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

The Grand Lodge of London had now achieved high prestige, for in 1733
eighteen new Lodges were constituted in the London district alone, and the
powers of the Committee of Charity were extended. In 1734 Prov. Gd.. Masters
were appointed for Lancashire and Durham, Northumberland we have already
named. This would not be likely to give much satisfaction to the Grand Lodge of
All England at York, and may have contributed to its later relapse, and even in
the South, 1735-8, dissatisfaction was spreading; Freemasons were being
admitted in unchartered "St. John's Lodges," members dropped off, and Lodges
began to be erased.
On the 15th April, 1736, the Earl of Loudan had Garter and Lyon, the Kings of
Arms of England and Scotland, besides many titled persons, to attend his
Installation as Grand Master, but his appointment of officers seems to have given
dissatisfaction. In 1737 the Prince of Wales was made a Mason, at a private
Lodge held at the palace of Kew. Under the Marquis of Carnarvon the Gd.
Master in 1737 a Prov. Gd. Master was appointed for the West Riding of
Yorkshire. A Papal Bull excommunicating the members of the Society made its
appearance in 1738. In the same year Anderson issued a second {506} edition of
the "Book of Constitutions" in which the history of architecture is much extended,
but some changes were made in the wording of the Charges which were not
altogether received with favour. In the same year the "Gentlemens' Magazine"
printed a pretended description of the ceremonies, and J. Wilford, the printer of
Prichard's 7th edition,issued a 6d. pamphlet entitled, "Masonry further Dissected;
or more SECRETS Of that Mysterious "Society" Reveal'd. Faithfully Englished
from the French Original, just publish'd at Paris, by the Permission and Privilege
of M. de Harrant, Lieutenant General of Police" (pp.xvi. and 32, London, 1738).
This work of Heraut is given in "Masonry Trahi." 1745. In 1739, the Holy Roman
Inquisition ordered to be burnt a work, written in French, entitled, -- "The History
of, and Apology for the Society of Freemasons, by J.G.D.M.F.M. Printed at
Dublin by Patrick Odonoko, 1730." Oliver gives a professed translation in Volume
III. of the "Remains;" and it has been erroneously attributed to the Chevalier
Ramsay.
On the 30th June, 1739, Lord Raymond, G.M., there are complaints of irregular
makings, and the laws are ordered to be enforced; and on the 23rd July, 1740,
Earl of Kintore, G.M., there are complaints of brethren "being present and
assisting at irregular meetings." In the year 1741 the Grand Lodge prohibited the
publishing of anything concerning Freemasonry; and in the following year a mock
procession was got up by people calling themselves Scald Miserable Masons, in
imitation of that of the Grand Lodge which led to the abolition of the annual
procession of Freemasons. A plate of this ridiculous procession was published
27th April, 1742, but this must not be confounded with Hogarth's embodiment of
the Gormogon's slanders which had a third edition about the same year, and
mentioned in our last chapter. On the 24th June, 1742, three Lodges were
erased for not answering summonses to appear; and between 1743-7 there were
34 more Lodges erased, but No. 9 restored; {506} next there were five Lodges
erased, but two restored. Thus the basis was laid for the prosperous advent of a
rival. A new "Book of Constitutions," the third edition, appeared in 1746, but