Ars Quatuor Coronatorum

BEING THE TRANSACTIONS OF THE

QUATUOR CORONATI LODGE NO. 2076, LONDON.

[Illustration: From the Isabella Missal. British Museum Add. Mss. 18,851. Circa 1500 A.D. — Three robed figures, one bearing a staff.]

EDITED FOR THE COMMITTEE BY W. J. SONGHURST, P.G.D.

VOLUME XXXVII.

W. J. PARRETT, LTD., PRINTERS, MARGATE. 1924.

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TABLE OF CONTENTS.

LODGE PROCEEDINGS.

	PAGE
Friday, 4th January, 1924	1
Friday, 7th March, 1924	51
Friday, 2nd May, 1924	105
Tuesday, 24th June, 1924, St. John's Day in Harvest	216
Thursday, 3rd, to Sunday, 6th July, 1924. Summer Outing: Birmingham and neighbourhood	253
Friday, 3rd October, 1924	260
Saturday, 8th November, 1924. Festival of the Four Crowned Martyrs	295

NOTES AND QUERIES.

	PAGE
Thos. Turner, No. 192	102
The Nomenclature of Lodges	102
John Senex and the Royal Society	102

OBITUARY.

	PAGE
Badman, Harry Alfred	312
Ballentyne, Henry	252
Burgess, Thomas	312
Butcher, Charles	252
Carr, Dr. Thomas	312
Childs, Frederick John	252
Clark, Owen Aly	252
Cooper, Rev. Charles E.	252
Coster, Arthur Augustus	312
Craven, Archdeacon James Brown	312
Dalziel, Sir Thomas Kennedy	103
Davies, John	103
Dear, Lawrence Hart	312
de Lange, Eyvino	103
Edwards, Charles Lund Fry	103
Gordon, Alan Bell	252
Graham, Thomas Talbot	103
Gray, Thomas Lowe	103
Green, Dr. William	103
Harding, James Cooper	104
Holme, Richard Hopper	312
Holzapfel, W. C. A.	104
Hyde, Henry	312
MacBride, Andrew Summerville	104
McCall, Robert William Victor	252
Marriott, Horace Bruce	312
Murdock, R.	104
Ogden, David	252
Preedy, William Frederick	104
Pryce, Thomas Lawrence	313
Ralfing, Thomas John	252
Reece, Richard James	252

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Table of Contents.

OBITUARY.—Continued.

	PAGE
Seamon, William Henry	313
Sharratt, Albert Varey	313
Smith, Cornwallis Fountayne Henry	104
Spalding, John Tricks	252
Spencer, Thomas	104
Taylor, George William	104
Teeton, William	104
Thomas, Lieut.-Col. William Frederick	313
Tostevin, Peter	104
Tucker, Alfred	313
Walsh, Charles Herbert	313
Warne, Henry	252
Westwood, William F. T.	313
Whadcoat, John Henry	313
Wilkinson, Major William	252
Wood, Arthur Wood	104
Wright, Dr. Olin S.	104

PAPERS AND ESSAYS.

Masonic Ritual and Secrets before 1717. By Herbert Poole ... 4

The possibility of arriving at sound conclusions; The absence of early evidence; Limitation to period before 1730, 4; Masonic documents, Manuscripts, and Printed Catechisms, 5; Their evidence considered, 6; The admission ceremony reconstructed, 13; Forms of the Oath, 15; Test questions and Ritual questions, 17; The Lodge, its Form, Ornaments, etc., 19; The question of Degrees, Operative and Speculative, 27. Comments by J. Heron Lepper, 28; R. I. Clegg, 29; John Stokes, 30; Rodk. H. Baxter, 31; R. J. Meekren, 32; W. J. Songhurst, 34; J. Walter Hobbs, 36; Gilbert W. Daynes, 37; Rev. H. G. Rosedale, 39. Reply by H. Poole, 41.

The Goose and Gridiron. By W. J. Williams ... 44

Lodges at the Tavern, 41; Particulars of the Tavern property extracted from Leases granted 1764–1854, 45; The position of London House Yard and Mitre Court, St. Paul's Churchyard, 47; An extension of the Goose and Gridiron eastwards, 48; The extension identified as having been in the occupation of Thomas Foster, 48; Ned Ward's description of the Goose and Gridiron; A 'fore-edge' painting shows an imaginary view of the Tavern, 49.

The Craft in the 18th Century. By Arthur Heiron ... 53

Triangular form of Lodge suggested; The Altar; Drawing the Lodge, 56; The Sword; Clothing; Officers, 57; The Duties of the Tyler, 59; Smoking and Drinking in Lodge; The Lectures, 61; The Mop and Pail, 64; Different systems of Working, 73; Discipline in Lodge, 74; Playhouse Tickets not to be sold during Lodge hours, 76; A Pall or Mort-cloth, 77; A Perpend Ashler, 78; Aprons provided, 80. Comments by J. Heron Lepper, 81; Gilbert W. Daynes, 83; J. E. S. Tuckett, 87; Robert I. Clegg, 89; R. J. Meekren, 92; W. J. Songhurst, 93; G. W. Bullamore, 94; C. Walton Rippon, 95; Gilbert S. Shadwell, 96. Reply by A. Heiron, 97.

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Table of Contents.

PAPERS AND ESSAYS.—Continued.

The Duke of Lorraine and English Freemasonry in 1731. By Gilbert W. Daynes ... 107

The Duke present at a Lodge at Houghton Hall in 1731, 106; Anderson states that he was then made a Master Mason, 109; Visits of the Duke to the Hague and London in 1731, 110; His reception in England by the King, the Duke of Grafton, Sir Robert Walpole, and others, 111; His membership of the Royal Society, 118; His Masonic friends, 119; A Visit to Grand Lodge in company with the Prince of Wales, 120; The Candidates at the Houghton Hall Meeting, 124. Comments by J. Heron Lepper, 132; Rodk. H. Baxter, 133; Geo. W. Bullamore, W. J. Williams, 134; G. W. G. Barnard, 137; J. E. S. Tuckett, 138. Reply by G. W. Daynes, 139.

A Contribution to the History of Freemasonry in the former Danish West Indian Islands. By J. Rasmussen. Translated by Knud Knud-Hausen ... 144

An English Lodge at St. Croix in 1756; The formation of a Danish Lodge there in 1776; Christian Ewald the first Master, 145; Work carried on under the system of the Strict Observance, and later under the Rectified Rite; the Scots degree, 146; Relations with English Lodges, 148; List of Members of the Danish Lodge, 151; Ewald's membership of the Order of the Chain, 153; The Danish Lodge lapses, 154; Notes on some of its members, 155; A Danish Lodge formed in St. Thomas as a Daughter-Lodge of St. Croix, 159; The Lodge Minutes, 160; Attempts to control a French Lodge, 162; Difficulties in securing suitable Lodge premises, 164; A Charter as a Mother-Lodge obtained from Copenhagen in 1803, 167; The Lodge ceases work in 1810, 180; Notes on some of its members, 182; A Scottish Lodge at St. Croix, 194; The English Lodge 'Harmonic' at St. Thomas, founded 1818, 195; The Membership of Isaac Lindo, Past Grand Warden, 197; His Grave in the Jewish Cemetery, 200; The Officers and Members of the Lodge, 201.

Mr. Anthony Sayer: Gentleman. First Grand Master of Masons, 1717. By J. Walter Hobbs ... 218

State of the Craft prior to 1717; The formation of Grand Lodge; A man of position and influence needed as head, 219; Reasons for Anthony Sayer being such, 222; 'Constitutions' of 1723; Grand Lodge first Minute Book; Sayer's portrait, 223; Report of his death and burial, 225; The Sayer families; Only one Anthony Sayer family found; Its location and connections, 226; Reasons for the conclusion that Anthony Sayer was in fact a 'Gentleman,' 226; The Sayers of Berkshire and elsewhere; Anthony Pyseley and his benefactions, 228; Suggestions for further research, 235. Comments by J. Heron Lepper, 239; J. E. S. Tuckett, 241; Rodk. H. Baxter, 242; H. Poole; E. A. Ebblewhite, 243; Philip Crosslé, 244; W. J. Williams, 245; W. L. Rind, 246. Reply by J. Walter Hobbs, 247.

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Table of Contents.

PAPERS AND ESSAYS.—Continued.

Summer Outing: Birmingham and Neighbourhood. By J. Walter Hobbs ... 253

Visit to Bournville, and the Works of Cadbury Bros., 253; The College and Church at Knowle; Temple Balsall, 255; Coventry, St. Michael's Church, Holy Trinity Church, St. Mary's Hall, 256; The Charterhouse; Birmingham and the Cathedral Church, the Art Gallery, the Public Library and the Shakespeare Library, Boulton and Watt relics; Coleshill, 257; New Hall; Sutton Coldfield, 258.

The Unknown Philosopher. By H. C. de Lafontaine ... 262

General characteristics of the life of Louis Claude de Saint Martin, 262; His early years, 263; His association with Martinez de Pasqually, 265; His correspondence with Willermoz, 267; Reference to Masonry in Russia; St. Martin's addresses to Masons; Reference to Cagliostro, 271; St. Martin's mature years; His correspondence with Kirchberger, 275; His interview with Chateaubriand, 280; His last days, 281; His writings, 282; The Martinist Order, 285. Comments by W. W. Covey-Crump, 286; Boris Telepneff, 287. Reply by H. C. de Lafontaine, 290.

Fortwilliam: its Historical and Masonic Associations. A note on the early days of Lodge No. 43, and some interesting possessions still preserved therein. By G. Bernard Brook ... 291

Some particulars of Fortwilliam, 291; The formation of the Lodge in 1743; The Charter; Influence on the Lodge of the rising of 1745; The Lodge Banner, 292; Sashes, Seal, Snuff-Horn, and Drinking Cup, 293.

Inaugural Address. By John Heron Lepper ... 297

The Toast of the Worshipful Master. By Sir Alfred Robbins ... 303

REVIEWS.

Title	Reviewer	PAGE
History of the Grand Lodge of Free and Accepted Masons of Ireland. Vol. I. By John Heron Lepper and Philip Crosslé. 1925	John Stokes	249
The Way of Attainment. By Sydney T. Klein	W. W. Covey-Crump	305
Histoire de la Franc-Maçonnerie française: La Franc-Maçonnerie chez-elle. By Albert Lantoine	John Stokes	307

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INDEX.

