The Illuminati.—Ii.

allegory , do not deserve to be revealed b y one of the profane . I dare flatter myself , madam , that I can present to you a more probable ori gin for the association . It is not to be found either ' in the east or the west ; ' 'the Lodge is well tiled '—it is not that ivhich will furnish me the proofs of my statement . I have not had the happiness to

work from ' Monday morning to Saturday night ; ' but I hold in my ' profane' hands authentic documents and real records , dating more than three centuries back , which enable us to see " that this much boasted society of Freemasons is but a servile imitation of an ancient and useful fraternity of actual masons whose head quarters were formerly at Strasbourg . The greater number of the inhabitants of that city are ignorant of this , but 'our' Strasbourg Lodges will not be sorry to know it .

• Ihe Cathedral Church of Strasbourg , and above all its tower , begun in 1277 by the architect , Ervin cle Stoinbach , is a masterpiece of gothic architecture . This edifice as a whole -and in its details is a perfect work , and worthy of admiration , it has not its equal in the world . Its foundation , has been so solidly placed that , notwithstanding the fragile appearance of its openwork , it has resisted even to the present

day storms and earthquakes . This prodigious work spread far and wide the -reputation of the Masons of Strasbourg . The Duke of Milan in 1479 ivrote a letter to the magistrates of the former town , in which he asked of him a person capable of directing the construction of a superb church which he wished to build in his own capital . Vienna , Cologne , Zurich and Fribourg constructed towers in imitation

of that at Strasbourg , which was not finished till 1437 , but they neither equalled it in hei ght , beauty , or delicacy . The masons of thoso different fabrics and their pupils—spread over the whole of Germanyto distinguish themselves from the common , workmen , formed themselves into the fraternity of masons , to which they gave the German name of Hulten , which signifies Lodges , but they all agreed to

recognize the authority of tho ori ginal one at Strasbourg , which was named Haufjl-Ifulle or Grand Lodge . In the course of time tho project was conceived of forming a single society for all Germany , but this plan was not fully developed till twenty years after the construction of the tower of Strasbourg . The different masters of the individual Lod ges assembled at Ratisbon when they drew upon the 25 th of April 1459

, , , the Act of Fraternity , ivhich established the chief of the cathedral of Strasbourg , and his successors , as sole ancl perpetual Grand Masters of the fraternity of Freemasons of Germany . The Emperor Maximilian continued this proceeding by a di p loma given to Strasbourg in 1498 ¦ Charles V ., Ferdinand , and their successors renewed it from time to time . This society , composed of masterscompanionsand apprentices

, , formed a particular jurisdiction ; and the body at Strasbourg embraced all those of Germany . It held its tribunal in the Lod ge , and judged without appeal all causes brought before it , according to the rules and statutes of the fraternity ; these statutes were renewed and printed in 1563 The Locl

. ges of the masons of Suabia , Hesse , and Bavaria ,