Obédience : NC | Loge : NC | Date : NC |
Inigo
Jones MS - 1655 THE
MIGHT of the FATHER of HEAVEN,
and the Wisdom of the Glorious SON, through the Grace
GOOD
BRETHREN and FELLOWS, Our
Purpose is to tell you how and in what manner this Worthy Craft of
MASONRY, was
begun; And afterward, how it was kept and Encouraged by Worthy KINGS
and
Princes, and by many other Worthy Men. THE
Names of the Seven liberal
sciences are these :
I
GRAMMAR, and that teacheth a Man to Speak and write truly.
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 Crafts man, works by Measure. He buys or sells, is by weight or
Measure.
YOU
ask me how this Science was Invented, My Answer is this: That before
the
Generall Deluge, which is commonly Called NOAH’S Flood, there
was a Man called LAMECH,
as you may read in IV Chapter of Genesis; who had two Wives, the One
called ADA, the
other ZILLA; By ADA, he begat two SONS, IABAL and IUBAL, by ZILLA, he
had One
SON called TUBALL and a Daughter ca1led Naamah. These four Children
found the
beginning of all Crafts in the World: IABAL found GEOMETRY and he
Divided F1ocks of Sheep,
He
HIS
Brother IUBAL found the ART of
MUSICK. He was the Father of all such as Handle the Harp and Organ. THESE
Children knew well that GOD
would take Vengeance for SIN either by Fire or Water; Wherefore they
Wrote their SCIENCES that they had found in Two Pillars, that
they might be found after NOAH’S Flood.
ONE
of the Pillars was Marble, for
that will not Burn with any Fire, And the other Stone was Laternes for
that will not drown with any Water. AND
at the Building of Babilon Masonry was much made of; And the king of
Babilon, the Mighty NIMROD, was a Mason himselfe, as it’s
reported by Antient
MOREOVER
when ABRAHAM and SARAH his Wife, went into EGYPT, and there taught the
Anno Mundi. Seven Sciences to the EGYPTIANS; He had a Worthy SCHOLLAR
whose Name was *MIXILVIII EUCLIDE, and He learned right well, and
became a Great Master of the Seven Sciences; And in His Days, It
Befell, That the Lords and the Estates of the Realm, had so many Sons;
And they had no Competent Livelyhood.to find their Children.
WHEREFORE
they took Council together with the King of the Land, How they might
find their Children Honestly as Gentlemen, But could find. no Manner of
Good way, And. then Did they Proclaime through all the Land,that if
there were any
Man, that could Inform them, that he should be well rewarded for his
Travell, And
that he should hold him well pleased.
IF YEA will Give me Your Children to Govern, I will Teach them One of the Seven SCIENCES, whereby they may live Honestly, as Gentlemen should; Under Condition, that Yea will Grant them, and That I may have Power to Rule them after the manner that science ought to be Ru1ed. And that the King and the Councell Grant Anon and seal his Commission. And then this Worthy Clark
EUCL1DE
took to him these Lord’s Sons, and taught them the SCIENCE of
GEOMETRY, in Practick, for the Work in STONE, all manner worthy Work,
that belongeth to Building of CHURCHES, TEMPLES,
TOWERS, CASTLES; And all other manner of Buildings; And He
gave them a. Charge in this Manner.
FIRST
that they should be true to the King and to the Lord, that they Serve;
and To the Fellowship whereof they are Admitted; And that they should
Love and be true to one another; And that they should Call Each other
his Fellow, or Else BROTHER; and not his Servant Knave, nor no other
soul Name; And that they should truely deserve their Pay of the Lord;
Or the Master of the Work, that
they Serve.
AND
many other Charges He gave them, that are too long to tell, And to all
these Charges He made them Swear a great Oath, that Men Used at that
time.
AND
thus was the Craft Grounded there, And that WORTHY C1ark EUCLEDE Gave
it the Name of GEOMETRY; And now It’s call’d through
THE
same king DAVlD Loved MASONS and Cherished them, and gave them Good
Pay. And he gave them the Charges in manner as they were given in
EGYPT, by EUCLYDE; and other Charges more, as you shall Hear afterwards.
