thereof, in accordance with their oath and best judgment, shall be observed by the whole fraternity of craftsmen.

Item: If two or more masters who are of the fraternity be at variance or discord about matters which do not concern masonry, they shall not settle these matters anywhere but before masonry, which shall judge and reconcile them as far as possible, but so that the agreement be made without prejudice to the lords or cities who are concerned in the

matter.

1. Now, in order that these regulations of the craft may be kept more honestly, with service to God and other necessary and becoming things, every master who has craftsmen at work in his Lodge, and practices masonry, and is of this fraternity, shall first pay one florin on entering this fraternity, and afterwards each year four blapparts; namely, on each ember-week one blappart or Bohemian, to be paid into the box of the fraternity, and each fellow four blapparts, and so likewise an apprentice who has served his time.

2. All masters and craftsmen who are of this fraternity, and who employ workmen in their Lodges, shall each of them have a box, and each fellow shall pay into the box weekly one penny. Every master shall faithfully treasure up such money, and what may be derived from other sources, and shall each year deliver it to the fraternity at the nearest place where a Book is kept, in order to provide for God's worship and to supply the necessaries of the fraternity.

3. Every master who has a box, if there be no Book in the same Lodge, shall deliver the money each year to the master who has charge of the Book, and where the Book is there shall also be held divine worship. If a master or fellow dies in a Lodge where no Book is kept, another master or fellow of the said Lodge shall give notice thereof to the master who has a Book, and when he has been informed thereof he shall cause a mass to be said for the repose of the soul of him who has departed, and all the masters and fellows of the Lodge shall assist at the mass and contribute thereto.

4. If a master or fellow be put to any expense or disbursement, for account of the Fraternity, and notice be given of how the same occurred. to such master or fellow shall be repaid his expenses, be the same small or great, out of the box of the Fraternity; if also any one gets into trouble with courts or in other matters, relating to the Fraternity, then shall every one, be he master or fellow, afford him aid and relief, as he is bound to do by the oath of the Fraternity.

5. If a master or fellow fall sick, or a fellow who is of the fraternity, and has lived uprightly in masonry, be afflicted with protracted illness and want for food and necessary money, then shall the master who has charge of the box lend him relief and assistance from the box, if he otherwise may, until he recover from his sickness; and he shall afterward vow and promise to restitute the same into the box. But if he should die in such sickness, then so much shall be taken from what he leaves at his death, be it clothing or other articles, as to repay that which had been loaned to him, if so much there be.

THESE ARE THE STATUTES OF THE PARLIRERS
AND FELLOWS.

No craftsman or master shall set at work a fellow who commits adultery, or who openly lives in illicit intercourse with women, or who does not yearly make confession, and goes not to the holy communion,

according to Christian discipline, nor one who is so foolish as to lose his clothing at play.

Item: If any fellow should wantonly take leave of a grand Lodge or from another Lodge, he shall not ask for employment in the said Lodge for a year to come.

Item: If a craftsman or master wishes to discharge a travelling fellow whom he had employed, he shall not do so unless on a Saturday or on a pay-evening, so that he may know how to travel on the morrow, unless he be guilty of an offence. The same shall also be done by a fellow-craft.

Item: A travelling fellow shall make application for employment to no one but the master of the work or the Parlirer, neither clandestinely nor openly, without the knowledge and will of the master.

REGULATIONS OF THE APPRENTICES.

No craftmans nor master shall knowingly accept as an appren tice one who is not of lawful birth, and shall earnestly inquire thereof before he accepts him, and shall question such apprentice on his word, whether his father and mother were duly united in lawful wedlock.

Item: No craftsman or master shall promote one of his apprentices as a Parlirer whom he has taken as an apprentice from his rough state, or who is still in his years of apprenticeship.

Neither shall any craftsman or master promote any of his apprentices as a Parlirer whom he has taken from his rough state, nothwithstanding he may have served his years of apprenticeship, if he has not travelled for the space of one year, &c.

