Freemasonry；　yet　have　either　copied　it；　or　actually　sprung　out　of
  it。　　In　England；　Freemasonry　never　was；　it　seems；　more　than　a
  liberal　and　respectable　benefit…club；　for　secret　societies　are
  needless　for　any　further　purposes；　amid　free　institutions　and　a　free
  press。　　But　on　the　Continent　during　the　eighteenth　century；
  Freemasonry　excited　profound　suspicion　and　fear　on　the　part　of
  statesmen　who　knew　perfectly　well　their　friends　from　their　foes；　and
  whose　precautions　were；　from　their　point　of　view；　justified　by　the
  results。
  I　shall　not　enter　into　the　deep　question　of　the　origin　of
  Freemasonry。　　One　uninitiate；　as　I　am；　has　no　right　to　give　an
  opinion　on　the　great　questions　of　the　mediaeval　lodge　of　Kilwinning
  and　its　Scotch　degrees；　on　the　seven　Templars；　who；　after　poor
  Jacques　Molay　was　burnt　at　Paris；　took　refuge　on　the　Isle　of　Mull；
  in　Scotland；　found　there　another　Templar　and　brother　Mason；
  ominously　named　Harris；　took　to　the　trowel　in　earnest；　and　revived
  the　Order；on　the　Masons　who　built　Magdeburg　Cathedral　in　876；　on
  the　English　Masons　assembled　in　Pagan　times　by　〃St。　Albone；　that
  worthy　knight；〃　on　the　revival　of　English　Masonry　by　Edwin；　son　of
  Athelstan；　on　Magnus　Grecus；　who　had　been　at　the　building　of
  Solomon's　Temple；　and　taught　Masonry　to　Charles　Martel；　on　the
  pillars　Jachin　and　Boaz；　on　the　masonry　of　Hiram　of　Tyre；　and　indeed
  of　Adam　himself；　of　whose　first　fig…leaf　the　masonic　apron　may　be　a
  typeon　all　these　matters　I　dare　no　more　decide　than　on　the　making
  of　the　Trojan　Horse；　the　birth　of　Romulus　and　Remus；　or　the
  incarnation　of　Vishnoo。
  All　I　dare　say　is；　that　Freemasonry　emerges　in　its　present　form　into
  history　and　fact；　seemingly　about　the　beginning　of　George　I。's
  reign；　among　Englishmen　and　noblemen；　notably　in　four　lodges　in　the
  city　of　London：　　（1）　at　The　Goose　and　Gridiron　alehouse　in　St。
  Paul's　Churchyard；　（2）　at　The　Crown　alehouse　near　Drury　Lane；　（3）　at
  The　Apple　Tree　tavern　near　Covent　Garden；　（4）　at　The　Rummer　and
  Grapes　tavern；　in　Charnel　Row；　Westminster。　　That　its　principles
  were　brotherly　love　and　good　fellowship；　which　included　in　those
  days　port；　sherry；　claret；　and　punch；　that　it　was　founded　on　the
  ground　of　mere　humanity；　in　every　sense　of　the　word；　being　（as　was
  to　be　expected　from　the　temper　of　the　times）　both　aristocratic　and
  liberal；　admitting　to　its　ranks　virtuous　gentlemen　〃obliged；〃　says
  an　old　charge；　〃only　to　that　religion　wherein　all　men　agree；　leaving
  their　particular　opinions　to　themselves：　　that　is；　to　be　good　men
  and　true；　or　men　of　honour　and　honesty；　by　whatever　denominations　or
  persuasions　they　may　be　distinguished；　whereby　Masonry　becomes　the
  centre　of　union　and　means　of　conciliating　true　friendship　among
  persons　that　otherwise　must　have　remained　at　a　distance。〃
  Little　did　the　honest　gentlemen　who　established　or　re…established
  their　society　on　these　grounds；　and　fenced　it　with　quaint
  ceremonies；　old　or　new；　conceive　the　importance　of　their　own　act；