KNOW
thou that my Father having a
will to Build a Temple to God, Hath been withdrawn from the Performance
thereof by the Continual warrs and Troubles he hath had; for he never
took rest, before he Either defeated his Enemies, or
made them tributaries unto him FOR mine own part. I thank GOD for the
peace which I possess; And for that,by the means thereof , I have
opportunity (according to mine Own desire) to Build a Temple unto GOD;
for he it is that Foretold my Father, that his House should be builded
during my Reigne, FOR which Cause, I Pray you ,fend me some one of your
Skilfullest men with my Servants to the wood Libanon, to hew down trees
in that place; for the MACEDONIANS are more skilfull in Hewing and
preparing Timber, than our People are, And I will pay the Cleavers of
wood according to your Direction.
HIRAM
UNTO KING
SOLOMON THOU
hast Cause to thank GOD; in
thou he had delivered thy Father’s Kingdom into thy hands; TO
thee I say, who art a Man, wife & fu1l of
Vertue; for which cause, since no news can come unto me more gracious,
nor Office of Love more esteemed than this, I will accomplish all that
thou requestest for
after I have caused a great quantity of Ceadar & Cyprus wood to
be cut down, I
will send it thee by sea, by my servants; whom I will command (and
furnish with Convenient Vessells of Burthen) to the end they may
deliver the same in what place of thy kingdome it shall best please
thee; that afterwards, thy Subjects
may transport them to Jerusalem. YOU shall provide to furnish us with
CORNE,whereof
we stand in need ,because we Inhabit an Island.
SOLOMON
King David’s SON to finish the TEMPLE that his Father had
begun, sent for MASONS into divers Countries, and gathered them
togather, so that he had Fourscore thousand Workmen that were workers
of STONE, and were all named MASONS, and he chose three THOUSAND of
them to be Masters&
Governours of his work.
First
of Kings VII XIV AND HIRAM King of Tyre sent his servants unto SOLOMON,
for he was ever a Lover of King. David, And he sent Solomon Timber and
workmen to he1p forward the Building of the Temple, And he sent one
that was Named HIRAM ABIF a widows Son of the Line of Nephtali. He was
a Master of Geometry, and was of all his Masons, Carvers, Ingravers and
workmen, and Casters of Brass and all other Metalls that were used
about the Temple.
KING
SOLOMON confirmed both the Charges and manners, that his Father had
given to MASONS, thus was the worthy work of MASONRY Confirmed in
Jerusalem, and many other Kingdoms, And he finished the Temple Anno
Mundi M MM.
CURIOUS Craftsmen walked about full wide in divers Countries; some to Learn more Craft and Cunning, others to teach them that had but little Cunning. AND at the Destruction of the FIRST Temple THE
SECOND Temple began in the Reign
of SYRUS LXX Years after the Destruction, it being hindred; It was XLVI
Years in Building and was finished
in Darius his Reign.
MMMDXXII
IN the Reign of Ptolmie and Cleopatra, ONIAS built a Jewish Temple in
the place Called MMMDCCCXIII Bubastiss, and Called after his own Name.
THE
Tower of Straton (alias Ceasaria built by HEROD in Palestine and many
other Curious works of Marble, As the Temple of Ceasar Agrippa to his
Memory, in the Country called MMMDCCCXLII Zenodoras near to a place
called
Panion.
He also pu1led down the second Temple, that was finished in DARIUS his reign, and appointed one Thousand Carriages to draw stone to the place; And chose out Ten Thousand MMMDCCCCXLVI Cunning and expert workmen, to hew, and mould Stone; And. One Thousand he chose out and Cloathed, and made them Masters and Rulers of the work; And Anno Mundi built MMMDCCCCXLVII built a New Temple on the Foundation, which SOLOMON had laid, not inferior to the first. And was finished Nine years before the birth of our SAVIOR.
