2.54 
To the Editor of the Monthly Magazine. 
SIR, 
A. GREEABLY tomy promife I now 
fend you fome further particulars 
on the fubje&t of the abufes ot Free-Ma- 
Sanry. : 
From about the year 1760, this order 
has greatly declined in England ; I mean 
with refpe&t’ to its reputation. Indeed 
the caufes of its declenfion may be traced, 
In the year. 
fomewhat farther back. 
739, a great breach was made in the fo- 
ciety, by the fetting up of an independent 
Grand Lodge, the members of waich 
called themfelves Ancient Mafons, and 
treated their brethren who adhered to the 
new regulations, as junioys and innova- 
tors; while thefe again being more nu- 
merous and more powerful, anathematized 
the Ancients as {chifmatics, if not in fact 
as impoftors. ‘The diflention between 
thefe two focietics was very bitter and un- 
becoming, and fo continued for many 
ears. ‘This naturally begat in the minds 
of thofe who belonged to neither, a con- 
temptuous idea of that extraordinary pre- 
tenfion to brotherly love and charity, 
which was fet up by both parties. The 
multiplication of lodges was the fource 
of confiderable irregularities ; in confe- 
quence of which many were yearly ftruck 
of the lift, and offending brethren were 
expelled. Thefe things weakened the re- 
putation of the order very confiderably, 
efpecially when it was obferved that im- 
morality was a lefs caufe of offence being 
gakcn by the heads of the fraternity, than 
a non-compliance with certain rules and 
orders of little moment. In the year 
4747, acircumftance occurred, that great- 
ly injured the interefts of the fociety, at 
leaft, for wtime. It had been ufual for 
the Grand Lodge on their anniverlary 
= 
fion from the hall in which, they met for 
bufinefs, and which was generally one of 
the city halls, to the tavern where the 
bufinefs of the day was concluded. About 
the time of the grand feaft in that year, 
fome difappointed mafons (as it is faid,) 
caufed a whimfjcal proceffion to parade 
moft of the ftreets of London, made up 
ofan immenfe number of the loweft of 
the rabble, as ‘chimney-iweepers, duft- 
men, &e. clothed with the regalia of the 
order, and preceded by a numerous train 
of muficians playing charmingly on falt- 
boxes, bullock’s horns, with marrew- 
bones and cleavers, &c. &c. This mot- 
ley crew, fome on foot, fome in carts, 
fome on affes, entertained the gaping 
crewd with various figns, and other ma- 
Anecdotes of Free-Mafonry. 
poe: 
neeuvres in derifion of the Free-Mafons. 
The name given to thefe brothers was 
that of Scall’d Mijferables. , In confequence. 
of the rigicule thus put upon the order, 
the Grand Lodge prudently (as Anderfon 
fays) refolved to difcontinue for the fu- 
ture, the ufual public proceffion of the 
fociety on the feaft day. 
Whether this affair gave occafion to 
other peffons to be witty at the fociety’s 
expence, I know not; but it is certain 
that from this period various ¢aricature 
prints were produced to ridicule the or- 
der, and many publications appeared pre- 
tending to difcover all its fecrets. It is 
fomewhat remarkable, that though-the 
ingenious Hogarth was a member of the 
fraternity, (and actually ferved the office 
of Grand Steward in 1735, yet he could 
not refrain from exercifing his pencil and 
graver in derifion of the fociety. In his 
picture of NicuT, one of the moft con- 
{picuous figures is that of a Mafter of a 
Lodge led home drunk by the tyler. 
About the year 1766, anew fociety 
{prung up, and affected to affume an in- 
dependence of the Grand Lodge, under 
the name of the Grand Chapter of Royal 
Arch Mafons. Before that time, every 
Lodge conceived itfelf competent to im- 
prove itfelf to the utmoft extent in _ma- 
fonry; and to exercife all the higher 
branches of the order, by virtue of that 
authority which it derived from the Grand 
Lodge. But now fome brethren in Lon- 
don thinking themfelves wifer than the 
reft, contrived to form themfelves into a 
ditin& body, and to iffue out difpenfa- 
tions for holding chapters in this order, 
One innovation begets another. The 
‘Royal Arch Chapter made a good deal 
of money by the credulity of the brethren 
at jarge. This prompted fome other 
ingenious mafons to ereét ftill higher 
and more dazzling inititutions, as points 
of a more fublime nature in Mafonry. 
The next improvement was the formation 
of a Royal and Grand Conclave of: 
Knicht’s Templars of St. John of Jeru- 
falem, which was independent of both 
the Grand Lodge and the Royal Arch 
Chapter, It mui be admitted that Royal 
Arch Mafonry conne&s itfelf extremely 
well with what is called Craft Majfonry, 
and fuitably fupplies thofe deficiencies 
-which every intelligent brother muft fee 
reafon to complainof init. ‘There is alfo 
a, degree of moral elegance, and even piety 
in the degree of Royal Arch; both with 
refpect to its lectures, ceremonies, and 
form of admiffion. This, however, is 
far from being the cafe with that which 
hari ice Re, Sala iS \ 
