dishing a whip, and bearing, amongst other things, the name of IAN. One of these has a remarkable Greek inscription to this effect:-" Give me grace and victory, because I have pronounced thy INEFFABLE NAME.' Another has the same figure, with Fortune standing on the cock's head, and inscribed underneath, IAO; while on the reverse we find I A OABRACA S. On some we find the names of the Basilidean angels, Michael, Gabriel, Uriel, Raphael, Amanael, Prosoraiel, Yabsoe, &c.; on others Mithras, Abrasax, Sabaoth, &c. In the ancient mythology, the cock was a symbol of the sun, because he foretels its rising; and amongst the pseudo Christians who invented and used these amulets, Jesus Christ was identified with the sun, and therefore aptly represented by a man with a cock's head; and their pos sessors were reputed to be under his especial protection, as Lord of the year, depicted, as we have just seen, by ABRAXAS, and also by the word Mithras, or rather MEITHRAS, which equally, according to the Greek notation, express 365, and by the annual course of the earth round the sun. 2. In the second class we find Abraxas in the form of a lion, to symbolize the lion of the tribe of Judah; and some of them contain the word IOYAAC on the reverse, and a man with a lion's head, holding in his left hand the head of the traitor Judas, and an inscription implying, "the lion of the tribe of Judah has overcome." Many of these are inscribed with the words MITHRAS, IAO, ABRAXAS, ANUBIS, &c. On one we find Harpocrates, the god of science, seated on a tree springing from the back of a lion, with a whip in his hand, and a finger on his mouth; and another seems to indicate that the amulets of this class were intended as sanitory nostrums, for it has a Greek inscription implying, "Preserve in health the stomach of Proclus." Some of them have the head of the lion radiated, and a serpent's body, with the word XNOUBIC on the reverse. Sometimes, instead of the initial X there is substituted a +, which Salmasius interprets as one of the thirty-six deans which, according to the Gnostics, presided over the zodiac. Montfaucon, however, rejects this interpretation, and thinks the represents the first letter in the alphabet, which will make ANUBIS, an Egyptian deity, whose name very frequently occurs on these gems. 3. We come now to those that have either the inscription or figure of Serapis ; and these are fully illustrated on plate 50 of the second volume of Montfaucon's great work. On one of these Isis is represented upon the flower of the lotus, and before her is an ape, or the cercopithecus, with the inscription, “ONE JUPITER SERAPIS." On the reverse is the name ABRAXAS, and the words, "Give grace to Alexander," which shows it to have been an amulet of good luck. On another, Serapis is represented holding a figure of Victory in his hand, with an inscription in cabalistic characters. Serapis has at her feet the three headed dog Cerberus, which appears to intimate that he was sometimes identified with Pluto. Another has the head of Serapis surmounted by a calathus, with an inscription in Greek, “ Preserve me ; which proves beyond a doubt that these gems were intended as amulets of protection. 66 4. The fourth class is not confined to the figure of Anubis, although that Egyptian divinity predominates. Here we find the sacred name IAO of frequent recurrence; and in some of them Anubis holds in one hand a palm branch, in allusion to the Saviour's triumphal entry into Jerusalem; for the early Christians used to carry palm branches in pro VOL. VI. 3 D cession five days before the anniversary of the crucifixion, which they placed on the altar. In the other hand Anubis carries a crown, as a symbol of the crown of glory promised to those who endure faithfully to the end. Many gems of this class bear the scarabæus, or sacred beetle of Egypt; and they are usually perforated, for the convenience of being suspended from the neck by a ligature, as amulets of protection from danger. The beetle was an emblem of the sun. Amongst other animals, the serpent, which had a similar reference, was a favourite symbol with the Basilideans; and we accordingly find it impressed on numerous specimens of the Abraxas. We have also on another gem the serpent and cross, which perhaps Withers had in view when he wrote the often quoted passage:: A serpent raised above the letter tau, From whence a Christian moral we may draw, To force it; but myself thereto applye; For by embracing what we shall not shunne, We winde about the crosse, till we arise Above the same; and then what prise is wonne, Endless serpents enclosing mystical characters are common; and there is one with a curious inscription, importing that though the serpent roar like a lion, it is as meek as a lamb. Montfaucon has given, amongst numerous others, a specimen of a very extraordinary gem, marked 18 on plate 50, which has upon one side two serpents twisted round stakes fixed in the ground, with an altar, a cup, and two stars in the centre. The other side is full of symbols of birds, serpents, men on foot and on horseback, two human busts, one radiated, and the other with a crescent; the explanation