse from the villages and surrounding country were present to witness the sport, among whom were a number of elegant females, who had come to witness the performances of their friends, brothers, and husbands. Many a pop the painted papingo and its pole got, from the point of heaven-directed arrows, and twice the wooden wings came tumbling down, to the momentary alarm and amusement of the gathered groups below, and the distinctive points of honour, a green or white riband delivered to the successful shots in these lighter contests, the chief of whom were Mr. Gibson, and Mr. George Brown of Glasgow. No fewer than forty-two competitors entered the lists (half-crown entry money) in this ancient game; which was similarly practised on the very spot hundreds of years ago, as by law directed "neir to parish kirks." Shortly after four o'clock, the archers again mustered in marching array, and proceeded to the hall of the old Mother Kilwinning Lodge, where they partook of a well-spread banquet. About seventy persons sat at table; the Captain, Mr. Patrick, in the chair; Mr. Boyle, younger, of Shewalton, and Mr. J. B. Gray, of Carberry Moss, acting as croupiers. As might have been expected, various members of the Mother Kilwinning Lodge, and of her daughters, were present as archers on this occasion, among whom may be noted Bro. George Fullarton, younger, of Fullarton, P. M. of the Kilwinning Lodge, Bro. George Johnstone, R. W. M. of Ditto and P.G.M. of Ayrshire, Bro. William Brown of the Stevenson Lodge, Bro. William Pringle of the Canongate Kilwinning Lodge, No. 2, and Sub-Prior of the Edinburgh Priory of Knights Templars, with many others. After dinner, at six o'clock, the pastime of the papingo was renewed; but not this time for the mere honours of points, or riband badges as prizes, but for the more important point of deciding the captainship of the society for the ensuing year. After various exciting attempts by different individuals, fortune at length favoured Mr. Archibald Boyle, son of the Lord Justice General of Scotland, who brought down the gaudy bird from its airy height, with a crash that might have woke the ancient archers from their churchyard sleep, had they heard it along with the shout of joy and gratulation that followed from the surrounding crowds, who seemed almost to take as much interest in the proceedings as the competitors themselves. The past

Captain of the Archers then shot an arrow far and high over the church roof, in token that his turn of office was expired, and the archers once more proceeded to parade the streets of Old Mother Kilwinning, till they arrived at the Cross: where, according to ancient use and wont, a ring was formed, and dancing commenced, the Ayrshire lassies nothing loth or daunted by the wetness of the ground from a recent thunder shower. The old natives were heard to say in the gladness of their hearts, "It's juist the auld way!" There was a moral in the spectacle, indeed, during the whole day. All ranks and classes, and even sexes, seemed to feel a congenial interest in the pastime, which must have had a still stronger social influence and importance in the days of the "Weaponschawings." The reader will probably recollect the picture in the "Tales of My Landlord" of these re-unions.

WINGED WORDS OF ANCIENT ARCHERS.

HEBREW.

THE earliest reference to the practice of Archery that occurs in the Old Testament is in Genesis, chap. xxi, where Hagar is described as sitting down to watch her son Ishmael, "a good way off, as it were, a bow-shot." And again, in the same chapter, where it is said that Ishmael" dwelt in the wilderness, and became an archer."

The chosen people, however, do not seem to have been so expert in the use of the bow, as many of the nations with which they were surrounded. The Philistines in particular appear to have excelled them, and to have owed their victory over Saul chiefly to the use of that weapon-" And the battle went sore against Saul, and the archers hit him, and he was sore wounded by the archers."

Jonathan, Saul's son, nevertheless, was an accomplished archer, and the bow which he bore he gave to David as one of the special pledges of faith and of regard-" And, Jonathan stripped himself of the robe that was upon him, and gave it to David, and his garments, even to his sword and to his bow, and to his girdle." In the beautiful episode of these two friends, when the father of Jonathan sought David's life, we learn that the practice of shooting at a mark was familiar with the archers of those days, and was used as a princely pastime. The little lad who ran for the arrow presents an interesting feature in the picture. And it is an incident worthy of remark to the toxophilite, that Jonathan carried three arrows to the field-the same number that is still in use in shooting. The stone "Ezel," where, or near which, David lay concealed by agreement with Jonathan, and beside which the latter was to shoot,* signifieth, according to marginal annotation, “that pointeth the way.' it would be unreasonable to suppose this to have been a public road sign, as such a situation would never have been chosen by the sworn friend for the place of their stealthy meeting. Possibly Ezel meant one of those stone marks, known in modern times to have marked the shoot

But

*" And I will shoot three arrows at the side thereof, as though I shot at a mark.”— Genesis. VOL. I. 3 Z

ing grounds of our ancestors, or the distances between the butts. The spot, no doubt, was one to which the Prince was accustomed to resort for the practice of archery, and he appointed the interview there expressly to blind any suspicion that might arise as to his real object. Whether he shot at a butt or a bush, at a target or a tree, is not specifically stated; though, from the tenor of the text, it is rather to be inferred that he shot at the time with the roving arrow.

That David also was an expert archer, although particularly celebrated for his skill as a slinger, there is no reason to doubt; and he would the more especially become conversant with the use of the warbow during his residence among the tribes of the Philistines, who, as we have seen, were masters of that weapon. An outlaw by the persecuting spirit of Saul, David was driven to dwell among the deserts and the forests, and the caves of the hill-sides; and in this situation he drew around him a band of desperate and determined men, who made him their leader, and followed his fortunes, to the number of four hundred. Engaged in frequent forays with the surrounding nations, these freerangers, as they may be termed, naturally and necessarily became redoubted bowmen, and adepts in all the arts of archery as practised by the Philistines or Cerethites. David afterwards, on his accession to the throne of Judah, conferred on them the honour of being his royal body guard. In this new duty they retained, or rather received the name of Cerethites, from their being equipped as the archers of that nation; or it may be, from the name also signifying "exterminators ;" an appellation which their fierce successes previously justified.

David, in the Psalms, speaks of bows of brass, or of steel, as some translate it. This language may be figurative or not, for it is known that such bows have been made, even in comparatively modern times, as among the Turks. The Hebrews in general, however, made use of wood.

So impressed was King David with the importance of this weapon, from his intercourse with the warlike tribes of Philistia, that immediately on his elevation to the throne, he issued orders that all the men of Judah should be "taught" the use of the bow. Not that we are to infer that they were then absolutely ignorant of it; but in order that they might be instructed in the most approved discipline of the art, as practised by the Cerethites and Pelethites-the latter, as their name imports, in Chaldee, "drawers of the bow," being also expert archers.

With these attempts to concentrate the few transient glimpses we get of ancient Archers and Archery in the books of the Old Testament, turn we to take a glimpse at the heroes of the bow and quiver hymned by him,

-The blind old man of Scio's rocky isle,

of whom some έπεα πτερόεντα, in our next.

TOXOTES.