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The history of free masonry
and the Grand Lodge of Scotland I
iam Alexander Laurie, David Brewster,
liel Brewster, Freemasons. Grand Lodge of Scot
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THE
HISTORY OF FREE MASONRY
THE GRAND LODGE OF SCOTUND
iriTH CHAPTBKfl OH
THE KNIGHT TEMPLABS, KNIGHTS OF ST JOHN, UAM MASONBT, AND R. A. DEGBEE
TO WHICH 18 ADOBt> AN
APPENDIX OF VALUABLE PAPERS
WILLIAM ALEXANDER LAURIE,
8B0BSTABT TO THE OBAITD LODOB 07 800TLA1TD;
F.SJLR., P.IL8JL, K-CT. F. * ft, * KJJ. ;
By Boyal AppolaiiiMiit BepnMDtetlre ttcm tbe Ontad hodge of Bveden ; and Ute BepreMntatlTe finom th«
" Gnnd OrUnf* of Frukee ; Koaanry Mamber of ths LodgM " BUr-in-Uia-Eut, " OdontU ;
" WUhdm Fnderiek " of tba Netherlands ; '* 83d," Nunor ; " Blaliig Bter," Bombay ;
and of NoiL 1, fl, e, K 44, 48» lOS, 140, 291, »», *e., in Scotiand.
EDINBURGH : SETON & MACKENZIE. LONDON : R. SPENCER. CALCUTTA : R. C. LEPAGE ft CO.
MDCCCLIX.
[71k« riffht qf Translation U reterved.']
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Alox. Laurie h Co., Printers to Her Majesty.
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TO
THE MOST NOBLE
KNIOHT OF THE MOST ANCIENT ORDER OF THE THISTLE,
MOST WORSHIPFUL GRAND MASTER MASON OF SCOTLAND, &c. &c. Sic.
THIS WORK
IS MOST RESPECTFULLY AND FRATERNALLY DEDICATED.
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PREFACE.
The popularity^ of the First Edition of The History op Free Masonry, published in 1804^ has induced the issue of this — nominally a Second Edition, though in reality an entirely Nevr Work.
The Works on this subject which have already been given to the Public are of such a meagre nature as to deter even the most inquisitive from their perusal, and their authors have discredited an Association which they designed to honour, by referring its origin to the creation of the world, and ranking among its Members the most celebrated Monarchs of the East, without any authority from authentic History. It is the object, therefore, of the following Work, to divest the history of Free Masonry of that jargon and mystery in which it has hitherto been enveloped, and substitute a historical, and consequently a reliable, account of the nature, origin, and progress of this ancient and jenerable Institution.
The difficulties which attend such an undertaking can be obvious to those only who are in some measure acquainted with the subject. From the very constitution of the Order its origin must be involved in obscurity; the materials for its history must be scanty in the extreme ; and those which can be procured are not in themselves of such an interesting nature as to excite general attention. The history of an Association, however, which has existed from the remotest antiquity — ^which has extended to every corner of the globe, and embraced men of every rank, of every religion, and of every form of government — cannot fail to be interesting to those who are accustomed to discover new features of the mind in every human Institution; — an Institution fonned for the purpose of scientific im- provement and the exercise of mutual benevolence ; patronising and executing those magnificent structures which at one time have con-
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PREFACE.
tributed to the utility and ornament of Nations, and at another to the wonder and admiration of sacceeding ages; — an Institution sometimes persecuted from the jealousy of power ; frequently alarmed by the threats of superstition ; often attacked, but never overthrown.
Part I contains an investigation into the origin of Free Masonry, and records its gradual development, progress, and subsequent universal diffusion from that period to the present day. This portion of the Work, whilst preserving the spirit of the Original Edition, has been entirely remodelled, the Notes carefully verified, and numerous addi- tions made thereto. An interesting Chapter on the Knight Templars, and Knights of St John of Jerusalem, in Scotland, has also been added to this section, in which will be found some interesting facts hitherto unnoticed in any former History of these Orders.
Part TI is exclusively devoted to the History of Scottish Masonry from the institution of the Grand Lodge of Scotland in 1736 to the present year. This has been carefully compiled from the Records of the Grand Lodge, and contains much important information, equally interesting to the Public in general as well as to the Brethren, as these Records, though frequently solicited, have never been granted to any one who has hitherto written upon the subject. Besides a Chapter on Mark Masonry, with a Sketch of the Ark Mariner and Royal Arch Degrees, there ha^ been added to this Part — as bearing upon and illustrative of the Grand Lodge Records — Notes on the Lodges holding of the Grand Lodge of Scotland, arranged under Provinces, giving their dates of Charter and Colour of Clothing, with their past and present Provincial Grand Masters.
The Illustrations consist of the Jewels of the Grand Lodge of Scot- land and the Grand Officers thereof ; a Portrait of St Clair of Rosslyn, Hereditary Grand Master Mason ; a variety of Masonic Marks (illus- trative of the History of Mark Masonry) as found in Herculaneum ; in India ; the Abbeys of Kilwinning, Dryburgh, Melrose, and Aber- brothock ; the Palace of Holyrood ; the Cathedral of Dunkeld ; the Collegiate Church of Rosslyn ; as well as in the Minute-Books of the Lodge of Edinburgh Mary's Chapel ; the Lodges Journeymen, Edin- burgh ; Aitchison's Haven ; and St Ninian, Brechin, ko., &c.
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PREFACE. VU
The Appendix contains a series of nsefnl and interesting Papers^ several of which are now pablished for the first time. Also an Alpha- betical Table of all the Grand Officers who have been appointed since the institution of the Grand Lodge^ exhibiting, in a succinct but com- prehensive manner, their date of Election and period of Office, accom- panied bj occasional Biographical Notes.
As a Work of this nature would be properly deemed incomplete with- out a copious Index, this, and an Analytical Table of Contents, Lave been prepared to facilitate reference.
In conclusion, I have to ofier my warmest thanks to Brother the Chevalier Burnes, K.H., for his valuable and elaborate Chapter on the Knight Templars and Knight Hospitallers ; also to Brotlier Andrew Kerr, F.S.A.S., Past Master of Lodge No. S, for his learned contribu- tion on Mark Masonry, <bc. ; and to Brother William Ross, also of Lodge No. 8, for the great zeal and perseverance evinced by him in the arrangement and progress of this Work.
WM. A. LAURIE. Edutburgb, June 24, 1869.
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ANALYSIS. PART I.
CHAPTER I.
PAOB
SEPARATION OP PR0PES8I0NS — ^SUPERIORITY OF ARCHITECTURE
DESCRIPTIVE OUTLINE OP FREE MASONRY — OPINIONS RESPECTING ITS ORIGIN— OBJECTIONS THERKTO ANSWERED.
On the separation of Professions, 1
Superiority of Architectu re as a separate Profession, 2
The Institution of Free Masonry described, 3
Different opinions respecting its origin, 4
It probably originated in Egypt, 6
Its importation into Greece under the form of the Eleusinia
and Dionysia, „ 8
Comparison between the Eleusinia and Free Masonry, 9
Connection between the Eleusinian and Dionysian Mysteries, 12
Institution of the Bacchanalia, 13
On the Dionysian artificers of Asia Minor, 14
Comparison between the Dionysian Fraternity and Free Masonry, 15 The existence of Free Masonry at the building of Soloraon^s Temple
highly probable, 16
Comparison between the Essenes and Free Masons, 17
On the Fraternity of the Kasideans, 19
Comparison between the Pythagorean Fraternity and that of Free
Masons, 20
Connection of the Pythagoreans and Essenes with the Kasideans,
whose office it was to repair the Temple of Jerusalem, 22
Objections of Barruel against the early origin of Free Masonry
answered, 23
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CHAPTER II.
PAQB PARTIAL EXTINCTION OF SECRET ASSOCIATIONS DURING THE DARK
AGES ^TRAVELLING ARCHITECTS — FREE MASONRY EXTINGUISHED
THROUGHOUT EUROPE WITH THE EXCEPTION OF BRITAIN ORIGIN
OF THE KNIGHT TEMPLARS THEIR PERSECUTION — ^THEIR INNO- CENCE MAINTAINED— CONNECTION BETWEEN CHIVALRY AND FREE
MASONRY INITIATION OP THE TEMPLARS INTO THE SYRIAN
FRATERNITY.
Partial extinction of Secret Associations in Europe daring the
Dark Ages, 26
Travelling Fraternity of Architects during the Dark Ages, 27
Causes of their encouragement, 28
Free Masonry extinguished in every part of Europe, except Britain, ib.
Causes of its continuance there, 29
Origin of the Knight Templars, t6.
They are persecuted by the Pope and the French King, 31
Their barbarous treatment, ib.
Declaration of Molay, 32
The innocence of the Templars maintained against the argu- ments of Barruel, 33
Impossibility of the public in general ever knowing the Mysteries
of Secret Associations, 38
Connection between Chivalry and Free Masonry, 41
Exemplified in the case of the Templars, 43
The Knight Templars initiated into the Syrian Fraternities, one
of which exists to this day, 44
CHAPTER III.
PROGRESS OP FREE MASONRY IN BRITAIN — INTRODUCED INTO SCOT- LAND—CAUSES OF ITS DECLINE — HISTORY OF, IN THE REIGN OF HENRY VI — HISTORY OF, IN SCOTLAND, FROM JAMES I TO VI — OFFICE OF HEREDITARY GRAND MASTER CONFERRED UPON THE ST CLAIRS OF ROSLIN — RESIGNATION OF, BY WILLIAM ST CLAIR IN 1736.
Progress of Free Masonry in Britain, 45
Introduced into Kilwinning in Scotland,^ 46
Time of its introduction into England unknown, ib.
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Causes of the decline of Free Masonry in Britain, 47
History of the Fraternity in the Reign of Henry VI, 48
Account of a curious Manuscript, 49
History of Free* Masonry in Scotland from James I to James VI,... 50 Office of Hereditary Grand Master conferred upon the St Clairs of
Roslin, 51
Resignation of that office by William St Clair, in 1736, 54
Grand Lodge of Scotland instituted, ^^
CHAPTER IV.
FREE MASONRY IN ENGLAND DURING THE CIVIL WARS — INTRODUCED
INTO FRANCE INSTITUTION OF THE GRAND LODGES OF ENGLAND
AND IRELAND RAPID PROGRESS OF THE ORDER — INTRODUCED
INTO INDIA, HOLLAND, RUSSIA, SPAIN, AFRICA, GERMANY, <fcC.
PERSECUTIONS — ORIGIN OF THE M0P8E8 — GRAND LODGES OF DEN- MARK, SWEDEN, AND PRUSSIA INSTITUTED — THE ILLUMINATI
CONDUCT OF TUB BRITISH GOVERNMENT TO THE FRATERNITY IN
17i)9. History of Free Masonry in England during the Wars between the
King and Parliament, .*. 55
Fanciful opinions of Dr Robison and Pivati examined, ib.
Proofs, in opposition to Dr Robison, that Free Masonry was intro- duced into France long before the exile of the Stuart family, 56
Probable time of its introduction, ib.
Causes of the innovations superinduced upon Free Masonry in
France, 58
Causes of its purity in Britain, 59
Grand Lodge of England instituted, 60
History of the Schism in the Grand Lodge of England, by the
secession of what are called the Ancient Masons, ib.
Grand Lodge of Ireland instituted, 61
Rapid progress of Free Masonry, — introduced into India, Holland,
Russia, Africa, Spain, Germany, &c., ib.
Persecution of Free Masons in Holland, in 1735, ib.
Persecutions in France, Germany, and ngain in Holhind, in 1740,... 62
Origin of the Fraternity of the Mopses, 64
Persecution of Free Masons in Switzerland, G5
Cruelty of the Inquisition at Florence, St Sebastian, and Lisbon,
to individuals who were Free Masons, ib.
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PAOR
Examples of the active benevolence of Free Masons, 66
Free Masonry introduced into Bohemia; ib.
Free Masons persecuted in Scotland by the Associate Synod^ 67
Free Masonry introduced into Denmark and Sweden, 68
J^rogress of Free Masonry generally, ib.
Grand Lodges established at Berlin and Brunswick, 69
Convention between the Grand Lodges of England and Berlin, ... ib.
Erection of Chari ty Schools by the Continental Lodges, 70
Persecution of Free Masons in Portugal, 71
Progress of Free Masonry in Holland, ib.
Origin and progress of the Illuminati, ib.
Causes and utility of that Institution, 72
State of Free Masonry in Germany, 73
Conduct of the British Government to the Fraternity in 1799, 74
CHAPTER V.
THB KNIGHT TEMPLARS AND KNIGHTS OP ST JOHN IN SCOTLAND— THB ROYAL ORDER OR HEREDOM DE KILWINNING.
The Knight Templars introduced and established in Scotland by
David I, 75
Th eir general pri vil eges, 76
Priories in Scotland, 77
Their spoliation, ib.
Knights of St John of Jerusalem introduced and located in Scot- land, 78
Union between the Knight Templars and the Knights of St
John, ib.
Surrender to the Crown of the possessions belonging to the com- bined Orders, 79
Said possessions conferred on Sir James Sandilands of Torphichen,
Ex-Grand Preceptor, 80
Preceptors of the Order of St John, 81
Lodge of Cross-legged Masons at Stirling, 82
Hants Grades of the Chevalier Ramsay, 83
Templar Regime de la Stricte Observance of the Baron do Hund,... 84
The Order of the Temple almost extinct in Scotland, i6.
Revival thereof, »6.
Charter from the Duke of Kent, 85
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Ordre du Templo in France, 86
Abstract of the Statutes thereof, 91
H eredom de Kilw inning, instituted by Robert the Bruce, 93
Established in France, 94
Medal struck in commemoration thereof, ib.
PABT 11. CHAPTER VI.
HISTORY AND TRANSACTIONS OF THE GRAND LODGE OF SCOTLAND FROM ITS INSTITUTION IN NOVEMBER 1736 TO NOVEMBER 1753.
Introduction, 97
Circular Letter from the Edinburgh Lodges, ib,
List of Lodges composing the first meeting of the Grand Lodge, ... 98
Deed of Resignation by William St Clair, 99
First Grand Election, St Andrew's Day, November 30, 1736, 100
Enactments as to new Constitutions to Daughter Lodges, — the
Charity Fand^«&c., ib.
Proceedings relative to the Royal Infirmary, 101
Day of Grand Election changed, ib.
Proceedings at laying the Foundation-stone of the Eastern Wing
of the Royal Infirmary, Edinburgh, 2d August 1738, 102
First appointment by the Grand Lodge of a Provincial Grand
Master, 104
Proceedings at laying Foundation>stone of the Western Wing of
the Royal Infirmary, 14th May 1740, ib.
Instances of Masonic Benevolence, ib. et seq.
Lodge Mother Kilwinning, complaint from and adjudication thereon, 1 06 The Lodges in Scotland divided into Provinces, and Provincial Grand
Masters appointed thereto, ib. et seq.
Proceedings at laying the Foundation-stone of the Royal Exchange,
Edinburgh, 13th September 1753, 108
Addresses delivered on the occasion, 112
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CHAPTER VII.
PAGE HISTORY AND TRANSACTIONS OF THE GRAND LODGE OP SCOTLAND FROM NOVEMBER 1753 TO NOVEMBER 1773.
Torcb-light Procession of the Grand Lodge, 116
The Grand Master for the time being to be affiliated into all Lodges
holding of the Grand Lodge of Scotland, ib.
Daughter Lodges to take precedence in Processions, &c,, according
to seniority, ib,
Foandation-stone of Canongate Poor-house, Edinburgh, laid, 24th
April 1760, 117
Proceedings at laying the Foundation-stone of the North Bridge,
Edinburgh, 2lst October 1763, 118
Diplomas first granted, 120
Foundation-stone of Cowgate Chapel, Edinburgh, laid, 3d April
1771, 121
Note regarding said Chape), ib.
Proceedings at laying the Foundation-stone of Ayr Harbour, 22d
September 1772, 122
Resolutions as to fraternal intercourse between the Grand Lodges
of England (old Constitution) and Scotlaml, 124
CHAPTER VIIL
HISTORY AND TRANSACTIONS OP THE GRAND LODGE OF SCOTLAND FROM NOVEMBER 1773 TO NOVEMBER 1708.
Death of the Grand Master the Duke of Athole, 126
Proceedings at laying the Foundation-stone of the High School,
Edinburgh, 24th June 1777, 127
Address delivered on the occasion, 129
Death of William St Clair of Roslin, and Funeral Lodge in memory
of, 131
Funeral Oration by Sir William Forbes, Bart., ib.
The senior member (out of oflice) of Lodge Journeymen, No. 8, to
carry the Mallet at all Processions of the Grand Lodge, 1 37
Proceedings at laying the Foundation-stone of the South Bridge,
Edinburgh, 1st August 1785, ib.
The style or title of Grand to be given to none but the Grand
Master Mason of Scotland, 139
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Correspondence opened between the Grand Lodges of Scotland and
Berlin, 139
FoundationHstone of the Drawbridge at Leith Harbour laid, 2dd
September 1788, 140
Proceedings at laying the Foundation-stone of the University of
Edinburgh, 16th November 1789, 141
Addresses delivered on the occasion, 142
Difference of political opinions no bar to Masonic fellowship, 146
Foundation-stone of Edinburgh Bridewell laid, 30th Novemberl791, 147
Address of the Grand Master on the occasion, i6.
Address from the Grand Lodge to His Majesty George III, on his
escape from assassination, 149
On Lord Duncan's victory, 150
CHAPTER IX.
BISTORT AND TRANSACTIONS OF THE GRAND LODGE OF SCOTLAND FROM NOVEMBER 1798 TO NOVEMBER 1 809.
An Address voted to His Majesty on Rear-Admiral Nelson's
victory at the Nile, 151
Presentation of Books to the Grand Lodge by Brother John Hay,
the Grand Treasurer, i6.
Clauses excepting Free Masons from the operation of the Act for
suppressing seditious Societies, ib.
Proceedings of the Grand Lodge consequent thereon, 152
Memorial and Case for the Lord Advocate Dundas, relative to the granting of new Charters under the above-named Act, 155
The Lord Advocate's Opinion thereon, 161
Procedure of Grand Lodge relative thereto, ib.
Prohibition by Grand Lodge against Daughter Lodges practising
other than the Three Great Orders of Masonry, 1 62
Address to His Majesty on his second escape from assassination, .. . ib. Presentation to the Grand Lodge of the Minute-book of a Lodge of
Free Masons held in Rome in 1735, 163
A re-arrangement of Provinces recommended, and Regulations for
the government of Provincial Grand Masters sanctioned, ib.
Foundation-stone of Wet Docks at Leith laid, 14th May 1801, 164
Addresses delivered on the occasion, 165
Sanction of the Grand Lodge given to the publication of 'A His- tory of Free Masonry,' 166
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XVI ANALYSIS.
PAGB
First Edition of the * Laws and Constitutions of tho Grand Lodge
of Scotland' read and approved of, 167
Foundation-stone of Lesmahagow Church laid, 1 803, ib.
Foundation-stone of Inveresk Church, Musselburgh, laid, 14th Sep<
tember 3803, ib.
Commencement of the union between the Grand Lodges of England
and Scotland, by means of the Earl of Moira, 168
Foundation-stone of High School, Loith, laid, 2Sth March 1804, ... ib.
Presentation to the Grand Lodge of Grand Masters Jewel, 170
Motion regarding the Erection of a Masonic Hall, ih.
Subscriptions thereto, iL
Proceedings at laying the Foundation-Stone of Nelson's Monument
at Glasgow, Ist August 1806, 171
Address by the Provincial Grand Master on the occasion, t6.
Minute of Agreement between the Grand Lodge of Scotland and
the Lodge Mother Kilwinning, 173
Expulsion of Dr John Mitchell and others, 175
Foundation-stone of a new Jail in Edinburgh laid, 18th September
1808, 176
Foundation-stone of a Church at Portobello laid, 27th October 1808, ib.
Lodge Scoon and Perth re-admitted into Grand Lodge, ib.
Presentation to Substitute Grand Master Brother Inglis, 177
Purchase of a Hall, ib.
Foundation-stone of George the Third's Bastion at Leith laid, 25th
October 1809, ib.
Address on the occasion by the Depute Acting Grand Master
the Earl of Moira, 178
Ceremonial observed at the Consecration of the first Free Masons'
Hall of Scotland, 180
CHAPTER X.
HISTORY AND TRANSACTIONS OP THE GRAND LODGE OF SCOTLAND FROM NOVEMBER 1809 TO NOVEMBER 1823.
Publication of * The Grand Lodge Circular ' sanctioned, 183
Deputies appointed to assist in bringing about a union between the Sister Grand Lodges of England under the respective Grand Masterships of His Grace the Duke of Atholo and His Royal Highness the Prince of Wales, 184
Foundation-stone of the Lunatic Asylum, Glasgow, laid, 1810, ... t5.
A Master to possess the right of appointing his own Depute, ib.
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A Petition for holding a Lodge on board H.M.'s ship Ardent, refused, 184 Sentence of ezpalsion repealed in so far as it affected Dr MitchelFs
abettors, 185
Union of the two English Grand Lodges, i6.
Lodge Aitchison's Haven to have precedence from 1736, 186
Foandation-stones of Regent Bridge and Calton Jail, Edinburgh,
laid, 19th September 1815, ib.
Tablet in memory of Brother Peter Douglas ordered to be placed in
the Hall of the Lodge Journeymen, 187
An Address voted to the Prince Regent on the marriage of the
Princess Charlotte, 188
Province of Lanarkshire divided into Upper and Middle Wards, ... ib.
The Grand Lodge solicit Brother Inglis to sit for his Portrait^ t6.
Address to the Prince Regent on his escape from assassination, ... ib. The Free Masons again exempted from the operation of the Act for
the Suppression of Seditious meetings, 189
Proceedings of the Grand Lodge thereupon, ib.
An Address of Condolence voted to the Prince Regent on the death
of the Princess Charlotte, 190
The Grand Chaplain preaches a Sermon to the Brethren on
the occasion, ib.