Topic	PAGE
Admission Ceremony before 1717	2
Audit Report	2
Birmingham: Summer Outing	253
Bournville: Summer Outing	253
Catechisms, Masonic	5
Chain, Order of the	153
Coleshill: Summer Outing	257
Coventry: Summer Outing	256
Daughter-Lodge, Powers of, under the Strict Observance	149
Degrees, before 1717	2
Denmark, Freemasonry in	144
Drawing the Lodge	67

Exhibits:—

Exhibit	PAGE
Apron, Oddfellows	52
,, Hand-painted	52
,, R.A. Lodge No. 156, I.C.	217
Certificate: St. Barchan's Lodge, I.C.	217
Firing-Glasses, Continental	296
Jewel, R.A., 1798, Caledonian Chapter	261
,, P.M., British Lodge	261
Portrait: Frederick, Prince of Wales	106
,, Earl of Rosse, G.M., Ireland, 1725, 1730	217
Punch Bowl, Oriental ware	217
Snuff-Box of Richard C. Smith	261
Tracing Board of Philip Broadfoot	296
Watch, with emblems of Gregorians	217

Topic	PAGE
Fortwilliam, Freemasonry at	291
Globes made by John Senex	102
Goose and Gridiron Tavern, Site of	44
Houghton Hall, Lodge at, in 1731	107
Knowle: Summer Outing	255
Lodge Customs in 18th Century	53

Lodges referred to:—

Lodge	PAGE
Absolom, Hamburg	177
Ancient French	261
Bordeaux	189
British	261
Clansentum, Woolston	103
Copenhagen	145
Cumberland	261
Curacao	177
Eureka, Scotland	194
Fortwilliam	291
Friendship, Oldham	301
Grand Master's	200
Harmonic, St. Thomas	144
Kent, London	300
Maid's Head, Norwich	107

Lodges referred to (continued):—

Lodge	PAGE
Martinique	177
Menam, Bankok	302
No. 25, Liverpool	301
No. 57, England	189
No. 116, England	189
No. 97, Dublin	189
No. 171, Dublin	300
No. 192, I.C.	102
No. 207, Ireland	301
No. 605, Scotland	194
No. 40, New York	190
No. 87, New York	189
No. 15, Quebec	102
No. 1, Dundee, London	103
Paramaribo	190
Philanthropic	296
Reconciliation	296
4th Regiment	302
9th Regiment	302
47th Regiment	102
Royal Sussex, of Hospitality, Bristol	88, 187
Royal Alfred, Oxford	189
St. Andrews, Scotland	189
St. Andrews, London	261
St. Croix	145
St. George, Hamburg	189
St. Thomas	145
St. Vincent	177
San Domingo	189
Sea Captains, Bristol	200
Shamrock, Cork	299
Stability	296
Staffordshire Militia	302
Union, London	302
Union, Charleston	300
Vespasian, Woolston	103

Topic	PAGE
Martinezism	265
Martinist Order	262
Mitre Tavern, Site of	44
Mop and Pail	67
Mother-Lodge, Powers of, under the Strict Observance	149
Oddfellows' Apron	52
Old Charges, Evidence of Ritual in	2
Operative and Speculative before 1717	2
Pall or Mort cloth	77, 292
Perpend Ashler	78

Persons referred to:—

Person	PAGE
Abrahamsen, A.	189
Adams, William	261
Addenham, Lord	227
Alstrup, Jens	153
Anderson, James	71, 94
Angell, Bro.	145, 157
Armstrong, G.	195
Ash, Thomas	194
Badman, H. A.	312
Ballentyne, H.	252
Barnard, Canon	253
Barnard, G. W. G.	139
Bartels, B. D.	192

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Index.

Persons referred to:—

Person	PAGE
Batson, Thomas	131
Baxter, R. H.	31, 133, 242
Boyer, P. G.	192
Bierregaard, Bro.	149
Biakeley, G. A.	195
Blamont, Count	112
Blayney, Lord	193
Block, J. F.	192
Block, M.	192
Bollmann, H.	189
Bonbonus, J.	209
Boscuwen, Mr.	114
Bourcke, E.	158
Boyle, James	149
Braun, M. A.	193
Bretton, F. B.	192
Broadfoot, Philip	296
Brown, J. P.	158
Brooks, George	298
Brown, John	301
Brown, W. H.	194
Brun, J.	158
Bullamore, Geo. W.	134
Burgess, Thomas	312
Burke, Walter	149
Bush, R. L.	195
Butcher, Charles	252
Cagliostro	271
Calder, John	312
Campbell, General	291
Campbell, John	62
Carr, Dr. Thos.	312
Cartaret, Lord	112
Carty, F. A.	195
Celine, A.	145
Charisinus, F. A.	145
Chesterfield, Earl of	109
Childs, F. J.	252
Christiansen, N. P.	194
Churchill, General	167
Clare, Martin	71, 94
Clark, O. A.	252
Clegg, R. I.	29, 89
Cole, Benjamin	92
Coleraine, Lord	107
Combe, H. C.	46
Cooper, Allan	102
Cooper, Rev. C. E.	252
Corker, Thomas	300
Coster, Arthur A.	312
Coulston, William	85
Covey-Crump, W. W.	286, 305
Craven, Rev. J. B.	312
Crosslé, Philip	244
Crow, James	301
Crowe, A. C.	194
Cullen, J. P.	302
Cuyler, H.	200
da Costa, E. C. M.	200
Dagenfelt, Count	119
Daltera, J.	209
d'Altham, Count	119
Dalziel, Sir T. K.	163
Danastorg, T.	193
Darcey, Mr.	114
Davidson, P. F.	201
Davies, John	103
Daynes, G. W.	37, 83, 103, 139
d'Azevedo, M.	200
Dear, Lawrence H.	312
de Chabert, H.	194
de Haas, S. B.	296
Delafaye, Charles	112
Delafield, Joseph	46

Person	PAGE
de Lafontaine, H. C.	262
de Lange, Eyvino	103
de St. Martin, Louis Claude	262
Delaware, Lord	113
Dendtler, G. F.	194
Derrick, G.	217
Desaguliers, J. T.	71, 94, 102, 110
Devonshire, Duke of	113
Didrichsen, W.	195
Dignan, John	301
Dignan, William	301
Drysdale, R.	200
Dunckerley, Thomas	61, 71
Dunmore, Earl of	113
Eades, Lloyd	300
Elbesen, L.	193
Ebblewhite, E. A.	243
Edwards, C. L. F.	103
Ellion, Bro.	190
Essex, Earl of	113
Ewald, Christian	145, 155
Fenton, S. J.	255
Ferentz, J.	152
Figg, Mr.	121
FitzGerald, David	82
Fleischer, C. G.	183
Folkes, Martin	107
Ford, E. R.	195
Foster, Thomas	48
Frederick, Prince of Wales	106
French, Mark A.	201
French, Thomas	200
Frobenius, Dr.	119
Galitzin, Prince	273
Garrick, Robert	77
Gauntlet, C. S.	48
Geheen, Baron	119
Gervais, Mr.	119
Godman, Bro.	149
Goodman, John	84
Gordon, A. B.	252
Gomez, W.	193
Goss, C. W. F.	50
Graham, T. T.	103
Grandjean, F. L.	195
Graval, J. E.	190
Gravenhorst, A.	159, 182
Gravenhorst, J. A.	192
Gray, T. L.	103
Gray, Mr.	119
Green, Joseph	90
Green, Dr. William	103
Grigg, E.	195
Guildford, Lord	113
Haagen, V.	193
Hadley, Benjamin	109
Haggerup, A.	192
Halley, Dr.	102
Hallier, J. C.	189
Hansen, F. F.	193
Hansen, I. W. R.	194
Harding, J. C.	104
Harriet, James	192
Harrington, Lord	113
Harris, William	300
Harrison, R.	200
Hartmann, J.	145, 157
Hattorf, Baron	112
Haversaat, G. F.	193
Heiter, P.	109
Heidegger, J. J.	116
Heilshorn, Bro.	195
Heiron, A.	53
Henderson, A.	195
Henley, G. S.	195
Hobbs, J. Walter	36, 218, 247, 253
Hoff, S. P.	183

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Index.

Persons referred to:—

Person	PAGE
Hoheb, Samuel	200
Holliday, J.	102
Holme, Richard H.	312
Holte, J.	158
Holtzendorf, John	109
Holzapfel, W. C. A.	104
Hoy, A. C.	145, 157
Hucks, Robert	227
Humphries, Thomas	300
Hussey, Walter	299
Hutchinson, William	71, 94
Hutington, R.	193
Hyde, Henry	312
Ivesen, H. T.	192
Jacobs, J. F.	195
Jefferys, —	44
Jeffreys, George	193
Jennings, John	300
Jensen, —	195
Johannesen, J.	190
Johnson, Thomas	107
Johnston, James	189
Jorgen, A.	193
Kalhauge, H.	184
Kausler, Bro.	146
Keerman, M.	301
King, John	200
King, William	200
Kingston, Lord	297
Kinski, Count	111
Kipmasse, C. F.	145
Klein, L. W.	184
Klein, Sydney T.	305
Knud-Hansen, K.	144
Kobke, J.	192
Kruger, C. A.	183
Lambert, P.	116
Langdon, Joseph	45
Lange, A. J.	104
Lantoine, Albert	307
Law, William	263
Leerv, C. E.	195
Leicester, Lord	107
Lentz, L.	190
Lepper, J. Heron	28, 81, 132, 239, 261, 296
Levy, Benjamin	206
Liebisdorf, Baron	263
Lightbourn, J. N.	144
Lindo, Elias H.	200
Lindo, Isaac	196
London, Bishop of	44
Lorraine, Duke of	107
Lovel, Lord	107
Lowenberg, A.	192
Lumley, James	117
Lunney, F.	195
MacBride, A. S.	104
McCall, R. W. V.	259
McMurthy, Thomas	300
McKellar, D.	200
Mackinnon, W.	293
Mackoi, W.	192
McLachlan, John	291
MacRaild, A. R.	293
Maduro, M.	193
Magens, J. M.	183
Magee, F.	195
Magneveal, Gabriel	278
Malleville, Thomas	146, 157
Marriott, H. B.	312
Martin, C. B.	193
Martin, William	50
Martinez de Pasqualis	265
Martyn, Thomas	64
Masters, —	261

