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Article ANCIENT MASONS' MARKS. ← Page 5 of 9 →
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Ancient Masons' Marks.
Merchant ' s Creek , ' i . e . from Francesco di Paolo up to Geitun Gate , those that follow may be met with : 7 + A ^^ AXV Previously to summing up , we may rectify what is an important omission , viz . that on the inner face of the wall at
Fort Verdala , twenty feet or so from the ground , were observed on one stone a triangle , having within it , sculptured rudely , the figure of a cock in low relief , and on an adjoining stone , within a figure square internally , but each angle differently formed externally , a monogram of the letters G . R . S . or G ., surmounted by a plain coronal and crossthus . A »
, , The two stones alluded to are , like the remainder of the wall , grey with age and exposure to the weather ; they are within two courses of each other , and it is only with a favourable light that either of them can be seen from the ground : in fact , it was not until mounting a ladder to examine the triangular figure , that the monogram was found .
On reviewing the different circumstances , which bear upon the connection between the Order of St . John of Jerusalem and Freemasonry , we are inclined to believe that a connection of a very important kind existed between the two orders ; not as such , but by the desire of individual members of the Knightly Orderto bring back to their native land some partat leastof
, , , that knowledge of the arts and sciences , which the Syrian fraternities were well known to possess . Admission to their mysteries was necessary to obtain this knowledge ; and the patronage which the Knights of St . John extended to Freemasonry , on returning to their western homes , with the still existing remains of their architecture , are sufficient to show that that knowledge
had not been obtained in vain , no less than from their emulating the monastic but non-militant bodies , who kept the lamp of science burning , improved agriculture by example , and preserved it during ages of constant warfare by the purity of their lives , their greater gentleness to their retainers , and the prescriptive regard to the sanctity of the Church , which even the rudest baron rarely violated . That , after leaving the Holy Land , and during their many struggles with the Ottoman
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
Ancient Masons' Marks.
Merchant ' s Creek , ' i . e . from Francesco di Paolo up to Geitun Gate , those that follow may be met with : 7 + A ^^ AXV Previously to summing up , we may rectify what is an important omission , viz . that on the inner face of the wall at
Fort Verdala , twenty feet or so from the ground , were observed on one stone a triangle , having within it , sculptured rudely , the figure of a cock in low relief , and on an adjoining stone , within a figure square internally , but each angle differently formed externally , a monogram of the letters G . R . S . or G ., surmounted by a plain coronal and crossthus . A »
, , The two stones alluded to are , like the remainder of the wall , grey with age and exposure to the weather ; they are within two courses of each other , and it is only with a favourable light that either of them can be seen from the ground : in fact , it was not until mounting a ladder to examine the triangular figure , that the monogram was found .
On reviewing the different circumstances , which bear upon the connection between the Order of St . John of Jerusalem and Freemasonry , we are inclined to believe that a connection of a very important kind existed between the two orders ; not as such , but by the desire of individual members of the Knightly Orderto bring back to their native land some partat leastof
, , , that knowledge of the arts and sciences , which the Syrian fraternities were well known to possess . Admission to their mysteries was necessary to obtain this knowledge ; and the patronage which the Knights of St . John extended to Freemasonry , on returning to their western homes , with the still existing remains of their architecture , are sufficient to show that that knowledge
had not been obtained in vain , no less than from their emulating the monastic but non-militant bodies , who kept the lamp of science burning , improved agriculture by example , and preserved it during ages of constant warfare by the purity of their lives , their greater gentleness to their retainers , and the prescriptive regard to the sanctity of the Church , which even the rudest baron rarely violated . That , after leaving the Holy Land , and during their many struggles with the Ottoman