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The Adventures of Timothy Peacock, Esquire; or, Freemasonry
Practically Illustrated
CHAPTER II
Daniel P. Thompson
Fer opem, Lucina.
The 17th of April, 1790, was the day made memorable in the annals of American
Masonry, by the birth of our hero, Timothy Peacock. The seal of future greatness
having been stamped by destiny on the brow of the infantile Timothy, it is no
marvel, therefore, that many incidents of a peculiarly singular and ominous
character marked his birth and childhood. The day on which he was born, being
the very day that terminated the earthly career of the illustrious Franklin, was
of itself a circumstance worthy of particular notice; and it operated with much
force on the astute mind of his doating father, who, being a firm believer in
the doctrine of transmigration of souls, had a deep impression that the spirit
of the departed philosopher had taken up its residence in his infant son. Again,
a very remarkable potato had grown in Mr. Peacock's garden the previous season.
This singular vegetable, which had grown in the form of an accute triangle, or a
pair of open dividers, had been hung up in the cellar the fall before, as
nothing more than a mere natural curiosity; but the moment Mr. Peacock cast his
eyes upon it, a few days after the birth of Timothy, he instantly became
sensible that things of far deeper import were involved in the formation of this
mysterious production; and the truth, with intuitive rapidity, at once flashed
across his mind: It was the well-known masonic emblem, the compass, and an
undoubted omen that his house was about to be honored with a human production
that was to become distinguished in the mysteries of that art thus strikingly
designated. But these conclusions of Mr. Peacock, as well warranted as they were
by that remarkable omen, were confirmed by a fact that he conceived could admit
of no cavil or speculation. The child came into the world with the mark of a
grid-iron clearly and palpably impressed, and that too, on those very parts
which he knew, from experience, masonry particularly delighted to honor. I am
aware that there are many among the would-be medico-philosophers of the present
day, who would perhaps attribute the existence of this striking mark upon the
infant, to the imagination of the mother, whose kind assiduities, as I have
before intimated, had been put in requisition a few months before, on the
occasion of her husband's initiation into the secrets of Masonsonry; but in
reply to such conceited opinionists, I need only observe, that facts can never
be outweighed by visionary speculations; and it was upon facts such as I have
related, that Mr. Peacock founded his prophetic belief that his son was destined
to future excellence, and that this excellence was to be more especially
conspicuous in the path of masonic honors. Nor were the signs of future
intellect at all wanting still further to confirm and justify his parents in the
opinion they had formed of his brilliant destiny. Such indeed was the child's
mental precocity, that new fears began to take possession of Mrs. Peacock, lest
his extraordinary forwardness might be the forerunner of premature decay. But
happily for the interests of Masonry, these maternal fears were never realized.
The boy grew apace in body and mind. Before he was eight years old, he had
nearly mastered all the intricacies of the English alphabet; and such was his
progress in natural history, as illustrated in his horn book, that before he was
ten he could readily tell the picture of a hog from that of a horse without any
prompting or assistance whatever. Such wonders indeed may have since been
witnessed under the system of infant schools lately brought into vogue, but it
must be recollected that our hero at that day was deprived of the advantages of
that incomparable method of hot-bed instruction. Mrs. Peacock, when viewing this
unparalelled improvement of her darling son, would often heave a sigh of regret
that she was doomed to bring up a child of such promise in this publican
land, as she termed it, where he could never become a lord or a lord's
gentleman, or wear any of those great titles to which his abilities would
doubtless raise him in England. But Mr. Peacock was wont to soothe her grief on
these occasions by suggesting that Timothy might, and unquestionably would,
become a great Mason, and thus acquire all the grand titles of this order, which
was no doubt introduced into this country as the only way of conferring titles
and distinctions in this land of ragamuffinous dimecrats.
It was reflections like these, probably, that operated on Mr. Peacock about
this time, and rendered him unusually anxious to advance still further himself
in the higher degrees of Masonry, in which, as yet, he had made no other
progress than that which we have already described in the preceding chapter.
Botherworth had been applied to for this purpose, but that gentleman informed
Mr. Peacock that he had already imparted all that was useful or instructive in
all the degrees which he himself had taken, and that whoever wished for any more
of the mystery, must obtain it from a regular lodge in which it could alone be
conferred. Mr. Peacock accordingly made application to sundry Masons to obtain
their intercession with the lodge in his behalf, but these applications, though
backed by a frequent use of those signs and tokens which Botherworth had told
him were so omnipotent, were never heeded, and all his attempts therefore to
gratify his ambition in this line of preferment were entirely fruitless. This
was a source of great mortification as well as of much perplexity to Mr.