Person	PAGE
Matthews, Samuel	200
Meekren, R. J.	32, 92
Melstedt, K. J.	184
Miller, James	200
Moreau, D.	193
Morck, J. B.	190
Morris, Thomas	44
Morton, Thomas	110
Moth, Bro.	149, 158
Moth, F. C.	192
Moth, P.	192
Murdock, R.	104
Nannestad, L.	184
Nansen, Bro.	192
Newcastle, Duke of	107
Nipperg, Count	119
Nissen, J. P.	190
Norfolk, Duke of	109
Norris, George	299
Ogden, D.	252
Otto, J. T. L.	183
Oliver, George	71, 94
Oxford, Earl of	113
Oxholm, P. L.	158
Pasqually, —	265
Paul, Jean	193
Paulsen, Thomas	160
Penn, Springett	297
Penthony, P.	195
Pererier, C.	189
Petersen, H.	195
Plotschmidt, Baron	119
Phelan, Anthony	189
Phillips, John	110
Pierre, D.	195
Plumpton, Stephen	302
Pontoppidan, E. N.	193
Poole, H.	4, 41
Potter, John	116
Power, Thomas	301
Preedy, W. F.	104
Prendergast, Sir Thomas	297
Preston, William	71
Pretto, Jacob	208
Pretto, David	211
Pretto, M. A.	195
Price, F. C.	243
Pryce, Thomas L.	313
Purdie, William	261
Pyseley, Anthony	228
Ralfing, T. J.	252
Raoul, A.	193
Rasmussen, Johs.	144
Ranpach, P. A.	181
Reece, R. J.	252
Ribett, Courtenay	217
Richardson, J. J.	194
Richardson, Thomas	44
Richmond, Duke of	107, 113
Rind, W. L.	246
Rippon, C. Walton	52, 95
Rivers, Lord	217
Robbins, Sir Alfred	303
Roring, Bro.	145
Rosedale, H. G.	39
Royall, Bro.	84
Ryan, John	145, 157
Sadler, Henry	65
Sayer, Family of	218
Scarborough, Earl of	116
Schuster, J. F. S.	158
Scott, Edward	299
Seamon, W. H.	313
Senex, John	84, 102
Senior, W. M.	193
Shadwell, Gilbert S.	96

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Index.

Persons referred to:—

Person	PAGE
Sharp, W. E.	302
Sharratt, A. V.	313
Shum, George	46
Simmonts, W.	193
Sloane, Sir Hans	118
Smith, C. F. H.	104
Smith, Joseph	61
Smith, Richard C.	261
Soanes, I. N.	195
Sobotker, H. J.	192
Songhurst, W. J.	34, 93
Sontag, C. H.	190
Southes, W. S.	200
Southwell, Lord	297
Spalding, J. T.	252
Sparks, Mr.	121
Spence, Thomas	300
Spencer, Thomas	104
Staineck, North	131
Stanhope, Charles	114
Stanhope, John	109
Stanhope, Philip	109
Stanley, Clark	59
Stenersen, J. D.	189
Steneberg, J.	189
Stokes, Dr. John	30, 307
Stoud, Jens	195
Struer, E.	195
Tapshire, B. P.	193
Tavarez, J.	201
Taylor, G. W.	104
Teeton, W.	104
Teilmann, A. C.	193
Telepneff, B.	287
Thomas, Lieut.-Col. W. F.	313
Thompson, William	200
Thorne, Charles	302
Thornhill, Sir James	113
Thortsen, John	152
Thurland, P. H.	194
Tostevin, P.	104
Tostrup, J.	192
Toulme, I. B.	189
Townshend, Colonel	119
Travers-Drapes, G. F.	302
Treacher, Thomas	302
Tubbs, John	300
Tucker, Alfred	313
Tuckett, J. E. S.	87, 138, 241
Turner, Captain John	127
Turner, Thomas	102
Tuscany, Grand Duke of	117
van Beverhoudt, P. C.	145, 157
Vibert, Lionel	52

Person	PAGE
von Holstein, D.	158
von Holten, C. L.	184
von Hund, Baron	146
von Meley, F. C.	184
von Roepstorff, U. V.	192
von Schley, F. C.	192
von Scholten, C. W.	183
Voss, Nicholas	44
Wadmore, James	48
Waldegrave, Earl of	112
Wales, Frederick, Prince of	106
Walpole, Sir Robert	108
Walton, John	59, 77
Ward, Edward	48
Warne, Henry	252
Werligh, G.	158
Westwood, William F. T.	313
Whadcoat, J. H.	313
Whitechurch, James	299
Wilkinson, William	252
Willermoz, J. B.	267
Williams, W. J.	44, 134, 244
Windt, G. S.	192
Wonnacott, W.	261
Wood, A. W.	104
Wood, J. S. M.	183
Wright, Dr. O. S.	104
Wulff, P. F.	192
Wyley, Col. W. F.	254

Topic	PAGE
Report, Audit Committee	2
Ritual, Masonic, before 1717	4
Royal Society, Membership of Senex, 102; Desaguliers, 110; Duke of Lorraine, Count Kinski, 118; Frederick, Prince of Wales, 119.
St. Croix, Freemasonry in	144
St. Thomas, Freemasonry in	144
Sayer, Families of	218
Senex a member of the Royal Society	102
Smoking in Lodge	60
Speculative and Operative before 1717	2
Strict Observance, Danish Lodges worked under	145
Sutton Coldfield: Summer Outing	258
Temple Balsall: Summer Outing	255
West Indies, Freemasonry in	144

---

Index.

CONTRIBUTORS.

Contributor	PAGE
Barnard, G. W. G.	137
Baxter, R. H.	31, 133, 242
Brook, G. B.	291
Bullamore, G. W.	94, 134
Clegg, R. I.	29, 89
Cooper, Allan	102
Covey-Crump, W. W.	286, 305
Crosslé, P.	244
Daynes, G. W.	37, 83, 102, 107, 139
de Lafontaine, H. C.	262
Ebblewhite, E. A.	243
Heiron, A.	53, 97
Hobbs, J. W.	36, 218, 247, 255
Holliday, J.	102
Knud-Hansen, K.	144
Lepper, J. Heron	28, 81, 132, 239, 261, 297
Meekren, R. J.	32, 92
Poole, H.	4, 41
Rasmussen, J.	144
Rind, W. L.	246
Rippon, C. Walton	95
Robbins, Sir Alfred	303
Rosedale, H. G.	39
Shadwell, G. S.	96
Songhurst, W. J.	34, 93
Stokes, John	30, 249, 307
Telepneff, B.	287
Tuckett, J. E. S.	87, 138, 241
Williams, W. J.	44, 134, 245

---

ILLUSTRATIONS.

Illustration	PAGE
Apron, Hand-painted	52
Arms of Christian Ewald	144
Certificate, Lodge at St. Croix, 1779	152
,, ,, 1785	153
,, ,, 1803	192
Charter, Danish Lodge at St. Croix	145
Ewald, Christian; Portrait	144
Fortwilliam Lodge Charter, Minute Book, Banner, Sashes, Seal, Snuff-Horn, and Drinking Cup	292
Goose and Gridiron Tavern, Site of	47, 48
Jewel of Chaplain, Lodge No. 187, Bristol	88
Jewel, Membership, Lodge at St. Croix	155
Lepper, J. Heron, Portrait	Frontispiece
Map showing Locations of the Sayers of Berkshire	228
Mitre Tavern, Site of	47, 48
Right-angled Triangle	31
Seals, Danish Lodges	193
Tomb-stone, Isaac Lindo, at St. Thomas	200

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Ars Quatuor Coronatorum [half-title page]

---

Ars Quatuor Coronatorum, BEING THE TRANSACTIONS OF THE Quatuor Coronati Lodge of A.F. & A.M., London, No. 2076,

VOLUME XXXVII.

---

FRIDAY, 4th JANUARY, 1924.

THE Lodge met at Freemasons' Hall at 5 p.m. Present:—Bros. Sir Alfred Robbins, P.G.W., Pres.B.G.P., W.M.; J. Heron Lepper, P.Pr.G.Ins., Antrim, S.W.; John Stokes, P.Pr.G.W., West Yorks., J.W.; W. J. Songhurst, P.G.D., Secretary; Gordon P. G. Hills, P.Pr.G.W., Berks., P.M., D.C.; H. Poole, I.G.; W. Wonnacott, P.A.G.Sap.W., P.M.; and E H. Dring, P.G.D., P.M.

Also the following members of the Correspondence Circle:— Bros. J. Walter Hobbs, T. H. Bryant, Chas. Curd, P.A.G.D.C., J. Chas. McCullagh, F. C. Stoate, as I.G., G. W. South, F. J. Asbury, Cecil Powney, P.G.D., W. J. Williams, B. H. Springett, J. F. Vesey-FitzGerald, G. W. Bullamore, W. E. Heaton, Robt. Colsell, P.A.G.D.C., Walter Dewes, E. F. Adams, F. Jones, Ernest Mortimer, G. E. W. Bridge, W. Ridgeway, Geo. E. King, R. C. Rann, Wm. B. Collyns, F. Stanley Henwood, Alfred Hildesley, R. I. Clegg, G.Historian, G.L. Ohio, Ivor Grantham, W. T. Phipps, T. H. Thatcher, G. Trevelyan Lee, H. G. S. Barnes, A. Presland, W. T. J. Gun, A. H. Marchant, L. A. Engel, R. W. Ferris, R. J. Meekren, Geo. C. Williams, R. J. Sadleir, Ernest E. Sharp, Kenneth Eckenstein, M. Infeld, Arthur Heiron, Percy Green, Rev. Dr. H. G. Rosedale, P.G.Ch., A. N. Tyte, J. C. Mitchell, A.G.D.C., E. B. Cozens-Brooke, W. Young, W. D. Smith, Chas. S. Ayling, C. H. Chandler, Fredk. Bare, W. E. A. Candy, D. M. Forbes, H. A. Matheson, S. W. Rodgers, R. Hornby, T. C. Eckenstein, and F. G. Collins.

Also the following Visitors:—Bros. W. F. Swan, S.W., Bucknill Lodge No. 4257; Jas. R. Hitchins, Glasgow Star Lodge No. 219 (S.C.); B. T. Tucker, Merton Lodge No. 2790; W. R. Hornby Steer, Lodge of Unity No. 69; J. R. Dadds, Ionic Lodge No. 227; and B. Ivanoff, Aldwych Club Lodge No. 3794.

