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Article JOHN COUSTOS, FREEMASON. ← Page 4 of 4
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
John Coustos, Freemason.
I likewise told them , " That Queen Elizabeth , ascending the throne " of England at a time that the kingdom was greatly divided by fac" ticms and clashing interests , and taking umbrage at the various as" semblies of great numbers of her subjects , as not knowing the in" tendon of those meetings , she resolved to suppress the assemblies of " the Freemasons : However , that before her Majesty proceeded to
" this extremity , she commanded some of her subjects to enter into this " society , among whom was the Archbishop of Canterbury , Primate " of England : That these , obeying the Queen ' s orders , gave her Ma" jesty so very advantageous a character of the fidelity of the Freema" sons , as removed at once all her Majesty ' s suspicions and political " fears ; so that the society have , ever since that time , . enjoyed in " Great Britain , and the p laces subject to it , all the liberty they could " wish for , and which thev have never once abused . " They
afterwards enquired , " What was the tendency of this society ? 1 replied , " Every Freemason is obliged , at his admission , to take an " oath on the Holy Gospel , that he will be faithful to the King , and " never enter into any plot or conspiracy against his sacred person , or " against the country where he resides ; and that he will pay obedi" ence . to the magistrates appointed by the monarch . " I next declared" That Charity was the foundation and the soulas it wereof
, , , " this society , as it linked together the several individuals of' it , by " the tie of fraternal love , and made it an indispensable duty to assist " in the most charitable manner , without distinction of religion , all " such necessitous persons as were found true objects of compassion . " It was then they called me a liar ; declaring , " That it wasimpossible " this ' society should profess the practice of such good maxims , and
" yet be so very jealous of its secrets as to exclude women from " it . " The judicious reader will perceive at once the weakness of this inference , which , perhaps , would be found but too true , were it applied to the inviolable secrecy observed by this pretended Holy Office in all
its actions . ' They presently gave orders for my being conveyed into a deeper dungeon than the one I was in before ; the design of which , I suppose , was to terrify me completely ; and here I continued seven weeks . _ It will be naturally supposed , that I now was overwhelmed with grief . I will confess , that ! then gave myself up entirely for lost , and had no resource left , but in the Almighty , whose aid I implored continually
with the utmost fervency . [ 7 " o be continued . ]
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
John Coustos, Freemason.
I likewise told them , " That Queen Elizabeth , ascending the throne " of England at a time that the kingdom was greatly divided by fac" ticms and clashing interests , and taking umbrage at the various as" semblies of great numbers of her subjects , as not knowing the in" tendon of those meetings , she resolved to suppress the assemblies of " the Freemasons : However , that before her Majesty proceeded to
" this extremity , she commanded some of her subjects to enter into this " society , among whom was the Archbishop of Canterbury , Primate " of England : That these , obeying the Queen ' s orders , gave her Ma" jesty so very advantageous a character of the fidelity of the Freema" sons , as removed at once all her Majesty ' s suspicions and political " fears ; so that the society have , ever since that time , . enjoyed in " Great Britain , and the p laces subject to it , all the liberty they could " wish for , and which thev have never once abused . " They
afterwards enquired , " What was the tendency of this society ? 1 replied , " Every Freemason is obliged , at his admission , to take an " oath on the Holy Gospel , that he will be faithful to the King , and " never enter into any plot or conspiracy against his sacred person , or " against the country where he resides ; and that he will pay obedi" ence . to the magistrates appointed by the monarch . " I next declared" That Charity was the foundation and the soulas it wereof
, , , " this society , as it linked together the several individuals of' it , by " the tie of fraternal love , and made it an indispensable duty to assist " in the most charitable manner , without distinction of religion , all " such necessitous persons as were found true objects of compassion . " It was then they called me a liar ; declaring , " That it wasimpossible " this ' society should profess the practice of such good maxims , and
" yet be so very jealous of its secrets as to exclude women from " it . " The judicious reader will perceive at once the weakness of this inference , which , perhaps , would be found but too true , were it applied to the inviolable secrecy observed by this pretended Holy Office in all
its actions . ' They presently gave orders for my being conveyed into a deeper dungeon than the one I was in before ; the design of which , I suppose , was to terrify me completely ; and here I continued seven weeks . _ It will be naturally supposed , that I now was overwhelmed with grief . I will confess , that ! then gave myself up entirely for lost , and had no resource left , but in the Almighty , whose aid I implored continually
with the utmost fervency . [ 7 " o be continued . ]