the old constitutions of the masons 1722
THE Old Constitutions Belonging
to the Ancient and Honourable S O C I E T Y O F Free and Accepted
MASONS
Taken from a Manuscript wrote
above Five Hundred Years since
THE PREFACE
IF any thing could have escaped the Censures of this litigious Age; if the most
innocent inoffensive Set of Men in the World could be free from
Satyr and Sarcasm,
one would have thought the Ancient and Noble Society of
Free-Masons should have
been the Men. What have they not to recommend them to the World,
and gain the Favour and Protection of wise and honest Men?
As their Art is the most Ancient, so their Profession of it is most Honourable.
The
Necessity the World was early in of the Profession of a Mason,
proves their
Usefulness; for I believe it will not be doubted, that Men had
Houses before they had
Cloaths, as they had Altars before they had Temples. Cain built
a City, and Abel, no
doubt, built an Altar, when he offered his Sacrifice to the
LORD.
THUS useful, and thus ancient, it cannot be wondered if the World honour’d them
with all the Tokens of Respect, which in those Days they were
capable of, and perhaps
more than we have yet an Account of.
THESE Honours, and this Respect, it cannot be doubted brought Men of Value
among them, who thought it not below them to wear the Badge of
the Society, and to
acknowledge themselves to be Favourers of their Greatness, as
they were Lovers of
Art.
UNDER the Protection of such Persons of Honour and Interest, it is not to be
express’d what mighty Fabricks they have erected, what glorious
Buildings they have
rais’d, from the Temple of Solomon to the magnificent Pile of
St. Peter’s at Rome.
HOW this Society has been preserv’d; How regularly they have acted; on what
wholesome Laws they have been founded, and how carefully they
have observ’d and
regarded those Laws, as the just Cement of the Society, that is
partly to be seen in this
Tract, and it will speak for itself.
NOR is their Value lessen’d or abated at all by the Dust and Scandal rais’d by
any
Men against them, or by the Freedom they have taken to banter
and rally them. The
Dirt thrown at them flyes back on those that cast it, and the
Honour of the Society of
Free-Masons remains entire. So that none of the Persons of
Honour who have lately
grac’d the Society with their Presence, have yet seen any Reason
to be asham’d of
them, or to withdraw their Protection from them.
MUCH more might be said to their Honour, but the following Piece of Antiquity is
sufficient, and will give every Reader an Authentick Account of
them. It has yet seen
the World but in Fragments, but is now put together as a Thing
of too much
Significancy to pass our Observation, and which will effectually
vindicate the Ancient
Society of Free-Masons from all that has or can be said against
them. THE HISTORY OF Free Masons, &c.
The Almighty Father of Heaven, with the Wisdom of the
Glorious Son, thro’ the Goodness of the Holy Ghost, Three
Persons in one Godhead, be with our Beginning, and give
us his Grace so to govern our Lives, that we may come to his
Bliss, that never shall have end. Amen.
G O O D Brethren and Fellows, our Purpose is to tell you how, and in what manner
the Craft of Masonry was begun, and afterwards how it was
founded by worthy Kings
and Princes, and other wise Men, hurtful to none, and also to
them that be true, we
will declare doth belong to every Free Mason to keep firm
good Faith, if you take
Heed thereunto it is well worthy to be kept, which is contain’d
in the Seven Liberal
Sciences as follows, viz.
Imprimis, It’s Grammar that teaches a Man to speak truly, and write
truly.
II. It’s Rhetorick that teaches a Man to speak fair, and in subtle Terms.
III. It’s Logick that teaches a Man to discern Truth from Falshood.
IV. It’s Arithmetick that teaches a Man to Accompt, and reckon all manner
of
Numbers.
V. It’s Geometry that teaches Mett and Measure of any Thing, and from
thence
cometh Masonry.
VI. It’s Musick that teacheth Song and Voice.
VII. It’s Astronomy which teacheth to know the Course of the Sun, Moon,
and
other Ornaments of Heaven.
Note, I pray you, That these Seven are contain’d under Geometry, for
it teacheth
Mett and Measure, Ponderation and Weight for every Thing in and
upon the whole
Earth for you to know; that every Craftsman works by Measure; He
or She that buys
or sells, is by Weight or Measure; Husbandmen, Navigators,
Planters, and all of them,
use Geometry; for neither Grammar, Rhetorick, Logick,
nor any other of the said
Sciences can subsist without Geometry, ergo, most worthy
and honourable.