An Address of Condolence voted to the Prince Regent on the
death of Her Majesty Queen Caroline, ib,
A loyal Address voted to the Prince Regent, 191
Celebration of the Festival of St Andrew dispensed with this year, ib. Address to His Majesty King George IV on his accession to the
Throne, ib.
Letter from Leonard Homer, minuted, 193
Foundation-stone of Cramond Bridge, near Edinburgh, laid, 30th
May 1822, ib.
Resolutions by the Subscribers to the National Monument of Scot- land, 194
Address to His Majesty on his visit to Scotland, ib.
Proceedings at laying the Foundation-stone of the National Monu- ment of Scotland, 27th August 1822, 195
Address by the Grand Master on the occasion, 202
Reply by the Duke of Athole, 204
Report of the proceedings as transmitted to the Secretary of
State for the Home Department, 205
Letter of thanks from the Duke of Athole to the Grand Master, 206
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XVlll ANALYSIS.
CHAPTER XL
PAGB HISTORY AND TRANSACTIONS OF THE GRAND LODGE OF SCOTLAND
FROM DECEMBER 1, 1823, TO NOVEMBER 1836.
FouDilation-stoDe at Glasgow of a New Approach laid, 30tli April
1824, 207
Festival of St Andrew dispensed with this year, ib.
Foundation-stone of High School, Edinburgh, laid, 28th April 1825, ib.
Province of Renfrew divided into East and West, 208
An Address of Condolence voted to His Majesty on the death of
the Duke of York, ib.
Foundation-stones of Western Approach and George IV Bridge,
Edinburgh, laid, 15th August 1827, ib.
Resolutions adopted by Grand Lodge on the death of Sir John Hay,
Grand Treasurer, 209
Address to His Majesty King William IV on his accession to the
Throne, 210
Letter from Sir Robert Peel regarding His Majesty's accept- ance thereof, &c., 211
Resolutions adopted by Grand Lodge on the death of Alexander
Laurie, Grand Secretary, ib.
Foundation-stone of a new Masonic Hall for the Lodge ' Union,'
Dunfermline, authorised to be laid, 212
An Address to His Majesty on his escape from assassination, ib.
Foundation-stone of Perth Harbour laid, 9th June 1832, 213
Foundation stone of Dundee Harbour laid, 9th August 1832, ib.
Grand Lodge Visitations, i6.
Proceedings at laying the Foundation-stones of Lanark County
Buildings and Jail, 2lst March 1834, 214
Address by the Substitute Grand Master, ib.
Ceremony of placing the Key-stone of the Arch of the New Bridge
across the Tweed at Peebles, 15th August 1834, 216
Committee appointed for revision of the Laws and Constitutions,... ib.
Report by said Committee, 217
Sanction given to the New Laws, ib.
Visit to the Theatre by the Grand Lodge, ib.
The Lodge ' Navigation,* transferred from Monkton to Troon, ib.
Congratulatory Address voted to His Royal Highness the Duke of
Sussex, 218
Presentation of copies of the Grand Lodge Laws to the Dukes of
Sussex and Leinster, t6.
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PAGE
Application from, and reply to Lodge St Cuthbert, Barnard Castle, Durham Militia, relative to its Charter, 218
CHAPTER XII.
HISTORY AND TRANSACTIONS OF THE GRAND LODGE OP SCOTLAND FROM NOVEMBER 1836 TO NOVEMBER 1843.
James Bumes, K.H., appointed Provincial Grand Master of Western
India and Dependencies, 219
Celebration of the First Centenary of the existence of the Grand
Lodge of Scotland, 220
Presentation of one of the Gold Medals struck in commemora- tion of the Centenary to each of the Grand Masters of
England and Ireland, 221
Representations by Mother Kilwinning Lodge anent Intrant Fees,
and Deliverances thereon, 222
Address to Her Majesty Queen Victoria on her accession to the
Throne, 223
Presentation thereof at Her Majesty's first Levee, by a Deputa- tion from the Grand Lodge, ih.
The Death of Brother Bartram, Grand Clefk, referred to in Grand
Lodge, lb.
Funeral Lodge in memory of Sir Patrick Walker of Coates, 224
Funeral Oration on the occasion by Brother George Macdonald, ib. Question by the Lodge Caledonia, Grenada, regarding the ad- mission of Emancipated Slaves into the Order, and answer
thereto, 227
Verses by Brother Robert Gilfillan, commemorative of St Andrew's
Day, 1837, 228
Interchange of Representatives at Sister Grand Lodges agreed to, 229 A Dispensation to work separately the Mark Mason Degree declined
to be issued, ib.
Death of Sir John Hay, late Substitute Grand Master, referred to in
Grand Lodge, 230
Address of Condolence to Lady Hay, ib,
Fonndation-stone of the Mariners' Church and School, North Leith,
laid, 23d May 1S3D, 231
Note relating to said Church and School, i6.
Precedence of a Past Master, *^.
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Visitations by Grand Lodge, 231
A congratulatory Address voted to Her Majesty npon ber Marriage
with His Royal Higbness Prince Albert, 232
An Address voted to Her Majesty on her escape from assassination, ib. Proceedings at laying the Foandation -stone of the Scott Monument
at Edinburgh, 15th August 1840, ih.
Addresses delivered on the occasion, 235
A congratulatory Address presented to Her Majesty and Prince
Albert on the birth of the Princess Royal, 238
Death of the Grand Master the Earl of Rothes, t6.
Note regarding, ib.
Proceedings of the Grand Lodge at the first Quarterly Com- munication thereafter^ 239
Address of Condolence to the Countess of Rothes, ib.
Fonndation-^tone of the Town Hall and Market Place of Kinross
authorised to be laid, 240
Congratulatory Addresses voted to Her Majesty and His Royal Highness Prince Albert on the birth of the Prince of Wales, ... ib. On the second escape from assassination of Her Majesty and
His Royal Highness Prince Albert, ib.
Addresses presented to Her Majesty and His Royal Highness Prince
Albert on their first visit to Scotland, ib.
Proceedings at laying the Foiindation-stone of the Victoria (Assem- bly) Hall, Edinburgh, 3d September 1842, 242
Addresses voted to Her Majesty on the death of the Duke of Sussex,
and on the birth of a Princess, 244
Funeral Lodge in honour of the Duke of Sussex, ih.
Oration pronounced on the occasion by the Rev. John Boyle,... t^. Address by the Grand Master Lord Frederick Fitzclarence, ... 248
CHAPTER XIIL
HISTORY AND TRANSACTIONS OF THE GRAND LODGE OF SCOTLAND FROM NOVEMBER 1843 TO NOTEMBER 1853.
Complaint from * The St John's Lodge of Free Masons, Melrose,' and reply thereto, 250
Report regarding the connection of Benefit Societies with Masonic
Lodges, ib.
Resolutions by Grand Lodge thereon, 251
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Letter from the Registrar of the Order of the Temple to the Grand
Secretary of the Grand Lodge of ScotUind^ 252
Proceedings at lajiog the Foundation-stone of the Pnblic Baths,
Edinburgh, 29th July 1844, 253
Address delirered on the occasion, 254
Enactments regarding the reception of Lodges visiting a Provinoial
Grand Lodge, but not under its jurisdiction, , . 256
Enactment regarding the Entering, Passing, and Raising of Candi- dates, , *...... ib.
Sale of Grand Lodge Hall to the Town-Council of Edinburgh, ib.
Arrangement for the appointment of Representatives between the
Grand Lodges of Scotland and Prussia, t6.
Fund of Scottish Masonic Benevolence established, 257
Rules concerning, ib.
The Lodge Duntocher and Faifley Union allowed to transfer its
Charter from the Province of Dumbarton to that of Glasgow, ... 259 Proceedings at the Inauguration of the Scott Monument and Statue,
15th August 1846, 260
Addresses delivered on the occasion, 262
Representative to Grand Lodge of England appointed, 265
Proceedings at laying the Foundation-stone of the Caledonian Rail- way, 9th April 1847, 9^6
Addresses delivered on the occasion, ; 268
Deliverance by Grand Lodge anent the Installation of Office- bearers in Daughter Lodges, ,...,...,.. 270
Fees of Charters reduced, ib.
Donation from Lodge Kilwinning-in-the-East, Calcutta, for the mitigation of the Destitution in the Highlands and Islands of
Scotbnd, , ,...,.,..... 271
Lodge Scoon and Perth, correct appellation thereof to be recognised
in future, , ,. ib>
A Third Edition of the Grand Lodge Laws and Constitutions sanc- tioned, , 272
Presentation copies thereof ordered, ib.
Interchange of Representatives with the Grand Lodge of Hesse- Darmstadt agreed to, ib.
Presentation of its Laws to the Grand Lodge, ib.
Visitation by Grand Lodge, ib.
Foundation-stone of Sessional School, Canongate, laid, 26th Sep»
tember 1848, ib'
Presentations to Grand Lodge of two Swedish Masonic Medals, ... 273
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Death of Brother William Campbell^ President of Grand Stewards,
referred to in Grand Lodge, 273
Inangnration, at Dunfermline, of the Statue of the Rev. Ralph
Erskine, 274
Fonndation-stone of the Barony Parish Poors* House authorised to
belaid, ib.
Adhesion of the Lodge of Glasgow St John received) ib.
Note regarding, ib.
Presentation to the Grand Lodge of the Masonic Library of the late
Dr Charles Morison, i6.
Letter of Presentation from Mrs Morison, ib.
Reply thereto, 275
Notes relative to Library and Dr Morison, ib.
Installation of Provincial Grand Master of Lanarkshire, Upper
Ward, 276
Purchase by Grand Lodge of a copy of ihe Portrait of William St
Clair of Rosslin, ih.
The Grand Lodge patronises the Theatre-Royal 277, 280
Enactments regarding the Representation of Daughter Lodges, 277
Ditto regarding the unwarranted Lodge at Amsterdam, ib.
Representatives exchanged with the Grand Orient of the Nether- lands, 278
Fraternal communications established with the Swiss Grand Lodge
Alpina, ib.
Presents to Grand Lodge, ib.
Prohibition relative to Masonic Clubs, i6.
The rank of Honorary Members instituted, 279
Biographical Sketch of Robert Gilfillan, late Grand Bard, ib.
First Masonic Ball in Edinburgh, 280
Grand Visitation, ib.
Proceedings at laying the Foundation-stone of the Victoria Bridge,
Glasgow, 9th April 1851, 281
Addresses delivered on the occasion, 285
Present to the Grand Master commemorative of the event, ... 287
Representative from the Grand Lodge of Ireland appointed, 289
Proceedings relati ve to Marshal Soult's Diploma, ih.
Grand Visitation to Ayrshire Province, ib.
Regulations anent laying Foundation-stones promulgated, 290
Letter from the Representative of the Grand Lodge at the Grand
Orient of the Netherlands, ib.
Foundation-stone commemorative of renewal of the Old Parish
Church at Dalkeith, laid, 29th Angust 1851, 291
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Letter from the Kiog of Norway and Sweden^ 291
iDstractioD to all Brethren present at Initiations, 292
Confirmation of Minutes, meaning thereof, ib.
Grand Visitation to Lodges St Clair and Roman Eagle, Edinburgh, t&.
Ditto to Aberdeen City Province, 293
Ditto to the Provinces of East and West Perthshire, ... ib.
Foundation-stone of a new Bank at Lochmaben, laid, 28th April
1852, 294
Letter from Prince Frederic of the Netherlands, ib.
Report regarding the function and status of Provincial Grand
Lodges, ib.
Proceedings at the Inauguration of the Wellington Equestrian
Statue, Edinburgh, 18th June 1852, 295
Proceedings at laying the Foundation-stone of the Dundee Royal
Infirmary, 22d July 1852, 298
Representative to Grand Lodge of England appointed, 299
Interchange and appointment of Representatives between the Grand
Lodges of Sweden and Hamburg, and the Grand Lodge of Scotland, ib. The deaths of the Provincial Grand Masters of Forfarshire and
Dumfries referred to in Grand Lodge, ib.
Fees of Grand Lodge Diplomas reduced, 300
Death of Brother John Tinsley , Grand Marshal, referred to, ib.
Foundation-stone of an Asylum for Defective Children at Baldovan,
laid, 7th July 1853, ib.
Installation of the Grand Lodge of Scotland's Representative at
Hamburgh notified, ib.
The Lodge Kilwinning-in-the-East to be henceforth designated St
David-in-the-East, ib.
Canada divided into Upper and Lower, 301
The Lodge St John, Woodhall, receives an extension of Jurisdiction, ib. Foundation-stone of the first of a range of Villas at Rosebank, laid,
1st October 1853, , ih.
CHAPTER XIV.
HISTORY AND TRANSACTIONS OF THE GRAND LODGE OF SCOTLAND FROM NOVEMBER 30, 1853, TO LAYING OF THE FOUNDATION-STONE OF THE NEW MASONIC HALL ON SUMMER ST JOHN's DAY 1 858.
Recommendation as to an uniform S3r8tem of Books in Daughter Lodges, » 302
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Foandation-stone of a New Town Hall at Stow^ laid, 21st Febraary
1854, 302
A Certified Copy of the Charter to the Lodge St John, Greytown,
Mosquito, ordered, 303
Death of Brother Donald Ross, Grand Tyler, referred to in Grand
Lodge t6.
Grand Faneral Lodge in hononr of the late Lord Frederick Fitz-
Clarence, Past Grand Master of Scotland, ib.
Oration pronoanced on the occasion, ib.
Address by the Depute Grand Master, 310
Address of Condolence to Lady Frederick Fitz-CIarence, 311
Extract from her ladyship's reply, 312
An expression of sympathy with Brother Hector Gavin, recorded, t6. A cast, containing Masonic Marks taken from Glasgow Cathedral,
temp. 1556, exhibited in Grand Lodge, t6.
Delegates appointed to represent the Grand Lodge at the Centen- nial Anniversary of the Lodge St Andrew, Boston, Mass., ib.
Representatives from and to the Grand Orient of France, and Grand
Lodge of Prussia, appointed, 313
Morison Library patent to all Members of the Grand Lodge, and
also to all Master Masons upon recommendation, ib.
Presents to Grand Lodge, t6.
Resolutions adopted on the death of Brother James Linning Wood- man, Grand Clerk, ib.
A Declaration of Independence, and intimation of the Erection of a
new Grand Lodge in Canada, presented to Grand Lodge, 314
Procedure thereon, ib.
Grand Visitation to Lodge St Stephen, Edinburgh, 315
Contribution voted to the Relief of those Brethren who had suffered
from the Inundations in France, ib.
A renewed application from Mother Kilwinning anent Intrant Fees
disallowed, • t6.
The Brethren belonging to the Lodges ' Concordia Uuiversel * and
' Estrella Polar,' Peru, disowned by the Grand Lodge of Scotland, ib. Address of Congratulation to the Queen on the Marriage of Her
Royal Highness the Princess Royal, 316
Address to their Royal Highnesses the Prince and Princess Frederick
William of Prussia, 317
Presentation of the same, with a copy of the Laws and Consti- tutions of the Grand Lodge of Scotland, inscribed to His Royal Highness, 318
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Preliminaries relative to the Building of a New Free Masons* Hall
of Scotland, 318
Proceedings previoas to laying the Foundationnatone thereof, 319 Sermon preached on the occasion by the Key. Dr Amot, Grand
Chaplain, 323
Address delivered by the Rev. Andrew R. Bonar, 331
Proceedings at laying the Foundation-stone thereof, on Summer
St John's Day, 1858, 332
Address by the Most Worshipful the Grand Master, 333
The ' Blue Blanket' carried by the Lodge Journeymen, 334
Description of the Hall, 336
Inscription Plate, ib.
Grand Banquet in honour of the event, 337
Speeches thereat, 338
Ball Commemomtive of the occasion, 344
CHAPTER XV.
HISTORY AND TRANSACTIONS OF THE GRAND LODGE, FROM THE QUARTERLY COMMUNICATION ON 2d AUGUST 1 858 TO THE CONSE- CRATION AND OPENING OF THE FREE MASONS* HALL OF SCOTLAND, ON 24Tn FEBRUARY 18.'>9.
Extract Minute from Grand Lodge of Ireland, 345
Sanction of Grand Lodge to the Draft of a Ceremonial for conse- crating and erecting new Lodges, and installing the Office- bearers thereof, ^ ib.
.Election of a Grand Clothier, ib.
Resolution regarding the authorization letters from Grand Lodges of England and Ireland, ib.
Besignations of the Provincial Grand Masters of Linlithgow and Upper Canada, 346
Donation to Grand Lodge Building Fund by Lodge Celtic, Edin- bargh and Leith, ib.
Matters relative to Grand Lodge of Ireland and Lodge St George Bermuda remitted to a Committee, ib.
Brother John Ormiston appointed to consecrate Lodge St Andrew, Drybridge, ib.
Brother Chevalier de Saulcy appointed Representative from Grand Lodge of Scotland to Grand Orient of France, t'6.
Deliverances of the Grand Lodge relative to Mark Masonry,... 347, 351
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Election of Grand Stewards for 1858-59, 347
Grand ElectioD, St Andrew's Day, 1858, 348
Honorary and Representative Members of Grand Lodge, 349
Celebration of the Festival of St Andrew, ih.
Election of Grand Committee, 1859-60, 350
Several Lodges reponed, &c., 351
Proceedings observed at the Consecration and Inaugnration of the
Free Masons' Hall of Scotland, ih.
Oration pronoanced on the occasion, 352
Addresses, 355, 357
Banquet in honour of the event, 359
Progress and Position of the Grand Lodge of Scotland, 360
CHAPTER XVL
NOTES ON THE PROVINCES AND DAUGHTER LODGES THEREIN — LIST OF LODGES ARRANGED IN PROVINCES, WITH DATES OF CHARTERS
AND COLOURS OF CLOTHING PROVINCIAL GRAND MASTERS — FREE
MASONRT AND LODGES ABROAD.
Introduction, 361
Edinburgh or Metropolitan District, 862
Ayr Province, 365
Perth (East) Province, 367
Glasgow Province, 369
Inverness Province, 373
Lanark (Middle Ward) Province, 374
Perth (West) Province, 375
East Lothian Province, ib.
Renfrew (West) Province, 376
Linlithgow Province,.... 377
Forfar and Angus Province, ib.
Dumbarton Province, 379
Fife Province, ib,
Lanark (Upper Ward) Province, 382
Berwick and Roxburgh Province, 383
Peebles and Selkirk Province, 384
Stirling Province, 385
Aberdeen (City) Province, 386
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Elgin and Moray Province, 387
Orkney and Zetland Province, 388
Wigton and Kirkcudbright Province, 389
Province of Argyle and the Isles, ib»
Damfries Province, 390
Aberdeen (East) Province, 391
Ross and Cromarty Province, 392
Renfrew (East) Province, ih,
Banff Province, 393
Aberdeen (West) Province, 394
Caithness Province, i6.
Lodges Abroad : —
Province of Eastern Indian- Bengal Presidency, 395
Province of Western India —
Bombay, i6.
Arabia, ib.
Jamaica Province, 403
Bermudas Province, t6.
Bahama Islands Province, ib.
West India Islands Province, 404
America : —
Canada, West or Upper, ih,
Canada, East or Lower, ib.
Province of Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, and Prince Edward
Island, ;.. 405
Province of Gnayana in Venezuela, 406
Province of Australia Felix or Victoria, ib.
Province of South Australia, Adelaide, ,. ib.
Province of New South Wales, 407
Military Lodges, ib.
Notes relative to Scottish Masonry in
New Zealand, 408
Parts of Europe and Asia bordering on the Mediterranean Sea,... ib,
France ib.
Andalusia — Spain, ib.
Lodges formerly existing furth of Scotland, ib.
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CHAPTER XVIi.
PAOB HARK MASONRY— CHAIR OR PAST MASTER, AND DEGREES OF ARK MARINER AND ROYAL ARCH.
Craft Masonry defined, 409
Classification of Workmen, ih.
Duties of Master Mason, Wardens, Mark Oterseer, and Fellow- Crafts, : 410
Mason Marks of three kinds, and their use, ib.
Their antiquity, 411
System on which they werehased, t6.
' Reading the Marks,' illustrated, 412
Acquirements necessary for the Memhers of the three respective
Degrees of Apprentice, Fellow-Craft, and Master, ib,
t^unishmen t of Offences, i6.
Initiation and Legend of the Mark Overseer, 413
The Marks, as used in Scotland, ib.
The method adopted in setting out the Orientation of Churches, as
preserved in some of the Scotch Operative Lodges, 414
Apprentices bound to the Operative Lodges, 415
Other Crafts embraced under the designation of the Masonic Fra- ternity, ib.
Their uniformity of design and style of Workmanship, ib.
Illustration thereof, by a Plan and Section of St Margaret's
Well, Restalrig, near Edinburgh, 416
History of the Masonic Fraternity as found in its Traditions, .. ib.
As established in its Buildings, < 417
As noticed incidentally in Historical Works, ib.
The earliest indication of the existence of said Fraternity in Scotland is from the Masonic Marks upon Ancient Buildings, 419
Antiquity of the Lodge of Glasgow St John, ib,
of th 6 Lodge of Edinburgh Mary's Chapel, ib.
Influence of Mother Kilwinning Lodge, 420
Records and Traditions of the old Lodges in Scotland, t^.
Assemblies of Masons frequently convened at Holyrood House,
Edinburgh, , 421
Copy of a Grant by King James VI in favour of Patrick Coipland of Udaucht of the Office of Wardenrie over the Masons in the Shires of Aberdeen, Banff, and Kincardine, *^«
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Operative and Specalatire Masonry, 422
Position of the Mark Master's Degree in Rojal Arch Chapters, .... ib.
Said position in St John's Masonrj, as defined by the Grand
Lodge of Scotland, 423
Enumeration of Bnildings on which Mason Marks are to be found, t6. Chair or Past Master Degree, 424
Form of Initiation, ib.
Ark Mariner Degree, ib.
Definition of the Royal Arch Degree, 425
Its supposed early origin examined, ib.
Period of its real origin, 426
Lodge Ancient Stirling, and probable date assignable to the two
brass plates in its possession, 429
Antiquity of the Stirling Boyal Arch Chapter, ib.
