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

sacred a destination, was so entirely exempt from all local, civil
jurisdiction," and enjoyed the sanction and protection of the Church.
Later, when the order was in disfavor with the Church, men of another
sort--scholars, mystics, and lovers of liberty--sought its degrees.
At any rate, the custom began early and continued through the years,
until Accepted Masons were in the majority. Noblemen, gentlemen, and
scholars entered the order as Speculative Masons, and held office as
such in the old Lodges, the first name recorded in actual minutes
being John Boswell, who was present as a member of the Lodge of
Edinburgh in 1600. Of the forty-nine names on the roll of the Lodge of
Aberdeen in 1670, thirty-nine were Accepted Masons not in any way
connected with the building trade. In England the earliest reference
to the initiation of a Speculative Mason, in Lodge minutes, is of the
year 1641. On the 20th of May that year, Robert Moray, "General
Quarter-master of the Armie off Scottland," as the record runs, was
initiated at Newcastle by members of the "Lodge of Edinburgh," who
were with the Scottish Army. A still more famous example was that of
Ashmole, whereof we read in the _Memoirs of the Life of that Learned
Antiquary, Elias Ashmole, Drawn up by Himself by Way of Diary_,
published in 1717, which contains two entries as follows, the first
dated in 1646:
/#[4,66]
_Octob 16.4 Hor._ 30 Minutes _post merid._ I was made a
Freemason at _Warrington_ in Lancashire, with Colonel _Henry
Wainwaring_ of _Kartichain_ in _Cheshire_; the names of those
that were there at the Lodge, Mr. _Richard Panket Warden_,
Mr. _James Collier_, Mr. _Richard Sankey_, _Henry Littler_,
_John Ellam_, _Richard Ellam_ and _Hugh Brewer_.
#/
Such is the record, italics and all; and it has been shown, by hunting
up the wills of the men present, that the members of the Warrington
Lodge in 1646 were, nearly all of them--every one in fact, so far as
is known--Accepted Masons. Thirty-five years pass before we discover
the only other Masonic entries in the _Diary_, dated March, 1682,
which read as follows:
/#[4,66]
About 5 p.m. I received a Summons to appear at a Lodge to be
held the next day, at Masons Hall, London. Accordingly I
went, and about Noone were admitted into the Fellowship of
Free Masons, Sir. William Wilson, Knight, Capt. Richard
Borthwick, Mr. Will. Woodman, Mr. Wm. Grey, M. Samuell Taylor
and Mr. William Wise.
#/
I was the Senior Fellow among them (it being 35 years since I
was admitted). There were present beside myselfe the Fellowes
afternamed: [Then follows a list of names which conveys no
information.] Wee all dyned at the halfe moone Taverne in
Cheapside at a Noble Dinner prepared at the charge of the
new-accepted Masons.
Space is given to those entries, not because they are very important,
but because Ragon and others have actually held that Ashmole made