MMMDCCCCLVI
AFTER the birth
of our Saviour, Aururiagus being King of Britain, Qaudius the Emperor
came over
with an Army; and fearing to be overthrown made a League with him; and
gave him
his Daughter in marriage; and that he should hold his Kingdom of
Romans, and
for the Emperor then returned. IN the Year XLIII, after the birth of
CHRIST,
MASONS came into England, and built a Anno Christi XLIII good1y
Monastry Near
unto Glassenbury, with many CASTLE S and TOWERS.
THIS
sumptious Art of GEOMETRY; it
being prosest by Emperors, Kings, Popes, Cardinals and Princes
innumerable, who have all of them left us the Permanient Monuments
of it in their several Anno Christi CXVII places of their Dominions;
Nor will this I presume
be denyed, when well considered ,that Renowned Example the TRAJAN
COLLUM; it
being one of the most superb Remainders of the Romans Magnificence, to
be now seen Standing; And which has
more Immorta1lised the Emperor TRAJAN, than all the PENS of Hiftorians.
it was
Erected to him, by
Anno
Christi CCC AND in Saint ALBANES time; the King of England that was a
Pagan, Did wall the Town that was called Verulum; And Saint ALBAN was a
worthy Knight, and
Steward of the Kings Houshold; and had got the Government of the Realm,
and also the Town
walls, and Loved Masons well and cherished them much, and he made their
Pay Right good, standing
as the Realm then did; for he gave them two Shillings per week, and
three pence
to their Chear; For before that time through all the Land, a MASON had
but a
Penny a day and his meat, untill Saint ALBAN mended it.
AND
he got them a CHARTER of the King for to ho1d a Councell Yearly, and
gave
it the Name of an Assembly; and was thereat himselfe, and helped to
make MASON, and gave
them charges as yea. shall have afterwards.
IT
happened presently after the Martyrdom of St Alban, who is truly termed
England’s Proto Martyr;that a Certain King Invaded the Land
and destroyed most of the Natives
by Fire and sword That the SCIENCES of Masonry was much decayed, untill
the Reign of Anno Domini DXCVI ETHELBERT King of Kent, Gregory the
First Surnamed Magnus,
sent into the Isle of Britaine a Monk with other Learned Men, to Preach
the Christian
Faith, for this Nation as yet, had not fully received it. this said
Ethelbert,
built a Church in Canterbury and Dedicated it to St Peter, and St Paul;
and is
supposed to have built, or restored the Church of St.Pauls in London:
he also
built the Church of St. Andrews in Rochester. SIBERT
King of the East Saxons by
perswasions Of’ ATHELBERT King of Kent, having received, Anno
Domini DCXXX the Christian faith; built the Monastry at
Westminster, to the Honour of God, and St Peter.
DCCCXCV
SIGEBERT King of the East Angles began to Erect the University of
Cambridge.
ATHELSTANE
began his Reign he was a Man beloved of all Men, he had great
devotion towards the Churches, as appeared in the Building, adorning
and. Endowing of
Monasterys. He built one at Wilton in the Diocess of Salisbury; another
at Michelney in
Somersetshire: besides
FURTHERMORE
at divers Assemblys certain Charges have been made and ordained, by
the best advice of Masters and FELLOWS.
SECOND,
THAT yea Use no HERESY, wilful; or run into Innovations, but be yea
wise Men, and discreet in Every thing.
THIRD;
That yea be not disloyall; nor Confederates in treasonable plotts; But
if yea hear of any treachery against the Government, yea ought to
discover it if yea cannot
otherwise prevent it.
FOURTH;
That yea be true to one another, (that is to say) to Every MASON of the
Craft of MAS ONRY, that be MASONS allowed, yea shall do to them, as yea
would they
should doe unto you.
FIFTH;
that yea keep all the Councell of your Fellows truly, be it in Lodge or
in Chamber, And all other Councells that ought to be kept, by the way
of Brotherhood.
SIXTH;
that no Mason shall be a thief, or Conceal any such unjust Action, so
far forth as he may wit or know.
SEVENTH,
that every Allowed Mason shall be true to the Lord or Master whom he
ferves, and shall serve him faithfully to his Advantage.