Formation of the Supreme Royal Arch Chapter of Scotland, ib.
Nature and object of Royal Arch Masonry, 430
Traditionary narrative of the period and circumstances under which the Royal Arch Degree is said to have originated, ib.
APPENDIX.
lUTiote marked tliut * amtmn, in the form ofiNdet, an epUome <jf the Laws rdaiing to the subjects en which they ireai.}
I. — Charter granted by the Masons of Scotland to Wil- liam St Clair of Roslin, 435
II. — Charter granted by the Masons of Scotland to Sir
William St Clair, 437
III. — Statutis and Ordinanceis promulgated at Halyrude- house, Edinburgh, the xxviij day of December in the zeir of God I™ V® four scoir auchtene zeiris, 441
IV. — AcTis and StattjtIs for the government of the several
• Airtis and Craftis ' in the Kingdom of Scotland, 1636, 445
V, — Minutes accepting and approving of the preceding Aotis, 451
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Ti. — ^Charter of Transmission — Order of The Temple, 453
Tii. — Ane Narration of the Founding of the Craft of
Masonry, and by whom it hath been cherished, 457
Tin. — Form of Petition for a New Lodge, , 465
IX.— Charter of Constitution and Erection, 466
X. — Ceremonial at Consecrating a New Lodge, or a Lodge Room only, or both ; and also at the usaal Installa- tion of Office-bearers of a Lodge, 469
XI. — Affirmation by Subordinate Lodges, 483
* XII. — Annual Certificate, 484
•xiii. — Certificate to be granted by Subordinate Lodges to
their Members, 485
* XIV. — Proxy Commission by Lodges Abroad, or in the Pro-
vinces, 486
XV. — Commission to a Provincial Grand Master, 487
XVI. — Regulations and Instructions for the government of
Provincial Grand Masters, 489
XVII. — Form of Commission by a Provincial Grand Master, 492
* xvin. — Commission in favour of a Representative to a Sister
Grand Lodge, 493
XIX. — Regulations to be observed at laying Foundation- stones, 494
XX. — Order of Procession and Ceremonial to be observed at
laying a Foundation-stone, 495
• XXI. — Petition for Relief from the Fund of Scottish Masonic
Benevolence by a Member of the Craft, 499
XXII. — Petition for Relief to the foresaid Fund by the Widow
or Child of a deceased Free Mason, 501
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xxiiL — Description of tbe Clothing and Jewels of The Grand.
Lodge of Scotland^ 502
xxiv. — Alphabetical Table of Grand Office-bearers in the Grand Lodge of Scotland, from tbe first Election on St Andrew's Day 1736 to St Andrew's Day 1858, in- clusive, 505
XXV, — Letter from His Royal Highness the Prince Frederick William of Prussia to the Most Worshipful the Grand Master, 518
INDEX, 521
ILLUSTRATIONS.
Portrait of William St Clair of Roslin, Hereditary Grand Master
Mason of Scotland, 1736, to face Illustrated Title-Page. Illustrated Titlb-Page. Portrait of Jacques de Molay, elected Grand Master of the Order
of the Temple 1295, immolated at Paris in 1313, 32
Sketch of an Hospitaller^ with the Ruins of the Preceptory of
Torpbichen, and the ancient Chapel at Temple, 4 80
Interior of The Free Masons' Hall of Scotland, 336
Drawings of Mason Marks, 424
Plate 1— Contains Marks from a Chamber in the Great Pyramid, Gizeh, Egypt ; from Hercnlaneum ; the Cathedral of Strasburg, France j the Cathe- dral of Presburg, Hungary; Fumess Abbey, England ; Youghal, Ireland ; Holyrood Chapel, Edinburgh, 1128, 1180; Holyrood Palace Tower, 1520 ; Crown Room, Edinburgh Castle, 1600. Plate 2 — Contains Marks from Roslin Cliapel, 1446 ; Dun- keld Cathedral, 1127; Melrose Abbey, 1400; Glasgow Cathedral, 1200.
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Drawings of Masom Marks, 424
Plate 3 — Contains Marks from Inckcolme Abbey ; Lin- lithgow Palace; Palm Hoase, Royal Botanic Gardens, Edinburgb, 1856; Temple of Allaha- bad, India, 1583 ; Round and Square Towers, Brechin Cathedral, and Melgund Castle. Plate 4 — Contains Marks from the Books of the Lodges St Ninian, Brechin, and Journeymen, Edin- burgh, and Mason Mark of Robert Bums, in- scribed upon the Bible presented by him to ' Highland Mary.'
Clothing and Jewels of The Grand Lodge of Scotland, yiz. : —
1. Jewel and Ribbon of the Grand Master Mason of Scotland,
2. Jewel and Ribbon of the Past Grand Master.
3. Apron of the Grand MaBtex>— Jewel of the Depute Grand
Master.
4. Jewels of the Substitute Grand Master, and of the Senior
and Junior Grand Wardens.
5. Jewels of the Grand Treasurer, Grand Secretary, and
Grand Clerk.
6. Jewels of the Grand Chaplain, and of the Senior and Junior
Grand Deacons.
7. Jewels of the Grand Architect, Grand Jeweller, and Grand
Bible-Bearer.
8. Jewels of the Grand Director of Ceremonies, Grand- Bard,
and Grand Sword-Bearer.
9. Jewels, of the Grand Director of Music, Grand Marshal,
and Grand Tyler, — of a Provincial Grand Master, and of the President of the Board of Grand Stewards. 10. One of the Silver Vases for Wine and Oil, used at Masonic Ceremonials.
WOODCUTS. Plan and Section of St Margaret's Well, Restalrig, near Edin- burgh, 416
Facsimile Signature of William Schaw, Maister of Wark, 1598... 444 Facsimile Mason Marks, as appended to a Minute in Lodge Book
of ' Atchiesons Heavin,' 1637, 451
Heraldic Bearing of the Order of The Temple, 453
Seal of said Order, 456
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ADDENDA ET CORRIGENDA.
Quarterly Communication^ 2d May 1859. — A Memorial from the Brethren of the Lodge Elgin, Montreal, praying the Grand Lodge to sanction their holding Masonic intercoarse with the new Grand Lodge of Canada, which was now acknowledged bj both the Grand Lodges of England and Ireland, was laid on the table, — and the Grand Lodge haying fnllj considered the statements contained in said Memorial, nnanimousl j resolved to authorise the Lodge Elgin, and the other Daaghter Lodges in Canada, to hold the desired intercoarse with the new Grand Lodge of that country. The Grand Lodge farther resolved to acknowledge the Grand Lodge of Canada as a duly constituted and authorised Sister Grand Lodge.
iThefcilomng dUeratioM in Ihe arrangement of the Appendices were found, when the $heeta wen passing through the Press, to be more conducive to the utility of the Work than that at first contemplated. Hie corrections upon the Lodges are necessitated hy those which were among lodges vormbrlt bxistino when the fleets were printed, hash- ing since been reponed on payment of their Arrears ; and <u these are brought down to the present date, (Summer St John's Day, 1869, j the Brethren have thus the latest and the most accurate information upon this head that the nature of the subject triU <idmit of. 2
P. 53, For Appendix vi, read Appendix iii.
— 53, For Chapter vii, (in Note,) read Chapter vi.
— 1 00, For Chapter xiv, read Appendix xxiv.
— 126, Fo7* 1816 (in Note,) read 27th December 1813.
— 163, For Appendix iv, 7*ead Appendix xvi.
— 259, Delete Appendix xxiv, the information there referred to being
given in the body of the Work.
— 290, For Appendix xxiii, read Appendix xix.
— 321, In the list of Lodges, place as No. 169, "Thistle and Rose,
Stevenston ; " and, consequently, for one hundred and thirty-one Lodges, on 2d line of p. 335, read one hundred and thirty-two.
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P. 362y To the Lodges in the Edinhargh or Metropolitan District add '' No. 392, Caleddnian, Edinhurgh."
— ZQ^, Delete from among Lodges formerly existing ** Mayhole," '' St
Thomas, Mairkirk," and " St Clement, Riccarton," and place the same among the existing Lodges in Ayrshire Province, p. 365.
— 367, Delete from among Lodges formerly existing " St John, Blair-
gowrie, Coupar- Angus," and place the same among the exist- ing Lodges on same page. -— 380, Delete from among Lodges formerly exiting " Tay Union, Ferry-Port-on-Craig," and place among the existing Lodges in Fifeshire Province. By sanction of the Grand Lodge, and with the concurrence of the Provincial Grand Master, its place of meeting was transferred to Newport at the Quarterly Communication on 2d May 1859.
— 383, Delete from among Lodges formerly existing " St John, Jed-
burgh,** and place among the existing Lodges in Berwick and Roxburgh Province.
— 392, Delete from among Lodges formerly existing " St Winnock,
Garthland," and place among the existing Lodges in Renfrew (East) Province, on same page.
— 407| Brother Robert Campbell, Provincial Grand Master and Colonial
Treasurer of New South Wales, died on 30th March last. His Funeral — a Public one — was attended by nearly 1,000 of the Brethren ; — Brother J. Macfarlane, the Provincial Grand Secretary, acting as Provincial Grand Master.
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PART I. HISTORY OF FREE MASONRY.
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THE
HISTOEY OF FEEE MASONET.
CHAPTER L
SEPARATION OF PROFESSIONS — SUPERIORITY OF ARCHITECTITRE — DESCRIPTIVE OUTLINE OF FREE MASONRY— OPINIONS RESPECTING ITS ORIGIN — OBJECTIONS THERETO ANSWERED.
When men are in a state of barbarity, and are scattered over the surface of a Country in small and independent tribes, their wants are as small in magnitude as they are few in number. It is in the power therefore of every individual to perform for himself and his family every work of labour which necessity or comfort requires ; and while at one time he equips bimself for the chase or the combat^ at another he is rearing a habitation for his offspring, or hollowing his canoe to surmount the dangers of the sea. But as soon as these tribes associate together for the purposes of mutual protection and comfort, civilization advances apace ;* and, in the same proportion, the wants and desires of the com- munity increase. In order to gratify these, the ingenuity of individuals is called forth ; and those who, from inability or indolence, cannot satisfy their own wants, will immediately resort to the superior skill of their neighbours. Those members of the community who can execute their work with the greatest elegance and celerity will be most frequently employed ; and from this circumstance, combined with the principle of emulation, and other causes, that distinction of professions will arise which is found only among Nations considerably advanced in civilization and refinement.
One of the first objects of man in a rude state is to screen himself and his family from the heat of the tropical sun, from the inclemency
1
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of the polar regions, or from the sudden changes of more temperate climates. If he has arrived at such a degree of improvement as to ]ive under the dominion of a superior, and under the influence of religious belief, the palace of his king and the temple of his gods will be reared in the most magnificent style which his skill can detise and his industry accomplish, and decked with those false ornaments which naturally catch the eye of unpolished men. From that principle which impels the lower orders to imitate the magnificence and splendour of their superiors, a foundation will be laid for improvement in the art of building ; and it is extremely probable, from the circumstances which have been mentioned, as well as from others which the slightest reflection will suggest, that architecture will be the first profession to which men will exclusively devote their attention, and for which they will be trained by an established course of preparatory education.
Nor is it from this ground only that masonry derives its superiority as a separate profession. While many other arts administer to our luxury and pride, and gratify only those temporary wants and unnatural desires which refinement has rendered necessary, the art of building can lay claim to a higher object. The undertakings of the architect not only furnish us with elegant and comfortable accommodation from the incle- mency of the seasons, from the rapacity of wild beasts, and the no less dangerous hostility of man, but they contribute also to the ornament and glory of Nations, and it is to them that we are indebted for those fortresses of strength which defend us from the inroads of surrounding enemies. Nor can the works of the architect be ranked among those objects which merely furnish amusement and accommodation for a few years, or at most during the short term of human life ; they descend un- impaired from generation to generation ; they acquire additional grandeur and value from an increase of age ; and are the only specimens of human labour which in some measure survive the revolutions of king- doms and the waste of time. The splendid remains of Egyptian, Grecian, and Roman architecture, which in every age have attracted the attention of the learne<i and excited the astonishment of the vulgar, are standing monuments of his ingenuity and power ; and in ages yet to come they will reflect a dignity on the art of building to which no other profession can arrogate the slightest claim.
But there is still another consideration which entitles architecture to a decided pre-eminence among the other arts. It is itself the parent of many separate professions, and requires a combination of talents and an extent of knowledge for which other professions have not the smallest occasion. An acquaintance with the sciences of geometry and mt*chanical philosophy, with the arts of sculpture and design, and other
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abstrose and elegant branches of knowledge, are indispensable requisites in the education of an architect^ and raise his art to a vast height above those professions which practice alone can render familiar, and which consist in the mere exertion of muscular force. It appears then, from these considerations, that there is some foundation in the yeiy nature of architecture for those extraordinary privileges to which Masons have always laid claim, and which they have almost always possessed — privileges which no other artists could have confidence to ask, or liberty to enjoy; and there appears to be some foundation for that ancient and respectable order of Free Masons, whose origin we are now to investigate, and whose progress we are about to detail.
But, that we may be enabled to discover Free Masonry under those various forms which it has assumed in different countries and at different times before it received the name which it now bears, it will be neces- saiy to give a short description of the nature of this institution, without developing those mysteries or revealing those ceremonial observances which are known only to the Brethren of the Order.
Free Masonry is an ancient and respectable institution, embradng individuals of every nation, of every religion, and of every condition in life. Wealth, power, and talents, are not necessary to the person of a Free Mason. An unblemished character and a virtuous conduct are the only qualifications which are requisite for admission into the Order. In order to confirm this institution, and attun the ends for which it was originally formed, every candidate must come under a solemn engagement never to divulge the mysteries and ceremonies of the Order, nor communicate to the uninitiated those important precepts with which he may be intrusted, and those proceedings and plans in which the Fraternity may be engaged. After he has undergone the necessary ceremonies, and received the usual instructions, appropriate words and significant signs are imparted to him, that he may be enabled to distinguish his Brethren of the Order from the uninitiated public, and convince others that he is entitled to the privileges of a Brother should he be visited by distress or want in a distant land* If the newly admitted member should be found qualified for a higher degree, he is promoted after due intervals of probation, till he has received that Masonic knowledge which enables him to hold the highest offices of trust to which the Fraternity can raise its members. In all ages it has been the object of Free Masonry not only to inform the minds of its members by instructing them in the sciences and useful arts, but to better their hearts by enforcing the precepts of religion and morality. In the course of the ceremonies of initiation, brotherly love, loyalty,
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and oilier virtues are inculcated in hieroglyphic symbols ; and the candidate is often reminded that there is an eye abore which observeth the workings of his hearty and is ever fixed upon the thoughts and the actions of men. At regular and appointed seasons con yi vial meet- ings of the Fraternity are held, where temperance, harmony, and joy, characterise these mixed assemblies. All distinctions of rank seem to be laid aside, all differences in religious and political sentiments are forgotten, and those petty quarrels which disturb the quiet of private life cease to agitate the mind; every one strives to give happiness to his brother ; and men seem to recollect for once that they are sprung from the same origin, that they are possessed of the same nature, and are destined for the same end.
Such are the general features of an institution which has of late pro- duced so great a division in the sentiments of the learned respecting its origin and tendency. While a certain class of men,^ a little over- anxious for the dignity of their Order, have represented it as coeval with the world ; others, influenced by an opposite motive, have main- tained it to be the invention of English Jesuits, to promote the views of that intriguing and dangerous association. ' Some philosophers, among whom we may reckon the celebrated Chevalier Ramsay, have laboured to prove that Free Masonry arose during the Crusades ; that it was a secondary order of chivalry; that its forms originated from that warlike institution, and were adapted to the peaceful habits of scientific men.' Mr Clinch^ has attempted, with considerable ingenuity and learning, to deduce its origin from the institution of Pythagoras. M. Barruel" sup- poses that it is a continuation of the Templars ; while others, with a degree of audacity and malice rarely to be found in the character of ingenuous men, have imputed the origin of Free Masonry to secret asso* ciations adverse to the interests of true government, and pursuing the villanous and chimerical project of levelling the distinctions of society, and freeing the human mind from the sacred obligations of morality and religion.
Without adopting any of these untenable opinions, or attempting to discover the precise period when Free Masonry arose, it may be sufficient to show that it can justly lay claim to an early origin, and that it has
^ Anderson's History and Constitution of Free Masonry, p. 1. Desai^lier's Constitutions, p. 1, Smith's Use and Abuse of Free Masonry, p. 27. Preston's Illustrations of Masonry, sec. 3, p. 6.
> Manuscript of Bode of Germany, in the possession of M. Mounier.
' Ley den's Preliminary Dissertation to the Complaynt of Scotland, pp. 67, 71.
* Anthologia Hibemica for January, March, April, and June, 1794.
' Memoirs of Jacobinism, vol. ii, pp. 377, 378, &c.
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existed from that period to the present day, under different forms and different appellations/ In the execution of this task the candid in- quirer will be satisfied with strong and numerous resemblances, as the nature of the subject excludes the possibility of rigid demonstration. Every human institution is subject to great and numerous yariations ; the different aspects under which they appear^ and the principles by which tlley are regulated, depend upon the progress of civilization; upon the nature of the government by which they are protected, and on the peculiar opinions and habits of their members. If, therefore, in com- paring Free Masonry with other ancient associations, we should find it coincide with them in every circumstance, there would be strong reasons for suspecting that the imagination of the writer had counterfeited resemblances when destitute of authentic information, or that the Order had adopted the rites and ceremonies of antiquity to cloak the recency of their origin, and command the veneration and excite the notice of the public. Against Free Masonry, however, this charge can- not be preferred. We shall have occasion to consider it when connected with the idolatry of the Heathens ; when devoted to the Church of Rome; and when flourishing under the milder influence of the Reformed Religion.
As men in the early oges of society were destitute of those methods of diffusing knowledge which we now enjoy, and even of those which were used in Greece and Rome when the art of printing was unknown, the few discoveries in art and science which were then made must have been confined to a small number of individuals. In these ages the
^ M. Mounier observes, that if the Order of Free Masons existed among the Ancieuts it would have been mentioned by contemporary authors. This argument, however, for the recency of their origin, is far from being conclusive. A secret association, unconnected with National affairs, would seldom come under the consideration of contemporary writers, who could only tell their readers that such an association existed. They who believe that the Eleusiniaa mysteries were those of Free Masonry under a different appellation will deny the premises from which Mounier's conclusion is drawn. These mysteries existed in the eighth century of the Christian era, and have been mentioned by contemporary authors on account of tlieir connection with the history of the times and the religion of their country. From the eighth century to the revival of learning in Europe, Free Masonry must have been in a very languish- ing condition, and could not engage the attention of writers when but few Lodges, and still fewer authors existed. The minds of men were then bent upon less noble pursuits. Science and common sense were nowhere to be found ; and those amiable propensities of the heart ,upon which Free Masonry is founded, were smothered under that debasing superstition which characterised those ages of ignorance and iniquity.
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panait of science must have been a secondary consideration, and those who did venture to explore the untrodden regions of knowledge would overlook those unsubstantial speculations which gratify the curiosity of philosophic men, and would fix their attention on those only which terminate in public utility and administer to the necessities of life. As architecture could only be preceded by agriculture itself, it must have been in this science that the first efforts of human skill were tried, and in which man must have first experienced success in extending his dominion over the works of nature. The first architects, therefore, would be philosophers. They alone required the assistance of art, and they alone would endeavour to obtain it. The information which was acquired individually, would be imparted to others of the same profession ; an association would be formed for the mutual communication of know- ledge, and the mutual improvement of its members. In order to pre- serve among themselves that information which they alone collected ; in order to incite amongst others a higher degree of respect for their profession, and prevent the intrusion of those who were ignorant of architecture, and consequently could not promote the object of the institution, appropriate words and signs would be communicated to its members ; significant ceremonies would be performed at their initiation, that their engagement to secrecy might be impressed upon their minds, and greater regard excited for the information they were to receive. Nor is this mere speculation ; there exist at this day, in the deserts of Egypt, such architectural monuments as must have been reared in those early ages wliich precede the records of authentic history ; and the erection of those stupendous fabrics must have required an acquaint- ance with the mechanical arts which is not in the possession of modem architects. It is an undoubted fact also^ that there existed in these days a particular association of men to whom scientific knowledge was confined, and who resembled the Society of Free Masons in every thing but the name.
In Egypt, and those countries of Asia which lie contiguous to that favoured kingdom, the arts and sciences were cultivated with success while other Nations were involved in ignorance : It is here, therefore, that Free Masonry would flourish, and here only can we discover marks of its existence in the remotest ages. It is extremely probable that the first, and the only object of the Society of Masons was the mutual com- munication of knowledge connected with their profession ; and that those only would gain admittance into their Order whose labours were subsidiary to those of the architect. But when the ambition or vanity of the Egyptian priests prompted them to erect huge and expensive fabrics for celebrating the worship of their gods or perpetuating the
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memory of their kiDgs, they would naturally desire to participate in that scientific knowledge which was possessed by the architects they employed ; and as the sacerdotal order seldom £ELil among a superstitious people to gain the objects of their ambition, they would in this case suc- ceed in their attempts, and be initiated into the mysteries, as well as instructed in the science of Free Masons. These remarks will not only assist us in discovering the source from which the Egyptian priests derived that knowledge for which they have been so highly celebrated ; they will aid us also in accounting for those changes which were super- induced on the forms of Free Masonry, and for the admission of men into the Order whose professions had no connection with the royal art.
When the Egyptian priests had in this manner procured admission into the Fraternity, they connected the mythology of their country and their metaphysical speculations conoemiDg the nature of God and the condition of man with an association formed for the exclu- sive purpose of scientific improvement, and produced that combination of science and theology which, in after ages, formed such a conspicuous part of the principles of Free Masonry.
