THE COLLECTED "PRESTONIAN LECTURES" 1961-1974 (Volume Two)

THE COLLECTED PRESTONIAN LECTURES 1961-1974 (Volume Two)

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CONTENTS
List of Lecturers 1961-74 vi vi

List of Abbreviated References used in the text Introduction by Cyril Batha vii

Year

The Prestonian Lectures

1961 !in" #olo on in the $iddle A"es

%rof& '& Brett 1

196( )he '$ of *R* the +u,e of #ussex %& R& -a es 11 196. /ol,lore into $asonry 0Rev *& '& $ichael Clar,e (1 1964 )he 'enesis of 23erative $asonry Rev A& -& Ar,ell .( 1961 Brethren 4ho ade $asonic *istory 5& 6e4ton 46

1966 )he 5volution of the 5n"lish %rovincial 'rand Lod"e *on 7& R& #& Bathurst 18 1967 )he 'rand Lod"e of 5n"land - A *istory of the /irst *undred 9ears A& R& *e4itt 74 1968 )he /ive 6oble 2rders of Architecture *& !ent At,ins 94 1969 5xternal Influences on the 5volution of 5n"lish $asonry -& R& Clar,e 1:6 197: In the Be"innin" 4as the 7ord &&& Lt Col 5ric 7ard 117 1971 $asters and $aster $asons Rev Canon R& )yde an 1..

197( ;It is not in the %o4er of any )& 2& *aunch 149

an< A #tudy in chan"e=

197. In #earch of Ritual >nifor ity C& /& 7& +yer 168 1974 +ra a and Craft 6& Bar,er Cryer 196

Biblio"ra3hy (4(

vi

;)*5 %R5#)26IA6 L5C)>R5#=

List of Illustrations

7illia

%reston as %$ of the Lod"e of Anti?uity /rontis3iece

*R* %rince Au"ustus /rederic,@ +u,e of #ussex as $7 'rand $aster of the >nited 'rand Lod"e of 5n"land@ 181.-4. 1. )he #te3 %yra id enclosure at #a,,ara .1 Co 3arative %ro3ortions of the 2rders of Architecture 91 #olo on=s )e 3le as visualised by Lt Col 5ric 7ard fro evidence 1(7 available

#olo on=s )e 3le as i a"ined by the seventeenth-century artist@ Ro ain de *oo"he 1(8 )he Battle of Re3hidi %hili3 'alle 1.1 as i a"ined by the sixteenth-century artist@

The Lecturers 1961-74

7 Bro %rof 'erard Brett@ %$ /elix Lod"e 6o 1494& 7 Bro %& R& -a es@ $A@ A!C@ %A'+C& R7 Bro 0 Rev *& '& $ichael Clar,e@ %rov '$ 7ar4ic,shire& 191.-61& 7 Bro Rev A& -& Ar,ell@ $B5@ $C@ %$ 2ld Bradford Lod"e 6o .149& 7 Bro 5d4ard 6e4ton@ %'#t4d& R7 Bro *on 7illia 191:-7:& R& #& Bathurst@ )+@ %rov '$ 'loucestershire@

R7 Bro A& R& *e4itt@ /LA@ %-'+& 7 Bro *& !& At,ins@ %A'#u3t 7,s& 7 Bro -& R& Clar,e@ %-'+& 7 Bro Lt Col 5ric 7ard@ )+@ %A'+C& 07 Bro Rev Canon R& )yde an@ %' Cha3lain& 7 Bro )& 2& *aunch@ $A@ %A'#u3t 7,s& 7 Bro C& /& 7& +yer@ 5R+@ %-'+@ A%rov '$ A7est !entB& 7 Bro Rev 6eville Bar,er Cryer@ %+e3' Cha3lain@ A %rov '$ A#urreyB&

Abbreviated References used in the Text ACC - Ars Cuatuor Coronatoru & )ransactions of the Cuatuor Coronati Lod"e& B of C- Boo, of Constitutions& /CR - /ree asons= Cuarterly Revie4& CCA - Cuatuor Coronatoru Cuatuor Coronati Lod"e& Anti"ra3ha& $asonic Re3rints of the

I TR!"#$TI!

%&TRA$T 'R!( T)% *RA " L!"*% PR!$%%"I *+ '!R , "%$%(-%R 19./0

In the year 1818@ Bro 7illia %reston@ a very active /ree ason at the end of the ei"hteenth and be"innin" of the nineteenth centuries@ be?ueathed D.:: . 3er cent& Consolidated Ban, Annuities@ the interest of 4hich 4as to be a33lied ;to so e 4ell-infor ed $ason to deliver annually a Lecture on the /irst@ #econd@ or )hird +e"ree of the 2rder of $asonry accordin" to the syste 3ractised in the Lod"e of Anti?uity= durin" his $astershi3& /or a nu ber of years the ter s of this be?uest 4ere acted u3on@ but for a lon" 3eriod no such Lecture has been delivered@ and the /und has "radually accu ulated@ and is no4 vested in the $7 the %ro 'rand $aster@ the Rt *on Lord A 3thill@ and 7 Bro #ir !ynaston #tudd@ %'+@ as trustees& )he Board has had under consideration for so e 3eriod the desirability of fra in" a sche e 4hich 4ould enable the /und to be used to the best advanta"eE and@ in consultation 4ith the )rustees 4ho have "iven their assent@ has no4 ado3ted such a sche e@ 4hich is "iven in full in A33endix A F#ee belo4G@ and 4ill be 3ut into o3eration 4hen the sanction of 'rand Lod"e has been received&

)he 'rand Lod"e sanction 4as duly "iven and the ;sche e for the ad inistration of the %restonian fund= a33eared in the %roceedin"s as follo4s<

APP% "I&

A +$)%(% '!R A"(I I+TRATI! !' T)% PR%+T! IA '# "

1& )he Board of 'eneral %ur3oses shall be invited each year to no inate t4o Brethren of learnin" and res3onsibility fro 4ho the )rustees shall a33oint the %restonian Lecturer for the year 4ith 3o4er for the Board to subdele"ate their 3o4er of no ination to the Library@ Art@ and %ublications Co ittee of the Board@ or such other Co ittee as they thin, fit&

(& )he re uneration of the Lecturer so a33ointed shall be D1 1s 2d for each Lecture delivered by hi to"ether 4ith travellin" ex3enses@ if any@ not exceedin" D1 #s 2d@ the nu ber of Lectures delivered each year bein" deter ined by the inco e of the fund and the ex3enses incurred in the 4ay of Lectures and ad inistration&

.& )he Lectures shall be delivered in accordance 4ith the ter s of the )rust&

2ne at least of the Lectures each year shall be delivered in London under the aus3ices of one or ore London Lod"es& )he no ination of Lod"es under 4hose aus3ices the %restonian Lecture shall be delivered shall rest 4ith the )rustees@ but 4ith 3o4er for one or ore Lod"es to 3refer re?uests throu"h the 'rand #ecretary for the %restonian Lecture to vii viii ;)*5 %R5#)26IA6 L5C)>R5#= be delivered at a eetin" of such Lod"e or co bined eetin" of such Lod"es&

4& *avin" re"ard to the fact that Bro 7illia %reston 4as a e ber of the Lod"e of Anti?uity and the ori"inal Lectures 4ere delivered under the ae"is of that Lod"e@ it is su""ested that the first no ination of a Lod"e to arran"e for the delivery of the Lecture shall be in favour of the Lod"e of Anti?uity should that Lod"e so desire&

1& Lod"es under 4hose aus3ices the %restonian Lecture ay be delivered shall be res3onsible for all the ex3enses attendin" the delivery of such Lecture exce3t the Lecturer=s /ee&

6& Re?uests for the delivery of the %restonian Lecture in %rovincial Lod"es 4ill be considered by the )rustee 4ho ay consult the Board as to the "rantin" or refusal of such consent&

7& Re?uests fro %rovincial Lod"es shall be ade throu"h %rovincial 'rand #ecretaries to the 'rand #ecretary@ and such re?uests@ if "ranted@ 4ill be "ranted subHect to the re?uestin" %rovinces a,in" the selves res3onsible for the 3rovision of a suitable hall in 4hich the Lecture can be delivered@ and for the Lecturer=s travellin" ex3enses beyond the su of D1 1s 2d@ and if the Lecturer cannot reasonably "et bac, to his 3lace of abode on the sa e day@ the re?uestin" %rovince ust 3ay his *otel ex3enses or a,e other 3ro3er 3rovision for his acco odation&

8& %rovincial 'rand #ecretaries@ in the case of Lectures delivered in the %rovince@ and #ecretaries of Lod"es under 4hose aus3ices the Lecture ay be delivered in London@ shall re3ort to the )rustees throu"h the 'rand #ecretary the nu ber in attendance at the Lecture@ the anner in 4hich the Lecture 4as received@ and "enerally as to the 3roceedin"s thereat&

9& $aster $asons@ subscribin" e bers of Lod"es@ ay attend the Lectures@ and a fee not exceedin" (s ay be char"ed for their ad ission for the 3ur3ose of coverin" ex3enses&

)hus after a la3se of so e sixty years the %restonian Lectures 4ere revived in their ne4 for and@ 4ith the exce3tion of the 7ar 3eriod A194:-46B@ a %restonian Lecturer has been a33ointed by the 'rand Lod"e re"ularly each year&

It is interestin" to see that neither of those t4o extracts announcin" the revival of the %restonian Lectures ade any ention of the 3rinci3al chan"e that had been effected under the revival@ a chan"e that is here referred to as their ne4 for & )he i 3ortance of the ne4 for is that the Lecturer is no4 3er itted to choose his o4n subHect and@ a3art fro certain li itations inherent in the 4or,@ he really has a free choice&

6o4adays the official announce ent of the a33oint ent of the %restonian Lecturer usually carries an additional 3ara"ra3h 4hich lends "reat 4ei"ht to the a33oint ent< )he Board desires to e 3hasiIe the i 3ortance of these the only Lectures held under the authority of the 'rand Lod"e& It is@ therefore@ ho3ed that a33lications for the 3rivile"e of havin" one of these official Lectures 4ill be ade only by Lod"es 4hich are 3re3ared to afford facilities I6)R2+>C)I26 for all /ree asons in their area@ as 4ell as their o4n e bers@ to 3artici3ate and thus ensure an attendance 4orthy of the occasion&

)he %restonian Lecturer has to deliver three ;official= lectures to lod"es a33lyin" for that honour& )he ;official= deliveries are usually allocated to one selected lod"e in London and t4o in the 3rovinces& In addition to these three the lecturer "enerally delivers the sa e lecture@ unofficially@ to other lod"es all over the country@ and@ on occasions@ to lod"es abroad& It is custo ary for 3rinted co3ies of the lecture to be sold-in vast nu bers-for the benefit of one or ore of the asonic charities selected by the author&

)he %restonian Lectures have the uni?ue distinction@ as noted above@ that they are the only lectures "iven ;4ith the authority of the 'rand Lod"e&= )here are also t4o unusual financial as3ects attachin" to the & /irstly@ that the lecturer is 3aid for his services@ thou"h the odest fee is not nearly as i 3ortant as the honour of the a33oint ent&

#econdly the lod"es that are honoured 4ith the official deliveries of the lectures are ex3ected to ta,e s3ecial easures for asse blin" a lar"e audience and for that reason they are 3er itted - on that occasion only to a,e a s all no inal char"e for ad ission&

In 1961 a collection of t4enty-seven %restonian Lectures 4as 3ublished by Cuatuor Coronati Lod"e entitled )he Collected %restonian Lectures 19(1-6: and 4as edited by *arry Carr& >nfortunately this has lon" been out of 3rint& It covered the 3eriod fro the ti e of the revival of the lectures until 196: 4ith the exce3tion of the follo4in" three lectures that 4ere o itted because of their esoteric content< 19(4 7 Bro Ca3t C& 7& /irebrace@ )he /irst +e"ree %'+ 19.( 7 Bro -& *eron Le33er@ )he 5volution of $asonic %'+ Ritual in 5n"land in the 5i"hteenth Century 1911 7 Bro *& 7& Chet4in@ 0ariations in $asonic %A'+C Cere onial 5ditorial versions of these three lectures 4ere 3ublished by Cuatuor Coronati Lod"e in volu e 94 of Ars Cuatuor Coronatoru &

)he 3resent boo, contains the lectures fro 1961 to 1974 and fortunately it has been 3ossible to 3rint all of the in full& )hey cover a 4ide ran"e of asonic subHects and as all have been out of 3rint for so e considerable ti e@ asonic students 4ill certainly 4elco e this o33ortunity of obtainin" a collected edition of the & 6ot only are they a valuable aid to asonic study but they are an excellent eans of a,in" ;a daily advance ent in asonic ,no4led"e=&

)here are only fourteen lectures in this collection@ virtually one-half of the nu ber 3rinted in the for er volu e but 3resent-day costs of boo, 3roduction have i 3osed this li it& It is ho3ed that in due course it 4ill be 3ossible to 3roduce a third volu e&

In so e cases the lectures have been ex3anded or au" ented in so e 4ay but in every such case this has been done by the individual lecturers& /urther it ust J ;)*5 %R5#)26IA6 L5C)>R5#= be e 3hasiIed that they and they alone are res3onsible for the o3inions ex3ressed and for the accuracy of the state ents ade& $ost of those honoured by the >nited 'rand Lod"e of 5n"land in bein" a33ointed as %restonian Lecturers had 3reviously distin"uished the selves@ not only as asonic scholars@ but in other as3ects of asonic life and of the fourteen@ no less than ten are or 4ere e bers of Cuatuor Coronati Lod"e&

