Godfrey Higgins On Freemasonry.

" On the ruins of Mundore may be seen various mystic emblems , as the quatrefeuille , the cross , the mystic triangle , the triang le within a triangle , etc . Col . Tod says , ' Among ancient coins and medals , excavated from the ruins of Oojein and other ancient citiesI possess a perfect

, series with all the symbolic emblems of the tioenty-four Apostles . The compound equilateral triangle is among them ; perhaps there Avere Masons in those days among the Pali ( i . a ., the Philistines of the Indian Gaza—and of Gaza , a few miles

from Solomon ' s temple in Western Syria ) . ' So , my good friend , Col . Tod , you are surprised that there should be masonic emblems upon the ruins of Mundore . But though this may surprise you , it Avill not surprise his Royal Highness the Duke of Sussex , or any Mason of high degree . HE MAY SAY SO MOKE . Yet he will venture to add , that though

much of the learning of that ancient Order remains , much is lost and much may yet be recovered . But it is not every Apprentice or Fellew-Oraft lvho knoivs all the secrets of the Order . " ( P . 519 , vol . 1 . ) Bro . Higginswe findAvas a Royal

, , Arch Mason , but he did not penetrate beyond , so , evidently , he considered that position to be one of "high degree . " n a note to same page , the author asks : — " Brother Mason , what do you know of Solomon ' s temple ? Here are the word

Alnmg in Synastrene and the masonic emblems in Mundore—the town of Cycles or Cyclopes . Be assured the Avood was carved for certain sacred parts of the building , and by Freemasons , too , Probably all the fourteen temples of Solomon , of which we read , were partly constructed of this sacred wood , and by Freemasons , too . "

At pages 652-3 is also the following : " When I Avrote the CELTIC DHUIDS I was not a Mason . It is no secret ( i ., e „ the Mystic Temple ); and , as Col . Tod has observed , is found Avith other masonic emblems , or probably the oldest building in the worldthe Cyclopaen Avails of

Mun-, dore . Did Masonry arise during the build-¦ ug of these Avails 1 ... Why do the priest-led monarchs of the Continent persecute Masonry ? Is it because they are not entrusted with its secrets ; or

because their priests cannot make it snhservient to their base purjioses 1 All these questions I may ask , gentle reader ; but all I may not ansAver . " It is impossible to follow the author wherever he leads us Avithout requiring

much more space than Ave should like to occupy at present , so we must content ourselves Avith g ivingthe extractsin many cases , and leaving them to the consideration of our readers , in the hope , hoAvever , to examine them carefully as time permits .

With respect to the question of secrecy , Bro . Higgins ably proves the esoteric character ( as also , of course , exoteric ceremonies for the public ) of all ancient religions , and declares :

" The heads of the church must IIOAV see very clearly , if they Avere to confess Avhat cannot be denied , that ( if the most learned and respectable of the early fathers of the church are to be believed ) Christianity contained a secret religion , that the populace would not consent to be kept in the

dark . But Avhether the secret doctrine he lost or not , it is a fact that it Avas the faith of the first Christian fathers , admitted by themselves , that there was such a secret doctrine , and before I haA e done , I will prove it clearly enough . " ( Vol . 1 , p . 647 . )

No religion , scarcely , is omitted to be examined in the "Anacalypsis , " if it has any ancient traditions or history at all , but , of course , however interesting and curious the enquiry may be , it Avould not be one quite suited to the columns of a

Masonic magazine , especially when it is remembered that Freemasonry is unsectarian . Were it admissible , we should have occasion to state several objections to many of the author ' s views as to Christianity , just as the editor of the second

volume felt compelled to do . But , AA'ithal it cannot but be acknowledged that there are hidden springs of Avisdom in this singular work , Avhich Avould be Avholly unobserved by the casual reader , but Avhich are most suggestive to the reflective masonic student .

Those interested in the history of the Knights Templars Avill not fail to examine the folloAving respecting that Avarlike and Christian body of men . How far the Templars Avere connected Avith the operatiA-e masonic societies of their time appears to us imposible now to decide , for Ave