Item: Whoever desires to enter this fraternity, shall promise ever to keep steadfastly all these articles herein before and hereafter written in this Book, except our gracious lord the Emperor, or the king, princes, lords, or any other nobles, by force or right, should be opposed to his belonging to the fraternity: that shall be a sufficient excuse, so that there be no harm therein. But for what he is indebted for to the fraternity, he shall come to an agreement thereon with the craftsmen who are in the fraternity.

Although by Christian discipline every Christian is bound to provide for his own salvation, yet it must be duly remembered by the masters and craftsmen whom the Almighty God has graciously endowed with their art and workmanship, to build houses of God and other costly edifices, and honestly to gain their living thereby, that by gratitude their hearts be justly moved unto true Christian feelings, to promote divine worship, and to merit the salvation of their souls thereby. Therefore to the praise and honour of Almighty God, his worthy mother Mary, of all her blessed saints, and particularly of the holy four crowned martyrs, and especially for the salvation of the souls of all persons who are of this fraternity, or who may hereafter belong to it, have we craftsmen of masonry stipulated and ordained for us and all our successors, to have a divine service yearly at the four holy festivals and on the day of the holy four crowned martyrs, at Strasburg, in the minster of the high chapter, in our dear lady's chapel, with vigils and soul masses, after the manner to be instituted.

It was determined upon the day at Spires, on the minth day of April, in the year, counting from God's birth, 1464, that the workmaster, Jost Dotzinger, of Worms, workmaster of the high chapter at Strassburg, shall have an assembly of craftsmen in his district, when

three or four masters shall be taken and chosen, to come together on a certain day, as they may agree, and what is there determined on by a majority of those who are so congregated in chapters, and who are then present, and how they may decrease or increase some articles, that shall be kept throughout the whole fraternity.

That day shall be on St. George's day in the sixty-ninth year.

These are the masters who were present on the day at Spires, on the ninth day of April in the year 1464.

Item: Jost Dotzinger, of Worms, workmaster of our dear lady's minster of the high chapter at Strasburg; Item: Master Hans von Esselingen; Item: Master Vincencie von Constanz; Item: Master Hans von Heyltburn; Item: Master Peter von Algesheim, Master at Nuhausen; Item: Werner Meylon, of Basle, on behalf of Master Peter Knobel, of Basle, &c. &c.

C.

EXAMINATION OF THE ENGLISH MASONS.

Here followeth their private discourse by way of question and

A. By perfect signes and tokens and the first poynts of my entrance. Q. Which is the first signe or token? show me the first and I will show you the second.

A. The first is heale and conceal or conceal and keep secrett by no less paine than cutting my tongue from my throat.

Q. Where were you made a Mason?

A. In a just and perfect or just and lawfull Lodge.

Q. What is a just and perfect or just and lawfull Lodge.

A. A just and perfect Lodge is two Interprentices two FellowCraftes and two Masters more or fewer, the more the merrier the fewer the bettr chear but if need require five will serve that is two Interprentices, two Fellow-Craftes, and one Master, on the highest hill or lowest Valley of the world without the crow of a cock or the bark of a dogg.

Q. From whom do you derive your principall.

A. From a greatr than you.

Q. Who is that on earth that is greatr then a Freemason.

A. He yt was caryed to the highest pinnicall of the Temple of Jerusalem.

Q. Wheth is your Lodge shut or open.

A. It is shut.

Q. Where lyes the keys of the Lodge doore.

A. They lye in a bound case or undr a three cornered pavement

about a foote and a halfe from the Lodge door.

Q. What is the key of your Lodge door made of.

A. It is not made of Wood, Stone, Iron, or Steel, or any sort of mettle, but the tongue of a good report behind a Brothr's back as well as before his face.

Q. How many Jewels belong to your Lodge.

A. There are three, the square pavement, the blasing Star- and the Danly tasseley.

Q. How long is the cable rope of your Lodge.

A. As long as from the Lop of the liver to the root of the tongue.

Q. How many Lights are in your Lodge.

A.

Three, the sun, the mastr and the square.