/inally it ust be 3ointed out that not only this collection but also the individual lectures are co3yri"ht& In every case 3er ission to 3ublish these lectures has been obtained fro the authors@ their heirs or assi"ns

and their hel3 and co-o3eration so freely "iven is "ratefully ac,no4led"ed&

London@ 198.& C9RIL 6& BA)*A$&

!I6' #2L2$26 I6 )*5 $I++L5 A'5# )*5 %R5#)26IA6 L5C)>R5 /2R 1961 '5RAR+ BR5)) )*5 %R2BL5$# of continuity are a on" the ost bafflin" of those 4hich beset the historian& )his is 3articularly the case in the history of 7estern 5uro3e in the last (@::: odd years& 7e are accusto ed to thin, that of history 4ithin the fra e4or, invented for it by the 'er an nineteenth-century 3hiloso3her /riedrich *e"el as fallin" into three 3eriods@ the ancient@ the edieval and the odern& A continuity bet4een the ancient and the first 3art of the edieval 3eriod can often be traced@ and so can one bet4een the second half of the edieval and the odern& Continuity fro the first 3eriod to the last@ ho4ever@ is extre ely rare& )4o outstandin" exa 3les of it 4ill stri,e everyone at once - the Christian church and the Latin lan"ua"e& 6either exists today in anythin" li,e the ori"inal for & As $iss %ris re ar,ed to Canon Chasuble in 2scar 7ilde=s )he I 3ortance of Bein" 5arnest@ ;the 3ri itive church has not survived in its ori"inal for =& In the sa e 4ay@ no one@ 4ith classical Latin in ind@ has tried to aster either of its chief odern derivatives@ church Latin and Italian@ 4ill aintain that it has done so either& )hat there is continuity in each case@ ho4ever@ is ?uite clear&

A3art fro these t4o@ such exa 3les as there are of this continuity are ainly to be found in the field of fol,lore@ tradition and 3o3ular beliefs& It is 4ith one of these that I 4ant to deal today< the le"end of !in" #olo on&

I cannot do better than to be"in this lecture at the 3oint 4here the research it incor3orates be"an@ that is@ 4ith a ?uotation fro a sentence fro a contribution to A CC@ xxvii by Bro Chet4ode Cra4ley< ;Bet4een the third and the thirteenth centuries@= he 4rote@ ;there are not in the 4hole ran"e of 7estern Literature a score of references to #olo on or to his )e 3le@ and such as are ,no4n to exist are neither co 3li entary to the 7isdo of the !in" nor laudatory of the s3lendour of the edifice&= )o y ind this contains t4o serious ista,es - a isstate ent of fact@ in that edieval 7estern literature abounds 4ith co 3li entary references to #olo on and his )e 3le@ and a ista,en i 3lication that none of the

)e 3le le"ends existed in 4ritten for earlier than A+ 1.::& All the literature "oes to sho4 that #olo on 4as a "reat fi"ure in the $iddle A"es& In all this aterial there is@ of course@ the "a3 bet4een the first and second Craft de"rees on the one side and the third on the other& )he ori"in of the *ira ic le"end 3ro3er@ as Bro Covey-Cru 3 has de onstrated@ is un,no4n and 3ossibly un,no4ableE there are no traces of it in edieval literature@ and its absence 4here so uch else is 3resent is hi"hly si"nificant& )he aterial in the first and second de"rees@ on the other hand@ is ainly fro the 2ld )esta ent@ 1 ( ;)*5 %R5#)26IA6 L5C)>R5#= and@ even 4hen it is not@ its ori"in is@ I thin,@ in every case traceable& But edieval literature@ in revealin" the trans ission of this aterial@ reveals also the recurrin" traditions about #olo on hi self@ his )e 3le@ and his chief ArchitectE and I do not thin, anyone can study these traditions 4ithout be"innin" to 4onder ho4 old the le"ends ay be in so ethin" at least nearly a33roachin" the for in 4hich 4e have the & )he any le"ends about hi fall under three headin"s< #olo on the a"ician@ #olo on the 4ise an@ #olo on the builder& 2f these the third one see s to have been the ain one fro the start@ and I 3ro3ose to 3ass over the a"ician and the 4ise an stories rather ra3idly here and concentrate y attention on #olo on the builder&

)o be"in then@ 4ith #olo on the a"ician& An i 3lication that he 4as a a"ician is found in t4o 3assa"es in the 2ld )esta ent@ 4hile the latest 4riter on the subHect 3oints out that the evidence of #olo on=s life@ 4ith its dar, and disastrous end@ 4ere exactly of a ,ind to encoura"e such a le"end& )he le"end had "ro4n extensively by the ti e of -ose3hus in the first century A+& *ere 4e find the le"end=s t4o co onest features #olo on=s 3o4er over birds and ani als@ and the boo,s he had 4ritten& It is ade ?uite 3lain that the boo,s referred to here 4ere boo,s of a"icE and thus al ost at the start 4e are introduced to the a"ical rituals 4hich 4ere to be a constant the e&

)he ai of all a"ic is to ac?uire hu an control over non-hu an a"encies& $a"ic ta,es three "reat for s - astrolo"y@ alche y and ritual& Ritual a"ic@ that is@ the re3etition of s3ecial 4ords and for ulae@ is incidental to one if not both the other for s as 4ell as to any ty3es of or"anised reli"ion& Its ost i 3ortant edieval use@ and that in 4hich it sho4s ost clearly the ai of all a"ic@ lies in de onolo"y@ the study and ,no4led"e of de ons 4ith a vie4 to their control for hu an 3ur3oses& It is in the Ro an 3eriod@ es3ecially in the first four or five centuries A+@ that 4e beco e a4are of the full i 3ortance of de onolo"y@ 3rinci3ally for use in exorcis @ that is the castin" out of de onsE a series of literary

sources fro the 6e4 )esta ent on4ards sho4s the i 3ortance for the Christian as 4ell as for the -e4 of exorcis as a eans of healin" the sic,&

$a"ical boo,s ascribed to #olo on 4ere 4ides3readE 2ri"en in the third century refers to the exorcistic for ulae contained in the @ and no4 for the first ti e 4e hear of the #eal of #olo on@ 4hich cast out de ons because it contained the *oly 6a e of 'od - an idea 4hich a33ears in t4o 3assa"es in the Boo, of Revelation& A ulets of this 3eriod invo,e #olo on=s aid a"ainst a variety of ills< as the a"ician 4ho ,ne4 all the de ons by their na es@ and 4hat ail ents 4ere caused by 4hich@ he 4as the obvious 3erson to call on&

It is in the )esta ent of #olo on that the !in"=s 3o4er and 3osition a33ear ost clearlyE and the )esta ent@ a -e4ish 4or, 3robably of the@ fourth century A+@ 4as to colour all 5uro3ean a"ical rituals for t4elve hundred years& )he )esta ent is hun" on the thread of an autobio"ra3hical story of #olo on=s life and rei"n@ 4ith stress on the buildin" of the )e 3le& It is actually little ore than a hand-list of de ons@ "ivin" their na es@ the ischief they cause@ and ho4 they are to be exorcised& )he de onolo"y is far ore develo3ed than any other feature of the 4or,@ and sho4s si"ns of various forei"n influences@ notably 5"y3tian and !I6' #2L2$26 I6 )*5 $I++L5 A'5# Iranian@ actin" on its -e4ish foundation& )here are Christian influences@ tooE indeed@ its i 3ortance 3artly lies in sho4in" ho4 close to each other Christianity and de onolo"y 4ere&

But the )esta ent has a 4ider i 3ortance& )he first sta"e of de onolo"y - 3ara ount in the )esta ent - 4as a atter of exorcis and edicine& )he next@ 4hich 3arts of the 4or, foreshado4@ 4as a chan"e to de onolo"y as a eans of obtainin" s3ecial benefits& )o this end there 4as 3roduced the series of anuals of de onolo"y@ 4hich "oes on into the sixteenth century@ if not later& )he ost fa ous of these are the t4o !eys of #olo onE nearly all are attributed to hi as a atter of course& It is here@ 3erha3s@ that it beco es ost clear ho4 "reat a fi"ure #olo on the $a"ician 4as in the $iddle A"es@ and a3art fro the $anuals he rea33ears constantly in edieval literature& $ost of the le"ends in the vast #olo on-$a"ician cor3us 3robably date fro this ti e@ and in any esti ate of the ental at os3here of the later $iddle A"es he is a fi"ure to rec,on 4ith& It 4as only 4ith a further chan"e in the character of

de onolo"y@ and the rise of the ne4 ty3e of that #olo on lost "round&

a"ician e bodied in /aust@

)he second strand in the tradition is that of #olo on the 7ise $an& )o a "reat extent@ of course@ the ;$a"ician= ele ent 3resu33oses this@ and in the earlier centuries the t4o are very hard to distin"uish& In the earliest evidence@ other than the 2ld )esta ent itself@ -ose3hus entions three 3oints referable strictly to this idea- ;boo,s= #olo on had 4ritten Aa3art@ that is@ fro the 3urely a"ical boo,s already entionedB - a develo3 ent fro the "eneralised ;7isdo = 4hich alone is attributed to hi by the 2ld )esta entE the riddles he exchan"ed 4ith *ira of )yre@ or his servant Abde onus@ 4hich are the occasion for a dis?uisition on the 4isdo of #olo on itselfE and the Cueen of #heba=s visit to test and hear his 4isdo &

In the Christian centuries the idea of #olo on=s 4isdo see s to have "radually se3arated itself fro that of his a"ic@ and stress is increasin"ly laid on the idea of hi as the rece3tory of the +ivine 7isdo -the *a"ia #o3hia itselfE he a33ears in this li"ht in at least one fresco 4ith Biblical fi"ures@ a t4elfth-century exa 3le in #& +e etrius at 0ladi ir& )here are "li 3ses of the idea of 4isdo in "eneral@ both in the )esta ent and in other sources@ in the ascri3tion to hi of all edical ,no4led"e@ indeed of the 4hole art of healin"@ 4ithout the i 3lication of exorcis & )he boo,s a33ear a"ain in the sixth century in Cos as= ;#olo on a"ain 4rote his o4n 4or,s@ %roverbs@ the #on" of #on"s and 5cclesiastes& /or thou"h he had received the "ift of 4isdo fro 'od & & & he did not receive the "ift of 3ro3hecy=E the riddlin" 4ith *ira and his servant@ 4ho here a33ears as Abdi us@ in -ac?ues de 0itry=s *istory of -erusale Athirteenth centuryB& )he An"lo-#axon +ialo"ue of #olo on and #aturn is a se3arate anifestation of this "eneral ideaE another@ entirely se3arate and sho4in" ho4 4idely 3rolific the idea 4as@ is the Arab le"end that the ori"inal strain of all Arab horses derives fro the stallion Kad-er-Ra,ib@ "iven by #olo on to an e bassy of AIdites&

It is in the encyclo3aedic a"e of the thirteenth century that the s3ecific idea of #olo on as the re3ository of all 7isdo co es to its full flo4erin"& )he edieval notion of the 2ld and 6e4 )esta ent as co 3le entary 3arts of one 4hole@ the 2ld a 3refi"uration of the 6e4@ derives in its later for ainly fro the )*5 %R5#)26IA6 L5C)>R5#= ;Alle"oriae ?uaeda #cri3turae= of Isidore of #eville@ thou"h it is by no

eans ori"inal to hi & It 4as not 4or,ed out in detail for so e hundreds of years after Isidore@ but 4hen it 4as@ 4e find #olo on as the sy bol of +ivine 7isdo @ and as such the direct 3refi"uration of Christ *i self& )his a33ears ost clearly in the thirteenth century $## of the Bible $oralises@ 4here iniatures of the various events in the history of #olo on are acco 3anied by both the 2ld )esta ent text and a state ent of the 3recise event in the life and inistry of Christ 4hich is 3refi"ured&

)he sa e idea ins3ires the late edieval version of the story of the Cueen of #heba& )he story is Biblical in ori"in@ and a33ears in -ose3husE but 4ith the 3assa"e of ti e its character chan"es& In the earlier $iddle A"es@ as 4ell as in ByIantine tradition throu"hout@ the Cueen s3ea,s in dar, lan"ua"e@ and ost rese bles one of the Ro an #ibyls@ 4hereas -e4ish and Ara aic 4riters see her essentially as the riddle "iver& In t4elfth-century 5uro3e@ she 4as@ so to s3ea,@ Christianised@ and acce3ted into 7estern Christian le"end@ 4here she has re ained ever since& #olo on is the +ivine 7isdo E the Cueen of #heba is the Church co in" fro the ends of the earth to hear the 4ords of Christ@ as she a33ears in the t4elfth-century stained "lass at Canterbury& Alternatively #olo on on the throne re3resents the +ivine 7isdo on the ,nees of $ary@ and the Cueen of #heba=s visit@ the Adoration of the $a"i& )he latter version is sho4n above the Central 7est %orch of #trasbour" Cathedral@ in a relief carvin" of #olo on on the throne 4ith the 0ir"in and Child above& )he for er is illustrated in the Bible $oralises@ and in the series of 3airs of scul3tured fi"ures at A iens@ Chartres@ Rei s and else4here@ 4hich 4ere the subHect of a fierce ar"u ent in ACCxix& )he older #ibyl-%ro3hetess idea did not die out co 3letely< it rea33ears in the 6ure ber" Liber Cronicaru of 149.E and on a 'er an ;2ld )esta ent= 'othic ta3estry of about 11::@ are t4o fi"ures 4ith the na es ;#ala an= and ;#ibilla=&

