Mackey A G - Encylopedia of Freemasonry - The Grand Masonic ...

ASES ASHMOLE 81
Ases. The twelve gods and as many god- Masons' company this present year ; Mr.
desses in the Scandinavian mythology. Thomas Shorthofe, Mr . Thomas Shadbolt,
Ashe, D.D ., Rev . Jonathan . A literary Waindsford Esq., Mr . Nicholas Young,
plagiarist who resided in Bristol, England . In Mr John Shorthofe, Mr . William Hamon,
1814 he published The Masonic Manual ; or, Mr . John Thompson, and Mr . William Stan-
Lectures on Freemasonry. Ashe does not, it ton . We all dyned at the halfe Moone
is true, pretend to originality, but abstains Taverne in Cheapeside, at a noble dinner prefrom
giving credit to Hutchinson, from whom pared at the charge of the new Accepted
he has taken at least two-thirds of his book . Masons ."*
A second edition appeared in 1825, and in It is to be regretted that the intention ex-
1843 an edition was published by Spencer, pressed by Ashmole to write a history of Freewith
valuable notes by Dr . Oliver . masonry was never carried into effect . His
Asher, Dr . Carl Wilhelm . The first laborious research as evinced in his exhaustive
translator into German of the Halliwell or work on the Order of the Garter, would lead us
" Regius " MS ., which he published at Ham- to have expected from his antiquarian pen a
burg, in 1842, under the title of Aelteste Ur- record of the origin and early progress of our
kunde der Freimaurerei in England . This Institution more valuable than any that we
work contains both the original English docu- now possess . The following remarks on this
ment and the German translation .
subject, contained in a letter from Dr. Knipe,
Ashlar. "Freestone as it comes out of the of Christ Church, Oxford, to the publisher of
quarry ."Bailey . In Speculative Masonry Ashmole's Life, while it enables us to form
we adopt the ashlar in two different states, as some estimate of the loss that Masonic literasymbols
in the Apprentice's Degree. The ture has suffered, supplies interesting par-
Rough Ashlar, or stone in its rude and un- ticulars which are worthy of preservation .
polished condition, is emblematic of man in "As to the ancient society of Freemasons,
his natural state-ignorant, uncultivated, and concerning whom you are desirous of knowing
vicious . But when education has exerted its what may be known with certainty, I shall
wholesome influence in expanding his intellect, only tell you, that if our worthy Brother, E .
restraining his passions, and purifying his life, Ashmole, Esq ., had executed his intended
he then is represented by the Perfect Ashlar, design, our Fraternity had been as much
which, under the skilful hands of the workmen, obliged to him as the Brethren of the most
has been smoothed, and squared, and fitted noble Order of the Garter . I would not have
for its place in the building. In the older you surprised at this expression, or think it
lectures of the eighteenth century the Perfect all too assuming. The sovereigns of that Order
Ashlar is not mentioned, but its place was have not disdained our fellowship, and there
supplied by the Broached Thurnel .
have been times when emperors were also
Ashmole, Ellas . A celebrated antiquary, Freemasons . What from Mr . E . Ashmole's
and the author of, among other works, the collection I could gather was, that the report
well-known History of the Order of the Garter, of our society's taking rise from a bull granted
and founder of the Ashmolean Museum at by the Pope, in the reign of Henry III ., to
Oxford . He was born at Litchfield, in Eng- some Italian architects to travel over all
land, on the 23d of May, 1617, and died at Lon- Europe, to erect chapels, was ill-founded .
don on the 18th of May,1692 . He was made a Such a bull there was, and those architects
Freemason on the 16th of October, 1646, and were Masons ; but this bull, in the opinion of
gives the following account of his reception in the learned Mr. Ashmole, was confirmative
his Diary, p . 303. only, and did not by any means create our
"1646 . Oct : 16 . 4 4 30' p . m ., I was Fraternity, or even establish them in this
made a Freemason at Warrington, in Lanca- kingdom. But as to the time and manner of
shire, with Colonel Henry Mainwaring, of that establishment, something I shall relate
Karincham, in Cheshire . The names of those from the same collections . St . Alban the
that were then of the Lodge, Mr. Richard Proto-Martyr of England, established Ma-
Penket Warden Mr. James Collier Mr. sonry here ; and from his time it flourished
Rich : Sankey, henry Littler, John hllam, more or less, according as the world went,
Rich : Ellam and Hugh Brewer ."
down to the days of King Athelstan, who, for
In another place he speaks of his attendance the sake of his brother Edwin, granted the
at a meeting (Diary, p . 362), and thirty-six Masons a charter under our Norman princes .
years afterward makes the following entry : They frequently received extraordinary marks
"1682. March 10 . About 5 H . m ., I of royal favor. There is no doubt to be made,
received a summons to appear at a Lodge to that the skill of Masons, which was always
be held the next day at Masons' Hall, London . transcendent, even in the most barbarous
"11 . Accordingly, I went, and about times,-their wonderful kindness and attach-
Noone were admitted into the Fellowship of ment to each other, how different soever in
Freemasons, Sir William Wilson, knight, condition, and their inviolable fidelity in keep-
Capt. Richard Borthwick, Mr . William Wood- ing religiously their secret,-must expose them
man, Mr . William Wise .
in ignorant, troublesome, and suspicious times
"I was the senior fellow among them, (it
being thirty-five years since I was admitted ;) *These entries have been reproduced in facthere
was present besides myself the Fellowes 1 simile in vol . XI of Ars Quatuor Coronatorum
afternamed : Mr . Thomas Wise, Master of the 1(1898) .