have been accurately examined by the master workman and permanently secured in their places by cement. This is accomplished by the trowel, and hence this implement is entrusted to the Master Mason. Thus the tools attached to each degree admonish the Mason, as an Apprentice, to prepare his mind for the reception of the great truths which are hereafter to be unfolded to him; as a Fellow Craft to mark their importance and adapt them to their proper uses; and as a Master to adorn their beauty by the practice of brotherly love and kindness, the cement that binds all Masons in one common fraternity.

INDENTED TESSEL. The ornamented border which surrounds the Mosaic pavement. See Tessellated Border.

INDUCTION.

Candidates who have been initiated into a council of the "Holy and Thrice Illustrious Order of the Cross" are said to be inducted. Past Masters are said to be inducted into the Oriental Chair of King Solomon.

INDIA, MYSTERIES OF. Though the mysteries of Greece and Rome were modelled after those of Egypt, these last undoubtedly derived their existence from the East, where the priests first began to conceal their doctrines under the form of mysterious rites, and to reveal them only to those who underwent a process of initiation. The western philosophers derived much, if not all of their learning from the gymnosophists or sages of India, who were not more celebrated for the extent of their knowledge, than for the simplicity of their lives. They inculcated a belief in the triad of gods, Brahma, Vishnu, and Siva, the first being the supreme, eternal, uncreated god. It was from the gymnosophists that the philosophers of other nations acquired their idea of the existence of a Supreme Being, and of the immortality of the soul. The instructions of the gymnosophists were oral, and secret. They were communicated only after a process of initiation, which is said to have been extremely severe in its trials.

The ceremonies of initiation into the mysteries of ancient India, have been collected from various sources with great industry and research by Dr. Oliver. "They formed," says he, "one of the earliest corruptions of the pure science, which is now denominated Freemasonry, and bore a direct reference to the happiness of man in paradise, the subsequent deviations from rightcousness, and the destruction accomplished by the general deluge.' "The scenes of initiation were in spacious caverns, the principal of which were Elephanta and Salsette, both situated near Bombay. The mysteries were divided into four degrees, and the candidate was permitted to perform the probation of the first at the early age of eight years. It consisted simply in the investiture with the linen garment, and Zennar or sacred cord, composed of nine threads, and suspended from the left shoulder across the breast to the right side; of sacrifices accompanied by aqueous ablutions; and of an explanatory lecture delivered to the juvenile aspirant by the priest. He was now delivered into the care of a Brahmin, who thenceforth became his spiritual guide, and prepared him by repeated instructions and a life of austerity. for admission into the second degree. To this, if found qualified, he was admitted at the requisite age. The probationary ceremonies of this degree consisted in an incessant occupation in prayers, fastings, ablutions, and the study of astronomy. Having undergone these austerities for a sufficient period, after having been placed in the Pastos, he was led at night to the gloomy caverns of initiation, which had been duly prepared for his reception.

The interior of this cavern was brilliantly illuminated, and there sat the three chief hierophants, in the east, west, and south, representing the gods Brahma, Vishnu, and Siva, surrounded by the attendant mystagogues, dressed in appropriate vestments. After an invocation to the Sun, the aspirant was called upon to promise that he would be obedient to his superiors, keep his body

Hist. Initiat. lect. ii. p. 41.

pure, and preserve inviolable secrecy on the subject of the mys. teries. He was then sprinkled with water, an invocation of the deity was whispered in his ear, he was divested of his shoes, and made to circumambulate the cavern three times, in imitation of the course of the Sun, whose rising was personated by the hierophant representing Brahma, stationed in the east, whose meridian height by the representative of Siva in the south, and whose setting by the representative of Vishnu in the west. He was then conducted through seven ranges of dark and gloomy caverns, during which period the wailings of Mahadeva for the loss of Siva was represented by dismal howlings. The usual paraphernalia of flashes of light, of dismal sounds and horrid phantoms, was practised to intimidate or confuse the aspirant. After the performance of a variety of other ceremonies, many of which we can only conjecture, the candidate reached the extremity of the seven caverns; he was now prepared for enlightenment by requisite instruction and the administration of a solemn oath.