The knowledge of the Egyptians was carefully concealed from the vulgar; and when the priests did condescend to communicate it to the learned men of other Nations, it was conferred in symbols and hierogly- phics, accompanied with particular rites and ceremonies, marking the value of the gift they bestowed. What those ceremonies were which were performed at initiation into the Egyptian mysteries, we are unable at this distance of time to determine. But as the Eleusinian and other mysteries had their origin in Egypt, we may be able perhaps to dis- cover the qualities of the fountain by examining the nature of the stream. ^
The immense populktion of Egypt, conjoined with other causes, occa- sioned frequent emigrations from that enlightencxl country. In this manner it became the centre of civilization, and introduced into the most distant and savage climes the sublime mysteries of its religion, and those important discoveries and useful inventions which originated in the ingenuity of its inhabitants. The first colony of the Egyptians that arrived in Greece was conducted by Inachus, about nineteen hundred and seventy years before the Christian era ; and about three centuries afterwards he was followed by Cecrops, Cadmus, and Danaus.^ The savage inhabitants of Greece beheld with astonishment the magical tricks of the Egyptians, and regarded as gods those skilful adventurers who
* Voyage de Jeune AnacharBis en Grece, torn, i, p. 2. Cecrops arrived in Attica in 1657, b. c. Cadmus came from Phc^nicia to Oeotia in 1694, b. c, and Danaus to Argolis in 158(>, b. o.
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commanicated to them the arts and sciences of their native land. In this manner were sown those seeds of improrement which in future ages exalted Greece to such pre-eminence among the Nations. After these colonies had obtained a secure settlement in their new territories, and were freed from those uneasy apprehensions which generally trouble the invaders of a foreign land, they instituted, after the manner of their ancestors, particular festivals or mysteries in honour of those who had benefited their country by arts or arms. In the reign of Ericthonius, about fifteen hundred years before the commencement of our era, the Eleusinian mysteries were instituted in honour of Ceres, who, having come to Greece in quest of her daughter, resided with Triptolemus at Eleusis, and instructed him in the knowledge of agriculture, and in the still more important knowledge of a future state. ^
About the same time the Panathenea were instituted in honour of Minerva, and the Dionysian mysteries in honour of Bacchus, who invent- ed theatres, and instructed the Greeks in many useful arts, but particu- larly in the culture of the vine.' That the Eleusinian and Dionysian mysteries were intimately connected with the progress of the arts and scieuces is manifest from the very end for which they were formed ; and that they were modelled upon the mysteries of Isis and Osiris, celebrated in Egypt, is probable from the similarity of their origin, as well as from the consent of ancient authors.' If there be any plausibility in our former reasoning concerning the origin of knowledge in Egypt, it will follow that the Dionysia and the mysteries of Eleusis were societies of Free Masons, formed for scientific improvement^ though tinctured with the doctrines of the Egyptian mythology.
But it is not from conjecture only that this conclusion may be drawn. The striking similarity among the external forms of these secret associ- ations, and the still more striking similarity of the objects they had in view, are strong proofs that they were only difierent streams issuing
^ Bocbart's Geof^raphia Sacra, lib. i, cap. xx. Herodotus, lib. i, cap. Iviii. Robertson's History of Ancient Greece, book i, pp. 68, 59. Isocrates Paneg., torn, i, p. 132.
' Polydor. Yirg. de Remm Invent., lib. in, cap. xiii. Bacchus or Dionjsins came into Greece during the reign of Amphictyon, who flourished about 1497, B. 0. ; Robertson's Greece, book i, p. 68.
* En adsum natura parens tuis Luci admota precibus summa numinnm, — cujus numen unicum, multiformi specie, ritu vario, totus veneratur orbis. Me prime- genii Phryges Pessinunticam nominant dedra matrem ; hinc Autochtones Attici Cecropiam Minervam (alluding to the Panathenea) ; illinc Cretes Dictjrnnam Dianam, Ac., Eleusinii vetustam Deam Cererem ; priscaqae doctrina poUentes Egyptii, ceremoniis me prorsus propriis percolentes, appellant vero nomine reginam Isidem. Lucii Apuleii Metamorph., lib. xi.
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from a common source. Those who were initiated into the Elensinian mysteries- were bound by the most awful engagements to conceal the instructions they received and the ceremonies that were performed.^ None were admitted as candidates till they arrived at a certain age, and particular persons were appointed to examine and prepare them for the rites of initiation. Those whose conduct was found irregular, or who had been guilty of atrocious crimes, were rejected as unworthy of ini- tiation, while the successful candidates were instructed by significant symbols in the principles of religion ; exhorted to quell every turbu- lent appetite and passion ; and to merit, by the improvement of their minds and the purity of their hearts, those ineffikble benefits whict they were still to receive. Significant words were communicated to the members ; Grand officers presided over their assemblies ; their emblems were exactly similar to those of Free Masonry; and the candidate advanced from one degree to another till he received all the lessons of wisdom and of virtue which the priests could impart.' But besides these circumstances of resemblance, there are two f&cts transmitted to us by ancient authors which have an astonishing similarity to the cere- monies of the third degree of Free Masonry. So striking is the resem- blance, that every Brother of the Order who is acquainted with them cannot question for a. moment the opinion which we have been attempt- ing to support.'
Having thus mentioned some features of resemblance between the mysteries of Eleusis and those of Free Masonry, let us now attend to the sentiments of contemporaries respecting these secret associations, and we shall find that they have been treated both with illiberality and insolence. That some men, who, from self-sufiiciency or unsocial disposition have refused to be admitted into these Orders, should detract from the character of an association which claims to enlighten the learned and expand the affections of narrow and contracted minds, is by no means a matter of surprise ; and it is equally consistent with human nature that those whose irregular conduct had excluded them from initia- tion should calumniate an Order whose blessings they were not allowed
1 Andoc de Myst., p. 7. Meursius in Elens. Myst., cap. xx. This latter author has collected all the passages in ancient writers about the Eleusinian mysteries.
' Hesycbins in T^^». Clemens. Alexand. Strom., lib. i, p. 325, lib. vii, p. 845. Arrian in Epictet., lib. iii, cap. xxi, p. 440. Euseb. Prepar. Evangel., lib. Ill, cap. xii, p. 117. Petav. ad. Themist., p. 414. Anacharsis, torn, iii, p. 682.
" The Brethren may consult for this purpose the article Eleusinia, in the Eucyclop«edia Britanuica ; also Robertson's Greece, book i, p. 127.
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to participate, and whose honours they were prohibited to share. Men of this description represented the celebration of the Eleosinian mysteries as scenes of riot and debauchery, and reproached the members of the association that they were not more virtuous and more holy than them- selves.^ But it is the opinion of contemporary writers that these charges were wholly gratuitous, and originated in the silence of the initiated and the ignorance of the vulgar. They even maintain that the mysteries of Eleusis produced sanctity of manners, attention to the social duties, and a desire to be as distinguished by virtue as by silence'. The illustrious Socrates could never be prevailed upon to partake of these mysteries ; and Diogenes having received a similar solicitation, replied that PataBcion, a notorious robber, obtained initia- tion; and that Epaminondas and Agesilaus never desired it.' But did not these men know that in all human societies the virtuous and the noble must sometimes associate with the worthless and the mean ? Did they not know that there often kneel in the same temple the righteous and the profane; and that the saint and the sinner frequently officiate at the same altar? Thus did the philosophers of antiquity calumniate and despise the mysteries of Eleusis; and in the same manner have some pretended philosophers of our own day defamed the character and questioned the motives of Free Masons. With a little less modesty than the ancients, they have not like them quarrelled us because wo are not more virtuous than themselves, but they have told us that we are less than the least of men, and charged upon us crimes as detestable in the eyes of Masons as they are hostile to the interests of society.
This similarity of treatment which the mysteries of Ceres and Free Masonry have received is no small proof of the similarity of their origin and their object. To this conclusion, however, it may be objected that though the points of resemblance between these secret societies are numerous, yet there were circumstances in the celebration of the Eleu- sinian mysteries which have no counterpart in the ceremonies of Free Masonry. The sacrifices, purifications, hymns, and dances, which were necessary in the festival of Ceres, have indeed no place in the society of Free Masons. But these points of dissimilarity, instead of weakening rather strengthen our opinion. It cannot be expected that in the reign of Polytheism just sentiments of the Deity should be entertained, and much less that the adherents of Christianity should bend their knees to
1 Porphjrr. de AbstioeDtia, lib. nr, p. 363. Julian Orat. v, p. 173. ' Encyclopsedia Britannica, article Klousinia.
• Lucian in Dcinonact., torn, ii, p. 380. Plut. deaud. Poet, toni. ii, p. 21. Diofr. Laert., lib. vi, sec. 39.
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the gods of the heathens. The ancients worshipped those beings who conferred on them the most signal benefits, with sacrifices, purifications, and other tokens of their hnmilitj and gratitude; but when revelation had disclosed to man more amiable sentiments concerning the Divine Being, the Society of Free Masons banished from their mysteries those useless rites with which the ancient Brethren of the Order attempted to appease and requite their deities, and modeUed their ceremonies upon this foundation — ^that there is but one God, who must be worshipped in spirit and in truth.
The mysteries of Ceres were not confined to the city of Eleusis; they were introduced into Athens about thirteen hundred and fifbynsix years before Christ;* and, with a few slight variations, were observed in Phrygia, Cyprus, Crete, and Sicily.' They had even reached to the capital of France;' and it is highly probable that shortly afterwards they were introduced into Britain and other northern kingdoms. In the reign of the Emperor Adrian * they were carried into Home, and were celebrated in that metropolis with the same rites and ceremonies which were performed in the humble village of Eleusis. They had contracted impurities, however, from the length of their duration, and the corruption of their abettors; and though the forms of initiation were still symbolical of the original and noble objects of the institution, yet the licentious Romans mistook the shadow for the substance, and while they underwent the rites of the Eleusinian mysteries they were strangers to the objects for which they were framed.
About the beginning of the fifth century Theodosius the Qreat pro- hibited, and almost totally extinguished the Pagan theology in the Roman Empire, and the mysteries of Eleusis suffered in the general destruction. It is probable, however, that these mysteries were secretly celebrated in spite of the severe edicts of Theodosius ; and that they were partly continued through the dark ages, though stripped of their original purity and splendour. We are certain at least, that many rites of the Pagan religion were performed under the dissembled name of convivial meetings, long after the publication of the Emperor's edicts/
^ Playfair'8 Chronology. > Lueii Apuleii Metamorph., lib. xi.
■ Praise of Paris, or a Sketch of the French Capital, 1803, by 8. West, F.R.S., F. A.S. This author observes, in the Preface to his work, that Paris is derived from Par ItUy because it was built beside a temple dedicated to that goddess; that this temple was demolished at the establishment of Christianity, and that there-remsins to this day, in the Petits Augustins, a statue of Isis Dursing Orus.
* A. D. 117. Eocyclopeedia Britannica, article Elensinia. Potter's Antiq^ vol. I, p. 389.
' Gibbon's History of the Decline and Fall of the Boman Empire, vol. v, chap, xxviii. Zosimus's Hist., lib. iv.
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and Psellus infonns ns^ that the mysteries of Ceres existed in Athens till the eighth century of the Christian era, and were never totally suppressed.
Having thus considered the origin and decline of the mysteries of Eleusis, and discovered in them numerous and prominent features of resemblance to those of Free Masonry, we may reasonably infer that the Egyptian mysteries, which gave rise to the former, had a still nearer affinity to the latter ; and from this conclusion the opinions that were formerly stated concerning the antiquity of the Order and the origin of Egyptian knowledge will receive very considerable confirmation.
. Let us now direct our attention to the Dionysia, or Mysteries of Bacchus, which were intimately connected with those of Ceres, and perhaps still more with the mysteries of Free Masonry. Herodotus " informs us that the solemnities in honour of Dionysius or Bacchus were originally instituted in Egypt, and were transported from that country into Greece by one Melampus. But not only did the mysteries of Ceres and Bacchus flow from the same source, the one was in some measure interwoven with the other; and it is almost certain, from what we are now to mention, that those who were initiated into the former were entitled to be present at the celebration of the latter. The sixth day of the Eleusinian festival was the most brilliant of the whole. It received the appellation of Bacchus, because it was chiefly, if not exclu- sively devoted to the worship of that god. His statue, attended by the initiated and the ministers of the temple, was conducted from Athens to Eleusis with much pomp and solemnity;' and after it had been introduced into the temple of Ceres it was brought back to Athens with similar ceremonies. The connection between the Eleusinian and Dionysian mysteries is manifest also from the common opinion that Ceres was the mother of Bacchus:^ And Plutarch assures us that the Egyptian Isis was the same with Ceres; that Osiris was the same with Bacchus ; and that the Dionysia of Greece was only another name for the Pamylia of Egypt." As Bacchus was the inventor of theatres as
^ In his Treatise on the gods whom the Greeks worshipped, quoted by Mr Clinch ia the ADtbologia Hibernica for January 1794.
' Lib. II. The testimony of Herodotus is greatly corroborated when we recollect that there were temples in Egypt erected in honour of Bacchus. It is not probable that the Egyptians would borrow from the Greeks.
' Anacharsis, torn, in, p. 531. Plut. in Phoc, torn, i, p. 764. Meursius in Elena Myst., cap. xxvil
* Potter's Antiq., vol. i, p. 393.
^ De Iside et Osiride. Id6e du Gouvcrnement Ancien et Modern de TEgypte, p. 26.— Paris, 1743.
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well as of dramatic Tepresentatious, that particalar class of Masons who were employed in the erection of these extensive buildings were called the DiONYSiAN Artificers/ who possessed the exdnsive privilege of erecting temples, theatres, and other pablic buildings in Asia Minor. They supplied Ionia and the surrounding countries as £ftr as the Helle- spont with theatrical apparatus by contract; and erected to Bacchus, the founder of their Order, the magnificent temple at Teos.' These artists were initiated into the mysteries of their founder, and consequently into those of Eleusis. * But from the tendency of the human mind to embrace the ceremonial while it neglects the substantial part of an institution, the Dionysian festival, in the degenerate ages of Greece, was more remark- able for inebriation and licentiousness than for the cultivation of virtue and of science; and he who was at first celebrated as the inventor of arts was afterwards worshipped as the god of wine. Those who were desirous of indulging secretly in licentious mirth and nnhallowed festi- vity cloaked their proceedings under the pretence of worshipping Bacchus ; and brought disgrace upon those mysteries which were instituted for the promotion of virtue and the improvement of art.
About two hundred years before Christ, an illiterate and licentious priest came from Greece to Tuscany and instituted the Bacchanalia, or Feast of the Bacchanals. From Tuscany they were imported to Rome ; but the promoters of these midnight orgies having proceeded to the farthest extremity of dissipation and disloyalty, they were abolished throughout all Italy by a decree of the Senate. ^
It has been foolishly supposed that the Bacchanalia were similar to the Dionysian mysteries, merely because they were both dedicated to Bacchus. The Liberalia of Rome wjlb the festival corresponding to the Dionysia of Greece ;° and it is probable that this feast was observed throughout the Roman Empire till the abrogation of the Pagan theology in the reign of Theodosius. The opinion which an impartial inquirer would form concerning the nature and tendency of the mysteries of Bacchus would not be very favourable to the character of the institution. But it should be remembered that deviations from the intentions and form of any association are no objection to the association itself ; they are rather proofs of its original purity and excellence, as it is not from
^ Ai99v^iAm$t ri;^M«wi. Aulus Gellins, lib. xx, cap. iv.
' iStrabo, lib. iv. Cbishnli's Antiquitates ABiaticsB, pp. 107, 139. Robison's Proofs of a Conspiracy, p. 20. Ionian Antiquities, published by the Society of Dilettanti, p. 4.
■ Potter's Antiq., vol. i, p. 41.
* Tit. Liv., lib. XXXIX, caps, viii and xviiL
" Liberalia (says Festus) liberi Festa, quae apud Grsecos dicuntur Dionysia. Universal History, vol. xiii, p. 262.
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the paths of vice, but from those of virtae, that we are aocustomed to stray.
Hitherto we bare considered the Dionysian mysteries under an unpropitious aspect ; let as now trace them in their progress from Europe to Asia, where they retained their primitive lustre, and effect- ually contributed to the rapid advancement of the fine arts.
About a thousand years before Christ^ the inhabitants of Attica, complaining of the narrowness of their territory and the unfruitfulness of its soil, went in quest of more extensive and fertile settlements. Being joined by a number of adventurers from the surrounding districts they sailed to Asia Minor, drove out the inhabitants, seized upon the most eligible situations, and united them under the name of Ionia, in compliment to the majority of their number who were natives of that province. ' As the Greeks, prior to the Ionic migration, had made considerable progress in the arts and sciences, ' they carried these along with them into their new territories ; and introduced into Ionia the mysteries of Minerva and Dionysius before they were corrupted by the licentiousness of the Athenians.^ In a short time the Asiatic colonies surpassed the mother country in prosperity and science. Painting, sculpture in marble, and the Doric and Ionian Orders were the result of their ingenuity, o The colonists even returned into Greece, communicating to its inhabitants the inventions of their own country, and instructing them in that style of architecture which has been the admiration of succeeding ages. For these improvements the world is indebted to the scientific attainments of the Dionysian Artificers, who were very numerous in Asia, and existed under the same appellation in Syria, Persia, and India. About three hundred years before the birth of Christ a great number of them were incorporated, by command of the kings of Pergamos, who assigned to them Teos as a settlement, being the city of their tutelary god. The members of this associa- tion, who were profoundly learned in the Dionysian mysteries^ were distinguished from the uninitiated inhabitants of Teos by the science
^ Playfair places the Ionic migration in 1044, & o. ; Gillies in 1055 ; and Bartbelemy, the author of Anacharsis's Travels, in 1076.
' Herodotus, lib. i, cap. cxUL Gillies's History of Ancient Greece, vol. i, chap. iii.
' According to the author of Anacharsis's Travels, the arts took their rise in Greece about 1547, b. o.
4 Chandler's Travels in Asia Minor, p. 100, 4to. 1775. The Panathenea and the Dionysian mysteries were instituted about 300 years before the Ionic migration.
^ Gillies's Greece, vol. ii, chap. xiv.
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whicli thej possessed, and bj appropriate words and signs whereby they could recognise their Brethren of the Order. ^ Like Free Masons, thej were divided into Lodges, which were distinguished by different appellations.! They occasionally held conyivial meetings in houses erected and consecrated for this purpose ; and each separate association was under the direction of a master, and presidents or wardens. They held a general meeting once a year, which was solemnised with great pomp and festivity, and at which the Brethren partook of a splendid entertainment provided by the master, after they had finished the sacrifices to their gods, especially to their' patron Bacchus; the more opulent artists were bound to provide for the exigencies of their poorer Brethren; and in their ceremonial observances they used particular utensils, some of which were exactly similar to those that are employed by the Fraternity of Free Masons.' The very monuments which were reared by these Masons to the memory of their masters and war- dens remain to the present day in the Turkish burying-grounds at Siverhissar and £raki. < The inscriptions upon them express in strong terms the gratitude of the Fraternity for their disinterested exertions in behalf of the Order; for their generosity and benevolence to its individual members; for their private virtues, as well as for their public conduct. From some circumstances which are stated in these inscriptions, but particularly from the name of one of the Lodges, it is highly probable that Attains, king of Pergamos, was a member of the Dionysian Fraternity.
Such was the nature of that association of architects who erected those splendid edifices in Ionia whose ruins afford us instruction while they excite our admiration and surprise. If it be possible to prove the identity of any two societies from the coincidence of their external forms we are
' Kmi rtt AufWt* rqv A^Mir iXnf naia^iirmfTts (**Xt* ^f Uli*»it. Strabo, p. 471. Ionian Antiquities, p. 4. Chisbull's Antiq. Asiat., p. 138. Kobison's Proofs of a Conspiracy, p. 20.
' One of these Lodges was denominated Koifiw r»n Arrayifrttt, i. e, Commnne Attalistaram, and another Kmw tdc E;^«y«0 Xv^^(i«f, u e. Conmrane Sodalitii Echini. ChishnU, p. 139.
> See the two Decrees of these artists preserved in Chishnll, pp. 138-149. The place where they assembled is called ^tnuxtm, contiibeminm ; and the society itself sometimes ^vncymyn, collegium ; Su^iets^ secta ; fwtisst synodos ; »MMf,com- manitas. Aulus Gellius, lib. viu, cap. xi. Chandler's Travels, p. 103 ; also the Decrees aforesaid.
^ Chandler's Travels, p. 100. These monnments were erected abont 150 years b. o. The inscriptions npon them were published by Edmund ChishnU in 1728, from copies taken by Consul Sherard in 1709, and examined in 1716. Ionian Antiquities, p. 3.
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authorised to conclude that the Fraternity of the Ionian Architects and the Fraternity of Free Masons are exactly the same; and as the former practised the mysteries of Bacchus and Ceres, several of which we hare shown to be similar to the mysteries of Free Masonry, we may safely affirm that in their internal, as well as external procedure, the Society of Free Masons resembles the Dionysiacs of Asia Minor. ^
The opinion, therefore, of Free Masons^ that their Order existed and flourished at the building of Solomon's Temple is by no means so pregnant with absurdity as some men would wish us to believe. We have already shown from authentic sources of information that the mysteries of Ceres and Bacchus were instituted about four hundred years before the reign of Solomon / and there are strong reasons for believing that even the association of the Dionysian Architects existed before the building of the Temple. It was not, indeed, till about three hundred years before the birth of Christ that they were incorporated at Teos under the kings of Pergamos, but it is universally allowed that they arose long before their settlement in Ionia, and, what is more to our present purpose, that they also existed in the land of Judea ; moreover, it is observed by Dr Robison that they came from Persia into Syria along with that style of architecture which is called Grecian :' And, since we are informed by Joseph us that tliat species of architecture was used at the erection of the Temple,^ we are authorised to infer not only that the Dionysiacs existed before the reign of Solomon, but that they assisted this monarch in building that magnificent fabric which he reared to the God of Israel. Nothing indeed can be more simple and consistent than the creed of the Fraternity concerning the state of their Order at this period. The vicinity of Jerusalem to Egypt, — ^the connection of Solomon with the royal family of that kingdom," — ^the progress of the Egyptians in archi- tectural science, — ^their attachment to mysteries and hieroglyphic sym- bols, and the probability of their being employed by the King of Israel, are additional considerations whiqh corroborate the sentiments of Free Masons, and absolve them from those charges of credulity and pride with which they have been so frequently branded.
