Part V of this Chapter.

We reproduce this certificate or diploma in Volume I® and for our purpose at that time we there treated it as a charter and dealt with it according to Lewis’ own falsified descriptions thereof. For convenience of study, we again reproduce it,’ in this Volume. The time has now come to print a translation of this document, which is written almost entirely in Latin, and to make bare and fully expose all of the flagrant misrepresentations which Lewis has from time to time made concerning it. A free and Anglicized transla- tion is as follows:
5 Rosicrucian Digest, November, 1933, p. 397.
6 For Lewis’ description of this document see pp. 135 and 136, Chapter Three, this volume, and for another and different description see Volume I, pp. 345 and 381.
“See our Reproduction No. 55-F at end of Part V, this chapter. 8 Volume I, p. 380, Reproduction No. 20. ® Our Reproduction No. 40 at the end of this part.
228
foe vies ONT CoROSTCR'UCIAN FRAUD
HIS CHARTER (!) CONFERRING R. C. AUTHORITY (!)
“Important Rosicrucian Document No. 4.”
“The Beginning of Wisdom Is Love of God”
ORDER OF ORIENTAL TEMPLARS Hermetic Brotherhood of Light -
THE SOVEREIGN SANCTUARY AND ITS LAWS
Ancient and Primitive Freemasonic Rites of Memphis and Mizraim.
(By authority of the Great Orient of Gaul, from the Charter dated July 21, 1862, No. 28911, and by author- ity of the Sovereign Sanctuary of Britain and Ireland,
by Charter dated September 24, 1902, A. D.).
The Great Orient of the Ancient and Accepted Masonic and Scottish Rites of 33 degrees.
“GREETINGS ! To Whom It May Concern:
“WE, Albert Carol Theodore Peregrinus, Sovereign Directing Magus of the Egyptian Rite of Primitive Masons of Memphis and Mizraim of 95 degrees, and the Grand Master General of Free Masons of the An- cient and Accepted Scottish Rite of 33 degrees; and the Caput and Frater Superior and the Vicarius Salomanis
of the
Order of Oriental Templars
by virtue of the authority vested in us by the most ven- erable brothers, grant H. Spencer Lewis, 33°, 90°, 95°, VII°, O. T. O., to be an Honorary Member of our Sov- ereign Sanctuary for Switzerland, Germany and Austria, and to represent our Sov. Sanctuary as Gage of Amity
near the Supreme Council of the AMORC at San Fran- 229
AN ANSWER TO: LEWIS. WHITES?) BOOKS Ds
cisco, California,’ classification of degree of the ancient Masonic Art and of the Egyptian Rite of Primitive Ma- sons of Memphis and Mizraim of 95 degrees, and of the ancient and accepted Rite of Scottish Masons, in accord- ance with the laws and ritual instituted by us and accepted by the Order of Oriental Templars.
“Tf the Constitution of the Order of Oriental Tem- plars, dated January 22, 1906, 1917, A. D., is violated or neglected, this permission and foregoing diploma may be rescinded at any time.
‘“As a document of these things, this diploma is writ- ten, sealed and signed by our hand.
“Granted in our Sanctuary p. t. Basilea, on the 30th of July, in the year of true light 000,000,000, which corresponds to the year of our order 1303, A. D. 19215
PEREGRINUS, 33:97 nee (SEAL) (Five SEALS) Caput of the Order.”
It is obvious that this is not a charter “issued by the Supreme Magus and Frater Superior of the ancient Rosicrucian Order for Switzerland and Germany” and that it confers no Rosicrucian authority on Lewis, as claimed by him.
Although it is a document issued by the O. T. O., operating under a Masonic Charter from a Sovereign Sanctuary of the Rite of Memphis and Mizraim, it confers no Masonic authority on Lewis. At the most, it is nothing more than a diploma or certifi- cate conferring upon him the honorary 33rd degree (Scottish), 90th degree (Mizraim), 95th degree (Memphis) and VII degree (O. T. O.), all Masonic, none Rosicrucian, and making him an ‘Honorary Member” of the Sovereign Sanctuary for Switzerland, Germany and Austria of the Freemasonic Rite of Memphis and Mizraim.
Now read his description in The Triangle, September, 1921, page 1,’ and also his description in The Rosicrucian Digest, No-
1The Supreme Council of AMORC is Lewis and family. See Chapter Six. 2 Quoted in full on pp. 135-136, Chapter Three, this volume.
230
ae
A MASONIC-ROSICRUCIAN PRA UD
vember, 1933, page 397,° as well as many other misleading state- ments he has made concerning it; reach your own conclusions and formulate your own judgment. We shall give further considera- tion to this “Important R. C. Document” in Part V of this Chap- ter, where the O. T. O. and Lewis’ claims in relation thereto are considered. It is considered here in its Masonic aspects.
