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master mason degree
CHAPTER III
MASONIC TREATISE with
an ELUCIDATION
on
the RELIGIOUS
AND MORAL BEAUTIES
of
FREEMASONRY
W. Finch,
Canterbury
1. B.S.W.
are you a Mason,
So taken and accepted among
Brother Master Masons (Vancouver).
2.
Where
was you raised as such,
In a L. of Master
Masons.
3.
Consisting
of how many,
Three.
4.
Under
what denomination,
The M. and Ws.
5.
Why
was you s. s.d.
In allusion [to] that part of scripture when the
Lord spoke unto Moses in the burning bush, etc and likewise
to Joshua, etc.*
6.
What
enabled you to be raised a Master Mason,
By the usual O. on such
occasions.
7.
Which
I will thank you to repeat,
[Here follows the O.]
8.
After
having taken this great and solemn O. of a Master Mason, what was the next
thing the Master requested of you,
To confirm the same in that sacred manner the Master Masons
required.
9.
What
did he then proceed to do,
He friendly took me by both
hands, and said rise newly O. M.M.
10.
What
farther enabled you to be raised a Master Mason,
The help of God and
the square of my own industry.
11.
From
what to what was you raised,
From a superficial flat to a
perfect perpendicular.
12.
As
a Master Mason from whence came you,
From the E.
13.
What
induced you to leave the E. to go to the W.,
In search of that which was lost, which, with your instructions,
and my own industry, I hope to find.
14.
What
was that which was lost,
The s . . . s of a Master
Mason.
15.
How
came them to be lost,
By three knocks given by
three rude ruffians, which caused the d . . . of our Master H.
16.
Relate
the particulars thereof,
At the building of that grand
religious edifice there were but t . . . e G. M. that bore sway, SKI, HKT
HAB the widow’s son, at that time it was the peculiar province of that
curious and worthy artist to superintend the same, as well as likewise
this daily custom to go into the holy of holies and there offer up his
prayers and ejaculations to the throne of grace and crave a blessing on
the work,
at
this time there were fifteen F.Cs., who having more ambition, than
prudence, and knowing that the Temple was nearly finished, and that there
were some s . . . s, they were not in possession of, and being
apprehensive that they should not (when left to travel into foreign
countries) be so rapidly employed neither receive so good wages unless
they were in possession of those s .
. . s,
Vancouver
gives it more fully as follows: “In
allusion to that part of scripture when the Lord spake unto Moses in the
burning bush, saying Put off thy shoes from off thy feet, for the place
whereon thou standest is hold ground, and sacred to the Honour and Glory
of God, and likewise to Joshua in the same manner.”
They
therefore agreed to way lay our Master H. at a certain time then named,
and at the usual time of the dby
[day] when he went into the holy of holies
and to extort from him by force or otherwise what their ambition then
aspired to, but previous to the arrival of the appointed time for their
putting this diabolical purpose into execution, twelve out of the fifteen
had recanted, the other three remained unmoved by the dictates of nature
way laid our Master H. as he went into the S. S. at the hour of H. T. when
the workmen were gone from labor to refreshment and took advantage of this
favourable opportunity, and posted themselves at the three different
entrances of the Temple, namely the E. W. and S. doors thereof,
when
our Master H. had finished the work he went there to do, he attempted to
go out at the E. door, but to his surprise was prevented by a rude ruffian
who demanded of him the s . . . s of a M.M.; he gave for answer that he
did not receive them in such a manner, neither could he give them as such,
and recommended time, patience, and industry as the proper way to obtain
them, but this answer not satisfying this ruffibn
[ruffian]
he gave him a violent blow on his r
. . . t T . . . e which caused him to reel and fall on his l . . .t k . . . e, but recovering from this
surprise he attempted to go out at the W. door, but there he was likewise
prevented by another villibn [villain] as dareing [sic] as the first who sternly demanded of
him the s . . . s of a M.M.,
he
gave a similar answer as the first, and from whom he experienced a similar
treatment, with this difference only, that instead of receiving the blow
on his r . . . t T . . . e it
was on the l . . . t,
astonished
at such proceedings he tried his last effort to make his escape out at the
S. door but to his still greater surprise was there accosted in a more
bold and perhemptory
[sic] manner, by a villabn [villain] more dareing [sic] than the former two who sternly
dembnded [demanded] of him the
s . . . s of a M.M., to which request he answered nearly as before, with
this addition, that there were only t . . . e in the world, who knew it,
and unless they were present, he could nor would not comply to so
unreasonable a demand;
this
answer proving ineffectual he received from this cruel mercenary wretch a
violent blow on this f. . .d, which brought him l . . . s to the ground.