^ Dr Robison, who will not be suspected of partiality to Free Masons, ascribes their origin to the Dionysian artists. It is impossible, indeed, for any candid inquirer to call in question their identity.
■ According to Piayfair's Chronology the Temple of Solomon was begun in 1016, and finished in 1008 b. c. The Eleusinian mysteries were introduced into Athena in 1356 b.c, a considerable time after their institution. ^ Robison's Proofs of a Conspiracy, pp. 20, 21. Josephus's Jewish Antiquities, book vm, chap. v. if^. book vin, chap. ii.
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To these views it may be objected that if the Fraternity of Free Masons flourished during the reign of Solomon it would have existed in Judea in after ages, and attracted the notice of sacred or profane his- torians. Whether or not this objection is well founded, we shall not pretend to determine ; but if it can be shown that there did exist after the building of the Temple an association of men resembling Free Masons in the nature, ceremonies, and object of their institution, the force of the objection will not only be taken away, but additional strength communicated to the opinion which we have been supporting. The association here alluded to is that of the Essenes, whose origin and principles have occasioned much discussion among Ecclesiastical historians, who are all agreed however respecting the constitution and observances of this religious Order, whose distinctive points may here be briefly enumerated.
When a candidate was proposed for admission the strictest scrutiny was made into his character. If his life had hitherto been exemplary, and if he appeared capable of curbing his passions and regulating his conduct according to their virtuous though austere maxims, he was presented at the expiration of his noviciate with a white garment as an emblem of the regularity of his conduct and the purity of his heart. A solemn oath was then administered to him that he would never divulge their mysteries; that he would make no innovations on the doctrines of the society; and that he would continue in that honourable course of piety and virtue which he had begun to pursue. Like Free Masons, they instructed the young member in the knowledge which they derived from their ancestors; they admitted no women into their Order ;^ they had particular signs for recognising each other, which have a strong resemblance to those of Free Masons;' they had colleges or places of retirement where they resorted to practise their rites and settle the affairs;' and after the performance of these duties they assembled in a large hall, where an entertainment was provided for them by the president or master of the college, who allotted a certain
^ Pictet. Theologie Chretienne, torn, iii, part, iii, pp. 107, 109. Basnage's His- tory of the Jews, book ii, chaps, xli and xiii, paeaim, Philo de Vita Contempla^ tivBy apud opera, p. 691.
' In order to be convinced of this, the Brethren may consult some of the works already quoted, particularly Philo's Treatise de Vita Coutemplativa, apud opera, p. 691.
' BasDoge, book in, chap, xli, see. 14. Opera Philonis, p. 679. When Philo, in his Treatise entitled ^ Quod omnis probns Liber," is describing the Society of the Essenes, he employs the same terms to denote the association itself, and their places of meeting, which are ased in the Decrees of the Dionysians already mentioned. Vide Philo de Vita Contemplativa, p. 691.
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quantity of provisions to every individual. They abolished all distinc- tions of rank, and if preference was ever given it was given to piety, liberality, and virtue. Treasurers were appointed in every town to supply the wants of indigent strangers.^ They laid claim to higher degrees of piety and knowledge than the uninitiated vulgar; and though their pre- tensions were high they were never questioned by their enemies. One of their chief characteristics was austerity of manners, but they frequently assembled in convivial parties, and relaxed for a time the severity of those duties which they were accustomed to perform.' This remarkable coincidence between the chief features of the Masonic and Essenian Fra- ternities can only be accounted for by referring them to the same origin. Were the circumstances of resemblance either few or fanciful, the simi- larity might have been merely casual ; but when the nature, the object, and the external forms of two institutions are precisely the same, the arguments for their identity are something more than presumptive. There is one point, however, which may at first sight seem to militate against this supposition. The Essenes do not appear to have been in any respect connected with architecture, nor to have followed with ardour those sciences and pursuits which are subsidiary to the art of building. That they directed their attention to particular sciences, which they professed to have received from their fathers, is allowed by all writers ; but whether or not these sciences were in any shape connected with architecture, we are at this distance of time unable to determine. Be this as it may, uncertainty upon this head, nay, even an assurance that the Essenes were unconnected with architectural science, will not affect the hypothesis which we have been maintaining ; for there have been, and still are, many associations of Free* Masons where no architects are members, and which have no connection with the art of building. But if this is not deemed a sufficient answer to the objection, an inquiry into the origin of the Essenes will probably remove it alto- gether, while it affords additional evidence for the identity of the two associations.
The opinions of both sacred and profane historians concerning the origin of the Essenes have been widely different. They all agree, how- ever, in representing them as an ancient association ori^nating from particular fraternities which formerly existed in the land of Judea.'
^ Basnage, book ni, chap, xii, sees. 20, 21, and 22 ; chap, xiii, sec. 1. Opera Philouis, p. 678.
" Dicam aliquid de sodalitiis eorum, quoties hilarias convivia celebrant. Opera Philonis, p. 692.
* Gale's Court of the Gentiles, book n, part ii, chap. 6, p. 147. Serrar Trihaer. lib. iir, cap. ii. Vide also Basnage, book zi, chap, xii, sec. 4 ; and Pictet. Theolog. Chret., tom. lu, part iii, p. 106.
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Pliny refers them to such a remote antiquity^ that they must have existed during the reign of Solomon; and even Basnage, who is the only writer that seems disposed to consider them as a recent association, confesses that they existed under Antigonus, about three hundred years before the Christian era.' Scaliger contends, with much appearance of truth, that the Essenes were descentled from the Kasideans, who are 60 honourably mentioned in the history of the Maccabees. The Kasi- deans were a religions Fraternity, or an Order of Tlie Knights of the Temple of Jerusalem, who bound themselves to adorn the porches of that magnificent structure, and to preserve it from injury and decay. This body was composed of the greatest men of Israel, who were distinguished for their charitable and peaceful dispositions ; and always signalised themselves by their ardent zeal for the purity and preserva- tion of the Temple.^ From these facts it appears that the Essenes were not only an ancient Fraternity, but that they originated from « a society of architects who were connected with the building of Solomon's Temple. Nor was this Order confined to the Holy Land. Like the Fraternities of the Dionysiacs and Free Masons it existed in all parts of the world ; and though the Lodges in Jndea were chiefly, if not wholly composed of Jews, yet the Essenes admitted to their privileges men of every religion and every rank in life. They adopted many of the Egyptian mysteries; and like the priests of that country, the Magi of Persia, and the Gymnosophists in India, they united the study of moral with that of natural philosophy. Although they were patronised by Herod, and respected by all men for the correctness of their conduct and the innocence of their lives, they suffered severe persecutions from the Romans, until their abolition about the middle of the fifth century^ — a period extremely fatal to the venerable institutions of Egypt, Greece, and Rome.
Connected with the Essenian and Masonio Fraternities was the Insti- tution of Pythagoras at Crotona. After this philosopher, in the course of his travels through Egypt, Syria, and Ionia, had been initiated into the mysteries of these enlightened kingdoms, he imported into Europe the sciences of Asia, and offered to the inhabitants of his native land the
* Pliny, lib.'v, cap. 17. Vide alao Soliims, chap, xxxv, p. 43. Edit. Salmasii. Encyclopaedia Britannica, article Essenes.
* Basnage, book ii, chap, ii, sec. 8. Pictet. Theolog. Chret., tom. iii, part iii, p. 107.
> Scaliger de Emend. Temp. ; Elench. Trihaw, cap. xxii, p. 441. 1st Mac- cabees, vii, 13.
* Basnage, book ii, chap, xiii, sec. 4 ; chap, xii, sec. 20, compared with chap, xiii, sec. 4 ; chap, xii, sees. 24^ 25, 26. Philo's Treatise, ** Quod omnis probus Liber," apud opera, p. 678.
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important benefits which he himself had received.^ The offers of the sage having been rejected by his countrymen of Sanios, he settled at Crotona^ in ItaJy, where more respect was paid to his person and more attention to his precepts. When the kindness of the Crotonians, and their solicitude to obtain scientific information had inspired Pythagoras with some hopes of success, he selected a number of his pupils who, from the similarity of their characters, the mildness of their dispositions, and the steadiness of their conduct, seemed best adapted for forwarding the purposes he had in view. He formed them into a Fraternity or separate Order, whom ho instructed in the sciences of the East, and to whom he imparted the mysteries and rites of the Egyptian, Syrian, and Ionian associations. Before any one was received into the number of his disciples a minute and diligent inquiry was made into his temper and character. If the issue of this inquiry was favourable to the candi- date, he bound himself by a solemn engagement to conceal from the uninitiated the mysteries which ho might receive and the sciences in which he might be instructed. The doctrines of charity, of universal benevolence, and especially of affection to the Brethren of the Order, were strongly recommended to the young aspirant; and such was the influence which these had upon their minds that discord seemed to have been banished from Italy, and the golden age to have again returned. Strangers of every country, of every religion, and of every rank in life, were received, if properly qualified, into the Pythagorean association. Like Free Masons they had particular words and signs by which they might distinguish each other, and correspond at a distance. They wore white garments as an emblem of their innocence. They had a parti- cular regard for the east. They advanced from one degree of know- ledge to another, and were forbidden to commit to writing their mys- teries, which were preserved solely by tradition. The Pythagorean symbols and secrets were borrowed from the Egyptians, the Orphic and Eleusinian rites, the Magi, the Iberians, and the Celts. They consisted chiefly of the arts and sciences united with theology and ethics, and were communicated to the initiated in cyphers and s3rmbols. To those who were destitute of acute discernment these hieroglyphic repre- sentations seemed pregnant with absurdity, while others of more pene- tration discovered in them hidden treasures calculated to inform the understanding and purify the heart — a circumstance that often happens also in Free Masonry. An association of this nature, found- ed upon such principles, and fitted for such ends, did not continue long in obscurity. In a short time it extended over Italy and Sicily, and was diffused even throughout ancien*l Greece and the Islands of the
1 Pythagoras returned from Egypt about 560 years b. o.
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^gean Sea. Like otKer secret societies it was vilified by malicious men who were prohibited from sharing its advantages from the weak- ness of their minds and the depravity of their hearts. Chagrined with disappointment and inflamed with rage^ they often executed vengeance upon the innocent Pythagoreans, and even set fire to the Lodges in which they were assembled. But the disciples of the sage persisted in that honourable cause in which they had embarked; and though the persecution of their enemies drove them from their native land they still retained for each other the sympathy of brothers, and often suffered death in its most agonizing form rather than violate the engagements into which they had entered.^ An attempt like this against the Society of Free Masons has been witnessed in our day. It did not, indeed, pro- ceed to such an extremity of violence, but the spirit of extirpation existed in sentiment though it had not the courage to display itself in action. Disaffection to Government, and disrespect to religion were charged upon them with all the confidence of truth ; and had the Govern- ments of Europe been foolish enough to credit the dreams of a few nervous philosophers, their subjects might at this moment have been armed against each other^ and the Nations of the World embroiled in discord. From these observations it is manifest that the Pythagorean and Masonic institutions were similar in their external forms as well as in the objects which they had in view, and that both of them experienced from cotemporaries the same unmerited reproach. Mr Clinch in his Essays on Free Masonry' has enumerated at great length all the poiuts of resemblance between these two institutions. He attempts to prove that Free Masonry took its rise from the Pythagorean Fraternity ; but though he has been successful in pointing out a remarkable coincidence between these associations, he has no authority for concluding that the former originated from the latter. In a Masonic manuscript preserved in the Bodleian Library, in the handwriting of King Henry VI, it is ex- pressly said that Pythagoras learned Masonry from Egypt and Syria, and from those countries where it had been planted by the Phcenicians ; that the Pythagoreans carried it into France ; and that it was in the course of time imported from that country into England.* This, indeed,
^ Jamblichus de Vita Pythagoras, passim. Gillies's Greece^ vol. ii, chap, xi, pp. 27-36. Aulus GelliuB, book i, cap. 9. Basnage's History of the Jews, book u, cap. xiii, sec. 21. Anthologies Hibernica for 3Iarch 1794. Warbur- ton's Divine Legation of Moses^ book iii, sec. iii.
' Published in the Anthologia Hibernica for 1794.
• Lives of Leland, Hearne, and Wood, — Oxford, 1772 ; Appendix to the Life of Leland, No. vii. A further reference to this Manuscript will be found on page 49, antea.
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is no direct proof of our opinion, bnt it shows at least that the same ideas were entertained by the Fraternity in England about four hundred years ago. It has been supposed by some philosophers^ that Pythagoras derived his mysteries chiefly from the Essenes, who were at that time much respected and very numerous in Egypt and Syria, and the wonderful similarity between these societies, both in the forms which they had in common with Free Masonry and in those lesser cus- toms and ceremonies which were peculiar to themselves, render such a supposition extremely probable. It is remarked by all Ecclesiastical historians that the Essenes were Pythagoreans both in discipline and doctrine," without ever considering that the former existed some hundred years before the birth of Pythagoras.' The Pythagoreans, therefore, were connected with the Essenes, and the Essenes with the Kasideans^ who engaged to preserve and adorn the Temple of Jerusalem.^
There is one objection to the view which we have taken of this sub- ject, which, though it has already been slightly noticed, it may be neces- sary more completely to remove. Although it will be acknowledged by every unbiassed reader that Free Masonry has a wonderful resemblance to the Eleusinian and Dionysian mysteries, the Fraternity of Ionian architects, and the Essenian and Pythagorean associations, yet some may be disposed to question the identity of these institutions because they
^ Faydit Lettre, Nouvelles de la Republique des Lettres, Octobre 1703, p. 472.
* Gregory's Church History, vol. i, cent. 1.
' Pliny, book v, cap. 17. SoHnus, cap. xxxv, p. 43.
^ Along with these Fraternities the Druids might have been mentioned as re' ■embling Free Masons in the object as well as in the ceremonies of their Order. But the learned are so divided in their sentiments concerning the nature and opinions of this Fraternity that it is difficult to handle the subject without transgressing the limits of authentic history. The most probable of all the hypotheses concerning the origin of the Druids is that which supposes them to have learned their mysteries from the Pythagoreans; for in the 57th Olym- piad, abont 650 b. c, a colony of Phocians imported into Gaul the philosophy and the arts of Greece (Justin, lib. xliii, cap. 4), and prior to this period Frater- nities of Pythagoreans had been established in Greece. Ammianus Marcellinus (lib. XV, cap. 9,) informs us '^ that the Druids were formed into Fraternities, as the authority of Pythagoras had decreed ;'* and indeed the similarity of their philosophical tenets (as detailed in Henry's History of Great Britain, vol. ii, book I, chap, iv,) to those of the Pythagoreans, authorises us to conclude that they borrowed from this philosopher their forms and mysteries, as well as their religious and philosophical opinions. This supposition will appear more probable when we reflect that Abaris, a native of Britain, travelled into Greece, returned by the way of Crotona, was instructed in the Pythagorean mysteries, and carried into his native country the knowledge which he had acquired. Compare this Note with the facts in p. 20, supra.
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had different names, and because some usages were observed by one which were neglected by another. But these circumstances of dissimi- larity arise from those necessary changes which are superinduced upon every institution by a spirit of innovation, by the caprice of individuals, and by the various revolutions in civilized society. Every alteration or improvement in philosophical systems or ceremonial institutions generally produces a corresponding variation in their name, deduced from the nature of the improvement or from the name of the innovator. The different associations, for example, whose nature and tendency we have -been considering, received their names from circumstances merely casual, and often of trifling consideration, though all of them were established for the same purpose and derived from the same source. When the mysteries of the Essenes were imported by Pythagoras into Italy, without undergoing much variation they were there denominated the mysteries of Pythagoras; and in our day they are called the secrets of Free Masonry, because many of their symbols are derived from the art of building, and because they are believed to have been invented by an association of architects who were anxious to preserve among themselves the knowledge which they had acquired.^ The difference in the cere- monial observances of these institutions may be accounted for nearly upon the same principles. From the ignorance or superior sagacity of those who presided over the ancient Fraternities some ceremonies would be insisted upon more than others ; some of less moment would be ex- alted into consequence ; while others of greater importance would be depressed into obscurity. In process of time, therefore, some trifling changes would be effected upon these ceremonies, some rites abolished, and others introduced. Th e chief difference, however, between the ancient and modem mysteries is in those points which concern religion. But this arises from the great changes which have been effected in religious knowledge. It cannot be supposed that the rites of the Egyptian, Jew- ish, and Grecian religions should be observed by those who profess only the religion of Christ ; or that we should pour out libations to Ceres and Bacchus, who acknowledge no heavenly superior but the true and the living God.
It may be proper to notice in this place an objection urged by M. Barruel against the opinion of those who believe that the mysteries of Free Masonry are similar to the mysteries of Egypt and Greece.* From the unfairness with which this writer has stated the sentiments of his oppo-
* Symbols derived from the art of building were also employed by the Pytha- goreans for conveyiug instruction to those who were initiated into their Frater- nity.— Prodns in End., lib. xi, def. 2, &c.
> Memoirs of Jacobinism, vol. zi, pp. 355-360.
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nents on this sabject, from the confidence and triumph with which he has proposed his own, and above all from the disingenuitj with which he has supported them^ roanj inattentive readers may have been led to adopt his notions, and to form as despicable an idea of the understand- ings, as he would wish them to form of the characters of Masons. He takes it for granted that all who embrace the opinion which we have endeavoured to support mast necessarily believe that a unity of religious sentiments and moral precepts was maintained in all the ancient mys- teries, and that the initiated entertained just notions of the unity of God, while the vulgar were addicted to the grossest Polytheism. Upon this gratuitous supposition, which we completely disavow, because it has no connection with our hypothesis, Barruel founds all his declamations against the connection of our Order with the Pythagorean and Eleusinian institutions. If this supposition, indeed, were true, his opinion would be capable of proof. But he is all the while combating the dogmas of War- burton while he thinks he is demolishing the antiquity of our Order. There is perhaps in no language such a piece of downright sophistiy as this portion of Barruel's work. He seems to scruple at no method, how- ever base or dishonourable, that can bring discredit upon Free Masonry and every thing connected with it. After overturning the opinion of Warburton he next attacks us on our own ground, styling ns the child- ren of sophistry, deism, and pantheism, who deduce our origin from associations of men that were enemies to Christianity,^ and followed no guide but the light of nature. But this writer should recollect that the son is not accountable for the degeneracy of his parents ; and if the ancient mysteries were the nurseries of such dangerous opinions as he, in opposition to authentic history, lays to their charge, it is to the glory of their posterity that they have shaken off the yoke and embraced that heavenly light which their ancestors affected to despise.
It is unfortunate for Free Masonry that it should have to encounter such objections as these, stated by a writer qualified to adorn fiction in the most alluring attire, and impart to sophistry the semblance of demonstration . Many careless readers have been misled by the elegance and animation of his diction, — many religious men have been deceived by his affectation of piety and benevolence, — and all have been imposed upon by the intrusion of numerous and apparently wilful fabrications. But though the name of Jesus sounds in every period, — though a regard for individual happiness and public tranquillity are held forth as the objects of his labours, — ^yet that charity and forbear-
1 Vide Barruel, vol. ii, p. 357. We do not find in any Bystem of chronology that Christianity existed in the time of Pythagoras^ or at the establishment of the Eleusinian mysteries !
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ance which distingnish the Christian character are never exemplified in the work of Barruel^ and the hypocrisy of his pretensions are often betrayed by the fury of his zeal. The tattered veil behind which he attempts to cloak his inclinations often discloses to the reader the motives of the man and the wishes of his party. The intolerant spirit of a Romish priest breaks forth in every eentence, and brands with in£Eimy every order of men whom he snpposes'to have favoured that fatal revolution which demolished the religious establishment of France, and forced a catholic sovereign to fly for refuge to our hospitable isle. ^
^ These remarks upon the Memoirs of Jacobinism may be reckoned by some too general and acrimonious, especially as Barmel has exculpated the Masons iu England from those enormous crimes with which he has charged their Brethren on the Continent. It is evident, however, though denied by the author, that this exception was intended merely as a compliment to the English Nation; for many of his alle^tions against Free Masonry are so general that they necessarily involve in guilt every class of Afasons, whether British or CoDti- nentaL The falsehood of all these accusations is manifest not only from their heing unsupported by evidence but from the mild and generous conduct of the British legislature to these secret societies ; for if the Government of this country had been credulous enough to believe one half of what Barruel said, it would have been called upon by every motive not only to dissolve, but to extir- pate such villainous associations.
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CHAPTER II.
PARTIAL EXTINCTION OF SECRET ASSOCIATIONS DURING THE DARK
AGES TRAVELLING ARCHITECTS FREE MASONRY EXTINGUISHED
THROUGHOUT EUROPE WITH THE EXCEPTION OF BRITAIN— ORIGIN OF THE KNIGHT TEMPLARS — THEIR PERSECUTION — ^THEIR INNOCENCE MAINTAINED— CONNECTION BETWEEN CHIVALRY AND FREE MASONRY — INITIATION OF THE TEMPLARS INTO THE SYRIAN FRATERNITY.