After all, this certificate is meaningless. All of Lewis’ claims to high Masonic honors and degrees are “much ado about nothing” and his honorary membership in the Sovereign Sanctuary of the Rite of Memphis and Mizraim fails, and is null and void, for the very simple reason that he is not a Master Mason, as we shall presently see, and according to universally accepted Masonic law, the higher degrees cannot be communicated to or conferred upon one who has not the Craft Degrees—who is not a Master Mason—or upon a denied, rejected or expelled Mason.
Other Masonic Honors! “Important R. C. Document No. 5”
Still seeking Masonic afhliation and honors to bolster his alleged Rosicrucian authority, which is non-existent, on August 10, 1933, he secured from a foreign Masonic Order, Sovereign and Military Order of the Temple, a certificate conferring upon him and his descendants the title of ‘“Bailli Grand Croix,” which he published’ in December, 1933, in fac-simile and described as his “Important Rosicrucian Document No. 5.’’ We have also made a fac-simile reproduction of this document (being our Reproduction No. 41) and freely translate it as follows:
3 Quoted in full on pp. 345 and 381 of Volume I. * Rosicrucian Digest, December, 1933, p. 467.
231
AN ANSWER TO LEWIS’ WHITE (?) BOOK®” D®
“SOVEREIGN AND MILITARY ORDER OF
THE TEMPLE
THE GRAND BAILIFF
has the honor to inform Mister
H. SPENCER LEWIS
that the Grand Master conferred on him the title of Bailiff of the Grand Cross
of the order, title transmissible to his descendants.
This August 10, 1933 (V. E.) Year 815 of the Order
(Signature not clear, only a Masonic Cross or seal is
distinguishable. )
Concerning this simple document, Lewis makes an elaborate ex- planation beneath the fac-simile reproduction thereof, which is as
follows:
Italics and Question
Marks Inserted Ours.
Order of Templars. Noble and Royal Families and Promi- nent People.
It Is Not So Certified —See the Certificate— What Power?
Grand Bailiff Equiva- lent to Grand Master! Certificates Like This and Coats of Arms Can Be Purchased in Europe Very Reason- ably. If the Amend-
ment Confers No
“The above illustration is a photograph of the document authorized by the Supreme Council of the ‘Sovereign and Military Order of the Temple’ in Europe. This Order of Templars was founded in 1118 in Jerusalem and has had a continuous existence throughout Europe up to the present time with an unbroken list of Grand Masters represent- ing noble and royal families of Europe and the most prominent individuals of the European countries. The above Charter [?] was authorized by a vote on the part of the European organization conferring upon H. Spencer Lewis the power and authority of ‘Grand Bailli’ of the Order for the United States of America, which is equivalent to the title of Grand Master for this country, and also confers upon him the Grand Cross of the organization and the special coat of arms which is painted in color at the bottom of the charter. [?] The coat of arms
becomes hereditary with H. Spencer Lewis and his
descendants. A later amendment to the charter [ ?] signed by the same officials, the Grand Chancellor
232
eee ONT CPR OS TCRU.CLAN: FRAUD
More Power or Au- and the Grand Bailli, extended the authority to thority Than the include Canada and Mexico. It will be noted that Above Certificate, the Rosicrucian emblem appears in the special coat Then None at All of arms and the history of the organization shows Was Conferred or its close relationship with the Rosicrucians through- Granted. out the past centuries. The above charter [?]
Masonic Degrees Are authorizes H. Spencer Lewis to confer the honor- Never Conferred on ary degree of Knight of the Temple upon those
Rosicrucians Because who distinguish themselves in special service to the They Are Good Rosicrucian Order in North America. This is the Rosicrucians. It first honor and power of this kind ever conferred Probably Is! upon an individual of North America.”
Mr. Lewis’ representations concerning the above translated document should not be taken too seriously. They may not be true. Indeed, the translation of that “important”? document shows upon its face that most of his statements and representations concern- ing it are false. It is mot a charter, it has nothing to do with the Rose Cross and it is not an “Important Rosicrucian Document.” It confers no authority and grants no power, Masonic, Rosicru- cian, or otherwise. It does not certify that it was authorized by _ vote of an organization. It is a certificate by the Grand Bailiff, informing H. Spencer Lewis that the Grand Master had conferred upon him the title of Bailiff (not Grand Bailiff) of the Grand Cross, which title descends to his descendants. The certificate shows that the Grand Bailiff is the servant of the Grand Master and carries out his orders. The title conferred is not that of Grand Paine butethat of Bailiff of the Grand Cross,” 1. ¢., keeper or custodian of the Grand Cross. Evidently it is a title of lower rank than that of Grand Bailiff, hence it could hardly be equivalent to the title of Grand Master, even in America, where some promoters of spurious orders confer all manner of titles upon themselves. It does not grant the power to confer the honorary degree of “Knight of the Temple’ upon those members who distinguish themselves in the service of the Lewis Hierarchy. The title con- ferred, i. e., “Bailiff of the Grand Cross,” is only transferable to
his descendants, not to members of AMORC.