)he other favourite scene of the 4isdo of #olo on - the -ud" ent - has a lon"er s3ecifically Christian history& 7hat ay be a caricature of it is on a %o 3eian fresco Aie before the eru3tion of 0esuvius in A+ 79B in the 6a3les $useu E 4hat is 3robably the earliest Christian re3resentation is on the lid of a silver cas,et in the Church of #an 6aIaro in $ilan@ attributed to the late fourth century& )here are other early edieval exa 3lesE and the Hud" ent story@ too@ is dra4n into the encyclo3aedic ex3lanation of the Bible& )he Bible $oralises a,es the livin" child 3refi"ure the Church@ the dead - the #yna"o"ue&

)he first@ or $a"ician ele ent in the tradition see s to fade about the ti e of the Renaissance& 6ot@ indeed@ that the belief in a"ic itself fades thenE it 4as@ in fact@ the "reat a"e of Alche y@ and the %hiloso3her=s #tone 4as often ta,en to be identical 4ith the #eal of #olo on& But #olo on as a $a"ician 4as dyin" 4ith the $a"ician conceived as a heroic fi"ure& #olo on as a 7ise $an 4as by no eans dead@ and 4ith the be"innin" of serious 2ld )esta ent study he ta,es on a ne4 lease of life& )he idea reaches its hei"ht@ 3erha3s@ in a story told by Bayle in his +ictionaryE that -oshua Barnes@ Ca brid"e %rofessor 'ree,@ in 171: 4rote an e3ic 3oe of 1:@::: lines to 3rove that #olo on 4as the author of the Iliad and 2dyssey@ attributed to *o er& It is only fair to add that Bayle ad its a doubt !I6' #2L2$26 I6 )*5 $I++L5 A'5# # 4hether this feat 4as not 3erfor ed to 3lease the %rofessor=s 4ife@ and so induce her to 3ay for his edition of *o er&

)hese t4o first strands in the #olo on tradition ay at first si"ht a33ear to have little to do 4ith the asonic le"ends@ but I su""est that they are i 3ortant@ both as dis3osin" of the su""estion that #olo on 4as an un,no4n fi"ure in the $iddle A"es and as "ivin" a bac,"round to the )e 3le story& )hey 3rovide evidence of those "eneral ideas on #olo on 4hich the $iddle A"es had@ and 4hich the )e 3le le"ends do@ in fact@ 3resu33ose&

/or the )e 3le is the centre of the #olo on tradition fro the start& In the 2ld )esta ent boo,s it is already the ain eventE and as #olo on hi self and the 3ersonalities of his rei"n 3assed first into e ory and then into le"end - and es3ecially after the first destruction of -erusale @ as 4itness %sal 1.7 - the )e 3le beca e to an ever-increasin" de"ree the sy bol of 3ast - and lost - "reatness& -ose3hus tells the 4hole story at "reat len"th@ and co 3arison of his account 4ith those of the 2ld )esta ent reveals the accretion of le"endary and arvellous details to the ori"inal& In all later sources the influence of -ose3hus can be traced@ occasionally 4ith ac,no4led"e ent@ ore often notE ;al ost every 3erson@= 4rites 7illia of $al esbury in the t4elfth century@ ;is ac?uainted 4ith 4hat -ose3hus@ 5ucherius and Bede have said= Asc@ about the )e 3leB@ and in the late edieval ro ance of =)itus and 0es3asian=@ -ose3hus is not only a ain authority for the events@ but a33ears as one of the chief actors in the dra a&

5arly Christian 4riters are@ in the ain@ content to re3ort the story uch as -ose3hus tells it& Cle ent of Alexandria@ in the #tro ateis Asecond centuryB@ "ives the story of #olo on=s rei"n in so e detail@ o3enin" 4ith the state ents that he rei"ned for forty years@ and that 6athan the %ro3het lived in his ti e and ins3ired the buildin" of the )e 3le@ of 4hich #ado, 4as the first *i"h %riest@ bein" the ei"hth in the line fro Aaron& Later co e the arria"e of #olo on to the dau"hter of *ira of )yre@ at the ti e 4hen $enelaus ca e to %hoenicia fro )roy - a "ood exa 3le of Cle ent=s historical ethod of synthesisin" classical and -e4ish history - and the ;Letters= of #olo on - cited here fro a lost 4or,@ Alexander on the -e4s@ and not fro -ose3hus - 4hich brou"ht hi 8:@::: 4or, en for the )e 3le fro =*o3hra=@ !in" of 5"y3t@ and another 8:@::: fro *ira of )yre@ to"ether 4ith an architect na ed *y3eron@ of a -e4ish other of the fa ily of +avidE 5usebius@ in the %rae3aratio 5van"elica Afourth centuryB@ tells uch the sa e story@ ?uotin" the lost author 5u3ole os@ and addin" a lon" descri3tion of the buildin"@ 4ith 3articular reference to the t4o brass 3illars "ilded 4ith 3ure "old& -ohn Chrysosto devotes 3art of a ser on to an ar"u ent on 4hether its 3lan and desi"n derived fro 5"y3t@ concludin" in the ne"ative& )he )esta ent is conte 3orary 4ith these@ and@ as its latest editor has 3ointed out@ the )e 3le is the Leit otif of the 4hole 4or, -a "ood exa 3le of the essential unity of the three strands in the #olo on tradition< it is in order to build the )e 3le that #olo on see,s and ac?uires the 3o4er over de ons 4hich for s the real subHect of the boo,&

7ith 're"ory of )ours Asixth centuryB 4e are a33roachin" the $iddle A"es& 're"ory entions the )e 3le t4ice& In his *istory it is the subHect of the sole reference to #olo on@ and is described as of such a"nificence and s3lendour 6 that the 4orld has never seen its e?ualE in the de cursa #tellaru it is cited as one of the #even 7onders of the 7orld& In the len"thy de te 3lo #olo onis of Bede A6(1-7.1B@ 4e first eet the alle"orical inter3retation of the )e 3le story 4hich has been a feature of the 7estern a33roach to it ever sinceE Bede@ li,e -ose3hus@ is a source on 4hich any later 4riters dra4& Bede states the basis of the alle"orical a33roach in his first cha3ter< ;)*5 %R5#)26IA6 L5C)>R5#= *is ethod is to start each section 4ith the ?uotation of a sentence fro the 2ld )esta ent describin" so e feature of the )e 3le@ and to "ive a lon" alle"orical ex3lanation of it& Considerations of ti e and s3ace a,e it i 3ossible to cite exa 3lesE besides@ uch of it is intensely dull& Bede ?uotes so e half-adoIen ti es fro -ose3hus@ and t4ice fro Cassiodorus= Co entary on the %sla sE his o4n influence is clear to see in the three other ost i 3ortant edieval 4or,s on this class@ Rhabanus $aurus= Co entary on the Boo,s of #a uel and !in"s

Aninth centuryB - a "reat deal of 4hich is ta,en 4ord for 4ord fro Bede-Richard of #aint 0ictor=s de )avernaculo )ractatus #ecundus At4elfth centuryB@ and the *istorica #cholastica of %etrus Co estor At4elfth centuryB& 2f these@ the first t4o "ive full i 3ortance to the alle"orical a33roach of BedeE in the third it is uch less to the fore& Co estor@ 4hose 4or, is an abrid"ed and si 3lified Bible@ is in "eneral satisfied to tell a 3lain@ but very detailed@ story of the buildin" and a"nificence of the )e 3leE he relies ainly on the 2ld )esta ent and -ose3hus& Besides these 4riters@ 4ho are essentially ecclesiastical in a33roach@ there are a nu ber of others& Alcuin@ for instance@ refers to Charle a"ne in the ninth century both as +avid and as #olo on@ and@ in reference to the ne4 buildin"@ s3ea,s of ;that )e 3le of Aachen 4hich is bein" constructed by the art of the ost 4ise #olo on=& Both the 'olden Le"end At4elfth centuryB and Ranulf *i"den=s %olychronicon Afourteenth centuryB trace the 4hole history of #olo on@ incor3oratin" any of the later le"endary additions@ and *i"den describes the )e 3le in considerable detail& /ro a far distant source-%alestine itself - co es a le"end of un,no4n a"e@ thou"h it is edieval@ to the effect that #olo on hi self 4as a stone ason&

)his ention of %alestine leads on to the third class of edieval sources on the )e 3le - the tales brou"ht bac, by the %il"ri s& )he buildin" they sa4 4as@ in fact@ the $os?ue of 2 ar@ but by no eans all of the a33ear to have realised that - thou"h as early as about A+ 7:: Bisho3 Arculf says fir ly@ ;2n the s3ot 4here the )e 3le once stood@ near the 5astern "ate@ the #aracens have erected a house of 3rayer= - and even so e 4ho do realise it 4rite of the 4hole area as thou"h the )e 3le 4ere still standin"& 7illia of $al esbury 4rites@ ;*ere is the Church of 2ur Lord and the )e 3le 4hich they call #olo on=s@ by 4ho built is un,no4n@ but reli"iously reverenced by the )ur,s=@ and in the iddle of the fifteenth century the #3anish traveller@ %ero )afur@ ;bar"ained 4ith a rene"ade & & & and offered hi t4o ducats if he 4ould "et e into the )e 3le of #olo on=&

)he *ouse of 'od@ 4hich !in" #olo on built in -erusale @ 4as ade in the odel of the universal church@ 4hich fro the first of the elect to the last 4ho shall be born at the end of the 4orld@ is built daily by the "race of the 3eaceful !in"@ her Redea er&

!I6' #2L2$26 I6 )*5 $I++L5 A'5# 7 )he estee

in 4hich the

)e 3le 4as held is clear in all the 3il"ri accounts& =It exceeded all the ountains around in hei"ht@= 4rites #ae4ulf AA+ 11:(B@ =and all 4alls and buildin"s in brilliancy and "lory@= and 6: years later BenHa in of )udela re3orted seein" the t4o "reat 3illars@ each 4ith the na e =#olo on@ son of +avid= en"raved u3on it@ in the Church of #& 'iovanni a %orta Latina in Ro e& It is in line 4ith these conce3tions that in the rebuildin" of -erusale after its ca3ture by the Crusaders there 4as a =)e 3lu +o ini=@ a =)e 3lu #alo onis= and a =+o us Re"ia=@ and -ac?ues de 0itry 4rites< )here is also at -erusale another te 3le of vast siIe and extent@ after 4hich the ilitant friars of the te 3le are called )e 3lars& )his is called #olo on=s )e 3le@ 3erha3s to distin"uish it fro the other@ 4hich is called the Lord=s )e 3le&

)he later 3eriod of the )e 3le literature 4as covered in %rofessor #4ift -ohnson=s 3a3er in A CC@ xiiE the facts he brin"s for4ard substantiate the theory of the 3er anence of 4estern )e 3le traditions at this late 3eriod@ and it 4ould serve no 3ur3ose to cite the in detail here& It is interestin"@ ho4ever@ to note the 3ersistence of the tradition in %alestine@ as sho4n@ for instance@ in the diary of *enry $aundrell@ 4ho 4ent fro Ale33o to -erusale and bac, in 1697@ and refers to local le"ends of #olo on at )yre Aconnected 4ith the buildin" of the )e 3leB@ Bethlehe and -erusale & )he i 3ortant 3oint about al ost all the later literature is the influence on it of the study of 5Ie,iel& )his a33ears in both Richard of #aint-0ictor@ 4ho 4rote a Co entary on 5Ie,iel=s )e 3le@ 4ith acco 3anyin" 3lans@ and Co estorE it led directly to the conclusion that the )e 3le of #olo on and the )e 3le described by 5Ie,iel 4ere one and the sa e buildin"& )his is stated ost ex3licitly late in the seventeenth century by the brothers 0illal3andusE it is obviously 3resent to the inds of any of the later 4riters@ and to the a,ers of )e 3le odels& $any of our o4n ideas of the a"nificence of the buildin" are 3robably to be traced bac, to it&

)he )e 3le buildin" a33ears ore than any other feature of the #olo on tradition in 4or,s of art& It is@ indeed@ alto"ether absent durin" the first 1( Christian centuries in the 7est@ but this absence is in line 4ith the "eneral dearth of 2ld )esta ent subHects at that ti e& 5arly in the thirteenth century@ #olo on is sho4n ,neelin" and facin" a 'othic buildin"@ 4ith a 3illared 3orch@ in one of the ?uatrefoil 3anels by the south-4estern door of A iens CathedralE he a33ears a"ain@ seated and 4atchin" the buildin" of the )e 3le@ in a *a bur" Bible of 1(11 in the Royal Library at Co3enha"en& It cannot be accidental that these earliest re3resentations date fro the didactic a"e of the Bible $oralisee@ of Richard of

