Chapter II

The manuscript volume entitled “Egyptian Freemasonry” fell, with the other papers of Cagliostro, into the hands of the Inquisition, and was solemnly condemned in the judgment as containing rites, propositions, a doctrine and a system which opened a broad road to sedition and were calculated to destroy the Christian religion. The book was characterised as superstitious, blasphemous, impious, and heretical. It was publicly burnt by the hands of the executioner, with the instruments belonging to the sect. Some valuable particulars concerning it are, however, preserved in the Italian life; they are reproduced from the original proceedings published at Rome by order of the Apostolic Chamber.

“It may be necessary to enter into some details concerning Egyptian Masonry. We shall extract our facts from a book compiled by himself, and now in our possession, by which he owns he was always directed in the exercise of his functions, and from which those regulations and instructions were copied, wherewith he enriched many mother lodges. In this treatise, which is written in French, he promises to conduct his disciples to perfection by means of physical and moral regeneration, to confer perpetual youth and beauty on them, and restore them to that state of innocence which they were deprived of by means of original sin. He asserts that Egyptian Masonry was first propagated by Enoch and Elias, but that since that time it has lost much of its purity and splendour. Common masonry, according to him, has degenerated into mere buffoonery, and women have of late been entirely excluded from its mysteries; but the time was now arrived when the grand Copt was about to restore the glory of masonry, and allow its benefits to be participated by both sexes.

“The statutes of the order then follow in rotation, the division of the members into three distinct classes, the various signs by which they might discover each other, the officers who are to preside over and regulate the society, the stated times when the members are to assemble, the erection of a tribunal for deciding all differences that may arise between the several lodges or the particular members of each, and the various ceremonies which ought to take place at the admission of the candidates. In every part of this book the pious reader is disgusted with the sacrilege, the profanity, the superstition, and the idolatry with which it abounds--the invocations in the name of God, the prostrations, the adorations paid to the Grand Master, the fumigations, the incense, the exorcisms, the emblems of the Divine Triad, of the moon, of the sun, of the compass, of the square, and a thousand other scandalous particulars, with which the world is at present well acquainted.

“The Grand Copt, or chief of the lodge, is compared to God the Father. He is invoked upon every occasion; he regulates all the actions of the members and all the ceremonies of the lodge, and he is even supposed to have communication with angels and with the Divinity. In the exercise of many of the rites they are desired to repeat the _Veni_ and the _Te Deum_--nay, to such an excess of impiety are they enjoined, that in reciting the psalm _Memento Domine David_, the name of the Grand Master is always to be substituted for that of the King of Israel.

“People of all religions are admitted into the society of Egyptian Masonry--the Jew, the Calvinist, the Lutheran, are to be received into it as well as the Catholic--provided they believe in the existence of God and the immortality of the soul, and have been previously allowed to participate in the mysteries of the common masonry. When men are admitted, they receive a pair of garters from the Grand Copt, as is usual in all lodges, for their mistresses; and when women are received into the society, they are presented by the Grand Mistress with a cockade, which they are desired to give to that man to whom they are most attached.

“We shall here recount the ceremonies made use of on admitting a female.

“The candidate having presented herself, the Grand Mistress (Madame Cagliostro generally presided in that capacity) breathes upon her face from the forehead to the chin, and then says, ‘I breathe upon you on purpose to inspire you with the virtues which we possess, so that they may take root and flourish in your heart, I thus fortify your soul, I thus confirm you in the faith of your brethren and sisters, according to the engagements which you have contracted with them. We now admit you as a daughter of the Egyptian lodge. We order that you be acknowledged in that capacity by all the brethren and sisters of the Egyptian lodges, and that you enjoy with them the same prerogatives as with ourselves.’

“The Grand Master thus addresses the male candidate: ‘In virtue of the power which I have received from the Grand Copt, the founder of our order, and by the particular grace of God, I hereby confer upon you the honour of being admitted into our lodge in the name of Helios, Mene, Tetragrammaton.’

