Freemasonry, Women, and the Paradox of the Enlightenment

REFERENCES

• M. Paillard, cd. The English and French Masonic Constitutions, (London, 1940), pp. 38, 56. For the attitude of present-day British Freemasons, who even condemn the American ladies auxiliary. The Order of the Eastern Star, see A.S. Frere, Grand Lodge, 1717–1967, (Oxford, printed for the Grand Lodge, 1967), p. 164. On illiteracy see Edward Oakley, A Speech Deliver'd to the Worshipful Society of Free and Accepted Masons, at A Lodge, held at Carpenters' Arms in Silver Street, Golden Square, the 31 si December, 1728, found mosl easily in Cole's Constitutions, William I. Hughan, ed., (Leeds, 1897) p. 29, urging the lodge to take care not to admit the irreligious, the lewd, or “persons illiterate or of mean capacities.” And see a tract that speaks for the Grand Lodge, Anon., A Defense of Freemasonry, As practiced in the Regular Lodges both foreign and domestic. Under the Constitution of Ike English Grand Master … London, 1765, p. 36, against the egalitarian Masonic reformers of the 1760's.
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• J. P. Clarke, “The Royal Society and Early Grand Lodge Freemasonry,” Ars Qua-tuor Coronatorum, 80, 1967, pp. 110–19.
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• See my The Radical Enlightenment: Pantheists, Freemasons and Republicans, (London and Boston, 1981), chapter five, for Prosper Marchand, et al., and p. 259 for Yvon.
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• For misogyny see M. Paillard, ed. The English and French Masonic Consirutions, pp. 38, 56, “no woman, no eunuch;” for progressive views see The Perjur'd Free Mason Detected (London, 1723) and The Generous Free-Mason (London, 1731); for ambivalence see D. Knoop, G. P. Jones, D. Hamer, eds, The Early Masonic Catechisms, (Manchester, 1963), pp. 226–39. And in favor of women being made Freemasons, Thomas Davenport, Love to God and Man inseparable, before Free and Accepted Masons … 27 December 1764 … Birmingham, printed for the author by J. Sketchley, 1765, p. 240, in G. Oliver, ed. The Golden Remains of the Early Masonic Writers, (London, 1847).
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• The Library of the Grand Lodge of The Netherlands, 22 Fluwclen Burgwal, The Hague, folder marked Livre de Constitution containing approximately sixty folio pages (some blank) and made available by the kindness of the librarian, B. C. van Uchelen. And see his very useful “De Vrijmetselarij en de Vrouw,” Thoth, 26, 1975, pp. 145–58.
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• For The Hague as a town and its development see Enige Grondslagen voor de Stedehouwkundige ontwikkeling vans s'Gravenhage. Uitgave van net Gemectcbestuur van s'Gravenhage, 1948, p. 325, gives population development, ie, 1622, 17,430 souls; 1730, 33–34,000; 1755 to 1773, ± 41,500. On the Masonic membership of Willem IV see E. A. Boerenbeker, “The Relations between Dutch and English Freemasonry from 1734 to 1771” in Ars Quatuor Coronatorum, 83, 1970, pp. 149–192; on Amsterdam in 1748 and the Freemasons see Antonio Porta, Joan en Gerrit Carver. De politieke macht van Amsterdam (1702–1748), (Assen, 1979), pp. 207–11, 232–265. On the earliest lodge established in The Netherlands see Hugo de Schampheleire, “line Loge magonnique ä Rotterdam, fondie avant 1721–22”, Lias, viii, 1981, pp. 79–85.
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• For mysticism and Masonic symbolism see Ronald D. Gray, Goethe, The Alchemist, (Cambridge, 1952); and for a wealth of such literature see the catalogue of the library of the Grand Lodge of The Netherlands, George Kloss, Beschrijving der Verzamelingen van he! Groot-Oosten der Nedertanden, (The Hague, 1888). A portion of this library will soon appear on microfiche published by a firm called Interdocumentation, Leiden.
