[When the High. Priest, King or Scribe of a Chapter cannot in person attend the convocation of the Grand Chapter, it is competent for him to grant a proxy to some member of his Chapter, duly qualified to represent him in the Grand Chapter, and he must then furnish him with the following certificate: X Form of a Certificate for a Proxy in the Grand Chapter ........ my This is to certify that I have hereby appointed Companion proxy, to represent me as ...... tion of the Grand Chapter of of ...... Chapter, No..., in the convoca ....... ,to be holden at .. on the . day 185... Chapter, No.... Date of Royal Arch Documents. Each of the systems of Masonry has a date peculiar to itself, and which, as referring to some important event in its history, is affixed to its official documents. Thus the epoch of the creation of light in the beginning of the world, according to the Mosaic cosmogony, has been assumed, for a symbolical reason, as the era of Ancient Craft Masonry, and hence all documents connected with the first three degrees are dated from this period, which date is found by adding 4000 to the vulgar era, and is called in the year of light, or Anno Lucis, usually abbreviated A.. L..-thus the present year, 1858, in a masonic document of the symbolic degrees, would be desig nated as A.. L.. 5858. Royal Arch Masons use this date also, but in addition to it they commence their peculiar era with the year in which the building of the second temple was begun, at which time their traditions inform them that a discovery im. portant to the craft was made. They call their era the year of the discovery, or Anno Inventionis, sometimes abbreviated A.. I.. or A.. Inv:. The second temple was commenced 530 years before Christ, and hence the Royal Arch date is found by adding that number of years to the Christian era Thus the present year, 1858, in a Royal Arch document, would be designated as Anno Inventionis 2388, and combining the two masonic eras, such a docu ment would properly be designated thus: "Anno Lucis 5858, and Anno In ventionis 2388," or, "in the Year of Light 5858, and of the Discovery 2388." |