Having in the preceding Chapter finished what may properlj be denominated the Ancient History of Free Masonry, we are now to trace its progress from the abolition of the heathen rites, in the reign of Theodosins, to the present day; and though the friends and enemies of the Order seem to coincide in opinion upon this part of its history, the materials are as scanty as before, and the incidents equally unconnected. In those ages of ignorance and disorder which succeeded the destruction of the Roman Empire, the minds of men were too debased by superstition and contracted by bigotry to enter into associations for promoting mental improvement and mutual bene- volence. The spirit which then raged was not one of inquiry. The motives which then influenced the conduct of men were not those benevolent and correct principles of action which once distinguished their ancestors, and which still distinguish their posterity. Sequestered habits and unsocial dispositions characterised the inhabitants of Europe in this season of mental degeneracy, while Free Masons, actuated by very different principles, inculcate on their Brethren the duties of social inter- course, and communicate to all within the pale of their Order the know- ledge which they possess and the happiness which they feel. But if science had existed in these ages, and if a desire of social intercourse had animated the minds of men, the latter must have languished for want of gratification as long as the former was imprisoned within the walls of a convent by the tyntnny of superstition or the jealousy of power. Science was in these days synonimous with heresy; and had any bold and enlightened man ventured on philosophical investigations, and published his discoveries to the world, he would have been regarded as a magician by the vulgar, and punished as a heretic by the Church of
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Home. These remarks may be exemplified and confirmed by an appro- priate instance of the interfering spirit of the Romish Church eyen in tho sixteenth century, when learning had made considerable adyance- ment in Europe. The celebrated Baptista Porta having, like the sage of SamoSy trayelle<l into distant countries for scientific information, returned to his native home and established a society which he denominated the Academy of Secrete. He communicated the information which he had collected to the members of this association, who in their turn imparted to their companions the knowledge which they had indiyidually obtained. But this little Fraternity, advancing in respectability and science, soon trembled under the rod of ecclesiastical oppression, and experienced in its dissolution that the Romish hierarchy was determined to check the ardour of investigation, and retain the human mind in its former fetters of ignorance and superstition. How then could Free Masonry flourish when the minds of men had such an unfortunate propensity to monkish retirement, and when every scientific and secret association was so thoroughly overawed and persecuted 1
But though the political and intellectual condition of society was un- favourable to the progress of Free Masonry, and though the secret associations of the ancients were dissolved in the fifth century by the command of the Roman Emperor, yet there are many reasons for believing that the ancient mysteries were observed in private, long after their public abolition, by those enemies of Christianity who were still attached to the religion of their fathers. Some authors ^ even inform us that this was actually the case, and that the Grecian rites existed in the eighth century, and were never completely abolished." These consider- ations enable us to connect the heathen mysteries with that trading association of architects which appeared during the dark ages under the special authority of the See of Rome.
The insatiable desire for external finery and gaudy ceremonies which was displayed by the catholic priests in the exercise of their religion, introduced a corresponding desire for splendid monasteries and magnifi- cent cathedrals. But as the demand for these buildings was urgent, and continually increasing, it was with great difficulty that artificers could be procured even for the erection of such pious works. In order to encourage the profession of architecture, the bishops of Rome and the other potentates of Europe conferred on the Fraternity the most important privileges, and allowed them to be governed by laws, customs, and ceremonies peculiar to themselves. This association* was
^ Gibbon, vol. v, chap, xxviii, p. 110.
3 Psellas, n>(/ ^mi^uw^ Uu, ^4»^»u^t9 'ii txxn*tt Vide also Anthologia Hibornica for January 1794, and pp. 11, 12, tupra.
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composed of men of all Nations, of Italian, Greek, French, German, and Flemish artists, who were denominated Free Masons, and who, ranging from one country to another, erected those elegant churches and cathe- drals which, though they once gratified the pride and sheltered the rites of a corrupted priesthood, now excite the notice of antiquarians and administer to the grandeur of kingdoms. The goyernment of this association was remarkably regular. Its members lived in a camp of huts reared beside the building on which they were employed. A sur- veyor or master presided over and directed the whole. Every tenth man was called a warden, and overlooked those who were under his charge; and such artificers as were not members of this Fraternity were prohibited from engaging in those buildings which they alone had a title to rear.^ It may seem strange, and perhaps inconsistent with what we have already said, that the Fraternity of Free Masons should have been sanctioned, and even protected by the bishops of Rome, — secret associations being always a terror to temporal and spiritual tyranny. But these heads of the Church, instead of approving of Free Masonry by the encouragement and patronage which they gave to architects, only employed them as instruments for gratifying their vanity and satiating their ambition ; for, in after ages, when Masons were more numerous, and when the demand for religious structures was less urgent than before, the Roman Pontiffs deprived the Fraternity of those very privileges which had been conferred upon them without solicitation, and persecuted with unrelenting rage the very men whom they had voluntarily taken into favour, and who had contributed to the grandeur of their ecclesiastical establishment.
Wherever the catholic religion was taught, the meetings of Free Masons were sanctioned and patronised. The principles of the Order were even imported into Scotland," where they continued for many ages in their primitive simplicity, long after they had been extinguished in the continental kingdoms. In this manner Scotland became the centre from which these principles again Issued, to illuminate not only the Nations on the continent but every civilized portion of the habitable world. What those causes were which continued the Societies of Fre^ Masons longer in Britain tlian in other countries it may not perhaps be easy to determine ; but as the fact itself is unquestionably true, it must have arisen either from some favourable circumstance in the political
^ Wren's Parentalia, or a History of the Family of Wren, pp. 306-307. Henry's History of Great Britain, vol. vm, p. 273, book iv, chap, v, sec. 1. Robison's Proofs of a Conspiracy, p. 21.
'a.d. 1140. Vide Statistical Account of Scotland, parish of Kilwinning. Edinbargh Magazine for April 1802.
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state of Britain which did not exist in the other governments of Europe, or from the superior policy by which the British Masons eluded the suspicion of their enemies, and the greater prudence with which they maintained the simplicity and respectability of their Order. The for- mer of these causes had, without doubt, a considerable share in pro- ducing the effect under consideration ; and we know for certain that in our own days the latter has preserved Free Masonry in a flourishing condition throughout these United Kingdoms, while in other countries the imprudence and foolish innovations of its members have exposed it to the severest and justest censures, and, in many cases, to the most violent persecutions. It is a fact requiring no confirmation, and result- ing from the most obvious causes, that Free Masonry never flourishes in seasons of public commotion ; and during these, even in Great Britain, though the seat of war is commonly in foreign countries, it has univer- sally declined. But in those lands which are the theatre of hostilities it will be neglected in a still greater degree ; and if these hostilities are long continued or of frequent recurrence, the very name and principles of the Order must soon be extinguished. Amid those continual wars, therefore, which during the middle ages distracted and desolated the continent of Europe, the association of architects would be easily dis- solved, while on the western coast of Scotland, in the humble village of Kilwinning, they found a safe retreat from the violent convulsions of continental war^
Before we detail the progress of Free Masonry after its importation into Britain, it will be necessary to give some account of The Knight Templars, a Fraternity of Free Masons whose affluence and virtues aroused the envy of cotemporaries, and whose unmerited and unhappy end must have frequently excited the compassion of posterity. To prove that the Order of the Knight Templars was a branch of Free Masonry would be a useless labour, as the fact has been invariably acknowledged by Free Masons themselves, and none have been more zealous to establish it than the enemies of their Order ;^ the former have admitted the fact, not because it was creditable to them but because it was true ; and the latter have supported it, because, by the aid of a little sophistry, it might be employed to disgrace their opponents.
* Vide Bamiel's Memoirs of Jacobinism, vol. ii, p. 379-383, where this is attempted at some length. As Barmel, however, was unacquainted with either the observances of the Templars or those of Free Masons, he has attributed to both many absurd rites which never existed but in his own mind. For the samo reason he has omitted many points of resemblance, which would have established the common opinion upon an immovable foundation.
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The Order of the Knight Templars was instituted daring the Crusades, in the year 1119, by Hugo de Payens and Godfrey de St Omer, and received this appellation because its members originally resided near the church in Jerusalem which was dedicated to our Saviour. Though their professed object was to protect those Christian pilgrims whose mistaken piety had led them to the Holy City, yet it is almost beyond a doubt that their chief and primary intention was to practise and preserve the rites and mysteries of Free Masonry. We know at least that they not only possessed the mysteries, but performed the ceremonies and inculcated the duties of Free Masons; and it is equally certain that the practising of these rites could contribute nothing to the protection and comfort of the catholic pilgrims. Had they pub- licly avowed the real object of their institution, instead of that favour which they so long enjoyed, they would have experienced the animosity of the Church of Rome. But as they were animated with a sincere regard for the Catholic faith, and with a decided abhorrence for the infidel possessors of Judea, it was never once suspected that they transacted any other business at their secret meetings but that which concerned the regulation of their Order, the advancement of religion, and the extirpation of its enemies. The prodigies of valour which they exhibited against the infidels ; the many charitable deeds which they performed lowards the distressed pilgrims ; and the virtues which adorned their private character, procured for them from the rulers of Europe that respect and authority to which they were so justly entitled, and which they so long maintained. But these were not the only rewards which they purchased by their virtues and military prowess. From the munificence of the Popes, the generosity of the pious princes and nobles of Europe, and from the gratitude of those wealthy pilgrims who had experienced in the moments of distress their kind assistance, they had acquired such immense possessions in every king- dom of Europe, but particularly in France, that their revenues often exceeded those of the secular princes. Thus ihdependent in their cir- cumstances, and being fatigued with those unsuccessful struggles against the infidels which they had maintained with such heroic courage, they returned to their native land to enjoy in peace and quiet the recompense of their toils. But like all men who are suddenly transported from danger and fatigue to luxury and ease, many of them deviated from that virtuous course which they had hitherto pursued, and indulged too freely in those amusements to which they were invited by opulence and impelled by inactivity. Thus, from the indiscretions of a few, the Order lost a considerable share of those honours and that celebrity which they had long enjoyed. But this relaxation of discipline and
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attachment to luxurious indolence were the principal faults chargeable against them j and to men of their spirit the forfeiture of popularity, which was the consequence of their apostacy, would be a sufficient punishment. This, however, was not the sentiment of Philip the Fair. That rapacious monarch, instigated by private resentment, and encour- aged by the prospect of sharing in their ample revenues,^ imprisoned in one day all the Templars in France, merely at the instance of two worthless members of the Order who had been disgraced and punished by their superiors for their vices.* It was pretended by these base accusers that the Templars abjured our Saviour, — that they spit upon his cross, — ^that they burned their children, — and committed other atrocities from ^vhich the mind recoils with horror, and which could have been perpetrated only by men as completely abandoned as the informers themselves. Under the pretence of discovering what degree of credit might be attached to these accusations the Knights were extended on the rack till they confessed the crimes with which they were charged. Several of them, when stretched on this instrument of agony, made every acknowledgment which their persecutors desired. But others — ^retaining that fortitude and contempt of death which they had exhibited on the field — persisted in denying the accusations, and proclaimed with their latest breath the innocence of their Order ; and many of those who had tamely submitted to their persecutors retracted the ignominious confessions which the rack had extorted, and main- tained their integrity in the midst of those flames which the barbarous Philip kindled for their destruction. Fifty-nine of these unhappy men were burnt alive at Paris by a slow fire ; and the same vindictive spirit was exhibited in the other provinces of France and in the other nations of Europe. The fortitude which in every country was displayed by these unfortunate sufferers could have been inspired by innocence alone^
^ [His darling object was to set the power of the raoDarchy above that of the chnrch. In his celebrated controversy with Pope Boniface, the Templars had been on the side of the Holy See. Philip, whose animosity pursued Boniface even heyond the grave, wished to be revenged on all who had taken his side : moreover, the immense wealth of the Templars, which he reckoned on making his own if he could destroy them, strongly attracted the king, who had already tasted of the sweets of the spoliation of the Lombards and the Jews ; and he probably also feared the obstacle to the perfect establishment of despotism which might be ofiered by a numerous, noble, and wealthy society such as the Templars formed. — ^Burnes's Sketch of the History of the Knight Templars, pp. 26, 27.— E.]
3 [Squin de Flexian, who had been a Prior of the Templars, and had been ex- pelled the Order for heresy and various vices, and Noffb Dei, " a man,*' says Villani, « full of all iniquity."— Bumes's Sketch, p. 28.— E.]
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and is a strong proof that their minds were neither so enervated by indolence, nor their bodies so enfeebled by luxury, as has been generally believed. The only murmurs which escaped from their lips were those which expressed their anguish and remorse that they had betrayed in the hour of pain the interests of their Order, and had confessed them- selves guilty of crimes unworthy of men and of Templars.
But the scene which was to complete their ruin and satiate the vengeance of their enemies was yet to be enacted. Their Grand Master, Jacques de Molay,^ and other dignitaries of the Order, still survived; and though they had made the most submissive acknowledg- ments which could have been desired, yet the influence which they had over the minds of the vulgar, and their connection with many princes of Europe, rendered them formidable and dangerous to their oppressors. By the exertion of that influence they might restore union to their dismembered party, and inspire them with courage to revenge the murder of their companions ; or, by adopting a more cautious method, they might repel by uncontrovertible proofs the charges for which they suffered, and by interesting all men in their behalf, they might expose Philip to the attacks of his own subjects and to the hatred and contempt of Europe. Awaro of the danger to which his character and person would be exposed by pardoning the survivors, the French Monarch commanded the Grand Master and his brethren to be led out to a scaffold erected for the purpose, and there to confess before the public the enormities of which their Order had been guilty, and the justice of the punishment which had been inflicted on their brethren. If they adhered to their former confessions a full pardon was promised to them, but if they should persist in maintaining their innocence, they were threatened with destruction on a pile of wood which the executioners had erected in their view to awe them into compliance. While the multitude were standing around in awful expectation, ready from the words of the prisoners to justify or condemn their king, the venerable Molay, with a cheerful and undaunted countenance, advanced in chains to the edge of the scaffold, and with a firm and impressive tone thus addressed the spectators : — '* It is but just that in this terrible day, and in the last moments of my life, I lay open the iniquity of falsehood, and make truth to triumph. I declare then, in the face of heaven and earth, and I confess to my eternal shame and confusion, that I have committed
^ [Jacques de Molay was elected Grand Master in the year 1297, and was the second elevated to that dignity after the expulsion of the Christians from the Holy Land. He was of an ancient family in Besanyon, Franche Campte, and entered the Order in the year 1265.— Burnes's Sketch, p. 27, «ofe.— E.]
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the greatest of crimes; but it haa been only in acknowledging those that have been charged with so much virulence upon an Order which truth obliges me to pronounce innocent. I made the first declaration thej required of me only to suspend the excessive tortures of the rack, and mollify those that made me endure them. I am sensible what torments they prepare for those that have courage to revoke such a confession ; but the horrible sight which they present to my eyes is not capable of making me confirm one He by another. On a condition so in&mous as that I freely renounce life, which is already but too odious to me, for what would it avail me to prolong a few miserable days when i must owe them only to the blackest of calumnies.'* ^ In consequence of this manly revocation, the Grand Master and his companions were hurried into the flames, where they retained that contempt of death which they had exhibited on former occasions in the field. This mournful scene ej^torted tears from the most abandoned of the people. Four valiant knights, whose charity and valour had procured them the gratitude and applause of mankind, suffering without fear the most cruel and ignominious death, was indeed a spectacle well calculated to excite emotions of pity in the hardest hearts; and whatever opinion we may entertain concerning the character of that unhappy Order, every mind of sensibility will compassionate their fate, and denounce the inhuman policy of Philip the Fair.
From this short and imperfect account of the origin, progress, and dis- solution of the Knight Templars, the reader will be enabled to under- stand the merits of the question respecting their innocence, which it is necessary here to consider. The opinions of cotemporary writers were too much infinenced by party spirit and religious zeal to merit any re- gard in this investigation. All those writers,^ however, who are gene- rally deemed impartial, and who were in no respect interested either in their condemnation or acquittal, have without hesitation pronounced them innocent of the charges imputed to them, and ascribed their destruc- tion to the avarice and private resentment of Philip. In the decision of these historians the public had in general acquiesced till their sentiments were unsettled by the bold pretensions and the sophistical reasoning of Barruel. This writer has charged upon them all those crimes with which their enemies had formerly loaded them. He has attempted to justify the severity of the French king, and has reproacl^, with the bitterest invective, the Society of Free Masons, because they were once
^ Histoire de Chevaliers Hotipitaliers de Saint Jean de Jerusalem, par Abb$ Vertot, torn, ii, pp. 101, 102.
■ Among these we may reckon Hume, — History of England, vol. ii, p. 373 ; Henry, — History of Britain, vol. viii ; and Vertot, «/ tupra,
3
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connected with a Fraternity which, in his opinion^ was so wicked and profane. While we endeavour^ therefore, to defend the Templars against these recent calumnies, we shall at the same time he maintaining the respectahilitj of our own Order hj vindicating its memhers from that imputed depravity which, according to Barruel, they have inherited from their fathers.
In order to form an impartial judgment respecting any sentence which has heen passed without proper evidence, either against individuals or associations, it is necessary to he acquainted with the motives and character of the accusers, and with the benefits which might accrue to them and the judges by the punishment or liberation of the accused. In the case before ns the latter had been disgraced and imprisoned by the former. Sordid and private motives actuated their chief prosecutor and judge, and many rival Orders, who had been languishing in obscurity and indigence, propagated with assiduity slanderous accusations, in the hope of sharing in those ample possessions and that public favour which had been acquired by the superior abilities of the Templars. To all ranks of men, indeed, the veneration which their name inspired was an object of envy. Their revenues were calculated to create uneasiness in a covetous mind, and the remarkable regularity of their conduct was no small incitement to detraction. Such were the motives and prospects of their judges and accusers. Let us attend now to the accusations which were brought against them, and we shall find that these could scarcely come under the cognizance of law, as their pretended crimes were committed against themselves and not against society. Did they perpetrate murder upon any of their fellow-citizens 1 This was never laid to their charge. Did they purloin any man's treasures ? Of theft they were never accused. Did they instigate to rebellion the sub- jects of any Government, or plot destruction against the person of any king? Under such a character they were never known till Barmel called them traitors and regicides ; because, forsooth, it was his opinion that their successors, the Free Masons of France, were accessory to the murder of their Sovereign. What then were their crimes ? It was said that they bnmed their own children ! And yet an instance was never adduced in which the child of a Templar had disappeared, and in which the tenderness of a mother, as certainly would have happened, remon- strated against the murder of her infant. They were said to have com- mitted upon one another the most unnatural of all crimes ! And yet no individual produced a specific instance which he could corroborate by indubitable proof. They were accused of insulting the Cross of Christ ; and yet they had shed their blood in the defence of His religion. Of deeds like these one msLj conceive a depraved individual to have been guilty ;
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bat to believe tbat a respectable Fraternity, consistiDg of thoasands of members, could be ocpable of such enormities, requires a degree of faith to which the most credulous will scarcely attain.
Their innocence, and the injustice of Philip, will be still more apparent by considering the conduct of the latter, as related even by Barruel. This writer observes, " That two men who had been imprisoned for their crimes declared that they had some important discoveries to make con- cerning the Knight Templars, and that this declaration, though entitled to little credit, made the king determine on the dissolution of the Order, and arrest in one day all the Templars in his kingdom.**^ Here then, at the very outset, was the most flagrant injustice. Without summon- ing a single witness, without examining a single Knight, without con- sulting a single friend, without even knowing what the important dis- coveries were which the criminals had to make, the French king deter- mined on the destruction of an Order whose Grand Master had been his particular friend, and even the godfather of one of his children.' This latter circumstance, indeed, is brought forward by Barruel to justify the conduct of Philip, becaose he sacrificed the duties of friendship to the principles of justice ; but, taken in connection with the other parts of his conduct, it says little for either the head or the heart of that unscrupulous monarch.
Such being the premature and precipitate determination of Philip, we may consider the Order as at that time dissolved, and regard all those examinations, inquiries, confessions, trials, and councils which succeeded, as mere phantoms of justice, conjured up by that crafty prince to dazzle the eyes of his subjects, and sanctify the depravity of his own conduct. By keeping this circumstance in view, the intelligent reader will be enabled to understand the minute though sometimes contradictory details of historians respecting the trial and confessions of the Templars ; and^ notwithstanding the veil of justice with which the judges attempted to cover their proceedings, he will be aided in developing those detest- able principles upon which their trial was conducted, and the despicable motives which induced Clement the Fifth to partake in the guilt of Philip the Fair.
The most formidable, and indeed the only plausible argument by which Barruel supports his opinions, is drawn from the confessions of the Templars. He maintains that these were free from compulsion, and that no set of men could be so base as to accuse their Brethren of crimes of which they believed them to be entirely innocent. But the fallacy of his reasoning will manifest itself upon the slightest reflection. It is a curious, though unquestionable fact, that when an avowal must be
^ Memoirs of Jacobinism, vol. ii, p. 364. ' Ibid, vol. ii, p. 366.
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made, men are more ready to accuse themselves of actions of which they have never heen guilty than to confess those which they have actually committed. Such as have attended to the operation of their own minds, particularly in the earlier part of life, will acquiesce in this extraordinary truth ; and those who have not had occasion to observe it, will find, upon consideration, that it is consonant to the constitution of the human mind. When a man confesses himself guilty of a crime which he has really perpetrated, he is exposed not only to the reproaches of his own conscience but to those of the world, and should he at any time retract his confessions he must be aware that every subsequent inquiry would only confirm the truth of his first deposition. But when a man, from a principle of fear, acknowledges the truth of accusations with which he is unjustly charged, a sense of his integrity and inno- cence supports him under the opprobrium of the world ; he is conscious that his character will be vindicated by every investigation, and that the confessions which he has made may at any time be proved to have been the offspring of necessity. Such undoubtedly were the feelings by which the Templars were actuated. Convinced that the crimes which they were required to acknowledge were of such an unnatural kind that they could never be imputed to them by any reasonable man, they yielded to the solicitations of their persecutors, in the well-grounded assurance that future inquiry would remove the stain which the irresist- ible desire of self-preservation had prompted them to throw upon their character. From this very consideration indeed, namely, from the nature of the crimes charged upon them, many eminent historians have maintained their innocence. But were we even to allow, with Barruel, in opposition to all history, that their avowals were entirely voluntary, wo would from that circumstance, by an application of the principles already laid down, prove not the guilt but the innocence of the Order.
It is not, however, upon speculative principles alone that we can account for their confessions and subsequent recantations. There are fortunately some historical facts which furnish a rational explanation of their conduct, but which Barruel, either from ignorance or design, has totally overlooked. About the commencement of the persecution, Molay, the Grand Master, had been examined at Paris. From the causes which we have already explained, but particularly from a dread of those torments to which an obstinate avowal of his inno- cence would expose hira, he made every confession which his perse- cutors demanded ; and at the same time he transmitted circular letters to an immense number of his Brethren, requesting them to make the same confessions with himself/ for it was only by submissive conduct
^ HuBtoire do Chevaliers Hospitaliers, par Abbtf Vertot, torn, n, p. 86.
