disorders, which being joined to gluttonness, is the daughter of
hypocrisy, and employs every matter to satisfy carnal desires, and
raises to these predominant passions, altars, upon which she
maintains, without ceasing, the light of iniquity, and sacrifices
continually offerings to luxury, voluptuousness, hatred, envy, and
perjury. Behold, my dear brother, what you must fight against and
destroy before you can come to the knowledge of the true good and
sovereign happiness! Behold this monster which you must conquer--a
serpent which we detest as an idol, that is adored by the idiot and
vulgar under the name of religion.

SOLOMON, KING HIRAM, AND ST. JOHN THE BAPTIST.--In the degrees of
Elected of Fifteen, Illustrious Knights, Grand Master Architects, and
Knights of the Ninth Arch, you have seen many things which are only a
repetition of what you have already examined. You will always find in
those degrees initial letters enclosed in different triangles, or
Deltas. You have also seen the planet Mercury, the chamber called
"Gabaon," or the "Third Heaven;" the "winding staircase," the "Ark of
Alliance," the "tomb of Hiram Abiff," facing the ark and the urn--the
precious treasure found by the assiduous travels--the three zealous
brethren Masons--the punishment of the haughty Master Mason, in being
buried under the ancient ruins of Enoch's temple--and finally, you
have seen the figures of Solomon, and Hiram, King of Tyre, and St.
John the Baptist.

3. I. I. I.--By the 3. I. I. I. you know the three sacred names of the
Eternal and "Mount Gabaon" (Third Heaven) which you came to by seven
degrees that compose the winding staircase.

The seven stars represent the seven principal and different degrees to
which you must come to attain the height of glory represented by the
mount, where they formerly sacrificed to the Most High! When you
arrive to that, you are to subdue your passions, in not doing anything
that is not prescribed in our laws.

By the planet Mercury, you are taught continually to mistrust, shun,
and run away from those who, by a false practice, maintain commerce
with people of a vicious life, who seem to despise the most sacred
mysteries--that is, to depart from those who by the vulgar fear, or a
bad understanding, are ready to deny the solemn obligations that they
have contracted among us.--When you come to the foot of our arch you
are to apprehend that you come to the "Sanctum Sanctorum." You are not
to retu