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Article TO THE EDITOR OF THE FREEMASONS' MAGAZINE. ← Page 2 of 4 →
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To The Editor Of The Freemasons' Magazine.
ing appeared perfect and impenetrable . The royal repository was Completed much to the king ' s satisfaction , who immediately placed all his treasures there , and scarce failed a single day to delight his eyes with the choicest objects of his heart . The subtle architect of this edifice did not live to enjojr the fruits of his skill and craftiness . Not long after he had finished the regal storehouse he was taken illand
, , growing worse and worse , soon found himself beyond all hopes of recovery . Perceiving the inevitable approaches of death , he hastened to send for his two sons , without any other witnesses to see him die ; and in his last expiring moments he divulged to them the great secret of the disjointed stone in the treasury : he explaine r to them in what iu aim to it omitcea instructions
manner remove replace ; ana ne no that were necessary for them to observe . This done he breathed his last , leaving his sons , as he hoped , opulent as the king himself . The father ' s body was scarce cold , when his sons , by the help of a very dark night , made their first essay in putting their father ' s directions into practice . They succeeded without difficulty ; arid from time to time they repeated their practiceand enjoyed their success .
, Rhamsinitus , whose head and heart were constantly fixed upon his riches , observed in a few days great diminutions in his several heaps of silver . His surprise was inexpressible . He was robbed , but by whom was impossible to guess . Surmise itself was at a loss how to imagine either the persons or the manner . The apartment was whole ; every part of the treasury perfectly secured to all appearance ;
yet when the king , in the greatest anxiety , repeated his visits , he still perceived a continued deprivation of his treasures . The avaricious are generally politic . Policy seldom fails to nourish the roots of avarice . Rhamsinitus smothered his uneasiness , and appeared blind to his loss ; but secretly ordered nets to he prepared , and spread over the money-vessels in such a manner as to entrap the thief , and keep him prisoner till the king returned . This was done with the greatest
secresy . The two brothers came back to their source of plenty . One of them entered the treasury , while the other staid without . He who entered was presently taken in the snare . When he perceived his doom inevitable , with a magnanimity , that in a good cause must have been fli ghty applauded , he called to his brother , and spoke to him to this purpose : " I am taken . Cut off my head that my person may
" not be discovered . By this means one of us will escape with life . " In any other case we must both suffer a painful ignominious " death . " Necessity obliged the unwilling brother to obey . He cut off the head , took it away with him , and replaced the stone . Rhamsinitus , at the sight of a dead body in his treasury without a head , was not more astonished than disappointed . He examined the
edifice over and over . All was entire ; not the least aperture to be perceived , where an } ' person had come in or gone out . The king ' s perplexity was as excessive as the cause of it was extraordinary . He went away ; but first gave orders that the headless trunk should be hanged upon the outward wall , and guards placed there , who should seize , and immediately bring before him , any . person appearing sor-
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
To The Editor Of The Freemasons' Magazine.
ing appeared perfect and impenetrable . The royal repository was Completed much to the king ' s satisfaction , who immediately placed all his treasures there , and scarce failed a single day to delight his eyes with the choicest objects of his heart . The subtle architect of this edifice did not live to enjojr the fruits of his skill and craftiness . Not long after he had finished the regal storehouse he was taken illand
, , growing worse and worse , soon found himself beyond all hopes of recovery . Perceiving the inevitable approaches of death , he hastened to send for his two sons , without any other witnesses to see him die ; and in his last expiring moments he divulged to them the great secret of the disjointed stone in the treasury : he explaine r to them in what iu aim to it omitcea instructions
manner remove replace ; ana ne no that were necessary for them to observe . This done he breathed his last , leaving his sons , as he hoped , opulent as the king himself . The father ' s body was scarce cold , when his sons , by the help of a very dark night , made their first essay in putting their father ' s directions into practice . They succeeded without difficulty ; arid from time to time they repeated their practiceand enjoyed their success .
, Rhamsinitus , whose head and heart were constantly fixed upon his riches , observed in a few days great diminutions in his several heaps of silver . His surprise was inexpressible . He was robbed , but by whom was impossible to guess . Surmise itself was at a loss how to imagine either the persons or the manner . The apartment was whole ; every part of the treasury perfectly secured to all appearance ;
yet when the king , in the greatest anxiety , repeated his visits , he still perceived a continued deprivation of his treasures . The avaricious are generally politic . Policy seldom fails to nourish the roots of avarice . Rhamsinitus smothered his uneasiness , and appeared blind to his loss ; but secretly ordered nets to he prepared , and spread over the money-vessels in such a manner as to entrap the thief , and keep him prisoner till the king returned . This was done with the greatest
secresy . The two brothers came back to their source of plenty . One of them entered the treasury , while the other staid without . He who entered was presently taken in the snare . When he perceived his doom inevitable , with a magnanimity , that in a good cause must have been fli ghty applauded , he called to his brother , and spoke to him to this purpose : " I am taken . Cut off my head that my person may
" not be discovered . By this means one of us will escape with life . " In any other case we must both suffer a painful ignominious " death . " Necessity obliged the unwilling brother to obey . He cut off the head , took it away with him , and replaced the stone . Rhamsinitus , at the sight of a dead body in his treasury without a head , was not more astonished than disappointed . He examined the
edifice over and over . All was entire ; not the least aperture to be perceived , where an } ' person had come in or gone out . The king ' s perplexity was as excessive as the cause of it was extraordinary . He went away ; but first gave orders that the headless trunk should be hanged upon the outward wall , and guards placed there , who should seize , and immediately bring before him , any . person appearing sor-