Q. How high is your Lodge.

A. Without foots, yards, or inches, it reaches to Heaven.

Q. Hou stood your Lodge.

A. East and west as all holy Temples stand.

Q. Which is the Master's place in the Lodge.

A. The east place is the Master place in the Lodge and the Jewell resteth on him first and he setteth men to worke; wt the masters have

in the foornoon the wardens reap in the afternoon.

In some places they discourse as followeth (viz.).

Q. Where was the word first given?

A. At the Tower of Babylon.

Q. Where did they first call their Lodge.

A.

At the holy Chapell of St. John.

Q. How stood your Lodge.

A.

As the said holy Chapell and all other holy Temples stand

(east and west).

Q. How many lights are in your Lodge.

A. Two, one to see to go in and another to see to work.

Q. What were you sworne by.

A. By god and the square.

Q. Whether above the cloathes or und, the cloathes.

A. Undr the cloathes.

Q. Undr what Arme.

A. Undr the right Arme. God is Gratfull to all worshipfull masters and fellows in that worshipfull Lodge from whence we last came and to you good fellow: wt is your name.

A. I or B. then giving the grip of the hand he will say Brother John griet you well you.

A. Gods greeting to you dear Brother.

Another salutation is giving the masters or fellows grip saying the right worshipfull the masters and fellows in that worshipfull Lodge from whence we last came greet you greet you greet you well, then he will reply gods good greeting to you dear Brother.

Anothr they have called the master's word and is Mohebyn which is allways divided into two words and standing close with their Breasts to each others the inside of each others right ancle joynts the masters grip by their right hands and the top of their left hand fingers thurst close on y small of each others Backbone and in that posture they stand till they whisper in each others ears, y one Maha-the other replyis Byn.

THE OATH.

The mason word and every thing therein contained you shall keep secrett you shall never put it in writing directly or indirectly you shall keep all that we or your attenders shall bid you keep secret from man woman or Child, Stock, or Stone, and never reveal it but to a brother or in a Lodge of Freemasons and truly observe the Charges in ye Constitution all this you promise and swere faithfully to keep and observe without any manner of Equivocation or mentall resarvation directly or Indirectly so help you God and by the contents of this book. kisses the book, &c.

So he

D.

THE OLD CHARGES FROM 1723.

I. CONCERNING GOD AND RELIGION. 1

A Mason it obliged, by his tenure, to obey the moral law; and if he rightly understands the art, he will never be a stupid atheist nor an irreligious libertine. But though in ancient times Masons were charged in every country to be of the religion of that country or nation, whatever it was, yet 'tis now thought more expedient only to oblige them to that religion in which all men agree, leaving their particular opinions to themselves; that is, to be good men and true, or men of honour and honesty, by whatever denominations or persuasions they may be distinguished; whereby Masonry becomes the centre of union, and the means of conciliating true friendship among persons that must have otherwise remained at a perpetual distance.

II. OF THE CIVIL MAGISTRATE, SUPREME AND
SUBORDINATE.

A Mason is a peaceable subject to the civil powers, wherever he resides or works, and is never to be concerned in plots and conspiracies against the peace and welfare of the nation, nor to behave himself undutifully to inferior magistrates; for as Masonry had been always injured

1 In the edition of the Book of Constitutions published in 1738, Charge I. runs thus: "A mason is obliged by his tenure, to obey the moral laws as a true "Noa chida" and if he rightly understands the art, he will never. &c., nor act against conscience. In ancient times, the Christian Masons were charged to comply with the Christian usages of each country where they travelled or worked, being from all nations even of divers religion. They are generally charged to adhere to that religion in which all men agree, leaving each brother to his own particular opinion that is to be good, &c. They may be distinguished; for they all agree in the three great articles of Noah, enough to preserve the cement of the Lodge. Thus Masonry, &c.

Afterwards the ancient Constitution of 1723 was once more resumed. Charge II. is in the Edition of 1738 somwhat shorter; but the same in all its essential parts as that of 1723. Charge VI. is in the edition of 1738 also shorter, and that place omitted which treats of Church Reform, and the separation of those nations from Rome.