straits of Gades or Gibraltar, might appropriately be referred to the two pillars that stood at the porch of the temple. [Illustration: Map of Mediterranean Sea and surrounding area.] A masonic lodge is, therefore, a symbol of the world. This symbol is sometimes, by a very usual figure of speech, extended, in its application, and the world and the universe are made synonymous, when the lodge becomes, of course, a symbol of the universe. But in this case the definition of the symbol is extended, and to the ideas of length and breadth are added those of height and depth, and the lodge is said to assume the form of a double cube.[68] The solid contents of the earth below and the expanse of the heavens above will then give the outlines of the cube, and the whole created universe[69] will be included within the symbolic limits of a mason's lodge. By always remembering that the lodge is the symbol, in its form and extent, of the world, we are enabled, readily and rationally, to explain many other symbols, attached principally to the first degree; and we are enabled to collate and compare them with similar symbols of other kindred institutions of antiquity, for it should be observed that this symbolism of the world, represented by a place of initiation, widely pervaded all the ancient rites and mysteries. It will, no doubt, be interesting to extend our investigations on this subject, with a particular view to the method in which this symbolism of the world or the universe was developed, in some of its most prominent details; and for this purpose I shall select the mystical explanation of the _officers_ of a lodge, its _covering_, and a portion of its _ornaments_. XIV. The Officers of a Lodge. The Three Principal Officers of a lodge are, it is needless to say, situated in the east, the west, and the south. Now, bearing in mind that the lodge is a symbol of the world, or the universe, the reference of these three officers to the sun at its rising, its setting, and its meridian height, must at once suggest itself. This is the first development of the symbol, and a very brief inquiry will furnish ample evidence of its antiquity and its universality.