17.
After
they had thus in[humanly] m .
. . - our Master H.,
what did they with his b .
. .,
They covered it under the
materials of the building till the hour of h . . . t . . ..
18. What did they then with it,
Took it to the brow of a
hill, and there very indecently intured [sic] it.
19.
When
was our Master H. first missing,
Past the hour of h . . . t . . . the same day.
20.
How
came he then to be missing,
By not carrying his reports
as usual to K.S.
21.
When
generally missing,
Past the hour of h . . . t . . . the next day.
22.
How
came he so to be,
The workmen returning from
refreshment to Labor found no designs drawn upon their
T
- - - - - B
[Trassel
Board – Vancouver], which
threw them into confusion they therefore went and reported the same to
K.S.
23.
How
did K.S. receive this report,
With great emotion [he]
smote his breast and exclaimed oh!
G - - - - G* I fear our Master
H. is s . . . And those [recanting] brethren having heard of this
circumstance at this particular juncture. Amd being struck with horror and
amazement at the same, came to K.S. and acknowledged all they knew
concerning it, and voluntarily offered their services to go in search of
those assassins, for such they were now with propriety supposed to
be.
24.
What
did K.S.. order those t .
. . e recanting
brethren first to do,
He first ordered those
twelve brethren to go in and about the Temple, and make dilligent
[sic] search for the body of
our Master H., they accordingly obeyed with alacrity those commands, for
several days without success, at length one of the Brothers being more
weary than the rest sit [sat] himself down at the brow of a hill,
and in order to facilitate his riseing [sic] he caught hold
*
[Vancouver also gives
initials only. Browne
has: “oh God,”
etc.]
of
a sprig growing in the ground, which by its coming so easily out he
perceived the ground had been newly broken, in consequence of which he
hailed his brethren who were then pursuing their search who with him
opened the g . . ., and there found the b . . .y of our Grand Master H. very
indecently buried, they then covered him up again with the e . . . and went and acquainted K.S. of
the same.
25.
When
K.S. had received intelligence of the discovery of our Master H. what did
he next order the
t
. . . e recanting brethren to do,
With great emotion he smote
his breast and said oh! G .- - - -
G - - - - what I feaed [feared]
is come to pass our B. has been most
cruelly m . . . . - -
He
ordered these t . . . e recanting brethren to go and raise
him to a more decent interment knowing him to be well worthy the same,
informing them at the same time that by his untimely d . . . h the s . . . s of a Master Mason was lost
till future ages should discover them, but as a reward to them for their
fidelity and exertion, the first casual Sn. T. and W. that should occur
among them at his raising should be adopted as a substitute till the right
was found;
when
those brethren came to the g .
. .e where G. M. laid
they formed themselves into a F.Cs. L., and immediately the g . . . was opened, either by sympathy
or sorrow, found themselves in this position (at the same time given
[giving?] the s . . . n) and looking around on each
other and remembering the words of K.S. they then adopted that as the
first casual S . . . . n;
two
of the brethren then descended the g . . . e and attempted to raise him by
supporting his back, but the flesh being putrid their fingers penetrated
to the bone, and on smelling to them said M B, which proves the initials
of the first casual W., they then attempted to raise him be the EAP G,
which proving a
s
. . ., they tried that of a F.C. which
likewise proved a s . . . . they then took a more firmer
hold and raised him by the F.P.
26.
Please
to explain the F.P of F.,
H.
to H. is descriptive of that unity which ought ever to exist among
Masons, at all times ready to
assist the distressed of our fellow creatures when it can be done without
injury to ourselves or connections, -- F. to f. reminds us never to halt
when in the act of benevolence, till its final accomplishment,, without
just reason so to do, -- K. to k. reminds at all times to offer up our
prayers for each others welfare, as well as our own. –
B.
to b. reminds us of that sacred repository for Masonic s. . .s, each
Brother’s s . . . s delivered as such to keep as his own, for to betray
those s . . . s, which are entrusted by a friend, would probably do him
the villany
[sic]
of an assassin who stabs his
adversary when unarmed, and the least suspicious of a foe. – H. upon back
that we should support a brother’s character in his absence as in his
presence, and even more so, for if present, he would then be at liberty to
defend himself. Not revile him ourselves, or suffer it to be done by
others, if in our power to prevent it, thus by the F.P. of F. we are
linked together by one indissoluble chain of sincere affection, which
cannot fail to distinguish us (when properly adhered to) among those who
are unacquainted with our religious and social institution.
