con form ity . ▁Though ▁Ash m ole ▁was ▁" one ▁of ▁the ▁earliest ▁Fre em asons , ▁[ and ] ▁appears ▁from ▁his ▁writ ings ▁to ▁have ▁been ▁a ▁ze alous ▁Ros ic ru cian ", ▁John ▁G ad bury ▁wrote ▁that ▁" An th ony ▁Wood ▁hath ▁f als ely ▁called ▁him ▁a ▁Ros ic ru cian , ▁Where as ▁no ▁man ▁was ▁further ▁from ▁fost ring ▁such ▁fol lies ." ▁Ash m ole ' s ▁invol vement ▁with ▁Fre em ason ry ▁and ▁Ros ic ru cian ism ▁may ▁have ▁been ▁social ▁or ▁the ▁interest ▁of ▁an ▁anti qu arian , ▁rather ▁than ▁born ▁out ▁of ▁any ▁religious ▁fer v our . ▁However , ▁the ▁notion ▁of ▁a ▁repository ▁of ▁universal ▁knowledge ▁is ▁described ▁in ▁Ros ic ru cian ▁writ ings ▁and ▁this ▁idea ▁may ▁have ▁partly ▁inspired ▁Ash m ole ' s ▁desire ▁to ▁found ▁a ▁great ▁museum . ▁ ▁Ash m olean ▁Museum ▁ ▁In ▁ 1 6 6 9 , ▁Ash m ole ▁received ▁a ▁Doctor ate ▁in ▁Medicine ▁from ▁the ▁University ▁of ▁Oxford . ▁He ▁maintained ▁his ▁links ▁with ▁the ▁University ▁and , ▁in ▁ 1 6 7 7 , ▁Ash m ole ▁made ▁a ▁gift ▁of ▁the ▁Tr ades c ant ▁Collection , ▁together ▁with ▁material ▁he ▁had ▁collected ▁independently , ▁to ▁the ▁University ▁on ▁the ▁condition ▁that ▁a ▁suitable ▁home ▁be ▁built ▁to ▁house ▁the ▁materials ▁and ▁make ▁them ▁available ▁to ▁the ▁public . ▁Ash m ole ▁had ▁already ▁moved ▁into ▁the ▁house ▁adjacent