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Article MASONRY'S ANTIQUITY AND SIGNIFICANCE. ← Page 3 of 3 Article MASONRY'S ANTIQUITY AND SIGNIFICANCE. Page 3 of 3
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Masonry's Antiquity And Significance.
wider , a little stronger in cnrront . Do we hesitate to say that this water u from the sami little fountain that welled upon the other s'di of tho sandy p ' ain ? Why require more , then , of Masonic history than of natural phenomena ?
Oar traditions tell us that after tho Temple ' s ) completion andjdedication , thoartisan 3 engage ! upon it travelled into foreign countries . Thoy 1 ad liberty to go i broad in search of tho wages they had : i right to cam as Mastor Craftsmen . Strange to say that but little over three centarie ^ after ,
and but half a century before tho destruction of tho Temple by the Bnbyloiish monarch , we find , according to Roman legend and history , colleges of artificers—in simpler language , Craftsmen's Lodges—orgauised and instituted at Rome by Numa Pompilius . These artisans are said to
have been brought from Greece , for tho purpose of embellishing tho City of the Seven Hills . They brought with them , it is further Slid , the mysteries of Eleusis . They held their colleges or Lodges in privato ; had a symbolic language drawn from tho implements of
Masonry ; possessed secret methods of recognition ; wore divided into classes of Apprentices , Craftsmen and Masters , and exorcised certain privileges by virtue of their singularly associated character . These colleges , these Lodges , these associations of a Craft , continued through
tbe consulships , the dictatorships , and the tribunates , and through the time of tho emperors . They were employed in tho erection of edifices , of public works , of temples of worship . Says an eminent writer : "They accompanied the Roman logions , and co-operated most powerfully
in establishing Roman civilization in tho fields of Roman conquest . They retained their character during the existence of the empire . They survived its fall . They ceased to build the pagan temples ; they commenced to
erect Christian churches . They reared alike the baron ' s stronghold and the king ' s palace . Their art was independent of the purpose to which it was appropriated . " They received tho countenance ofthe state and the church .
In the tenth century they were in Lombardy , and soon these travelling TTreoinasons , as they were termed , spread over adjacent countries with their science , their sccrofcs and their orgaiiization . They were protectod by the popes , in the decree of one of whom it is declared that tho
regulations concerning them havo been made after tho example of Hiram , King of Tyro , when he sent artisans to King Solomon for the purpose of building tho Temple of Jerusalem . " Referring to the long range of architectural grandeur
that once spoke tho might and wealth of Rome—the Colliseum , the Arches of Sevres , of Titus and Constantinothe author whom I have just quoted says , trnly , that both
they and the minster and tho spire which were rising slowly in grave and graceful beauty on the Rhine , the Seine and the Thames , " were alike due to tho collegianow known as Masons—who clustered around them until
the last block of the entablatnro was placed upon the one , and the last finial on the other ; to Masous , Freemasons , the music of whose infancy was the clink of the chisel on the stone , and whose graves , at mature age , were not nnfrequently within the shadow of tho yet unfinished pile .
A common object , the same moral code , the same mode of illustrating it , the same secrecy of coremonial , and the same general organisation , prove these Masons of the empire and the middle ages to havo been of tho same family . "
In the year 926 of tho present era , a charter or constitution was granted , or rather confirmed , by King Athelstano of England , whose brother , Princo Edwin , bad summoned all the Masons of the realm for the purpose . Thoy met at York , composed a general Lodge , and did
frame from all the records extant , some in Greek , somo in Latin , some in French and other languages , tho Constitutions and charges of an English Lodge . That original constitution is still preserved at York . The beginning , we are told , forcibly reminds the reader
immediately of the most ancient oriental church . Then follows a history of architecture , beginning with Adam , and comprising quotations from Rabbinical tales respecting the building of Babel , tho Temple of Solomon , with
mention of Hiram , limited , however , to tha information contained in the Bible ; then passing over to the Greeks aud Romans , mentioned particularly Pythagoras , Euclid and Vifcruvins . There the history of architecture , and
Masonry's Antiquity And Significance.
