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Article ON THE HISTORY OF INITIATION.* ← Page 3 of 4 →
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On The History Of Initiation.*
celebration of the mysteries , illuminated by innumerable lamps , which reflected a thousand different colours and shades of colours , like the enchanting vision of a celestial palace . In the centre of the cave was a marble fountain of water , transparent as crystal , to supply the numerous basins with which the grotto was furnished , for the purpose of ablution and ceremonial purification . The cavern thus ornamented , furnished , and disposedwas an emblem of the widelextended universe
, y , supported by the three grand pillars of Eternity , Fecundity , and Authority ; and the symbols with which it was profusely adorned , referred to every element and principle in nature . Maundrell has accurately described one of these places of initiation , near Tortosa , which , however , he erroneously conceives to be a double sepulchral monument . " The first antiquity that we observe , " says he , " was a large dyke , thirty yards over at top , cut into the firm rock . Its sides went slop down witli
ing stairs formed out of the natural rock , descending gradually from the top to the bottom . The dyke stretched in a direct line from east to west , more than a furlong , bearing still the same figure of stairs running in right lines all along its sides . This dyke was on the north side of the serpent fountain . " Mr . Maundrell then describes a spacious court cut in the rock , containing an altar , a crown , sceptre , and two pyramidal towers , at the distance of about half a mile from it . " Each of these towers , " says he , " has under it several
sepuictires , the entrances into which are on the south side . It cost us some time and pains to get into them , the avenues being obstructed , first with briars and weeds , and then with dirt ; but we removed both these obstacles . Going down seven or eight steps , you come to the mouth of the sepulchres , when crawling in , you arrive in a chamber which is nine feet two inches broad , and eleven feet long . Turning to the right hand , and going through a narrow passage , you come to a second room , which is eight feet broad and ten this chamber
long . In are seven cells for corpses ; two over against the entrance , four on the left hand , and one unfinished on the right . These cells were hewn directly into the farm rock We measured several of them , and found them eight feet and a half m length , and three feet three inches square . I would not infer from thence that the corpses deposited there were of such a gigantic size as to fill such large coffins hat the time
up , thoug , same , why should any men be so prodigal of their labour as to cut these caverns into so hard a rock as this was , much farther than necessity required ? _ ( The fact is , they were never required for corpses , but as convemencies for the terrible ceremony of initiation . ') " On the south
side of the first chamber was a narrow passage of seven feet long , leading into a third room , whose dimensions were nine feet in breadth , and twelve in length . It had eleven cells , of somewhat a less size than the former , lying at equal distances all round about it . Passing out of the first room forenght , you have two narrow entrances , each eleven feet Jong , into a fourth room . This apartment was nine feet square : it had no cells m it like the others remarkable
, nor anything , but only a bench cut all along its side on the left hand . " This was the sacellum . Several other similar ranges of subterraneous caverns are found in the to g ether h ™ S lU tej aml l , robab , y were ; connected The caverns of initiation had two gates ; one called the descent to hell , the other the ascent of the just , which Mr . Pope , in a passage of
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
On The History Of Initiation.*
celebration of the mysteries , illuminated by innumerable lamps , which reflected a thousand different colours and shades of colours , like the enchanting vision of a celestial palace . In the centre of the cave was a marble fountain of water , transparent as crystal , to supply the numerous basins with which the grotto was furnished , for the purpose of ablution and ceremonial purification . The cavern thus ornamented , furnished , and disposedwas an emblem of the widelextended universe
, y , supported by the three grand pillars of Eternity , Fecundity , and Authority ; and the symbols with which it was profusely adorned , referred to every element and principle in nature . Maundrell has accurately described one of these places of initiation , near Tortosa , which , however , he erroneously conceives to be a double sepulchral monument . " The first antiquity that we observe , " says he , " was a large dyke , thirty yards over at top , cut into the firm rock . Its sides went slop down witli
ing stairs formed out of the natural rock , descending gradually from the top to the bottom . The dyke stretched in a direct line from east to west , more than a furlong , bearing still the same figure of stairs running in right lines all along its sides . This dyke was on the north side of the serpent fountain . " Mr . Maundrell then describes a spacious court cut in the rock , containing an altar , a crown , sceptre , and two pyramidal towers , at the distance of about half a mile from it . " Each of these towers , " says he , " has under it several
sepuictires , the entrances into which are on the south side . It cost us some time and pains to get into them , the avenues being obstructed , first with briars and weeds , and then with dirt ; but we removed both these obstacles . Going down seven or eight steps , you come to the mouth of the sepulchres , when crawling in , you arrive in a chamber which is nine feet two inches broad , and eleven feet long . Turning to the right hand , and going through a narrow passage , you come to a second room , which is eight feet broad and ten this chamber
long . In are seven cells for corpses ; two over against the entrance , four on the left hand , and one unfinished on the right . These cells were hewn directly into the farm rock We measured several of them , and found them eight feet and a half m length , and three feet three inches square . I would not infer from thence that the corpses deposited there were of such a gigantic size as to fill such large coffins hat the time
up , thoug , same , why should any men be so prodigal of their labour as to cut these caverns into so hard a rock as this was , much farther than necessity required ? _ ( The fact is , they were never required for corpses , but as convemencies for the terrible ceremony of initiation . ') " On the south
side of the first chamber was a narrow passage of seven feet long , leading into a third room , whose dimensions were nine feet in breadth , and twelve in length . It had eleven cells , of somewhat a less size than the former , lying at equal distances all round about it . Passing out of the first room forenght , you have two narrow entrances , each eleven feet Jong , into a fourth room . This apartment was nine feet square : it had no cells m it like the others remarkable
, nor anything , but only a bench cut all along its side on the left hand . " This was the sacellum . Several other similar ranges of subterraneous caverns are found in the to g ether h ™ S lU tej aml l , robab , y were ; connected The caverns of initiation had two gates ; one called the descent to hell , the other the ascent of the just , which Mr . Pope , in a passage of