#aint-0ictor@ and of Co estor& )he fourteenth century@ so far as y researches have "one@ is al ost a blan, 3eriod for )e 3le 3ictures@ but 4ith the fifteenth@ and the "enerations follo4in" the first 4ave of vernacular translations of@ and co entaries on@ the Bible@ fi"ures of #olo on beco e ever ore co on@ and 4e are able to see the i 3ortance attached to the )e 3le in the #olo on story of the ti e& )he fa ous anuscri3t@ Les )res Riches *eures de -ean +uc de Berry@ no4 in the $usee Conde at Chantilly@ devotes a 3a"e to a scene si ilar to that in the Co3enha"en Bible - the /i"ure of #olo on facin" a 3artially co 3leted )e 3le& About the iddle of the century this is a"ain re3e- 8 ated in the -ose3hus anuscri3t illustrated by the /rench iniaturist@ -ean /ouc?uet@ and no4 in the Bibliothe?ue 6ationaleE the )e 3le is here an exceedin"ly elaborate /rench 'othic buildin"& )he earlier 5n"lish re3resentations are fi"ures in )ree of -esse desi"ns@ 4ith one exce3tion the fourteenth-century Cueen $ary=s %salter& )his has a series of illustrations of the history of #olo on@ includin" the )e 3le buildin"@ a scene si ilar to that in the Co3enha"en Bible& )he develo3 ent of the )ree of -esse in edieval art is a very lar"e subHect@ and it ust be enou"h to say that the choice of fi"ures in the earliest re3resentations varies considerably& #olo on is by no eans al4ays one of the @ and 4hen he is 3resent@ he carries a 3lain sce3tre& In later years he a33ears re"ularly as one of the @standard= Ancestors of Christ@ and at this ti e@ too@ the e ble s carried by the fi"ures co e to be ada3ted ore closely to the individual& +avid carries a har3@ and #olo on either a s4ord of Hustice or a odel )e 3le& 2f the exa 3les of the latter ,no4n to e@ t4o are 5n"lish and one 7elsh@ and the date of the earliest is also si"nificant& )his is the -esse 7indo4 in $ar"arettin" Church@ in 5ssex@ dated to about 146:E the others@ also in "lass@ are at )hornhill@ 9or,shire@ dated 1499@ and Llanrhaiadr@ +enbi"hshire@ dated 11..& )he $ar"arettin" te 3le is a 'othic buildin" 4ith a s3ireE of the other t4o@ both ta,en fro the artist -ean %i"onchet=s illustrations to a /rench Boo, of *ours dated 1498@ that at )hornhill is hexa"onal@ and that at Llanrhaiadr crucifor @ 4ith a to4er and a33arently a inaret& Another fi"ure of #olo on is conte 3orary 4ith $ar"arettin"& It is a roof boss in the nave of 6or4ich Cathedral@ carved under Bisho3 Lyhart@ 1446-7(@ and sho4s #olo on 4ith a s all )e 3le in the ri"ht hand and a s4ord in the left&

Another tradition is re3resented by Ra3hael=s /resco in the 0atican #tanIa - after4ards en"raved and co3ied very 4idely - a buildin" scene 4ith nothin" in 3articular to distin"uish the )e 3le@ but 4ith #olo on and othevfi"ures standin" in the fore"round& 'oin" fro the subli e to the ridiculous@ a si ilar@ but not certainly the sa e@ scene is sho4n in a stained-"lass 4indo4 of /le ish early sixteenth-century ori"in@ brou"ht to

this country fro Rouen at the ti e of the /rench Revolution and erected in %rittle4ell Church@ 5ssex& It is one of a set of t4elve@ so e of the co3ies fro +urer@ and sho4s asons at 4or, on a buildin"@ 4atched by t4o overseers in the bac,"roundE an an"el carryin" a s?uare flies above the & )he )e 3le itself@ to"ether 4ith the %illars@ the sea of brass and the chariot 4ith the urn@ a33ears a on" a "reat variety of other scenes fro the history of #olo on in the series of s all boo,s of Bible illustrations 3roduced in any 5uro3ean countries durin" the sixteenth century@ 4ith desi"ns by conte 3orary en"ravers& )he "eneral character of these illustrations is sho4n in that re3roduced in A CC@ lxi@ 1@ Ao33 3 1.(B fro the 'eneva Bible& 7ith reference to the late Bro %oole=s re ar,s@ it ay be entioned that the idea of Bible illustrations of this ,ind and in this for a33ears first Ato y ,no4led"eB in a boo, 3ublished at Ant4er3 in 11(8& )he 3illars@ 4ith their ;bo4ls=@ a33ear in a se3arate illustration there@ and in any others of the series@ ost of 4hich see to be conte 3orary 4ith@ or so e4hat later than@ the 'eneva Bible& In the series as a 4hole 4e see the results of the earlier vernacular Bible versions& Later in the sixteenth and durin" the follo4in" century@ a )e 3le buildin" scene 4as co only included in ta3estry sets of the *istory of #olo on& )he finest of these is ;)*5 %R5#)26IA6 L5C)>R5#= !I6' #2L2$26 I6 )*5 $I++L5 A'5# 9 the Brussels ta3estry in the I 3erial Collections at 0iennaE at least one 5n"lish exa 3le is existant@ an ei"hteenth-century 3iece belon"in" to Lord 6e4ton A'rand Lod"e also 3ossesses an exa 3le of the seventeenth centuryE it for erly belon"ed to Lord Charn4ood and 4as ac?uired in c& 191(B& It ay be said of all these later )e 3le 3ictures that they bear out the substantial truth of Bro -& *& Rylands= dictu @ that 4ith the 3assa"e of ti e the )e 3le bears an everincreasin" rese blance to a rail4ay station hotel&

#o uch on the )e 3le "enerallyE but before I conclude there are one or t4o 3oints of s3ecial interest& )he first concerns the t4o 3illars& In the 'ree, translation of the Biblical anuscri3t ,no4n as the #e3tua"int@ the t4o *ebre4 na es are transliterated as 4e ,no4 the today in !in"s@ but in Chronicles are rendered by the 'ree, 4ords eanin" =stren"th= and =ri"ht=& -ose3hus "ives the *ebre4 4ords only@ and the early Christian 4riters@ 4here they ention the at all@ do so 4ithout translation& )he 0ul"ate does the sa e@ and it is only in co 3aratively odern editions of it - the earliest I have been able to trace is the %aris edition of 111( - that a 'lossary translates the 4ords as =In fortitudine aut in *irco= A=in stren"th or= 4ith a second eanin"less 4ordB and =%rae3arans sive 3rae3aratio@ vel fir itas= A3re3arin" or 3re3aration@ or fir nessB&

)he sa e 'lossary@ it is interestin" to note@ refers to a 3riest na ed -@ of uncertain date@ entioned in I Chronicles ix@ 1:@ and to a tribe of -&ites in 6u bers xxvi@ 1(E the first of these a33ears to be the only "round for the le"end attached to the na e& Lon" before this@ ho4ever@ the si"nifications al ost as 4e have the had been attached to the 3illars& Bede refers to the as =-&@ that is@ fir ness=@ and =B&@ that is@ in stren"th=@ bein" follo4ed 4ord for 4ord in this by both Rhabanus $aurus and Co estor& $edieval -e4ish traditions about the 3illars a33ear in BenHa in of )udela@ 4hose account of seein" the in Ro e in 116: has already been entionedE and in the 3orch added to 7urIbur" Cathedral by Bisho3 *er ann of Lobdebur"@ bet4een 1((( and 1(14@ the t4o ain 3illars at the entrance are carved res3ectively 4ith the letters B& and -&@ to 4hich the full na es@ both rather curiously s3elled@ have been added& )hat any of this carvin" is of the sa e date as the 3orch itself@ is@ I fear@ un3roven and un3rovable& )he Authorised 0ersion of 1611 has =In it is stren"th= and =*e shall establish=@ and the discre3ancy bet4een this and the older traditional si"nification of -& is interestin"@ considerin" the date&

$edieval sources have uch to say about *ira @ thou"h on the le"end 3ro3er they are co 3letely silent& )he existence of t4o *ira s@ i 3lied in !in"s and stated definitely in Chronicles@ is acce3ted fro the start@ but there is so e discre3ancy bet4een the accounts of *ira the co oner=s 3arenta"e@ and even of his na eE Cle ent calls hi *y3eron& As to the na e =Abif=@ the introduction of 4hich in 5uro3e is "enerally attributed to Luther=s Bible in the early sixteenth century@ it is 4orthy of note that it is entioned in Rhabanus $aurus= t4elfthcentury Co entary of the Boo,s of Chronicles& *ira is entioned as an architect rather than a bronIecaster by both Cle ent and 5usebius@ both 4ritin" in the fourth century@ but not by any of the later authors& )he alle"orical inter3retation is stated ost clearly by Bede@ and in vie4 of Bro Covey-Cru 3=s su""estion of a confusion bet4een *ira Aso eti es s3elled =Ira =B and Adonir- 1: ;)*5 %R5#)26IA6 L5C)>R5#= a @ it ay be said that the for er is alle"orised as the )eacher of the Church Athe 4ido4 of the tribe of IsraelB to the 'entiles@ the latter@ entioned constantly as an overseer@ as the #aviour *i self&

)he edieval sources ention other 3oints connected 4ith #olo on and the )e 3le 4hich there is no ti e to ention& 2ne of the @ after considerin" the le"end that no etal tools 4ere used to build the )e 3le@ "ives u3 the difficulty involved 4ith the co ent ;it is no cause for 4onder that in 4or,s of #olo on 4e find 4hat can rather be arvelled at than usefully exa ined=& 7ith this sentence 4e return to the basic

conce3tion of #olo on as a 7onder 4or,er fro 4hich 4e started& I a a4are that far fro all the "round I have covered can be described as bein" i ediately asonic research@ if by that ter is necessarily eant so ethin" connected 4ith the 2rder 4e ,no4 today& $y ai @ 4ithin the restricted field I have tried to cover@ has been to su""est a bac,"round of tradition and le"end& I do not 4ant to i 3ly that all or uch of this tradition - if it 4as a tradition - 4as@ so to s3ea,@ asonicE but if@ as the late Bro !noo3 and his collea"ue stress in )he 'enesis@ asonic tenets and 3rinci3les are slo4 to "ro4@ le"ends are even slo4er& >nli,e tenets and 3rinci3les@ they are liable to chan"e in their a33licationE but even 4here this chan"e ay be sus3ected Aand in no relevant case can it be 3rovedB@ a useful 3ur3ose ay be served by sho4in" their a"e and develo3 ent& 2ur ,no4led"e of the extent of 2ld )esta ent learnin" at any "iven ti e before@ say@ the late fifteenth century is very inco 3lete& I believe yself that even the scanty aterial 3resented here Hustifies the 3hrase =bac,"round of tradition= behind the 3articular for of any of our le"endsE and further ore that thou"h the "a3s in ti e bet4een the a33earances of the various factors are so eti es lon"@ it is ore convincin" to assu e a tradition than an indefinite nu ber of 4ritten sources@ all re3eatin" the sa e story and al ost all no4 lost&

)he vernacular translations of the Bible 4hich be"in in the later fourteenth century Ain 5n"land 4ith 7yclifB@ a,e the "eneral tradition of #olo on@ as then ,no4n@ li,ely to be ore 3o3ular than before& )heir effect is to be traced in 4hat ay fairly be called the ;2ld )esta ent Revival=@ 4hich has "reatly affected the character of all the Refor ed Churches@ and in the "ro4th of the icono"ra3hy of #olo on& )he edieval re3ertoire - the -ud" ent@ the visit of the Cueen of #heba@ the various fi"ures of the !in"@ "enerally 3art of a )ree of -esse - is extended to include the )e 3le@ the Idolatry@ vie4s of the %alace@ )hrone and details of buildin"s@ and any s all and fanciful scenes& But by the sa e to,en the effect of the vernacular Bible ust have been to a,e the for ation of entirely ne4 le"ends@ not directly de3endent on the 2ld )esta ent@ increasin"ly unli,ely 4ith the 3assa"e of ti e& )he 3roble of the asonic le"ends is not ho4 early their ori"in can be@ but ho4 late&

)*5 'RA6+-$A#)5R#*I% 2/ *&R&*& )*5 +>!5 2/ #>##5J@ 181.-4. )*5 %R5#)26IA6 L5C)>R5 /2R 196( %& R& -A$5# *I# R29AL *I'*65## )*5 +>!5 2/ #>##5J 4as $7 'rand $aster of the >nited 'rand Lod"e of 5n"land fro 181. to 184.@ durin" 4hich 3eriod he exerted considerable influence u3on the fortunes of the Craft& It is the 3ur3ose of this lecture to set forth the nature and extent of that

influence& It is not intended as a bio"ra3hy@= but it is necessary first to ,no4 so ethin" of the an hi self&

Au"ustus /rederic,@ +u,e of #ussex@ sixth son and ninth child of 'eor"e III and Cueen Charlotte@ 4as born in 177.& /ro early childhood he suffered fro severe asth a@ 4hich so eti es inca3acitated hi for 4ee,s at a ti e& It necessitated his livin" abroad until he 4as over thirty years of a"e and 3revented hi fro ado3tin" the custo ary ilitary career& 5ducated in *anover@ his days 4ere s3ent in travel and study 4hereby he ac?uired a 4ell-stoc,ed ind and a fa ous library& A youthful and indiscreet arria"e ( cut hi off fro his father and the Court@ 4hile the 7hi" 3rinci3les to 4hich he steadfastly adhered alienated hi fro the )ory 'overn ents of the day& *ence he never obtained any of those lucrative a33oint ents 4hich usually fell to e bers of the Royal /a ily and al4ays suffered fro 3ecuniary e barrass ent& A "ood s3ea,er and a "ood trencher an@ his 4ide interests and liberal ideas ade hi a 4elco e chair an at any functions& /or nine years he 4as %resident of the Royal #ociety and 4as also@ at ti es@ the head of several other learned bodies& . )he +u,e of #ussex=s reli"ious convictions have been the subHect of uch s3eculation& >ndoubtedly he 4as very devout@ s3endin" u34ards of t4o hours daily in the study of *oly 7rit& In a letter 3ublished in )he Christian 2bserver@ $ay 184.@ the +u,e 4rote that he 4as convinced of the divine ori"in of the #cri3tures@ ;4hich contain atters beyond hu an understandin"=@ and that he did not ;concern hi self 4ith do" as@ 4hich are of hu an ori"in& I a a,in" this honest declaration@= he said@ ;not to be thou"ht a /reethin,er@ 4hich i 3utation I 4ould indi"nantly re3elE nor to 3ass for a 3erson indifferent about reli"ion&=4 *is ar"inal co ents in so e of the theolo"ical 4or,s in his library sho4 that his Christianity 4as unorthodox in that he o33osed Creeds and held that the #cri3tures ust be reconciled to reasons *e 4as a $odernist before his ti e& A on" #ee Royal +u,es@ /ulford@ R&E ACC@ Iii@ 33 184-((4&