The Masonic seal, or double cross, a part of the signature, of the Grand Bailiff, would indicate that the certificate was issued by a Masonic organization. If it was issued as represented by Lewis, by a Knight Templar Order of Europe, then it is an in-
233
AN ANSWER TO LEWIS’ WHILE (4) BOCK pe
fringement upon the rights and prerogatives of the Knight Tem- plars of America, or the Masonic Order of Red Cross of Con- stantine, and Lewis is wrongfully using it to promote his spurious Masonic-Rosicrucian enterprise.
Very little is known concerning the “Sovereign and Military Order of the Temple,” but it is certain that it is an irregular and clandestine Masonic body—if it exists at all; because, no regular Masonic body confers degrees or titles that are transferable or hereditary. If Mr. Lewis were a Mason or of Masonic erudition, he would not have published his “Important”? document No. 5, nor commented so freely and carelessly upon that unimportant document; because, it has no Masonic value and only permits him to use it to flatter his vanity and to deceive his followers and the prospective victims of his fraternal racket.
“Important Rosicrucian Document No. 5” Is or Purports To Be Masonic
Although his “Important Rosicrucian Document No. 5”’ is signed and sealed under a Masonic Seal and purports to be a Masonic Templar Organization, yet, nevertheless, he claims it to be a Rosi- crucian document. His interesting and unique explanation*of how this came about is given in The Rosicrucian Digest, November,
1933, page 381, as follows:
‘In passing, we may say that this Templar Organiza- tion is distinctly different from that degree of Free- masonry known in America as the Knight Templar. That degree was added to Freemasonry arbitrarily a number | of years ago as a form of recognition of the high regard that the early Freemasons held for this European Organi- zation, Just as was the degree of Rose Croix added to Freemasonry arbitrarily in a similar manner. But in Europe the ‘Sovereign Military Order of the Temple’ or ‘Knights of the Temple’ is not a part of Freemasonry, and its aims and purposes are those held sacred by all Rosicrucians.”’ (Italics ours.)
In passing, it is interesting for us to note, and it is well to keep in mind, how Lewis, in designing his fraudulent devices to give
234
Peeves oO NEC ROS TOG RUCTAN FRAUD
plausible Rosicrucian authority to his spurious R. C. Order, origi- nally claimed that Masonry is an offspring of his fabricated AMORC; then, later, how Masonry arbitrarily took or stole some of its degrees from the Rosicrucians (meaning, of course, from his fabricated AMORC), and how he has recently changed his claims and now asserts, as we shall presently see, that the ideals and integrity of his spurious AMORC, “the recognized and accred- ited Rosicrucian Brotherhood throughout the world,’ have been conserved, and kept pure and holy, for the past centuries, within the bosom of the Sovereign Sanctuaries of the Ancient and Primi- tive Freemasonic Rites of Memphis and Mizraim.
The interested reader and careful investigator will find within his cunningly falsified explanations and contradictory claims, with- out resorting to other sources, the badges of fraud that unmistak- ably indicate the fraudulent devices employed in fabricating, promoting and perpetuating his Masonic-Rosicrucian swindle and fraternal racket.
A Masontic-Rosicrucian Fraud
The Scheme a Mixture of Foreign Masonry and Spurious Rosicrucianism
Let it be kept in mind that Lewis has made many futile claims to Rosicrucian authority from divers sources, as we shall see in Chapter Five; that he also claims wide and unlimited Masonic and Rosicrucian powers and authority under a spurious charter from the Great White Lodge of Tibet,® as will presently appear. In reality possessing no real Rosicrucian authority or Masonic rights, he has laid baseless and futile claims to such authority and rights under the aforesaid certificate issued by the Sovereign Sanc- tuary° of Switzerland; Germany and Austria of the Freemasonic Rite of Memphis and Mizraim, his “Important Rosicrucian Docu- ment No. 4,” as we have seen. It has been and is the basis of his scheme—the gravamen of his fraud to confuse Masonry and Rosi- crucianism and to set up and claim for this Masonic-Rosicrucian swindle a confused and combined Masonic and Rosicrucian author-
5 His “Important Rosicrucian Document No. 2,” see our Reproduction No. 51 and