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Article A CENTURY OF FREEMASONRY. ← Page 8 of 10 →
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A Century Of Freemasonry.
parts of France . At Lyons , one ; at Rouen , three ; at Caen , one ; at Marseilles , one ; at Montpellier , one ; at Nantes , one ; at Avignon , one ; at Turin , in Piedmont , one . There are also many in Italy . " The English have nominated Pope Benedict XIV . Honorary Master of a Lodge . " At Florence , Leghorn , Placenza , Parma , there are Lodges . His
Excellency the Grand Duke of Tuscany is a Master Mason , and has been the head of a Lodge . In the North there is an infinite number of Lodges , among which the Lodge of Berlin ( cons . 13 th September , 1740 ) occupies the most distinguished place , by reason of the favour with which it is regarded by the reigning monarch of Prussia , who is himself a Master Mason . " The English and Dutch , zealous partisans of this noble society , haA'e spread it in the most far-off regions by means of their commerce ; so that there are Freemasons at Constantinople and in all the ports of the Levant ; in India , in China , even in Japan . "
Kloss well remarks , that two things are proved by this document , —that the title of Grand Master was here only equivalent to Worshipful Master ; and that at the time of the publication of this book , * the third degree was the highest in Masonry , a fact very important for the estimation in which the hi gher grades should be held . Indeed , one would be almost led to
conceive , that the opinion of their being desirable , but not indispensable , adjuncts to Masonic life is , after all , the most just . Spjace Avill not admit of any reference to Masonic matters beyond France ; yet it may be remarked , that in 1737 the papal court began first to make a stir about the society of Freemasons . We find the -pope and cardinals , OttoboneSpinolaand
Zonde-, , dari , in consultation on the subject Avith the Inquisitor of Florence . Doctor Crudeli , member of the Florence Lodge , was arrested in May , 1739 , in consequence of a determination of the Conference ; nor did the London Grand Lodge succeed in their negotiations for his freedom until December , through the means of the neAv Grand Duke Francis Stephensubsequentl
, y Francis I . of Austria , who had been initiated in 1731 , at Haag . In a bull of the 28 th of A pril , 1738 , of Clement XII . { in Eminenti Apostolatus Specula ) , Ave find these words : •—¦
" For which reason the temporal and spiritual communities are enjoined , in the name of holy obedience , neither to enter the society of Freemasons , to disseminate its principles , to defend it , nor to admit nor conceal it within their houses , or palaces , or elsewhere , under pain of excommunication i pso facto , for all acting in contradiction to this , and from which the Pope only can absolve the dying . " If this bull Avas stringent for the Avhole of Christendom , yet more so was the edict of Cardinal Firrao ( January 14 th , 1739 )
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
A Century Of Freemasonry.
parts of France . At Lyons , one ; at Rouen , three ; at Caen , one ; at Marseilles , one ; at Montpellier , one ; at Nantes , one ; at Avignon , one ; at Turin , in Piedmont , one . There are also many in Italy . " The English have nominated Pope Benedict XIV . Honorary Master of a Lodge . " At Florence , Leghorn , Placenza , Parma , there are Lodges . His
Excellency the Grand Duke of Tuscany is a Master Mason , and has been the head of a Lodge . In the North there is an infinite number of Lodges , among which the Lodge of Berlin ( cons . 13 th September , 1740 ) occupies the most distinguished place , by reason of the favour with which it is regarded by the reigning monarch of Prussia , who is himself a Master Mason . " The English and Dutch , zealous partisans of this noble society , haA'e spread it in the most far-off regions by means of their commerce ; so that there are Freemasons at Constantinople and in all the ports of the Levant ; in India , in China , even in Japan . "
Kloss well remarks , that two things are proved by this document , —that the title of Grand Master was here only equivalent to Worshipful Master ; and that at the time of the publication of this book , * the third degree was the highest in Masonry , a fact very important for the estimation in which the hi gher grades should be held . Indeed , one would be almost led to
conceive , that the opinion of their being desirable , but not indispensable , adjuncts to Masonic life is , after all , the most just . Spjace Avill not admit of any reference to Masonic matters beyond France ; yet it may be remarked , that in 1737 the papal court began first to make a stir about the society of Freemasons . We find the -pope and cardinals , OttoboneSpinolaand
Zonde-, , dari , in consultation on the subject Avith the Inquisitor of Florence . Doctor Crudeli , member of the Florence Lodge , was arrested in May , 1739 , in consequence of a determination of the Conference ; nor did the London Grand Lodge succeed in their negotiations for his freedom until December , through the means of the neAv Grand Duke Francis Stephensubsequentl
, y Francis I . of Austria , who had been initiated in 1731 , at Haag . In a bull of the 28 th of A pril , 1738 , of Clement XII . { in Eminenti Apostolatus Specula ) , Ave find these words : •—¦
" For which reason the temporal and spiritual communities are enjoined , in the name of holy obedience , neither to enter the society of Freemasons , to disseminate its principles , to defend it , nor to admit nor conceal it within their houses , or palaces , or elsewhere , under pain of excommunication i pso facto , for all acting in contradiction to this , and from which the Pope only can absolve the dying . " If this bull Avas stringent for the Avhole of Christendom , yet more so was the edict of Cardinal Firrao ( January 14 th , 1739 )