Letters of apology for non-attendance were reported from Bros. S. T. Klein, L.R., P.M.; Ed. Conder, L.R., P.M.; Ed. Armitage, P.G.D., P.M., Treas.; Geo. Norman, P.A.G.D.C., J.D.; Geo. L. Shackles, P.A.G.D.C., P.M.; R. H. Baxter,

---

P.Pr.G.W., E.Lanes., I.P.M.; L. Vibert, P.Dis.G.W., Madras, P.M.; W. W. Covey-Crump, S.D.; J. T. Thorp, P.G.D., P.M.; C. Powell, P.G.D., P.M.; J. E. S. Tuckett, P.Pr.G.R., Wilts., P.M.; and W. Wynn Westcott, P.G.D., P.M.

One Lodge, one Lodge of Instruction and Forty-five Brethren were admitted to membership of the Correspondence Circle.

The Report of the Audit Committee, as follows, was received, adopted, and ordered to be entered upon the Minutes:—

---

PERMANENT AND AUDIT COMMITTEE.

The Committee met at the Offices, No. 27, Great Queen Street, London, on Friday, 4th January, 1924.

Present:—Bro. Sir Alfred Robbins in the Chair, with Bros. John Stokes, J. Heron Lepper, Rev. H. Poole, Gordon Hills, W. Wonnacott, W. J. Songhurst, Secretary, and R. H. McLeod, Auditor.

The Secretary produced his Books, and the Treasurer's Accounts and Vouchers, which had been examined by the Auditor and certified as being correct.

The Committee agreed upon the following

REPORT FOR THE YEAR 1923.

BRETHREN,

We report with much regret the death of Bro. John Paul Rylands, F.S.A., on the 22nd March, Bro. William Brown Hextall on the 5th May, and Bro. Herbert Bradley, C.S.I., on the 3rd June. The services rendered to the Lodge by these Brethren are recorded in the Transactions. Bro. George Norman, M.D., and Bro. Rev. Herbert Poole, B.A., have been elected to full membership.

On the 30th November, 1922, our Correspondence Circle showed a total of 3,081, and 250 names were subsequently added. Against this we have lost 54 members by death, 73 by resignation, while 137 were removed for non-payment of subscriptions. The number carried forward is 3,067, a decrease of 14.

The accounts now presented show that subscriptions amounting to £445 16s. 8d. are still owing. The amount of £1,000 has been reserved for printing volume xxxv. and a similar amount for printing volume xxxvi., and meanwhile it is not possible to say what part of these sums will be available for reducing the Profit and Loss Account.

Our Local Secretaries continue to do good work on our behalf. Bro. Philip Crosslé has undertaken the duties in Dublin and the neighbourhood, and Bro. Gilbert William Daynes has offered his services in Norfolk. We regret that the death of Bro. H. K. Baines deprives us of a Local Secretary for Egypt, and that Bro. Frank Hughes has been compelled to resign from that position in Staffordshire by reason of continued ill-health.

For the Committee,

ALFRED ROBBINS,

in the Chair.

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Transactions of the Quatuor Coronati Lodge.

BALANCE SHEET, 30th NOVEMBER, 1923.

Liabilities.

Item	£	s.	d.
To Life Members' Fund (357 Members)	2334	0	0
,, Subscriptions, etc., received in advance	150	13	8
,, Correspondence Circle, 1922 Balance in hand	1000	0	0
,, do. 1923	1000	0	0
,, Sundry Creditors	59	6	3
,, Profit and Loss Suspense Account, being outstanding Subscriptions as per contra, subject to realization	445	16	8
,, Lodge Account— £ s. d. Balance 30th Nov., 1922: 61 16 1; Receipts: 28 7 0; Total: 90 3 1; Less Payments: 42 7 0	47	16	1
Total	£5037	12	8

Assets.

Item	£	s.	d.
By Cash at Bank	226	5	10
,, Investment, £1,300 Consols at 56¼ per cent.	734	10	0
,, Sundry Debtors for Publications	46	16	10
,, Sundry Publications	415	7	4
,, Sundry Debtors for Subscriptions in arrear: 1923 Correspondence Circle: 369 9 7; 1922 ditto: 71 12 4; 1921 ditto: 4 14 9	445	16	8
,, Repairs Suspense Account	70	0	0
,, Profit and Loss Account	3098	16	0
Total	£5037	12	8

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PROFIT AND LOSS ACCOUNT for the year ending 30th November, 1923.

Dr.

Item	£	s.	d.
To Salaries, Rent, Rates and Taxes	675	0	2
,, Lighting and Firing	24	12	4
,, Stationery and Printing	71	6	9
,, Postages	148	11	10
,, Office Cleaning	23	15	7
,, Insurance	13	18	1
,, Telephone, etc.	13	4	8
,, Carriage and Sundries	15	1	4
,, Local Secretaries' Expenses	3	16	3
,, Library Account	32	16	1
,, Furniture	6	10	0
,, Renewals and Repairs	60	6	10
Total	£1089	0	1
To Balance from last Account	2917	4	9
,, Balance brought down	181	11	3
Total	£3098	16	0

Cr.

Item	£	s.	d.
By Correspondence Circle Joining Fees, 1923	108	13	6
,, 1923 Subscript'ns	71	11	0
,, 1922 ditto	258	13	5
,, 1921 ditto	203	10	1
,, 1920 ditto	8	15	0
,, 1919 ditto	1	11	6
[Sub-total]	652	14	6
,, Back Transactions	55	14	6
,, Lodge Publications	29	5	6
,, Other Publications	85	13	4
,, Interest on Consols: 24 15 10; Discounts: 15 3 2	39	19	0
,, Life Memberships Lapsed	44	2	0
,, Balance carried forward	181	11	3
Total	£1089	0	1
By Balance carried forward	3098	16	0
Total	£3098	16	0

This Balance Sheet does not include the value of the Library, Museum, Furniture, or the Stock of Publications, and is subject to the realization of Assets.

I have examined the above Balance Sheet and Profit and Loss Account with the Books and Vouchers of the Lodge, and certify the same to be correct and in accordance therewith.

ROBERT H. McLEOD, Chartered Accountant, 14, Bedford Row, W.C.I.

4th January, 1924.

Bro. the Rev. H. POOLE read the following paper:—

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Transactions of the Quatuor Coronati Lodge.

MASONIC RITUAL AND SECRETS BEFORE 1717.

BY BRO. HERBERT POOLE.

THOUGH the rituals, catechisms, and exposures of the early part of the eighteenth century have, on the whole, been treated with contempt, and only reluctantly admitted as having any evidential value, yet the late Bro. R. F. Gould on at least two occasions¹ has hinted at the possibility that a scientific and accurate classification of the available material might yield results of value. So far as I know, no one has as yet completed this task, though I feel sure it must have been attempted. The late Bro. E. L. Hawkins, in the first (and unfortunately the only one) of his proposed series of papers on "The Evolution of Masonic Ritual,"² confined himself largely to the 'Old Charges,' and made little attempt to estimate the authenticity of his later sources. He further—I say it with all diffidence—failed to recognise the great importance of Prichard's Masonry Dissected of 1730; and did not observe that it is that date, rather than 1716 or 1717, which should be taken as the real close of what may be called the pre-Grand Lodge period. There is a strong family likeness between the available documents up to that date, after which the picture changes completely; and I hope to show that, on the whole, the accounts which date from 1717 to 1730 confirm what we can gather from the older sources, and that Freemasonry during that period was substantially the same as in the pre-Grand Lodge period. I approach the task with some diffidence; but at least I have some hope that by opening up the subject I may perhaps clear the way for more expert statements on the whole subject.

Before dealing with the evidence in detail I must make it clear that I do not consider external evidence alone, but have also taken into account internal evidence as far as possible, and it is impossible to do justice to it on paper. We find question after question in one document bearing a strong likeness to similar details in another, and yet we may be able to see quite clearly that neither is in any way derived from the other. The inference is that the value of each is roughly the same, and any wide divergences which the documents may exhibit textually, or any evidence that they come from areas well separated, not only add to their value as independent witnesses, but also—and this is a point to be remembered, rather than constantly pointed out—suggest an antiquity greater than that of either of the individual documents.

Another point which must be referred to is the comparative lateness of the documents available. This is disappointing, especially as there are actually only four which can be definitely assigned to the pre-1717 period. But the absence of more early documents is not really surprising. There are clear indications, e.g., in the Harris MS. No. 1, that there were secrets which must not be committed to writing; and it was no doubt the growth of speculative Masonry towards the close of the seventeenth century that led to the production of private MS. 'reminders.' Such we know to have existed, for there is no reason to doubt that Anderson's account³ of the burning of MSS. in 1719 is founded on fact; indeed, we have two pieces of evidence of the destruction of writing thought to go too far—in the cases of the Harris No. 2 MS. and the Haughfoot Minute, which will be dealt with later. We should, therefore, not expect to find any early copies, and can only consider ourselves fortunate in that we have the few scraps which have been preserved.

¹ A.Q.C. xvi., 35; Hist. ii., p. 362. ² A.Q.C. xxvi. ³ 1738, p. 111.

Masonic Ritual and Secrets before 1717, etc.

"After he has taken that Oath, he is removed out of the Company with the youngest Mason; where, after he is Sufficiently frightened with a Thousand rediculous postures & Gramaces, he is to learn from the said Mason, the manner of making Guard . . ."

It is difficult to see exactly what occurred, and still more difficult to account for the recurrence of the 'thousand . . . postures and grimaces' in two documents, neither of which seems to have borrowed from the other. I am inclined to think that both obtain the phrase from some considerably older source, and that the Chetwode Crawley MS.—descended through a Lodge where 'horse-play' was in vogue—has applied it to something of that kind: while the Mason's Examination takes it to refer to the signs and 'posture' which the Candidate is taught to copy exactly.

We now reach what is perhaps the most vital, as well as difficult, part of the enquiry—what was actually taught to the newly-admitted Brother on his removal 'out of the Company.' It is worth noticing that in none of our sources is there any suggestion that any operative secrets were communicated as a part of the ceremony. These, naturally, would be covered by the pledge of secrecy taken in the O.B., but would, equally naturally, be learned by degrees in the workshop. What was necessary at the moment was the signs, tokens, words, and test questions which would enable the apprentice to prove himself a Mason when in the company of others. Before dealing with these, I must draw attention to a small problem, on which I am not prepared to express an opinion, but which should be borne in mind by the student.