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• On the French phenomenon, see Elaine Brau It, La franc-magonnerie el I' emancipation des femmes, (Paris, 1953) [not very good]; G.H. Luquct, La franc-magonnerie el V etat au XVI/r siecle, (Paris, 1964), pp. 58–65, 205–07, 227; Louis Guillemain de Saint-Victor, Recueilprecieux de la Magonnerie Adonhiramiie, (Philadelphie [Paris], 1787), pp. 132–41, gives songs used in lodges of adoption, and vol. Ill which bears the title, La vraie magonnerie a” adoption. That volume also appears under the title Amusemens dune social innombrable dans laquell on campte des heros, des philosophes published in 1779. This may be the same as La Vraie magonnerie d'adoption; precedee de quelques Reflexions sur les Loges irregitlieres & sur la Societa civile de dice aux dames. Par un Chevalier de tous les Ordres Maconniques. Philadelphie, chez Philarethe, 1783, which contains a philosophical justification for women's participation, as well as songs sung in the lodges of adoption. Perhaps the earliest tracts describing the French lodges of adoption are [Anon.], L'Adoption ou la Magonnerie des Femmes en Trois Grades, “A La Fidilite“, n.p., chez Ie Silence, 1775. [Colophon: “Ce Livre se trouve a la Haye, chez P. Gosse & Pinet, & ä Geneve, chez I. Bardin.”]; and La Magonnerie des Femmes, Londres, 1774. Cf. Albert Lantoine, Hiswire de la franc-magonnerie frangaise, (Paris, 1925), pp. 375–79; Eugen Lennhoff and Oskar Posner, internationales Freimaurerlexikon, (Vienna, 1932), pp. 42, 17–18,289. In D. Knoop, G. P. Jones, D. Hamer, eds. The Early Masonic Caiechisms, (Manchester, 1963) there is a reprint of a 1724 pamphlet, A Letter from the Grand Mistress, published by John Harding. It is almost cerainly spurious in relation to women's role but it raises some interesting questions which will be discussed in the course of this paper. An easily accessible discussion of the French lodges can be found in Daniel Ligou, ed. Dicüonnaire universal de la francmaconnerie, (Paris, 1974), p. 15. See also G. Jogand-Pages [Leo Taxil], Les Soeurs magonnes, (Paris, 1886), pp. 12–18. And for a defense of these Dutch lodges of adoption when under attack during the Napoleonic occupation, see Tweede Memoire van Defensie van de A.', O,', L'Union Royaie … werkende ander het C.'. O. van Holland.
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• The Free-Masons: an Hudibrasiick Poem, (London, 1723), p. 20; and on riots in The Hague against the Free-Masons linking them with suspected homosexuality see Daily Adveriiser, December, 1735. See also Europische Mercurius, 1730, 1, pp. 283–304, II, 289–304. On Masonic egalitarianism in general see J. M. Roberts, “Liberte, egalile, fra-ternite: sources and development of a slogan,” Tijdschrift voor de Studie van de verlichting, 4, 1976, pp. 329–370, and in the same volume, which is devoted to Freemasonry, see Hugo de Schampheleire, “L'Egalitarisme maconnique et la hierarchic sociale dans les pays-bas autrichiens,” pp. 433–504. Sec also the use of the Masonic symbolism for egalile during the French Revolution, E. H. Gombrich, “The Dream of Reason: Symbolism in the French Revolution”, The British Journal for Eighteenth-Century Studies, vol. 2, no. 3, 1979, p. 202
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• On elite mentality in general see Harry Payne, “Elite versus Popular Mentality in the Eighteenth Century”, in Roseann Runte, ed., Studies in Eighieemh-Cemury Culture, vol. 8, 1979, pp. 3–32, and his earlier The Philosophes and The People (New Haven, 1976). Cf. Maurice Aguilhon, Penitents et Francs-Magons de l'ancienne Provence: Essai sur la socia-bilite miridionale (Paris, 1968).
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• The Radical Enlightenment, chapter five.
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• See Harry Carr, Lodge Mother Kilwinning, No. O. A. Study of the Earliest Minute Books, (London, published by the Quatuor Coronati Lodge, 1961), and for medieval masons see D. Knoop, The Medieval Mason, (Manchester, 1967).
