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Article THE SONS OF GEORGE THE THIRD. Page 1 of 1 Article REVIEWS Page 1 of 1 Article Masonic Notes and Queries. Page 1 of 2 Article Masonic Notes and Queries. Page 1 of 2 →
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The Sons Of George The Third.
THE SONS OF GEORGE THE THIRD .
To the Editor of the " Freemason . " Dear Sir and Brother , — Kindly state in your next issue the names and ranks in the Craft of the five sons of George 111 . whom
you state in to-day ' s paper in a book review were Masons . —Yours fraternally , S . D . . January 27 th . [ The Prince of Wales , the Duke of Cumberland , the Dukeof York , the Duke of Kent , and the Duke of Sussex . —ED . F . M . J
Reviews
REVIEWS
DAPHNIS AND OTHER POEMS . By H . G . HELLON . Kegan Paul & Co ., 1 , Paternoster-square . This is , to a great extent , a mystical volume of poetry which seems to " deserve notice in the pages of the Freemason . On the cover the writer has imprinted in gold thc Hexapla or Solomon's Seal , a mystic and Masonic symbol of high age and great importance , and in his poem the " Seers " he adopts some old world hieroglyphs and
tokens , as well as Masonic tradition , which he incorporates is in the following verses . Like Tennyson , he loves to dvvel ' on all the wonders that shall be " in some golden age tc come" and thus holds up before us an inevitable future remarkable discoveries some day . " Soon shall Atlantis come to light , Rise from thc sea in giant might , Her cupolas of marble bright .
" Whose race the elements could sway , Who more than mortal in their day , Time ' s cycle now has swept away . "With them ' The Lost Word ' passed away , The secret signs and symbols grey , Which Plato sought in his own day . " The ' Royal Arch ' * may pierce the night ,
But curtained still is to the sight The Sacred Word , the « Lamp of Light . * " Know that the Pyramids conceal A chamber Time will yet reveal , Where Menes set the sacred seal . " * [ This sign and symbol is known only to the Initiated . — H . G . H . J This long poem of the "Seer"deserves perusal especially bj Freemasons , and there are some other very pleasant anc promising verses in the little volumes .
HUMANITY AND THE MAN . A Poem . By WM , SHARPE , M . D . Hodges , Figgis , and Co ., Dublin , Wc have reviewed previously in the Freemason one 01 two of the brochures of Dr . Wm . Sharpe , and we are glad to-day to have received and to be able to speak favourably of his poem called "Humanity and the Man . " Bro . Dr . Sharpe seems to us skilfully , effectively , and
poetically too , to deal with the great problem of human existence , as described and developed in his new offering . Blank verse is always , even under the most favourable circumstances , rather trying and monotonous to the general reader , but certainly , we must say , that Bro . Dr . Sharpe seems to possess an ear for harmony of words , as well as a mind which education has strengthened and expanded , able to contemplate those remarkable truths which ever
underlie the normal and formal life of man . We congratulate Bro . Sharpe on a very effective poem , readable in the highest degree , abounding in thoughtful sketches , kindly imaginings , truthful views , and poetic touches . It may interest some of us to read thc following lines , with the writer's note appended , as they will both give our readers anideaof the volume itself , as well as perhaps lead them to purchase the work itself :
" Knowledge there handed down , By symbols slowly , and by secret rites , And words of nouth after ( it trials passed : — Trials , and ceremonies , and types imposed , The tests alike of intellectual power , Force , courage , and integrity of mind ; To Wisdom , Strength , and Beauty still allied ,
Or the prerogative of these combined;—These the great pillars of the universe Of import vast a mystic meaning bear ; And in contradistinction stand to evil , Characterised in turn by ugliness , Unwisdom , weakness , and deformity . For by the trial ceremonies enforced ,
The worldly-minded are excluded still From knowledge of the higher truths , which they , Seeing in part , see not : —truth which displayed In clearer form , they would corrupt and change ; Till finally the whole obscured and quenched Should in oblivion r . ink , or shadow-like , Stand lingering in some fantastic show , Like thc disjointed fragments of a dream ! "
[ When these lines were written the author did not belong to the Masonic Order , though he has since joined that ancient society . —NOTE UY THE WRITER . J This educing of Freemasonry from the history of the past is , curiously enough as our readers will note , brought out in the two volumes of poems we review to-day . We might select several other passages of force , meaning , and reality , but our space is limited , and our notice must come to an end .