All the sources imply (if they do not state it explicitly) that secrets were given after the oath of secrecy, and that this oath was administered at the commencement of the Masonic career of the Candidate. Now, since an apprentice was bound to his Master for seven years, and forbidden under heavy penalties to seek work elsewhere, it would seem to be not only unnecessary, but perhaps even undesirable, for the apprentice to be able to prove himself a Mason to a stranger. Is it possible that the giving of secrets to the apprentice indicates a 'telescoping' of ceremonies for the benefit of the speculative? I doubt if full weight has been allowed to this possibility by past investigators of the problem of the number of degrees of ancient Masonry.

The preparation for the 'return to the Lodge' (Harris 1) must have been the main task of the 'tutor' during the short period of retirement following the Oath. And the form which this took can be to some extent recovered. After the Candidate has mastered the 'thousand different postures and grimaces,' the Mason's Examination tells us:—

"the word Maughbin is whispered by the youngest Mason to the next, and so on, till it comes to the Master, who whispers it to the entered Mason, who must have his face in due order to receive it."

This appears to be substantially correct, but the account omits any description of the entrance to the Lodge. This can, however, be supplied by the Chetwode Crawley MS. We gather from this source that the Candidate learns:—

"the manner of making Guard, which is the Sign, word, & posture of his entry. and are as followes. Here am I the youngest & last entered Aprentice, As I am sworn by God and St. John, by the Square & Compass, and Common Judge, to attend my Masters Service, at the Honourable Lodge, from Munday in the Morning, to Saturday at Night, and to keep the Kyes thereof, under no less pain . . . Then all the Masons present, whisper amongst themselves the word, beginning at the youngest till it come to the Master=Mason, who gives the word to the entered prentice."

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Masonic Ritual and Secrets before 1717, etc.

Then follows one of the puzzles of the Chetwode Crawley MS.; for the entry of a 'Master=Mason or ffellow=Craft' is also described. The Candidate is again removed from the Lodge, and 'words & signs of ffellowship' are learned:—

"Then comming in again, he makes the Master=Sign, and says the same words of entry as the prentice did, only leaving out the Common Judge. Then the Masons whisper the word amongst themselves, beginning at the youngest, as formerly. Afterwards, The yowng master must advance & put himself in the posture wherein he is to receive the word, And says to the Honourable Company, whispering The worthy masons & Honourable Company that I came from, Greet yow well, Greet yow well. The the Master Mason gives him the word & grips his hand, and afterwards, all the Masons, which is all to be done to make a perfect Mason."

All this, except the addition of a degree, is confirmed by the Mason's Confession:—

"First, then, three chalk-lines being drawn on the floor [a diagram is appended] . . . Says the master, 'Come forward.' Says the prentice, 'I wot not gin I may.' Says the master, 'Come forward; I warrant you.' So coming forward the first line with one foot, while he sets the other square off at a, he lays the right hand near the left shoulder, and says, 'Good day, Gentlemen.' Coming over the second line with one foot, while he sets the other square off at b, he lays the right hand on the left side, and says, 'God be here.' Coming over the third line with one foot, while he sets the other square off at c, he lays the right hand on the right knee, and says, 'God bless all the honourable brethren' . . . Question. What say you? Answer. Here stand I, (with his feet in the form of a square), younger and last entered prentice; ready to serve my master from the Monday morning to the Saturday night, in all lawful employments."

It is not difficult to reconstruct the actual ceremony, provided we put aside the separate degree indicated in the Chetwode Crawley MS. The 'Salutation' appears—usually near the end—in several of the catechisms; apparently as the culminating point of the process of recognition of a stranger. In one case—in the Grand Mystery, of 1724—it seems to be definitely associated with 'three steps' or something of the kind; for the catechism reads:—

"Q. How many steps belong to a Right Mason? A. Three. Q. Give me the Solution ['Salutation' in Essex MS. and Institution]. A. I will —— —— ——. The Right Worshipful, Worshipful Masters, and Worshipful Fellows, of the Right Worshipful Lodge from whence I came, greet you well."

That the giving of the 'word' was the climax of the Salutation seems to be supported further by the next passage in this source. The salutation is answered by:—

"Response. That Great God to us greeting, be at this our meeting, and with the Right Worshipful Lodge from whence you came, and you are ['also' in parallel versions]. Q. Give me the Jerusalem Word? . . ."

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Transactions of the Quatuor Coronati Lodge.

This is, perhaps, further confirmed by the corresponding passage in the Sloane 3329:—

"God is Gratfull to all Worshipfull Mast^rs. and fellows in that Worshipfull Lodge from whence we Last came and to you good fellow w^t. is your name (A) J or B then giving the grip of the hand he will say Broth^r. John greet you well you (A) gods good greeting to you dear Broth^r."

It would appear from this evidence that the sequence was as set down in the Chetwode Crawley MS., and not as in the Mason's Confession; and the whole may be reconstructed thus:—

The Candidate entered; placed his feet in the form of a square; and announced himself:—

"Here stand I, . . ."

concluding by making the sign. He was then perhaps put through a few of the questions of the catechism; after which he took the three steps as described in the Mason's Confession, and gave the Salutation. Then the word was communicated to him.

What word was taught to him during the retirement is doubtful; and there is no confirmation of the statement in the Chetwode Crawley MS. that he 'is to learn . . . the Sign, word & posture.' But that the word was communicated by each Brother whispering it to his neighbour, until at last it came to the Master, who gave it to the Apprentice, seems to be established by the agreement of this very MS. with the Mason's Examination; and it seems to follow that it was communicated inside the Lodge, and not during the retirement.

The giving of the word seems to have completed the ceremony of admission. According to the Mason's Examination:—

"Then the entered Mason says what follows: An enter'd Mason I have been, Boaz and Jachin I have seen; A Fellow I was sworn most rare, And know the Astler, Diamond, and Square; I know the Master's Part full well, As honest Maughbin will you tell.

Then the Maeter says: If a Master-Mason you would be, Observe you well the Rule of Three; And what you want in Masonry, Thy Mark and Maughbin makes thee free."

There is no reference in any other source to any form of ceremony at this stage; but no doubt some short address may have been made corresponding to this, before the newly-entered Mason finally took his seat in the Lodge.

We have still to deal with the bulk of the secrets, and the question whether all, or if not, which, were communicated during the retirement from the Lodge. I think it extremely likely that a certain number of the test-questions may have been omitted, to be picked up by degrees by the Apprentice from his brethren, or from the 'Lectures' which were probably worked fairly frequently in Lodge, if not taught deliberately by the 'Intender.' But I can see no way of arriving at a solution of the question, as to which were thus treated as of little immediate importance, and which were (or may have been) selected to be communicated at once. I therefore propose to deal shortly with the whole series, arranging the material as conveniently as I can.

The question "Are you a Mason?" being answered in the affirmative, the Brother is asked, "How shall I know it?" There is very little variation

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Masonic Ritual and Secrets before 1717, etc.

in the answer, which appears in all the catechisms; and includes 'signs, tokens, and the points of entry.' The 'first point of entry' is given by all but the Trin. Coll. Dublin MS. and the Grand Whimsey, and generally is "Heal (or hear) and conceal, under no less pain . . ." The Mason's Confession gives a progressive series of signs in place of the usual answer.

"What is a Mason?" is answered only by the prints and the Dumfries MS. No. 4. The latter gives:—

"I was begotten of a man & born of a woman and besides have severall potentat kings & mighty princes to my brothers"

which is given in a simple form by the Grand Mystery. The Dumfries MS. also answers the question at a different place in the MS. with:—

"He is a worker in stone"

while the Mason's Confession seems to take us back to an old operative jingle with:—

"He's a mason that's a mason born, a mason sworn, and a mason by trade."

In reply to the question "What Lodge are you of?" three sources give the name of St. John, one that of St. Stephen, and one of Kilwinning. The Lodge, at the occasion of entry, is described as 'just and perfect' by four sources, one of which adds 'or just and lawful'; while one gives 'full and perfect,' and the Chetwode Crawley MS. says 'Hon^ble.'

To the question "What makes a just and perfect Lodge?" various answers are given, and there appears to be no set form of answer. The following are given:—

7 masters, 5 apprentices—Chetwode Crawley. 2 apprentices, 2 fellow-crafts, 2 masters—Sloane 3329. 3 of each, as above—Trin. Coll., Dublin. 1 master, 2 wardens, 4 fellows, 5 apprentices, with square, compass, and common gudge—Mason's Exam. God and the Square, with 5 or 7 right and perfect Masons—Grand Mystery. 5 fellow-crafts and 7 apprentices—Mason's Confession.

If the answer was in any way a test, I suggest that an odd number was to be given; for the Grand Mystery has the question:—

"Why do odds make a Lodge? Because all odds are men's advantage."

The numbers were evidently intended to be symbolic, or, at any rate, conventional, for the Chetwode Crawley goes on:—

"Does not less make a true perfect Lodge? 4 Masters, 3 Entred prentices, & the rest as formerly. Does no less? The more the merrier, and the fewer the better cheer,"

while the full answer in Sloane 3329 is:—

"a just and perfect Lodge is two Interprintices two fellow craftes and two Mast^rs. more or fewer the more the merrier the fewer the Bett^r. Chear but if need require five will serve that is two Interprintices two fellow Craftes and one Mast^r."

The agreement, by the way, of these two MSS., with no support from any printed version, on 'the more the merrier, &c.,' seems to suggest that that phrase may have been one of the test phrases to 'know a mason by.' The Mason's Confession has an answer worth comparing with the rest:—

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Masonic Ritual and Secrets before 1717, etc.

[Page 16 in the PDF — the text continues. The document's printed page numbers jump: this PDF page is page number 5 in the original printing.]

Now, as to the material and its classification. This seems to fall naturally into three groups, according to the manner of its appearance:—

A. In indisputably Masonic documents. B. In MS. form, ownership and antecedents unknown. C. In printed 'exposures,' etc.

This classification, however, is hardly as satisfactory as might at first appear, for, especially in Class C, we are able to sub-divide to a large extent; in fact, a different amount of weight has to be allowed for the evidential value of each separate document. Moreover, it is by no means impossible that one or more of the documents in Class C were deliberately drawn up by the Masons themselves, in order to throw dust in the eyes of the profane. Thus, Bro. Gould says of the Briscoe print, of 1724—the main text of which is, in substance, taken from an undoubtedly genuine version of the 'Old Charges'—that it¹ "was probably drawn up at the instigation of the Freemasons, as a sort of counterpoise to the catechism in the Flying Post." I am myself strongly inclined to believe that Slade's Freemason Examined, of 1754, may have had some such origin.

