A Dissertation upon Masonry, 1734, with Commentary and Notes

Citation:

Shawn Eyer. 2015. “A Dissertation upon Masonry, 1734, with Commentary and Notes.” Philalethes: The Journal of Masonic Research and Letters, 68, 2, Pp. 62–75.

Abstract:

Transcript of the oldest surviving private Masonic lodge instructional lecture, dated June 24, 1734, with critical notes and introduction. The text provides a clear early testimony of the conscious esotericism of Masonic practice. The notes demonstrate that the oration had at least a limited circulation in the American colonies, as it was both quoted and paraphrased by Rev. William Smith of Philadelphia in major Masonic sermons given in 1778 and 1795.