Ancient And Modern Mysteries.

ANCIENT AND MODERN MYSTERIES .

BY BRO . ROBERT WENTWORTH LITTLE , President of the London _ Literary Union , Editor of * ' The Rosicrucian , " d-V . ( Continued from page 14 , ) Although somewhat digressive , the extracts

which I have given relative to the religious ceremonies of the Chinese are not , I conceive , entirely irrelevant to the subject of "Ancient

and Modern Mysteries , but as I desire to direct attention chiefly to those societies whose rites were practised in secret , it will be well to revert to the consideration of those mechanical

sodalities whose origin has been so clearly and succinctly traced by Bro . A . G . Mackey , in the article which I have quoted . Every student is aware that other associations existed whose members cultivated occult science

and the philosophy of symbolism , and whose metaphysical theories were also mingled with religious speculations , even from the commencement of the Christian era . Of these I need only mention the Gnostics , more especially as their

peculiar doctrines are believed to have been perpetuated in the order of Knights Templar . The following extract from the " British Cyclopaedia" will doubtless be found interesting . It

refers , in the first instance , to the Roman Colleges , and deduces the origin of modem Freemasonry most unmistakeably from the operative associations : —

"If we remember that the Romans were preeminently an architectural race ( like most conquering nations , who have already attained a considerable degree of civilisation ) , and that the sciences and arts connected with architecture ,

include a vast range , and are intimately connected with the other attainments of an advanced civilisation , we shall easily comprehend that the colleges of architects must have been of great importance .

" As the collegia were established in those early times when states were formed after the model of a family , and the religious and political constitution confusedly mingled , they had , besides their character of a society of artificers ,

that of a civil and religious institution . This character was retained by the collegia , particularly the collegium of architects , to the end of the Roman empire , and transplanted into the corporations of architects of the middle ages , already

mentioned , because the constant mingling cf religion in law , politics , and science , by no means ceased in the middle < ages ; on the contrary , in some particulars , a still closer union was effected . As the Roman collegia held their

meetings with closed doors , nothing was more natural than that they should become , in times of violent political agitation , the place of political parties and religious mysteries , secret worship , and doctrines of all sorts .

" The Roman emperors of the first centuries limited the collegia as much as possible , but the later governments favoured them so much the more . In the corpus juris are contained several lists of thc mechanic arts , legally existing , and

free from taxation , in the third and fourth centuries , among which we find those of architects , ship-builders , machine-builders , builders of ballista : , painters , sculptors , workers in marble , masons , stone-cutters , carpenters , & c . There

was no town at all important , no province ever so distant , were some of the collegia , just mentioned , did not exist , to the downfall of the Western and Eastern empires , with their peculiar constitutions , and having more or less of a

political and a religious character . The corporations of artificers whose occupations were connected witli architecture , were called upon , by imperial orders , to come from all parts of the empire to assist in the building of large cities ,

palaces , churches , & c . Similar artificers also accompanied each Roman legion . Such corporations also existed in Britain ( where the Romans , during their conquests , built a great deal ) , both for the legions there stationed and

Ancient And Modern Mysteries.

m the cities . The same was the case in Spain , France , on the Rhine , and on the Danube . It is true that these collegia vanished in Britain , with most of their works , when the Picts , Scots , and Saxons devastated the country ; but in France ,

Spain , Italy , and in the Greek empire , they continued to flourish , and from these countries the Christian Saxon rulers of Britain , particularly Alfred and Athelstan , induced a number of artificers and architects to come to this country , in order to build their castles , churches , and convents .

" Although these foreign artists , and the few who had survived the ravages of the barbarous tribes , were Christians , and though most of their leaders or directors were clergymen , yet the corporations which they formed had no other constitutions than those transmitted to them

from the Roman colleges , which were spread over all Christian Europe , and the character of which is still to be learned from the corpus juris Romani . As the members of these corporations of architects of the tenth century belonged to different nations , and at tlie same time publicly

or secretly to sects widely differing in their tenets , and often condemned as heretical ; in short , as they were very different in faith , customs , and manner of living , they could not be induced either to come to this country , and to remain here , without receiving from the pope

and king satisfactory liberties and letters of protection , especially jurisdiction over their own bodies and tlie right of settling their own wages . They then united , under written constitutions , founded upon the ancient constitution of the Roman and Greek colleges , and the provisions

of the civil law . 1 he different tenets of the members , the scientific occupation or elevated views of their leading architects and clergymen , naturally gave rise to a more liberal spirit of toleration , a purer view of religion , and stricter morals , than were common in those times of civil

feud and religious persecution . The lofty notions of Vitruvius ( their constant manual ) , in regard to the dignity of an architect , may have contributed to ennoble their character . Their religious tenets being often objects of suspicion to the orthodox , they were obliged to keep them

