glory of God who had mercifully abstained
from delivering all things to destruction. And it was the order of
Free-masons who made it possible for men to "sing their souls in
stone," leaving for the admiration of after times what Goethe called
the "frozen music" of the Middle Ages--monuments of the faith and
gratitude of the race which adorn and consecrate the earth.

Little need be added to the story of Freemasonry during the
cathedral-building period; its monuments are its best history, alike
of its genius, its faith, and its symbols--as witness the triangle and
the circle which form the keystone of the ornamental tracery of every
Gothic temple. Masonry was then at the zenith of its power, in its
full splendor, the Lion of the tribe of Judah its symbol, strength,
wisdom, and beauty its ideals; its motto to be faithful to God and the
Government; its mission to lend itself to the public good and
fraternal charity. Keeper of an ancient and high tradition, it was a
refuge for the oppressed, and a teacher of art and morality to
mankind. In 1270, we find Pope Nicholas III confirming all the rights
previously granted to the Free-masons, and bestowing on them further
privileges. Indeed, all the Popes up to Benedict XII appear to have
conceded marked favors to the order, even to the length of exempting
its members from the necessity of observance of the statutes, from
municipal regulations, and from obedience to royal edicts.

What wonder, then, that the Free-masons, ere long, took _Liberty_ for
their motto, and by so doing aroused the animosity of those in
authority, as well as the Church which they had so nobly served.
Already forces were astir which ultimately issued in the Reformation,
and it is not surprising that a great secret order was suspected of
harboring men and fostering influences sympathetic with the impending
change felt to be near at hand. As men of the most diverse views,
political and religious, were in the lodges, the order began first to
be accused of refusing to obey the law, and then to be persecuted. In
England a statute was enacted against the Free-masons in 1356,
prohibiting their assemblies under severe penalties, but the law seems
never to have been rigidly enforced; though the order suffered greatly
in the civil commotions of the period. However, with the return of
peace after the long War of the Roses, Freemasonry revived for a
time, and regained much of its prestige, adding to its fame in the
r