“In a book, said to be printed at Paris in 1789, it is asserted that the last words were suggested to Cagliostro, as sacred and cabalistical expressions by a pretended conjuror, who said that he was assisted by a spirit, and that this spirit was no other than the soul of a cabalistical Jew, who by means of the magical art had murdered his own father before the incarnation of Jesus Christ.

“Common masons have been accustomed to regard St John as their patron, and to celebrate the festival of that saint. Cagliostro also adopted him as his protector, and it is not a little remarkable that he was imprisoned at Rome on the very festival of his patron. The reason for his veneration of this great prophet was, if we are to believe himself, the great similarity between the Apocalypse and the rites of his institution.

“We must here observe that when any of his disciples were admitted into the highest class, the following execrable ceremony took place. A young boy or girl, in the state of virgin innocence and purity, was procured, who was called the pupil, and to whom power was given over the seven spirits that surround the throne of the divinity and preside over the seven planets. Their names according to Cagliostro’s book are Anaël, Michaël, Raphaël, Gabriel, Uriel, Zobiachel, and Anachiel. The pupil is then made use of as an intermediate agent between the spiritual and physical worlds, and being clothed in a long white robe, adorned with a red ribbon, and blue silk festoons, he is shut up in a little closet. From that place he gives response to the Grand Master, and tells whether the spirits and Moses have agreed to receive the candidates into the highest class of Egyptian masons....

“In his instructions to obtain the moral and physical regeneration which he had promised to his disciples, he is exceedingly careful to give a minute description of the operations to which they are to submit. Those who are desirous of experiencing the moral regeneration are to retire from the world for the space of forty days, and to distribute their time into certain proportions. Six hours are to be employed in reflection, three in prayer to the Deity, nine in the holy operations of Egyptian Masonry, while the remaining period is to be dedicated to repose. At the end of the thirty-three days a visible communication is to take place between the patient and the seven primitive spirits, and on the morning of the fortieth day his soul will be inspired with divine knowledge, and his body be as pure as that of a new-born infant.

“To procure a physical regeneration, the patient is to retire into the country in the month of May, and during forty days is to live according to the most strict and austere rules, eating very little, and then only laxative and sanative herbs, and making use of no other drink than distilled water, or rain that has fallen in the course of the month. On the seventeenth day, after having let blood, certain white drops are to be taken, six at night and six in the morning, increasing them two a day in progression. In three days more a small quantity of blood is again to be let from the arm before sunrise, and the patient is to retire to bed till the operation is completed. A grain of the _panacea_ is then to be taken; this panacea is the same as that of which God created man when He first made him immortal. When this is swallowed the candidate loses his speech and his reflection for three entire days, and he is subject to frequent convulsions, struggles, and perspirations. Having recovered from this state, in which, however, he experiences no pain whatever, on the thirty-sixth day, he takes the third and last grain of the panacea, which causes him to fall into a profound and tranquil sleep; it is then that he loses his hair, his skin, and his teeth. These again are all reproduced in a few hours, and having become a new man, on the morning of the fortieth day he leaves his room, enjoying a complete rejuvenescence, by which he is enabled to live 5557 years, or to such time as he, of his own accord, may be desirous of going to the world of spirits.”

CONCERNING THE LODGE OF FREEMASONS DISCOVERED AT ROME.

The final chapter of the Italian life of Cagliostro, which appeared before the death of its subject, contains a curious and interesting account under the above title. The lodge was situated in the quarter of the city called the Holy Trinity of the Mountain. It was visited on the night of Cagliostro’s capture, but the members had been evidently forewarned; they had taken precautions as to their personal safety, had removed the symbols of their craft and the greater part of their books and papers, which perhaps, says the writer, contained secrets of great importance. The Inquisition claims to have a true insight, notwithstanding, into the origin, establishment, and other particulars of this lodge, drawn in part from the depositions of “a multitude of well-informed persons.”