  we；　looking　at　it　from　a　distance；　may　see　all　that　such　a　society
  involved；　which　was　quite　new　to　the　world　just　then；　and　see；　that
  it　was　the　very　child　of　the　Ancien　Regimeof　a　time　when　men　were
  growing　weary　of　the　violent　factions；　political　and　spiritual；
  which　had　torn　Europe　in　pieces　for　more　than　a　century；　and　longed
  to　say：　　〃After　all；　we　are　all　alike　in　one　thingfor　we　are　at
  least　men。〃
  Its　spread　through　England　and　Scotland；　and　the　seceding　bodies
  which　arose　from　it；　as　well　as　the　supposed　Jacobite　tendency　of
  certain　Scotch　lodges；　do　not　concern　us　here。　　The　point
  interesting　to　us　just　now　is；　that　Freemasonry　was　imported　to　the
  Continent　exclusively　by　English　and　Scotch　gentlemen　and　noblemen。
  Lord　Derwentwater　is　said　by　some　to　have　founded　the　〃Loge
  Anglaise〃　in　Paris　in　1725；　the　Duke　of　Richmond　one　in　his　own
  castle　of　Aubigny　shortly　after。　　It　was　through　Hanoverian
  influence　that　the　movement　seems　to　have　spread　into　Germany。　　In
  1733；　for　instance；　the　English　Grand　Master；　Lord　Strathmore；
  permitted　eleven　German　gentlemen　and　good　brethren　to　form　a　lodge
  in　Hamburg。　　Into　this　English　Society　was　Frederick　the　Great；　when
  Crown　Prince；　initiated；　in　spite　of　strict　old　Frederick　William's
  objections；　who　had　heard　of　it　as　an　English　invention　of
  irreligious　tendency。　　Francis　I。　of　Austria　was　made　a　Freemason　at
  the　Hague；　Lord　Chesterfield　being　in　the　chair；　and　then　became　a
  Master　in　London　under　the　name　of　〃Brother　Lothringen；〃　to　the
  discontent　of　Maria　Theresa；　whose　woman's　wit　saw　farther　than　her
  husband。　　Englishmen　and　Scotchmen　introduced　the　new　society　into
  Russia　and　into　Geneva。　　Sweden　and　Poland　seem　to　have　received　it
  from　France；　while；　in　the　South；　it　seems　to　have　been　exclusively
  an　English　plant。　　Sackville；　Duke　of　Middlesex；　is　said　to　have
  founded　the　first　lodge　at　Florence　in　1733；　Lord　Coleraine　at
  Gibraltar　and　Madrid；　one　Gordon　in　Portugal；　and　everywhere；　at　the
  commencement　of　the　movement；　we　find　either　London　or　Scotland　the
  mother…lodges；　introducing　on　the　Continent　those　liberal　and　humane
  ideas　of　which　England　was　then　considered；　to　her　glory；　as　the
  only　home　left　on　earth。
  But；　alas！　the　seed　sown　grew　up　into　strange　shapes；　according　to
  the　soil　in　which　it　rooted。　　False　doctrine；　heresy；　and　schism；
  according　to　Herr　Findel；　the　learned　and　rational　historian　whom　I
  have　chiefly　followed；　defiled　the　new　Church　from　its　infancy。　　〃In
  France；〃　so　he　bemoans　himself；　〃first　of　all　there　shot　up　that
  baneful　seed　of　lies　and　frauds；　of　vanity　and　presumption；　of
  hatred　and　discord；　the　mischievous　high　degrees；　the　misstatement
  that　our　order　was　allied　to　the　Templars；　and　existed　at　the　time
  of　the　Crusades；　the　removal　of　old　charges；　the　bringing　in
  surreptitiously　of　a　multitude　of　symbols　and　forms　which　awoke　the
  love　of　secrecy；　knighthood；　and；　in　fact；　all　which　tended　to
