The Origin And References Of The Hermesian Spurious Freemasonry.

repeated in the Golden Sickle of the Archdruid of Britain . We find a series of symbols similar to these noAv under our consideration , —the crescent ancl circle , the square and the point within a circle—on Phoenician coins Avhich were struck in honour of Astarte or

Isis , Avith a reference Avhich Ave proceed to explain . Dr . Brown refers the semicircle to the rainbow , and says : " Cabalistical heads Avho from that expression in Isaiah ( xxxiv ., 4 ) do make a book of heaven

and read therein the great concernments of earth , do literally play on this , and from the semicircular figure , resembling the Hebrew letter Caph whereby is signified the uncomfortable number 20 , at Avhich age Joseph was sold , which Jacob lived

under Laban , and at Avhich men Avere to go to Avar , do note a propriety in its signification , as thereby declaring the dismal time of the deluge . And christian conceits do seem to strain as high , while from the irradiation of the sun upon a cloud , they apprehend the mystery of the Sun of Righteousness in the obscurity of

the flesh , by the colours green ancl red , the tAvo destructions of the Avorld by fire and water , and by the colours of water and blood , the mysteries of Captism and the holy eucharist . " * This semicircle otherwise called a lunette crescentor half moon is the first symbol of

, the series , and it occurs " most frequently upon the coins of Egypt , especially upon those of Carrhce whicli was the Oharan or Haran of Moses . Under this semblance they worshipped the Seleuite deity as the mother of the Avhole world . The Emperor

Julian sacrificed to the moon at Carrhce . This deity was the same as Cybele , Jonah , Damater , the reputed parent of all that breathed ; this Avas a character whicli could not in any respect belong to the moon . The planet Avas only made use of as a

resemblance and type of the ark , and thence Avas called Mon and Moon as we may infer from the Hebrew . The name was at times differently expressed , but related to the genius of the ark , Avho Avas Avorshipped by the Canaanites under the title of Baal Maon , and Avhose temple Avas the Beth Meon of Jeremiah . This deit y Avas the

same as Isis and Rhea ; hence we find inscriptions in honour of the latter wherein she is mentioned as the mother of all beings . " * From hence Avas derived the same figure on the Roman standards which , " seem to

have generally consisted of a crescent of a disc of metal or circle , and a chaplet of olive and laurel , and frequently the square and cross . " The later Emperors , especially those of Constantinople , gave the characteristic name of Labarum . Sometimes

two or three lunettes and circles are found on the same standard . In the Hermesian hieroglyphics the united symbol embodied the doctrine of obedience to superiors and was hence of great importance in carrying out a system

Avhere everything Avas prescribed and no latitude of opinion allowed on any point connected with its secret observances . It may contain an imperfect attempt to portray the pomegranate Avhich was sacred to llhe and a symbol of fertility or plenty .

The pomegranate was an object of reli gious veneration to many ancient nations ; in Syria it Avas worshipped under the name of Rimmon , f and was the representative of that deity before Avhom Naaman had been accustomed to boAv before he Avas healed of his leprosy . ^

The genera ] estimation of the above symbol amongst the followers of Hermes , was , according to some authorities || on account of its reference to the ark of Noah Avhile floating on the abyss of waters , its abundance of seeds representing the

contents of that sacred vessel , as the rudiments of a future world . The mysterious properties of the pomegranite were of so mysterious and ineffable a nature that Pausanius , who had been fully instructed in hieroglyphical knowledge , declared

himself incapable i . f explaining them . There are also some reasons for believing that it might represent a Key , Avhich was an emblem of power and authority . It was frequently constructed by a right line with a lunette at each end and sometimes a circle in the middle . According to the testimony of Callimachus , Isis or Ceres was