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that they could hope to disarm the fury of their enemies and arert the hlow with which their Order was threatened. Agreeably to the request of Molay, many of the Templars made the same acknowledgments; while others, whose morality was more inflexible, and whose courage was more undaunted, disdained to do evil that good might come, and perse- vered unto death in the avowal of their own innocence and that of their companions, Molay, however, and those who had followed his example, soon perceived that though their admissions had protected them from injury as individuals, they had nevertheless rather inflamed the rage of Philip against the Order generally; and being now convinced that their acknowledgments had produced an effect opposite to what they expected, they boldly retracted their former avowals, and adopted that intrepid line of conduct of which we have already given a brief outline. There is another circumstance connected with this part of our subject which, though not taken notice of by historians, is well deserving of the reader's attention. It is asserted by all cotemporary writers, whether the friends or adversaries of the Templars, that all those who maintained their innocence were condemned either to death or to a punishment equally severe ; while all who confessed, and adhered to their confes- sions, were either completely acquitted, or sentenced to a few days' &sting and prayer, or a short imprisonment.^ It is allowed also by these historians, and even by Barruel, that a very considerable number were altogether ignorant of the crimes perpetrated by the others, and that some who were privy to them were not partakers in their guilt. In which class, then, are we to rank these innocent men 1 Among those who snflcred, or among those who were saved? If among the former, their enemies were guilty of the most flagrant injustice and cruelty in consuming the innocent on the same pile with the guilty. If among the latter, they must have been compelled to confess themselves guilty of crimes of which they were entirely innocent.
In order to show that the confessions were voluntary and not extorted, Barruel is obliged to deny facts which are admitted by every historian. But lest his readers should not be so sceptical on that point as himself, he takes care to inform them that the bishops declared that all those whose confessions were extorted by the rack should be regarded as innocent, and that no Templar should be subject to it : That Clement the Fifth rather favoured them, and that he sent the most venerable persons to interrogate those whose age and infirmities prevented them from appearing before him. But who, pray, were those aged and infirm Templars to whom Clement is so compassionate ? Were they men who
* Some of them ovon received pensions for their confessions. Vertot, torn. II, p. 91.
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vere smartiDg under diseases inflicted by the hand of Providence 1 Were they men whose aged limbs were anfit for the ftitigaes of a joamejy or whose grey hairs had excited the pity of the Roman Pontiff? No ! They were a few undaunted Knights^ whom the blood-extorting screws of their tormentors had tortured and disabled, whose flesh had been lacerated on the rack, and whose bones had been disjointed or broken on the wheel. These are the men who, in the language of the abore writer, were prevented by their age and infirmities from travelling to Poictiers, or who, in the more simple style of the Pope himself, were Unable to ride on horMbacky or to hear any other method of convej/ance whatsoever. Such was ihat mildness of Clement which Barruel applauds I And such too, we may add, is the integrity of Barruel.
Having thus endeavoured to vindicate the character of our ancestors from the accusations of their enemies, h is necessary to make a few remarks respecting the ceremonial observances which are attributed to them and their posterity by the author of the Memoirs of Jacobinism. BAt this, our opponents well know, is ground on which Free Masona are prohibited to enter by the rules of their Order. It is here, conse- quently, that the most numerous, and apparently the most successful attacks have been made, for we can be provided with no means of defence without laying open the mysteries ef the Fraternity. Conscious of the disadvantages under which we labour, our adversaries have invented the most £rightfal and foolish ceremonies, and imposed ihem upon the world as those of Free Masonry; among these may be reckoned those rites and oaths which Barruel ascribes to the Templar» and their posterity, but which, we solemnly aver, have no connection with either the one or the other ; and were we permitted to divulge the whole of our ritual system, many who have duped the public by deceitful information would stand abashed at their conduct, while others who have confided therein would be astonished at the extent of their credulity. Then might Free Masons defy, as they have done on every other point, the fabrications of the malicious and the conjectures of the ignoiant; then, too, might they mock at the ingenuity of the wise. But as they are bound to preserve from public view the rites of their Order, it is highly disingenuous to assail them in a quarter where resistance is impossible, and where every unprincipled man may triumph wiih impunity. Is not this to assassinate an enemy with his hands tied behind his back 1 Is not this to reproach a foe who is deprived of the power of reply ?
But there is another important consideration which, while it points out in a more striking manner the disingenuity of such conduct, should at the same time incite the candid inquirer to reject every calumny
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against secret associatioDS, arising from reports concerning their rites and ceremonies. If ever the secrets of Free Masonry were betrayed they must have been betrayed by men who were completely destitute of religious principle, who paid no respect to those ties which unite the members of civil as well as secret associations ; who, in short, neither feared God nor regarded man. Suppose then that a person pretending to be a Free Mason offered to communicate either to an individual or to the public the rites and ceremonies of his Order. What degree of credit should men of probity attach to the information which they might in this way receive 1 A person addresses them under the character of a perjurer, offering to violate the most solemn engagements, and to divulge mysteries which have been concealed for ages. He may give them accu- rate information, or he may not. If the secrets which he offers to betray have been hitherto unknown, there is no possible method of ascer- taining the truth of his deposition, and it is rather to be suspected that he will dupe his hearers by a fictitious narrative than trample upon an engagement guarded by the most awful sanctions. He might indeed confirm by an oath the truth of his asseveration, but as he must have violated an oath equally solemn, no man of sense will give him the slightest credit. But granting that he really divulges the rites and ceremonies of Free Masonry, it is either clear that he has not under- stood their true import, or at least that they have made no impression upon his mind ; and it is almost certain, therefore, that from ignorance or misapprehension of their meaning, he will exhibit under an aspect cal- culated to excite ridicule, that which, if properly explained, would com- mand respect. If, then, it be so difficult for the uninitiated to discover those secrets, and still more so to ascertain their signification if they should discover them, what must we think of those who open their ears to every slanderous tale against Free Masons, which unprincipled indi- viduals may impose upon their credulity? What must we think of those who reproach and vilify us upon the doubtful statements of cunning and interested men t We appeal to the impartial reader if they are not equally base with the informers themselves.
Such are some of the considerations by which we would attempt to repel those charges and distorted fa«ts with which Barruel has calum- niated the character and disfigured the history of the Templars. They will be sufficient, we hope, to remove those erroneous impressions which the perusal of the Memoirs of Jacobinism may have left upon the reader's mind ; but although we have adopted the opinion of those who maintain their innocence, we cannot coincide with them in believing that, as indi- viduals, they were totally exempt from blame. They were possessed of the same corrupted nature, and influenced by the same passions as
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their fellow-meD; and were unquestioDably exposed to stronger and more numerous temptationa Some of them, therefore, may have been guilty of crimes^ and these, too, of an aggravated kind, which by a strange though not bncommon mistake^ may have been transferred to their Order. But it was never proved that they Were traitors, child-mar^ derers, regicides, and infidels. A certain class of historians, indeed, have imputed to them such iniquities, and when unable to establish their assertions have fixed upon them the more probable charges of drunken- ness and debauchery. But amidst all these accusations we hear nothing of that valour which first raised them to pre-eminence ; nothing of that oharity and beneficenee which procured them the respectof cotemporaries; nothing of that fortitude and patience which most of them exhibited on the rack and in the flames. In their case it has been too true that
The evil which men do lives after them ; The good is oft interred with their bones.
But allowing them to be as guilty as their enemies have represented/ tipon what principles of sound reasoning or common sense does Barruel transfer their guilt to the Fraternity of Free Masons ? Is it . absolutely necessary that the son should inherit the bodily diseases and the mental debility of his forefathers ? or is it fair that one Order, pro- posing to itself the same object, and instituted upon the same principles as another, should be charged also with the same crimes 7 Certainly not. If virtue and vice were hereditary qualities we might arrogate to ourselves much honour from our connection with the Templars j but as we have not been applauded for their virtues, we should not be re- proached for their crimes. But the reasoning of Barruel is as repugnant to the dictates of experience as it is to those of common sense. Were not the inhabitants of England at one period fanatics, rebels, and regicides ? But where now is the Nation that is more liberal in its religion and more steady in its loyalty ! Did not the French at one time torture, bi^m, and massacre their fellow-citizens, from the fury of their religious zeal and the strength of their attachment to the Catholic communion ? But what Nation is at present less influenced by religions principles, and less attached to the Church of Rome ! Did not the rulers of France at one time torment and assassinate hundreds of the Templars because they deemed them infidels, traitors, and regicides 1 And have we not seen, in these latter days, the rulers of France themselves infidels, traitors, and regicides i If, however, the impartial reader should upon farther inquiry give credit to the guilt of the Templars, in order to remove the imputed stain which has been transferred to Free Masons it may be Bufilcient to address him in the words of the poet,
Tempora mutaniur, et nos mutamnr in illis.
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Abontr the time of the Knight Templars, Chivalry bad attained its highest perfection. It had its existence indeed prior to this period, but as it continued to influence the minds of men long after the destruction of that Order, we have deferred its consideration till the present stage of our history. When it made its first appearance the moral and political condition of Europe Was in every respect deplorable. The religion of Jesus existed only in name. A degrading superstition had usurped its place, threatening ruin to the reason and the dignity of man. The political rights of the lower orders were sacrificed to the interests of the higher. War was carried on with a degree of savage cruelty, equalled only by the sanguinary contentions of beasts of prey, — no clemency was shown to the vanquished, — no humanity to the captive. The female sex were sunk below their natural level, were doomed to the most laborious occupations, and were deserted and despised by the very sex on whose protection and sympathy they have so natural a claim. To remedy these disorders, a few intelligent and pious men formed an association whose membem obligated themselves to defend the Christian religion, to practise its morals, to protect widows and orphans, and to decide judicially, and not by arms, the disputes that might arise about their goods or effects. It was from this body undoubtedly that chivalry arose^^ and not, as some think, from the public investiture with arms, which was customary among the ancient Germans. But whatever was its origin, it produced a considerable change in the opinions and customs of society. It could not indeed eradicate that ignorance and depravity which engendered those evils that we have already enumerated. It softened however the ferocity of war. It restored woman to that honourable rank which she now possesses, and which at all times she was entitled to hold. It inspired those sentiments of generosity, sym- pathy, and friendship which have contributed so much to the civilization of the world, and introduced that principle of honour which, though f&T from being a laudable motive to action, often checks the licentious when moral and religious considerations would make no impression upon their minds. Such was its origin, and such the blessings which it imparted. That it was a branch of Free Masonry may be inferred from a variety of considerations, — ^from the consent of those who have made the deepest researches into the one, and who were intimately acquainted with the spirit, rites, and ceremonies of the other. They were both ceremonial institutions, and important precepts were communicated to the members of each for the regulation of their conduct as men and as brethren. Its ceremonies, like those of Free Masonry, though unintelligible to the
^ BoutainTilliers on the Ancient Parliaments of France, Letter 5 ; quoted in Brydson's Summary View of Heraldry, pp. 24, 25, 26.
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ynlgar, were always symbolical of some important truths. The object of both Societies was the same, and the members boand themselves by an oath to promote it with ardour and zeal. In chivalry there were also different degrees of honour through which the youth were obliged to pass before they were invested with the dignity of knighthood ; and the Knights, like Free Masons, were formed into Fraternities or Orders, distinguished by different appellations. ^
From these circumstances of resemblance we do not mean to infer that Chivalry was Free Masonry under another name, we mean only to show that the two were intimately connected ; that the former took its origin from the latter, and borrowed from it not only some of its ceremonial observances but the leading features and the general outline of its con- stitution. These points of similarity, indeed, are in some cases so striking that several learned men have affirmed that Free Masonry was a secondary Order of Chivalry, and derived its origin from the usages of that institu- tion ;' but by what process of reasoning these authors arrive at this conclusion it is impossible to conjecture. The only argument which they adduce is the similarity of the institutions ; but they do not con- sider that this proves with equal force that Free Masonry is the parent of Chivalry. We have already shown that there were many secret societies among the ancients, particularly that of the Dionysian architects, which resembled Free Masonry in everything but the name; and it requires no proof that this brotherhood arose many hundred years before the existence of chivalry. If then there are points of resemblance between the institution we have been comparing, we must consider Free Masonry as the fountain and Chivalry only as the stream. The one was adapted to the habits of intelligent artists, and could flourish only in times of civilization and peace ; the other was accommodated to the dispositions of a martial age, and could exist only in seasons of ignorance and war. With these observations, indeed, the history of both societies entirely corresponds. In the enlightened ages of Greece and Rome, when Chivalry was unknown. Free Masonry flourished under the sanction of government and the patronage of intelligent men. But during the reign of Gothic ignorance and barbarity which followed the destruc- tion of Imperial Rome, Free Masonry languished in obscurity, while Chivalry succeeded in its place, and proposed to accomplish the same object by different means, which, though more rough and violent, were better suited to the manners of the age. And when science and litera-
1 Brydson's Summary View of Heraldry, jpcwnwi.
" Chevalier Ramsay. Robison's Proofs of a Conspiracy, p. 39. Leydeti's Preliminary Dissertation to the Compbiynt of Scotland, pp. 67, 71 ; and tho Preface to the sixth edition of Guiilim's Display of Heraldry.
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tare reviyed in Europe, and scattered those olouds of ignorance and barbarism with which she had been overshadowed^ Chivalrj decayed along with the manners that gate it birth, while Free Masonry arose with increasing splendour, and advanced with the same pace as civilisa- tion and refinement The connection between them is excellently exemplified in the Knight Templars. It is well known that this was an Order of Chivalry, and that the members thereof performed its cere- monies atid were influenced by its precepts; and we know that they were also initiated into the mysteries, regulated by the maxims, and practised the rites of Free Masonry.^ But though they then existed in a double capacity, it must be evident to all .who study their history that their Masonic character chiefly predominated; and that they deduced the name of their institution and their external observances from the . Usages of chivalry to conceal from the Roman Pontiff their primary object, and to hold their secret meetings free from suspicion or alarm. About this time, indeed, the Church of Rome sanctioned the Fraternity of Operative Masons, aild allowed them to perform their ceremonies without molestation or fear. But this clemency^ as we have already observed, was a matter of necessity ;' and the same interested motive which prompted his Holiness to patronise that trading association, could never influence him to countenance the duplicity of the Templars, or permit them to exist in their Masonic capacity. It was the discovery, indeed, of their being Free Masons, of their assembling secretly, and performing ceremonies to which no stranger was admitted, that occa- sioned those calamities which befel them. It will no doubt appear surprising to some readers that such zealous defenders of the Catholic religion should practise the observances of a body which the Church of Rome has always persecuted with the bitterest hostility. But their surprise will cease, when they are informed that about the middle of the eighteenth century, when Free Masonry was prohibited in the Eccle- siastical States by a papal bull, the members of the Romish church adopted the same plan, and, being firmly attached to the principles and practice of the Fraternity, established what they called a new associa^ tion, into which they professed to admit nqne but zealous abettors of the papal hierarchy. In this manner, by flattering the pride of the church they eluded its vigilance, and preserved the spirit of Free Masonry by merely changing its name, and professing to make it subservient to the interests of the Pontificate.
Before leaving this subject, it may be interesting to some readers, and necessary for the satisfe-ction of others, to show in what manner the Knight Templars became depositaries of the Masonic mysteries. We
1 Vide pp. 29, 30, tupra. ■ Vide pp. 27, 28, wupra.
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have already seen tbat almost all the secret associations of the ancients either flourished or originated in Syria and the adjacent countries. It was here that the Dionysian artists, the Essenes, and the Kasideans arose. From this country also came several members of the trading commnnity of Masons which appeared in Europe during the dark ages;^ and we are assured that notwithstanding the unfavourable con- dition of that province, there exists at this day one of these Syriao Fraternities on Mount Libanus.' As the Order of the Knight Templars therefore was originally formed iu Syria, and existed there for a con* siderable time, it is no improbable supposition that they received their Masonic knowledge from the Lodges in that quarter. But in this case we are fortunately not left to conjecture, as we are expressly informed ,by a foreign author,' who was well acquainted with the history and customs of Syria, that they were actually members of the Syriao Fraternities.
^ Mr Clinch, who appears not to have been acquainted with this fact, supposes that Free Masonry was introduced into Europe hy means of the Gypsies. Anthologia Hibernica for April 1794. There was such an intimate connection between Asia and Europe in the time of the Crusades, that the customs and manners of the one must in some measure have been transferred to the other.
" Anthologia Hibernica for April 1794.
' Adler de Drusis Montis LibanL — Rome 1786.
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THE HISTORY OF FREB MASONRY. 45
CHAPTER III.
PROGRESS OF FREE MASONRY IN BRITAIN. INTRODUCED INTO SCOTLAND.
— CAUSES OP ITS DECLINE. HISTORY OF IN THE REION OF HENRY
VI. HISTORY OF IN SCOTLAND FROM JAMES I. TO VI.— OFFICE OF
HEREDITARY GRAND MASTER CONFERRED UPON THE ST CLAIRS OF R08LIN. — RESIGNATION OF BY WILLIAM ST CLAIR IN 1736.
Hating compared Free Masonry with those Secret Associations which arose during the dark ages, let us now direct our attention to its pro- gress in Britain after it was extinguished in the other kingdoms of the Continent. We have already seen that a trading Fraternity of Free Masons existed in Europe during the middle ages, — that many special favours were conferred upon them hy the Roman See, — that they had the exclusive privilege of erecting those magnificent buildings which were reared by the pride of the Church of Rome, and endowed by the misguided zeal of its members, — that several Masons travelled into Scotland about the beginning of the twelfth century, and imported into that country the principles and ceremonies of their Order^ — and we have accounted for the preservation of this association in Britain after its total dissolution on the Continent.^
^ In addition to the reasons already given, another might have been adduced, which without doubt operated very powerfully in the preservation of Free Masonry in Britain. The first Lodges in this country were certainly com- posed of foreigners, who, when the patronage of the Church was with- drawn from them, were probably unable or unwilling to undergo the danger and expense of returning to their homes by sea. The Lodges of which they undoubtedly were the leading members would on this account continue in a more flourishing condition, as the foreign members would find it their interest to connect themselves with the inhabitants by the ties of a Brothei^Mason, when they had no claim upon their afii^ctions as fellow-countrymen. But the case was quite different with Continental Lodges, which were entirely com- posed of artists from every country ou the Continent, for when the Church of Rome had no farther occasion for their services they would return to their respective homes, and Free Masonry would soon decay when her supporters were dispersed and her Lodges forsaken.
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That Free Masonry was introduced into Scotland by those architects who bnilt the Abbey of Kilwinning is evident, not only from those authentic documents by which the existence of the Kilwinning Lodge has been traced back as far as the end of the fifteenth century, but by other collateral arguments which amount almost to a demonstration. In every country where the temporal and spiritual jurisdiction of the Pope was acknowledged, there was a continual demand, particularly during the twelfth century, for religious structures, and consequently for opera- tive Masons, proportionate to the piety of the inhabitants and the opulence of their ecclesiastical establishment; and there was no kingdom in Europe where the zeal of the inhabitants for Popery was more ardent — the kings and nobles more liberal to the cler^— or the Church more richly endowed than in Scotland.^ The demand, therefore, for elegant cathedrals and ingenious artists must have been proportionably greater here than in other countries, and that demand could be supplied only from the trading associations on the Continent. When we consider, in addition to these facts, that this Society monopolized the building of all the religious edifices in Christendom, we are authorised to conclude that those numerous and elegant ruins, which still adorn various parts of Scot- land, were erected by foreign Masons who introduced into this island the customs of their Order.
It was probably about this time also that Free Masonry was intro- duced into England ; but whether the English received it from the Scotch masons at Kilwinning, or from other Brethren who had arrived from the Continent, there is no method of determining. The Fraternity in England, however, maintain that St Albau, the proto -martyr, was the first who brought Masonry to Britain, about the end of the third cen- tury; that the Brethren received a charter from King Athelstane, and that his brother Edwin summoned all the Lodges to meet at York, which formed the first Grand Lodge of England.^ But these are merely asser- tions, not only incapable of proof from authentic history, but incon- sistent also with several historical events which rest upon indubitable evidence.' In support of these opinions, indeed, it is alleged that no other Lodge has laid claim to greater antiquity than that of the Grand Lotlge at York, and that its jurisdiction over the other Lodges in England has been invariably acknowledged by the whole Fraternity. But this argument only proves that York was the birth-place of Free
^ The Church possessed above one-half of the property in the kingdom. Robertson's History of Scotland, Books if and in.
' A.D. 926. Preston's Illustrations of Masonry, p. 148. Smith's Use and Abuse of Free Masonry, p. 61. Free Masons' Kalendar, 1778.
■ Dr Plot's Natural History of Staffordshire, chap, viii, pp. 316 318.
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TBfi HISTORY OF FREE MASOMRT. 47
Masoniy in England. It brings no additional evidence in support of the improbable stories abont St Alban, Athelstane, and Edwin. If the antiquity of Free Masonry in Britain can be defended only by the invention of silly and uninteresting stories, it does not deserve to be defended at all. Those who invent and propagate such tales do not surely consider that they bring discredit upon their Order by the warmth of their zeal ; and that, by supporting what is false, they deter thinking men from believing what is true.