In view of much that has been said of Prichard's Masonry Dissected, of 1730, I have thought fit to limit the scope of my enquiry to the material (with one exception) available in the period ending at that very critical date. To extend my subject so as to include that epoch-making 'exposure,' which probably did as much as, if not more than, the 'rulers of Masonry' to develop and stereotype Masonry in the form in which we have it now, would involve a long and difficult discussion of the number of degrees given during the period 1717-1730, and also of the precise relationship of that ritual to the actual ritual in use both before and after the date of its publication. Each of these subjects requires separate discussion, if it is to receive adequate attention.

I have, however, to include the Mason's Confession, of 1755, which makes the perfectly plausible claim to have been the working of 1727, i.e., pre-Prichard.

The material, then, is as follows:—

A. In indisputably Masonic documents.

1. Grand Lodge MS. No. 2—mid-seventeenth century.
2. Buchanan MS.—second half, seventeenth century.
3. Harris MS. No. 1—second half, seventeenth century.
4. The so-called "Haughfoot Minute," of 1702.
5. Dumfries MS. No. 4—early eighteenth century.
6. Tho. Carmick MS.—1727.

B. In MS. form, ownership and antecedents unknown.

7. Harleian MS. 2054 fragment—mid-seventeenth century.
8. Chetwode Crawley MS.—early eighteenth century.
9. Sloane MS. 3329—early eighteenth century.
10. Trinity College, Dublin, MS. (endorsed 1711).

C. In printed 'exposures,' etc.

11. The Mason's Examination—1723.
12. The Grand Mystery Discovered—1724.
13. The Secret History (Briscoe MS.)—1724.
14. The Whole Institutions of Freemasons Opened—1725.
15. The Grand Mystery laid open—1726.
16. The Grand Whimsey—1730.
17. The Mystery & Motions of Freemasonry discovered—1730. }
18. The Puerile Signs & Wonders of a Freemason—1730. }
19. The Mystery of Freemasons—1730. }
20. The Mason's Confession (Scot's Magazine)—1755.

¹ A.Q.C. xvi., 37.

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Transactions of the Quatuor Coronati Lodge.

Little need be said about Class A.

1 & 2. Of neither of these MSS. is the history known; but both are of unquestionably Masonic origin, being sound copies of the 'Old Charges' of recognised types.

3. The Harris MS. No. 1 is of a slightly unusual type, as it is arranged in paragraphs with headings, and is in other ways more systematic than most. It is now in the custody of the Bedford Lodge (No. 157), to which body it was presented by one Bro. Harris in 1809; but there is not a scrap of evidence that it had formerly been in the possession of that Lodge, as suggested by Bro. Hughan. The 'form of the oath' given in this MS. is common to the three MSS. of the Harris Branch; and the note at the end, dealing with the secrets, would doubtless be, if the end of the Harris 2 were not unfortunately absent. Some of the material also appears as well in the Dumfries 4 and Tho. Carmick MSS. but their testimony is not independent, as both these MSS. are based on the Harris type.

The most important contribution of this MS. to the subject is the note at the end, referring to the secrets which must not be written, and the manner of communicating them. In the Harris MS. No. 2 this is omitted, the MS. ending abruptly in the middle of the final charge. Now the Harris 2, though very closely resembling the Harris 1, can be shown not to be a copy of it, but almost certainly a copy of the same original; and the abrupt ending seems to point to the fact that the concluding portion of the original had been rudely torn off. This may very likely have been done deliberately by some 'scrupulous brother' who considered the reference too esoteric to be written.

4. The Haughfoot Minute is unfortunately merely a fragment, as the previous page of the Minute Book has been torn out. The occurrence in a Lodge Book would, however, seem to place the material above suspicion. The date has, I believe, never been questioned.

This document agrees very closely, so far as it goes, with the Chetwode Crawley; and if the previous page contained—as one must suppose that it did—anything like the latter MS., then it must have been very esoteric indeed; and I again suggest that it was deliberately torn out for that reason.

5. Dumfries MS. No. 4. Here we are on difficult ground as the MS. is of a very composite nature. I have tried to show¹ that it is the result of intrusions by a Hope MS. on one which was based on the Harris type; but I have reasons for thinking that the Roberts print also played a small part in its composition; and if this was the case the Dumfries 4 cannot be dated earlier than 1722. There is, however, no reason whatever to doubt its genuine Masonic character; and we may safely accept Bro. Hughan's verdict,² that "undoubtedly a portion of the catechism may fairly be accepted as once used at Dumfries for Masonic purposes."

6. Tho. Carmick MS. This MS. is chiefly interesting for its connection with early Freemasonry in America, and also for its drawing of what appears to be a plan of the Lodge. It is a composite affair, which seems to have had a parentage somewhat similar to that of the Dumfries and Thistle MSS.—being copied from a MS. of Harris type largely influenced by one of the Sloane Family. No doubt can be thrown on either its date or its genuine Masonic character.

The MSS. in Class B require a little more notice, and it may fairly be said that they may all be presumed to be genuinely Masonic in character, as it is difficult otherwise to account for their existence. In no case is the exact date known, and the three more important ones have been much discussed in this respect: the tendency being to allow them only rather late dates because they

¹ A.Q.C., 1922. ² Old Charges (1895), p. 140.

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contain references to several degrees which are supposed not to have been worked until (say) after 1723.

7. The Harleian fragment is dated by experts as of the middle of the seventeenth century. Nothing is known of its origin or antecedents, but it is bound up between a genuine version of the Old Charges and a leaf containing something of the nature of Lodge accounts; and the fact of its occurrence among genuine Masonic remains seems to give it a certain value which it might not have had if it stood by itself.

8. The Chetwode Crawley MS. This is generally assigned to the early part of the eighteenth century; Bro. Hughan gives the verdict as 1730 or perhaps earlier. Nothing is known as to its history.

The most remarkable thing about this MS. is the fact that it contains, almost verbatim, the words of the Haughfoot Minute of 1702. The latter consists of the fragment:—

". . . of entries as the apprentice did Leaving out (the Common Judge) Then they whisper the word as before, and the Master Mason grips his hand after the ordinary way."

The Chetwode Crawley MS. reads:—

"Then comming in again, he makes the Mafter=Sign, and says the same words of entry as the prentice did, only leaving out the Common Judge. Then the Mafons whifper the word amougft themfelves, beginning at the youngeft, as formerly. Afterwards, The yowng mafter muft advance & put himself in the pofture wherein he is to receive the word, And fays to the Honourable Company, whifpering The worthy mafons & Honourable Company that I came from, Greet yow well, Greet yow well. The the Mafter Mafon gives him the word & grips his hand, and afterwards, all the Mafons, which is all to be done to make a perfect Mafon."

I do not think that enough significance has, so far, been allowed to this coincidence, which, unless the two documents were in substantial agreement, could only have been the result of a very deliberate and clever fraud by some person who had seen the Haughfoot Minute.

The 'second' or Master's degree indicated in the Chetwode Crawley MS. is described in some detail, and commences with the removal of E.A.'s:—

"ffrst, All the Apprentices are to be removed out of the Company, and non suffered to Stay, but only Mafon=Mafters."

Bro. Hughan pointed out,¹ that the records of the Haughfoot Lodge show no trace of any ceremony being performed which involved the exclusion of Apprentices: and, on these grounds, the evidential value of the MS. as a whole has been generally discounted. Every student is, of course, entitled to his own opinion on evidence of this kind, but to me it seems that the 'argument from silence' has little weight against the positive evidence of the Chetwode Crawley MS., and that the latter, though it may have been copied as late as 1730, must be regarded as a faithful description of a ceremony which was worked at the very beginning of the eighteenth century.

9. Sloane MS. 3329. A wide range of dates has been variously assigned to this document, and the general conclusion seems to be that the language is of fairly early seventeenth century, while the handwriting is of early eighteenth.

¹ A.Q.C. xvii., 91.

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Bro. Gould, on internal evidence, gives his opinion¹ that "the Sloane MS. as a compilation (and not merely as a transcript) is of later date than 1723"; but for my own part I cannot regard as altogether impossible the more daring opinion of Findel,² that it was among the papers which Plot had before him when compiling his Natural History of Staffordshire (1686). At any rate, we know of no earlier document specially mentioning that a Brother must come down, even 'from the top of a steeple,' to answer a sign; while in at least one place the Plot account agrees practically verbatim with this MS.

But the Sloane MS. agrees too closely with other sources, not printed, to allow of the possibility that it is merely based on material available to the world. There is, in fact, little material in this MS. which could have been borrowed from any of the printed 'exposures.' On the other hand, it has at least one connecting link with the Chetwode Crawley MS.—in the phrase "the more the merrier, & the fewer the better cheer"; while otherwise there is little but the general similarity of the whole group to connect these two MSS. The Oath, which is here given in full, has several resemblances to the form given in the 'Old Charges,' especially to that in the Buchanan MS.

10. Trinity College, Dublin, MS. This MS. is undoubtedly genuinely Masonic, but its date is too close to 1717 to allow of an authoritative decision, from the handwriting, as to whether it is earlier or later than that critical date. It bears on its back the endorsement "Free Masonry. Feb. 1711"; but the fact that it appears to refer to three degrees has led to this early date being discredited.

As far as the catechism goes, it has the usual character. It is too short to reveal much; but it is worthy of note that the question "How high is your Lodge?" is not found in any of the printed versions—only in the Sloane and Dumfries MSS.—and thus points to the genuine antiquity of parts, at least, of the substance.

The MS. concludes with some information about the signs and secrets, and, although the reference to three degrees has led to suspicion, even in this section there are some marks of antiquity. A curious word given in this MS. is "Matchpin," which is obviously a corruption and suggests either a long tradition or a writing from memory or dictation. The method of showing one's necessity, by throwing down a tobacco stopper, also has a parallel in the 1723 print; but the difference between these two references is not sufficiently great to demand a long tradition.

