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Article JOHN COUSTOS, FOR FREEMASONRY, ← Page 3 of 4 →
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John Coustos, For Freemasonry,
strike accidentally , merely through ignorance , into the forbidden road . _ They afterwards charged me with drawing away Roman Catholics of other nations residing in Lisbon . 1 represented to them , " That " Roman Catholics must sooner be informed of the Pope's injunction " than I who was a Protestant ; that I was firmly of opinion , that the
" severe orders issued by the Roman Pontiff , had not a little induced " many to enter into the Society ; that a man who was looked tipoii " as a heretic was no ways qualified to win over persons who considered " him as such ; that a Freemason who professed the Romish reli gion " " was , I presumed , the only man fit to seduce and draw away others " ¦ of the same persuasion with himself ; . to get into their confidence and
" remove successfully such scruples as mi g ht arise in their minds , both " with regard to the injurious reports , spread concerning Masonry , and " to the Pope ' s excommunication ; of which a vile heretic entertained " an idea far different from that of . the Romanists . " They then sent me back to my dungeon . —Being again ordered to be brought before the Inquisitors , they insisted upon my letting them into the secrets of
Masonry ; threatening me in case I did not comply . —I persisted as before , " in refusing to break my oath , and besought them either to " write , or give orders for writing , to his Portuguese Majesty's ministers " both at London and Paris , to know from them whether any thing was " ever done in the assemblies of Freemasons , repugnant to decency " and morality , to the dictates of the Romish faith , or to . the obedience
" which every good Christian owes to the injunctions of the monarch ' " in whose dominions he lives . " I observed farther , ' ¦ ' that the King of « France , who is the eldest son of the Church , and despotic iii his do" minions , would not have ordered his favourite to enter into a Society " proscribed by Mother Church , had he not been firmly persuaded , " that nothing was transacted in their meetings contrary to the state " or to religion . " I then referred them to Mr . Dogoodan Englishman ,
, who was both a Roman Catholic and a Freemason . This gentleman had travelled with , and was greatly beloved by , Don Pedro Antonio , the king ' s favourite , and who ( I observed farther ) , having settled a Lodge in Lisbon fifteen years before , could acquaint them , in case-he thought proper , with the nature and secrets . of Masonry . The Inquisitors commanded me to be taken back to my dismal abode .
Appearing again before them they did not once mention the secrets of Masonry , but took notice that I , in one of my examinations , had said , that it was a duty incumbent on Freemasons to assist the needy : upon which they asked , whether I had ever relieved a poor object ? I named to them a lying-in woman , a Romanist ,. who , being reduced to extreme misery , and hearing that the Freemasons were very charitable , she addressed
herself to me , and I gave her a moidore . —I added , " that the con" vent of tiie Franciscans having been burnt the fathers made a o-a" thering , and I gave them on the exchange three quarters of a moi" dore . " I declared farther ,, " That a poor Roman Catholic who had ' " a large family , and could get no " work , being iii the utmost distress , " had been recommended to me'b y some Freemasons , with a request ; Ii »
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
John Coustos, For Freemasonry,
strike accidentally , merely through ignorance , into the forbidden road . _ They afterwards charged me with drawing away Roman Catholics of other nations residing in Lisbon . 1 represented to them , " That " Roman Catholics must sooner be informed of the Pope's injunction " than I who was a Protestant ; that I was firmly of opinion , that the
" severe orders issued by the Roman Pontiff , had not a little induced " many to enter into the Society ; that a man who was looked tipoii " as a heretic was no ways qualified to win over persons who considered " him as such ; that a Freemason who professed the Romish reli gion " " was , I presumed , the only man fit to seduce and draw away others " ¦ of the same persuasion with himself ; . to get into their confidence and
" remove successfully such scruples as mi g ht arise in their minds , both " with regard to the injurious reports , spread concerning Masonry , and " to the Pope ' s excommunication ; of which a vile heretic entertained " an idea far different from that of . the Romanists . " They then sent me back to my dungeon . —Being again ordered to be brought before the Inquisitors , they insisted upon my letting them into the secrets of
Masonry ; threatening me in case I did not comply . —I persisted as before , " in refusing to break my oath , and besought them either to " write , or give orders for writing , to his Portuguese Majesty's ministers " both at London and Paris , to know from them whether any thing was " ever done in the assemblies of Freemasons , repugnant to decency " and morality , to the dictates of the Romish faith , or to . the obedience
" which every good Christian owes to the injunctions of the monarch ' " in whose dominions he lives . " I observed farther , ' ¦ ' that the King of « France , who is the eldest son of the Church , and despotic iii his do" minions , would not have ordered his favourite to enter into a Society " proscribed by Mother Church , had he not been firmly persuaded , " that nothing was transacted in their meetings contrary to the state " or to religion . " I then referred them to Mr . Dogoodan Englishman ,
, who was both a Roman Catholic and a Freemason . This gentleman had travelled with , and was greatly beloved by , Don Pedro Antonio , the king ' s favourite , and who ( I observed farther ) , having settled a Lodge in Lisbon fifteen years before , could acquaint them , in case-he thought proper , with the nature and secrets . of Masonry . The Inquisitors commanded me to be taken back to my dismal abode .
Appearing again before them they did not once mention the secrets of Masonry , but took notice that I , in one of my examinations , had said , that it was a duty incumbent on Freemasons to assist the needy : upon which they asked , whether I had ever relieved a poor object ? I named to them a lying-in woman , a Romanist ,. who , being reduced to extreme misery , and hearing that the Freemasons were very charitable , she addressed
herself to me , and I gave her a moidore . —I added , " that the con" vent of tiie Franciscans having been burnt the fathers made a o-a" thering , and I gave them on the exchange three quarters of a moi" dore . " I declared farther ,, " That a poor Roman Catholic who had ' " a large family , and could get no " work , being iii the utmost distress , " had been recommended to me'b y some Freemasons , with a request ; Ii »