unto tyme of Kinge Athelstone's days that was a worthy Kinge of England, and brought this land into good rest and peace; and builded many great works of Abbyes and Towres, and other many divers buildings; and loved well Masons. And he had a sonn that height Edwinne, and he loved Masons much more than his father did. And he was a great practiser in Geometry; and he drew much to talke and to commune with Masons, and to learn of them science; and afterwards for love that he had to Masons and to the science, he was made a Mason, and he gatt of the Kinge his father, a Charter and Commission to holde every yeare once an Assemble, wher they ever would, within the realme of England; and to correct within themselves defaults and trepasses that were done within the science. And he held himself an Assemble at York, and there he made Masons, and gave them charges, and taught them the manners, and commanded that rule be kept ever after, and tooke than the Chartour and Commission to keepe, and made ordinance that it should be renewed from Kinge to Kinge.

"And when the Assemble was gathered he made a cry that all old Masons and young, that had any writeinge or understanding of the charges and the manners that were made before in this land, or in any other, that they should shew them forth. And when it was proved, there were founden some in French, and some in Greek, and some in English and some in other languages; and the intent of them all was founden all one. And he did make a booke thereof, and how the science was founded. And he himselfe had and commanded that it should be readd or tould, when that any Mason should be made, for to give him his Charge. And fro that day unto this tyme manners of Masons have been kept in that form as well as men might governe it. And furthermore divers Assembles have beene put and ordayned certain charges by the best advice of Masters and Fellows'" etc.

Thus far do we quote from this ancient Legend. When we compare it with the genuine, authenticated history of

Architecture, it is apparent that it is founded upon historical records or traditions. It is well known that Architecture is the Mother of civilisation, that it throve and flourished amongst the Ancients, and it must be assumed as a fact that, even at that early time, Architects had a certain organisation of their own; but that the history of Freemasonry extended as far back as to the very earliest ages of antiquity, is by no means proved.

It is very natural, and not at all difficult to conceive, that the members of the Architectural Associations of the Middle Ages sought to impart dignity to their Fraternity by attributing to it a venerable antiquity, and, in pursuance of this notion, to identify the history of their art with that of their Corporation; and indeed they may be said to have had a certain degree of authority for so doing. But no such authority have the Fraternity of Freemasons under the present acceptation of the word: they must employ quite a different standard in estimating the probable date of their birth, because with them the superstructure is purely symbolic, and the remarkable document just submitted to notice, can be regarded as nothing more than a legend. There are in all, three such traditions extant. The English Masons have the York Legend, dating as far back as the year 926; the German "Steinmetz" replies to any queries. referring to the origin of his art, by pointing to the erection of the Cathedral of Magdeburg (876); and the Scotch Mason is satisfied with transferring it to the year 1140, the date of the building of Kilwinning Abbey.

As we shall hereafter have occasion to return to these legends, we will for the present content ourselves with these few introductory remarks. Now it is more especially our object to obtain some more firm historical basis.

THE "STEINMETZEN" OF GER

MANY.

I. INTRODUCTION.

In comparing the social organisation, customs, and doctrines of Freemasonry with those of the Mediaeval Building Associations, we find many indications of a close historical connection existing between the two institutions. For example, we recognize that the following peculiar usages and customs were common to the Fraternity of Freemasons of the present day and the "Steinmetzen" (Stonecutters) of Germany: 1. The classification of their members into Masters, Fellow-crafts, and Apprentices; 2. The government of the Society by a certain number of officers; 3. The exclusion of the uninitiated from their community; 4. The privileges of a Master's Son; 5. The peculiar requisites or qualifications for membership; 6. The fraternal equality of all the Fellows of Craft; 7. Their mutual obligations to relieve suffering; 8. Their peculiar laws, jurisdiction, and form of judicature; 9. Some manner of opening and closing their assemblies; 10. Some ceremonies of initiation into the Fraternity; 11. The usages at their banquets and tablelodges; 12. The examination of foreign Brethren, etc. 1

Taking all these circumstances into consideration, and combining with them the results of historical investigation already arrived at, it has now been placed beyond all doubt

1 See Fallou, Mysterien der Freimaurer. 2. Aufl. p. 25.

that the modern Society is the direct descendant and successor, in an unbroken line, of the Operative Fraternity of Masons of the Middle Ages.

The four London Lodges which in the year 1717 bestowed upon the Fraternity of Freemasons its present form and constitution, were Lodges of Operative and Accepted Masons; the legal statutes forming the base of the established Grand Lodge of that period were the ancient Constitutions and Charges of the Operative Masons; and those customs and symbols transmitted from the Lodges of England, Scotland, and Ireland were nearly the same as those of the ancient Architectural Lodges. As previous to this but little had been written, there were therefore no Apprentices' indentures; but instead of these certain verbal credentials, in the way of question and answer, had been introduced, which were confided only to the members of the Corporation under the seal of secrecy. By virtue of these they were in a position to offer proofs of their identity wherever they came. These questions and answers, together with certain signs and hand-gripes, have been preserved amongst the Masons and Stone-cutters in Germany and Ireland', as well as in Scotland, down to the present time. Those customs in use amongst the German "Steinmetzen" are published in Fallou's Mysteries. Those common amongst English Masons have hitherto remained unknown. It was not until 1865 that one was found, and that by the author, in the British Museum in London, in a Manuscript (Sloane MS. Nr. 3329) dating about the end of the 17th century, containing a Catechism (Ritual) of the English Masons. These documents prove beyond a doubt that the present Association of Freemasons is derived from the Building Corporations of the Middle Ages. Further proofs of this are contained in the minutes of the ancient

1 See Freem. Mag. 1864. A Catechism (Examination) of German “Steinmetzen" will be found in Appendix A.

2 See "Mittheilungen aus dem Verein Deutscher Freimaurer". I. 3. page 81, etc. (Appendix D.)

Lodge in York between the years 1712--1730, as well as in the History of Freemasonry, drawn up by Anderson, under the auspices of the first Grand Lodge, which in all referring to the period before the year 1717 is nothing more than a history of Architecture.

The history of Masonry, therefore, is closely interwoven with the history of the Building Assocations of the Middle Ages. We must consequently devote a brief space to the history of Mediaeval Architecture. Our forefathers, the ancient uncivilised tribes of Germany, it is well known, long dwelt in miserable huts of their own construction, and were, at first, satisfied with churches rudely built of wood. Most probably the monks and Emperors introduced Roman handicraft into Germany. They had no style of architecture of their own; therefore, being surrounded by specimens of ancient Roman art, they retained and imitated so much of the originals before them as their simple, uncultivated minds could grasp. The Ostrogoths, in consequence of their somewhat more advanced culture, were the first who, with a certain degree of success, attempted on Italian soil the appropriation of the antique in daily life as well as in art.

In Theodoric's reign, especially, a more lively interest in Architecture is to be remarked. But in all the ancient structures we find Roman influence predominating. With the more general development of civilisation, we discover the science of Architecture advancing. It was not until Charlemagne's time that any real, vital, energetic movement in the German architectural genius was manifested.

After the fall of the Carlovingian race, and the separation of their dominions into different kingdoms, when the spirit of Christianity had become more generally diffused, when the German mind, taking, as it were, counsel with itself, had created new forms in its civil and religious polity, more in correspondence with a superior degree of civilisation, it first became possible to make the science of Findel, History of FM.

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