-
Articles/Ads
Article THE "NEW ATLANTIS." ← Page 2 of 3 Article THE "NEW ATLANTIS." Page 2 of 3 →
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
The "New Atlantis."
as to induce me to enter myself into the Fraternity , which I am determined to do ( if I may be admitted , ) the next time I go to London , and that will be shortly . " Whether John Locke ever became a Freemason is one question , but the freedom with which he speaks of " •entering" himself
" into the Fraternity , " as though it were no uncommon occurrence for men who were not operative Masons to be so entered , must be a fact of singular virtue in the minds of all who date the speculative origin of our Order anterior to 1717 . Again , it is most unlikely that Payne , Antony Sayer ,
Desaguliers , Anderson , and others , who were the leading spirits in bringing about the Revival of our Order , became Masons at the time of such revival . Findel , no mean authority , says , at p . 136 of his History , " This , then , " —that is , the reorganisation of our Order— " took place
forthwith , as several brethren united for this purpose , among whom were—King , Calvert , Lumley , Maddens , & c . At their head was Dr . J . Theophilus Desaguliers , * * * George Payne , a learned antiquarian , was his chief supporter , as was also Dr . James Anderson , a Scotch
Presbyterian minister in London . Then there is the well known extract from the diary of Elias Ashmole : " I was made a Freemason at Warrington , Lancashire , with Colonel Henry Mainwaring , of Kertlingham , in Cheshire , by Mr . Richard Penket , the Warden , and the Fellow Crafts , on the
16 th October 1640 . " And be it remembered that Lord Bacon ' s death had occurred only twenty years previously . Far be it for us , however , to plunge into , probably , an interminable argument as to the origin of speculative Masonry . Our purpose is far simpler . We desire only to
indicate the grounds of that belief , which , at the outset , we said some people accepted , to the effect that in tho New Atlantis , Lord Bacon may have had speculative Masonry in view when he pictured therein the Society of Solomon ' s House .
The early part of this fable is briefly told . A ship on its way from Peru to China and Japan is driven northwards by stress of weather , till it sights an unknown land . It enters , at length , " into a good haven , being the port of a fair city , " and the crew , many of whom are sick , are all
eager to land . But they are forbidden . A boat puts off , and one of the natives presents a scroll with this inscri ption : " Land ye not , none of yon , and provide to be gone from this coast within sixteen days , except you have further time given you : meanwhile , if yon want fresh
water , or victual , or help for your sick , or that your ship needeth repair , write down your wants , and you shall have that which belongeth to mercy . " Ultimately they are permitted to land , and are established in the strangers ' house , everything being done to make them as
comfortable as possible . During the early part of their stay they are visited more than once by men of eminence , who tell them , as much as it is permitted to tell , of the history of the country . Their first visitor is a priest , who is also governor of the strangers' house . He concludes his
hospitable message with these words : " He was a priest , and looked for a priest ' s reward , which was our brotherly love , and the good of our souls and bodies . " The same governor visits them the day following , and invites inquiries , prefacing his invitation with these words : " We
of this island of Bensalem ( for so they call it in their language ) have this , that by means of our solitary situation , and the laws of secrecy which we have for our travellers , and our rare admission of strangers , we know well most part of the habitable world , and are ourselves
unknown . Therefore , because he that knoweth least is fittest to ask questions , it is more reason , for the entertainment of the time , that ye ask me questions than that I ask you , " He then relates , at their request , how Christianity was introduced into the island by Bartholomew the
Apostle . The following day the governor re-visits them , and enters , at length , into a history of the country , but especially how it is the people know of other countries , being , at the same time , themselves unknown . He tells them how " there reigned in this island , about one thousand
nine hundred years ago , a king , whose memory of all others "we most adore , not superstitiously , but as a divine instrument , though a mortal man ; his name was Solomon , and "we esteem him as the lawgiver of ournation . This King had a large heart , inscrutable for good , and was wholly bent to
make his kingdom and people happy . " He , finding the country large and fertile enough for the maintenance of its people , and wishing to perpetuate its happy and flourishing estate , " therefore amongst his other fundamental laws of this kingdom he did ordain the interdicts and prohibi-
The "New Atlantis."
