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Article THE ANOIENT MTaT ← Page 7 of 7
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The Anoient Mtat
in how different , how superior a form , must be self-evident to all Freemasons—took its origin . The object of the mysteries was doubtless far different from that of Freemasonry ^ that of the former being to secure a priesthood and a secret worship for certain gods ; of the latter not so avowedly the worship of God , as the bringing together men in a certain common and close bond who would not otherwise have anything in common , and whose good qualities , if not thrown
away , might nevertheless fail to be drawn out to their fullest extent , through the want of the channel in which they are best adapted to flow . As for the many parallels which may be drawn between the ancient mysteries and modern Masonry , our readers can doubtless discover many for themselves , or we maybe able on some future occasion to draw more special attention to this point . Our immediate object has been , in these papers / to present to those who may take any interest in such classical antiquities as may have any affinity with Freemasonry , such historical facts as may be within our reach , and such traditions as we may be able by research to meet with . The theme is a fertile one , and we find ourselves at the end of our paper for the present with a task still uncompleted . X .
In Viisro Veritas .--He and his young friend were j ust warm enough with the claret to be able to talk with that great eloquence , that candour , that admirable friendliness , which good wine , taken in rather an injudicious quantity , inspires . O , kindly harvests of the Acquitanian grape ! O , sunny banks of Garonne ! O , friendly caves of Gledstane and Morel , where the dusky flasks lie recondite 1 May we not say a word of thanks for all the pleasure we owe you ? Are the temperance men to be allowed to shout in the public places—are the vegetarians to bellow " cabbage for ever "—and may we modest CEiiophilists not sing the praises of
our favourite plant ? After the drinking of good Bordeaux wine , there is a point ( I do not say a pint ) at which men arrive , when all the generous faculties of the soul are awakened and in full vigour ; when the wit brightens and breaks out in sudden flashes ; when the intellects are keenest ; when the pent-up words and confined thoughts get a night-rule , and rush abroad and disport themselves ; when the kindest affections come out and shake hands with mankind , and the timid
truth jumps up naked out of his well and proclaims himself to all the world . How , by the kind influence of the wine-cup we succour the poor ancl humble—how bravely we rush to the rescue of the oppressed ! I say , in the face of all the pumps which ever spouted , that there is a moment in a bout of good wine at which , if a man could but remain , wit , wisdom , courage , generosity , eloquence , happiness ,
were his ; but the moment passes , and that other glass somehow spoils the state of beatitude . There is a headache in the morning ; we are not going into parliament for our native town ; we are not going to shoot those French officers who have been speaking disrespectfully of our country ; and poor Jeremy Diddler calls about eleven o'clock for another half-sovereign , and we are unwell in bed , and can't see him , and send him empty away . — Thackeray .
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
The Anoient Mtat
in how different , how superior a form , must be self-evident to all Freemasons—took its origin . The object of the mysteries was doubtless far different from that of Freemasonry ^ that of the former being to secure a priesthood and a secret worship for certain gods ; of the latter not so avowedly the worship of God , as the bringing together men in a certain common and close bond who would not otherwise have anything in common , and whose good qualities , if not thrown
away , might nevertheless fail to be drawn out to their fullest extent , through the want of the channel in which they are best adapted to flow . As for the many parallels which may be drawn between the ancient mysteries and modern Masonry , our readers can doubtless discover many for themselves , or we maybe able on some future occasion to draw more special attention to this point . Our immediate object has been , in these papers / to present to those who may take any interest in such classical antiquities as may have any affinity with Freemasonry , such historical facts as may be within our reach , and such traditions as we may be able by research to meet with . The theme is a fertile one , and we find ourselves at the end of our paper for the present with a task still uncompleted . X .
In Viisro Veritas .--He and his young friend were j ust warm enough with the claret to be able to talk with that great eloquence , that candour , that admirable friendliness , which good wine , taken in rather an injudicious quantity , inspires . O , kindly harvests of the Acquitanian grape ! O , sunny banks of Garonne ! O , friendly caves of Gledstane and Morel , where the dusky flasks lie recondite 1 May we not say a word of thanks for all the pleasure we owe you ? Are the temperance men to be allowed to shout in the public places—are the vegetarians to bellow " cabbage for ever "—and may we modest CEiiophilists not sing the praises of
our favourite plant ? After the drinking of good Bordeaux wine , there is a point ( I do not say a pint ) at which men arrive , when all the generous faculties of the soul are awakened and in full vigour ; when the wit brightens and breaks out in sudden flashes ; when the intellects are keenest ; when the pent-up words and confined thoughts get a night-rule , and rush abroad and disport themselves ; when the kindest affections come out and shake hands with mankind , and the timid
truth jumps up naked out of his well and proclaims himself to all the world . How , by the kind influence of the wine-cup we succour the poor ancl humble—how bravely we rush to the rescue of the oppressed ! I say , in the face of all the pumps which ever spouted , that there is a moment in a bout of good wine at which , if a man could but remain , wit , wisdom , courage , generosity , eloquence , happiness ,
were his ; but the moment passes , and that other glass somehow spoils the state of beatitude . There is a headache in the morning ; we are not going into parliament for our native town ; we are not going to shoot those French officers who have been speaking disrespectfully of our country ; and poor Jeremy Diddler calls about eleven o'clock for another half-sovereign , and we are unwell in bed , and can't see him , and send him empty away . — Thackeray .