Discovered in 1930 by Bro Charles T McInnes in the Old
Register House, Edinburgh
SOME QUESTIONES THAT MASONS USE TO PUT THOSE WHO HAVE YE WORD
BEFORE THEY WILL ACKNOWLEDGE THEM
Quest. 1 Are you a mason.
Answer yes
Q: 2 How shall I know it?
Ans: you shall know it in time and place convenient.
Remark the forsaid answer is only to be made when there is
company present who are
not masons But if there be no such company by, you should answer
by signes tokens
and other points of entrie
Q: 3 What is your first point?
Ans: Tell me the first point ile tell you the
second,
The first is to heill and conceall, second, under no less pain,
which is then
cutting of your throat, For you most make that sign, when you
say that
Q: 4 Where wes you entered?
Ans: At the honourable lodge.|
Q:5 What makes a true and perfect lodge?
Ans: Seven masters, five entered
apprentices, A dayes journey from a burroughs town without bark
of dog or crow of
cock
Q: 6 Does no less make a true and perfect lodge,
Ans: yes five masons and three
entered apprentices &c.
Q: 7 Does no less.
Ans: The more the merrier the fewer the better chear
Q: 8 What is the name of your lodge
Ans: Kilwinning
Q: 9 How stands your lodge
Ans: east and west as the temple of jerusalem
Q: 10 Where wes the first lodge.
Ans: In the porch of Solomons Temple
Q: 11 Are there any lights in your lodge
An: yes three the north east. s w, and
eastern passage The one denotes the master mason, the other the
warden The third the
setter croft.
Q: 12 Are there any jewells in your lodge
Ans: Yes three, Perpend Esler a Square
pavement and a broad ovall
Q: 13 where shall I find the key of your lodge,
yes [? = Ans] Three foot and an
half
from the lodge door under a perpend esler, and a green divot.
But under the lap of
my liver where all my secrets of my heart lie
Q: 14 Which is the key of your lodge
Ans: a weel hung tongue
Q: 15 where lies the key
Ans: In the bone box
After the masons have examined you by all or some of these Questions and that
you
have answered them exactly and mad the signes, they will
acknowledge you, but not a
master mason or fellow croft but only as [? = an] apprentice,
soe they will say I
see you have been in the Kitchine but I know not if you have
been in the hall, Ans I
have been in the hall as weel as in the kitchine
Quest 1 Are you a fellow craft
Ans: yes
Quest 2 How many points of the fellowship are ther
Ans: fyve viz foot to foot
Knee
to Kn[ee] Heart to Heart, Hand to Hand and ear to ear. Then make
the sign of
fellowship and shake hand and you will be acknowledged a true
mason. The words are
in the I of the Kings Ch 7, 21, and in 2 chr: ch 3 verse last.
THE FORME OF GIVEING THE MASON WORD
Imprimis you are to take the person to take the word upon his
knees and after a
great many ceremonies to frighten him you make him take up the
bible and laying his
right hand on it you are to conjure him, to sec[r]ecie, By
threatning that if [he]
shall break his oath the sun in the firmament will be a witness
agst him and all the
company then present, which will be an occasion of his damnation
and that likewise
the masons will be sure to murder him, Then after he has
promised secrecie They give
him the oath a[s] follows
By god himself and you shall answer to god when you shall stand nakd before him,
at
the great day, you shall not reveal any pairt of what you shall
hear or see at this
time whither by word nor write nor put it in wryte at any time
nor draw it with the
point of a sword, or any other instrument upon the snow or sand,
nor shall you speak
of it but with an entered mason, so help you god.
After he hes taken the oath he is removed out of the company, with the youngest
mason, where after he is sufficiently frighted with 1000
ridicolous postures and
grimmaces, He is to learn from the sd mason the manner of
makeing his due guard whis
[? = which] is the signe and the postures and words of his
entrie which are as
follows
ffirst when he enters again into the company he must make a ridiculous bow, then
the
signe and say God bless the honourable company. Then putting off
his hat after a
very foolish manner only to be demonstrated then (as the rest of
the signes are
likewise) he sayes the words of his entrie which are as follows
Here come I the youngest and last entered apprentice As I am sworn by God and St
John by the Square and compass, and common judge to attend my
masters service at the
honourable lodge, from munday in the morning till saturday at
night and to keep the
Keyes thereof, under no less pain then haveing my tongue cut out
under my chin and
of being buried, within the flood mark where no man shall know,
then he makes the
sign again and with drawing his hand under his chin alongst his
throat which denotes
that it be cut out in caise he break his word.
Then all the mason present whisper amongst themselves the word beginning at the
youngest till it comes to the master mason who gives the word to
the entered
apprentice.
Now it is to be remarked that all the signes and words as yet spoken of are only
what belong to the entered apprentice, But to be a master mason
or fellow craft
there is more to be done which after follows.
ffirst all the prentices are to be removed out of the company and none suffered
to
stay but matters.
Then he who is to be admitted a member of fellowship is putt again to his knees,
and
gets the oat[h] administrated to him of new afterwards he must
go out of the company
with the youngest mason to learn the postures and signes of
fellowship, then comeing
in again, He makes the masters sign, and sayes the same words of
entrie as the
app[rent]ice did only leaving out the com[m]on Judge then the
masons whisper the
word among themselves beginning at the youngest as formerly
afterwards the youngest
mason must advance and put himself into the posture he is to
receive the word and
sayes to the eldest mason in whispering
The worthy masters and honourable company greet you weel, greet you weel, greet
you
weel.
Then the master gives him the word and gripes his hand after the masons way,
which
is all that is to be done to make him a perfect mason
[Endorsement]
Some Questiones Anent the mason word 1696