You ask me how this Science was invented; my Answer is this, That before the
General Deluge, which is commonly called Noah’s Flood,
there was a Man called
Lamech, as you may read in the Fourth Chapter of Genesis,
who had two Wives, the
one called Ada, the other Zilla; by Ada he
begat two Sons, Jabal and Jubal; by Zilla
he had one Son called Tubal, and a Daughter called
Naamah. These four Children
found the beginning of all Crafts in the World: Jabal
found out Geometry, and he
divided Flocks of Sheep, and Lands; he first built a House of
Stone and Timber. Jubal
found out Musick; Tubal found out the Smith’s Trade or
Craft, also of Gold, Silver,
Copper, Iron and Steel; Naamah found out the Craft of
Weaving. And these Children
knew that GOD would take Vengeance for Sins, either by Fire or
Water, wherefore
they did write there Sciences, that they had found, on two
Pillars of Stone, that they
might be found after that GOD had taken Vengeance; the one was
Marble, that would
not burn, the other was Latress1,
that would not drown in Water; so that the one would
be preserved, and not consumed, if GOD would any People should
live upon the
Earth. It resteth now to tell you how these Stones were found,
whereon the said
Sciences were written, after the said Deluge: It so pleased God
Almighty, that the
Great Hermarmes2,
whose Son Lunie was, who was the Son of Sem,
who was the Son
of Noah. The said Hermarmes was afterwards called
Hermes, the Father of Lunie, he
found one of the two Pillars of Stone. He found these Sciences
written thereon, and
taught them to other Men. And at the Tower of Babylon,
Masonry was much made on;
for the King of Babylon, who was Nemorth3,
was a Mason, and serv’d the Science;
and when the City of Ninevah, and other Cities of the
East, should be built, Nemorth
sent thither Threescore Masons, at the Desire of the King of
Ninevah; and when they
went forth, he gave them a Charge after this manner, That they
should be true one to
another, and love one another, that he might have Worship by
them in sending them to
his Cozen the King. He also gave them Charge concerning their
Science; and then it
was the first time that any Mason had Charge of his Work.
Also Abraham, and Sarah
his Wife, went into Egypt, and taught the Egyptians
the Seven Liberal Sciences; and
he had an ingenious Schollar called Euclydes, who
perfectly learned the said Liberal
Sciences.
It happen’d in his Days, the Lords and States of the Realm had so many Sons
unlawfully begotten by other Men’s Wives, that the Land was
burthen’d with them,
having small Means to maintain them withal; the King
understanding thereof, caused
a Parliament to be called or summoned for Redress, but being so
Numberless that no
Good could be done with them, he caused Proclamation to be made
through the
Realm, that if any Man could devise any Course how to maintain
them, to inform the
King, and he should be well rewarded; whereupon Euclydes
came to the King, and
said thus, My noble Sovereign, if I may have the Order of
Government of those Lords
Sons, I will teach them the Seven Liberal Sciences, whereby they
may live honestly
like Gentlemen, provided that you will grant me Power over them
by virtue of your
Dominion; which was immediately effected, and there Euclydes
gave them those
Admonitions following
I. To be true to their King.
II. To be true to the Master they serve.
III. To be true, and love one another.
IV. Not to miscall one another, &c.
V. To do their Work so duly, that they may deserve their Wages at their Master’s
Hands.
VI. To ordain the wisest of them Master of the rest of the Work.
VII. To have such reasonable Wages, that the Workman may live honestly, and
with Credit.
VIII. To come and assemble together in the Year, to take Council in their Craft
how they may work best to serve their Lord and Master, for his
Profit, and their own
Credit, and to correct such as have offended.
Note, That Masonry was heretofore term’d Geometry, and
sithence the Children of
Israel came to the Land of Bethest, which is now
called Emens, in the Country of
Jerusalem, where they began a Temple, which is now called
the Temple of Jerusalem:
And King David loved Masons well and cherish’d
them, for he gave them good
Payment, and gave them a Charge, as Euclydes had given
them before in Egypt, and
further, as hereafter followeth; and after the Decease of King
David, Solomon his Son
finished the Temple that his Father had began; he sent for
Masons of divers Nations,
to the Number of Four and Twenty Thousand, of which Number Four
Thousand were
elected and created Masters and Governors of the Work. And there
was a King of
another Region or Country, called Hiram, who loved well
King Solomon, and he gave
him Timber for the Work; and he had a Son called Amon,
and he was Master of
Geometry, and he was chief Master of all his Masons
of Carving-Work, and of all
other Work of Masonry that belong’d to the Temple, as
appears by the Bible in Lib.