the oldest corporations in Britain , is told , agreeab ' e to the accounts of the best historians ; and among other things is mentioned that St . Alban , an honourable Roman knight , patronised the Art about A . v . 300 ; settled the fundamental institutions of the Masons , procure ! them
employment , wages , and a charter from tho Emperor Zarausius , according to which thoy should form a societ y in Britain , under tho government of architects . The devastation of the country , and tho destruction of the edifices by the northern tribosaud tho Angels and Saxons
is related , and how tho pious Athelstano had resolvod to restore tho ancient and venerable society . After this follow the sixteen most ancient laws , which agree exactly with everything that careful investigation can find in the
corpus juris relating to the college of architects . It is proved by historical documents that in Scotlaud and England , Lodges , labouring according to theso constitutions , havo existed in an uninterrupted series .
Another ancient document , yot extant , was written in tho time of Henry VI . of England , and first printed in the Gentleman ' s Magazine , 1753 . Another still is the ancient
J mode of admitting Masons , as it is still exorcised by all the Masons of the ancient English system . It contains some customs of the Roman colleges , and of the most ancient Christian monks and ascetics .
It may be mentioned , too , at Ratisbon , in 1459 , it was agreed that Grand Lodges of Masons or General Assemblies should meet at Strasburg , composed of Masters , Companions , and Apprentices . Thoy wore accordingly held in 1464 and 14 G 9 . In 1498 the Emperor Maximilian granted
them certain privileges , which were renewed by subsequent Emperors . The diplomas conferring these were preserved with the regulations and statutes of Masonry in the house of tho architect of tho cathedral , for the time being , who was constituted Grand Mastor ; they wore kept in a chest
with triple locks , of which he and the two oldest Masons kept tho keys , so that it required the presence of all three before the chest could be opened . The duties of morality , charity , and brotherly love , were all there laid down as we
have them now enjoined on up . The symbols were the same , the square , tho level , and the plumb . The compasses then as now had their peculiar signification . These documents were in existence until the French Revolution , when they wcro destroyed to prevent their clandestine
use . Among tho public works of the Masons of Europe in tho tenth and subsequent centuries , may be mentioned the Cathedral of Cologne , in 950 ; the Cathedral at Strasburg , 1015 ; in 1137 , at Kirkwall in the Orkneys . Canterbury
Cathedral was built by them in 1179 ; they reared Glasgow Cathedral in 1240 ; in 1365 they were still at work at Cologne ; in 1400 they were employed at the Convent at Balatha in Portugal ; and thus they laboured , century after century , in organised societies , until the year 1717 .
Are there any further gaps in this succession of Masonic history than may occasionally be found in the stream I alluded to , a few moments since , whose actual presence wo see , whose general course we observe , and whose fountain-head we recognise , though we cannot point out
each mile of its hidden current ? Can wo doubt that our Institution dates back to Athelstane ' s time , to tbe Collegia Artificum of Rome , and to the Solomonean period whence it derives its legends ? If , standing at the base of the
great structure of Masonry , we cannot see the apex of the pyramid , it is because the rolling clouds of centuries give us but scattered glimpses of tho stately and magnificent surface that towers aloft from base to crowning point . It has stood at least for nearl y thirty
centuries" As some tall cliff that lifts its awfnl form , Swells from the valo , and midway leaves the storm , Tho' round its breast the rolling olonds are spread , Etornal snnshine settles on its head I " ( To be continued ) .
HoLiowAY s Puis . —Liver , Lungs , and Kidneys . —Most diseases of ttaeao depurative organs ariso from obstructions , over tho removal of which these celobrated Pills exercise tho most perfect control . A . course of them ia strongly recommended as a remedy for such chronic affections as enlargements , congestion of tho lungs , torpidity of tho kidneys , and other fnnctual disorders winch mnch
canso present suffering , and if neglected lay the foundation of organic diseases . Holloivay ' s Pills aro especially adapted for the yonng and delicate ; their gontlo and purifying action ranks them abovo al other medicines . In indigestion , nervous affections , gont , and rheumatism these Pills have achieved for themselves universal fame . They expel all impurities from the blood , and thus restore cheerfulness and vigour .
