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Correspondenge.
CORRESPONDENGE .
ANCIENT AND ACCEPTED RITE . TO THE EDITOR OF THE FREEMASONS MAGAZINE AND MA . SONIC MIRROR . Sir and Brother , —I regret to see the disension between Bro . Nash and Bro . Leeson as to the Rose Croix Degree , because it is quite possible that both parties may be in error . The Rose Croix Degree is a well-known piracy , and was instituted in 1747 , at Arras , in France , * before the Rite of Perfection of 25 Degrees , or its sup planter , the Rite Ancien of 33 Degrees , had existence . It was also imported to London
[ The Editor does not hold Mmself responsible for any opinions entertained ly Correspondents . ]
long before either of these were known m England for some years it w as practised only by foreigners , and recognised no supreme power , but was afterwards , as well as the Degree called K—h ( the 30 th of the Rite Ancien ) rj >\\ k under the charge of the Grand Encampment of Knights Templar . Those English Encampments which did not submit to that Grand Encampment , were , of course , held to be irregular , and the Degrees of Rose Croix and K- h , therein granted , irregular also .
I know not whether the Grand Encampment of England has now , by consent of its daughter Encampments , resigned its powers over the two Degrees alluded to , to the Ancient and Accepted Rite ; nor is it of much consequence . If it has , then the Encampment of Bristol , if otherwise regular , has the same right now to practise them , but under the sauction of the Ancient and Accepted Rite ; if no such arrangement has been made , the Encampment of Bristol has still the same privileges that were given to it by the Grand Encampment .
When the Ancient and Accepted Rite is introduced into a country , it assumes no exclusive power over any Degree already under the charge of another supreme power in that country , without consent of that power ; and therefore , although the three Degrees of St . John ' s Masonry are the three first of the service of the Rite Ancien , and the Royal Arch is its 13 th Degree , it does not , and dare not interfere with the powers of the Grand Lodge , or Supreme Chapter . In the same way it cannot interfere with the Grand Encampment .
In France the Rose Croix forms part of several Rites ( see Thory ' s "Acta Latomorum" ) , all acknowledged and authorized by the Grand Orient ; the Rite Ancien being only one of these . Persons who received the Rose Croix Degree under one Rite , are allowed to visit and become members of a Chapter under another Rite ; and what is more to the purpose , they were allowed to fraternise with the Rose Croix Masons connected with the " Supreme Council of the 33 rd Degree for France / ' a body differing from , and no way connected with the Grand Orient . Of this body the laws restrict its power to degrees above the Rose Croix ; but there are even doubts if it can claim an exclusive jurisdiction over any but the 32 nd and
33 rd Degrees ; at all events individuals in Prance belonged to the Order of Mizraim , and also to the Rite Ancicn , in both of which the Degree of K h , and G . Inq . Com ., were conferred . I myself belong to a Rose Croix Chapter in Holland , where the Ancient and
* See FreemasonsQuarterly Review for 1843 , p . 49 £
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
Correspondenge.
CORRESPONDENGE .
ANCIENT AND ACCEPTED RITE . TO THE EDITOR OF THE FREEMASONS MAGAZINE AND MA . SONIC MIRROR . Sir and Brother , —I regret to see the disension between Bro . Nash and Bro . Leeson as to the Rose Croix Degree , because it is quite possible that both parties may be in error . The Rose Croix Degree is a well-known piracy , and was instituted in 1747 , at Arras , in France , * before the Rite of Perfection of 25 Degrees , or its sup planter , the Rite Ancien of 33 Degrees , had existence . It was also imported to London
[ The Editor does not hold Mmself responsible for any opinions entertained ly Correspondents . ]
long before either of these were known m England for some years it w as practised only by foreigners , and recognised no supreme power , but was afterwards , as well as the Degree called K—h ( the 30 th of the Rite Ancien ) rj >\\ k under the charge of the Grand Encampment of Knights Templar . Those English Encampments which did not submit to that Grand Encampment , were , of course , held to be irregular , and the Degrees of Rose Croix and K- h , therein granted , irregular also .
I know not whether the Grand Encampment of England has now , by consent of its daughter Encampments , resigned its powers over the two Degrees alluded to , to the Ancient and Accepted Rite ; nor is it of much consequence . If it has , then the Encampment of Bristol , if otherwise regular , has the same right now to practise them , but under the sauction of the Ancient and Accepted Rite ; if no such arrangement has been made , the Encampment of Bristol has still the same privileges that were given to it by the Grand Encampment .
When the Ancient and Accepted Rite is introduced into a country , it assumes no exclusive power over any Degree already under the charge of another supreme power in that country , without consent of that power ; and therefore , although the three Degrees of St . John ' s Masonry are the three first of the service of the Rite Ancien , and the Royal Arch is its 13 th Degree , it does not , and dare not interfere with the powers of the Grand Lodge , or Supreme Chapter . In the same way it cannot interfere with the Grand Encampment .
In France the Rose Croix forms part of several Rites ( see Thory ' s "Acta Latomorum" ) , all acknowledged and authorized by the Grand Orient ; the Rite Ancien being only one of these . Persons who received the Rose Croix Degree under one Rite , are allowed to visit and become members of a Chapter under another Rite ; and what is more to the purpose , they were allowed to fraternise with the Rose Croix Masons connected with the " Supreme Council of the 33 rd Degree for France / ' a body differing from , and no way connected with the Grand Orient . Of this body the laws restrict its power to degrees above the Rose Croix ; but there are even doubts if it can claim an exclusive jurisdiction over any but the 32 nd and
33 rd Degrees ; at all events individuals in Prance belonged to the Order of Mizraim , and also to the Rite Ancicn , in both of which the Degree of K h , and G . Inq . Com ., were conferred . I myself belong to a Rose Croix Chapter in Holland , where the Ancient and
* See FreemasonsQuarterly Review for 1843 , p . 49 £