After the establishment of the Kilwinning and York Lodges the principles of Free Masonry were rapidly diffused throughout both king- doms, and several Lodges were erected in different parts of the island. As all these derived their authority and existence from the two Mother Lodges, they were likewise under their jurisdiction and control; and when any differences arose which were connected with the art of build- ing, they were referred to the general meetings of the Fraternity, which were always held at Kilwinning and York. In this manner Free Masonry flourished for a time in Britain when it was completely abolished in every other part of the world. But even here it was doomed to suffer a long and serious decline, and to experience those alternate successions of advancement and decay which mark the history of every human institution. And though, during several centuries after its importation into this country, the Brethren held their public assem- blies, and were sometimes prohibited from meeting by the interference of the legislature, it can scarcely be said to have attracted general attention till the beginning of the seventeenth century. The causes of this remarkable obstruction to its progress are by no means difficult to discover. In consequence of the important privileges which the Order received from the Church of Rome, many chose the profession of an architect, which, though at all times an honourable employment, was particularly so during the middle ages. On this account the body of operative Masons increased to such a degree, and the necessity for reli- gious edifices was so much diminished, that a more than sufficient number could at any time be procured for supplying the demands of the Church and of pious individuals. And there being now no scarcity of architects, the chief reason which prompted the Church to protect the Fraternity no longer existed; consequently she withdrew from them that patronage and those favours which she had spontaneously proffered, and denied them even the liberty of holding their secret assemblies — the unalienable privilege of every free-bom community. But these were not the only causes which produced such a striking change in the con- duct of the Church. We have already mentioned that the spirit of the Order was hostile to the principles of the Church of Rome. The inten-
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Hon of the one was to enlighten the mind, the object and policy of the other to retain it in ignorance ; when Free Masonry flourished, the power of the Chnrch must have decayed. The jealousy of the latter, there- fore, was aroused ; and as the civil power in England and Scotland was almost always in the hands of ecclesiastics, the Church and the State were both combined against the principles and practice of Masonry. ^ Along with these causes, the domestic and bloody wars which convulsed the two kingdoms, from the thirteenth to the seventeenth century, con- spired in a great degree to produce that decline for which we have been attempting to account.
But notwithstanding these unfovourable circumstances, Free Masonry seems to have flourished, and attracted the attention of the public in the reign of Henry VI, who, when a minor, ascended the throne of England in 1 422. In the third year of his reign, indeed, the parliament passed a severe Act against the Fraternity, at the instigation of Henry Bean- fort, Bishop of Winchester, who was then intrusted with the education of the young king. It enacted that the Masons should no longer hold their chapters and annual assemblies, — that those who summoned them should be considered as felons, — and those who resorted to them should be fined and imprisoned ; > but it would appear that this Act was never put in execution, as a Lodge was held at Canterbury in the year 1429, under the patronage of the Archbishop himself." When Henry was able to take into his hands the government of his kingdom, and to form an opinion respecting the use and tendency of the Fraternity, he not only permitted them to hold their meetings without molestation, but honoured their Lodges by his presence. Before he was initiated, however, he seems to have examined with scrupulous care the nature of the insti- tution, and to have carefully perused the charges and regulations of the Order as collected from their ancient records. These facts are contained in a record written in the reign of his successor, Edward IV, and confirmed
^ As a proof of the hostility of the Church of Rome to secret associations which aimed at the enlightenment of the mind, we mentioned (p. 27, supra,) its treatment of the Academy of Secrets, instituted in the sixteenth century, for the advancement of physical science. When a local and temporary institntion thus drew down the vengeance of the Roman See, what must have been its con- duct to a Lodge of Free Masons f A farther account of the Academy of Secrets may be found in Priestley's History of Vision, vol. ii.
* 3 Henry YI, cap. 1, a.o. 1425 ; vide Ruffhead's Statutes. Dr Plot's Natural History of Staffordshire, chap, viii, p. 318.
■ Manuscript Register of William Molart, Prior of Canterbury, p. 28, enti- tled ** Liberatio generalU Domini Gulielmi, prior it EccUsia Ckritti CantuarensiSy erga futum naUUit Domini, 1429.'* In this Register are mentioned the names of the masters, wardens, and other members of the Lodge.
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THE HISTORY OF FBBB MASONRY. 49
by a mannscript in Henry's own handwriting, which is familiar to every person who has stadied the history of our Order. ^ This manascript consists of questions and answers concerning the natnre and tendency of Free Masonry, and seems to be the result of the king's examination of some of the Brethren before he became a member of the Fraternity. It was first procured from the Bodleian Library by the celebrated Mr Locke, who transmitted it to the Earl of Pembroke, with several excel- lent explanatory notes.' In the title it is said to have been faithfully copied from the handwriting of Henry VI by John Leland, antiquarian, who, according to Mr Locke, was the well-known antiquary of that name who lived in the sixteenth century, and was appointed by Henry yill, at the dissolution of monasteries, to search for and save such books as were worthy of preservation. As this manuscript was originally printed at Frankfort, we were led to inquire upon what grounds the explanatory notes, and the letter to the Earl of Pem- broke which accompanies them, were believed to be the production of Mr Locke, when we found that this had been uniformly taken for granted by every writer upon the subject, though the circumstance la not mentioned in the folio edition of his works. The style of the letter, however, and the acuteness of the annotations, resemble so much that philosopher's manner of writing, and the letter is so descriptive of his real situation at the time it was written, that it is almost impossible to deny their authenticity. In the letter itself, which is dated 6th May 1696, he remarks that he composed the notes for the sake of Lady Masham, who was become very fond of Masonry, and that the mana«
^ Hitherto we have been careful to bring forward no facts upon the sole evidence of the Records, or the opinions of Free Masons ; such evidence, indeed, can never satisfy the minds of the uninitiated public. But when these Records contain facts, the fabrication of which could be of no service to the Fraternity, they may in that case be entitled to credit ; or when facts which reflect honour upon the Order are confirmed by evidence from another quarter, the authority of the Record entitles them to a still greater degree of credit With respect to the facts mentioned in the text, we have not merely the authority of the Record and Manuscript alluded to, but we have proof that there was no collusion in fhe case, for the Record is mentioned in the Book of Constitutions by Dr Anderson, who had neither seen nor heard of the Manu- script.
' This Manuscript was first printed at Frankfort in 1748, and afterwards re- printed in the London and Gentleman's Magazines for 1753. It may be seen in the lives of Leland, Heame, and Wood, — Oxford, 1772, voL i, pp. 96, 104^ Appendix, No. viii ; Dennett's Ahiman Rezon, pp. xxxii-xlii ; and Preston's Illustrations of Masonry, p. 110, [to which is appended a Glossary of obsolete words, and an admirable commentary upon the Manuscript and Mr Locke's Annotations. — ^E.]
4
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50 THE HISTORY OF FREE MASONRY.
script had so much excited his .own curiosity that he was determined to enter the Fraternity the next time he went to London, which, he adds, will he very soon. Now at this time he was residing at Oates, the country seat of Sir Francis Masham, as appears from one of his letters to Mr Molyneux, dated Oates, SOth March 1696 ; and it appears that he actually went to London a short time after the 6th of May, for another letter to the same gentleman is dated London, 2d July 1696.^ Notwithstanding these facts, Dr Plot maintains tliat Free Masonry was not patronised hy Henry VI,' and that those who have supported a diffarent opinion were ignorant of the laws and chronicles of their own country. Dr Plot may have heeu a good chemist and natural historian, hut when our readers hear upon what foundation he has estahlished his opinion, they will agree with us in thinking that he was a had logician. He ohseryes that an Act was passed in the king's minority prohibiting all general assemblies and chapters of Free Masons, and that as this Act was not repealed till 1562, by 5th Elizabeth, cap. 4, it was impossible that Free Masonry could be patron- ised in the same reign in which it was prohibited. The fact is, that the Act was not repealed by 5th Elizabeth, cap. 4, which does not contain a single word about Free Masons. If Dr Plot's argument therefore proves any thing, it would prove that Free Masonry has not been patronised since the reign of Henry VI, for that Act has never yet been repealed. But supposing that it was repealed, the prohibitory statute in Henry's reign might never have been put in execution, as very often happens ; and Dr Plot himself remarks, that the Act 5th Elizabeth was not observed. It is plain, therefore, that instead of being impossible, it is highly probable that King Henry pationised the Fraternity. When they were persecuted by his parliament he was only three years of age, and could neither approve nor disapprove of its sentence ; and it was very natural that when he came to the years of maturity he should undo what his parliament had dishonourably done.
While Free Masonry was flourishing in England under the auspices of Henry VI, it was at the same time patronised in our own country by James I. By the authority of this monarch every Grand Master who was chosen by the Brethren, either from the nobility or clergy, and approved of by the Crown, was entitled to an annual revenue of four pounds Scots from each Master Mason, and likewise to a fee at the initiation of every new member. He was empowered to adjust any differences that might arise among the Brethren, and to regulate those affairs connected with the Fraternity which it was improper to bring
^ Locke's Works, folio, vol. in.
' Natural Hislorjr of Stafibrdshire, cap. viii, p* 318.
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under the cognizance of the coarts of law. The Grand Master also appointed Depnties or Wardens, who resided in the chief towns of Scotland, and managed the concerns of the Order, when it was incon- Tenient to appeal to the Grand Master himself. ^
In the reign of James II, the office of Grand Master was granted by the Crown to William St Clair, Earl of Orkney and Caithness, Baron of Roslin, fonnder of the mnch admired chapel of Koslin. On account of the attention which this nobleman paid to the interests of the Order, and the rapid propagation of the royal art under his administration, the king made the office of Grand Master hereditary to his heirs and successors in the barony of Roslin ; in which family it continued till the institution of the Grand Lodge of Scotland. The Barons of Roslin, as hereditary Grand Masters of Scotland, held their principal annual meetings at Kilwinning, the birth-place of Scotch Masonry, while the Lodge of that Tillage granted constitutions and charters of erection to those Brethren who were anxious that regular Lodges should be formed in different parts of the kingdom. These Lodges all held of the Lodge of Kilwinning, and in token of their respect and submission joined to their own name that of their Mother Lodge, from whom they derived their existence as a corporation. '
During the succeeding reigns Free Masonry still progressed, though little reliable information can be procured respecting the particular state of the Fraternity, " In the Privy Seal Book of Scotland however, there is a letter by King James VI, dated at '' Halyruidhouse, 25th September 1590,*' granting '' to Patrick Copland of Udaught," the right of '' using and exercising the office of ' Wardanrie' over the art and craft of Masonrie, over all the boundis of Aberdeen, Banff, and Kincardine ; to had wardan and justice courts within the said boundis, and there to minister justice." ^ This letter confirms what has been already said
* Vide Appendix, No. II.
' Such as Canongate Kilwinniog ; Glasgow EilwinDiDg, &c., ke.
' [Although we have no direct evidence on the point, we maj reaaonably conclude that during the reign of James III the Craft enjoyed considerable prosperity. The passionate attachment of that Monarch for magnificent build- ings and the Fine Arts, the favours he bestowed upon Cochrane, his architect, and the enconragement he gave to artists generally, make the supposition amount almost to a certainty. The tastes of his successor lying in fortification and gunnery, great numbers of forts and strongholds were erected in his reign ; whilst under James V, a prince far in advance of his age, the royal art was not likely to decline. Moreover, our hypothesis is borne out from the fact, that notwithstanding the feuds and commotions during Mary's time, the Fraternity were in a position to elect their own Grand Master when James YI ascended the English Throne.— £.]
* Privy Seal Book of Scotland, 61, folio 47.
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concerDing tbe state of Masoniy in Scotland, as it proves beyond dispate that the kings nominated the office-bearers of the Order ; that these Provincial Masters, or Wardens as they were then called, administered jostice in every dispute which concerned the ** art and craft of Masonrie ;** that Lodges were established in all parts of the realm, even in those remote, and at that time uncivilised counties of Aberdeen, Banff, and Kincardine ; and it completely overturns the assertion of Dr Robison, who maintains 1 that Elias Ashmole is the only distinct and unequivocal instance of a person being admitted into the Fraternity who was not an architect by profession. ■
The minutes of The Lodge of Edinburgh, Mary's Chapel, No. 1, which is the oldest Lodge in Edinburgh, extend as far back as the year 1598, but as they only contain the ordinary proceedings of the Lodge, we can derive from them no definite information respecting the condition of the Fraternity. It appears, however, from these minutes, that Thomas Boswell, Esq. of Auchinleck, was made a Warden of the Lodge in the year 1600 ; and that the Honorable Robert Moray, Quarter- master-General to the army in Scotland, was created a Master Mason in 1641. These facts are deserving of notice, as they show, in opposition to Dr Robison, that persons were early admitted into the Order who were not professional architects.
When James VI ascended the throne of England, he appears to have neglected his right of nominating the office-bearers of the craft. In Hay's Manuscript, in the Advocates' Library, there are two charters granted by the Scotch Masons, appointing the St Glairs of Roslin their hereditary Grand Masters. The first of these is without a date, but signed by several Masons, who appoint William St Clair of Roslin, his heirs and successors, their '^ patrons and judges.^* ' The other is in some measure a ratification of the first, and dated 1630,* in which they appoint Sir William St Clair of Roslin, his heirs and successors, to be
^ Proofs of a Conspiracy, p. 21.
' [Elias Ashmole the learned Antiquarian, and founder of the Ashmolean Museum at Oxford, was initiated into the Order at Warrington, Lancashire, in October 1646. His dilif^ent inquiries ioto its origin and history, and his fre- quent attendance at the meetings for the long period of nearly half a century, evidence the interest he took in the afiairs of the Fraternity. — He was born at Lichfield in 1617, and died at South Lambeth in 1692, in the 76th year of his age.— E.]
" Vide Appendix, No. I.
^ [This date has been generally given, and is that which appears in the copy of the Charter in Hay's MSS, in the Advocates' Library, but on refer- ence to the Books of the Lodge of Edinburgh at that period, it would appear to have been executed between 1626 and 1628, these being the years during
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their *' patrons, protectors, and overseers, in all time comiogi'* ^ In the first of these deeds, which seems to have been written a little after the nnion of the Crowns, it is stated that the want of a protector for some years had engendered many corruptions among the Masons, and had considerably retarded the progress of the craft ; and that the appoint- ment of William St Clair, Esq. was with the adyice and. consent of William Shaw, Master of Work to his Majesty. ' After presiding over the Order for many years, William St Clair went to Ireland, where he continued a considerable time ; and in copseqnence of his departure the second charter was granted to his son, Sir William St Clair, investing him with the same power which his f&ther enjoyed. It should also be remarked that in both these deeds the appointment by James II of William St Clair, Earl of Orkney and Caithness, to the office of Grand Master, b spoken of as a fact well known and nDiversally admitted. These observatioos will place in a clear point of view what must have hitherto appeared a great inconsistency in the History of Scotch Masonry. In the deed by which William St Clair, Esq. of Roslin, resigned the office of hereditary Grand Master in 1736, it is stated that his ancestors, W^illiam and Sir W illiam St Clair of Roslin^ were constituted patrons of the Fraternity by the Scotch Masons themselves,' while it is well known that the grant of hereditary Grand Master was originally made by James II to their ancestor, William St Clair, Earl of Orkney and Caithness. But when we consider that James VI, by neglecting to exer- cise his power virtually transferred to the craft the right of electing their office-bearers, the inconsistency disappears, as Mr St Clair and his predecessors held their office from the date of these charters by the appointment of the Fraternity itself. Lest any of his posterity however, after his resignation, might lay claim to the office of Grand Master on the ground that this office was bequeathed to them by the grant of James II to the Earl of Caithness and his heirs, — he renounces not only the right to the office which he derived frum the Brethren, but any right
which William jWallace, who subscribes the Charter as Deacon of The Edin- bargh Masons, acted in that capacity. Introduction to the Laws and Constitu- tions of the Grand Lodge of Scotland, 1848.— £.]
^ Vide Appendix, No. II.
' [ A brief Memoir of William Schaw, who occupied so prominent a position amongst Masons, will be found in the Laws and Constitutions of the Grand Lodge of Scotland, Appendix Q 2, p. 113 ; he was bom in 1550, and filled the Office of ** Maister of Wark** from 1584 to 1602. A very curious document, entitled ** The Statutis and Ordinanceis to be obseruit be all the Maister- Maiflsonnis within this Realme," prepared by him in 1598, and bearing his signa- ture, will be found in Appendix, No. VI. — E.]
' The Deed of Resignation is inserted at full length in Chapter vii, infra.
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also^ which, m a descendant of the Earl of Caithness, he could claim from the grant aforesaid.
Notwithstanding the civil commotions which disturbed Britain in the seventeenth century, Free Masonry advanced in ScotUnd under the auspices of the St Clairs of Roslin, though no particular event worthy of notice occurred during that time, or even during the remainder of the century. The annual assemblies were still held at Kilwinning, and many charters and constitutions were granted by the Lodge there for the erection of Daughter Lodges in different parts of the kingdom.
In the year 1736, William St Clair, Esq. of Roslin, who was then Grand Master of Scotland, was under the necessity of disponing his estate, and as he had no children of his own, he was anxious that the office of Grand Master should not be vacant at his death. Having there- fore assembled the Lodges in Edinburgh and neighbourhood, he repre- sented to them the utility that would accrue to the Order by having a nobleman or gentleman of their own choice as Grand Master ; and at the same time intimated his intention to resign into the hands of the Brethren every title to that office which he at present possessed, or which his successors might claim from the grants of the Crown and the kindness of the Fraternity. In consequence of this representa- tion, circular letters were dispatched to all the Lodges in Scotland, in- viting them to appear, either by themselves or proxies, next St Andrew's Day, to concur and assist in the election of a Grand Master. On that day ^ about thirty-two Lodges appeared by themselves or proxies, and after receiving the deed of resignation from William St Clair, Esq., proceeded to the election of another Grand Master ; when, on account of the zeal which William St Clair, Esq. of Roslin, had always shown for the honour and prosperity of the Order, he was unanimously elected to that high offic-e, and proclaimed Grand Master Mason of all Scotland.
Thus was instituted The Grand Lodge of Scotland, which has now more than completed the first century of her existence, during which period she has acted a conspicuous part in many important events and undertakings, and whose History, being that also of Free Masonry in this country, will form the Second Part of this Volume.
1 [November 30, 1736.— R]
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CHAPTER IV.
FREEMASONRY IN ENGLAND DURING THE CITIL WARS — INTRODUCED INTO FRANCE — INSTITUTION OF THE GRAND LODGES OF ENGLAND AND IRELAND — RAPID PROGRESS OF THE ORDER — INTRODUCED INTO INDIA, HOLLAND, RUSSIA, SPAIN, AFRICA, GERMANY, ETC. PERSE- CUTIONS— ORIGIN OF THE M0PSE8 — GRAND LODGES OF DENMARK, SWEDEN, AND PRUSSIA INSTITUTED — THE ILLUMINATI — CONDUCT OF THE BRITISH GOYERNMBNT TO THE FRATERNITY IN 1799.
We bare already brought down the histoij of Masonrj in England almost to the end of the fifteenth century. During the whole of the sixteenth and beginning of the seventeenth, no events occurred worthy of a place in a general History of the Order. The Lodges continued to meet, but seem neither to have attracted the notice nor excited the dis- pleasure of the legislature.
During the Civil Wars, however, between the King and the Parlia- ment, the Fraternity appears to have been better known, and many wore initiated into its mysteries who were distinguished both by their literary talents and their rank in life. Elias Ashmole informs us in his Diary that Ck>lonel Mainwaring was admitted with him into the Order at War- rington in October 1646. Charles II too, was a Member of the Frater- nity, and frequentiy honoured the Lodges with his presence. From this fact, chiefly, Dr Robison asserts that Free Masonry was employed by the Royalists for promoting the cause of their sovereign, and that the ritual of the Master's degree seems to have been framed, or twisted from its original intention, in order to sound the political principles of the candi- date. The strained and fikuciful analogy by which this opinion is sup- ported is perhaps one of the most striking instances that c<^ld be adduced to show to what puerile arguments the most learned will resort when engaged in the defence of a bad cause. But though Dr Robison maintains that all who witnessed the ceremonies of the Master's degree during the Civil Wars could not fail to show by their countenance to what party they belonged, yet he observes in another part of his work.
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that the symhols of. Masonry seemed to he equally sasceptihle of every interpretation, and that none of these were entitled to any decided pre- ference.^ We leave to our readers the task of reconciling such in- consistencies.
An opinion of an opposite nature, though equally extravagant, has heen maintained by Pivati," and the author of " Free Masonry Examined/' These writers assert that Free Masonry originated in the time of the English Commonwealth ; that Oliver Cromwell was its inventor ; that the level was the symbol of republican equality, and the other signs and ceremonies were merely arbitrary, and formed for concealing their political designs. It would be ridiculous to enter into a serious refuta^ tion of such opinions as these, which are founded on the most unpardon- able ignorance. That Free Masonry existed before the time of Crom- well is as capable of demonstration as that Cromwell himself ever existed. It is really amusing to observe what inconsistent and opposite opinions are formed upon the same subject. According to oue writer, Free Masonry was invented and employed by the adherents of the king^ according to another, it was devised by the friends of the Parliament In the opinion of some it originated among the Jesuits, who used it for the promotion of their spiritual tyranny and superstition ; while others maintain that it arose among a number of unprincipled sceptics, who employed it for destroying the spiritual tyranny and superstition of the Jesuits.
It was about this time, according to Dr Robison^ that Free Masonry was introduced into the continental kingdoms. After James II of England had abdicated the throne and taken refuge in France with several of his adherents, it is probable that they communicated additional spirit to the French Lodges ; but that the English refugees were the first who exported Masonry from Britain, or that they employed it for re-establishing the Stuart fkmily on the English throne, it id impossible to prove. Such assertions Dr Robison has not only hazarded, but has employed them also as the foundation of defietmatory conclusions, without adducing a single proof in their support. Notwithstanding the difficulty, however, of determining the precise period when the principles of Free Masonry were imported into France, it is allowed, by the universal con- sent of the continental Lodges, that it was of British origin ; and it is more than probable that the French received it from Scotland about the middle of the sixteenth century, during the minority of Queen Mary.
^ Proofs of a Conspiracy, pp. 21, 22, and 99.
■ Pivati Art. liberi Muratori auvero Francs Magons Yeneziay quoted by Mr Clinch.
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It is well known that there was at that time a freer intercourse between Scotland and France than at any other period. Mary was then married to the heir-appareut of France, and Mary of Guise, sister to the French king, was at the same time Regent of Scot- land. In consequence of this intimate connection between the two kingdoms, French troops were sent to the assistance of the Scotch, who, residing many years in the country, and becoming habituated to the manners and customs of their allies, naturally carried away with them those customs which afforded them pleasure, and we know none could be more congenial to the taste and dispositions