TRUSSES , KLASTIC HANI > AI ; ES , Ii-ic—SEEM . V ' . S II . VKII KumitR TRUSSES . —The world ' s recognition of unequalled excellence . Receving the only award of merit granted for trusses at the late international Medical Exhibition , 1881 . Made in every desirable and latest improved pattern , fine steel springs , neatly covered with highly-polished hard rubber , light , cool , cleanly j unaffected by time , use . or climate . Free from all sour , rusty , dialing , or
strapping unpleasantness . Used in bathing . Always reliable . The correct and skilful mechanical treatment of hernia or rupture a specialty . Uneler patronage of the world's most distinguished surgeons . Choice assortment of elastic surgical hosierv . Belts , improved suspensory bandages , shoulder braces . Establishments —J 4 , Fleet-street , London , K . C , and 1347 , Chestnut-street , Phila-. ( ielphia , U . S . A . —[ A » v r . ]
Masonic Notes And Queries.
Masonic Notes and Queries .
113 ] ECKERT—PAPAL BULLS . If Bro . Bookworm cares to take stock of Eckert ' s "Tempel Salomonis" he will find it in the British Museum . Press mark 4783 d . Prague , 1 S 55 , 4 to . He will find it more curious than instructive and withall terribly dry . He is undoubtedly right when he draws my attention to the fact that the exact dates of the papal bulls are not proved by
the allegations of the Steinmetzen ; but I think that their allegations do render the dates more or less probable . The South German Masons formed a brotherhood in 1459 , not earlier , despite Fallou and his followers ( vide Gould , chap . iii ) . No papal bull could therefore have been issued on their behalf previously . Shortly afterwards they obtained imperial confirmation for their statutes . What more likely
than that they petitioned for papal confirmation also ; and considering that the petitioners would be , amongst others , the Master Masons of Strasburg and Cologne'Cathedrals , not ! to mention smaller ecclesiastical edifices in course of construction , what more likely than that they succeeded in obtaining these confirmations . The North German Masons did not immediately join the brotherhood and the
consequent quarrel culminated in the beginning of the iGth century . We have proof that the Strasburg fraternity strained every nerve during these 50 years to force the outsiders to join the union . This desire to exercise a strong trades coercion was probably the very reason why they applied to the Pope . Any way in lsiSand 151 Q we find
them referring to the papal bulls . We thus see that the papal bulls could not have dated before 1 459 nor after 151 S ; so that the alleged dates 1502 and 1517 , especially the latter , would appear very probable . One fact remains clear : either the Strasburg Masons lied most shamefully , or they were in possession of some sort of charter from his holiness . G . WM . SPETH .
114 ] LEWIS . Ernest Bosc in his valuable little " Dictionaire Generalc de l'Architecture , " tells us that " Louve " is identical with "Forfex" as used by Vitruvius , and that "Forficula " was a " Louveteau . " He throws no light however on the use of " Louve . " If I remember rightly Vitruvius uses
the words " forcipes " and " forfices ; " the latter represent the " Lewis , " & c ., as we term it ; the former an iron cramp or clasps . BOOKWORM . "Si . . What are the privileges of a Lewis r Amongst others , is it the fact that he may be initiated at iS years of age , whereas all others must wait the full age of 21 years ? Where can I find authorities on thc subject ? ENQUIRER .