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• The Radical Enlightenment, p. 215 and passim.
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• Nico J. J. de Voogd, Die Doolistenbeweging te Amsterdam in 1748, De Vroede, Utrecht, 1914, passim. In general for the Revolution see P. Geyl, “Holland-and England during the War of the Austrian Succession”, History, 10, 1925, pp. 47–51. And Rousset de Missy can now be identified as the editor of the 1755 Amsterdam edition of the French translation of Locke's Two Treatises complete with new notes. See Du gouvernement civil, par Mr. Locke. Traduil de I'anglais. Cinquieme Edition … augmentee de quelques Notes. Par L.C.S.Ö.Ai.A.D.P. (my italics for Aousset de Missy), (Amsterdam, 1755), an example on p. 10 n, “Cetle restriction est encore näcesaire; et on doit y faire bien attention, en se souvenant que e'est ceque dictent les loix dc la Nature, dans I'Elat de Nature”. The most extensive treatment of Rousset occurs in J. Sgard, ed., Dicüonnaire des Journalistes, (1976), listed alphabetically, and Dr. W. Kat, Een Crootmeestersverkiezing in 1756 uit het archiefvan de A.L. “La Bien ? ? p? ? e”, Eigen uitgave van de Loge, The Hague, 1974, prints Rousset's letters to the lodge.
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• For the Bentincks, see The Radical Enlightenment, pp. 198–201, 235–38, 261. On another, darker side of Bentinck's relations with women see Joanne Bocijcn, et a! ., “Notre Misere est G£n£rale. Gedachten van Charlotte-Sophie Bentinck over de positie van dc vrouw”, Documentaiieblad Werkgroep 18' Eeuw, no. 44, 1979. The tragically unhappy portrait of their marriage given by Charlotte-Sophie Bentinck highlights the point about fantasy and reality.
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• The Grand Lodge of the Netherlands, “Annales de Dagran” and “Kronick Annales.”
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• Gemeente Archief, The Hague, records of births and marriages, Nr. 1773 and 1774.
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• See J. Fransen, Les comddiens frangais en Hollande au XVII' et au XVIII' Stieles, (Paris, 1925; reprint ed. Geneva, 1978), p. 327 n makes mention of an all-male lodge of actors in 1761 but not of this earlier lodge of adoption. Yet this book is invaluable as a guide to identifying these women. The records for the men's lodge, LEgaliti de Frires, are also in the Grand Lodge's library. The lodge appears to have begun in 1763, not 1761. The only short discussion of our lodge of adoption in print, other than the brief mention given in the article cited in note 5, appears in Robert Strathem Lindsay, The Royal Order of Scotland, Edinburgh, published by the Grand Lodge of the Royal Order of Scotland, 1971, pp. 39, 61–65. See also lames Fordyce, The Temple of Virtue, A Dream, London, 1759, a Utopian fantasy obviously based on Scottish Freemasonry, where women are given significant roles within the temple of virtue (pp. 59–64) and their virtue is defined as both domestic and republican.
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• Ibid., pp. 330, 304, 309.
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• Ibid., p. 316.
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• Fransen, p. 210–11; 232–6, 251.
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• On Scottish freemasonry as simply a more elaborate form of Masonic philosophizing sec J. M. Roberts, The Mythology of the Secret Societies, (London, 1972), pp. 94–100, and C.H. Chevalier, “Macons ecossais au XVnT siecle” in Annaies historiques de la revolution frangaise, v. 41, 1969, pp. 393–408. Cf. Paul Naudon, Hisloire et riluels des hauts grades magonniques. Le Rite ecossais ancien el accepte, (Paris, 1966), pp. 61–62. By 1761 there were at least twenty-five grades within French Freemasonry of which the 19th grade was that of grand architect.
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• Mr. L'abbi Coyer, Dicouverte de I'isle frivole, La Haye, 1751, pp. 8, 11, 15, 19.