Before leaving these MSS. in Class B, it is worth while glancing back at the dates with which they can be associated. The Chetwode Crawley has been shown to be very closely related to a document of 1702; the Trinity College, Dublin, MS. bears the date 1711; while the language of the Sloane has been reasonably ascribed to the seventeenth century. All three documents have, however, been discredited because they refer to matters to which no other reference is found. Considering the intentional secrecy of any records on the subject, this does not seem to me altogether sound; and I consider that we may fairly accept the dates indicated for the first two; while the third, except where quite unsupported, may be reasonably held to belong to (at least) the earliest days of the eighteenth century.

Class C, the printed 'exposures' and catechisms, may be presumed to have passed through profane, if not definitely anti-Masonic hands. It is, therefore, quite possible that they may have been wholly or in part invention. Examination, however, proves that the former suggestion is really out of the question, for they agree far too closely in places with the (presumably) authentic MSS. to allow of the possibility: while it is obvious that it cannot have been in the interests of the publisher to make any radical alterations in the material submitted to him. We are justified, then, in accepting their evidence, at any

¹ A.Q.C. xvi., 35. ² Hist. (1869), p. 118, n.; but see Hughan, English Rite (1909), pp. 35-36.

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rate, when it receives independent support, as on the whole of value as relating to some period preceding their publication.

We have the further advantage, when dealing with this class, of having, in at least two cases, some contemporary evidence as to the way in which the publication was received.

11. The Mason's Examination, 1723: which was published in the Post Boy and the Flying Post. As the earliest 'exposure' which appeared in print, the presumption of genuineness is intrinsically greater than in any other case. And there is almost contemporary evidence that it was carefully suppressed by the Masons. Bro. Gould quotes¹ a rare pamphlet of 1726—only three years later—on their procedure:—

"I remember when I was last in town, there was a specimen of their Examinations published in the Post Boy, but so industrious were the Masons to suppress it, that in a week's time not one of the Papers was to be found; wherever they saw 'em they made away with them. They went from coffee-house to coffee-house, and tore them privately out of the Books. Those they could not come at so easily they bought, even at the extravagant price of 2s. 6d. and 5s. a paper. By this means there is hardly one to be met with. The Free-Masons were prodigiously nettled at the publication of this Post Boy; yet, according to their united Assurance, they put a good Face on the Matter, and said there was nothing in it; but at the same time, huddled up the affair with all the Privacy imaginable; and presently put out a sham Discovery to invalidate the other."

The way in which the Fraternity 'put a good face on it' may perhaps be fairly indicated by the last verse of the song "To all who Masonry despise," which was printed by Cole in about 1732, and which also appears in the 1738 edition of the Book of Constitutions:—

"Then let us laugh, fince we've impos'd On thofe who make a Pother, And cry, the Secret is difclos'd By fome falfe-hearted Brother The mighty Secret gain'd, they boaft, From Poft-Boy, or from Flying-Poft."

Most of the questions and answers in this document have a sufficiently close resemblance to similar ones in the MSS. to make it appear that the substance is genuinely Masonic. The description of the ceremony has some startling coincidences of expression with the Chetwode Crawley MS.; while the 'clothing of the Lodge,' which is mentioned, must have been known to many of the profane, as the custom is mentioned by Plot.

The document has, however, one feature which appears explicitly in no other, and which yet seems to point very strongly to its genuine Masonic nature. This is a reference to a 'reading' as forming part of the ceremony of admission. This will be dealt with in detail later: meanwhile, I will merely mention that the reading of the Traditional History and the Charges is almost the only feature of the ceremony of admission which we know from the 'Old Charges' to be of great antiquity.

12. The Grand Mystery Discovered, 1724. This cannot have been derived from any other known source, although the general family likeness is strong.

Besides several passages which seem to connect this print with the MSS., some light is thrown on the age of its original by a comparison with the Essex MS.² and the 'Institution of Freemasons.'³ Neither of these can claim to

¹ A.Q.C. x., 137. ² B.M. Add. MSS., 6760. ³ Reproduced in Tr. of Authors' Lodge, vol. iii. (1919).

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come within our period: indeed, the former belongs to the second half of the eighteenth century. But it is important to note that a careful comparison seems to prove that the two MSS. could not have been copies of the print; and it follows that all three were derived from a common source—presumably Masonic—which was circulating in or before 1724. The degeneration of some doggerel verses at the end of the document into prose seems to suggest a fairly long descent from this original. The passage reads:—

"Here's a Health to our Society, and to every faithful Brother that keeps his Oath of Secrecy. As we are sworn to love each other, the World no Order knows like this our Noble and Ancient Fraternity; Let them wonder at the Mystery. Here. Brother, I drink to thee."

In case there may be any doubt that this really was originally in verse, the reading "Let them wonder what the Mystery is," in both the Essex and Institution MSS.—both of which arrange the passage as if it were prose—seems to settle the question.

A strong proof of genuineness is supplied by the Oath given; which, though it differs from all the rest in Classes A, B, and C, is found to reproduce the wording of the opening articles of the 'obligation' in the 'Old Charges.' Two versions, it is true, were in print when the Grand Mystery was published—the Roberts and Briscoe: but the phrase in question—"be a true Liege Man to the King"—could not have been borrowed from either, for the former varies somewhat from the usual wording, while the latter has the curious reading (no doubt a printer's attempt at old writing) "Bear true Agement" for the usual "be a true liege man." It follows that the oath, if no other part of this document, is based on a genuine, and unpublished, Masonic source.

It is just worth while mentioning one curious feature of this document—the rather definitely Christian tone, which is almost entirely wanting in the rest, with the exception of the Dumfries MS. No. 4. The three Lights of the Lodge are taken to represent the Three Persons of the Trinity; while the two Pillars represent the "Strength and Stability of the Church in all Ages."

13. The Secret History, 1724. This consists of a copy of the 'Old Charges' (Briscoe MS.), followed by a series of elaborate signs used to appoint meetings with a Brother in various parts of London. I have already drawn attention to Bro. Gould's opinion as to its origin; but, however this may be, the document (apart from the version of the Old Charges) is of no value whatever in throwing light on Masonic usages of that date or earlier, and receives no confirmation from any other source.

14 & 15. The only known copies of these were formerly in the possession of Bro. A. M. Broadley, and they have never been reproduced. Unfortunately nothing is now known of their whereabouts or contents, so they cannot be dealt with.

16. The Grand Whimsey, printed in the Daily Journal, August, 1730. This version agrees very closely in certain parts with the Mason's Examination, of 1723; indeed, one part of the series of questions might have been bodily lifted from that source, were it not that the latter omits one question which is preserved in the Grand Whimsey, and which clearly belongs there. This is the question:—

"Where was you entered?"

with its answer:—

"In a Just and Perfect Lodge."

which precedes:—

"What makes a Just & Perfect Lodge?"

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The document also contains several other details which seem to point to its genuineness: e.g., it refers to the Yellow Jacket and Blue Breeches of the Master, which elsewhere only appear in the Dumfries MS. No. 4 and the Mason's Confession, printed in 1755. There are, moreover, several agreements with the Chetwode Crawley MS.,—e.g., the use of the 'Kitchen' and the 'Hall' to distinguish Apprentices from Fellows or Masters; and also the fact that the writer distinctly points out that the person is only an Apprentice until he has 'pass'd the Masters Part.'

We are fortunate in having preserved a contemporary record of authoritative Masonic opinion on this publication. The following is an extract from the Minutes of the Quarterly Communication held on 28th August, 1730¹:—

"Dr. Desaguliers stood up and (taking Notice of a printed Paper lately published and dispersed about the Town, and since inserted in the News Papers, pretending to discover and reveal the Misteries of the Craft of Masonry) recommended several things to the Consideration of the Grand Lodge, particularly the Resolution of the last Quarterly Communication for preventing any false Brethren being admitted into regular Lodges and such as call themselves Honorary Masons. The Deputy Grand Master seconded the Doctor and proposed several Rules to the Grand Lodge to be observed in their respective Lodges for their Security against all open and Secret Enemies to the Craft."

It would appear from this short notice that the Grand Lodge saw some real danger to the interests of the Craft in the publication of this catechism.

17, 18 & 19. These are merely reprints, practically verbatim, of the Grand Whimsey, and need not be considered separately.

20. The Mason's Confession professes to be an exposure of the procedure at a Lodge met at "D . . . about the year 1727," by a Mason who has arrived at "a conviction of that whole affair, as a mystery of iniquity." 'Profane and abominable,' 'lyes and idle nonsense,' are some of the phrases which he uses of the ceremony and oath; and he urges the publication of the document as a warning to others. Much stress cannot be laid on any of the detail, owing to the late date of publication, and an analysis of the contents with a view of showing its claims to authority will therefore be unnecessary; but certain passages in it are useful in confirming or explaining the earlier accounts, and its antecedents must be borne in mind when it is used for this purpose.

Such are the sources of information to be tapped for our purpose; but, before passing on to use them, I must again recall the fact that, though I have attempted in some measure to show reasons for considering that the various sources may be of value as evidence, yet a stronger reason remains to be found in the variations from one another of these closely-related documents. There are hardly two of them which cannot be shown to have some vital connection; and yet not one of them is copied from another. The inference, as I have already pointed out, is that, where they agree, their joint origin must be looked for a great way back; and the strikingly large number of verbal agreements among these documents lends some colour to the suggestion of Bro. Gould, many years ago,² that there may even have been some 'early and authorised' ritual. It may be remembered that Aubrey, writing in 1686, and apparently quoting Sir Wm. Dugdale as his authority, says of the Freemasons that "The manner of their adoption is very formall." I am convinced, myself, that the documents we are considering throw more light on the ritual of the pre-Grand Lodge period than they do on the development of that ritual in the subsequent decade.

¹ Q.C.A. x., p. 128. ² A.Q.C. xvi., 34.

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I now pass on to a consideration of what can actually be gleaned from the sources which I have enumerated. Before doing this I must point out that I have made no attempt to separate operative from speculative, if any difference existed, except where this distinction seemed in any way to help to explain variations in practice; nor have I made any distinction between the working of different localities, e.g., especially England and Scotland.

As to the former, we have no means whatever of determining to which class the documents belonged. One has, it is true, a feeling that it was the speculative element in the Craft which led to the written ritual; but there is no evidence on this point. On the other hand, there is one account—the Mason's Confession—which gives the impression of being an account of an operative, rather than a speculative, working. When, however, we examine the details of this document, and place them alongside of the rest, the ceremony described agrees, on the whole, very closely with the others, and I doubt if any real differences existed.