( Royal Archives@ 7indsor Castle@ Box /ile =Au"ustus@ +& of #ussex@ 1786-184(@ 6o 48:19=& . 'entle an=s $a"aIine& 6&#&@ vol six@ 33 641-61(&

#o e of the o3inions of his late R& *& )he +u,e of #ussex on the subHect of Reli"ious +octrine@ by Richard Co"an@ 5s?E B) $us@ 4:14 dd 6&

e"@ )he #tate in its Relation 4ith the Church@ 7& 5& 'ladstone@ 18.8E Brit $us@ 141. e 1:E see also Co"an@ loc cit&

1( ;)*5 %R5#)26IA6 L5C)>R5#= the Royal Archives at 7indsor is a s all anuscri3t boo, of 3rayers 4hich for erly belon"ed to *is Royal *i"hness& If he used it@ and internal evidence "oes to sho4 that he did@ it 3roves that he 4as a sincere and contrite believer in the doctrine of the *oly )rinity& *is e bershi3 of Christian 2rders 4hose obli"ations re?uired such a belief confir s this& *is reli"ious o3inions 4ere@ ho4ever@ tolerant and@ so far as Craft $asonry 4as concerned@ ;it 4as 3art of his asonic creed that@ 3rovided a an believe in the existence of the 'A2)> and in futurity@ and extends that belief li,e4ise to a syste of re4ards and 3unish ents hereafter@ such a 3erson is fully co 3etent to be received as a brother=&= $asonically@ he 4as a universalist&

)he +u,e of #ussex 4as initiated@ 1798@ in the Lod"e 0ictorious )ruth@ Berlin@ a constituent of the Royal 9or, of /riendshi3@ the 'rand Lod"e of %russia@ 4hich then only acce3ted Christians& *e 3assed throu"h the several offices to the chair& 2n his return to 5n"land he 4as "iven the custo ary ran, of %ast '$@ subse?uently beco in" +'$ of the ;$oderns=@ or %rince of 7ales=s@ as they 4ere then called& )he +u,e succeeded his brother@ the %rince Re"ent@ as 'rand $aster@ 1( $ay 181.& *e also Hoined@ and for any years 3resided over@ several other lod"es@ and he had a s3ecial fondness for the %il"ri Lod"e@ 6o (.8@ 4hich@ li,e his $other Lod"e@ 4or,ed its o4n ritual in the 'er an lan"ua"e &( ;7hen I first deter ined@= he said@ ;to lin, yself 4ith this noble Institution@ it 4as a atter of very serious consideration 4ith eE and I can assure the Brethren that it 4as at a 3eriod 4hen@ at least@ I had the 3o4er of 4ell considerin" the atter@ for it 4as not in the boyish days of y youth@ but at the ore ature a"e of (1 or (6 years& I did not ta,e it u3 as a li"ht and trivial atter@ but as a "rave and serious concern of y life&=. )he i ediate 3ur3ose of *R* beco in" 'rand $aster of the ;$oderns= 4as to brin" about the lon"-desired >nion of the t4o /raternities in 5n"land@ u3on 4hich ;his 4hole heart 4as bent=& /or the sa e 3ur3ose his elder brother@ the +u,e of !ent@ beca e 'rand $aster of the Atholl $asons@ or ;Ancients=@ and ex3ressed si ilar senti ents &4 As a ste3 to4ards the >nion@ the Lod"e of %ro ul"ation A18:9-11B 4as established to restore the Ancient Land ar,s@ to hel3 ;the Lod"es of the $oderns fall into line 4ith those of the Antients=&1 )he +u,e of #ussex@ as R7$ of the Lod"e of Anti?uity@ 6o 1@ 4as a e ber and ade a useful

contribution to the deliberations ;by a lu inous ex3osition of the %ractices adhered to by our $asonic Brethren at Berlin=& 6 )he cere onies a"reed u3on@ includin" that of a Board of Installed $asters@ al ost non-existent a on" the $oderns@ 4ere rehearsed before the +u,e@ and arran"e ents ade for their 3ro ul"ation& )he 4ay 4as thus cleared for the >nion@ 4hich 4as celebrated on (7 +ece ber 181.@ the +u,e of #ussex@ on the 3ro3osition of the +u,e of !ent@ beco in" $7 'rand $aster of the >nited 'rand Lod"e of the >nited 'rand Lod"e of 5n"land& ;)his@= he said@ ;is the ha33iest event of y life= &7 )hou"h t Loa"e of Research@ Leicester& 6o (4(9@ )ransactions& 1919-(:@ 3 97&

( A #hort *istory of the %il"ri Lod"e@ 6o (.8@ / Bernhart@ ACC& Ixvi& s /ree ason=s Cuarterly Revie4& 18.9@ 3 1:1&

'ould@ *istory of /ree asonry@ ed %oole@ iii@ 3 81E A CC& Ixviii@ 3 49& 1 ACC@ xxiii@ 3 (11&

6 Lod"e of %ro ul"ation@ $inutes@ (9 +ece ber 18:9E ACC& xxiii@ 3 .8& 7 *istory of the Royal Al3ha Lod"e@ 6o 16@ Col #had4ell *& Cler,e@ 3 1&

)*5 'RA6+-$A#)5R#*I% 2/ *&R&*& )*5 +>!5 2/ #>##5J@ 181.-4. 1. *R* %rice Au"ustus /rederic,@ +u,e of #ussex@&Lc&@ Lc&@ Lc& $7 'rand $aster A 3rint 3ublished in 18..& 6o4 re3roduced by ,ind 3er ission of the Board of 'eneral %ur3oses@ >nited 'rand Lod"e of 5n"land& )he throne illustrated here is in the 'rand Lod"e $useu @ and is used no4adays only at the Installation of a ne4 'rand $aster&

14 ;)*5 %R5#)26IA6 L5C)>R5#= others 3layed notable 3arts@ there is no doubt that the influence of the t4o Royal 'rand $asters 4as 3ara ount in brin"in" about the successful result&

)o har onise the ritual and cere onies@ the Lod"e of Reconciliation 4as set u3 A181.-16B@ the 'rand $aster so eti es attendin" its eetin"s& )he chief obstacle 4as the 2bli"ation in the /irst +e"ree&= Attention 4as dra4n to it fro the Chair and@ havin" hi self been obli"ated as an

;Ancient= at his brother=s Installation @( and 3ossibly influenced by the Hud" ent of the #4edish A bassador to #3ain at his o4n installation@ . the +u,e a"reed to this 2bli"ation bein" ade ore severe to eet the 4ishes of the Atholl Brethren& It havin" been settled@ ;the Ancient 2B"n of the 1st and (nd de"rees 4ere then re3eated@ the for er fro the )hrone=@ both bein" a33roved by the 'rand Lod"e as ;the only 3ure and "enuine 2bs& of these +e"rees@ and 4hich all Lod"es de3endent on the 'rand Lod"e shall 3ractice=& 6ot4ithstandin" this@ and thou"h the decisions of the Lod"e of Reconciliation 4ere finally a33roved by the 'rand Lod"e on 1 -une 1816@ they 4ere not 3rescribed& 6or did the lod"e consider the cere ony of a Board of Installed $asters& /or this 3ur3ose the +u,e of #ussex 4arranted a s3ecial lod"e in 18(7& 7ith so e exce3tions the extended cere ony of Installation has fallen out of use< indeed@ the 'rand #ecretary characterised it in 1889 as =irre"ular=& 1 )he Lectures@ 3ut into sha3e by 7illia %reston@ to 4hose beneficence 4e o4e these %restonian Lectures@ 4ere in those days al ost as i 3ortant as the ritual& 23inions differ as to 4hat ha33ened to the at the ti e of the >nion& )he 'rand $aster is said to have ordered that no alteration should be ade in the Lectures@ 6 and there is no ention of the in the records of the Lod"es of %ro ul"ation and Reconciliation& 9et so e i 3ortant chan"es 4ere ade in the about that ti e and the aHority vie4 is in favour of attributin" these to +r #& *e in"s@ 7$ of the Lod"e of Reconciliation@ 4ith other influences in the bac,"round& )he ost i 3ortant chan"e@ and that 4hich caused the "reatest disturbance@ 4as the substitution of $oses and #olo on for the t4o #aints -ohn as the )4o 'reat %arallels of $asonry& 7 In 1819 a co 3laint@ endorsed by %eter 'il,es@ 4as ade to the Board of 'eneral %ur3oses that Bro %hili3 Broadfoot and the Lod"e of #tability 4ere 4or,in" Lectures contrary to the sti3ulations of the Act of >nion@ they never havin" been in use in either branch of the /raternity 3revious to the >nion@ and not havin" received any sanction fro 'rand Lod"e& )he co 3laint 4as reHected@ but the Board decreed that no ne4 Lecture could be used 4ithout the consent of the 'rand $aster or the 'rand Lod"e& )he for er laid it do4n that so lon" as the $aster of any Lod"e observed exactly the Land-$ar,s of the Craft@ he 4as at liberty to "ive the Lectures in the lan"ua"e best suited to the character of the Lod"e over 4hich he 3resided & & & that any $aster of a Lod"e@ on visitin" another Lod"e@ and a33rovin" of the Lectures delivered therein@ is at Liberty to 3ro ul"ate the fro the Chair in his o4n Lod"e@ 3rovided he has 3reviously 3erfected hi self in the Instructions of the $aster of the aforesaid Lod"e& )he 'rand Lod"e concurrin" in the o3inion thus = A CC& xxiii@ 3 (61&

K $e orials of the $asonic >nion@ 7& -& *u"han@ ed -& )& )hor3@ 3 19& .

A CC@ Ivi@ 3 .:8&

'L Cuarterly Co

unication@ $inutes@ (. Au"ust 1811&

1 +orset $asters Lod"e@ 6o ..66@ )ransactions@ 19(8-(9@ 33 19-(.E $isc& Lat&@ 6#@ ii@ 33 1(.-6& 6 /CR@ 184.@ 3 46&

= 'ould@ ed %oole@ iii@ 1:8E ACC@ xxiii@ 33 (6:@ (74E xli@ 33 191@ 197-(:1E $isc& Lat&@ 6#@ vi@ 33 114-16@ 1(9-1.(&

)*5 'RA6+-$A#)5R#*I% 2/ *&R&*& )*5 +>!5 2/ #>##5J@ 181.-4. 11 delivered by the $7 the 'rand $aster@ re?uested *is Royal *i"hness to 3er it the sa e to stand recorded in the inutes of the day=s 3roceedin"s@ to 4hich *R* acceded&= )he 3rocess of de-Christianisin" the Craft ritual and cere onies@ "radual since 1717@( 4as no4 co 3leted& In 3lace of the t4o /estivals ,e3t by the Ancients on the t4o #t -ohn=s +ays@ there 4as to be@ under Article JI0 of the >nion@ ;A $asonic /estival@ annually@ on the Anniversary of the /east of #t -ohn the Ba3tist@ or of #t 'eor"e@ or such other day as the 'rand $aster shall a33oint=& )he 'eneral Re"ulations then ado3ted and the Boo, of Constitutions settled for ;the 7ednesday follo4in" the "reat national festival of #t 'eor"e=& . )he structure re ains Christian@ but nearly every Christian allusion has been eli inated in favour of universality& 7hose 4as the influence re ains a oot 3ointE in any case@ the res3onsibility 4as that of the 'rand $aster& 4 )he ;ne4 ethod= 4as not received 4ith unani ous a33roval& Both sides felt that they had surrendered so ethin" vital@ and there 4as bitter rivalry a on" lod"es and individual brethren& )he >nion 4as carried throu"h in the last sta"es of the 6a3oleonic 7ar and 4as 4or,ed out durin" its after ath of distress and discontent@ co 3licated by the u3heaval of the Industrial Revolution& /or a "eneration the country 4as torn by nu erous ore or less violent a"itations 4hich 3rovo,ed the 'overn ent into re3ressive le"islation or reluctant concessions& #uch conditions 4ere not conducive to asonic 3ro"ress and the nu ber of lod"es declined& 7hen the +u,e of #ussex ascended the throne there 4ere so e 61: of the E 4hen he died there 4ere fe4er than 1::& In 18(8 fifty-nine lod"es 4ere erased for not havin" ade returns for a considerable ti eE no ne4 lod"es 4ere 4arranted in London bet4een 181. and 18.9&1 )he ne4 'rand $aster@ 4ho 4as resolved@

unli,e his 3redecessors@ to rule as 4ell as to rei"n@ realised that a fir hand 4as necessary& ;I reco end to you@= he said@ ;order@ re"ularity and the observance of asonic duties&=6 6ot unnaturally@ there 4as so e o33osition&

/ro his o4n Lod"e of Anti?uity there ca e@ in 1814@ an Address to hi as its R7 $aster@ dra4n u3 by Charles Bonnor@ 4ho had been the Actin" $aster and had done uch useful 4or, in the Lod"e of %ro ul"ation& It co 3lained@ in @exceedin"ly obHectionable@ offensive and slanderous ter s=@ that the +u,e had not done his duty by the lod"e in allo4in" it to lose so e of its 3rivile"es at the >nion@ es3ecially that of bein" 6o 1 on the roll& *is Royal *i"hness referred the co 3laint to the lod"e@ 4hen the o33osition to Bonnor@ led by 7illia $eyric,@ 'rand Re"istrar@ 3resented a counter Address ex3ressin" co 3lete confidence in their R7 $aster@ and ex3elled Bonnor fro the lod"e& /or 3rintin" his Address@ Bonnor 4as char"ed before the Board of 'eneral %ur3oses and ex3elled fro 'rand Lod"e@ thou"h he 4as soon reinstated& )4o years later he fell into dis"race a"ain and 4as de3rived of his 'rand Ran,& At the sa e ti e@ in 'rand Lod"e@ Bro Robert Leslie@ Hun@ R7$ of Lod"e 6o 9@ used so e disres3ectful re ar,s to I= 'L Cuarterly Co unication@ $inutes@ 1 #e3te ber@ 1 +ece ber 1819E *istory of the 5 ulation Lod"e of 3rove ent@ *& #adler@ 33 1:9-1(&