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• Dicouverte, p. 38: “Chez les Frivolitfis comme en Europe on park beaucoup du merite. II faut des hazards singuliers pour en tirer parti: mais e'est un point bien d£cid6 qu'il est plus avantageux d'etre goute” “II n'en est pas de l'honneur comme du p? ? ? ? e.” On Coyer see L. Adams, “Coyer and the Enlightenment”, Studies on Voltaire and the Eighteenth Century, v. 123, 1974. It is possible that Coyer had also heard of Vordre de la Felkile, a non-Masonic organization that began in France in 1742. But Mitchell had no known association with it. Coyer was in the United Provinces in 1747 during the War of Austrian Succession (Adams, p. 24) and the tone of his tract is chatty and familiar, always implying that he has “seen” or been told about, these “frivolities”, and he knew the chevalier de Ramsay, perhaps the most prominent French Freemason, after Montesquieu, of the Enlightenment, There is an English translation of this tract, A Discovery of the Island Frivola, (London, 1750), but the date does not conform to any known French text and appears to be wrong by at least a year.
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• Dicouverte, p. 38: “A G arrive” de l'Admiral (the leader of this group) on formoit un istablissemenl oil le sexe subalterne pourroit perdre sa vertu avec decence.” p. 41: “Us adorent le Soleil; ils voudroient bien I'aimcr, mais la facon les embarrasse. Lui doivent ils de I'amour a cause qu'il les echauffe et les eclairc, DU parce qu'il est chaud et iumineux en lui-memc? C'est une dispute de cent ans. Ils ont proscrit la Poligamie, parce qu'il n'y a qu'un soleil et qu'une lune: mais un mari fait bien qu'il doit tächer de plaire ä plusieurs femmes, et les femmes auroient un air bien sauvage sie elles s'en fachoicnt. Un dogme capital de leur Religion, c'est de condamner toutes les autres.”
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• Amusements de la Toilette ou Recueil des Fails … les plus singuliers tragiques et comiques de I'amour passis en Hollande en Angleterre et en France … (The Hague, 1756), I, pp. 121–28, in particular, p. 127, where the reference to the “mason” is not, I suspect, -accidental: “Ce sont des particuliers … se peut-il qu'il y ait des Hommes qui ayant l'orgueil de croire que la Nature les ait mis au dessus d'un Macon ou d'un Boulanger. Un automate, un … Que dirai-je? Tous les Hommes peuvent avoir des titres and des richesses; mais les talcns, sont des dons du Ciel, and les dons du Ciel sont toujours respectacles (sic).” These pages are dated 1755; note that the publisher also did many works by Rousset de Missy.
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• 1755 . VAnti-Calomniateur, ou defense du theatre francois de la Haye. 25 Liege
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• Wilson , Arthur M. 1972 . Diderot , 262 – 64 . 330 – 31 . Oxford : Oxford University Press .
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• Yatcs , Frances A. 1975 . Shakespeare's Last Plays , 123 – 31 . London : Routledge & Kegan, Paul . I owe this point to Phyllis Mack
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• Livre de Constitution ff. 10 r.&v.
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• J. A. Dijkshoom, L'influence francaise dans les moeurs et les salons des provinces-unies, (Paris, 1925) (proefschrift for the University of Groningen), p. 213–19.
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• Livre de Constitution, The Grand Lodge of The Netherlands. This is a different hand from the one that wrote the Livre; the ms is entitled “Amelie grande Maitresse du pretieux Orde de G Union de La joye” and it appears to be a copy of a 1653 letter by one of its leaders. Cf. Haijo Zwager, Waarover Spraken Zij? Salons en Conversatie in de achtiiende eeuw. (Assen, 1968), pp 175–78.
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• Abbi Perau, L Ordre des franc-magons trahi. el le Secret des Mopses revele. Amsterdam, 1745, pp. 120–22; and J. L. Carr, “Gorgons, Gormogons, Medduists and Masons,” Modern Language Review, LVII1, 1963, pp. 73–74. Cf. Harry Carr, ed., The Early French Exposures. London, 1971, p. 113 et seq., La Franc-Magonne ou revelation des mys-läres des francs-magons par Madame. Brussels (1744). In the Grand Lodge manuscripts two folios entitled “Tableau des Mopses” in an eighteenth century hand are all that remains of what may have been an interest in this organization.
