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On Freemasonry. The Spurious Freemasonry Of Ancient Times.
to the adventurous mariner , from an imaginary influence which it was supposed to possess over the elements . Orion indeed was a constellation equally beautiful and terrible ; and seems , from his sideral throne , in all ages , to have exerted over the minds of men as great a despotism as he did when a terrestrial sovereign over their persons . Concerning the imminent danger when he was setting , Horace emphatically
observes—Sed vides quanta trepidet tumultu Pronus Orion . And the Mantuan bard is not less particular in his account of the danger when this constellation was rising : — Cum subito fluctu nimbosus Orion
assurgeus , In vada cceca tulit . It probably arose from the magnitude and splendour of this constellation , that it is so particularly mentioned in the book of Job ; and it should appear as if Orion in some situations and aspects in the heavens , was considered by the eastern
husbandmen as shedding benign and friendly influences . * Orion or Nimrod originated , or greatly improved the Mysteries ; and built a magnificent tower in their honour ; within the caverns beneath which they were periodically celebrated as commemorative of the solar worship , of which he was probably the inventor . This will afford a key to solve the question of his supposed influences , whether baneful or salutary .
THE STREAM OF WATER . The constellation Eridanus was called by some TJ-OTO ^ OS Sipiavos , the river of Orion ; and by others Adonis ; f because the Ark of Adonis , during the ceremonies of initiation , was committed to a stream at Byblus , the receipt of which changed mourning into joy . It may he observed that with most of
the heathen nations , rivers were accounted sacred ; and the caverns of initiation were always furnished with streams of water for the purpose of purification . The Egyptians , after initiation , were enjoined , according to the testimony of Herodotus , to purify themselves with water twice every day and night for a prescribed period of time ; because this ele-
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
On Freemasonry. The Spurious Freemasonry Of Ancient Times.
to the adventurous mariner , from an imaginary influence which it was supposed to possess over the elements . Orion indeed was a constellation equally beautiful and terrible ; and seems , from his sideral throne , in all ages , to have exerted over the minds of men as great a despotism as he did when a terrestrial sovereign over their persons . Concerning the imminent danger when he was setting , Horace emphatically
observes—Sed vides quanta trepidet tumultu Pronus Orion . And the Mantuan bard is not less particular in his account of the danger when this constellation was rising : — Cum subito fluctu nimbosus Orion
assurgeus , In vada cceca tulit . It probably arose from the magnitude and splendour of this constellation , that it is so particularly mentioned in the book of Job ; and it should appear as if Orion in some situations and aspects in the heavens , was considered by the eastern
husbandmen as shedding benign and friendly influences . * Orion or Nimrod originated , or greatly improved the Mysteries ; and built a magnificent tower in their honour ; within the caverns beneath which they were periodically celebrated as commemorative of the solar worship , of which he was probably the inventor . This will afford a key to solve the question of his supposed influences , whether baneful or salutary .
THE STREAM OF WATER . The constellation Eridanus was called by some TJ-OTO ^ OS Sipiavos , the river of Orion ; and by others Adonis ; f because the Ark of Adonis , during the ceremonies of initiation , was committed to a stream at Byblus , the receipt of which changed mourning into joy . It may he observed that with most of
the heathen nations , rivers were accounted sacred ; and the caverns of initiation were always furnished with streams of water for the purpose of purification . The Egyptians , after initiation , were enjoined , according to the testimony of Herodotus , to purify themselves with water twice every day and night for a prescribed period of time ; because this ele-