Peacock, who could by no means satisfactorily account in his own mind for these
unexpected failures after having made so much progress in the art. He sometimes
began to entertain serious doubts whether he had been properly initiated, and
whether his masonry was of the legitimate kind. And in this, perhaps, he may be
joined by some of my masonic readers. I cannot think, however, that these
scruples of Mr. Peacock were well-grounded: At least, I do not consider that he
had reason to complain of any injustice done him by the Worshipful Master, who
initiated him, in withholding any useful masonic knowledge; for if he did not
impart all those secrets, or perform in strictness all the ceremonies usual on
such occasions, he substituted as many others as were a fair equivalent, and
those too of a character which would not derogate from the decency or dignity of
a legitimate initiation. But to return from this digression: Mr. Peacock finally
gave up his doubts respecting the genuineness of his masonry, and attributed his
want of success to the circumstance of his being a foreigner, which he supposed
was sufficient to awaken the envy and provoke the hostility of even the
fraternity in this land of titulary barrenness. This, however, was a disability
to which his son would not be subject, and he concluded therefore to centre his
hopes on Timothy for distinguishing his family by the reflected honors of that
illustrious order. Accordingly he early endeavored to impress his young mind
with reverence to the institution, and for that purpose had a little apron made
for the boy, beautifully over-wrought with masonic emblems. His dog was named
Jubelo, his cat Jubela, and his pet-lamb Jubelum. And thus,
by keeping these rudiments of mystic knowledge continually before his youthful
mind, those impressions were doubtless implanted, to which may be attributed the
subsequent direction of mental energies that raised our hero to such a pinnacle
of glory on the ladder of Jacob.
But as it may not be interesting to the reader to follow my hero through a
minute detail of his various improvements to the completion of his education, I
shall pass lightly over this period of his life, and content myself with
observing that his progress in science, literature, and all the various branches
of knowledge which he attempted, fully made good the promise of his childhood at
the age when, as before mentioned, he accomplished his abecedarian triumph. It
may be proper, however, here to notice one prevailing taste which he early
manifested in the course of his education: This was a strong predilection for
the study and exercise of the art of oratory, and that part of it more
especially which, seeking the most dignified and sonorous expressions,
constitutes what is called the Ciceronian flow. So high, indeed, was the
standard of his taste in this particular, that he rarely condescended, when he
attempted any thing like a display of his powers, to use any words, (except the
necessary adjuncts and connectives) short of polysyllables.—And these, with the
intuitive quickness of genius, he at once seized upon and appropriated to his
use, selecting them from the great mass of those undignified cumberers of our
language, monosyllables, by the same rule by which the acute farmer, in
purchasing his scythe or his cauldron, or by which, in selecting his seed
potatoes from his ample bin, he is accustomed to make choice of the largest and
the longest. It was this trait, probably, in the intellectual character of our
hero—this gift, so peculiarly adapted to give expression to the lofty dictums of
masonic philosophy, that contributed mainly in rearing him to that eminence
among the fraternity for which he was afterwards so conspicuous.
But these juvenile years flew rapidly away, and time rolling on, and bringing
about many other events of moment to the world, brought also our hero to the age
of twenty-one,— that important period which so often gives a turn to our
destinics for life. It did so to Timothy. Mr. Peacock, who had long deliberated
on the course of life most advantageous for his son to pursue, at last
concluded, as he had no employment suitable for one of his genius at home, to
send him abroad to seek his fortune. And although he could furnish but a small
allowance of the needful for such an enterprize, his means having been sadly
impaired of late years, not only in the education of Timothy, who had been sent
one quarter to a neighboring academy by way of adding the finishing polish to
his acquirements, but by the heavy drafts of Mrs. Peacock on the bar-box of the
Doggery for the support of her show of the family dignity, yet he had little
doubt but Timothy's talents and education would command for him both emolument
and honor. This course having been once settled and confirmed by all parties in
interest, arrangements were soon completed for his departure. The important day
fixed on for this purpose at length arrived; and our hero having buckled on his
pack for his pedestrian excursion, went to receive the adieus and blessings of
his parents before leaving their kind roof for the broad theatre of the world,
when Mr. Peacock, with the characteristic frankness of the high-minded English,
thus addressed him:
"As you are now about to go abroad into the world, in the first place,
remember, my son, that all men are scoundrels by nature, and especially in this
country of dogs and dimecrats. But you have an Englishman's blood beneath
your hide, which should make you hold up your head in any country. But blood, I
know, won't do every thing for you without tallow; and as I have but little of
the solid lucre to give you, why, you must cut and carve out a fortune for
yourself. They will tell you that this rippublercan government is the
best in the world; but they lie as fast as a dog will trot, except the fast
trotting dogs. I see nothing here that compares with England, but masonry, which
you must join as soon as you get settled, as I have often told you; then you
will have titles that the dimecrats can't get away from you, do what they
will. Then go, my son, and become a great man, and do something in the world
that will make your ancestors proud of you till the last day of eternity, so
mote it be, amen and good by to ye."
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