Lod"e of Research@ Leicester@ 6o (4(9@ )ransactions@ 19:6-7@ 33 .9-4:& . $e orials of the $asonic >nion@ 7& -& *u"han@ ed -& )& )hor3@ 3 76&

)he #y bol of 'lory@ +r '& 2liver A181:B@ 33 xvii@ (:@ 11@ 78E /CR@ 1844@: .6@ 1841@ 33 4:9-11E A Co entary on the /rr asonic Ritual@ 5& *& Cart4ri"ht@ 33 1:@ 14@ 9(E ACC@ xlv@ 3 9.&

ACC@ Ixviii@ 33 1(9-.1E +orset $asters Lod"e@ 6o ..66@ )ransactions@ 1918@ 3 11(E Illustrations of $asonry@ 7& %r"ston@ 14th 5dn@ 3 418&

/CR #u33le entary 6o 184.@ 3 19.&

16 ;)*5 %R5#)26IA6 L5C)>R5#= the 'rand $aster in the Chair@ ;a 3roceedin" of unexa 3led outra"e tendin" to create discord and dissentions in the 'rand Lod"e@ to under ine the 3rinci3les on 4hich the late ha33y >nion of the t4o 'rand Lod"es of $asons in 5n"land 4as established and insultin" to the 'rand Lod"e in the 3erson of the $7 the 'rand $aster=& )he Board decided that his offence erited ex3ulsion@ but o4in" to his youth and inex3erience@ and the a3olo"y he had offered@ he 4as let off 4ith a year=s sus3ension&= Also in this sa e year@ 1814@ a "rou3 of Ancient Lod"es in London for ed an influential co ittee@ led by Bro -& *& 'olds4orthy@ 4hich circulated resolutions a"ainst the ;Innovations=@ sayin" that the Lod"e of Reconciliation had @altered all the cere onies and lan"ua"e of asonry and had not left one sentence standin"=& ( )hey 4ere 3articularly o33osed to the 2bli"ations& )he Lod"e of Reconciliation ex3elled 'olds4orthy fro its e bershi3 and@ callin" the dissenters before it@ ade so e sli"ht variations to eet their 4ishes& )hey 4ere not satisfied@ refused to hold intercourse 4ith the >nited 'rand Lod"e and 3ro3osed the for ation of a ne4 Lod"e of Reconciliation& 'radually their resistance bro,e do4n@ and by 1816 they had ore or less "rud"in"ly ado3ted the syste of 4or,in" officially set forth&

)here 4as no har ony in Bath@ either& )here@ the three $odern lod"es@ Royal Cu berland@ 6o 11 Ano4 41B@ 0irtue@ 6o .11@ and Royal 9or, of %erfect /riendshi3@ 6o (4.@ co bined to build a ne4 $asonic *all@ o3ened by *R* the +u,e of #ussex 4ith full cere ony in 1819& )he 3roHect soon failed@ 3artly fro lac, of co-o3eration fro the one Ancient lod"e in the city@ the Royal #ussex@ 6o 61 Ano4 1.B@ the first to be na ed after the +u,e@ by his s3ecial 3er ission &4 Rivalry develo3ed into bitterness@ the $oderns refusin" visits fro the Royal #ussex Lod"e& Internal dis3utes shoo, all four and the Board of 'eneral %ur3oses 4as called in to adHudicate& As a result@ the Royal 9or, Lod"e 4as erased in 18(4 and the Lod"e of 0irtue in 18.9@ the re ainin" t4o continuin" their hostilities for any years& 2n one occasion a e ber of the Royal #ussex ran off 4ith the 4arrant of the !ni"ht )e 3lar 5nca 3 ent attached to the Royal Cu berland Lod"e@ thus brin"in" its activities to a te 3orary close& 1 /ro #ussex to Lancashire@ fro I3s4ich to Bristol@ ca e re3orts of unrest& Brethren resi"ned or 4ere ex3elled@ lod"es 4ere sus3ended or erased throu"h o33osition to the ne4 order& It ust not be thou"ht@ ho4ever@ that the revolt@ thou"h 4ides3read@ 4as "eneral& $ore in, has been s3illed over a fe4 sinners than over the =ninety-and-nine= 4hich needed no re3entance& )he "reat aHority either loyally acce3ted the ne4 4or,in" or@ unheadin"@ ?uietly continued their old 4ays& >nifor ity in the cere onies is neither 3racticable nor desirable&

)he best-,no4n and 3ossibly the ost resistance led to the foundation of a rival 'rand Lod"e at 7i"an& 6 In Lancashire@ Ancients and $oderns had lon" 4or,ed t 'L Cuarterly Co unication@ $inutes@ 1 -une 1814@ to 4 +ece ber 1816E Records of the Lod"e of Anti?uity@ 6o (@ vol it@ Ca3t C& 7& /irebrace@ (6 -anuary to (: /ebruary 1814&

( #tate ent by the 7$& %hoenix Lod"e@ 6o (89@ to the L of Reconciliation& . ACC@ xxiii@ 33 (..-11&

Auto"ra3h letter@ dated +ece ber 181.@ in 'L Library&

s /ro the records of Lod"es 41 and 1.E #o erset $asters Lod"e& 6o .746@ )ransactions@ 19(1& 33 4::-61E 1918@ 33 (9)b.11&

*istory of the 7i"an 'rand Lod"e@ 5& B& Beesley@ 19(:E )he 'rand Lod"e in 7i"an@ 6& Ro"ers@ A CC@ lxi@ 33 17:-(1:&

)*5 'RA6+-$A#)5R#*I% 2/ *&R&*& )*5 +>!5 2/ #>##5J@ 181.-4. 17 in har ony and continued to do so after the >nion@ but there 4as discontent caused by the introduction of a %rovincial 'rand $aster and the innovations of the Lod"e of Reconciliation& )he revolt be"an in 1818 4ith a threat to close a lod"e because of its fe4 e bers& )hen a $e orial 4as sent fro the %rovincial 'rand Lod"e to the 'rand $aster@ 4ho 3i"eon-holed it because it contained atter concernin" the Royal Arch and 4as therefore outside the sco3e of the Board of 'eneral %ur3oses& )he Brethren of Lod"e 6o .1@ Liver3ool@ thereu3on char"ed the Board@ 4ho ,ne4 nothin" about it@ 4ith su33ressin" the $e orial@ ;a dan"erous innovation=@ and circulated the docu ent to all lod"es& /or this@ 68 Alater reduced to (6B brethren 4ere ex3elled fro the Craft and the lod"e erased& 2thers 4ho su33orted Lod"e 6o .1 soon suffered the sa e fate& )he %' $aster 4as sus3ended ;4ith a vie4 to re ove 3reHudice and sus3icion=@ 7illia $eyric,@ 'rand Re"istrar@ bein" 3laced in char"e of the %rovince& 7hen the %'$ died in 18(1@ the 'rand $aster divided it into t4o %rovinces& )he 3enalties i 3osed 4ere severe but necessaryE they co 3are favourably 4ith those of the 'overn ent in

dealin" 4ith the conte 3orary affair at ;%eterloo=& )he erased lod"es and their su33orters continued to eet and@ at a eetin" in Liver3ool@ (7 +ece ber 18(.@ resolved to restore the Ancient 'rand Lod"e on the "rounds that the ne4 A1811B Boo, of Constitutions established a dan"erous and des3otic authority@ that the Land ar,s of the 2rder had not been aintained@ and that@ as any lod"es and individual asons had seceded fro it@ the >nited 'rand Lod"e had ceased to exist& #even lod"es Hoined the ne4 body@ 4hose head?uarters 4ere in the Lod"e of #incerity@ 4hich beca e 6o 1& )he 7i"an 'rand Lod"e functioned for ally for any years@ only ceasin" to exist 4hen the Lod"e of #incerity reHoined the fold in 191.&

Cases such as these 4ere "enerally referred by the 'rand $aster to the Board of 'eneral %ur3oses@ but his influence 4as usually@ thou"h not al4ays@ 3redo inant& )he 3rocess 4as 3robably uch the sa e as had been used in the $oderns 'rand Lod"e before the >nion@ described by the #4edish A bassador to #3ain< ;)he +u,e 4as seated on an elevated throne in the 5ast@ in front of a "reat table around 4hich thirty-five 3ersons 4ere seated& *ere all cases concernin" /ree asonry 4ere decided & & & )he la4s 4ere read@ and then the #ecretary read out a nu ber of cases& At each of the the Chair an said< MA otion is ade and seconded& 7ho a33roves 4ill raise his ri"ht hand&M In ost cases all 3resent shouted MAllM@ but one ?uestion too, a lon" ti e< it concerned a $aster 4ho had been drun, several ti es in Lod"e and behaved in a disorderly 4ay@ and 4ho the +u,e 4ished re oved& But there 4ere 3ersons 4ho defended hi and also others of o3inin not only that he ou"ht to be re oved@ but also de3rived of the di"nity of a Brother& )here 4as an a4ful ro4& )hey s3o,e 4ith a certain a ount of heat@ but any ?uite 4ell@ and the +u,e had to 3ut the 3ro3osition eleven ti es before it 4as acce3ted by the aHority&M Considerable authority 4as vested in the $7 'rand $aster by the ne4 Boo, of Constitutions& *is o4n annual election@ 3ro3osed fro the floor of 'rand Lod"e fro 18.6@( 4as 3urely for al& *e a33ointed all the 'rand 2fficers@ the = 1 +ece ber 181.E ACC@ Ivi@ 33 1(9-.:& ( /CR@ 18.6@ 3 .99&

18 ;)*5 %R5#)26IA6 L5C)>R5#= 'rand Cha3lain@ #4ord Bearer and@ for a ti e@ the 'rand )reasurer@ bein" selected fro three brethren no inated by the 'rand Lod"e&= *e also chose nearly half the e bers of the Boards throu"h 4hich that body exercised its ad inistrative functions& )he +u,e=s a33oint ents to 'rand Ran, have et 4ith so e criticis & *e said< ;$erit is the sole eans of 3ro otion=@( and that he had ;never "iven any Brother office 4ho 4as not in other res3ects eli"ible

to enter 'rand Lod"e=& . )he a33oint ents for 18.7 4ere said to have honestly re3resented the various interests of the Craft and to ;3rove that the M5yeM of the 'rand $aster is observant of erit@ and that it does not li it its ran"e of vision to this or that Lod"e= &4 9et three years earlier@ 4hen the 'rand $aster=s si"ht 4as failin"@ it 4as alle"ed that there had been ;a ,indly yieldin" to the solicitations of 3rivate friendshi3=@ and therefore the a33oint ents 4ere ;not alto"ether "ratifyin" to the ex3ectations of the Craft=&1 )hree days after the >nion the +u,e offered the +e3uty 'rand-$astershi3 to the dissolute and un4ashed +u,e of 6orfol,@ 4ho had once been %'$ for *erefordshire& 6 )he #'7 of 18.8@ Lord 7orsley@ had been raised only a fe4 days before his a33oint ent@ 7 and the 'rand Re"istrar@ a33ointed to that very i 3ortant office at a critical ti e in 184:@ 4as seventy years of a"e and had only four years= ex3erience as a /ree ason& 8 'ould 4rote that ;)he +u,e of #ussex 4as@ in his 4ay@ a des3ot & & & his 3atrona"e 4as not confined to the ri"ht Afro 1819B of no inatin" all the 'rand 2fficers@ exce3t the )reasurer& *e altered at 3leasure the status of any 'rand 2fficer@ created ne4 offices@ and freely a33ointed Brethren to ran, in 'rand Lod"e=&9 *e ay have as,ed a Brother at a Cuarterly Co unication to fill a casual vacancy throu"h absence@ but an analysis of his a33oint ents fro 181. to 184. sho4s that 'ould=s assertion is not true& )he 7ardens and +eacons 4ere chan"ed annually@ the #4ord Bearer al ost soE the other officers continued for several years and there 4as no abnor al creation of ne4 offices& +urin" the 4hole 3eriod there 4ere less than a doIen 3ro otions and@ althou"h he 4as at lo""erheads 4ith hi at the ti e@ he ade +r R& )& Crucefix -unior 'rand +eacon in 18.6&

)he +u,e of #ussex 4as 3rone to act on his initiative and to interfere 3ersonally in 3roceedin"s@ thou"h he denied any intention of dictation&= *e conferred 3rivile"es u3on those lod"es in 4hich he 4as s3ecially interested&M *e decided that a #ervin" Brother could only beco e a subscribin" e ber in a lod"e other than that in 4hich he 4as initiated under dis3ensation@ but he 4as not dis3osed to do anythin" further in the case of a lod"e 4hich has initiated t4o servin" brethren and an excessive nu ber of candidates after bein" refused a dis3ensation@ because he thou"ht they had acted under a isa33rehension& 1( )he dis3utes in Bristol and in the #ilent )e 3le Lod"e@ 6o 1(6@ Burnley@ 1. 4ere 'L Cuarterly Co unications@ $inutes& 7 #e3te ber 1814@ 6 $arch 1816@ etc& K /CR@ 18.6@ 3 .19@ note&

