Francis Bacon and his secret society - Grand Lodge of Colorado

AND HIS SECRET SOCIETY. 291
that this knight teas a celebrated architect and a real encourager
of able workmen; it cannot, therefore, be supposed that Freemasonry
would be neglected under so eminent a patron."
This remarkable and authentic history further enlightens us as
to St. Alban's munificence and liberality in paying his servants.
" Whereas before that time, in all the land, a Mason had but a
penny a day and his meat, St. Alban mended it, " for " he gave them
two shillings a day, and threepence to their cheer. ... Healsogot
tbem a charter from the King." An 1 additional note adds that
" a MS. written in the time of James II. contains an account of
this circumstance, and increases the iveekly pay to 3s. 6d. and 3d.
a, day for the bearers of burdens. " These payments were liberal
for the seventeenth century. For the days of St. Alban, martyred
A. D. 303, the allowance strikes us as remarkable for
labouring masons and hod-men. Perhaps we may find three
shillings and sixpence per week was the pay for scribes, amanuenses,
etc., and threepence a day for messengers.
The editor of the Royal Masonic Cyclopcedia is so considerate
as to grant his readers the full use of their faculties in this
investigation. To be sure, he complicates it as much as possible
by cross-references, but it seems to be the rule rather than the
exception to hinder students from attaining any information of
value without the exercise of some perseverance and considerable
loss of time. Thus, we wish to ascertain the origin of Freemasonry.
Finding nothing to the point under " Freemason,
we try " Origin of Freemasonry, " and are more happy. This
article summarizes the theories promulgated on the subject:
" 1. Masonry derived from the patriarchs. 2. From the mysteries
of the pagans. 3. From the construction of Solomon's
Temple. 4. From the Crusades. 5. From the Knights Templars.
C. From the Roman Collegia of Artificers. 7. From the operative
masons of the middle ages. 8. From the Rosier ucians of
the sixteenth century. 2 9. From Oliver Cromwell. 10. From
Prince Charles Stuart, for political purposes. 11. From Sir
1 Why has the Emperor become suddenly onlj- the King 1
1 Observe that the Rosicrucians are here traced by the Freemasons no farther
back than Bacon's time.