JOHN R. PATERNOSTER, IXr M.W.

Frater Supreme Magus

M.W. Frater R.W. Little The MSG Study Group meets at 2.30 p.m. at STANFIELD HALL, 88 HIGH STREET, HAMPSTEAD, on the THIRD Saturday on the months of September to June excluding December. Please contact the Secretary for further information,
R.W. Fra. Alistair Lees VIII of 30 Poulett Gardens, Twickenham, Middx. TW1 4QR (Telephone: 020 8891 1662 07500 893 634) inluminluce@googlemail.com

Apology Demanded From Spencer & Co SRIA High Council Library SRIA 1867-2011

Societas Rosicruciana in Anglia

(Rosicrucian Society of Freemasons)

M.W. Fra. JOHN R. PATERNOSTER, IX r

Supreme Magus Chief Adept of Greater London

HIGH COUNCIL LIBRARY

SRIA High Council Library SRIA 1867-2011

From the Transactions of Metropolitan College

Apology Demanded From Spencer & Co.

In the Metropolitan College Transactions minutes page 5, July 1886 the Rev. Fra. T.W. Lemon then requested the Secretary [Fra. W.W. Westcott] to read page 96 of a work entitled, Freemasonry, [Freemasonry its outward and visible signs] published by Spencers Masonic Department, which purported to be an account of the Societas Rosicruciana in Anglia, speaking of its infamous and libellous terms, the article being signed Vitam impendere vero. After a discussion the Secretary was unanimously requested to appeal to the proprietor of the work to apologise, and to remove the obnoxious article in any future edition, and to make a decided protest against the publication of such unjustifiable assertions by a brother Freemason.

Freemasonry its outward and visible signs Spencer & Co, Masonic Department 23a Great Queen Street, London [1886] Found in this little manual is a description of the jewels, clothing and furniture for all Degrees of Freemasonry, with convenient index. Illustrated.

Page 96 THE ROSICRUCIAN SOCIETY By Frater Vitam impendere vero.[Life to devote to truth] Consists of 9 degrees, the 9th being that of the Chief or Su pre me M agus. The author, who possesses valuable Rosicrucian books and MSS-, entered this attractively named Society, under a real enthusiast, probably the only one within its r a n k s . In L o n d o n h e w a s n o mi n a t e d t o t h e 8th Decree, but found there, that no Ritual had then been concocted beyond that of Initiation. The dark conspirators of this mysterious associati on, engaged in the pai nful expl or ati on of the her meti c sci ences and for bidden art s, ma y be adepts at extracting the Elixir of Life from Restaurant Bills of Fare, and in drawing sparkling discoveries from under the hermetic capsules of Heidseck, Roederer, and Pommery-Greno [Champagne]. In some respects their proceedings may emulate their prototype of the Middle Ages, being as profound and unintelligible a mystery to the world as to themselves. They have nothing Rosicrucian except the name. The Medal, enamelled, silver gilt, costs 15s., or gilt 0 -12- 6 The charge of .....no Ritual had then been concocted beyond that of Initiation. Seems reasonable! The onl y grade worked until .......... was the grade of a Zelator. The ranks attached to members in the Transactions seem only to be 8 or 9 until Norris, E.S. grade 4 is listed on the Roll of the Metropolitan College in 1888, the first such list. On looking at the older Metropolitan College Transactions, I have found very few mentions of grade working until January 12th 1888. The first mention of a ceremony for Grades II is when the grade of Theoricus was conferred on seven Fratres.

Figure 1 - Typed note found in SRIA Archives in 2011

THE R O S IC R UC IAN SOC IE TY, BRUCE WILSON ON SPENCER B y Fr at er "Vi t a m I mpe ndar e Var o".
The Origin of our Rosicrucian Society By R. W. Fra. Lieut. -Col. H. C. Bruce Wilson, VIII, 9 Director-General of Ceremonies, S.R.I.A. 1947

Fr om S penc er 's M a s oni c C at al ogu e 1884. C onsi st s of ni ne degrees, t h e 9t h. bei ng t hat of t he C hi ef or Supr e me Magus. The Frater V. l . V. who possesses val ua bl e R osi c r uci an books and M SS. ent er ed t hi s at t r act i vel y na me d S oci et y, under a r e al ent husi a st , pr oba bl y t he onl y on e wi t hi n i t s r anks. In Lond on ha was n omi n at ed t o t he 8t h degr e e: but f ound t her e t hat no r i t ual had t han be en c onc oct ed be yond t hat of Ini t i at i on, and t hat t he pr oce edi n gs ' e mul at ed t hei r pr ot ot ype of t he M i ddl e Ages onl y i n bei n g a pr of ound " and uni nt el l i gi bl e myst er y. The y ha ve not hi ng R osi c r uci an - exc ept t he na me. R OS IC R UC IAN ma gazi n e, f or Oct ober , 1875