The founders were seven in number, five Frenchmen, an American, and a Pole, all of whom had been previously initiated into other lodges. It assumed the title of the Lodge of the Reunion of True Friends, and the first meeting took place on November 1, 1787. Proselytes were immediately made, and included candidates who had not been received into any other society. Its numbers rapidly increased, and to establish it with all the necessary formalities approbation was procured from the Mother Lodge at Paris, and a deputy was sent to reside in that city as its representative. Its letters were transported by special messengers. Mention is made in the register of archives kept under three locks, in which the statutes, the mysteries, and the symbols transmitted from Paris were preserved, with all the most interesting speeches delivered within the lodge. However, the Egyptian lodge is affirmed to have been in this instance devoid of special characteristics. The list of its officers was as follows:--

1. The Venerable, or Grand Master.

2. The Superintendent, or Deputy Grand Master.

3. The Terrible.

4. The Master of the Ceremonies.

5. The Treasurer.

6. The Almoner.

7. The Secretary.

8. The Orator, or Export Broker.

The entire Lodge was composed of two chambers, or halls. The first was called the Chamber of Reflections. A death’s head was placed on a table, and above it were two inscriptions in French, which contained an arcane significance. The second apartment was called the Temple; it was adorned according to the various rites performed in it. On all occasions it was provided with a throne, on which the Venerable constantly sat. Some emblems of masonry adorned the walls--among them were the sun, moon, and planets. On the two sides of the throne several magnificent pillars were placed, and opposite to these the brotherhood were arranged in order, each of them wearing his leathern apron, and a black ribbon in the form of a deacon’s stole about his neck, while in his hands, which were covered with a pair of white gloves, he brandished a naked sword, a hammer, or a compass, according to the different formalities prescribed by the institution.

With the secret signs and passports, the Inquisition does not seem to have been acquainted.

INDEX.

Abraham the Jew, 99

Adfar, an Arabian adept of Alexandria, 53

Alain of Lisle, 67

Albertus Magnus, 57

Alcahest, 157

Alchemy--Diversity of opinion on the object of alchemical science, 9;
the avowed object, 10;
the aim said to be concealed, 11;
symbolism of the science, 11;
distinction between alchemy and chemistry, 21;
alchemy as a factor in the progress of the physical sciences, 27;
physical nature of the alchemical aim established by the lives and
writings of the adepts, 29;
side issues of alchemical theories, 32;
application of alchemy to the extension of life, 65;
modification of the human body by alchemy, 65;
alchemy the science of the four elements, 93;
the Seal of God set on the secret of alchemy, 165

Alfarabi, 48

Alipili, 22, 23

Altotas, 221, 234

Ancient War of the Knights, 43

Anima Magica Abscondita, 21

Anonymous adept, 184

Antimony, Basil Valentine’s preparation for the study of, 17;
the Triumphal Chariot of Antimony, 121

Aphrodite Urania, 37

Apono, Peter d’, 88

Aquinas, St Thomas, 61

Argent Vive--Reduction of metals into sophic Argent Vive, 87;
the Medicine of all Metals, 90;
the first thing to be ascertained in alchemy is the significance of
this term, 92

Arnold de Villanova, 88

Ars Lulliana, 68

Avicenna, 51

Azoth, or The Star in the East, a forthcoming work on the psychic
potencies which enter into the higher act of transmutation, on the
mysteries of spiritual chemistry, and on the possibilities of
practical transcendentalism, 37

Bacon, Roger, 63

Balsamo, Joseph, Travels, Adventures, and Imprisonments, 220

Basil, Valentine, 120

Belin, Albert, 186

Berigard of Pisa, 148

Bird, William, unknown adept, 150

Böhme, Jacob, 161

Bono, Peter, 118

Borri, Guiseppe Francesco, 208

Botticher, John Frederich, neophyte, 212

Braccesco, Giovanni, 151

Busardier, unknown adept, 182

Butler, 168

Cagliostro, Count Allesandro, name assumed by Balsamo, 230

Calcination, an alchemical process, 13, 19

Canons of Espagnet, 19

Charnock, Thomas, 148

Chemistry, said to have no connection with alchemy, 14;
distinction between alchemy and chemistry, 21, 25;
a counter view, 44