1.
Who
were the secret m . . . . s of our Master H.,
Three F.Cs.
2.
How
came them so to be,
From the information
obtained by K.S. from the t . . . e recanting brethren.
3.
There
is a second reason why they were secret,
At the building of the Temple, it
was the usual custom for EAPs to mass seven in a mass and F.Cs. five, at
that time there were t . . . e F.Cs. missing from their masses at noon
likewise their lodgings at night, which corroborated the first
information.
4.
How
were the [they] found out,
By an order from K.S. that an
embargo should be laid on all vessels and floats, and placed Guards in all
his frontier towns with a strict strong injunction that none should quit
his dominions without his prior knowledge.
5.
What
did K.S. next order,
He ordered those t . . . e
recanting brethren to divive [divide] themselves equally into four
divisions (namely three E, three W, three N, and three S. --
Vancouver), one
of which was to go down to Joppa where the materials were landed for the
building and acquire, if any such men had been there at the same time to
describe them they received for answer there had, but owing to the embargo
they could not obtain a passage, they therefore returned into the interior
part of the country, those three brethren then returned likewise, and on
passing by the mouth of a cave by the sea side they heard the following
exclamations (here follows the various exclamations) [oh! that etc. -
oh! that etc. - oh! that etc. – Vancouver], they knowing by their voices that
they were men of Tyre, and by their exclamations that they were the same,
they were in pursuit of they therefore rushed in and found the same, they
then bound them and brought them before K.S.
6.
What
were their names,
J - - - - a* J - - - - o and J - - - - m.
7.
How
did J [A] appear,
He as paying due homage to
the King fell down on his l . . . t
k . . . e and on being questioned as to the punishment of those who
had been the horrid m . . . s of our Master H. he not thinking there was
sufficient evedence [sic] boldly answered he ought to be etc.
K.S. questioned him whereby guilt flew in his face and he confessed the
fact, whereby he was ordered out to the ministers of justice there to
await his farther pleasure.
8.
How
did J [O] appear,
In nearly the same manner as
the first from whom the same confession mas [was] made and received the same judgment
from K.S.
9.
How
did J [M] appear,
In a more humiliating
posture, he paying due homage on b . . . h k . . . s and made a similar confession and
received the same judgment, and was ordered in the same manner as the two
former.
10.
After
the evidence and confession of those guilty assassins how did K.S. then
proceed,
He being in alliance with
H.K.T. sent an embassy to acquaint him that t . . . e of his subjects had
been the horrid perpetrators of the d . . . h of H.A.B. likewise s - - -
- d - - - - e [sending
him the particulars. – Vancouver] of their examination guilt and
confession and wished to know how they were to be disposed of.
11.
H.K.T.’s
answer,
That he might consult his own
pleasure but in his opinion the punishment they had prescribed for others
ought to be inflicted on them.
[Obviously
J - - - - a is meant. Vancouver gives the answer by the terminal
letters only: “A, O, and M.”]
12.
Was
that done and where,
It was done at Joppa as near
to the extremity of the two countres [countries] as possible, they being deemed
outcast of both and worthy of neither.
1.
What
were the t . . . s our Master H. was s . . . . with,
Setting T - - - -
[Tool?] Setting Rule and Heavy Rostle.*
2.
What
is the ornaments of a Master Mason’s L.,
Porch Dormer and S - - - - -
p - - - - - t [both Browne and Emulation have “Square
Pavement” ; Vancouver has “Sacred Pavement” but this may be an
error in transliteration].
3.
Their
uses,
The Porch is the entrance
into the Sanctum Sanctorum. – The Dormer is the window that gives light to
the same, and the [Square]
Pavement for the High Priest to walk on.
4.
Name
the office of the High Priest,
To burn incense to the honor
and glory of God, and pray fervently that the Almighty would be
pleased to bestow peace and tranquility to the Israelitish nation
troughout the ensuing year.
5.
What
is an excellent Master Mason’s name,
G - - - - [Giblem –
Browne].
6. Who confered [sic] that name upon
him,
K.S.
7.
For
why,
For his excellency in all
manner of workmanship.
8.
What
does the P.W. denote,
A curious artifice[r] in all manner of mettle
[sic].
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