This essay, published in 1820, was an attempt to prove that modern Freemasonry derived from ancient Greek philosophical and religious ideas. Hippolyto da Costa (1774-1823), was a Brazilian journalist, author, Freemason and world traveller. He was imprisoned for being a Freemason by the Inquisition in Portugal in 1802; he escaped in 1805. He settled in London and wrote a two volume book about his experiences, Narrativa da Perseguição, in 1811. He went on to start the first Brazilian periodical, the Correio Braziliense or Armazém Literário, (1808-23), for which he is known today as "the founder of the Brazilian Press".
The original is extremely rare and was scanned from a reprint by the Philosophical Research Society Press dated 1936, which notes that it was "made possible through the courtesy of the Masonic Grand Lodge Library at Cedar Rapids, Iowa".
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