Contemplation, a preparation for alchemical practices, 18

Cremer, John, pseudo-abbot of Westminster, 83

Dalton, Thomas, 133

Dee, John, 153

Delisle, 216

D’Espagnet, Jean, 170;
on the obstacles which beset the alchemist, 39

Diana Unveiled, 180

Dissolution, an alchemical process, 12

Dominic, St, said to have been an adept, 58

Dubois, descendant of Flamel, 114

Dunstan, St, Book of, 154, 155

Egyptian Masonry, 245, 250, and Appendix II.

Elias the Artist, 193

Eliphas Lévi, 82

Elixir, the White and Red, 195

_Étoile Flamboyante_, 59

Eugenius Philalethes, 21, 31, 189

Exaltation, an alchemical process, 32

Fabre, Pierre Jean, 200

Ferarius, 92

Figuier, Louis, alchemical critic, 27, 63

Fioravanti, Leonardi, 153

Flamel, Nicholas, 95

Fontaine, John, 129

Galip, 55

Geber, 44

Generation of Metals, 38, 48, 133

Goëtic magic, 65

Gold, 10, 28, 140

Grand Magisterium, 57, 123

Grand Secret and Grand Act, 170, 189

Great Art, 130

Grimoire, 60

Gustenhover, 181

Helmont, J. B. Van, 166

Helvetius, John Frederick, 201

Hermetic--Aim of Hermetic science, 29;
true method of Hermetic interpretation, 30;
supreme secret of Hermetic philosophy, 66;
the Hermetic art a gift of God, 68

Heydon, John, 210

Hitchcock--His Remarks on Alchemy and the Alchemists, 10, 14, 23, 30

Interpretation of Hermetic theories, &c.--Hermetic typology, 10;
the moral method, 13;
the Psychic method, 122

Invocation as a preparation for the practice of alchemy, 17

Isaac of Holland, 123

Jean de Meung, 90

Johannes de Rupecissa, 119

John XXII., Pope, 93

Kalid, an initiated monarch, 54

Khunrath, Henry, 159;
treats of spiritual alchemy, 33, 36

Lascaris, 211

Lavures, alchemical operations, 112

Light--Veritable light of alchemy, 15;
vision in the Divine Light, 16;
light the First Matter of the Magnum Opus, 38

Magic Chain, 22

Magnum Opus--The first Matter of the Magnum Opus in its psychic aspect
to be revealed in a forthcoming work, AZOTH, OR THE STAR IN THE
EAST, 37;
processes for the accomplishment of the Magnum Opus, 42;
these described by Arnold, 90;
the composition of the Stone is the accomplishment of the Magnum
Opus, 152;
manner of the accomplishment of the Magnum Opus described in “The
Adventures of an Unknown Philosopher,” 186

Maier, Michael, 58, 87, 160

Man--The concealed subject of every adept, 11;
the mystic vase of election, 14

Manuel, Domenico, 215

Mary of Alexandria, 36

Matter, the first matter of the Magnum Opus, said to be gold, 28;
defined as a fifth element, 39;
one only and self-same thing, 40;
its true nature not disclosed by the adepts, 41;
its informing spirit variously adaptable, 43;
a duplex nature, 53;
contained in silver and gold, 87;
the seed of every metal can be reduced into the first matter, 93;
figured in the book of Rabbi Abraham, 103;
found by Nicholas Flamel, 106;
mercury the true first matter, 118;
the matter of the philosophical stone a viscous water, 119;
said to be Saturn, or lead, 124;
is found everywhere, 136;
may be discovered by studying the best books of the philosophers,
145

