The Kevan Manuscript 1714-1720
The Form of Giving the Mason Word
Discovered 1954 among a collection of old legal documents by Bro. P. D.
Kevan
and presented to the Grand Lodge of Scotland. Believed to be circa
1714-1720
The Person qo is to geet ye word is put upon
his knees, & after a
grate many Serimonys to frighten him they make him take up the Bible
&
Laying his right hand upon it, they Conjure him by Severall thretings
yt if he
shall brake his Oath; The Sun in ye Firmament & all ye Company
there present
will be witnesses agt him qh will be ye occasione of his Damnatione
& yt
Likewise they’l be sure to Murder him : Then after he has
sworne secrsie they
wille give him the Oath as Follows\
By : God himselfe & as you shall answer
to God qh you shall Stand
naked befor him a ye grate day of Judgment\
you shall not reveall any poynt of what you shall see or hear at this
time
neither by word or writing at any time or\
draw it wt ye poynt of a Sword or any other instrument upon ye Snow, or
Sand,
Nor shall you Speake of it but wt\
an Entered Measone ... So hele me God\
After he has taken the oath he is removed out of ye Company wt ye
yowngast
Masone, where after he is Suffieintly frightn\ ed wt a
thousand Grimasses
& posturs He is to Learn from ye Sd Mason ye manner of Making
[the due
guard] which is the Signs and Posturs (Signs Postures and words] of\ his
[entry] qh are a follow Here come I ye youngast & Last Entered
prentise, as
I am sworne by God & St. John by ye Square & Campass\ & common
Judge to attend my Mrs : service at ye Honourable Lodge from Munday
Morning
till Setturdays night to keep ye Keys thereof under no Less paine then
to have
my tounge cut out under my Chinn & to be buryed wtin ye flood
marke wher\ no man shall know\
Then he makes ye Signe again qh is by Drawing his hand under his Chin
alonge
his throate qh denotes it is to be Cut in case he broke his worde Then
all yy
Masons present whisper the word amongst emselves beginning [at the
youngest]
till it\ come to ye Mr Masone, qo gives ye worde to the
entered Prentise\
Now it is to be Marked yt all ye Signs
& words as yet spoken off are
only qt belongs to Entered prentises but to [be] a Mr :\
Masone or fellow
craft [there is more to be done as after follows] : First all ye
Prentices are
to be removed out of the Company & none Suffered to stay by
only\ Mrs :
Then [he] qo is to be admitted a member of fellowship is put again to
his knees
& geets ye oath administered to him anew\
Afterward he most go out of
the Company wt ye youngast Mr to Learne the word & Signs of
fellowship yn
comming\ inn again he makes ye Mr Signs of fellowship
& says the same
words of entry [as the apprentice did] only keeping out ye Coming
[Common]
Judge ( i.e. a gauge or template used as a guide in cutting stones; in
Jamieson’s Scottish Dictionary, a Jedge is a gauge or
standard.) yn ye Mrs\
whisper the word among emselves beginning at ye youngest as befor,
Afterwards
ye younge masone advancess & puts him selfe in a posture
wherein he is to
receive ye word & says to them : The Honourable company ye
worthy Masons
&\ honourable company yt I come from Greet you
well, Greet you well,
Greete you well\
[Then the master {Mason} gives him the word and gripes his hand after
the
masons way {and afterwards, all the Masons - Chetwode Crawley MS.}
which is all
that is to be done to make him a perfect mason. - Edinburgh Register
House MS.]
Some Questions that Masons use to put to these who profess to have ye
Mason
word before they wille Acknowlagde them\
1. Are you a Mason Yes endeed I am\
2. How shall I know that In time and place convenient Not[e] : This
answer
isonly to be made when there\ are company present qo are
not masons, Bot if
there be no such company by you you should answer, by Signs &\ tokens
& other poynts of Entry\
3. What is the first poynt of Entry? tell me the first &
I’l tell thee the
seacond : The first is tohear & Conseal\ The
Second under no Hell [less]
pain (Drawing the right Hand from the Left ear to the right) yn Cutting
yr
Throat, [for you must make that sign when you say that]\
4. Where way you Entred? Att Honowrable Lodge\
5. What makes a true & perfect Lodge? 7 : Mrs : 5 Prenices
& a days
Jurny from a Burrowghs toun wtout\ barke of Doge or crow
of Cocke\
6. Doeth no less make a true & Perfect lodge? 4 Mrs 3 entered
Prentices
& ye rest as befor [the Edingurgh text says : “. . .
five masons and three
entered apprentices &c.”]\
7. Dose no Less? The Mo the Mirryer & ye fewer the better Chear\
8. What is the name of your Lodge The Lodge of Killewinning\
9. How Stands you Lodge? Easte & west as the Temple of
Jerusalem\
10. Where was the first Lodge? In the Porch of Sollomons Temple\
11. Are there Lights in your Lodge? Three, ye North East, Southwest,
&
Easters [Eastern] passages ye first\ denots the Mr Masone,
the Second the
word {Words - Chetwode] [warden - Edinburgh] the third the fellowcraft
[ffellow-Craft - Chetwode] {setter croft - Edinburgh]\
12. Are there any Jewels in you Lodge? Three, a Perpendester
[Perpend-ashlar] a
Square Pavement & a covered Kinall [broked-mall - Chetwode -
probably
correct; i.e. a heavy maul for striking the chisel when the face of a
stone in
‘broached’ i.e. indented or furrowed] [Broad ovall
- Edinburgh]\
13. Where Shall I find the Key of you Lodge? Three foot & an
Half from the
Lodge door under a\ Perpendaster [Perpend-ashlar] [and a]
Green Divot\
14. What do you mean by a Perpendester & green Divot? I mean
not noly under
a Perpendester I green\ Divot, but under the Lape of my
Liver where all
Secrets of my Hart Lie [Edinburgh makes one question of nos. 13 and
14.]\
15. Which is the Key of you Lodge ? A well Hunge tounge\
16. Where Lys yt Key ? In The Bone Bo\x
After The Masons have Examened You by all or Some of these Questions
& yt\ you Have answered em Exactly [and made the sign(s)] ;
they will acknowladge
you as a Prenticer\ But not as a Mason or Fellow Craft\
17. So they will say We see you have been in the Kitchin but know not
yt you
have been in ye Hall I have\ been in the Hall as well as
in the Kitchin\
18. Are you a Fellow Craft Yes\
19. How many Poynts of Fellowship are there 5 : Viz: Foot to Foot, Knee
to
Knee, Harte to\ Harte, Hand to Hand, & Ear to
Eare, qh make the Signs of
Fellowship ; & shake hands, &\ You wille
be Acknowladged to be a
true Masone\ The Worde is in I : Kings 7 : 21 : &
in 2d : Chron 3d :
Last Varse the wholl\ Varse but especially the words
Jachin & Boaz.
Ref: Knoop and Jones, The Early Masonic Catechisms, Manchester
University
Press, 1963;
also AQC (Photographic Reproduction) Vol. 47, page 139. 1954, with
notes by
Bro. G. S. Draffen.
See also the “Edinburgh Register House MS,” 1696,
discovered in 1930 by Bro.
Charles T. McInnes in the Old Register House Historical Dept.,
Edinburgh, among
a number of old documents transferred in 1808 from the Court of Session.
and the “Chetwode
Crawley MS,” ca. 1700, purchased ca. 1900 from a second-hand
collector & found in one of the volumes of a lot purchase.
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