EIGHTH;
that yea shall Call such Mason your Fellow or Brother, neither shall
you use to him any scurilous Language.
NINTH;
that yea shall not desire any unlawfull Communication with your fe1lows
Wife, nor cast a wanton Eye upon his Daughter; with desire to defile
her; nor his Maid
servant or any wife put him to diswdship.
TENTH;
that you Pay truly and honestly for your Meat and Drink wherever you
Board; that the craft be not Slandered thereby.
FIRST,
That no Masters or Fellows shall take upon him any Lord’s
work nor any
other Man’s work unless he know himself Able and sufficient
to perforrne the same, so that
the Craft have no standard, nor disworship thereby, but the Lord may be
well
and truly served.
SECOND,
that no Master take no work, but that he take it reasonably, fo that
the Lord. may be well served, and the Master get Sufficiently, to live
handsomly and honestly,
and to pay his Fellows truely their pay, as the manner is.
THIRD,
that no Master nor Fellow shall supplant any other of their work, (that
is to say) if another hath taken workein hand, or stand Master for any
Lord’s work; he shall
not deale under hand, to mischiefe or undermine him, to put him out,
Except he be unable of
Cunning, to perform the work.
FOURTH,
that no Master nor Fellow shall take any Apprentice but for the full
term of seven Years; And that the Apprentice be Able of Birth (that is
to say) free borne, and whole of Limbs, as a Man ought to be.
FIFTH,
that no Master nor Fellow, take any Allowance or bribe of any Man, that
is to be made a Mason, without the Assent, Consent, and Councell of his
Fellows; and that he,
that is to be made a MASON, be able in all manner of degrees (that is
to say)
freeborne; Come of good kindred, true, and no Bondman, and that he have
his
Right Limbs, as a Man ought to have.
SIXTH
,That no Master nor Fellow take an Apprentice unless he hath suficient
Occupation to set him at work Nay to set three of his Fellows; or two
at least at work.
SEVENTH,
That no M aster or Fellow shall take no Mans work to Task, that Used,
or was wont to Iourney work.
EIGHTH,
That Every Master shall give pay to his Fellow according as they
deserve so that he be not deceived by false workmen.
NINETH,
That no Man slander another behind his back to make him loose his good
Name, and thereby also make him suffer in his way of Living.
TENTH,
That no Fel1ow within the Lodge, or without; Misanswer, or give another
reproachfull Language, without some reasonable Cause.
ELEVENTH,
That every Mason shall Reverence his Elder; and put him in workship.
TWELFTH,
That no Mason shall be a Common player at Hazard, or at Dice, or at
Cards nor any other unlawfull Game whereby the Craft might be slandered.
THIRTEENTH,
That no Mason shall be a Common Leecher, nor Pander, or Baud
whereby the Craft might be slandered.
FOURTEENTH,
That no Fellow go into the City or Town in Night time, without he
hath some one or other with him to BEAR Witness that he was in honest
places.
FIFTEENTH,
That Every Master and Fellow, sha1l come to the Assembly, if that be
within Fifty Miles about him, if he hath any warning, And if he hath
Trespassed
against the Craft, then abide the Award of the Masters and Fellows, and
make satisfaction accordingly,
if they are able;
SIXTEENTH,
That no Master or Fellow make any Mould or Square, or Rule to Mould
Stones withall; but such as are allowed by the Fraternity.
SEVENTEENTH,
That Every Mason shall Receive and Cherish strange Fellows, when
they Come over the Country, and set them at work if they will as the
manner is (that
is to fay) if he hath Mould Stones in his place, or else he shall
refresh him with money to
Carry him to the next
EIGHTEENTH,
That every Mason shall truely serve the LORD for his pay; And every
Master shall truely make an END of his Work; be it Talk or Journey If
he have
his Demand, and all he ought to have.THESE Charges That we have now
Rehearsed unto you and all
other that belong to MASONS YEA shall keep. SO Help you GOD, and the
ITALLIDOM
FINIS |
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