tions which we have touching tho entrance of stangers , which , at that time , though it was after the calamity of America , was frequent , doubting novelties ami commixture of manners . " Tot he likewise " preserved al ! points of humanity , iu taking order and making provision for tlie relief of strangers distressed . " It was this kinsr who
erected and instituted the Order or Society of Solomon ' s House—dedicated to the study of the works and creatures of God . This , —namely that the house is denominate of the King of " the Hebrews , "—the governor says , " maketh
me think that our King finding himself to symbolise with that King ( Solomon ) of the Hebrews , which lived many years before him , honoured him Avith the title of this foundation . And I am the rather induced to be of
this opinion , for that I find in ancient records this Order or Society is sometimes called Solomon ' s House , andsometimes the College of the Six Days' Works , whereby I am satisfied that onr excellent King had learned from the Hebrews that God had created the world , and all that therein is , within
six days , and therefore , ho instituted that house for the finding out of the true nature of all things , whereby God might have the more glory in the workmanship of them , and men the more fruit in their use of them , did give it also that second name . " But though this King thus
forbade intercourse with other nations , he ordained that every twelve years bwo ships should go forth either carrying a mission of three fellows or brethren of Solomon ' s House , " for the purpose of obtaining " knowledge of the affairs and state of those countries to which they were
designed , and especially of the sciences , arts , manufactures and inventions of all tho world ; and withal to bring unto us books , instruments , and patterns in every kind . " The ships carried food and treasure for buying such things and rewarding such persons as they might think fit . " Now , "
adds the governor , " for me to tell you , how the vulgar sort of mariners arc constrained from being discovered at land , and how they that must be put on shore for any time , colour themselves under the names of other nations , and to what places those voyages have been designed , and what
places of rendezvous are appointed for the new missions , and tho like circumstances of the practice , I may not do it , neither is it much to your desire . But thus you see wo maintain a trade not for gold , silver , or jewels , nor for silks , nor for spices , nor any other commodity of matter , but only
for God ' s first creature , which was light ; to have light , I say , of the growth of all parts of the world . " Next follows an account of a reverent custom , known as the feast of the family , to which two of the company are invited . This is granted to any man that shall live to see thirty persons
descended of his body and alive together , and all above three years old to make the feast , which is done at the cost of the State . We cannot fully describe the manner of this custom . Suffice it to say that the father of the family , who is called " the tirsan , " two days before , chooseth three . of his
friends , and , with the assistance of the governor of the cit y or place where the feast is to be celebrated , and in the presence of all his family who are summoned to attend him , they consult together as to the good estate of tho family . " There , if there be any discord or suits between any of the
family , they are compounded and appeased ; there , if any of the family be distressed or decayed , order is taken for their relief , and competent means to live ; there , if any be subject to vice or tako ill courses , they are reproved and censured . " On the feast day the
"tirsan" occupies a chair on an half pace—or dais—¦ at tho upper end of the room , his family ranging themselves against tho wall at his back , and upon the return of the half pace , in the order of age and regardless of sex . Over this chair is " a slate , " round or oval , and of ivy
curiously wrought with silver and silks . Then enters a taratan , or herald , with two pages on either side , one carrying a roll of parchment , the other " a cluster of grapes of gold with a long foot or stalk . " The herald , with three courtesies or inclinations , advances to the foot of the
halfpace , reads aloud the scroll , which is the King ' s charter , signed with the King ' s seal , the tirsan standing up the while , supported by two of his sons . Then he giveth the charter to the tirsan , and likewise the cluster of grapes , " which is of gold , both the stalk and the grapes , but the
grapes are daintily enamelled "—if the males of the famil y be the greater number , purple with a little sun set on the top ; if the females , greenish yellow with a crescent . Then follows the dinner , at which he is served by the males only of his family , the females standing about him , and at the tables below the half = pace are placed the invited guests .
