Francis Bacon and his secret society - Grand Lodge of Colorado

306 FRANCIS BACON
touched upon this subject, unaccompanied, hoivevcr, by any attempt
to account for or explain them. "
Here we are reminded of the dictum of the Freemason Cyclopaedia:
" A very minute difference may make the emblem or
symbol differ widely in its meaning, " and of Bacon's similar
hint as to the necessity for noting small distinctions in order to
comprehend great things :
" Qui in parvis non distinguit, in magnis labitur."
This he connects with the following note
"Everything is subtile till it be conceived." 1
It is reasonable to attempt this explanation of the " little
variations " that the symbol, whatever it maybe — a bull's head,
unicorn, fleur-de-lis, vine, or what not — illustrates some single,
fundamental doctrine or idea. But the " little variations " may,
as Jansen and Mr. Sotheby agree, afford pretty accurate information
as to the country where, and the period when, the book
was written or " produced. " They may even indicate the papermaker
or the printer, or that the persons connected with the
writing of the book were members of a certain secret society.
" The marks that are found on the paper used for the printing
of the block-books assigned to the Netherlands are, " continues
Mr. Sotheby, " for the most part confined to the unicorn, the
anchor, the bull's head, the letter P, the letter Y, 2 and, as we
shall endeavour to show, the arms of the dynasties of the Duke
of Burgundy, and their alliances ; initials of particular persons,
and arms of the popes and bishops. It must not, however, for
1 Promus, 186, 187.
2 In Principia Typographica (vol. iii., Paper-marls), we read that plain P
stood for the initial of Philip, Uuke of Burgundy, surmounted in some cases by
the single fleur-de-lis, arms proper of Burgundy, and that in certain copies Y is
added for Isabella — thus, as the author considers, proving the date. Students
will, we think, find cause for doubting this explanation of the P and Y so frequent
in very old books, and so long used. In Hebrew the sacred name of God
is associated with the letter P — P/ioded, or Redeemer. As is well known, this
same form, with a cross drawn through the stem, was the sign adopted by the
first Christian emperor of Rome, Constantino the Gieat. The Roman church
still uses this symbol, so frequently seen stamped upon our books of Common
Prayer. The Yis of far greater antiquity as a symbol, and was held by Pythagoras
to signify the different paths of virtue and vice. Hence, says the Royal
Masonic Cyclopcedia, it was termed "Litem Pythagorce. n