. /CR@ 184:@ 3 498& /CR@ 18.7@ 33 (9.-4& 1 /CR@ 18.4@ 33 (4:-1&

6 ACC@ Iii@ 3 (:8@ (14@ (16E Co 3lete %eera"e A+oubledayB& 7 /CR@ 184:@ 3 (81&

s Lod"e of Research@ Leicester@ 6o (4(9@ )ransactions@ 1919-(:@ 3 96& 9 'ould@ ed %oole@ iii@ 11:&

ACC& Iii@ 3 11( I e"@ =itch race@ o3 c1L 3 111&

NI 'L Cuarterly Co unications@ $inutes@ 1 $arch 18.4& N. Co unicated by 7 Bro 6& Ro"ers&

)*5 'RA6+-$A#)5R#*I% 2/ *&R&*& )*5 +>!5 2/ #>##5J@ 181.-4. 19 both s oothed over by the 'rand $aster=s 3ersonal intervention& 2n the other hand@ 4hilst the case of the %'$ for #o erset a"ainst )ho as 7hitney@ of the Royal 9or, Lod"e of Bath@ 4as sub Hudice@ the +u,e 4rote that the latter=s state ents 4ere ;as distant fro truth as the 5ast is fro the 7est=@ and he told the Board of 'eneral %ur3oses that they 4ere not to receive any affidavits durin" the course of their investi"ation& ;As $asons@= he said@ ;4e rule and Hud"e by the la4s of Conscience and *onour& %ublic 23inion and the strict observance of a $ason=s 7ord are our only eans of Control & & & 4e cannot 3unish le"ally for 3erHury=&= In 18.4 the +u,e ordered that there should be no 3rofessional sin"ers in the 'lee Roo 4ith the ladies at the Boys= /estival because of an un3leasant incident three years before& )his had a bad effect on contributions to the Institution@ so he 4ithdre4 the restriction in 18.6&( )he 'rand $aster of 5n"land 4or,ed in cordial co-o3eration 4ith the +u,e of Leinster@ head of the 2rder in Ireland@ but on one occasion he over-reached hi self and 4as severely snubbed& /ree asonry in Ireland 4as ade ille"al in 18(.@ and the %'$ for >33er Canada atte 3ted to co 3el an Irish lod"e there to acce3t an 5n"lish 4arrant& In 18(6 the 3a3ers 4ere laid before the +u,e of #ussex@ 4ho su""ested to the 'rand $aster of Ireland that Irish lod"es overseas should be 3laced under the 'rand Lod"e of 5n"land for better control& )he Irish 'rand Lod"e 4ould thus abandon its ri"hts under the International Co 3act of 1814& )hey reacted stron"ly@ characterisin" the +u,e of #ussex=s conduct as un asonic@ and issued a ne4 4arrant to their lod"e in Canada& . It 4as said by the +' $aster@ Lord +urha @

hi self in 18.1 that ;until lately the 3roceedin"s at the Cuarterly Co unications 4ere ere 3ro ul"ations and re"istrations of the edicts of the 'rand $asterE but@ Brethren@ there has arisen of late a s3irit of en?uiry 4orthy of our "lorious 3rofession@ that has found its 4ay into our le"islative asse bly@ that has brou"ht about discussions u3on ost i 3ortant subHects and this has been ha33ily ar,ed by an es3ecial 3ro3riety of conduct@ and the exercise of "reat intellectual 3o4ers& I have sincere 3leasure in statin" y conviction that the 'rand $aster@ so far fro vie4in" these 3roceedin"s 4ith either distrust or Healousy@ is "ratified to ,no4 that they have ta,en 3lace& =4 Bro %hili3e@ a e ber of the Board of 'eneral %ur3oses@ added that the 'rand $aster ;durin" the 3ast year had@ in a ost es3ecial anner@ endeared hi self to the Craft by the ready and ,ind anner in 4hich he had et their 4ishes u3on so e i 3ortant chan"es=& 1 At this 3eriod@ ho4ever@ the +u,e 4as absent fro 'rand Lod"e o4in" to his blindness& 7hen he recovered@ after an o3eration@ there 4as a chan"e for the 4orse&

)he +u,e 4as a ;3erseverin" and un4earied 3atron of every charitable institution@ the ost char in" be""ar in 5uro3e=& 6 In 18(9 he a33roved the desi"n of a He4el to be 4orn by brethren 4ho had served as ste4ards to both the $asonic Charities@ the Boys= and the 'irls= Institutions& It 4as his concern for these that involved hi in the 4orst dis3ute of his rei"n& +r R& )& Crucefix@ in 18.4@ = Auto"ra3h letter dated (4 2ctober 18(4@ in 'L Library& ( /CR@ 18.4@ 33 49-11& 119-61@ (4:@ 419E 18.6@ 3 169&

. *istory of the 'rand Lod"e of /& and A& $asons of Ireland@ R& 5& %ar,inson A1917B@ 33 6:-67& 4 /CR@ 18.1@ 3 176&

1 Ibid@ 3 4.(&

6 /CR@ 184.@ 3 141E A CC@ Ixvi@ 3 71&

(: ;)*5 %R5#)26IA6 L5C)>R5#= su""ested the erection of an Asylu for A"ed and +ecayed /ree asons@ invitin" the +u,e to beco e its 3resident& But the 'rand $aster o33osed the sche e on the "rounds that the 3roceedin"s of +r Crucefix and his su33orters 4ere irre"ular@ that it 4ould induce i 3ro3er 3ersons to enter the /raternity@ and that it 4ould

adversely affect the t4o existin" Charities - the 'irls= #chool bein" at that ti e in financial difficulties& Intervie4s bet4een the +u,e and Crucefix 4ere variously inter3reted@ the latter sayin" that the 'rand $aster 4as =not o33osed= to the Asylu @ 4hilst the for er said he 4as@= thou"h he chan"ed his "rounds& ;/indin" that o33osition but aided the Asylu @ FheG ado3ted the 3lan of co 3etition and hoisted the standard of a $asonic Benevolent Annuity /und& )he +u,e of #ussex for a lon" ti e denied his 3atrona"e@ but 7alton( sou"ht an intervie4 4ith hi and@ eetin" 4ith a re3ulse on his favourite the e@ he fairly told the 'rand $aster@ on ta,in" leave@ that there re ained no other eans of 3reventin" the Asylu bein" built and endo4ed& )his decided the atterE the 'rand $aster relaxed@ ado3ted 7alton=s sche e and thus 3roved the fallacy of all o33osition to the Asylu 3rinci3leE 4hich@ so far fro bein" uncalled for and unnecessary@ beca e the 3arent of a second $asonic Charity&M Crucefix@ fortified by a 'rand Lod"e resolution unani ously in favour of the Asylu @ 4ent on 4ith his sche e and ana"ed it as thou"h it 4as an official business 4ith "overnors@ collections@ festivals@ and so on& A dis3ute at a eetin" held . 6ove ber 18.9@ led to Crucefix and his lieutenant@ -& Lee #tevens@ bein" te 3orarily sus3ended fro their asonic duties& Crucefix=s a33eal a"ainst the sentence bein" disallo4ed@ he 4rote a hi"hly i 3ro3er letter to the +u,e of #ussex@ accusin" hi of disre"ardin" the Ancient Char"es@ and recallin" a e orable scene in the 'rand #ecretary=s office on (9 A3ril 184:@ 4hen the 'rand $aster ;threatened e 4ith the enforce ent of a 3o4er beyond the $asonic La4 and ex3ressed that threat in lan"ua"e so unusual and unex3ected fro a Brother of your exalted Ran, and #tation@ as 4as calculated to lo4er the res3ect due to the 3erson of 9our Royal *i"hness@ and above all the di"nified 2ffice of 'rand $aster=& 1 )his the +u,e i"nored until it 4as 3ublished in Crucefix=s 3eriodical@ )he /ree ason=s Cuarterly Revie4& 6o4@ 3ublication of asonic 3roceedin"s 4as anathe a to the 'rand $aster& Charles Bonnor@ of the Lod"e of Anti?uity@ 6o (@ and the brethren of Lod"e 6o .1@ Liver3ool@ had been 3enalised for such an offence& Also@ Laurence )ho 3son@ a %restonian Lecturer and one of Crucefix=s o33onents@ fell under the 'rand $aster=s dis3leasure for 3ublishin" a for of cere onial 3ro oted by the Lod"e of Reconciliation@ of 4hich he 4as a e ber& 6 5arlier in this sa e year@ 184:@ the +u,e had circularised all lod"es 4arnin" the a"ainst 3rintin" asonic infor ation& )he a33earance of Crucefix=s letter in the Revie4@ therefore@ caused the 'rand $aster to lay it before the Board of 'eneral %ur3oses@ ;leavin" to their +iscretion the %roceed ACC@ Iii@ 3 199-(::< /CR@ 18.7@ 33 484-1&

( Isaac 7alton@ %$ of the $oira Lod"e@ 6o 9(& . 'ould@ ed %oole@ iii@ 1:9-1:&

/CR@ 18.8@ flyleaf&

1 'L Cuarterly Co unication& $inutes@ ( #e3te ber 184:& )he letter over the 3seudony =%ytha"oras= in /CR@ 184:@ 3 149-1(@ differs fro that officially recorded&

6 A CC@ xxiii@ 3 86&

)*5 'RA6+-$A#)5R#*I% 2/ *&R&*& )*5 +>!5 2/ #>##5J@ 181.-4. (1 in"s necessary to be ado3ted for the 3reservation of 2rder in the Craft@ and for the $aintenance of that #ubordination 4hich is so essential to be observed in all re"ular co unities 4hich are "overned by La4s@ and by no one ore 3articularly than by the "reat Body of $asons=& )he Board found it 3roved that the 'rand $aster had ta,en no 3art in the ori"inal 3roceedin"s a"ainst Crucefix@ 4hich had been initiated by four brethren un,no4n to hi & A9et Laurence )ho 3son 4as one of the OB )he letter 4as denounced as=a false@ scandalous and un4arrantable attac, on the character and conduct of the $7 'rand $aster=@ and it 4as reco ended to the 'rand Lod"e that Crucefix should be ex3elled fro the Craft& At a subse?uent 5s3ecial 'rand Lod"e the otion for his ex3ulsion 4as 3ut@ but@ an a3olo"y bein" tendered on his behalf@ an a end ent 4as ade that this should be received& )he a end ent 4as carried by a s all aHority@ one of its 3rinci3al o33onents bein" R7 Bro C& )& +=5yncourt@ an e?uerry to and friend of the +u,e of #ussex and %'$ for Lincolnshire&= )he Asylu and the Annuity /und both ca e into bein" and 4ere a al"a ated in 181: to for the R$BI&

It 4as the 3ublication of Crucefix=s letter in the /ree ason=s Cuarterly Revie4 that brou"ht the Asylu controversy to a head& )he Revie4 itself 4as another cause of the +u,e=s rancour a"ainst the +octor& /ounded by hi in 18.4@ he 4as its editor for the next six years& )he 3eriodical su33lied a uch-felt 4ant in asonic literature@ but the 'rand $aster disa33roved of it& In the course of the intervie4 in the 'rand #ecretary=s office@ already alluded to@ he said that +r Crucefix ;had so4n the seeds of discontent 4here all 4as 3eace and "ood order@ and by his vile 3a3er he had caused considerable ischief@ the effects of 4hich it 4ould ta,e all the care and consideration of the 'rand $aster@ assisted by the 'rand

Lod"e@ to correct=& ( A little later in this sa e year@ 4hen addressin" the 'rand Lod"e on the death of the +'$@ Lord +urha @ the +u,e noticed t4o brethren@ one of 4ho 4as Lee #tevens@ ta,in" notes@ doubtless for the use of the editor of the Revie4@ and told the it 4as ille"al& 7hen they de urred he exclai ed< ;It is the la4& I have so laid it do4n and I 4ill enforce it&=. 9et the Board of 'eneral %ur3oses shortly before this had reHected a e orial a"ainst R7 Bro -& 5astho3e@ %'7@ 4ho@ as 3ro3rietor of )he $ornin" Chronicle@ had 3rinted an account of a 3ublic s3eech by the 'rand $aster@ in 4hich he had associated the /raternity 4ith his denunciation of the connection bet4een the 5stablished Church and the #tate as disastrous to both and a "rievous hindrance to the disse ination of the true reli"ion &4 In 1841 the /ree ason=s Cuarterly Revie4 4as denounced as =a traitorous violation of the obli"ation of secrecy=& 1 )4o onths after +r Crucefix=s narro4 esca3e fro ex3ulsion@ Lee #tevens o33osed@ in the 'rand Lod"e@ the re-no ination of the +u,e of #ussex as 'rand $aster@ su""estin" instead the $ar?uis of #alisbury@ +'$& )he +u,e allo4ed hi to a,e a lon" s3eech@ 4hich he described as ;able@ candid and strai"htfor4ard=@ and then =ex3ressed hi self very 4ar ly@ not to say inte 3erately=@@ on the subHect& =I=ll let the Brother see@= he said@ =and I=ll let the 'rand Lod"e see@ too@ that I do ,no4 all about hi =@ "oin" on to accuse #tevens of attac,in" hi in the = 'L Cuarterly Co unications@ $inutes@ ( #e3te ber@ .: 2ctober 184:& ( /CR@ 184:@ 33 19(-.&

s $anchester Association for $asonic Research@ )ransactions@ 19.4& 33 91-6& /CR@ 184:@ 33 (:9-1:&