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
Masonry's Antiquity And Significance.
wider , a little stronger in cnrront . Do we hesitate to say that this water u from the sami little fountain that welled upon the other s'di of tho sandy p ' ain ? Why require more , then , of Masonic history than of natural phenomena ?
Oar traditions tell us that after tho Temple ' s ) completion andjdedication , thoartisan 3 engage ! upon it travelled into foreign countries . Thoy 1 ad liberty to go i broad in search of tho wages they had : i right to cam as Mastor Craftsmen . Strange to say that but little over three centarie ^ after ,
and but half a century before tho destruction of tho Temple by the Bnbyloiish monarch , we find , according to Roman legend and history , colleges of artificers—in simpler language , Craftsmen's Lodges—orgauised and instituted at Rome by Numa Pompilius . These artisans are said to
have been brought from Greece , for tho purpose of embellishing tho City of the Seven Hills . They brought with them , it is further Slid , the mysteries of Eleusis . They held their colleges or Lodges in privato ; had a symbolic language drawn from tho implements of
Masonry ; possessed secret methods of recognition ; wore divided into classes of Apprentices , Craftsmen and Masters , and exorcised certain privileges by virtue of their singularly associated character . These colleges , these Lodges , these associations of a Craft , continued through
tbe consulships , the dictatorships , and the tribunates , and through the time of tho emperors . They were employed in tho erection of edifices , of public works , of temples of worship . Says an eminent writer : "They accompanied the Roman logions , and co-operated most powerfully
in establishing Roman civilization in tho fields of Roman conquest . They retained their character during the existence of the empire . They survived its fall . They ceased to build the pagan temples ; they commenced to
erect Christian churches . They reared alike the baron ' s stronghold and the king ' s palace . Their art was independent of the purpose to which it was appropriated . " They received tho countenance ofthe state and the church .
In the tenth century they were in Lombardy , and soon these travelling TTreoinasons , as they were termed , spread over adjacent countries with their science , their sccrofcs and their orgaiiization . They were protectod by the popes , in the decree of one of whom it is declared that tho
regulations concerning them havo been made after tho example of Hiram , King of Tyro , when he sent artisans to King Solomon for the purpose of building tho Temple of Jerusalem . " Referring to the long range of architectural grandeur
that once spoke tho might and wealth of Rome—the Colliseum , the Arches of Sevres , of Titus and Constantinothe author whom I have just quoted says , trnly , that both
they and the minster and tho spire which were rising slowly in grave and graceful beauty on the Rhine , the Seine and the Thames , " were alike due to tho collegianow known as Masons—who clustered around them until
the last block of the entablatnro was placed upon the one , and the last finial on the other ; to Masous , Freemasons , the music of whose infancy was the clink of the chisel on the stone , and whose graves , at mature age , were not nnfrequently within the shadow of tho yet unfinished pile .
A common object , the same moral code , the same mode of illustrating it , the same secrecy of coremonial , and the same general organisation , prove these Masons of the empire and the middle ages to havo been of tho same family . "
In the year 926 of tho present era , a charter or constitution was granted , or rather confirmed , by King Athelstano of England , whose brother , Princo Edwin , bad summoned all the Masons of the realm for the purpose . Thoy met at York , composed a general Lodge , and did
frame from all the records extant , some in Greek , somo in Latin , some in French and other languages , tho Constitutions and charges of an English Lodge . That original constitution is still preserved at York . The beginning , we are told , forcibly reminds the reader
immediately of the most ancient oriental church . Then follows a history of architecture , beginning with Adam , and comprising quotations from Rabbinical tales respecting the building of Babel , tho Temple of Solomon , with
mention of Hiram , limited , however , to tha information contained in the Bible ; then passing over to the Greeks aud Romans , mentioned particularly Pythagoras , Euclid and Vifcruvins . There the history of architecture , and
Masonry's Antiquity And Significance.
