-
Articles/Ads
Article MEMOIRS OF THE FREEMASONS AT NAPLES. ← Page 2 of 5 →
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
Memoirs Of The Freemasons At Naples.
the exclusion of Pallante from the office of fiscal , that court found them just and lawful : in consequence Pallante was discharged . This gentleman was the Marquis D'Avena , counsellor to Ihe tribunal of Sancta Clara , member of the royal court of justice , and solicitor for the poor . By virtue of his office it was his duty to defend the cause of the accused ; butas he had till then entertained a very indifferent
, opinion of Freemasons in general , his prejudice engaged him to petition the king to be dispensed from an employment soj-directly opposite to the movements of his conscience . This was the very thing that engaged the Marquis Tanucci , by his influence with his majesty , to refuse his request . Avena found himself then obliged to take a more exact knowledge of the nature and regulations of the Society , and
soon found , to his very great satisfaction , that-he had taken in hand an excellent cause , and from that moment shewed so much zeal in defence of the Society , that the minister was desirous of removinghim from his employment should he persist in their defence in the manner he had begun . D'Avena was deaf to all remonstrances , and implicitly followed the dictates of his conscience and strict justice .
Tanucci menaced him with the loss of all his employments ; but theking , in order to convince him that he did not at all times suffer himself to be governed by his minister , so far from depriving him of any part of his employments , appointed him counsellor to the royal chamber of justice , and Capo di Ruota , or one of the chiefs of the tribunal of that name ; he accompanied this favour with such expressions of kindness as are equally honourable to the master and the subject .
The place of Fiscal was given to Don Cesare Ruggiero , who undertook with great zeal , and in a public manner , to defend the person of his predecessor . As he was bilious by nature , and had very little knowledge of the laws , his choler got the better of his reason , and which he sufficiently shewed by the imprudent speech he made against the Marquis D'Avena , and the Freemasons in general . Government expecting sound reason instead of abusehis speech ( which
, lie had got to be printed ) was publicly condemned as an absurd libel , and accordingly suppressed . Ruggiero , who thought he had produced a masterpiece of its kind , survived the fatal catastrophe but a very short time . Much about the same period the Marquis Tanucci lost his employment ; some people imagined at first that the prosecution of the
Freemasons was the cause . Whatever was the reason , it is certain that from that moment the attacks against the Society became much less violent . Tile same reason ' s which had deprived Pallante of . his office , engaged the council of state to resume the proceedings , and order a fresh hearing of the cause ; at the same time liberty was granted to the
prisoners to retire to their several homes , on condition that they should be ready to appear on the first order from the court . The king approved the decree of the tribunal ; Tanucci said that the accused must g ive bail , They found this stipulation dishonourable ;
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
Memoirs Of The Freemasons At Naples.
the exclusion of Pallante from the office of fiscal , that court found them just and lawful : in consequence Pallante was discharged . This gentleman was the Marquis D'Avena , counsellor to Ihe tribunal of Sancta Clara , member of the royal court of justice , and solicitor for the poor . By virtue of his office it was his duty to defend the cause of the accused ; butas he had till then entertained a very indifferent
, opinion of Freemasons in general , his prejudice engaged him to petition the king to be dispensed from an employment soj-directly opposite to the movements of his conscience . This was the very thing that engaged the Marquis Tanucci , by his influence with his majesty , to refuse his request . Avena found himself then obliged to take a more exact knowledge of the nature and regulations of the Society , and
soon found , to his very great satisfaction , that-he had taken in hand an excellent cause , and from that moment shewed so much zeal in defence of the Society , that the minister was desirous of removinghim from his employment should he persist in their defence in the manner he had begun . D'Avena was deaf to all remonstrances , and implicitly followed the dictates of his conscience and strict justice .
Tanucci menaced him with the loss of all his employments ; but theking , in order to convince him that he did not at all times suffer himself to be governed by his minister , so far from depriving him of any part of his employments , appointed him counsellor to the royal chamber of justice , and Capo di Ruota , or one of the chiefs of the tribunal of that name ; he accompanied this favour with such expressions of kindness as are equally honourable to the master and the subject .
The place of Fiscal was given to Don Cesare Ruggiero , who undertook with great zeal , and in a public manner , to defend the person of his predecessor . As he was bilious by nature , and had very little knowledge of the laws , his choler got the better of his reason , and which he sufficiently shewed by the imprudent speech he made against the Marquis D'Avena , and the Freemasons in general . Government expecting sound reason instead of abusehis speech ( which
, lie had got to be printed ) was publicly condemned as an absurd libel , and accordingly suppressed . Ruggiero , who thought he had produced a masterpiece of its kind , survived the fatal catastrophe but a very short time . Much about the same period the Marquis Tanucci lost his employment ; some people imagined at first that the prosecution of the
Freemasons was the cause . Whatever was the reason , it is certain that from that moment the attacks against the Society became much less violent . Tile same reason ' s which had deprived Pallante of . his office , engaged the council of state to resume the proceedings , and order a fresh hearing of the cause ; at the same time liberty was granted to the
prisoners to retire to their several homes , on condition that they should be ready to appear on the first order from the court . The king approved the decree of the tribunal ; Tanucci said that the accused must g ive bail , They found this stipulation dishonourable ;