Manuel des Chevaliers de L'Ordre du Temple. Paris, 1825.
The historian, Raymouard, thus formally excuses himself from speculating on the fate of the disbanded Scottish Knights:—"Que devinrent-ils? Ce n'est pas à moi de soulever le voile mystérieux de ces infortunés: l'histoire publique se tait, mon devoir est de me taire comme elle."—Monumens Historiques.
[ [43] An attempt has been very recently made to revive this Order, by the initiation of a number of new members, chiefly Brethren of the Lodge of St. David, Edinburgh.
[ [44] The medal alluded to was struck at the expense of the Chapitre du Choix at Paris, to celebrate the establishment in France of a Provincial Grand Lodge of Heredom de Kilwinning, by a Charter, dated Edinburgh the 1st of May 1786, constituting Mr. John Mattheus, a distinguished merchant of Rouen, Provincial Chief, with very ample powers, to disseminate the Order. The Chapitre du Choix was itself erected by a charter from Edinburgh in the same year, addressed to Nicholas Chabouille, avocat en parlement, and other brethren. Both these documents bear the signatures of William Charles Little, Deputy Grand Master, William Mason, and William Gibb. At a later date, a Provincial Grand Master was also appointed for Spain, in the person of Mr. James Gordon, a merchant at Xeres de la Frontera, whose commission was signed by Deputy Grand Master Dr. Thomas Hay, and Messrs. Charles Moor and John Brown, as heads of the Royal Order. In 1811, there were no less than twenty-six Chapters of Heredom holding of the Provincial Grand Lodge of the Order in France, including some in Belgium and Italy.
—Histoire de la Fondation du Grand Orient de France.
Paris, 1812.
[ [45] An abstract of this interesting document will be found in the [Appendix].
[ [46] The reader will find the Preceptor's motives and proceedings explained in an authentic family document printed from a manuscript copy in the Advocates Library, in a little work named, "Templaria. Edinburgh, 1828." We extract from it the following account of the surrender of the Preceptory:—"He personally compeirit in presence of the Queen's Majesty, the Lord Chancelour, the Earles of Murray, Marischall, and diuers others of her Hiehnes Privy Council, and there, as the only lawful undoubted Titular, and present possessor of the Lordship and Preceptorie of Torphephen, which was never subject to any Chapter or Conuent whatsomever, except only the Knights of Jerusalem and Temple of Solomon, Genibus flexis et reverentia qua decuit, resigned and ouergave in the hands of our Souerane Lady, his undoubted Superior, ad perpetuam remanentiam, all Right, Property, and Possession, which he had, or any way could pretend to the said Preceptorie, or any part thereof, in all time Coming; to the effect the same might remain perpetually, with her Hyeness and her Successours, as a Part of Property and Patrimony of her Crown for ever. After this resignation in the Queen's Majesty's hands, ad Remanentiam, of this Benefice, be the lawful Titular thereof, her Hyeness, in remembrance of the good service of the said Sir James Sandilands, gave and grantid and dispon'd, in feu-farme, heritably, to the said Sir James, his heirs and assignies, All and Haill, the said Preceptorie and Lordship."
That the payment of the above sum of ten thousand crowns of the Sun subsequently involved Sandilands in serious difficulties and embarrassments, we are instructed by the works referred to, in which it is stated that—"albeit the charter bears present payment of ten thousand crowns, that the money was paid at divers times, partly upon Her Majesty's precepts to her servants, French Paris, Sir Robert Melvin, Sir James Balfour, and Captain Anstruther; and the rest of the sum to Mr. Robert Richardson, treasurer for the time, whereof there is a receipt under the privy seal. That a great part of that money, numbered in gold and silver, was borrowed from Timothy Corneoli, an Italian gentleman of the Preceptor's acquaintance at Genoa, and a banker of the house of———resident in Scotland for the time. That this nobleman being burthened with great debts, for his exoneration and relief, was forced to let in feu-farm his own roumes for a reasonable composition," &c.; and he was afterwards obliged to part with some of the larger baronies of the estate.
[ [47] To satisfy the curious, a copy of the translated document is inserted in the [Appendix].
[ [48] Il est certain que l'invention des hauts grades maçonniques a fait le plus grand tort á l'institution, en dènaturant son objet, et en l'affublant de titres pompeux et de cordons qui ne lui appartiennent pas. On conviendra que jamais elle n'eût êté proscrite, dans une partie d'Allemagne, si les dissentions occasioneés par la Stricte-Observance, les pretentions de soidisant successeurs des Frères de la Rose-Croix, et surtout l'invention de l'illuminatisme qu'on introduisit dans quelques L. n'eussent rendu "l'association suspecté aux gouvernemens."—Acta Latomorum.