secret . Secrecy , moreover , was the character of all the corporations of the middle ages , and down to the most recent times , the corporations of mechanics on the continent had what they called secrets of the craft—certain words , or sometimes absurd ceremonies—by which they

pretended to know each other . To this we must add , that the corporations of architects , in the middle ages , were descended from the times of antiquity , so that their societies had received , in tlie times when Rome adored all gods , and listened to all philosophical systems , impressions

derived from the Greek philosophical schools , particularly the Stoic , united with some fragments of the Greek and Egyptian mysteries , and subsequently modified by notions acquired in the early times of Christianity , particularly from the Gnostics , which led to certain doctrines and

sacred ceremonies , clothed , according to the spirit of the time , in symbols , and constituting their esoteric mysteries . The watchful eye of thc popes induced them to keep these doctrines closely concealed , in connexion with the real secrets of their art and its subsidiary branches ,

their rude chemistry , their metallurgy and natural philosophy , and to preserve their knowledge in forms otherwise foreign to it , if they wished to escape persecution . " It is by no means improbable that , in these

barbarous ages , their secret doctrines may have degenerated , and become mixed with corrupt notions , as was the case with the society of Templars . ( To bt continued ) .

THE Prince and Princess of Wales have signified their intention of being present at the Honourable Artillery Company ' s Regimental Ball , on Feb . 9 th .. DAILY NEWSPAPERS . —According to the Printers ' Register—thc organ of the printing trade—there

arc now 97 newspapers issued daily in Great Britain and Ireland , distributed as follows : —In London , 11 morning and 7 evening ; in the provinces , 52 ; in Scotland , 10 ; in Ireland , 14 ; in Wales , 2 ; in thc Channel Islands , 1 ,

Leaves From My Library

LEAVES FROM MY LIBRARY

BY MARMADUKE MAKEPEACE . I make no apology for presenting myself before the readers of THE FREEMASON . I am

too old a bird to believe in dedications or prefaces , which may be regarded as so much literary dead-weight . In niedias res I plunge , and here I am .

Stay—just one moment , for like a lady , I claim the privilege of speaking twice—second thoughts are best , let me make my bow and I have done . Having returned to England , after a few years '

absence , I look around for my beloved bookshelves , the contents whereof I had left as a particular charge to a friend , but alas , my friend is no more , and I regret to say my books have for the most part disappeared . This I lament ,

not only for my own sake—many of the volumes being old favorites , sanctified and consecrated by the midnight oil—but also , because I desired to avail myself of their erudition in support of my old and esteemed friend , the Editor of THE FREEMASON .

I may be pardoned for stating here that I rejoice in the success of this thoroughly Masonic paper , and being now in possession of all its back numbers , I may add that it is my desire to comply with the request contained in the first

impression — a memorable date , my brethren , believe me , the 13 th March , 1869—namely , by forwarding " suitable extracts from books in my possession , " inthehopethat the same may be found acceptable to the readers of the Journal . Let

me premise , by saying that these extracts will by no means be confined to Masonic subjects the fact is , I shall take a walk round my library , pull out a book , make an extract and send it off to my good friend , the editor , to answer for

itself . To paraphrase the poet ' s words , " I hate a Mason who ' s all Mason A let us have an olla podrida , an omnium gatherum of literary facts and , fancies ; let us make our great Masonic organ something more than a mere record of

festive meetings , however jovial they may be ; and for my part I avow , sub rasa , that I dearly love the gatherings of " Ye antient Masons . " What I do in a literary sense , however , is but by way of example , as from the scanty materials

now at my disposal , I am in the position of tlie man who , when returning thanks , explains pathetically that " there is little left for him to say . " There are many brethren , however , owners of splendid libraries , Masonic or otherwise , who

might render a boon to their brother Masons by sending choice extracts from rare works in their possession . The first bit I find is an exposition of " Geometry , " which although Masonic is not to be found either in the Masonic ritual

or lectures as practised now ; it was certainly known in the time of my grandfathers—both honest Masons—but though at present obsolete , I think it deserves preservation : — Geometry is thc science of extension in all its

several parts and relations of points , lines , superfices and solids . It may be divided into four classes : — 1 st . Rectilinear , which treats of right lines , their multipliers , combinations , and proportions .

2 nd . Curvilinear , which treats 111 the same manner of circles , their divisions and intersections , as free or combined with right lines . 3 rd . Trigonometry , or the properties of triangular

figures . 4 th . Conic Sections , or thc investigation of the properties and thc relative proportions resulting from the formation of conical bodies . Hence also flow the branches of mixed and practical mathematics , among thc former of which