fluence he would inevitably be dissipated and lost in the abyss."1 This idea of Wisdom as a House and a Wall elucidates the otherwise absurd assertion of the Shulamite, "I am a wall." It is also likely that the preceding passage, "The beams of our house are cedar, and our rafters are fir,' reference to this House of Wisdom, which is no doubt fundamentally identical with the Temple of Solomon. "8 has The Latin Church teaches that "Mary is the mother of Grace" and the Star who guides and conducts us to the harbour of Salvation. One of the titles of Cinderella is ANNEMOR=Anna-mother-Anna-darling, and the name ANNE means Grace of God." The Latin Church has also assigned to the Virgin Mary the title "Health of the Sick." By the sick, mystics have always understood ignorance and moral or mental sickness. "Turn again to the most high," says the writer of Ecclesiastes, "and turn away from iniquity, for he will lead thee out of darkness into the light of health."" The five-pointed star described in the emblem herewith. as the "Symbol of Health" is the Pentagon or famous Seal with which King Solomon is fabled to have worked his amazing marvels. It was with this potent talisman that he warded off all dangers and controlled the evil genii. Dr MACKEY states that among the followers of PYTHAGORASand PYTHAGORAS derived his philosophic ideas from EGYPT -the triple triangle represented Light and was an emblem of Health. It is therefore probable that the letter S on fig. 601 stands for SANITAS and the letters S H on fig. 600 for SANITAS HOMINORUM. 1 The Perfect Way, p. 273. 3 Ibid., i. 17. 2 Song of Solomon viii. 10. Similarly ANNABEL and HANNIBAL mean the Grace of BAL, BEL, or BAAL. 7A Lexicon of Freemasonry, p. 104. 6 xviii. 2. The characters appearing in the angles of fig. 596 are unknown to me, but they appear to be Runic. Runes were the ancient alphabet of the Heathen Northmen, the old Norse word run originally meaning something secret or magical. The Runic alphabet was entirely angular, the characters being constructed from the forms taken by little sticks used for divining purposes. In The Song of Solomon the Bride says to her Bridegroom, "Set me as a seal upon thy heart, as a seal upon thine arm."1 Among the Gnostics the seal of Solomon was assigned to the Virgin SOPHIA, and was regarded as the mark of, and passport to, the Kingdom of Light. At death it was believed that the soul would be brought to judgment before the Virgin and, provided the mark of her Seal were found upon it, would be admitted forthwith into the Treasury of Light.2 "Ignorance," says SHAKESPEARE, "is the curse of God; knowledge the wing whereby we fly to Heaven." The same idea was voiced by SADI, the Persian poet, who, in his Scroll of Wisdom, maintains that "without learning we cannot know God." "Go, seize fast hold of the skirt of knowledge, For learning will convey thee to everlasting abodes. For it is neglectful to remain without wisdom. The Gnostics believed that SOPHIA typified that aspirational element in the soul which is constantly aspiring to 1 viii. 6. 2 The Gnostics, King, pp. 352-356. 3 Henry VI., iv. 7. a higher world.1 "This mystery," says an ancient commentator, "is the Gate of Heaven, and this is the House of God where the Good God dwells alone; into which House no impure man shall come-but it is kept under watch for the Spiritual alone; where, when they come, they must cast away their garments and all become Bridegrooms, obtaining their true manhood through the Virginal Spirit." Here perhaps we have a clue to the meaning of the passage in the Song of Solomon, "I have put off my coat . . . I have washed my feet."3 The Church of Rome teaches that the Virgin Mary is the "Gate of Heaven"-a prerogative which, as we have seen, was claimed by the Virgin's various prototypes (ante, p. 177). "To open the lock of Heaven," maintains ISHTAR, "belongs to my supremacy." In the Breviary the Virgin Mary is addressed : "Hail, Star of the Sea! O Lady most glorious, Exalted above the heavens, Thou art become the window of heaven; 'Tis thou that art the gate of the King on high, And of bright light the portal art thou." Fig. 602 consists of a large key surmounting what is now known as a Catherine Wheel. In fig. 603 this wheel is lettered with an inscription which Mons. Briquet believes to have originally read STELLA MARIS. Figs. 604 and 607 are surmounted with an M; fig. 605 with the Pearl, and fig. 608 with M R= Maria Redemptrix ? The term "Catherine Wheel"1arose, according to popular estimation, from the Legend of ST CATHERINE, a Christian virgin of Alexandria, who publicly confessed the Gospel (A.D. 307) and was doomed to death on toothed wheels. No less than fifty pagan philosophers, sent by the Emperor to pervert her while she was in prison, were themselves converted to Christianity by her winning and irresistible eloquence : hence she was regarded as the patroness of philosophers and learned schools. Having rejected all offers of earthly marriage, she was taken in a vision to Heaven and became the spouse of CHRIST, who plighted his troth to her with a ring.2 It is clear that this story is a Christianised version of some far more ancient legend. Catherine (from the Greek 1 It would be interesting to trace Catherine Wheel acquired its name. common with the Christian legend. 2 Chambers's Encyclopædia, iii. 9. how the blazing firework called a Sparks and fire have nothing in |