Regum Cap. 4. And King
Solomon confirmed all Things concerning Masons that
David his Father had given in Charge; and then Masons
did travel divers Countries,
some to augment their Knowledge in the said Art, and to instruct
others.
And it happen’d that a curious Mason named Memongrecus, that had
been at the
building of Solomon’s Temple, came into France,
and taught the Science of Masonry
to the Frenchmen; and there was a King of France
called Carolus Martel, who loved
greatly Masonry, who sent for the said Memongrecus,
and learned of him the said
Sciences, and became one of the Fraternity; and thereupon began
great Works, and
liberally did pay his Workmen: He confirm’d unto them a large
Charter, and was
yearly present at their Assembly, which was a great Honour and
Encouragement unto
them; and thus came the Science into France.
The Knowledge of Masonry was unknown in England until St. Alban
came thither,
who instructed the King in the said Science of Masonry,
and also in Divinity, who was
a Pagan: He walled the Town now called St. Alban;
he became in high Favour with
the King, insomuch that he was Knighted, and made the King's
Chief Steward, and the
Realm was governed by him under the said King. He greatly
cherished and loved
Masons, and truly paid them their Wages Weekly, which was
3 s. 6 d. the Week. He
also purchased for them a Charter from the King to hold a
General Assembly and
Council Yearly. He made many Masons and gave them such a
Charge as is hereafter
declared.
It happen’d presently after the Martyrdom of St. Alban, who is truly
term’d
England’s Proto-Martyr, that a certain King invaded the
Land, and destroy’d most of
the natives by Fire and Sword, that the Science of Masonry
was much decay’d, until
the Reign of King Athelston, which some write Adleston,
who brought the Land to
Peace and Rest, from the insulting Danes. He began to
build many Abbies,
Monasteries, and other Religious Houses, as also Castles and
divers Fortresses for
Defence of his realm. He loved Masons more than his
Father; he greatly studied
Geometry, and sent into many Lands for Men expert in the
Science. He gave them a
very large Charter, to hold a Yearly Assembly, and Power to
correct Offenders in the
said Science; and the King himself caused a General Assembly of
all Masons in his
Realm, at York, and there made many Masons, and
gave them a deep Charge for
Observation of all such Articles as belonged unto Masonry,
and delivered them the
said Charter to keep: and when this Assembly was gathered
together, he caused a Cry
to be made, that if any of them had any Writing that did concern
Masonry, or could
inform the King of any Thing or Matter that was wanting in the
said Charge already
delivered, that they or he should shew them to the King, or
recite them to him; and
there were some in French, some in Greek, and some
in English, and other
Languages, whereupon the King caused a Book to be made, which
declared how the
Science was first invented, and the Utility thereof, which Book
he commanded to be
read, and plainly declared, when any Man was to be made a
Mason that he might fully
understand what Articles, Rules and Orders he was obliged to
observe; and from that
time unto this Day Masonry hath been much respected and
preserved, and divers new
Articles have been added to the said Charge, by good Advice and
Consent of the
Masters and Fellows.
Tunc Unus ex Senioribus veniat librum illi qui Injurandum reddat & ponat Manum
in libro vel supra
librum dum Articulus & Precepta sibi legentur.
Saying thus by way of Exhortation,
Y loving and respected Friends and Brethren, I humbly beseech you, as you
love your Soul’s eternal Welfare, your Credit, and your
Country’s Good, to be
very Careful in Observation of these Articles that I am about to
read to this Deponent;
for ye are obliged to perform them as well as he, so hoping of
your Care herein, I will,
by God’s Grace, begin the Charge.
I. I am to admonish you to honour God in his holy Church; that, you use no
Heresy, Schism and Error in your Understandings, or discredit
Men’s Teachings.
II. To be true to our Sovereign Lord the King, his Heirs and lawful Successors;
committing no Treason, Misprision of Treason, or Felony; and if
any Man shall
commit Treason that you know of, you shall forthwith give Notice
thereof to his
Majesty, his Privy Counsellors, or some other Person that hath
Commission to enquire
thereof.
