out of it, and it was consecrated, from among the other trees of the forest, to sacred purposes.
As a symbol, it received, among the ancients, three interpretations. 1. In consequence of its incorruptible and evergreen nature, it was readily adopted as a symbol of the immortality of the soul. 2. In allusion to the derivation of its name, among the Greeks, from a word which signifies freedom from sin, it was also adopted as a symbol of innocence. 3. Like all the other sacred plants, such as the myrtle, the mistletoe, and the lotus, which were used in the Ancient Mysteries, it became a symbol of initiation. The three interpretations combined teach us, by the use of this one symbol, that in the initiation of life and death, of which the initiation in the third degree is simply emblematic, innocence must for a time lie in the grave—at length, however, to be called by the Grand Master of all things to immortality.
Clefts in the Rocks.—The vicinity of Jerusalem is exceeding rocky and mountainous. These rocks abound in clefts or caves, which were sometimes used by the inhabitants as places of sepulture, sometimes as places of refuge in time of war, and sometimes as lurking-places for robbers, or for persons guilty of crime and fleeing from justice.
The Grand Master's Jewel.—There is a Masonic tradition, that the Jewel of an ancient Grand Master—and the one therefore always worn by the Builder—was the Square and Compasses, with the letter G between. The finding of this jewel alone gives any probability to this part of the legend.
It is hardly necessary to say that the letter G, wherever
