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Article THE HISTORICAL DEGREES; ← Page 11 of 15 →
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The Historical Degrees;
The so-called historical lecture of this degree contains the follow * ing passages : — " At the death e £ Solomon , his kingdom was rent asunder , and ten of the tribes severed from the dominion of his son *
But the evil did not rest here ; for the fascinations and pleasures of the latitudinarian system which had so long prevailed uiider the influence of Solomon ' s pernicious example , had become so agreeable to his subjects , that the whole ten tribes soonr become confirmed idolaters ; nor did Judah and Benjamin escape the infection . " ¦ * ; . ¦ ¦ * When the time arrived that the Christian princes determined to free the Holy Land from the infidels , virtuous Masons voluntarily offered
their services , on the condition that they should have a chief of their own election , which was granted . The valour and fortitude of those Elected Knights was such , that they were admired by all the princes of Jerusalem , who , believing that these mysteries inspired them with courage and virtue , were desirous of being initiated . The Masons complied with their request ; and thus the Royal art became popular and honourable , was diffused throughout these various dominions , and has continued to spread , through a succession of ages
to the present time . ¦ ' * ' *¦ ¦'¦* Whenever a Lodge of Perfection was held , nine Knights of the Ninth Arch tiled the nine arches which led to the sacred vaults , and so on in regular progression , the youngest taking his station at the first arch , which was near the apartment of Solomon . JNTone were suffered to pass without giving the pass-words
of the different arches . There were living at that time several ancient Masters , who , excited by jealousy at the honours conferred upon the twenty-five Brethren , deputed some of their number to wait upon Solomon , and request that they might participate in those honours . The king answered , that the twenty-five Masters were justly entitled to the honours conferred on them , because they were jealous and faithful ; and gave them also hopes that one day they
would be rewarded according to their merits . This answer was not satisfactory , and ] one of the deputies warmly observed : "What occasion have we for a higher degree ? We know that the w ^ ord has been changed , but we can still travel as Masters , and receive a Master Mason ' s wages . " Solomon mildly replied , that those whom he had advanced to the Degree of Perfection had wrought in the difficult
and dangerous work of the ancient ruins , had penetrated the bowels of the earth , and brought thence treasures to enrich and adorn the Temple of God ; and desired the petitioners to go in peace , and aspire to perfection by good works . The deputies returned and reported their reception to the Masters . These Masters , displeased at the refusal , unanimously determined to go to the ancient ruins and search
in the bowels of the earth , that they might have good pretext for making a reapplication to Solomon for the required honours . The very next morning they removed the cubical stone , and descended into the cavern with a ladder of ropes by the light of torches ; but no sooner had they all arrived at the bottom than the whole nine arches fell in upon them . The king hearing of this accident , sent Joabert , Giblim and Stolkin to make inquiries into the circumstance . At break of
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
The Historical Degrees;
The so-called historical lecture of this degree contains the follow * ing passages : — " At the death e £ Solomon , his kingdom was rent asunder , and ten of the tribes severed from the dominion of his son *
But the evil did not rest here ; for the fascinations and pleasures of the latitudinarian system which had so long prevailed uiider the influence of Solomon ' s pernicious example , had become so agreeable to his subjects , that the whole ten tribes soonr become confirmed idolaters ; nor did Judah and Benjamin escape the infection . " ¦ * ; . ¦ ¦ * When the time arrived that the Christian princes determined to free the Holy Land from the infidels , virtuous Masons voluntarily offered
their services , on the condition that they should have a chief of their own election , which was granted . The valour and fortitude of those Elected Knights was such , that they were admired by all the princes of Jerusalem , who , believing that these mysteries inspired them with courage and virtue , were desirous of being initiated . The Masons complied with their request ; and thus the Royal art became popular and honourable , was diffused throughout these various dominions , and has continued to spread , through a succession of ages
to the present time . ¦ ' * ' *¦ ¦'¦* Whenever a Lodge of Perfection was held , nine Knights of the Ninth Arch tiled the nine arches which led to the sacred vaults , and so on in regular progression , the youngest taking his station at the first arch , which was near the apartment of Solomon . JNTone were suffered to pass without giving the pass-words
of the different arches . There were living at that time several ancient Masters , who , excited by jealousy at the honours conferred upon the twenty-five Brethren , deputed some of their number to wait upon Solomon , and request that they might participate in those honours . The king answered , that the twenty-five Masters were justly entitled to the honours conferred on them , because they were jealous and faithful ; and gave them also hopes that one day they
would be rewarded according to their merits . This answer was not satisfactory , and ] one of the deputies warmly observed : "What occasion have we for a higher degree ? We know that the w ^ ord has been changed , but we can still travel as Masters , and receive a Master Mason ' s wages . " Solomon mildly replied , that those whom he had advanced to the Degree of Perfection had wrought in the difficult
and dangerous work of the ancient ruins , had penetrated the bowels of the earth , and brought thence treasures to enrich and adorn the Temple of God ; and desired the petitioners to go in peace , and aspire to perfection by good works . The deputies returned and reported their reception to the Masters . These Masters , displeased at the refusal , unanimously determined to go to the ancient ruins and search
in the bowels of the earth , that they might have good pretext for making a reapplication to Solomon for the required honours . The very next morning they removed the cubical stone , and descended into the cavern with a ladder of ropes by the light of torches ; but no sooner had they all arrived at the bottom than the whole nine arches fell in upon them . The king hearing of this accident , sent Joabert , Giblim and Stolkin to make inquiries into the circumstance . At break of