Medicine--Properties of a universal medicine attributed to the Stone,
13;
the Stone a medicine for metals and man, 32;
life is prolonged by the stone, 123;
application of the tincture as a medicine for the human body, 148

Mercury--Identified with the supernatural, 11;
obstacles to its discovery, 39;
sophic mercury described by Avicenna, 52;
mercury the water of metals, 129;
a matchless treasure, 197

Morien, 53

Morning Star, 36

New Birth, 11, 12

Norton, Thomas, 130

Obereit, John Hermann, 219

One Thing Needful--The exaltation of the cognising faculty, 15

Orizon Æternitatis, mystical term of Paracelsus, 36

Palingenesis, 92

Philalethes, Eirenæus, 187;
on the Aqua Philosophorum, 22

Picus de Mirandola, 136

Psychic Chemistry--A Scheme of Absolute Reconstruction, 36;
accomplished by the Divine Power in the Soul, 22;
general observations on spiritual alchemistry, 32-37

Regnauld, Brother, 63

Rhasis, 46

Richthausen, his transmutations with stolen powder, 183

Ripley, George, 134;
his description of the Stone, 41;
supposed to have initiated Thomas Norton, 130

Romance of the Rose, 90

Rose Nobles, 82, 84, 86

Rosicrucians--Had other alchemical objects than metallic
transmutations, 36;
the associates defended by Michael Maier, 160;
initiation offered by the Rosicrucians to Sendivogius, 179

Sendivogius, Michael, 175;
“The New Light of Alchemy” falsely ascribed to this neophyte, 21, 31

Separation an alchemical process, 12, 17

Sethon, Alexander, 171

Son of the Sun, 37

Sophistication of metals, 62

Starkey, George, 165, 195, 197, &c.

Stone of the Philosophers--Said to be a symbol of immortality, 13;
analogous in its nature to the state of primeval man, 31;
Transmutation accomplished by its means, 38;
in appearance a subtle, brown, and opaque earth, 132;
dark, disesteemed, and grey in colour, 165;
the seed out of which gold and silver are generated, 201

Subject of Alchemy--According to Hitchcock, 13;
according to George Starkey, 24

Suggestive inquiry concerning the Hermetic Mystery, 9, 14, 17, 24, 30,
34

Sulphur (Sophic)--Said to symbolise Nature, 11;
sophic sulphur and the conscience, 12;
difficulties in its discovery, 39;
described by Avicenna, 52

Transmutation--Doubts as to the significance of the term, 9;
identified with spiritual conversion, 13;
the physical theory of Transmutation, 38, &c.;
possibility of the fact, 33

Transmutations performed by adepts and their emissaries, 84, 94, 106,
118, 133, 136, 148, 156, 167, 168, 177, 178, 181, 183, 184, 185,
196, 201-208, 212-216, 217, 218

Trévisan, Bernard, 124;
honoured by Philalethes, 194

Tschoudy, Baron, 39

Typology--Possibility of an infinite variety of interpretations of any
sequence of typology, 29

Urbigerus--His alchemical aphorisms, 40

Vase of the Philosophers--Identified with man, 14;
its true nature unexplained by adepts, 41;
described by Geber, 46

Vaughan, Thomas, 187

Wisdom Faculty, 15

Wood of Life, 152

Zachaire, Denis, 140

_Turnbull & Spears, Printers, Edinburgh._

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“With regard to the contents of the present volume, there is nothing in it very suggestive of sulphur. No apprehension need be felt if the book be left about the house that the adventurous members of the family circle will commence incantations in mystic robes with the aid of Abracadabra, the Pentagram and incense. In fact, Eliphas over and over again sets his face against amateur attempts at magical practices. The reader may, however, with profit peruse carefully the learned dissertations penned by M. Constant upon the Hermetic art treated as a religion, a philosophy, and a natural science. As a religion, Eliphas holds it to be that of the ancient Magi and the initiates of all ages; as a philosophy its principles are traced in the Alexandrian school, and in the theories of Pythagoras; as a science, he indicates the methods to be ascertained from Paracelsus, Nicholas Flamel, and Raymond Lully. In view of the remarkable exhibitions of mesmeric influence and thought-reading which have recently been given, it is not improbable that the thoughtful reader may find a clue in the writings of this cultured and amiable magician to the secret of many of the manifestations of witchcraft that formerly struck wonder and terror into the hearts of simple folks eager to behold and ready to believe in supernatural powers.”

