THE ARCANE SCHOOLS - Fort Myers Beach Masonic Lodge No. 362

the circle which form the keystone of the ornamental tracery of every
Gothic temple. Masonry was then at the zenith of its power, in its
full splendor, the Lion of the tribe of Judah its symbol, strength,
wisdom, and beauty its ideals; its motto to be faithful to God and the
Government; its mission to lend itself to the public good and
fraternal charity. Keeper of an ancient and high tradition, it was a
refuge for the oppressed, and a teacher of art and morality to
mankind. In 1270, we find Pope Nicholas III confirming all the rights
previously granted to the Free-masons, and bestowing on them further
privileges. Indeed, all the Popes up to Benedict XII appear to have
conceded marked favors to the order, even to the length of exempting
its members from the necessity of observance of the statutes, from
municipal regulations, and from obedience to royal edicts.
What wonder, then, that the Free-masons, ere long, took _Liberty_ for
their motto, and by so doing aroused the animosity of those in
authority, as well as the Church which they had so nobly served.
Already forces were astir which ultimately issued in the Reformation,
and it is not surprising that a great secret order was suspected of
harboring men and fostering influences sympathetic with the impending
change felt to be near at hand. As men of the most diverse views,
political and religious, were in the lodges, the order began first to
be accused of refusing to obey the law, and then to be persecuted. In
England a statute was enacted against the Free-masons in 1356,
prohibiting their assemblies under severe penalties, but the law seems
never to have been rigidly enforced; though the order suffered greatly
in the civil commotions of the period. However, with the return of
peace after the long War of the Roses, Freemasonry revived for a
time, and regained much of its prestige, adding to its fame in the
rebuilding of London after the fire, and in particular of St. Paul's
Cathedral.[82]
When cathedral-building ceased, and the demand for highly skilled
architects decreased, the order fell into decline, but never at any
time lost its identity, its organization, and its ancient emblems. The
Masons' Company of London, though its extant records date only from
1620, is considered by its historian, Conder, to have been established
in 1220, if not earlier, at which time there was great activity in
building, owing to the building of London Bridge, begun in 1176, and
of Westminster Abbey in 1221; thus reaching back into the cathedral
period. At one time the Free-masons seem to have been stronger in
Scotland than in England, or at all events to have left behind more
records--for the minutes of the Lodge of Edinburgh go back to 1599,
and the _Schaw Statutes_ to an earlier date. Nevertheless, as the art
of architecture declined Masonry declined with it, not a few of its
members identifying themselves with the Guilds of ordinary
"rough-masons," whom they formerly held in contempt; while others,
losing sight of high aims, turned its lodges into social clubs.
Always, however, despite defection and decline, there were those, as
we shall see, who were faithful to the ideals of the order, devoting
themselves more and more to its moral and spiritual teaching until
what has come to be known as "the revival of 1717."
FOOTNOTES:
[65] _The Cathedral Builders_, chap. i.