11 C ] MASONIC HISTORY . That there is such a thing as" Masonic History and Masonic History , " Bro . Gould will I think agree vvith mc in holding and asserting . Certainly for a long time I have never been so struck with anything as with a speech of Bro . Duscher , 16 S 7 , recorded in the Freemason of the 27 th ult . Is he not the same brotherwho made that
astounding speech about the charities not long ago ? I say nothing here about his figures , but his "history" is certainly very much " mixed up . " 1 . I am not aware that the Lodge of Antiquity , qua that famous old body , had anything to do with the well known provision contained in the Harleian MSS ., namely , the admission of speculative Masons , but which provision loses much of its importance , ( as it is
probably only thc record of a " fait accompli ) , " by the record of Elias Ashmole ' s initiation in 1646 . 2 . The statement that Masonry opened its portals to Voltaire , Rousseau , Diderot , Helvetius , and Holbach is slightly misleading and if a fine passage very incorrect . Voltaire as we know was made in "Les Neuf Sceurs , " at Paris , only in the last 12 months of his life ; indeed only four months before his death in 177 S
in his 83 rd year , previously to which he had often openly laughed at Freemasonry . Helvetius , who died in 1771 , was also a member of thc " Neuf StEurs" in Paris , but I am not aware of any evidence so far which connects Diderot , Holbach , and Rousseau with Freemasonry . I should be glad to see it . 3 . Where Bro . Duscher obtains any evidence on that moot point , a Templar connexion , or any link
with the " Albagesis , " (?) 1 am at a loss to conceive . Of those mysterious and mythic bodies , " Parantines and Bulgares and dissenting lodges , " I have never even heard . How chronologically they can be brought in after the end of the eighteenth century is a thing a " fellar can't understand . " It seems such a happy confusion of ideas and times that it is worth noting . 4 . I beg to deny distinctly , for the honour of Freemasonry , that it had ever in any
shape anything properly to do with Cagliostro or thc Illuminati , and that it became philanthropic and humanitary , ( sic ) , renovated , and young again in consequence of the alleged decision of the middle of the seventeenth century . It is a very pretty after-dinner peroration , but . it rests on no solid bais . Cagliostro was originally a Freemason I admit , but finding it too narrow for his sublimer ideas he
left it , and proceeded to concoct his Egyptian Masonry ( Androgyne ) , which he professed to have obtained in England , and in his hands it soon ended in charlatinism and libertinism . Freemasons repudiated him long ago , just as they repudiate him to-day . Adam Weishaupt , the founder of the " llluminati , " was a Roman Catholic professor , some say a Jesuit , and he started his system of llluminism wilh
a remarkable use of Jesuitical terminology . He vvas initiated at Munich apparently in 1777 in the Lodge " Behutsamkeit , of thc Strict Observance , " but left Freemasonry , too , it would appear as an Apprentice . There arc many works upon the llluminati . but none earlier I believe than 17 S 4 . In 17 S 5 came out thc Bavarian edict against them ; and 1786 Weishaupt fled to Gotha , where he remained until
his death in 1 S 30 . He had long apparently given up his own system , and ^ wrote works on philosophy , metaphysics , and political economy . Freemasonry has noting to do with the llluminati , whose principles and practice , under a most Jesuitical pretence of liberty , were alike destructive and dangerous to true liberty . Certainly if Masonic history is to be written in this fashion , however taking as an afterdinner speech , Masonic students had better give up their researches and Masonic criticism must in future hold its tongue . MASONIC STUDENT .
Masonic Notes And Queries.
, 117 J CHARLES SACKVILLE . " Dryasdust" argues his case very nicely , nor am 1 surprised at his expressing a doubt as to the identity of thc Carolus Sackville of Natter ' s medal vvith Charles Sackville , Earl of Middlesex , eldest son of Lionel , first Duke of Dorset . Many will be inclined vvith him to pass a judgment of " not proven . " But though there is as yet no direct evidence of this identity , the circumstantial evidence
in its favour is so strong that vvith every respect for " Dryasdust ' s " opinion , I am inclined to think they arc one and the same person . I will brielly state my reasons for thus thinking . VVhat may have been his style and title before 1720 , when his father was created Dukeof Dorset and he himself was a mere boy , is immaterial , but from that year forward till his accession to the dukedom the said Charles Sackville , eldest son of the said Lionel , first Duke of
Dorset , was known by the courtesy title of Earl of Middlesex . In the extract from the public journals which I quoted in my former note , we are told that after having " received the first rudiments of his education at Westminster school " he visited France and Italy , "with the latter of which he vvas particularly delighted . " Horace Walpole , both in his " Letters " and his " Memoirs of the last ten years of the reign of George IL , " frequently speaks of him in
connection with Italian operas in London . In a letter dated " Calais and Friday , and here I have been these two days , 1741 , " and addressed to Sir Horace Mann , British Minister at Florence , he refers to a certain "Abbate Vaneschi , " who , weare told in a footnote—Cunningham ' s edition of the " letters " — " directed and wrote thc operas under the protection of Lord Middlesex , " Under date "Arlingtonstreet , April 14 , 1 743 , " he tells the same correspondent
