Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
To The Editor Of The Freemasons' Magazine.
several mysteries now enumerated in the list of companies in the city of London and other commercial towns . If no other- tyrannical assumptions could be charged upon the Church of Rome , than granting protection to Masons while employed professionally . in the service of religion , the complaints against " that corrupted see would have given place to the warm praise of policy and humanity . But whether these privileges were properly or improperly conferredthey were not be- *
, stowed to train up novices in ' a' new aft of mystery ; but for the encouragement of able and experienced masters : for the buildings then erected still remain , and hot onl y soj but remain the admiration even of this improved age ! so that Governor Pownal is not justified in dating the ori gin of Freemasonry from ' papa ! encouragements to architects ' , ¦ who 7 nust evidently have , been formed in other schools : they were
necessary , indeed , on account of the barbarity and ignorance of the times , hot ' of the professors ' of tlie masonic art , who' have left such splendid monuments of skill to justif y the protection-they obtained . We ought to patch them up as long ' asw ^ can make them stand ; for whenever our august cathedral's arid other collegiate structures- yield to the inevitable decays of timeneither the piety nor the liberality of
, our times afford any assurance that they will ever be restored fn a suitable style . He has as ' little authority beyond conjecture for supporting his censure of theprivileges granted to Italian architects in the twelfth century , by an English statute enacted in the fifteenth century ; or to infer that because in the troublesome-reigh of our Henr £ VI . occasion was taken to condemn the private congregation ' s of English
Masons , that therefore' those' of Italy were exorbitaritin their claims 300 years before- that time ! The Governor is not more' happy iir his injurious character of the present race of Freemasons , than in the inferences' he has drawn to the prejudice of their operative ancestors :, his motive in either caSe , being beyond ' my conception , I leave wholly to himself . He says ,
that hy degrees'their clubs or lodges sunk into a foolish harmless rriumviery . If Freemasons do in reality possess the aft of refining folly into goodness , the world may justly credit any other pretensions to which they may lay claim ; for so far as their actions come under public , notice , they have been peculiarly distinguished by theirbenevolehce arid philanthropy . It is worthy of remark , that the s ' ame peiVthat fixes
the stigma of folly on their lodge meetings , should affirm them also to ' be a brotherhood of charity ! We may hence syllogistically infer , that , in this gentleman ' s opinion , charity and folly are synonimbus terms' ! Either the Governor is a' Freemason himself , or he is not : if he is one ofthe fraternity , I regret that 1 cannot hail a man of his abilities as a " worthy brother , for his endeavours to expose to public contempt an
institution that he is nevertheless reluctantly obliged to commend : if he is not a Freemason , which is most probably the case , for that disposition must be obdurate indeed that is not somewhat mended by masonical mummery , he appears , if possible , in a still more disadvantageous point of view , in olhciovssly ' meddling with ' what he ktibv / s nothing about , lam . Sir , voui ' s , & c . X a j . N «
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
To The Editor Of The Freemasons' Magazine.
several mysteries now enumerated in the list of companies in the city of London and other commercial towns . If no other- tyrannical assumptions could be charged upon the Church of Rome , than granting protection to Masons while employed professionally . in the service of religion , the complaints against " that corrupted see would have given place to the warm praise of policy and humanity . But whether these privileges were properly or improperly conferredthey were not be- *
, stowed to train up novices in ' a' new aft of mystery ; but for the encouragement of able and experienced masters : for the buildings then erected still remain , and hot onl y soj but remain the admiration even of this improved age ! so that Governor Pownal is not justified in dating the ori gin of Freemasonry from ' papa ! encouragements to architects ' , ¦ who 7 nust evidently have , been formed in other schools : they were
necessary , indeed , on account of the barbarity and ignorance of the times , hot ' of the professors ' of tlie masonic art , who' have left such splendid monuments of skill to justif y the protection-they obtained . We ought to patch them up as long ' asw ^ can make them stand ; for whenever our august cathedral's arid other collegiate structures- yield to the inevitable decays of timeneither the piety nor the liberality of
, our times afford any assurance that they will ever be restored fn a suitable style . He has as ' little authority beyond conjecture for supporting his censure of theprivileges granted to Italian architects in the twelfth century , by an English statute enacted in the fifteenth century ; or to infer that because in the troublesome-reigh of our Henr £ VI . occasion was taken to condemn the private congregation ' s of English
Masons , that therefore' those' of Italy were exorbitaritin their claims 300 years before- that time ! The Governor is not more' happy iir his injurious character of the present race of Freemasons , than in the inferences' he has drawn to the prejudice of their operative ancestors :, his motive in either caSe , being beyond ' my conception , I leave wholly to himself . He says ,
that hy degrees'their clubs or lodges sunk into a foolish harmless rriumviery . If Freemasons do in reality possess the aft of refining folly into goodness , the world may justly credit any other pretensions to which they may lay claim ; for so far as their actions come under public , notice , they have been peculiarly distinguished by theirbenevolehce arid philanthropy . It is worthy of remark , that the s ' ame peiVthat fixes
the stigma of folly on their lodge meetings , should affirm them also to ' be a brotherhood of charity ! We may hence syllogistically infer , that , in this gentleman ' s opinion , charity and folly are synonimbus terms' ! Either the Governor is a' Freemason himself , or he is not : if he is one ofthe fraternity , I regret that 1 cannot hail a man of his abilities as a " worthy brother , for his endeavours to expose to public contempt an
institution that he is nevertheless reluctantly obliged to commend : if he is not a Freemason , which is most probably the case , for that disposition must be obdurate indeed that is not somewhat mended by masonical mummery , he appears , if possible , in a still more disadvantageous point of view , in olhciovssly ' meddling with ' what he ktibv / s nothing about , lam . Sir , voui ' s , & c . X a j . N «