_Fcap. 8vo, cloth, price, including the pack of cards 78 in number, 5s._

=FORTUNE-TELLING CARDS.--THE TAROT; Its= Occult Signification, Use in Fortune-Telling, and Method of Play, &c. By S. L. MACGREGOR MATHERS.

“The designs of the twenty-one trump cards are extremely singular; in order to give some idea of the manner in which Mr Mather uses them in fortune-telling it is necessary to mention them in detail, together with the general signification which he attaches to each of them. The would-be cartomancer may then draw his own particular conclusions, and he will find considerable latitude for framing them in accordance with his predilections. It should further be mentioned that each of the cards when reversed conveys a meaning the contrary of its primary signification. No. 1 is the Bateleur or Juggler, called also Pagad; the latter designation is adduced by Count de Gebelin in proof of the Oriental origin of Tarots, it being derived from PAG, chief or master, and GAD, fortune. The Juggler symbolizes Will. 2. The High Priestess, or female Pope, represents Science, Wisdom, or Knowledge. 3. The Empress, is the symbol of Action or Initiative. 4. The Emperor, represents Realization or Development. 5. The Hierophant or Pope is the Symbol of Mercy and Beneficence. 6. The Lovers, signify Wise Disposition and Trials surmounted. 7. The Chariot, represents Triumph, Victory over Obstacles. 8. Themis or Justice, symbolizes Equilibrium and Justice. 9. The Hermit, denotes Prudence. 10. The Wheel of Fortune, represents Fortune, good or bad. 11. Fortitude, symbolizes Power or Might. 12. The Hanged Man--a man suspended head downwards by one leg--means Devotion, Self-Sacrifice. 13. Death, signifies Transformation or Change. 14. Temperance, typifies Combination. 15. The Devil, is the image of Fate or Fatality. 16. The Lightning-struck Tower, called also Maison-Dieu, shows Ruin, Disruption. 17. The Star, is the Emblem of Hope. 18. The Moon, symbolises Twilight, Deception, and Error. 19. The Sun, signifies Earthly Happiness. 20. The Last Judgment, means Renewal, Determination of a matter. 21. The Universe, represents Completion and Reward. 0. The Foolish Man, signifies Expiation or Wavering. Separate meanings, with their respective converses, are also attached to each of the other cards in the pack, so that when they have been dealt out and arranged in any of the combinations recommended by the author for purposes of divination, the inquirer has only to use this little volume as a dictionary in order to read his fate.”--_Saturday Review._

GEORGE REDWAY, YORK STREET, COVENT GARDEN.

Transcriber’s Notes:

Minor errors and omissions in punctuation have been fixed.

Inconsistent hyphenations have been maintained from the text.

Inconsistencies and errors in spelling have been maintained from
the text.

Please note that small caps have been transformed into ALL CAPS
in this text.

Page 288: “Guinaldi (J.)--Dell’ Alchimia Opera. 4to. Palermo,
1645.” placed in alphabetical order.

Corrections related in the Preface by specific page and line refer to the following corrections in the chapter on Eirenæus Philalethes:

“secrets in the year 1643” was intended to read “secrets in the year 1645”.

“asserted to read _trigesimo anno_” was intended to read “asserted to read _anno trigesimo tertio_”.

“instead of _vigesimo anno_” was intended to read “instead of _anno vigesimo tertio_”.