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
The "New Atlantis."
as to induce me to enter myself into the Fraternity , which I am determined to do ( if I may be admitted , ) the next time I go to London , and that will be shortly . " Whether John Locke ever became a Freemason is one question , but the freedom with which he speaks of " •entering" himself
" into the Fraternity , " as though it were no uncommon occurrence for men who were not operative Masons to be so entered , must be a fact of singular virtue in the minds of all who date the speculative origin of our Order anterior to 1717 . Again , it is most unlikely that Payne , Antony Sayer ,
Desaguliers , Anderson , and others , who were the leading spirits in bringing about the Revival of our Order , became Masons at the time of such revival . Findel , no mean authority , says , at p . 136 of his History , " This , then , " —that is , the reorganisation of our Order— " took place
forthwith , as several brethren united for this purpose , among whom were—King , Calvert , Lumley , Maddens , & c . At their head was Dr . J . Theophilus Desaguliers , * * * George Payne , a learned antiquarian , was his chief supporter , as was also Dr . James Anderson , a Scotch
Presbyterian minister in London . Then there is the well known extract from the diary of Elias Ashmole : " I was made a Freemason at Warrington , Lancashire , with Colonel Henry Mainwaring , of Kertlingham , in Cheshire , by Mr . Richard Penket , the Warden , and the Fellow Crafts , on the
16 th October 1640 . " And be it remembered that Lord Bacon ' s death had occurred only twenty years previously . Far be it for us , however , to plunge into , probably , an interminable argument as to the origin of speculative Masonry . Our purpose is far simpler . We desire only to
indicate the grounds of that belief , which , at the outset , we said some people accepted , to the effect that in tho New Atlantis , Lord Bacon may have had speculative Masonry in view when he pictured therein the Society of Solomon ' s House .
The early part of this fable is briefly told . A ship on its way from Peru to China and Japan is driven northwards by stress of weather , till it sights an unknown land . It enters , at length , " into a good haven , being the port of a fair city , " and the crew , many of whom are sick , are all
eager to land . But they are forbidden . A boat puts off , and one of the natives presents a scroll with this inscri ption : " Land ye not , none of yon , and provide to be gone from this coast within sixteen days , except you have further time given you : meanwhile , if yon want fresh
water , or victual , or help for your sick , or that your ship needeth repair , write down your wants , and you shall have that which belongeth to mercy . " Ultimately they are permitted to land , and are established in the strangers ' house , everything being done to make them as
comfortable as possible . During the early part of their stay they are visited more than once by men of eminence , who tell them , as much as it is permitted to tell , of the history of the country . Their first visitor is a priest , who is also governor of the strangers' house . He concludes his
hospitable message with these words : " He was a priest , and looked for a priest ' s reward , which was our brotherly love , and the good of our souls and bodies . " The same governor visits them the day following , and invites inquiries , prefacing his invitation with these words : " We
of this island of Bensalem ( for so they call it in their language ) have this , that by means of our solitary situation , and the laws of secrecy which we have for our travellers , and our rare admission of strangers , we know well most part of the habitable world , and are ourselves
unknown . Therefore , because he that knoweth least is fittest to ask questions , it is more reason , for the entertainment of the time , that ye ask me questions than that I ask you , " He then relates , at their request , how Christianity was introduced into the island by Bartholomew the
Apostle . The following day the governor re-visits them , and enters , at length , into a history of the country , but especially how it is the people know of other countries , being , at the same time , themselves unknown . He tells them how " there reigned in this island , about one thousand
nine hundred years ago , a king , whose memory of all others "we most adore , not superstitiously , but as a divine instrument , though a mortal man ; his name was Solomon , and "we esteem him as the lawgiver of ournation . This King had a large heart , inscrutable for good , and was wholly bent to
make his kingdom and people happy . " He , finding the country large and fertile enough for the maintenance of its people , and wishing to perpetuate its happy and flourishing estate , " therefore amongst his other fundamental laws of this kingdom he did ordain the interdicts and prohibi-
The "New Atlantis."