, "There is a new subscription formed for an opera next year , to be carried on b y the Dilettanti , a club for which the nominal qualification is having been in Italy , " excessive indulgence in habits of conviviality being the real one , and " the two chiefs are Lord Middlesex and Sir Francis Dashwood . " Bridgeman , in his "Sketch of Knole , " in referring to the taste of Charles Sackville , Earl of Middlesex and second Duke of Dorset , for " poetrv and the
hne arts , '_ notes especially a song of his "Arno ' s Vale" which directly connects him with Florence . On the other hand we have the medal of Natter with " Carolus Sackville " inscribed on it , which , in Findel , is said to have been struck at the instance of the Florentine brethren in honour of " Bro . Charles Sackville , Duke of Middlesex "—for " Duke " must of course be read " Earl " —who called together the first lodge in Florence in 1733
, which is also the year of the medal . Moreover , in those days Florence as the capital of Tuscany vvas an important political centre , as it was and still is renowned for its art treasures and love of art . Wc had a minister accredited tu the Grand Duke ' s Court , and what more natural than that a young English nobleman of high rank and vvith a well-cultured mind should visit a city where he might obtain an insight into politics at the same time that he was
erratifvinoif . 'f ^ ? r poetry and the fine arts ? Is il > agai ' n ' ask , at all likely that a medal would have been struck in honour of a mere nobody—nobodies did not make the grand tour in those days—even though , as weare invited to believe , he was the first to introduce Freemasonry to the inhabitants of an important political and art centre r We read of no simple Charles Sackville who lived about the time in question and _ visited Florence , and on whom could have be ™
conferred so great a distinction as that of striking a medal 111 his honour ; but we do know however that there vvas a Charles Sackville , Earl of Middlesex , eldest son of Lionel , first Duke of Dorset , who did visit Italy as a young ' man and was especially delighted with the country , and who , according to Bridgeman , vvas thc author of a song entitled Arno s Vale . " On his return to England from foreign travel he gave free rein to his passion for directing Italian
operas , and had associated with him in this work an Italian Abbe named Vaneschi . Moreover , he vvas a member of thc Dilettanti Club , the nominal qualification for which was the having been in Italy . Lastly , we have Natter ' s medal of 1733 to testify to the fact that one " Carolus Sackville " had rendered a Masonic service at Florence of sufficient importance to warrant ils being struck in his honour . 1 imagine these facts which are known constitute a
sufficiently strong chain of circumstantial evidence to justify the presumption that thc Sackville of Natter ' s Masonic medal is one and thc same person with Sackville , Earl of Middlesex , afterwards Duke of Dorset attach no importance to the error in describing him as Duke' of Middlesex—no doubt it is attributable to thc general ignorance of foreigners as to the titles of our English nobility , and may have arisen from their confounding
the son s title of " Earl " with the father ' s of " Duke " I do not consider my theory is imperilled by the fact that in 1733 Charles Sackville , Earl of Middlesex , vvas only two and twenty years of age-the Duke of Wharton was installed Grand Alaster when he vvas only a few weeks over tvventy-three ; nor am I inclined to view it as of moment that there should be " no trace of any subsequent interest on his part in English Freemasonry , " even though his
friend , I'rcderick Prince of Wales , was initiated four years after the date of thc medal . It is to be regretted then- is no such trace , but the absence of any mention of his "j' -i even as a member of an English lodge does not surprise me when it is remembered how little care vvas taken in those days in the compilation and preservation of our Craft records . Walpole , writing to Sir Horace Mann on the 4 th May , 1 743 . remarks apropos of what he calls the "low
repute into which Freemasonry had thi .-n fallen in England , V 011 know , as great as our follies are , we even grow tired ol them , and are always changing . " Mention is made m this very letter of lJjrd Middlesex and his operatic speculations and lossi-s , which will airount for his lordship presuming him to have been a member of our Order , not
taking any great interest in its loucerns . In conclusion , I hope " Dryasdust" will kindly understand that whilr I do not regard what I have stated a , conclusive of the identity of Nailer ' s Sackville with Sackville , Earl of Middlesex , it is curiously impressive as a chain of eircuiiistsritial evidence 111 favour of that proposition . G . B . A .
iiSj BRO . THOMAS HINDERVVELL . _ Mr . Joseph Brogden Baker , who for many years has been industriously collecting and digesting everything in hipower relating to the Queen of Northern Watering Places has now published , in a handsome volume of over 500 pages , "The History of Scarborough , from the Earliest Date , " 111 which I am glad to find him throughout speaking in the kindest terms of his predecessor , our late Bro . Thomas Hinderwell , of whom he also gives the follow
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
The Sons Of George The Third.
