[Anon.] – Apologie pour l’Ordre des Francs-Maçons. Par Mr. N*** Membre de l’Ordre. Avec deux chansons composées par Le Frère Américain

[Anon.]
Apologie pour l’Ordre des Francs-Maçons. Par Mr. N*** Membre de l’Ordre. Avec deux chansons composées par Le Frère Américain

La Haye, Chez Pierre Gosse, 1742
12mo, modern half red morocco with gilt title and flower decoration to spine, frontispiece, title page printed in red and black, [14] + 118 + [3](engraved musical scores) + [2] pp.; very good copy, bound with original blue wrappers and pages untrimmed

First edition copy of one of the early key texts in defence of Freemasonry. It presents the Masonic Order by answering the objections which could be formulated by the society of the time, and it is to the “Equitable public, this most impartial judge of all” that the author wants to “submit his proofs”. The work has been wrongly attributed to the notorious Freemason François-Felix Nougaret (1740 – 1831) or the prolific writer Pierre-Jean-Baptise Nougaret (1742-1823). New research identifies the author as the German gem-engraver Johann Lorenz Natter (1705 – 1763), a key figure in the diffusion of Masonic ideas throughout Europe. The text specifies the rights and the benefits of being a Freemason with the accent on brotherhood and universality: “L’agrément de reconnaître les frères, quoiqu’en pays étranger, dans un lieu dont on ignore la langue et sans les avoir jamais vus auparavant, et cela par un langage et des signes usités universellement dans l’ordre.” It also points out the restriction of accepting only Christians as members of the Lodge. The composer of the two songs “composées par Le Frère Américain” is most likely Benjamin Franklin. Our copy has only Pierre Gosse in The Hague mentioned as a publisher while some copies of the same year mention Gosse and George Conrad Walther in Dresden. The frontispiece is an allegorical representation of Masonic love. A beautiful copy bound in its original wrappers with untrimmed pages.