of which that great antiquary professes himself unable to penetrate. The Gnostics venerated the serpent, which they esteemed to be Christ, and therefore the serpent and stake might be intended to represent the brazen serpent of Moses. Tertullian informs us, that they preferred the serpent to Jesus Christ, because it was endued with the knowledge of good and evil; and therefore it was that Moses selected it as his symbol of health. And this doctrine appears to be confirmed by another gem, which has on one side IAOSABAO, and on the other MOSE S. 5. The human forms displayed in this class of Abraxas, are sometimes without wings, at others they are furnished with two, like those of an angel; with four, like the cherubic figure of Ezekiel ; and in some cases with six, in imitation, doubtless, of the seraphim of Isaiah. The human figure is understood to represent the sun, as a symbol of Christ, who, by the Theosophists of the last century, was considered as the spiritual philosopher's stone; and the reverse of some of these amulets presents the word CHEROUBI, for angels and cherubim formed a part of the Basilidean system. Montfaucon, however, thinks that "these Abraxas having always relation to the sun, the wings were designed to show the swiftness of his course." Like the former, we frequently find on this class the words IAO, ADONAI, and SABAOTH. One contains an Egyptian mummy, with the Greek words for preserve me, and, on the reverse, SABAO. Several of them contain figures of the deities of Greece and Rome; as Jupiter, Apollo, Hercules, Canopus, Diana, with her bow and arrows, inscribed with the name of the angel GABRIEL, the three graces, &c. One is inscribed, "There is but ONE Jupiter Serapis." Thus uniting in a single individual the Greek and Egyptian deity. Another presents a figure of Fortune, with an inscription promising "good fortune to Xistus." Several are impressed with cabalistic characters, which none understand but the fabricators, and perhaps they themselves were ignorant of their true interpretation. The figure of Canopus, however, was doubtless a talisman of health, for it bore on the reverse the pentalpha, or endless triangle, which constituted the farfamed seal of Solomon, and was used by these fanatics for the purpose of driving away diseases, as the people of the east applied it to the prevention or cure of witchcraft. 6. The Abraxas of this class are constructed of a much larger size for the purpose of containing extended inscriptions; and few of them have any figures or symbolical representations. These inscriptions consist generally of a series of cabalistic words, intermingled with the names of the Basilidean Intelligences, and are intended as a preservative against the power of evil demons. The words IAO and SABAOTH are abundantly used, as well as those of ABRACAS, SALLAMAXA, BAMAIACHA, AGANACHBA, SAMMAZ, AZALLAB, and many others, which are the names of the above powers. Some are intended for the protection of cities. others to guard individuals from disease, to produce fecundity, and for a happy deliverance from child-bearing. Montfaucon was in possession of a cast sent from Italy, of a talisman of this class, which had on one side the head of Alexander the Great covered with a lion's skin, and on the reverse an ass suckling a colt, with the inscription D. N. I HVXPS DEI FILIVS. He also describes a crystal which was celebrated for consulting spirits. It is globular, oval, and transparent, with the names of various Basilidean powers visible within it. It is an extraordinary specimen, but the explanation is too long for introduction here. 7. We now come to the seventh and last class of these gems, which contain the names of the celestial powers or Eons of the Gnostics. They were 365 in number, each having a separate portion of the human body assigned to its protection. Many of these names are lost, but Montfaucon has preserved upwards of a hundred, most of them being barbarous, and some unpronounceable. These amulets generally contain figures of the constellations, planets, and celestial signs, and some bear all the signs of the zodiac. On an amulet with five faces there are so many inscriptions, each commencing with a different version of the Sacred Name, thus: JEOYAHO, JEOAYEO, JAEOIEO, EOVIAOE, and EIEOIOA. It appears to have been a kind of palladium or amulet for the protection of a city; as the meaning of the inscription is: "Jehovah, Holy One, Preserve the city of the Milesians and its inhabitants from all dangers." I conclude this extended dissertation with an explanation, out of the same author, of "the facultie of Abrac, or Abracadabra, which was used by the Basilideans in the cure of agues and other diseases; and the directions for its efficacious application were as follows. It was to be written several times on a piece of paper, in eleven lines, retrenching one letter in each line, until it terminated in an inverted cone. The paper was then to be folded and sealed according to art, and tied round the neck of the patient. The cure, it is said, was certain to follow. Quintus Serenus Samonicus, a Basilidean physician, left among his papers the following verses : Inscribes chartæ quod dicitur ABPACAAABPA АВРАСАДАВРА ABPACAAABP АВРАСАДАВ ABPACAAA АВРАСАЛ АВРАСА ABPAC ABPA ABP A B A Talia languentis conducunt vincula collo ; Such were the absurd superstitions which have been charged on the Freemasons of the Medieval ages; but they were consonant with universal belief, and do not apply to the Freemasons alone. And if Freemasonry in those early times did countenance these superstitious practices, it was because they constituted a moral epidemic which prevailed through every grade of society. But the entire fabric of superstition has been swept away from the system of Masonry as it is now practised. The floor of our lodges is cleansed from the pollution by a three-fold consecration, which converts it into holy ground; and we indignantly repel the insinuation that such fancies are there inculcated as branches of a cabalistical science. Some kind of superstition has always distinguished particular ages. As witness, the reputed miraculous powers of the early Ascetics, and the custom which St. Austin complains of, that some of Satan's instruments, who professed the exercise of these arts, mixed up the name of Christ with their enchantments to seduce Christians to receive the doctrine as a sweet potion, which might conceal the heresy, and make men drink it to their destruction. And also in our own country, from the royal touch of Edward the Confessor, through all the absurdities of demoniacal agency, alchymy, the cramp-rings of Wolsey and his royal patron, witchcraft, necromancy, charms, spells, &c., which were not confined to the ignorant, but were practised by kings, princes, priests, and philosophers, down to the delusions of Cagliostro, Mesmer, St. Germain, and their compeers of the last century, and the reveries of Johanna Southcote and Carlile, with the quack nostrums and galvanic rings of our own times. The bare suspicion of the fraternity being addicted to these Rosicrucian mummeries, pointed the pen of Barruel with gall when he roundly stated, "The principal objection against me is, that I have confounded Freemasonry with the ancient Rosicrucians. My answer is, that if all Masons are not Rosicrucians, all Rosicrucians are Masons; and the first three degrees are, and always have been, a novitiate for Rosicrucianism; and I should be glad to see it proved that those occult mysteries do not belong to the three first degrees. I think I can prove that they do." This reasoning is entirely fallacious. Barruel asserts that he is able to identify these follies with the three first degrees of Masonry. Why has he not done so, when the proof would have been so important a confir mation of his argument? The reason is clear,—he was unable to do it. For it is well known to all the fraternity, and to our opponents also, if they possessed sufficient candour to acknowledge it, that Freemasonry has been completely purged from all such charlatanarie, if ever it formed a part of the system, which is extremely doubtful, and is presented to the public as a pure and rational institution, which unites science and morals with benevolence and charity, and recommends the practice of virtue to promote human happiness in this world, in the hope, if properly regulated, it will lead, in the next, to a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. THE FREEMASONS' LEXICON. [Translated expressly for the "Freemasons' Quarterly Review."] (Continued from page 259) Tapis Teppich. Floor-cloth representation of Solomon's Temple, &c. -In former times, it was not customary to use a floor-cloth, but the necessary figures were drawn upon the floor with chalk or charcoal, which, when done with, were washed off. This custom was in use here and there till about 1760. Many lodges now use solid bodies for their floor-cloths, and not paintings. Every good Mason knows what they represent, and what a floor-cloth is. The border by which it is surrounded is an important symbol. Tempel.-The halls in which our lodges are held are called temples. By this word we also understand an inward and spiritual temple. Solomon's temple is a very different thing from the temples in which our lodges are held. Tempelherren. Knights Templar.-In the year 1115, several Knights of St. John united themselves with the French nobility who were in Jerusalem, to protect the pilgrims on their pilgrimages. Shortly after this union, the society built themselves a dwelling near Solomon's Temple, from which they derived the name of Knights of the Temple, or Temple Knights. Pope Jerome II. afterwards formed this society into an especial order of knighthood, the members of which wore a white mantle with a red cross. During the campaigns which the Knights Templar made through the Holy Land to protect the pilgrims, they became acquainted with the manners, customs, arts, and sciences of the inhabitants. Greece and Egypt were at that time still the chief abodes of the arts and sciences, and many of the knights sought instruction in them. The higher sciences, especially the so-called liberal arts and sciences-the sure knowledge of the universe, a more definite idea of the being and attributes of the Godhead-were possessed by very |