THE SONS OF GEORGE THE THIRD .
To the Editor of the " Freemason . " Dear Sir and Brother , — Kindly state in your next issue the names and ranks in the Craft of the five sons of George 111 . whom
you state in to-day ' s paper in a book review were Masons . —Yours fraternally , S . D . . January 27 th . [ The Prince of Wales , the Duke of Cumberland , the Dukeof York , the Duke of Kent , and the Duke of Sussex . —ED . F . M . J
Reviews
REVIEWS
DAPHNIS AND OTHER POEMS . By H . G . HELLON . Kegan Paul & Co ., 1 , Paternoster-square . This is , to a great extent , a mystical volume of poetry which seems to " deserve notice in the pages of the Freemason . On the cover the writer has imprinted in gold thc Hexapla or Solomon's Seal , a mystic and Masonic symbol of high age and great importance , and in his poem the " Seers " he adopts some old world hieroglyphs and
tokens , as well as Masonic tradition , which he incorporates is in the following verses . Like Tennyson , he loves to dvvel ' on all the wonders that shall be " in some golden age tc come" and thus holds up before us an inevitable future remarkable discoveries some day . " Soon shall Atlantis come to light , Rise from thc sea in giant might , Her cupolas of marble bright .
" Whose race the elements could sway , Who more than mortal in their day , Time ' s cycle now has swept away . "With them ' The Lost Word ' passed away , The secret signs and symbols grey , Which Plato sought in his own day . " The ' Royal Arch ' * may pierce the night ,
But curtained still is to the sight The Sacred Word , the « Lamp of Light . * " Know that the Pyramids conceal A chamber Time will yet reveal , Where Menes set the sacred seal . " * [ This sign and symbol is known only to the Initiated . — H . G . H . J This long poem of the "Seer"deserves perusal especially bj Freemasons , and there are some other very pleasant anc promising verses in the little volumes .
HUMANITY AND THE MAN . A Poem . By WM , SHARPE , M . D . Hodges , Figgis , and Co ., Dublin , Wc have reviewed previously in the Freemason one 01 two of the brochures of Dr . Wm . Sharpe , and we are glad to-day to have received and to be able to speak favourably of his poem called "Humanity and the Man . " Bro . Dr . Sharpe seems to us skilfully , effectively , and
poetically too , to deal with the great problem of human existence , as described and developed in his new offering . Blank verse is always , even under the most favourable circumstances , rather trying and monotonous to the general reader , but certainly , we must say , that Bro . Dr . Sharpe seems to possess an ear for harmony of words , as well as a mind which education has strengthened and expanded , able to contemplate those remarkable truths which ever
underlie the normal and formal life of man . We congratulate Bro . Sharpe on a very effective poem , readable in the highest degree , abounding in thoughtful sketches , kindly imaginings , truthful views , and poetic touches . It may interest some of us to read thc following lines , with the writer's note appended , as they will both give our readers anideaof the volume itself , as well as perhaps lead them to purchase the work itself :
" Knowledge there handed down , By symbols slowly , and by secret rites , And words of nouth after ( it trials passed : — Trials , and ceremonies , and types imposed , The tests alike of intellectual power , Force , courage , and integrity of mind ; To Wisdom , Strength , and Beauty still allied ,
Or the prerogative of these combined;—These the great pillars of the universe Of import vast a mystic meaning bear ; And in contradistinction stand to evil , Characterised in turn by ugliness , Unwisdom , weakness , and deformity . For by the trial ceremonies enforced ,
The worldly-minded are excluded still From knowledge of the higher truths , which they , Seeing in part , see not : —truth which displayed In clearer form , they would corrupt and change ; Till finally the whole obscured and quenched Should in oblivion r . ink , or shadow-like , Stand lingering in some fantastic show , Like thc disjointed fragments of a dream ! "
[ When these lines were written the author did not belong to the Masonic Order , though he has since joined that ancient society . —NOTE UY THE WRITER . J This educing of Freemasonry from the history of the past is , curiously enough as our readers will note , brought out in the two volumes of poems we review to-day . We might select several other passages of force , meaning , and reality , but our space is limited , and our notice must come to an end .
