Restoration

(Conspiracy Nation, 11/3/04) -- England's King Charles II (image, left) restored the Stuart line of kings to the throne subsequent to a bloody civil war in which Oliver Cromwell had overthrown the monarchy. According to a fascinating book by Robert Lomas (Freemasonry and the Birth of Modern Science), the enlightened patronage of Charles II was the firm foundation upon which the Royal Society, devoted to science, was born, on November 28, 1660. The usurper Cromwell, a faith-based fanatic, had ruled in an atmosphere inimical to open scientific inquiry. But in 1660, freed from the shackles of religious dogma, a rebirth of science, previously hiding underground in an "Invisible College," broke forth. Thanks to the Royal Society, there was a "nurturing of the most important scientific developments of all time." Prior to the return, from France, of Charles II, England had been deeply divided -- polarized -- between those loyal to the House of Stuart and the followers of Cromwell. Yet amazingly, almost immediately following Charles' restoration to the throne, scientists from both of the bitterly divided factions were able to unite as one. How was such a miracle accomplished? Lomas shows, in his book, how Freemasonry enabled them to put aside their differences.

The Antient Rite

Lomas has Freemasonry starting in Scotland, at Roslin, "sometime before 1440." Traditional history says it was founded by David I of Scotland (1124-1153). However Christopher Knight, in a separate book (The Book Of Hiram, co-authored with Lomas), shows Masonic rituals as an oral tradition, handed down through the generations, going back thousands of years. Over time, the true meanings conveyed became lost and most Masons now have almost no knowledge of what the rituals mean. For the purpose of Lomas' argument in Freemasonry and the Birth of Modern Science, however, a Scottish origin in the 15th century is sufficient.

Upon the death of Queen Elizabeth I, "the Virgin Queen," in 1603, there being no heir, the English crown passed to Scotland's James VI of the House of Stuart. He became King James I of England. James believed he was a "divinely appointed" king; to question his authority was "blasphemy." But to get tax dollars he had to go through the Parliament, so he had to "deal." This preserved traditional freedoms such as freedom of speech. James I was a Freemason, initiated 1601, in Scotland.

When King James died in 1625, he was succeeded by King Charles I, also of the House of Stuart. A rising merchant class contended with Charles I, through Parliament, to determine the direction of the government. Charles was imperious and after increasing tensions and a disastrous war with Spain he dissolved the Parliament. For eleven years, Charles I ruled without calling Parliament into session. Civil war eventually erupted, ending with the beheading of Charles I on January 30, 1649. His last words on the scaffold, prior to beheading: "What the country longs for is good government, not self-government."

Parliamentary leader and soldier Oliver Cromwell became dictator. He ruled with the Bible in one hand and a sword in the other. Cromwell went so far as to try to establish a Parliament of Saints in 1653: elimination of Common Law to be replaced by the Law of Moses. Hostile to scientific inquiry, Cromwell represents a reactionary force. When Oliver Cromwell died in 1658, his son, Richard Cromwell briefly ruled but was unequal to the task. To prevent chaos, it was necessary to bring the son of the beheaded Charles I back from exile. This was the Restoration.

The new king, Charles II, inherited an inferior navy. Since naval power is crucial to the island realm of Britain, some way had to be quickly found to make huge improvements. Sir Robert Moray, a Mason, approached fellow Mason Charles II with a plan. A scientific society, self-supporting and adhering to Masonic rules prohibiting discussion of politics and religion at its meetings, was proposed. In this way, hostile Cromwellians and Monarchists could work together. Charles II favored the undertaking and the Royal Society was soon granted a charter.

But unforeseen consequences resulted. Although the outward purpose of the Royal Society was to make discoveries so as to improve the British navy, it could not be helped that those discoveries advanced the general well-being. "A 'Big Bang' rocked science some three hundred years ago and the echoes of the explosion still shake modern society."

Corruption Of Masonry

Scottish Rite Masonry (Jacobite) "celebrates the Divine Right of the Stuart line to rule Britain." When Charles II died in 1685, his brother James ascended the throne. King James II was Catholic, unlike his brother Charles who was indifferent to religion. James II would not compromise his Catholicism and was driven out of England in 1688: the "Glorious Revolution." Parliament invited protestant rulers of Orange, William and Mary, still of the House of Stuart, to be joint monarchs. Queen Mary II was succeeded by "Good Queen Anne" in 1702. But when Queen Anne died in 1714 with no heir, the protestant Parliament installed George I, a German king (Electors of Hanover). George I spoke no English. The House of Hanover did not have the mystique of the House of Stuart. There was no pretense that they ruled by Divine Right.

Since the Antient Scottish Rite was devoted to the Stuart kings and queens, the newly installed Hanoverian line moved to undermine Jacobite (named for James II) Masonry. In 1717 the United Grand Lodge of England (UGLE) was formed and Freemasonry's Scottish origins began to be suppressed. This is the basis for why there is the false claim that Masonry began in the 1700s. UGLE, the "Modern Rite," purged Masonry of its Jacobite associations. The Stuart (Scottish) history was suppressed to turn Masonry into "a political support mechanism for the Hanoverian monarchy." But the Modern Rite British Lodge is "Masonically illegitimate," writes Lomas.

Ramifications

The split in Masonry between the Antient and Accepted Rite (Scottish) and the Modern Rite (English) rippled through the world. In America, Freemason George Washington seems to have been aligned with the Scottish Rite. The Jacobite Lodges had spread to the New World. Sovereign Grand Master of the Antient Rite (Scottish) was Prince Charles Edward Stuart ("Bonnie Prince Charlie.") George Washington may have asked Bonnie Prince Charlie to become Charles III, "king of the Americas."  A meeting between Washington's envoys and Prince Charlie was said to have occurred in November 1782, in Rome. Besides influencing the American Revolution, Jacobite Masonry may have played a role in the later French Revolution. Rumors were rampant that Napoleon Bonaparte had been initiated into Jacobin Masonry inside Egypt's Great Pyramid of Giza.

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