Francis Bacon and his secret society - Grand Lodge of Colorado

CHAPTER IX.
MASONRY.
"If I mistake
In those foundations which I build upon,
The centre is not strong enough to bear
A schoolboy's top."
— Winter's Tale.
ACCORDING to many books on Freemasonry, the " Eosicrucians
had no connection with the Masonic fraternity. " In
the face of collective evidence to the contrary, it is very difficult
for non-Masonic people to credit the statement; it would rather
seem as if the desire of Masonic writers to draw a hard and fast
line between the two societies were confirmatory of hints dropped
in certain books concerning schisms which, during the last two
centuries, have occurred amongst the brethren or brotherhoods.
Originally one and the same, alike in aims, alike in symbolic
language, with similar traditions tracing back to similar origins,
some, at least, of the members supposed to have constituted the
Rosicrucian society actually were, we find, members of the Freemason
lodge. The only conspicuous differences which appear to
have existed three hundred years ago were: (1) That the Rosicrucians
were distinctly Christian and church people, and that
the magnificent literature brought out under their auspices was
all either religious or written with an elevating tendency, invariably
loyal, patriotic, and unselfish. (2) That the society was
unostentatious and retiring to such an extent as to gain the
name of the Invisible Brotherhood. It laboured silently and
secretly for the good of men, but not to be seen of men. It
went not to church with brass bands and banners; neither did
it assume magniloquent titles or garments and decorations
of obsolete or grotesque quaintness.
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