TRUSSES , KLASTIC HANI > AI ; ES , Ii-ic—SEEM . V ' . S II . VKII KumitR TRUSSES . —The world ' s recognition of unequalled excellence . Receving the only award of merit granted for trusses at the late international Medical Exhibition , 1881 . Made in every desirable and latest improved pattern , fine steel springs , neatly covered with highly-polished hard rubber , light , cool , cleanly j unaffected by time , use . or climate . Free from all sour , rusty , dialing , or
strapping unpleasantness . Used in bathing . Always reliable . The correct and skilful mechanical treatment of hernia or rupture a specialty . Uneler patronage of the world's most distinguished surgeons . Choice assortment of elastic surgical hosierv . Belts , improved suspensory bandages , shoulder braces . Establishments —J 4 , Fleet-street , London , K . C , and 1347 , Chestnut-street , Phila-. ( ielphia , U . S . A . —[ A » v r . ]
Masonic Notes And Queries.
Masonic Notes and Queries .
113 ] ECKERT—PAPAL BULLS . If Bro . Bookworm cares to take stock of Eckert ' s "Tempel Salomonis" he will find it in the British Museum . Press mark 4783 d . Prague , 1 S 55 , 4 to . He will find it more curious than instructive and withall terribly dry . He is undoubtedly right when he draws my attention to the fact that the exact dates of the papal bulls are not proved by
the allegations of the Steinmetzen ; but I think that their allegations do render the dates more or less probable . The South German Masons formed a brotherhood in 1459 , not earlier , despite Fallou and his followers ( vide Gould , chap . iii ) . No papal bull could therefore have been issued on their behalf previously . Shortly afterwards they obtained imperial confirmation for their statutes . What more likely
than that they petitioned for papal confirmation also ; and considering that the petitioners would be , amongst others , the Master Masons of Strasburg and Cologne'Cathedrals , not ! to mention smaller ecclesiastical edifices in course of construction , what more likely than that they succeeded in obtaining these confirmations . The North German Masons did not immediately join the brotherhood and the
consequent quarrel culminated in the beginning of the iGth century . We have proof that the Strasburg fraternity strained every nerve during these 50 years to force the outsiders to join the union . This desire to exercise a strong trades coercion was probably the very reason why they applied to the Pope . Any way in lsiSand 151 Q we find
them referring to the papal bulls . We thus see that the papal bulls could not have dated before 1 459 nor after 151 S ; so that the alleged dates 1502 and 1517 , especially the latter , would appear very probable . One fact remains clear : either the Strasburg Masons lied most shamefully , or they were in possession of some sort of charter from his holiness . G . WM . SPETH .
114 ] LEWIS . Ernest Bosc in his valuable little " Dictionaire Generalc de l'Architecture , " tells us that " Louve " is identical with "Forfex" as used by Vitruvius , and that "Forficula " was a " Louveteau . " He throws no light however on the use of " Louve . " If I remember rightly Vitruvius uses
the words " forcipes " and " forfices ; " the latter represent the " Lewis , " & c ., as we term it ; the former an iron cramp or clasps . BOOKWORM . "Si . . What are the privileges of a Lewis r Amongst others , is it the fact that he may be initiated at iS years of age , whereas all others must wait the full age of 21 years ? Where can I find authorities on thc subject ? ENQUIRER .