This part of the ceremonies being concluded, the sacred conch was blown, the folding doors were suddenly thrown open, and the aspirant was admitted into a spacious apartment filled with dazzling light, ornamented with statues and emblematical figures, richly decorated with gems, and scented with the most fragrant perfumes. This was a representation of Paradise.

The candidate was now supposed to be regenerated, and he was invested by the chief Brahmin with the white robe and tiara; a cross was marked upon his forehead, and a tau upon his breast, and he was invested with the signs, tokens, and lectures of the order. He was presented with the sacred belt, the magical black stone, the talismanic jewel to be worn upon his breast, and the serpent stone, which, as its name imported, was an antidote against the bite of serpents. And lastly, he was entrusted with the sacred name, known only to the initiated. This ineffable name was AUM, which, in its triliteral form, was significant of the creative, preservative, and destroying power, that is, of Brahma, Vishnu, and Siva. It could not be pronounced, but was to be the

subject of incessant silent contemplation. The emblems around and the aporreta or secret things of the mysteries were now explained.

Here ended the second degree. The third took place when the candidate had grown old and his children had all been provided for. This consisted in a total exclusion in the forest, where as an anchorite he occupied himself in ablutions, prayers, and sacrifices.

In the fourth degree, he underwent still greater austerities, the object of which was to impart to the happy sage who observed them, a portion of the divine nature, and to secure him a residence among the immortal gods.

The object of the Indian mysteries appears to have been to teach the unity of God, and the necessity of virtue. The happiness of our first parents, the subsequent depravity of the human race, and the universal deluge were described in a manner which showed that their knowledge must have been derived from an authentic source.

INEFFABLE. From the Latin word "ineffabilis," not to be spoken or expressed. The degrees above the Master Mason in the French and Scotch rites, are thus called, in allusion to the sanctity and sublimity of the secrets they contain. But in this sense of the word, all masonry is equally ineffable, though the term is technically confined to these higher degrees.

INFORMATION, LAWFUL. One of the modes of recognising a stranger as a true brother, is from the "lawful information" of a third party. No Mason can lawfully give information of another's qualifications unless he has actually tested him by the strictest trial and examination, or knows that it has been done by another. But it is not every Mason who is competent to give "lawful information." Ignorant and unskilful brethren cannot do so, because they are incapable of discovering truth or of detecting error. A "rusty Mason" should never attempt to

examine a stranger, and certainly if he does his opinion as to the result is worth nothing. If the information given is on the ground that the party who is vouched for, has been seen sitting in a lodge, care must be taken to inquire if it was a "just and legally constituted lodge of Master Masons." A person may forget from the lapse of time, and vouch for a stranger as a Master Mason, when the lodge in which he saw him was only opened in the first or second degree. Information given by letter, or through a third party, is irregular. The person giving the information, the one receiving it, and the one of whom it is given, should all be present at the same time, for otherwise there would be no certainty of identity. The information must be positive, not founded on belief or opinion, but derived from a legitimate source. And, lastly, it must not have been received casually, but for the every purpose of being used for masonic purposes. For one to say to another, in the course of a desultory conversation, "A. B. is a Mason," is not sufficient. He may not be speaking with due caution, under the expectation that his words will be considered of weight. He must say something to this effect, "I know this man to be a Master Mason, for such or such reasons, and you may safely recognise him as such." This alone will ensure the necessary care and proper observance of prudence.

INITIATION. The reception into the first degree of ma sonry is thus called. It is derived from the Latin word initia, which signifies the first principles of a science. The same term was used by the ancients to designate admission into the mysteries of their Pagan rites. Thus Justin, speaking of Mida, King of Phrygia, says he was initiated into the mysteries by Orpheus. "Ab Orpheo sacrorum solennibus initiatus." Lib. xi. c. 7.

INNOVATIONS.

Nothing is more offensive to the true Mason than any innovations on the ancient usages and customs of the order. It is in consequence of this conservative principle