The Universal Language of Freemasonry - ArchiMeD - Johannes ...

586
Chapter 7 - Rituals
The second scene plays in the Haunted Forest, where the wandering
candidate is threatened by Melancholy and Despair, however, a Wizard chases
Despair, and the other adversary is overcome by the candidate who is not held
back from his quest by the frightening exclamations of Melancholy: "Thou fool,
FOOL, blind and obstinate FOOL! On then, to thy destruction, I'll test well the
mettle of thy will, and he of the skull and cross bones, he of the scythe and coffin
will vanquish thee at last. On to thy doom, ON TO THY DOOM! ON TO THY
DOOM!" (p. 39/40).
In scene three, the candidate, who has been found in the Haunted Forest by
Cauldron, is led by the latter into a cavern or "grotto" with a cauldron back in the
center, in which under flame and fire effects a human being is being tortured. In
this cave, the "dwellers of the realm of shade" are assembled in grim mysterious
council: various imps, the Grand Marshal, Chief Justice, Minos, Cerberus,
Charon, Rhadamanthus, and His Majesty (the devil himself), mostly characters
taken from Greek mythology. The candidate interrupts a rather macabre scene:
"Drive deep your forks of F-I-R-E into his q-u-i-v-e-r-i-n-g flesh. Wind round
him RED HOT CHAINS" (p. 41), "Heat up the Cauldron with flames of fire /
And make this guilty wretch expire. We'll steam up his flesh and heat his bones /
Laugh at his cries and hiss his groans" (p. 43). The candidate who also has dared
to enter Hades is likely to be the next victim, because he came without "being
avouched for" (a strange visiting brother is not allowed to enter a Masonic lodge
without being vouched for, note the parallel), and he does not have hoof, horns,
nor tail. Suddenly, Rhadamanthus comes to his aid by producing his record and
stating that he "has stood in the Northeast Corner of the Lodge" (p. 45). This
entitles the candidate to further trials, and he is released.