  poison　Freemasonry。〃　　Herr　Findel　seems　to　attribute　these　evils
  principally　to　the　〃high　degrees。〃　　It　would　have　been　more　simple
  to　have　attributed　them　to　the　morals　of　the　French　noblesse　in　the
  days　of　Louis　Quinze。　　What　could　a　corrupt　tree　bring　forth；　but
  corrupt　fruit？　　If　some　of　the　early　lodges；　like　those　of　〃La
  Felicite〃　and　〃L'Ancre；〃　to　which　women　were　admitted；　resembled　not
  a　little　the　Bacchic　mysteries　of　old　Rome；　and　like　them　called　for
  the　interference　of　the　police；　still　no　great　reform　was　to　be
  expected；　when　those　Sovereign　Masonic　Princes；　the　〃Emperors　of　the
  East　and　West；〃　quarrelledknights　of　the　East　against　knights　of
  the　Westtill　they　were　absorbed　or　crushed　by　the　Lodge　〃Grand
  Orient；〃　with　Philippe　Egalite；　Duc　de　Chartres；　as　their　grand
  master；　and　as　his　representative；　the　hero　of　the　diamond　necklace；
  and　disciple　of　Count　CagliostroLouis；　Prince　de　Rohan。
  But　if　Freemasonry；　among　the　frivolous　and　sensual　French　noblesse；
  became　utterly　frivolous　and　sensual　itself；　it　took　a　deeper；
  though　a　questionably　fantastic　form；　among　the　more　serious　and
  earnest　German　nobility。　　Forgetful　as　they　too　often　were　of　their
  duty　to　their　peoplestyrannical；　extravagant；　debauched　by　French
  opinions；　French　fashions；　French　luxuries；　till　they　had　begun　to
  despise　their　native　speech；　their　native　literature；　almost　their
  native　land；　and　to　hide　their　native　homeliness　under　a　clumsy
  varnish　of　French　outside　civilisation；　which　the　years　1807…13
  rubbed　off　them　again　with　a　brush　of　ironthey　were　yet　Germans　at
  heart；　and　that　German　instinct　for　the　unseencall　it　enthusiasm；
  mysticism；　what　you　will；　you　cannot　make　it　anything　but　a　human
  fact；　and　a　most　powerful；　and　（as　I　hold）　most　blessed　factthat
  instinct　for　the　unseen；　I　say；　which　gives　peculiar　value　to　German
  philosophy；　poetry；　art；　religion；　and　above　all　to　German　family
  life；　and　which　is　just　the　complement　needed　to　prevent　our　English
  common…sense；　matter…of…fact　Lockism　from　degenerating　into
  materialismthat　was　only　lying　hidden；　but　not　dead；　in　the　German
  spirit。
  With　the　Germans；　therefore；　Freemasonry　assumed　a　nobler　and　more
  earnest　shape。　　Dropping；　very　soon；　that　Lockite　and　Philosophe
  tone　which　had　perhaps　recommended　it　to　Frederick　the　Great　in　his
  youth；　it　became　mediaevalist　and　mystic。　　It　craved　after　a
  resuscitation　of　old　chivalrous　spirit；　and　the　virtues　of　the
  knightly　ideal；　and　the　old　German　biederkeit　und　tapferkeit；　which
  were　all　defiled　and　overlaid　by　French　fopperies。　　And　not　in　vain；
  as　no　struggle　after　a　noble　aim；　however　confused　or　fantastic；　is
  ever　in　vain。　　Freemasonry　was　the　direct　parent　of　the　Tugenbund；
  and　of　those　secret　societies　which　freed　Germany　from　Napoleon。
  Whatever　follies　young　members　of　them　may　have　committed；　whatever
  Jahn　and　his　Turnerei；　whatever　the　iron　youths；　with　their　iron
  decorations　and　iron　boot…heels；　whatever；　in　a　word；　may　have　been
  said　o