Francis Bacon and his secret society - Grand Lodge of Colorado

16 FBANCIS BACON
dark place, or a beacon set on a hill, burning with undimmed
and perpetual brightness.
Many questions arise in the course of the inquiries with which
the following pages are concerned — doubts and knotty points
which cannot yet be definitely settled, but which must be considered
open questions, fair subjects for discussion and further
research.
Present knowledge is not equal to the task of solving
many such enigmas, and doubtless these will for a while continue
to obtrude themselves. But we say " present knowledge,"
speaking in regard to the world and readers in general. There
is little room for doubt that the difficulties and obstacles which
we have met with, and the obscurity which enshrouds so much
of the history of Bacon and his friends, are neither dark nor
difficult to a certain clique of learned men, still representing the
brethren of the Rosie Cross. As to the lower degrees of Masonry,
the Arts and Crafts (or the mysteries of handiworks), there
are, doubtless, a limited number of personages, presiding over
some of the Freemason lodges, to whom all these details are
perfectly well understood.
It is by no means so sure that even the high initiates in any
branch of the society are informed of all or of the same particulars.
Probably the supreme head, or Imperator, and two or
three of his subordinates, are acquainted with the whole history
of the society, and with every detail of its method and present
work. But with regard to the lower orders of the fraternity, it
does not appear, from the evidence we have collected, that they
possess any true knowledge or idea of their origin. Perhaps
they believe the fictitious histories which we shall presently have
occasion to glance at. But, at all events, so far as observation
and inquiry have enabled us to ascertain, every craft or mechanical
art, connected with Freemasonry, still keeps up the old secret
signs, which, though now perhaps useless anachronisms, were,
at the time of their invention and institution excellent and
ready means for the transmission of information and mutual
intelligence, not only from man to man, in
a living generation,
but from man to posterity, and to " the future ages."
Masons mark the stones they chisel with marks which they do