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Excerpt from The Freemasons' Monthly Magazine, 1846, Vol. 5 Gives no better or brighter prospect than Portugal, although Freemasonry was known there earlier; for we find in the year 1727, the M. W. Grand Master, the Duke of Inchiquin, and Lord Coleraine, arranging the meetings of deputations to found Lodges in Gibraltar and Madrid; the year 1739 saw Lord Lovell appoint Captain Jacob Commerford as P. G. M. For Andalusia. The Pope, Clement the Twelfth, at this time governed the Papal States, and in accordance with his sys tem issued a decree, in 1737, against the Order, which was further strengthened by the edict of the followin year, namely, 1738, of Cardinal Firrao, and the pun ishment therein awarded or bein found guilty of practising Freemasonry, was confiscation and death. Not to e out Heroded by former edicts, Philip the Fifth, in 1740, declared the galleys for life, or punishment of death With torture, the award for Freemasons, a very large number of whom he had arrested and sentenced, as he had previously determmed, after undergoing a lengthened con finement in the prisons of the Inquisition. In spite of these tyrannical murders and inhuman proceedings, Freemasonry spread its branches far and wide, and numerous Lodges were in existence: scarcely a town was to be found without some acknowledged Brethren being therein. At this period, one of the greatest misfortunes that could befall the Craft through treachery (and scarcely equalled for villany and disregard of all honorable feeling or sanctity of an oath, is to be met with, ) occurred; thousands bad cause to curse the name of Peter Torrubia. This individual (the Inquisitor of Spain, ) havmg first made confession and re ceived absolution, entered the Order for the express purpose of betraying it, and of handin to the executioner the members, before he knew its merits or crimes. He joins in 1751, and immediately made himself acquainted With the entire ramifications of the Crafi, and names of subscribers; being unable to accuse them, he contented himself by naming for punishment members of ninetyseven Lodges, without any whatever: it Wlll at once be seen he was accuser, vitusa, and judge. He entire number was tortured on the rack. In 1751 Ben edict the Fourteenth, who is supposed to have been a Freemason, received the Ball of Clement, without putting it in force: but Ferdinand the Sixth followed it (2nd July by declaring Freemason to be high treason, and punishable With death, instigated thereto by Torrubia. Owever much the Spaniard ht have been desirous of following the dictates of charity, religion and brother y love, it is not to be supposed he could brave the certain malediction of the Inquisitor, whose secret spies and public hatred were known to be urging the destruction of every Member of the Craft; and the examples (if not public) were too frequent to allow any one with impunity to dare their power. Thus until the troops of France, by order of Na son in 1807, tool: possession of Spain, we have no meam of tracing our Or er; but Jose Bonaparte had been Grand Master of French Freemasons, and it is not at sl surprising that under his sway many new Lodges should have been formed, and the Grand Lodge of Madrid met in the Hall previous! Occupied by their enemies of the Inquisition. In 18l1, Joseph Bona. Parte 0 sined a superior Chapter for the hi her de race, which appear to be in dispensable in French Freemasonr Unti the fal of Napoleon, and the resto ration of Ferdinand the Seventh, al went well; but with the return of that mon arch came the restitution of the Jesuits, the reorganization of the holy Inquisition. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com
