which I, though but a woman, can prove). The Egyp tians probably had it immediately from Abraham, as the fcripture plainly hints in the life of that patriarch; and it is allowed, I am told, by men of learning, that the occult as well as moral philofophy of all the Pagans was well befpringled and enriched from the cabaliftical school of the patriarchs, and afterwards by the Talmudifts and other inferior rabbins, though the prevailing idolatry of those days much depraved and vitiated it.

Fergus, before his defcent upon the Picts in Scotland, raised that famous ftructure, called to this day Carrick Fergus after his name, the moft myfterious piece of ar chitecture now on earth, (not excepting the pyramids of the Egyptian mafons, and their bieroglyphics, or Free Mafons figns); as any skilful Free Mafon may eafily perceive, by examining it according to the rules of the art. He built it as a lodge for his college of Free Mafons, in thofe days called Druids; which word, our guardian affures us, fignifies an oak in the Greek language, because oak is one of the best timber trees for building, of which (especially the marine architecture) the Druids were the only masters, though your modern term of mason implies no more than a worker in ftone; erroneously enough in deed, or at least far fhort of the true and ancient term of Druid; fince the marine architecture, the most useful branch of the facred art, correfponds naturally and perfectly with the word Druid, or worker in oak, and hath nothing at all to do with stones of any kind; till Jason, a famous Druid or Free Mafon, ufed the loadftone, when he went in queft of the golden fleece, as it is called in the enigmatical terms of Free Masonry, or, more properly fpeaking, of the cabala, as mafonry was called in thofe days. The ufe of the loadflone was then, and long after, kept as fecret as any of the other mysteries of the art, till, by the unanimous confent of all the great lodges, the use of it was made public, for the common benefit of mankind. Jafon's artificial frog had it fixed in his mouth; and having a free swing in an oaken bowl, half filled with water, always faced the north pole; which gave rife to the poetical fable, that Jafon's frog was a little familiar or fea-demon prefiding over the navigation, like any other angel-guardian; for Free Masons in all

Ee 3

ages,

ages, as well as now, have been looked upon to deal with fpirits or demons. And hence came that imputation which they have in many nations lain under, of being conjurers, or magicians; witness Merlin and Friar Bacon.

It is perhaps further worth remarking, that Jafon took one of the two facred vocal oaks of the grove of Dodona to make the keel of the Argos, for fo his fhip was called; mysteriously joining together architecture or mafonry, and the Druidical prielthood, or power of ex• plaining the oracles. For our guardian will have it fo, that the Pagan priesthood was always in the Druids or mafons, and that there was a perceivable glimmering of the Jewish rites in it, though much corrupted, as I said ; that the Pagan worship was chiefly in groves of oak ; that they always looked upon the oak as facred to Jupiter; which notion is countenanced (making allowance for the Paganifm) by the patriarchs; for you fee in Genefis, that Abraham facrificed under the oaks of Mamre. Joshua indeed took a great stone, and put it up under the oak, emblematically joining the two great elements of mafnry to raise an alter for the LORD.

Our guardian alfo fays, that Cæfar's defcription of the Druids of Gaul, is as exact a picture of a lodge of Free Mafons as can poffibly be drawn.

His reafons for the Manaboleth are the better worth difcovering, for that I believe there are even fome maJons who know nothing of it, viz. That it hath been an ancient practice among the cabalific philofophers, to make every Hebrew letter a hieroglyphic, myfterious in its figure above all other letters, as being thus fhaped and formed by the immediate directions of the Almighty, whereas all other LETTERS are of buman invention.

Secondly, That the Manaboleth has a very close and unconstrained analogy with masonry, or architecture; for that every letter of the Hebrew alphabet, as alfo of the Syriac, Chaldaic, and Irish alphabets, derived from it, have their names from timber-trees, except fome few who have their names from fiones; and I think it is pretty plain, that timber and fione are as much the elements of masonry, as the alphabet is of books; which is a near relation enough between architecture and learning of all kinds, and naturally fhews why the Druids, who took

their title from a tree, kept learning and architecture jointly within themselves.