There is, however, one mention of the Society before 1866. About 1873 there joined the Bristol College S.R.I.A. Frater Walter Spencer, under the motto "Vitam impendere vero"; and shortly after his admission he read a paper in the Bristol College, which was afterwards printed in the Rosicrucian for October 1875. Eleven years later, in 1886, when the Bristol College had long been in abeyance, there appeared in a volume entitled "Freemasonry", published by Spencer & Co., an article over the signature of a Latin motto, which was the motto of Frater W. Spencer of the Bristol College S.R.I.A. The article contained mention of our Society which was considered by those in authority to be insulting and libellous; and Frater Wynn Westcott, then Secretary-General of the Society, wrote to Frater Irwin, who still held the office of Chie f Adept for the Province of Bristol, enclosing the offending extract, and notifying him that if Spencer was the author the Society might have to take disciplinary, or even legal action. Frater Irwin, in his reply to Frater Wynn Westcott, says that he cannot believe that Frater Spencer could have written the offensive passage - it was afterwards admitted that he had done so - and he adds of Frater Spencer, "he is as much a member of our Rosicrucian Brotherhood as you and I am - indeed, more so for he was advanced into Rosicrucianism by A. O'Neal Haye." In the High Council Library in London is preserved a very small and inconspicuous note book. It contains a copy in the author's handwriting of the paper read by W. Spencer at Bristol and afterwards printed in the Rosicrucian, and was probably sent for the latter purpose and never returned. The Paper does not quite fill the note book, and on some of the remaining pages the author has written out what he states to be the obligation taken by him when he was admitt ed a Rosicrucian by Oneal Haye in 1857. It is a long and impressive obligation, commencing - I swear with one hand extended towards the Altar of Light and the other resting on the Volume of the Sacred Law." It has no resemblance to anything in the Scottish Ritual of 1866; and it cannot be compared with the Zelator Obligation in the English Ritual, as the candidate is now told that no obligation is required of him, but only a solemn promise. This always seems inconsistent with the rest of the ceremony, and less effectively written. And if the obligation recorded by Frater Spencer were substituted it would be more consistent and more

In t he " R osi cr u ci an " ma gazi n e, f or Oct ober , 1875, p86, i s an addr es s gi ven be f or e t he B r i st ol C ol l a ge, by t h e Fr at er wi t h t he a bove mot t o, of a ve r y di f f er ent t on e fr om t he a bove r e ma r ks.

We st c ot t s Hi st or y 1900

In W est c ot t s Hi st or y. S oc. R os. pa ge 17, i n hi s su mmar y of t he t r ansa ct i ons r e por t ed i n t he early nu mber s of t he ma ga zi ne, t he addr e ss i s at t r i but ed t o Fr at er W al t er S penc er .

( any c onne c t i on wi t h t he f i r m?) [ Sp e nc er & C o. ]

impressive. It is probably the original obligation in the Zelator Grade of the English Ritual, omitted by Frater Little as it might not fit with his plan of making the S.R.I.A. a subordinate limb of the Red Cross of Constantine. Apart from other points, this shows that Oneal Haye was admitting candidates to the Society in 1857.
NOTE: Anthony Oneal Haye was born in 1839, making h im only 18 years old in 1857 when Spencer claims admission. Hayes father was Robert Haye, so it was unlikely to be him either. There are many old ritual books, but this one has not been found after extensive looking. A.M. Lees April 2011

T.M. Greensill History SRIA 1997

The Nascence of our Society page 68-69 The only other reference to an earlier working of the Scottish Society occurs in a notebook containing the manuscript draft of a paper delivered at the Bristol College in 1873 by Frater Walter Spencer. In the manuscript, but not in the printed version, Fra. Spencer gives the text of lectures designed for use in the Zelator, Theoricus and Practicus Grades. He states that these are transcribed from A MS. Of a members of your society formerly one of the heads of the Order. These presumably date from 1857, for that is the year in which the author, who gives his name as M. Scott, states that he entered the Order. It should be noted, however, that Spencer did not claim that this Order was the Scottish Society, not that it was himself who had been admitted in 1857. Subsequent historians of our Society have unfortunately been led astray by F.G.Irwin later statement that Spencer was advanced into Rosicrucianism by A. Oneal Haye (which is irrelevant, as well as being highly unlikely) and by a misreading of Spencers notebook.
NOTE: Spencer appears written in the Golden Book 2 as being a member of Bristol College, but with no dates of admission or progression, and does not appear in the Golden Book No.1 A.M. Lees April 2011