PREFACE TO THE DICTIONARY.

Ir will be unnecessary to detain the reader for a single moment, by expatiating on the value of a work like the present. Its utility cannot fail to be universally admitted, and the only wonder is, that amidst the endless variety of dictionaries, lexicons, encyclopedias, and glossaries, with which the present age abounds, Symbolical Masonry, as practiced in this country, should have remained so long without an appropriate book of reference, constructed in the comprehensive and accessible form of a Dictionary.

An idea of the absolute benefit arising from such a publication, appears to have been entertained on the Continent nearly a century ago, when M. FLEURY published his "Dictionnaire de l'Ordre de la Felicité," for the use of the Androgyne Lodges, as they were then denominated, or Lodges which admitted, indiscriminately, candidates and members of either sex.

A few years later, PERNETTI published a "Dictionnaire Mytho-Hermetique;" and there the matter rested for the remainder of the century. It is highly probable that the speculation was not remunerative, or it would doubtless have been followed up by similar publications on other branches of the science.

In 1805 the attempt was renewed by CHOMEL, who gave to the world an imperfect "Vocabulaire des Francs-Maçons," which was translated into Italian, by VIGNOZZI. This was succeeded by a more compendious work, edited under the superintendence of M. QUANTIN, which he called a "Dictionnaire Maçonnique, ou Recueil des Equisses des toutes les parties de l'Edifice connû sous le nom de Maçonnerie, etc.;" and in Germany, about the same period, Bro. G. Lenning

published his "Encyclopadie der Freimaurerei." We find also the germ of a dictionary in the "Nomenclature par Ordre Alphabétique, des Principaux Rites, Coteries, Sociétiés, Secrets et Grades Maçonniques, répandu en France ou dans l'Etranger," by THORY in the first volume of the "Acta Latomorum.”

The two most perfect productions of this class are the "Freimaurer Lexicon," of GADICKE, and the "Lexicon of Freemasonry," by Dr. ALBERT G. MACKEY, Grand Secretary of the Grand Lodge of South Carolina, U. S. But although these publications are exceedingly well executed, yet their peculiar characteristics serve to render them only partially interesting to the English Fraternity. They dwell too largely on consistorial, capitular, ineffable, and spurious Freemasonry, to be adapted to the taste of an Ancient Craft Mason; and it is, therefore, believed that a vocabulary of terms, peculiar to Symbolical Masonry, and arranged in alphabetical order, for the convenience of expeditious reference, will prove an acceptable boon to the British Freemason.

It will be apparent at a single glance, that the plan I have adopted, is to give the best definitions from the best writers, with the name of the author attached to each article. This method has been preferred, as it was thought questionable whether the Fraternity would have considered the explanations of an individual brother to possess that undoubted authority, with which every book of reference ought to be invested.

On an attentive perusal of the work the reader will find that the definitions have been studiously contracted into as brief a space as possible consistently with perspicuity, in order to increase the number of words, and make the book more generally useful

My closing advice shall be he who is ambitious of becoming a good Mason must work, as our ancient brethren worked, with FREEDOM, FERVENCY, and ZEAL.

GEO. OLIVER.

A DICTIONARY

OF

SYMBOLICAL MASONRY.

AARON'S ROD. This symbol was introduced into Royal Arch Masonry because it constituted one of the three holy things which were preserved in the Most Holy place of the Tabernacle. It refers to the rebellion of Korah and his accomplices. Moses directed that twelve rods should be brought in, one for each tribe. The princes brought them in, some of them perhaps fondly expecting that the choice would fall upon them, and all of them thinking it honor enough to be competitors with Aaron, and to stand candidates even for the priesthood; and Moses laid them up before the Lord. On the next day the rods, or staves, were brought out of the Most Holy place, where they were laid up, and publicly produced before the people; and while all the rest of the rods remained as they were, Aaron's rod only, of a dry stick, became a living branch-budded, and blossomed, and yielded fruit. In some places there were buds, in others blossoms, in others fruit, at the same time; this was miraculous, and took away all suspicion of a fraud, as if in the night Moses had taken away Aaron's rod, and put a living branch of an almond tree in the room of it; for no ordinary branch would have had buds, blossoms, and fruits upon it all at once.

ABRAXAS. This word occurs in a Masonic manuscript of the fifteenth century. Abraxas is a Basilidean Intelligence, derived from the name of Abraham, and given to Mithras or the Sun, as the representative of the Supreme

Deity, or, in other words, the Sun of Righteousness. Basilides was a Pythagorean of Alexandria. The word, being composed of seven letters, referred equally to the seven heavens and the same number of subordinate intelligences, as their governors; for the Basilideans considered the seven planets to constitute the entire universe, and consequently to be God.

ACACIA. There is some difficulty attending the explanation of the sprig of cassia, and in assigning the true reason why it was introduced into the system of Freemasonry. Some say it originated in the Jewish custom of planting a branch of acacia vera (gum arabic plant) on the grave of a departed relative; others in the custom of mourners bearing a branch of it in their hands at funerals. The cassia is not indigenous to the soil of Palestine, and is only mentioned in Scripture as a fragrant herb or spice, the bark being used in ungents, and sometimes employed for embalming; and, therefore, if the legend refer to the branch of a real tree, it could be neither the cassia nor acacia; and this has given rise to an opinion that the branch or sprig is analogous to that alluded to by Virgil, in his description of the mysteries; and consequently was the olive. Others again doubt whether our acacia has any reference to a tree or shrub at all, but means the texture and color of the Masonic apron which those brethren wore which were deputed by Solomon to search for —, and simply refers to their innocence. If this conjecture be correct, they add, it corroborates the accuracy of the legend which says "they took a sprig of cassia in their hands (with them)." I am rather inclined to think that the choice of cassia, which is a kind of laurel, was founded on some mysterious reference which it was supposed to possess, either mythological or symbolical. There are, however, great difficulties to be surmounted before the truth can be ascertained.

ACACIAN. Masons, describing the deplorable estate of religion under the Jewish law, speak in figures. "Her tomb was in the rubbish and filth cast forth of the temple, and acacia wove its branches over her monument;" akakia being the Greek word for innocence; implying that the sins and corruptions of the old law and devotees of the Jewish altar had hidden religion from those who sought her, and she was only to be found where innocence survived, and under