III. You shall be true to your Fellows and Brethren of the Science of
Masonry, and
do unto them as you would be done unto.
IV. You shall keep Secret the obscure and intricate Parts of the Science, not
disclosing them to any but such as study and use the same.
V. You shall do your Work truly and faithfully, endeavouring the Profit and
Advantage of him that is Owner of the said Work.
VI. You shall call Masons your Fellows and Brethren,
without Addition of
Knaves, or other bad Language.
VII. You shall not take your Neighbour’s Wife Willinously, nor his Daughter, nor
his Maid or his Servant, to use ungodly.
VIII. You shall not carnally lye with any Woman that is belonging to the House
where you are at Table.
IX. You shall truly pay for your Meat and Drink, where you are at Table.
X. You shall not undertake any Man’s Work, knowing yourself unable or unexpert
to perform and effect the same, that no Discredit or Aspersion
may be imputed to the
Science, or the Lord or Owner of the said Work be any wise
prejudic’d.
XI. You shall not take any Work to do at excessive or unreasonable Rates, to
deceive the Owner thereof, but so as he may be truly and
faithfully serv’d with his
own Goods.
XII. You shall so take your Work, that thereby you may live honestly, and pay
your Fellows the Wages as the Science doth require.
XIII. You shall not supplant any of your Fellows of their Work, (that is to say)
if
he or any of them hath or have taken any Work upon him or them,
or he or they stand
Master or Masters of any Lord or Owner’s Work, that you shall
not put him or them
out from the said Work, altho’ you perceive him or them unable
to finish the same.
XIV. You shall not take any Apprentice to serve you in the said Science of
Masonry, under the Term of Seven Years; nor any but such as
are descended of good
and honest Parentage, that no Scandal may be imputed to the said
Science of Masonry.
XV. You shall not take upon you to make any one Mason without the Privity
or
Consent of six, or five at least of your Fellows, and not but
such as is Freeborn, and
whose Parents live in good Fame and Name, and that hath his
right and perfect Limbs,
and able of Body to attend the said Science.
XVI. You shall not pay any of your Fellows more Money than he or they have
deserv’d, that you be not deceiv’d by slight or false Working,
and the Owner thereof
much wrong’d.
XVII. You shall not slander any of your Fellows behind their Backs, to impair
their Temporal Estate or good Name.
XVIII. You shall not, without very urgent Cause, answer your Fellow doggedly or
ungodly, but as becomes a loving Brother in the said Science.
XIX. You shall duly reverence your Fellows, that the Bond of Charity and mutual
Love may continue stedfast and stable amongst you.
XX. You shall not (except in Christmas time) use any lawless Games, as
Dice,
Cards, or such like.
XXI. You shall not frequent any Houses of Bawdery, or be a Pander to any of your
Fellows or others, which will be a great Scandal to the Science.
XXII. You shall not go out to drink by Night, or if Occasion happen that you
must
go, you shall not stay past Eight of the Clock, having some of
your Fellows, or one at
the least, to bear you Witness of the honest Place you were in,
and your good
Behaviour, to avoid Scandal.
XXIII. You shall come to the Yearly Assembly, if you know where it is kept,
being within Ten Miles of the Place of your Abode, submitting
your self to the
Censure of your Fellows, wherein you have . . . . . . . . .4
to make satisfaction, or else to
defend by Order of the King’s Laws.
XXIV. You shall not make any Mould, Square, or Rule to mould Stones withal,
but such as are allowed by the Fraternity.
XXV. You shall set Strangers at Work, having Employment for them, at least a
Fortnight, and pay them their Wages truly, and if you want Work
for them, then you
shall relieve them with Money to defray their reasonable Charges
to the next Lodge.
XXVI. You shall truly attend your Work, and truly end the same, whether it be
Task or Journey-Work, if you may have the Payment and Wages
according to your
Agreement made with the Master or Owner thereof.
All these Articles and Charge, which I have now read unto you, you shall well
and
truly observe, perform and keep to the best of your Power, and
Knowledge, So help
you God, and the true and holy Contents of this Book.