tions which we have touching tho entrance of stangers , which , at that time , though it was after the calamity of America , was frequent , doubting novelties ami commixture of manners . " Tot he likewise " preserved al ! points of humanity , iu taking order and making provision for tlie relief of strangers distressed . " It was this kinsr who
erected and instituted the Order or Society of Solomon ' s House—dedicated to the study of the works and creatures of God . This , —namely that the house is denominate of the King of " the Hebrews , "—the governor says , " maketh
me think that our King finding himself to symbolise with that King ( Solomon ) of the Hebrews , which lived many years before him , honoured him Avith the title of this foundation . And I am the rather induced to be of
this opinion , for that I find in ancient records this Order or Society is sometimes called Solomon ' s House , andsometimes the College of the Six Days' Works , whereby I am satisfied that onr excellent King had learned from the Hebrews that God had created the world , and all that therein is , within
six days , and therefore , ho instituted that house for the finding out of the true nature of all things , whereby God might have the more glory in the workmanship of them , and men the more fruit in their use of them , did give it also that second name . " But though this King thus
forbade intercourse with other nations , he ordained that every twelve years bwo ships should go forth either carrying a mission of three fellows or brethren of Solomon ' s House , " for the purpose of obtaining " knowledge of the affairs and state of those countries to which they were
designed , and especially of the sciences , arts , manufactures and inventions of all tho world ; and withal to bring unto us books , instruments , and patterns in every kind . " The ships carried food and treasure for buying such things and rewarding such persons as they might think fit . " Now , "
adds the governor , " for me to tell you , how the vulgar sort of mariners arc constrained from being discovered at land , and how they that must be put on shore for any time , colour themselves under the names of other nations , and to what places those voyages have been designed , and what
places of rendezvous are appointed for the new missions , and tho like circumstances of the practice , I may not do it , neither is it much to your desire . But thus you see wo maintain a trade not for gold , silver , or jewels , nor for silks , nor for spices , nor any other commodity of matter , but only
for God ' s first creature , which was light ; to have light , I say , of the growth of all parts of the world . " Next follows an account of a reverent custom , known as the feast of the family , to which two of the company are invited . This is granted to any man that shall live to see thirty persons
descended of his body and alive together , and all above three years old to make the feast , which is done at the cost of the State . We cannot fully describe the manner of this custom . Suffice it to say that the father of the family , who is called " the tirsan , " two days before , chooseth three . of his
friends , and , with the assistance of the governor of the cit y or place where the feast is to be celebrated , and in the presence of all his family who are summoned to attend him , they consult together as to the good estate of tho family . " There , if there be any discord or suits between any of the
family , they are compounded and appeased ; there , if any of the family be distressed or decayed , order is taken for their relief , and competent means to live ; there , if any be subject to vice or tako ill courses , they are reproved and censured . " On the feast day the
"tirsan" occupies a chair on an half pace—or dais—¦ at tho upper end of the room , his family ranging themselves against tho wall at his back , and upon the return of the half pace , in the order of age and regardless of sex . Over this chair is " a slate , " round or oval , and of ivy
curiously wrought with silver and silks . Then enters a taratan , or herald , with two pages on either side , one carrying a roll of parchment , the other " a cluster of grapes of gold with a long foot or stalk . " The herald , with three courtesies or inclinations , advances to the foot of the
halfpace , reads aloud the scroll , which is the King ' s charter , signed with the King ' s seal , the tirsan standing up the while , supported by two of his sons . Then he giveth the charter to the tirsan , and likewise the cluster of grapes , " which is of gold , both the stalk and the grapes , but the
grapes are daintily enamelled "—if the males of the famil y be the greater number , purple with a little sun set on the top ; if the females , greenish yellow with a crescent . Then follows the dinner , at which he is served by the males only of his family , the females standing about him , and at the tables below the half = pace are placed the invited guests .