Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
Freemasonry In Europe During The Past Century.
Inquisition coidd invent some pretext , or tax them with a crime , to give a semblance of justice to their proceedings . They were accused of not obeying the Pope ' s Bull , which declared Freemasonry heresy , and therefore sinned ; moreover , that the exclusion of women from their meetings gave reason to suppose them guilty of unnatural crimes ; an insinuation that might have been , with much more appearance of reasonretorted upon their accusersand that they had sought to
sub-, , vert all order in the Papal territories , by their determination to practice Freemasonry ; upon these charges their judges deemed it expedient to place them on the rack . Mouton then embraced the Catholic religion , and was pardoned ; but Coustos , remaining true to his Protestantism , was , after suffering the most excruciating tortures , and racked nine times in three months , * sentenced to four years work as a galley-slave ; but the British Government claiming him as a subject , he " was
released before his term of punishment expired . Three-and-thirty years passed without any thing more being heard of Freemasonry in Portugal ; but in the year 1776 two members of the Craft , Major Dalinc ' ourt and Don Oyres de Ornelles Parac-ao , a Portuguese nobleman , were incarcerated , and remained upwards of fourteen months in durance . Many searching enquiries were from time to time instituted , to ascertain if any and what Freemasonry was going forward , under the plea of discovering a conspiracy against the existing Government ; many arrests of distinguished and respected noblemen and gentlemen took place in consequence in 1802 ; among the rest of Da Costa the
naturalist . But the severity of former times was not practised , we may presume ( from the improvements of the age , and not love of the Craft ) , partially owing to the dispersements of the Jesuits , who were at all times the bitter and uncompromising enemies of the Order . They were in very bad repute in Portugal , where that society likewise suffered much , and after many hardships and imprisonment they were banished , anno 1759 , to Italy . It appears scarcely possible that so short a time as subsecould have
quently elapsed , produced the extraordinary change we now have to record , for we find in 1805 a Grand Lodge established , under the guidance of Egaz Moniz , M . W . Grand Master ; but this was only the commencement of the enlightenment the French revolution tended to disseminate ; Portugal , finding itself threatened by France , turned its attention to its treaties with England , and was compelled to adopt a more liberal policy , and regard with more attention the dicta from thence 1 he
. following year , war had shown itself at its frontiers and Junot inarched victoriously into the kingdom ; the Regent escaped to the Brazils , and Freemasonry received a powerful auxiliary in the French for a time ; but , as it may be supposed , with the downfall of the French and the restitution of the "old Regime , " came the former prejudices doubts and jealousies , and the days of the Craft were numbered On the 30 th March 1818 King John the Sixth from the
, , promulgated , Brazils , an edict against all secret societies , including Freemasonrv and again on the 20 th June , 1823 , a similar , though more strino-ent proclamation appeared in Lisbon . The punishment of death therein awarded has been recentl y reduced to fine and transportation to Africa . SPAIN Gives no ber . ter or brighter prospect than Portugal , although Freemasonry was known there earlier ; for we find in the year 1727 tlL
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
Freemasonry In Europe During The Past Century.
Inquisition coidd invent some pretext , or tax them with a crime , to give a semblance of justice to their proceedings . They were accused of not obeying the Pope ' s Bull , which declared Freemasonry heresy , and therefore sinned ; moreover , that the exclusion of women from their meetings gave reason to suppose them guilty of unnatural crimes ; an insinuation that might have been , with much more appearance of reasonretorted upon their accusersand that they had sought to
sub-, , vert all order in the Papal territories , by their determination to practice Freemasonry ; upon these charges their judges deemed it expedient to place them on the rack . Mouton then embraced the Catholic religion , and was pardoned ; but Coustos , remaining true to his Protestantism , was , after suffering the most excruciating tortures , and racked nine times in three months , * sentenced to four years work as a galley-slave ; but the British Government claiming him as a subject , he " was
released before his term of punishment expired . Three-and-thirty years passed without any thing more being heard of Freemasonry in Portugal ; but in the year 1776 two members of the Craft , Major Dalinc ' ourt and Don Oyres de Ornelles Parac-ao , a Portuguese nobleman , were incarcerated , and remained upwards of fourteen months in durance . Many searching enquiries were from time to time instituted , to ascertain if any and what Freemasonry was going forward , under the plea of discovering a conspiracy against the existing Government ; many arrests of distinguished and respected noblemen and gentlemen took place in consequence in 1802 ; among the rest of Da Costa the
naturalist . But the severity of former times was not practised , we may presume ( from the improvements of the age , and not love of the Craft ) , partially owing to the dispersements of the Jesuits , who were at all times the bitter and uncompromising enemies of the Order . They were in very bad repute in Portugal , where that society likewise suffered much , and after many hardships and imprisonment they were banished , anno 1759 , to Italy . It appears scarcely possible that so short a time as subsecould have
quently elapsed , produced the extraordinary change we now have to record , for we find in 1805 a Grand Lodge established , under the guidance of Egaz Moniz , M . W . Grand Master ; but this was only the commencement of the enlightenment the French revolution tended to disseminate ; Portugal , finding itself threatened by France , turned its attention to its treaties with England , and was compelled to adopt a more liberal policy , and regard with more attention the dicta from thence 1 he
. following year , war had shown itself at its frontiers and Junot inarched victoriously into the kingdom ; the Regent escaped to the Brazils , and Freemasonry received a powerful auxiliary in the French for a time ; but , as it may be supposed , with the downfall of the French and the restitution of the "old Regime , " came the former prejudices doubts and jealousies , and the days of the Craft were numbered On the 30 th March 1818 King John the Sixth from the
, , promulgated , Brazils , an edict against all secret societies , including Freemasonrv and again on the 20 th June , 1823 , a similar , though more strino-ent proclamation appeared in Lisbon . The punishment of death therein awarded has been recentl y reduced to fine and transportation to Africa . SPAIN Gives no ber . ter or brighter prospect than Portugal , although Freemasonry was known there earlier ; for we find in the year 1727 tlL