And moreover I A. B. do here in the Presence of God Almighty and
of my Fellows and Brethren here present, promise and declare,
That I
will not at any Time hereafter by any Act or Circumstance
whatsoever,
directly or indirectly, publish, discover, reveal or make known
any of
these Secrets, Privities or Councils of the Fraternity or
Fellowship of
Free-Masons, which at this time, or at any time hereafter shall
be made
known unto me. So help me God, and the true and holy Contents of
this
Book.
This Charge belongeth to Apprentices.
Imprimis . Y O U shall truly honour God,
and his holy Church, the King, your
Master, and Dame; you shall not absent yourself, but with the
Licence of one or both
of them, from their Service, by Day or Night.
II. You shall not Purloyn or Steal, or be Privy or accessary to the Purloyning
or
Stealing to the Value of Six-pence from them or either of them.
III. You shall not commit Adultery or Fornication in the House of your Master,
with his Wife, Daughter or Maid.
IV. You shall not disclose your Master’s or Dame’s Secrets or Councils, which
they have reported unto you, or what is to be concealed, spoken
or done within the
Privities of their House, by them, or either of them, or by any
Free-Mason.
V. You shall not maintain any disobedient Argument with your Master, Dame, or
any Free-Mason.
VI. You shall reverently behave your self towards all Free-Masons, using
neither
Cards, Dice, or any other unlawful Games, Christmas Time
excepted.
VII. You shall not haunt, or frequent any Taverns or Ale-houses , or so much as
go
into any of them, except it be upon your Master or your Dame,
their or any of their
Affairs, or with their or the one of their Consents.
VIII. You shall not commit Adultery or Fornication in any Man’s House, where
you shall be at Table or at Work.
IX. You shall not marry, or contract yourself to any Woman during your
Apprenticeship.
X. You shall not steal any Man’s Goods, but especially your Master’s, or any of
his Fellow Masons, nor suffer any to steal their Goods,
but shall hinder the Felon, if
you can; and if you cannot, then you shall acquaint the said
Master and his Fellows
presently.
Additional Orders and Constitutions made and agreed upon at a General
Assembly held at -------------, on the Eighth Day of
December, 1663.
I. THAT no Person, of what Degree soever, be accepted a Free-Mason,
unless he
shall have a Lodge of five Free-Masons at the least,
whereof one to be a Master or
Warden of that Limit or Division where such Lodge shall be kept,
and another to be a
Workman of the Trade of Free-Masonry.
II. That no Person hereafter shall be accepted a Free-Mason, but such as
are of
able Body, honest Parentage, good Reputation, and Observers of
the Laws of the
Land.
III. That no Person hereafter, which shall be accepted a Free-Mason,
shall he
admitted into any Lodge, or Assembly, until he hath brought a
Certificate of the Time
and Place of his Acception, from the Lodge that accepted him,
unto the Master of that
Limit and Division, where such Lodge was kept, which said Master
shall enroll the
same on Parchment in a Roll to be kept for that Purpose, and
give an Account of all
such Acceptions, at every General Assembly.
IV. That every Person, who is now a Free-Mason, shall bring to the Master
a Note
of the Time of his Acception, to the end the same may be
enrolled in such Priority of
Place, as the Person deserves, and to the end the whole Company
and Fellows may the
better know each other.
V. That for the future the said Society, Company and Fraternity of
Free-Masons,
shall be regulated and governed by one Master, and as many
Wardens as the said
Company shall think fit to chuse at every Yearly General
Assembly.
VI. That no Person shall be accepted a Free-Mason, unless he be One and
Twenty
Years Old, or more.
VII. That no person hereafter be accepted a Free-Mason, or know the
Secrets of
the said Society, until he shall have first taken the Oath of
Secrecy here following, viz.
I A. B. do here in the Presence of God Almighty, and of my Fellows and
Bretheren here present, promise and declare, That I will not at
any Time hereafter by
any or Circumstance whatsoever directly or indirectly, publish,
discover, reveal or make
known any of these Secrets, Privities or Councils of the
Fraternity or Fellowship of
Free Masons, which at this time, or at any time hereafter shall
be made known unto
me. So help me God, and the true and holy Contents of this Book.
F I N I S.
ENDNOTES
1 Dans le Ms Dumfries, on trouve «
leath… », où on a vu « lathier », et que beaucoup interprètent en
« latress », briques.
2 Déformation d’Hermès.
3 Déformation de Nemrod.
4 Le mot qui manque serait « erred ».
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