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Article HISTORY OF MASONRY. ← Page 7 of 8 →
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History Of Masonry.
. considered as one of the most noble literary ornaments of the University of Oxford . While the Greeks were propagating the science and the- art in tlve very best manner , founding new cities , repairing old ones , and erecting statues beyond number , the Africans imitated the Egyptians , southward in Ethiopia down to the Cape of Good Hope ; and also
westward to the Atlantic shore ; though history fails , and no travellers have yet discovered the remains of those many powerful nations . Only we know that the Carthaginians formed a republican state long before the Romans ; had built some stately cities and strong castles , and made their great capital Carthage the terror of Rome , and her rival for universal empire . They manifested their skill in geometry
and Masonry of all sorts , in temples , statues , palaces , forts , and stout ships that carried on the chief trade of the known world : and therefore the emulous Romans long meditated its destruction , according to a current proverbial maxim among them— Delenda est Carthago ! Carthage must be demolished ; which , after long and strenuous efforts , they at length accomplished .
Thus Hannibal , their greatest general , who so long withstood the Roman arms , in his retreat from Carthage to Armenia shewed his great skill in drawing for King Artaxes the plan of the city Artaxata , and surveyed the palace , temples , and citadel thereof .
The learned Sicilians , descended from the Greeks , followed their instructions in architecture very early , at Agrigentum , Messina , Ge'la , & c . especially at Syracuse ; for when that city Was besieged by the Romans , as being an ally to the Carthaginians in the second Punic war , it was 22 miles round ; and Marcellus could not storm it , because of the amazing devices of that skilful mechanic and engineer Archimedes * who appeared to counteract the approaches of the
as-, sailants by supernatural powers . The relations transmitted down to us of his schemes to destroy their shipping , are almost incredible . He is said to have contrived a speculum , or reflecting mirror , of such power , and with the focus at such a distance , that he set the Roman gallies on fire by the rays of the sun . Against the vessels which came close under the wallshe prepared a formidable kind of
, lever or crow , with an iron grapple at the end , fastened to tr strong chain : this being projected over the wall , and let clown upon the prow of a vessel , fastened hold of it ; and being then raised up by a counterpoise within the wall , lifted the vessel upright , endwise upon her poop ; when letting it drop suddenly , the vessel , as if it fell from the wall , dashed down into the seaand filled with waterto the
in-, , expressible terror of the mariners ! But though he thus defeated theefforts of the Romans by sea , the } ' were more successful in their attacks by land ; for , after a siege of three years , by seizing an illguarded tower , the city was taken by surprise on a festival day . Marcellus gave a strict charge to save Archimedes ; but a common sol-
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
History Of Masonry.
. considered as one of the most noble literary ornaments of the University of Oxford . While the Greeks were propagating the science and the- art in tlve very best manner , founding new cities , repairing old ones , and erecting statues beyond number , the Africans imitated the Egyptians , southward in Ethiopia down to the Cape of Good Hope ; and also
westward to the Atlantic shore ; though history fails , and no travellers have yet discovered the remains of those many powerful nations . Only we know that the Carthaginians formed a republican state long before the Romans ; had built some stately cities and strong castles , and made their great capital Carthage the terror of Rome , and her rival for universal empire . They manifested their skill in geometry
and Masonry of all sorts , in temples , statues , palaces , forts , and stout ships that carried on the chief trade of the known world : and therefore the emulous Romans long meditated its destruction , according to a current proverbial maxim among them— Delenda est Carthago ! Carthage must be demolished ; which , after long and strenuous efforts , they at length accomplished .
Thus Hannibal , their greatest general , who so long withstood the Roman arms , in his retreat from Carthage to Armenia shewed his great skill in drawing for King Artaxes the plan of the city Artaxata , and surveyed the palace , temples , and citadel thereof .
The learned Sicilians , descended from the Greeks , followed their instructions in architecture very early , at Agrigentum , Messina , Ge'la , & c . especially at Syracuse ; for when that city Was besieged by the Romans , as being an ally to the Carthaginians in the second Punic war , it was 22 miles round ; and Marcellus could not storm it , because of the amazing devices of that skilful mechanic and engineer Archimedes * who appeared to counteract the approaches of the
as-, sailants by supernatural powers . The relations transmitted down to us of his schemes to destroy their shipping , are almost incredible . He is said to have contrived a speculum , or reflecting mirror , of such power , and with the focus at such a distance , that he set the Roman gallies on fire by the rays of the sun . Against the vessels which came close under the wallshe prepared a formidable kind of
, lever or crow , with an iron grapple at the end , fastened to tr strong chain : this being projected over the wall , and let clown upon the prow of a vessel , fastened hold of it ; and being then raised up by a counterpoise within the wall , lifted the vessel upright , endwise upon her poop ; when letting it drop suddenly , the vessel , as if it fell from the wall , dashed down into the seaand filled with waterto the
in-, , expressible terror of the mariners ! But though he thus defeated theefforts of the Romans by sea , the } ' were more successful in their attacks by land ; for , after a siege of three years , by seizing an illguarded tower , the city was taken by surprise on a festival day . Marcellus gave a strict charge to save Archimedes ; but a common sol-