Again, the strong Scottish 'flavour' in several of the documents hardly needs to be pointed out, and it is a rather puzzling feature of the whole series. We cannot believe that all our Freemasonry is immediately derived from that country—the large number of definitely English copies of the Old Charges alone would prove the contrary. But the fact remains that the majority of the documents bear a strong Scottish impress, and I can merely state that I do not attempt to explain it, nor have I, when analysing the accounts, attempted to keep apart uses which appear to be respectively English and Scottish.

There can be little doubt that the Old Charges present us with, at any rate, a portion of the ritual of admission to the Fraternity. This ritual was somewhat as follows:—

A Prayer or Invocation. Reading of the Legendary History. The holding out of the V.S.L. for the Candidate to place his hand on, during The reading of the Charges, which ended in An OB.

It would perhaps be more proper to include the reading of the Charges in the OB, as the Candidate's hand was on the V.S.L. during this reading.

The printed Mason's Examination, of 1723, gives an account of the ceremony which agrees fairly closely with this:—

"When a Free-Mason is enter'd, after having given to all present of the Fraternity a Pair of Men and Women's Gloves and Leathern Apron, he is to hear the —— belonging to the Society read to him by the Master of the Lodge. Then a Warden leads him to the Master and Fellows; to each of whom he is to say— I fain would a Fellow-Mason be, As all your Worships may plainly see. After this he swears to reveal no Secrets . . ."

As to what exactly the missing word was, we can only conjecture. 'History,' 'Charges,' 'Constitution,' all seem to fit the gap fairly well; but the interesting feature of this 'exposure' is that the reading is mentioned by no other, and seems to stamp it as genuine.

It would appear from this account that there was some sort of perambulation of the Lodge between the Traditional History and the Oath. Nothing is more likely: for it is improbable that the Candidate was kept either standing or kneeling throughout the reading, and he would no doubt be led forward to take the Oath, and this might easily form a part of some such perambulation.

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The Grand Whimsey, of 1730, is the latest of our sources, having been published only a few months before Prichard's Masonry Dissected. According to this account:—

"two Wardens took me under each Arm, and conducted me from Darkness into Light, passing thro' two Rows of y^e Brotherhood, who stood mute, to the upper End of y^e Room, from whence y^e Master went down y^e Outside of one of y^e Rows, and touching a young Brother on the Shoulder, said, Who have we here: To which he answer'd A Gentleman who desires to be admitted a Member of the Society. Upon which he came up again, & asked me, If I came there thro' my own Desire, or at y^e Request or Desire of another; I said, My own. He then told me, If I would become a Brother of their Society, I must take the Oath administered on that Occasion . . ."

This at first sight appears to differ largely from the previous account; but I suggest that it is really only a modified—perhaps modernised—ceremony. The omission of the Traditional History may mark the final stage in the transition from operative to speculative; while the longer process of passing along the ranks of the Brethren and saying to each "I fain would a Fellow=Mason be" (if it ever was said to each of them) is reduced to a formal progress forward and the statement that the Candidate is "A Gentleman who desires to be admitted a Member of the Society."

The exact form of the Oath is given in a number of cases. Towards the end of the seventeenth century, the simple conclusion to the Charges was amplified. The earliest form was somewhat as follows (I quote from the Grand Lodge MS. No. 1, of 1583):—

"These Charges that wee have nowe rehearsed vnto yow all and all others that belong to Masons yee shall keepe. so healpe yow god and your hallydome, And by this booke in yo^r hande vnto y^e power. Amen, Sobeit."

The Buchanan MS. (second half, seventeenth century) substitutes:—

"These Charges that you haue Received you shall well and truly keepe, not discloseing the secresy of our Lodge to man woman nor Child: sticke nor stone: thing moueable nor vnmoveable soe god you helpe and his holy Doome Amen."

The rest are largely variations and amplifications of this; and I will quote only the Sloane 3329 and the Chetwode Crawley MSS. The Sloane 3329 has:—

"The mason word and every thing therein contained you shall keep secrett you shall never put it in writing directly or Indirectly you shall keep all that we or your attend^rs. shall bid you keep secret from Man Woman or Child Stock or Stone and never reveal it but to a brother or in a Lodge of Freemasons and truly observe the Charges in y^e Constitution all this you promise and swere faithfully to keep and observe without any mann^r. of Equivocation or mentall resarvation directly or Indirectly so you god and by the Contents of this book. So he kisses the book &c."

The Chetwode Crawley MS. gives:—

"By God himself, As yow shall answer to God, when you shall stand before him naked at the great day, yow shall not reveal any part of what yow hear or see at this time, neither by word nor write, nor put it into write at any time, nor draw with the point of a Sword or any Instrument, upon the Snow or Sand, nor shall yow speak of it, but with an entered Mason, So help me, God."

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The manner of taking the Oath is given in some detail in the Grand Whimsey, which, as we have seen, appears to represent a somewhat modernised ritual:—

"He then told me . . . I must take the Oath administered on that Occasion: To which assenting, a Square was laid on y^e Ground, in w^ch they made me kneel bare-kneed & giving a Compass into my Right Hand, I set the Point to my Left Breast, and my Left Arm hanging down; the Words of the Oath I cant remember . . ."

The apparent absence of the V.S.L. in this account turns out on examination to be an omission: for the last question of the catechism is:—

"Q. What was you doing while y^e Oath was tendering? A. I was kneeling bare knee'd betwixt the Bible and the Square, taking the solemn Oath of a Mason."

while at the conclusion of the document there is a note which clearly refers to the taking of the Oath:—

"N.B. There's a Bible put in the Right Hand, and the Square under the Right Elbow."

This is, it need hardly be pointed out, incompatible with the main description: but a very slight adjustment of the position would enable the V.S.L., Square, and Compasses all to play their parts. It is worth while placing beside this the account from the Scottish Mason's Confession, which professes to relate the experiences of 1727:—

"He is made to kneel on the right knee, bare; then the square is put three times round his body and applied to his breast, the open compasses pointing to his breast, and his bare elbow on the Bible with his hand lifted up; and he swears . . ."

This account alone makes any reference to the rising of the Candidate from his knees after the Oath:—

"Immediately after that oath, the administrator of it says, 'You sat down a cowan, I take you up a Mason.'"

The Harleian Fragment now plays its part:—

"There is Severall words & signes of a free mason to be reveiled to yu w^ch as y^u will answ: before God at the Great & terrible day of Judgmt y^u keep secret & not to reveile the same in the heares of any person or to any but to the M^rs & fellows of the said Society of free masons so helpe me God &c."

As it stands this appears to be an 'address from the Chair'; but the concluding words seem to show that it is in reality another form of the Oath; and it is worth noticing its obviously close resemblance to that in the Chetwode Crawley MS. Its interest lies chiefly in the fact that it specifies to some extent what the secrets are to consist of—"several words and signs."

Now the Old Charges, in almost every case, imply, in the form of oath, that the ceremony is not yet complete. The short O.B. usually pledges the Candidate to "These Charges which we have rehearsed, and all other that belong to Masonry," or words to that effect; but the Harris 1 MS. goes further, and gives hints, not what the further secrets or charges were, but how they were given:—

"Then let the prson w^ch is to be made a Mason chuse out of the Lodge any one Mason who is to Instruct him in those Secrets w^ch must

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never be Committed to Writeing which Mason he must alway Call his Tutor then let the Tutor take him into another Room [Dumf. MS. No. 3 says 'aside'] and shew him all the whole Mistery that at his return he may Exercise w^th the rest of his fellow Masons."

The Chetwode Crawley MS. agrees exactly in the main details with the Harris account:—

"After he has taken that Oath, he is removed out of the Company with the youngest Mason; where . . . he is to learn from the said Mason the manner of making Guard, which is the Sign, word & posture of his entry . . ."

It may be mentioned that there seems to be some indication of a difference between operative and speculative practice when the Mason's Confession is placed alongside of this. After the oath, the writer says, he had still no information as to what the secrets were:—

"One person in the Lodge instructed me a little about their secrets the same day that I entered, and was called my author; and another person in the lodge, whom I then chused to be my instructor till that time twelvemonth, was called my intender"

doubtless the same person that the Sloane 3329 refers to in the Oath, in the phrase 'we or your attenders.' I suggest that the speculative development in Masonry led to the change from the twelve-month instruction to a system under which the secrets were formally taught on the same night as the entrance—Harris 1 says 'to show him the whole Mistery,' but perhaps we ought not to take this too literally; and the 'tutor,' 'author,' or 'intender'—by whatever name he was called—was the youngest Mason (Chetwode Crawley MS.), and sometimes chosen by the Candidate (Harris 1 and Mason's Confession). The Dumfries 3 reading 'aside' for 'into another room' (Harris 1) or 'out of the Company' (Chetwode Crawley MS.) was doubtless due to the want of adequate accommodation in an individual case.

I think it is worth while adding here that from the Aberdeen Bye-Laws of 1670¹ the Intender's duty seems to have been a responsible one: for while he was in charge no one else but his Master was allowed to teach the Apprentice; and when the time came for the Apprentice to be examined in Lodge, the Intender was liable to be fined if it could be shown that he had omitted any of the necessary instruction.

As to the manner in which this instruction was given, we have little information. After what I have taken to be some sort of perambulation, the Mason's Examination continues:—

"he swears to reveal no Secrets of the Worshipful Fraternity, on Pain of having his Throat cut, and having a double Portion of Hell and Damnation hereafter. Then he is blind-folded, and the ceremony of —— is performed. After which he is to behold a Thousand different Postures and Grimaces, all of which he must exactly imitate, or undergo the Discipline till he does."

The blank here is more difficult to fill than the earlier one. 'Initiation' (i.e., instruction in secrets and mysteries) is the word which naturally suggests itself; but this appears after the 'ceremony of ——.' I am inclined to believe that there followed some sort of 'horse-play,' varying locally in its violence, such as has been associated with initiation in all ages, and still survives in Craft working in Scotland and elsewhere. The phrase 'the Discipline' seems to support this suggestion; and some colour is lent to it by the parallel passage of the Chetwode Crawley MS., which, though using almost identical language, uses it, however, in quite a different way:—

¹ Miller: Notes on Early History, etc., p. 64.