ialogues and whilst the last two were
circulating privately in manuscript amongst the Freemasons, an order
from the Duke of Brunswick forbade their publication as dangerous. In
spite of this prohibition, the rest of the series was printed, however
without Lessing's permission, in 1870 with a preface by an unknown
person describing himself as a non-mason.

The dialogues between Ernst and Falk throw a curious light on the
influences at work behind Freemasonry at this period and gain immensely
in interest when the identity of the two men in question is understood.
Thus Ernst, by whom Lessing evidently represents himself, is at the
beginning not a Freemason, and, whilst sitting with Falk in a wood,
questions the high initiate on the aims of the Order. Falk explains that
Freemasonry has always existed, but not under this name. Its real
purpose has never been revealed. On the surface it appears to be a
purely philanthropic association, but in reality philanthropy forms no
part of its scheme, its object being to bring about a state of things
which will render philanthropy unnecessary. (_Was man gemeinlich gute
Thaten zu nennen pflegt entbehrlich zu machen_.) As an illustration Falk
points to an ant-heap at the foot of the tree beneath which the two men
are seated. "Why," he asks, "should not human beings exist without
government like the ants or bees?" Falk then goes on to describe his
idea of a Universal State, or rather a federation of States, in which
men will no longer be divided by national, social, or religious
prejudices, and where greater equality will exist.

At the end of the third dialogue an interval occurs during which Ernst
goes away and becomes a Freemason, but on his return expresses his
disappointment to Falk at finding many Freemasons engaged in such
futilities as alchemy or the evocation of spirits. Others again seek to
revive the * * *. Falk replies that although the great secrets of
Freemasonry cannot be revealed by any man even if he wished it, one
thing, however, has been kept dark which should now be made public, and
this is the relationship between the Freemasons and the * * *. "The
* * * were in fact the Freemasons of their time." It seems probable from
the context and from Falk's references to Sir Christopher Wren as the
founder of the modern Order, that the asterisks denote the Rosicrucians.

The most interesting point of these dialogues is, however, the hint
continually thrown out by Falk that t