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Article THE EARLY MASONTC WRITERS.* ← Page 4 of 8 →
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The Early Masontc Writers.*
up till the establishment of the London Grand Lodge , and the extension of the Order consequent thereon , had brought it into more general notice , when the accusations of the over-credulous Dr . Plot were answered and satisfactorily refuted . This was followed by a papal bull , dated 1738 , condemning the society of Freemasonsand prohibiting
, their meetings under the penalty of ipso facto excommunication , which was answered by an Irish brother , in 1739 , when his book was condemned by the holy office to be publicly burnt . This document is published in the present volume .
Then the council of the republic of Berne distinguished themselves in the uncharitable office of persecuting an order which they did not understand , by issuing an ordinance against it , in which it was declared that any person frequenting a lodge , should be subject to a fine of one hundred crowns , and rendered incapable of holding any
employment of trust . This was answered by the same Irish brother . In 1757 the Associate Synod of Scotland passed an act against Freemasonry . Two years previous they had ordered that every person who was suspected of being a Freemason should return an explicit answer to any question that miht
g be asked on the subject , under certain penalties . The proceeding was so generally distasteful , however , that an " Examination" was published , and the persecution was set at rest . These preliminary skirmishings were but the heralds to some very serious consequences . The matter was ultimately
placed in the hands of the Inquisition , and in Spain and Portugal many unfortunate brethren were immured within its walls , and the most horrid cruelties inflicted on them , which frequently ended in death . Bro . John Coustos , one of the victims , had the good fortune to escape out of its clutches ; and he published a book in which he has detailed
the whole process of espionage , examination , and torture to which he was subjected by that cruel tribunal . The account has been introduced into the volume before us , and is well worthy of perusal , and serious reflection too , for it shews that innocence is no protection , when placed within the irresponsible talons of secret power . The misrepresentations of Le France , Barruel , and Robison , are then successfully exposed ; and the volume concludes with an
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
The Early Masontc Writers.*
up till the establishment of the London Grand Lodge , and the extension of the Order consequent thereon , had brought it into more general notice , when the accusations of the over-credulous Dr . Plot were answered and satisfactorily refuted . This was followed by a papal bull , dated 1738 , condemning the society of Freemasonsand prohibiting
, their meetings under the penalty of ipso facto excommunication , which was answered by an Irish brother , in 1739 , when his book was condemned by the holy office to be publicly burnt . This document is published in the present volume .
Then the council of the republic of Berne distinguished themselves in the uncharitable office of persecuting an order which they did not understand , by issuing an ordinance against it , in which it was declared that any person frequenting a lodge , should be subject to a fine of one hundred crowns , and rendered incapable of holding any
employment of trust . This was answered by the same Irish brother . In 1757 the Associate Synod of Scotland passed an act against Freemasonry . Two years previous they had ordered that every person who was suspected of being a Freemason should return an explicit answer to any question that miht
g be asked on the subject , under certain penalties . The proceeding was so generally distasteful , however , that an " Examination" was published , and the persecution was set at rest . These preliminary skirmishings were but the heralds to some very serious consequences . The matter was ultimately
placed in the hands of the Inquisition , and in Spain and Portugal many unfortunate brethren were immured within its walls , and the most horrid cruelties inflicted on them , which frequently ended in death . Bro . John Coustos , one of the victims , had the good fortune to escape out of its clutches ; and he published a book in which he has detailed
the whole process of espionage , examination , and torture to which he was subjected by that cruel tribunal . The account has been introduced into the volume before us , and is well worthy of perusal , and serious reflection too , for it shews that innocence is no protection , when placed within the irresponsible talons of secret power . The misrepresentations of Le France , Barruel , and Robison , are then successfully exposed ; and the volume concludes with an