11 C ] MASONIC HISTORY . That there is such a thing as" Masonic History and Masonic History , " Bro . Gould will I think agree vvith mc in holding and asserting . Certainly for a long time I have never been so struck with anything as with a speech of Bro . Duscher , 16 S 7 , recorded in the Freemason of the 27 th ult . Is he not the same brotherwho made that
astounding speech about the charities not long ago ? I say nothing here about his figures , but his "history" is certainly very much " mixed up . " 1 . I am not aware that the Lodge of Antiquity , qua that famous old body , had anything to do with the well known provision contained in the Harleian MSS ., namely , the admission of speculative Masons , but which provision loses much of its importance , ( as it is
probably only thc record of a " fait accompli ) , " by the record of Elias Ashmole ' s initiation in 1646 . 2 . The statement that Masonry opened its portals to Voltaire , Rousseau , Diderot , Helvetius , and Holbach is slightly misleading and if a fine passage very incorrect . Voltaire as we know was made in "Les Neuf Sceurs , " at Paris , only in the last 12 months of his life ; indeed only four months before his death in 177 S
in his 83 rd year , previously to which he had often openly laughed at Freemasonry . Helvetius , who died in 1771 , was also a member of thc " Neuf StEurs" in Paris , but I am not aware of any evidence so far which connects Diderot , Holbach , and Rousseau with Freemasonry . I should be glad to see it . 3 . Where Bro . Duscher obtains any evidence on that moot point , a Templar connexion , or any link
with the " Albagesis , " (?) 1 am at a loss to conceive . Of those mysterious and mythic bodies , " Parantines and Bulgares and dissenting lodges , " I have never even heard . How chronologically they can be brought in after the end of the eighteenth century is a thing a " fellar can't understand . " It seems such a happy confusion of ideas and times that it is worth noting . 4 . I beg to deny distinctly , for the honour of Freemasonry , that it had ever in any
shape anything properly to do with Cagliostro or thc Illuminati , and that it became philanthropic and humanitary , ( sic ) , renovated , and young again in consequence of the alleged decision of the middle of the seventeenth century . It is a very pretty after-dinner peroration , but . it rests on no solid bais . Cagliostro was originally a Freemason I admit , but finding it too narrow for his sublimer ideas he
left it , and proceeded to concoct his Egyptian Masonry ( Androgyne ) , which he professed to have obtained in England , and in his hands it soon ended in charlatinism and libertinism . Freemasons repudiated him long ago , just as they repudiate him to-day . Adam Weishaupt , the founder of the " llluminati , " was a Roman Catholic professor , some say a Jesuit , and he started his system of llluminism wilh
a remarkable use of Jesuitical terminology . He vvas initiated at Munich apparently in 1777 in the Lodge " Behutsamkeit , of thc Strict Observance , " but left Freemasonry , too , it would appear as an Apprentice . There arc many works upon the llluminati . but none earlier I believe than 17 S 4 . In 17 S 5 came out thc Bavarian edict against them ; and 1786 Weishaupt fled to Gotha , where he remained until
his death in 1 S 30 . He had long apparently given up his own system , and ^ wrote works on philosophy , metaphysics , and political economy . Freemasonry has noting to do with the llluminati , whose principles and practice , under a most Jesuitical pretence of liberty , were alike destructive and dangerous to true liberty . Certainly if Masonic history is to be written in this fashion , however taking as an afterdinner speech , Masonic students had better give up their researches and Masonic criticism must in future hold its tongue . MASONIC STUDENT .
Masonic Notes And Queries.
, 117 J CHARLES SACKVILLE . " Dryasdust" argues his case very nicely , nor am 1 surprised at his expressing a doubt as to the identity of thc Carolus Sackville of Natter ' s medal vvith Charles Sackville , Earl of Middlesex , eldest son of Lionel , first Duke of Dorset . Many will be inclined vvith him to pass a judgment of " not proven . " But though there is as yet no direct evidence of this identity , the circumstantial evidence
in its favour is so strong that vvith every respect for " Dryasdust ' s " opinion , I am inclined to think they arc one and the same person . I will brielly state my reasons for thus thinking . VVhat may have been his style and title before 1720 , when his father was created Dukeof Dorset and he himself was a mere boy , is immaterial , but from that year forward till his accession to the dukedom the said Charles Sackville , eldest son of the said Lionel , first Duke of
Dorset , was known by the courtesy title of Earl of Middlesex . In the extract from the public journals which I quoted in my former note , we are told that after having " received the first rudiments of his education at Westminster school " he visited France and Italy , "with the latter of which he vvas particularly delighted . " Horace Walpole , both in his " Letters " and his " Memoirs of the last ten years of the reign of George IL , " frequently speaks of him in
connection with Italian operas in London . In a letter dated " Calais and Friday , and here I have been these two days , 1741 , " and addressed to Sir Horace Mann , British Minister at Florence , he refers to a certain "Abbate Vaneschi , " who , weare told in a footnote—Cunningham ' s edition of the " letters " — " directed and wrote thc operas under the protection of Lord Middlesex , " Under date "Arlingtonstreet , April 14 , 1 743 , " he tells the same correspondent
