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Article A DEFENCE OF MASONRY, ← Page 4 of 8 →
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A Defence Of Masonry,
they say , were exquisitely skilled in it ; and nobody - , at first , presumed to commit it to writivg : but ( what seems most to the present purpose ) the perfection of their skill consisted in what the Dissector calls lettering of it , or by ordering the letters of a word in a particular manner . The last instance I shall mention is that of the Druids in our owrt nationwho were the only priests among the Ancient Britons . * In
, their solemnities they were clothed in white ; and their ceremonies always ended with a good feast . Pomponius Mela relates of them , that their science was only an effort of memory : for they wrote down nothing ; and they never failed to repeat many verses , which they received by tradition . Ca ? sar observes , that they had a Head , or Chiefwho had sovereign power : this President exercised a sort
, of excommu jcation , attended with dreadful penalties , upon such as either divuiged or profaned their mysteries . Thus , with reasonable allowance for distance of time , place , and other intermediate accidents , the preceding Collections discover something , at least , like Masonry , if the Dissection contains any such thing .
CHAP . IV . WHATEVER reflections may attend the few remarks that follow in this Chapter , arising either from an overflow of wit , or ill-nature , I shall be unconcerned , and leave them wholly to the mercy of the serious reader ; only desiring him to remember , that no more ought , in any case , to be expected , than what the nature of it will reasonably admit . I own freelyI received a great pleasure in collectingand
, , was frequently surprised at the discoveries that must evidently occur to an observing eye . The conformity between the rites and principles of Masonry ( if the Dissection be true ) and the many customs and ceremonies of the Ancients , must give delight to a person of any taste and curiosity ; to find any remains of antique usage and learning preserved by a Society
for many ages , without books or writing , by oral tradition only . I . The number three is frequently mentioned in the Dissection ; and I find that the ancients , both Greeks and Latins , professed a great veneration for that number . Theocritus f thus introduces a person who dealt in secret arts : ' jEr T «/ r aTrcoTTEvoai K . r ^ is TttS ; nrlr-nx 0 »» i !
Tbricc , thrice 1 pour , and thrice repeat my charms 1 Verbaque ter dixit . J Thrice he repeats the words . Necte tribus nodis ternos , Amarille , colores . § Three colours in three hio' . s unite .
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
A Defence Of Masonry,
they say , were exquisitely skilled in it ; and nobody - , at first , presumed to commit it to writivg : but ( what seems most to the present purpose ) the perfection of their skill consisted in what the Dissector calls lettering of it , or by ordering the letters of a word in a particular manner . The last instance I shall mention is that of the Druids in our owrt nationwho were the only priests among the Ancient Britons . * In
, their solemnities they were clothed in white ; and their ceremonies always ended with a good feast . Pomponius Mela relates of them , that their science was only an effort of memory : for they wrote down nothing ; and they never failed to repeat many verses , which they received by tradition . Ca ? sar observes , that they had a Head , or Chiefwho had sovereign power : this President exercised a sort
, of excommu jcation , attended with dreadful penalties , upon such as either divuiged or profaned their mysteries . Thus , with reasonable allowance for distance of time , place , and other intermediate accidents , the preceding Collections discover something , at least , like Masonry , if the Dissection contains any such thing .
CHAP . IV . WHATEVER reflections may attend the few remarks that follow in this Chapter , arising either from an overflow of wit , or ill-nature , I shall be unconcerned , and leave them wholly to the mercy of the serious reader ; only desiring him to remember , that no more ought , in any case , to be expected , than what the nature of it will reasonably admit . I own freelyI received a great pleasure in collectingand
, , was frequently surprised at the discoveries that must evidently occur to an observing eye . The conformity between the rites and principles of Masonry ( if the Dissection be true ) and the many customs and ceremonies of the Ancients , must give delight to a person of any taste and curiosity ; to find any remains of antique usage and learning preserved by a Society
for many ages , without books or writing , by oral tradition only . I . The number three is frequently mentioned in the Dissection ; and I find that the ancients , both Greeks and Latins , professed a great veneration for that number . Theocritus f thus introduces a person who dealt in secret arts : ' jEr T «/ r aTrcoTTEvoai K . r ^ is TttS ; nrlr-nx 0 »» i !
Tbricc , thrice 1 pour , and thrice repeat my charms 1 Verbaque ter dixit . J Thrice he repeats the words . Necte tribus nodis ternos , Amarille , colores . § Three colours in three hio' . s unite .