the oldest corporations in Britain , is told , agreeab ' e to the accounts of the best historians ; and among other things is mentioned that St . Alban , an honourable Roman knight , patronised the Art about A . v . 300 ; settled the fundamental institutions of the Masons , procure ! them
employment , wages , and a charter from tho Emperor Zarausius , according to which thoy should form a societ y in Britain , under tho government of architects . The devastation of the country , and tho destruction of the edifices by the northern tribosaud tho Angels and Saxons
is related , and how tho pious Athelstano had resolvod to restore tho ancient and venerable society . After this follow the sixteen most ancient laws , which agree exactly with everything that careful investigation can find in the
corpus juris relating to the college of architects . It is proved by historical documents that in Scotlaud and England , Lodges , labouring according to theso constitutions , havo existed in an uninterrupted series .
Another ancient document , yot extant , was written in tho time of Henry VI . of England , and first printed in the Gentleman ' s Magazine , 1753 . Another still is the ancient
J mode of admitting Masons , as it is still exorcised by all the Masons of the ancient English system . It contains some customs of the Roman colleges , and of the most ancient Christian monks and ascetics .
It may be mentioned , too , at Ratisbon , in 1459 , it was agreed that Grand Lodges of Masons or General Assemblies should meet at Strasburg , composed of Masters , Companions , and Apprentices . Thoy wore accordingly held in 1464 and 14 G 9 . In 1498 the Emperor Maximilian granted
them certain privileges , which were renewed by subsequent Emperors . The diplomas conferring these were preserved with the regulations and statutes of Masonry in the house of tho architect of tho cathedral , for the time being , who was constituted Grand Mastor ; they wore kept in a chest
with triple locks , of which he and the two oldest Masons kept tho keys , so that it required the presence of all three before the chest could be opened . The duties of morality , charity , and brotherly love , were all there laid down as we
have them now enjoined on up . The symbols were the same , the square , tho level , and the plumb . The compasses then as now had their peculiar signification . These documents were in existence until the French Revolution , when they wcro destroyed to prevent their clandestine
use . Among tho public works of the Masons of Europe in tho tenth and subsequent centuries , may be mentioned the Cathedral of Cologne , in 950 ; the Cathedral at Strasburg , 1015 ; in 1137 , at Kirkwall in the Orkneys . Canterbury
Cathedral was built by them in 1179 ; they reared Glasgow Cathedral in 1240 ; in 1365 they were still at work at Cologne ; in 1400 they were employed at the Convent at Balatha in Portugal ; and thus they laboured , century after century , in organised societies , until the year 1717 .
Are there any further gaps in this succession of Masonic history than may occasionally be found in the stream I alluded to , a few moments since , whose actual presence wo see , whose general course we observe , and whose fountain-head we recognise , though we cannot point out
each mile of its hidden current ? Can wo doubt that our Institution dates back to Athelstane ' s time , to tbe Collegia Artificum of Rome , and to the Solomonean period whence it derives its legends ? If , standing at the base of the
great structure of Masonry , we cannot see the apex of the pyramid , it is because the rolling clouds of centuries give us but scattered glimpses of tho stately and magnificent surface that towers aloft from base to crowning point . It has stood at least for nearl y thirty
centuries" As some tall cliff that lifts its awfnl form , Swells from the valo , and midway leaves the storm , Tho' round its breast the rolling olonds are spread , Etornal snnshine settles on its head I " ( To be continued ) .
HoLiowAY s Puis . —Liver , Lungs , and Kidneys . —Most diseases of ttaeao depurative organs ariso from obstructions , over tho removal of which these celobrated Pills exercise tho most perfect control . A . course of them ia strongly recommended as a remedy for such chronic affections as enlargements , congestion of tho lungs , torpidity of tho kidneys , and other fnnctual disorders winch mnch
canso present suffering , and if neglected lay the foundation of organic diseases . Holloivay ' s Pills aro especially adapted for the yonng and delicate ; their gontlo and purifying action ranks them abovo al other medicines . In indigestion , nervous affections , gont , and rheumatism these Pills have achieved for themselves universal fame . They expel all impurities from the blood , and thus restore cheerfulness and vigour .