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• Livre de Constitution, f.l. I am very grateful to Margaret Hunt for assistance with this text.
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• Livre de Constitution, f. 8. There were other, lesser offices in this lodge (as in most others), also given in both genders: un frere inspecteur une soeur inspectrice Un frere M. des cirämonies une soeur maitresse des cerämonies Un frere preparateur une soeur preparatrice un frere architects une soeur architecte
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• Maconnerie d'Adoption Eoossoise,1751, ms in folder with Livre de Constitution, f. 11, ceremony entitled “Ouvertüre de la Loge.” It begins with the instruction: “Les freres et soeurs entrent dans la chambre du travail et prennent chaucun leur place.”
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• Ibid., ff. 15–16. Ceremony labelled “Reception au grade d'architecte” and f. 25–26, “Catichisme des architects de l'adoptions ecossoise.”
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• The Radical Enlightenment, p. 253. The MS letter is housed at the University Library, Leiden, and is addressed to Prosper Marchand. The passage reads: “Nous sommes amis de tous le monde, except des Jesuites, dont aueun mattre de löge ne voudrait recevoir un seul dans notre ordre …”, in Marchand ms. 2, f. 36, item 8.
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• Livre de Constitution, f. 2, third paragraph, begins: “Consiquemment, nous freres et soeurs: Soussignfis Declarons, et promettons, de Reconnoitre pour grand Maitre des loges de maconnerie d'adoption qui s'itableront dans les provinces unies.” While f. 4 begins, “Au nom du grand architecte de l'univers avis ä tous les freres et soeurs rpandus sur la surface de la terre. Nous tres haut et tres puissant protecteur grand maitre de toutes les loges des macons et maconnes £tabli£es dans la souverainete des provinces unies.”
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• Almanach des Francs-Magons pour i'Annee 1751, (The Hague, Pour le Compte de la Fratemitd, 1751), no pagination. A pocket size book of no more than 40 pages, the annual Masonic almanac is an invaluable source of information on the lodges in various countries. For other songs used in lodges of adoption see Nouveau Recueil de Chansons de la Tres-Vinerable Confrairie des Franc-Macons … Berlin, n.d. pp. 65, 83–84, songs for women masons, possibly from the 1750's. The Grand Lodge of The Netherlands has one of the best collections of these almanacs in the world.
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• This copy of Chansons de I'Ordre de I Adoption … Au temple de l'Union, Le premier May 1751, ä la Haye, is at the Bibliotheque Nationale, Paris, YE 17876. I am extremely grateful to Professor Gordon Silber who discovered this tract.
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• Ibid, p. 4.
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• Livre de Constitution, f. 9: “Que tous frires cl soeurs auront pour vetement de masons et de majonnes, un tablier et des gants de peau blanches. Le tablier doubld de taffetas blanc et garni de ruban meine couleur: qu'iles posteront pour simbolle de leur tra vail …”
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• Fransen , J. Les comediens frangais, p. 304 (fl. is the symbol for a gilder). See also Franz Pick and Rene Sedillot, All the Monies of the World-A Chronicle of Currency Values, (New York, 1971)
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• Fransen, p. 305.
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• Richard W. Ungar, Dutch Shipbuilding before 1S00, (Amsterdam. 1978), p. 91, Cf. Jan de Vries, “An Inquiry into the Behaviour of Wages in the Dutch Republic and the Southern Netherlands, 1580–1800” in Ada historiae neerlandicae, X, 1978, p. 96, where we leam that in Haarlem and Leiden in 1759 a stableman earned 312 fl. per annum while in Ghent in 1760 a servant earned 120 fl. p.a.
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• Fransen . 218
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• The Library of the Grand Lodge, MS entitled “Memoire General de la Rccettc et de la Defense des finances de la loge d'adoption depuis Torigine de la löge, jusques, et com-pris l'aäscmbldc du onzc d'avril”. Only three months arc included and the lodge met once almost every week in that period.
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• R. Ungar, Dutch Shipbuilding, p. 91. The fee was 63 fl.
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