Next week fhall be published the Free Mafons oath, with the remarks upon it of a young clergyman, who has petitioned to be admitted chaplain to our lodge, which is to be kept at Mrs Prater's female coffeehoufe, every Tuesday, from nine in the morning to twelve, and the tenth day of every month in the year; where all ladies of true hearts, and found morals, shall be admitted without fwearing.

I think it proper to infert the Free Mafons SONG, commonly fung at their meetings; though, by the by, it is of as little fignification as the reft of their fecrets. It was writ by one Anderfon, as our guardian informs me, just to put a good glofs on the mystery, as you may fee by the words.

Com

We brothers that are

Affembled on merry occafion

Let's drink, laugh, and fing,

Our wine has a spring;

Here's a health to an accepted MASON.

II.

The world is in pain

Our fecrets to gain,

And ftill let them wonder and gaze on;

They ne'er can divine

The word or the fign

Of a free and an accepted MASON.

III.

'Tis this, and 'tis that,

They cannot tell what,

Why fo many great men of the nation

Should aprons put on,

To make themselves one

With a free and an accepted MASON.

IV.

Great kings, dukes, and lords,

Have laid by their swords
Our myft'ry to put a good grace on,
And ne'er been afham'd

To hear themselves nam'd

With a free and an accepted MASON.

Antiquity's pride

V.

We have on our fide,

And it maketh men just in their station
There's nought but what's good
To be understood

By a free and an accepted MASON.

VI.

Then join hand in hand,

To each other firm stand;

Let's be merry and put a bright face on.
What mortal can boast

So noble a toast,

As a free and an accepted MASON?

POST SCRIPT.

Mr FAULKNER,

Our lodge unanimously defire you will give their fincere refpects to your ingenious DRAPER, to whole pen we, as well as the rest of the nation, own ourselves obliged. If he be not already a Free Mafon, he shall be welcome to be our deputy-guardian.

Your bumble fervant,

Tfrif ebt Tfugua Nilbud.

THALESTRI S.

The

333

The LAST WILL of Dr S w IF T, Dean of St Patrick's in Dublin *

IN

N the name of God, Amen. I JONATHAN SWIFT, Doctor in Divinity, and Dean of the cathedral church of St Patrick, Dublin, being at this present of found mind, although weak in body, do here make my last will and teftament, hereby revocking all my former wills.

Imprimis, I bequeath my foul to God, (in humble hopes of this mercy through Jefus Chrift), and my body to the earth. And I defire, that my body my be buried in the great ifle of the said cathedral, on the fouth fide, under the pillar next to the monument of Primate Narciffus Marfht, three days after my decease, as privately as poffible, and at twelve o'clock at night; and that a black marble of feet square, and seven

feet from the ground, fixed to the wall, may be erected, with the following infcription in large letters, deeply cut, and strongly gilded .

Swift's will, like all his other writings, is drawn up in his own peculiar manner. Even in fo ferious a compofition he cannot help indulging himself, in leaving legacies that carry with them an air of raillery and jeft. He difpofes of his three hats (his best, his second beft, and his third best beaver) with an ironical folemnity, that renders the bequests ridiculous. He bequeaths" to Mr John Grattan a "filver box," &c. [below, p. 339.]. But his legacy to Mr Robert Grattan is ftill more extraordinary. "Item, I bequeath to the "Reverend Mr Robert Grattan," &c. [below, p. 339]. These are fo many laft impreffions of his turn, and way of thinking: and I dare fay, the perfons thus diftinguished, look upon these inftances, as affectionate memorials of his friendship, and as tokens of the jocofe manner in which he had treated them during his lifetime. Orrery.

↑ See his character, above, p. 314.

His monumental infcription, written by himself, may confirm to you the obfervation which I formerly made [in vol. vi. p. 5.], that he was not an elegant writer of Latin. An harfher epitaph has feldom been compofed. It is fcarce intelligible; and if intelligible, is a proof how difficult a task it is, even for the greatest genius, to draw his own character, or to represent himself and his actions in a proper manner to pofterity. Orrery.