, "There is a new subscription formed for an opera next year , to be carried on b y the Dilettanti , a club for which the nominal qualification is having been in Italy , " excessive indulgence in habits of conviviality being the real one , and " the two chiefs are Lord Middlesex and Sir Francis Dashwood . " Bridgeman , in his "Sketch of Knole , " in referring to the taste of Charles Sackville , Earl of Middlesex and second Duke of Dorset , for " poetrv and the
hne arts , '_ notes especially a song of his "Arno ' s Vale" which directly connects him with Florence . On the other hand we have the medal of Natter with " Carolus Sackville " inscribed on it , which , in Findel , is said to have been struck at the instance of the Florentine brethren in honour of " Bro . Charles Sackville , Duke of Middlesex "—for " Duke " must of course be read " Earl " —who called together the first lodge in Florence in 1733
, which is also the year of the medal . Moreover , in those days Florence as the capital of Tuscany vvas an important political centre , as it was and still is renowned for its art treasures and love of art . Wc had a minister accredited tu the Grand Duke ' s Court , and what more natural than that a young English nobleman of high rank and vvith a well-cultured mind should visit a city where he might obtain an insight into politics at the same time that he was
erratifvinoif . 'f ^ ? r poetry and the fine arts ? Is il > agai ' n ' ask , at all likely that a medal would have been struck in honour of a mere nobody—nobodies did not make the grand tour in those days—even though , as weare invited to believe , he was the first to introduce Freemasonry to the inhabitants of an important political and art centre r We read of no simple Charles Sackville who lived about the time in question and _ visited Florence , and on whom could have be ™
conferred so great a distinction as that of striking a medal 111 his honour ; but we do know however that there vvas a Charles Sackville , Earl of Middlesex , eldest son of Lionel , first Duke of Dorset , who did visit Italy as a young ' man and was especially delighted with the country , and who , according to Bridgeman , vvas thc author of a song entitled Arno s Vale . " On his return to England from foreign travel he gave free rein to his passion for directing Italian
operas , and had associated with him in this work an Italian Abbe named Vaneschi . Moreover , he vvas a member of thc Dilettanti Club , the nominal qualification for which was the having been in Italy . Lastly , we have Natter ' s medal of 1733 to testify to the fact that one " Carolus Sackville " had rendered a Masonic service at Florence of sufficient importance to warrant ils being struck in his honour . 1 imagine these facts which are known constitute a
sufficiently strong chain of circumstantial evidence to justify the presumption that thc Sackville of Natter ' s Masonic medal is one and thc same person with Sackville , Earl of Middlesex , afterwards Duke of Dorset attach no importance to the error in describing him as Duke' of Middlesex—no doubt it is attributable to thc general ignorance of foreigners as to the titles of our English nobility , and may have arisen from their confounding
the son s title of " Earl " with the father ' s of " Duke " I do not consider my theory is imperilled by the fact that in 1733 Charles Sackville , Earl of Middlesex , vvas only two and twenty years of age-the Duke of Wharton was installed Grand Alaster when he vvas only a few weeks over tvventy-three ; nor am I inclined to view it as of moment that there should be " no trace of any subsequent interest on his part in English Freemasonry , " even though his
friend , I'rcderick Prince of Wales , was initiated four years after the date of thc medal . It is to be regretted then- is no such trace , but the absence of any mention of his "j' -i even as a member of an English lodge does not surprise me when it is remembered how little care vvas taken in those days in the compilation and preservation of our Craft records . Walpole , writing to Sir Horace Mann on the 4 th May , 1 743 . remarks apropos of what he calls the "low
repute into which Freemasonry had thi .-n fallen in England , V 011 know , as great as our follies are , we even grow tired ol them , and are always changing . " Mention is made m this very letter of lJjrd Middlesex and his operatic speculations and lossi-s , which will airount for his lordship presuming him to have been a member of our Order , not
taking any great interest in its loucerns . In conclusion , I hope " Dryasdust" will kindly understand that whilr I do not regard what I have stated a , conclusive of the identity of Nailer ' s Sackville with Sackville , Earl of Middlesex , it is curiously impressive as a chain of eircuiiistsritial evidence 111 favour of that proposition . G . B . A .
iiSj BRO . THOMAS HINDERVVELL . _ Mr . Joseph Brogden Baker , who for many years has been industriously collecting and digesting everything in hipower relating to the Queen of Northern Watering Places has now published , in a handsome volume of over 500 pages , "The History of Scarborough , from the Earliest Date , " 111 which I am glad to find him throughout speaking in the kindest terms of his predecessor , our late Bro . Thomas Hinderwell , of whom he also gives the follow