1 /CR@ 1841& 33 1-1:&

(( ;)*5 %R5#)26IA6 L5C)>R5#= ne4s3a3ers@ and the Asylu su33orters of i 3ro3er 3ractices& )he +u,e =declared his desire to resi"n his officeE and it is understood he consents to hold it only until his royal ne3he4 Athe %rince ConsortB shall be ?ualified to fill the distin"uished and@ let e add@ not uninfluential station=& Resi"nation 4as uch in *R*=s ind at the ti e& *e had threatened it at Crucefix=s a33eal< that ;he had been any years the 'rand $aster@ and 4as 4illin" to continue so@ but that if 'rand Lod"e thou"ht a youn"er and ore active 3erson 4as necessary@ he 4as ready to retireE that 3ersonally it 4as of no conse?uence to hi E that it had rather detracted fro than added to his 3o3ularityE that it "ave considerable trouble@ bulN that he 4as ready to

under"o 4hile he held the office=& 2n this occasion the $ar?uis of #alisbury declined the no ination@ #tevens 4ithdre4 it and the +u,e of #ussex 4as re-elected&1 6ext year #tevens 4as the ovin" s3irit in the or"anisation of a testi onial fro the Craft to +r Crucefix& At the 3resentation and ban?uet@ (4 6ove ber 1841@ the Chair 4as ta,en by +r 'eor"e 2liver@ the 4ell-,no4n asonic author and a fre?uent contributor to the Revie4& )he conse?uence 4as that R7 Bro C& )& +=5yncourt dis issed +r 2liver fro his 3osition as +'$ for Lincolnshire@ 4hich caused another outcry& ( )here is no doubt that the influence behind the %'$=s decision 4as that of the $7 'rand $aster& )he real reason for the attac, on these t4o distin"uished brethren 4as that they 4ere both active 3ro3a"ators of the *i"her +e"rees&

)he +u,e of #ussex 4as head of several of these@ and on one occasion s3o,e of ;his attach ent to the 3rinci3les and deter ination to aintain the 3rivile"es and to 3rovide the 4ell-bein" of the 2rder=& . )he +u,e@ ho4ever@ did not 3ursue an active 3olicy for their advance ent and they did not flourish under his rule& It ay 4ell be that his inactivity 4as@ in the circu stances@ ore effective in 3reservin" the *i"her +e"rees than the uninhibited behaviour of Bros Crucefix and 2liver&

7ith the a33roach of the >nion of the t4o 'rand Lod"es@ the +u,e of #ussex 4as exalted into the Royal Arch@ A3ril 181:@ and in the next- onth 4as installed as $5K of the #u3re e 'rand Cha3ter of the $oderns@ )he 5arl of $oira "racefully a,in" 4ay for hi & 4 At the +u,e=s insti"ation@ the #'C@ in 181.@ ;Resolved unani ously that as the 'rand Lod"e of&5n"land A$odernsB throu"h the $7 'rand $aster has co unicated its +eter ination to ac,no4led"e the Royal Arch=@ the $5K be entrusted 4ith full 3o4ers to conclude a union of the #' Cha3ter 4ith the t4o 'rand Lod"es&1 /or the Ancients@ full reco"nition of the Royal Arch +e"ree 4as a sine ?ua non of the ne"otiations@ but the universalists@ 4ho disli,ed the Royal Arch as they did the Christian 2rders@ 4ere able to secure the co 3ro ise in the 4ell-,no4n Article II of the >nion& )here 4as to be no fourth de"ree as the +u,e had antici3ated @6 nor 4as any 3rovision ade for the "overn ent of the Royal Arch in the ne4 Boo, of Constitutions& 2nly after slo4 3ro"ress did the +u,e=s influence brin" about the >nion of the t4o #u3re e = /CR@ 184:& 33 496-9& (:(-.E 1841@ 33 417-8& K ACC@ Ixxiv@ 33 1.-7:&

. )he 2ri"in and %ro"ress of the %rece3tory of #t 'eor"e@ 6o 6@ C&

/itI"erald $atier@ 33 4(-46& #u3re e 'rand Cha3ter@ $inutes@ 17 A3ril@ 1: $ay 181:&

1 2ri"in of the 5n"lish Rite@ 7& -& *u"han& ed -& )& )hor3@ 3 171& 6 /ree asons= Boo, of the Royal Arch@ B& 5& -ones@ 3 111&

)*5 'RA6+-$A#)5R#*I% 2/ *&R&*& )*5 +>!5 2/ #>##5J@ 181.-4. (. 'rand Cha3ters@ 18 $arch 1817& /or al reco"nition 4as "ranted by the >nited 'rand Lod"e&

2bviously so e alterations in the ritual 4ere necessitated by the establish ent of a united #'C to 4eld the t4o syste s into one unifor cere ony& But so little interest 4as ta,en in the #u3re e 2rder and so chaotic 4ere conditions at head?uarters that it 4as not until 18.4 that the +u,e of #ussex@ as $5K@ set u3 a co ittee to revise the ritual&= )he 4or, a33ears to have fallen ainly on his friend and for er cha3lain@ the Rev '& A& Bro4ne@ %' #u3erintendent for Ca brid"eshire@ the result bein" a33roved by the $5K and #'C in 6ove ber of the sa e year& $any alterations 4ere ade@ ne4 cere onies for the installation of the %rinci3als 4ere introduced@ and an atte 3t ade to re ove all Christian allusions fro the ritual& )he #'C ade it ;the duty of every Cha3ter to ado3t and obey= the ne4 ethod@ the 'rand %rinci3als su""estin" that any Cha3ter 4hich failed to teach its e bers the ;#ussex Ritual= should be sus3ended &( A Cha3ter of %ro ul"ation 4as 4arranted on 4 /ebruary 18.1@ for six onths@ but in s3ite of the i 3roved eans of co unication@ little 4as done to s3read the ne4 4ays beyond the $etro3olis& %rovincial Co 3anions found it difficult to a,e the Hourney for instruction and 4ere hard 3ut to it to learn about and 3ractise the ne4 ritual@ es3ecially the installation cere onies& . 5ven 4hen they did "et the infor ation they did not al4ays confor entirely& 4 )hou"h there are several versions existin" today clai in" to be co3ies of the ;#ussex Ritual= of the Royal Arch +e"ree@ 1 they are no ore correct than those of the Craft ritual 4hich 3ur3ort to be derived fro the decisions of the Lod"e of Reconciliation& In the #u3re e 2rder unifor ity is as non-existent and as undesirable as it is in the Craft&

$any eulo"ies and criticis s@ conte 3orary and later@ have been ade of the 'rand-$astershi3 of the +u,e of #ussex& )he for er ay lar"ely be

discounted as laudatores te 3oris acti@ havin" been "iven on s3ecial occasions 4hich de anded the @ or as derivin" fro the deference then custo arily 3aid to Royalty& )he critics@ thou"h so e of their re ar,s are not 4ithout foundation@ have@ in "eneral@ 3aid too uch attention to the last five years of the +u,e=s rei"n and too little to the first t4enty-five@ at the conclusion of 4hich he 4as 3resented 4ith that a"nificent testi onial no4 in /ree asons= *all& )he year 18.8 4as the turnin" 3oint& >3 till then the 'rand $aster=s rule 4as successful and 3o3ular& In s3ite of his any other interests@ the +u,e too, "reat 3ains to e?ui3 hi self for his 3osition@ 4as re ar,ably assiduous in his duties and enHoyed the advanta"es of very able advisers& )heir 3ur3ose 4as to enforce the settle ent ade at the >nion and to resist further chan"e& If his influence so eti es de"enerated into interference it 4as used in 4hat he considered to be the best interests of the Craft& *is rule 4as 3ersonal and fir @ but not autocratic& *is 7hi" 3rinci3les@ so staunchly held@ and his fondness for the British Constitution@ so often ex3ressed@ can hardly have been lost si"ht of 4hen he ascended the $asonic )hrone& 7hether in the 'rand Lod"e or 3residin" at the festive board@ his burly fi"ure@ 1 Ibid@ 3 17:& = =Ibid@ 3 171&

/CR@ 18.7@ 3 19E 18.9@ 3 78&

/ree asonry in Bristol@ A& C& %o4ell@ and -& LittleHohn@ 33 667-9& 1 #o erset $asters Lod"e@ 6o .746@ )ransactions@ 19(4@ 3 (89&

(4 ;)*5 %R5#)26IA6 L5C)>R5#= clothed in a blue coat@ li"ht 4aistcoat@ ,nee breeches and blac, s,ull-ca3@ his ;Holly= countenance and his "enial affability ade hi ever 4elco e&

After t4enty-five years ca e a sad deterioration& )he +u,e 4as "ettin" old@ his illnesses 4ere 3rolon"ed and 3ainful@ for t4o years he 4as co 3letely blind and thereafter only 3artially recovered@ his veteran advisers had all 3assed a4ay& )he or"anised cons3iracy - for it 4as such - of +rs Crucefix and 2liver threatened to brin" crashin" into ruins the 4or, of the +u,e=s lifeti e& 6o 4onder he beca e ill-te 3ered& )he 'rand $aster 4as a chan"ed anE he 4as hectorin"@ unHust@ des3oticE it 4as not a 3leasant si"ht& )hou"h any fine thin"s 4ere said of hi at his 3assin"@ his de ise brou"ht relief to the /raternity& *e 4as not a "reat

'rand $aster@ but he 4as a "ood one& 2f his conte 3oraries he 4as by far the best fitted for the office& ;If= is a dan"erous 4ord in history@ but it is a safe assu 3tion that if 4e had had one of his brothers in his 3lace - and it i"ht easily have ha33ened= - the Craft 4ould not have been so 4ell served& )he e orial of his labours is not the statue@ the 3ortraits or the other 3ara3hernalia of de3arted erit< it is one of 4hich any an@ of any ran,@ could be Hustly 3roud-the >nited 'rand Lod"e of 5n"land& )he existence and 3resent 3ros3erity of this "reat /raternity are due in no s all easure to the 'rand-$astershi3 of *R* the +u,e of #ussex&

= Letters of !in" 'eor"e I0@ 181(-18.:@ ed A& A& As3inall@ i@ 3 6:@ 6o 11&

/2L!L2R5 I6)2 $A#26R9 )*5 %R5#)26IA6 L5C)>R5 /2R 196. )*5 05R9 R50 *& '& $IC*A5L CLAR!5@ $A&

)*5 %A##I6' 2/ )*5 2%5RA)I05 'IL+# #I6C5 t /IR#) be"an to find in asonry ore than the 3erfor ance of rites and cere onies@ I have 4anted to ,no4 ho4 it ori"inated& )hat is to say@ I 4as curious 4hy en too, u3 s3eculative asonryE for there is no ystery about the old lod"es of the o3erative asons@ nor about their 3ractice of ad ittin" honorary e bers& )here is secure evidence of such ad issions ta,in" 3lace early in the seventeenth century in 5n"land@ and in the inute boo, of the Lod"e of 5dinbur"h the 3resence of -a es Bos4ell@ Laird of Auchinlec,@ is recorded under the date 8 -une 16::&

)he brethren of that ti e belon"ed to the Livery Co 3any of $asons of London and to the 'ilds of $asons u3 and do4n the country@ and had 3lied their craft durin" the $iddle A"es in association 4ith the Cathedral Cha3ters and the $onastic 2rders in buildin" and aintainin" the "reat 'othic Churches& Alone of all trades they had 3reserved the cohesion of the ;fabric lod"e=E since by the nature of thin"s they had to ,ee3 to"ether as a band@ their 4or, could only be done ;on the site=& At 9or, the asons e 3loyed at the $inster in 11.( 4ere< )o be"in 4or, i ediately after sunrise until the rin"in" of the bell of the 0ir"in $aryE then to brea,fast in the lo"iu fabric4E then one of the asters is to ,noc, u3on the door of the lod"e and forth4ith all are to return to 4or, till noon& Bet4een A3ril and Au"ust@ after dinner they shall slee3 in the lod"eE then 4or, until the first bell for ves3ersE then sit to drin, until the end of the third bell@ and

return to 4or, so lon" as they can see by dayli"ht&= )he econo ic chan"es and the ne4 ea"erness to free the individual fro restriction had caused the "ild syste to decay and colla3se@ and asons lost e 3loy ent as the ne4 classical styles beca e 3o3ular@ 4hich called for less intricate 4or,& Bric,@ too@ 4as ore extensively used&

)*5 #I6'>LARI)9 2/ )*5 $A#26# )here 4as@ ho4ever@ one feature of the asonic fraternity 4hich ade it uni?ue& >nli,e other associations of crafts en@ lod"es 4ere not 3er anent& 7hen a buildin" 4as co 3leted@ the 4or, en i"ht 3ass to e 3loy ent in another locality& )he secrecy@ fidelity and obedience they o4ed 4ere not to a "rou3 in a 3articular 3lace@ but to the Craft as a 4hole& )o ensure that stran"ers clai in" the 3rivile"es of asons should not deceive@ si"ns@ to,ens and 4ords of reco"nition 4ere co unicated under vo4s of conceal ent that the ysteries of their art i"ht be "uarded and 3reserved&

A s3ecial character distin"uishes bodies of en 4ho rove the 4orld in the Cuoted in *astin"s= 5ncyclo3edia of Reli"ion and 5thics&

(1 (6 ;)*5 %R5#)26IA6 L5C)>R5#= 3ursuit of their livelihood@ 4hether they be sailors@ co ercial travellers@ barristers on circuit - or o3erative asons& Lac,in" stable ho es@ they learn to settle any4here@ they have the cos o3olitan=s "ift of "ettin" on ter s 4ith stran"ers 4hen they eet the @ so e fello4-feelin" 4ith the forei"ner and understandin" of the 4or,in" of his ind@ and@ above all@ a broader@ ore tolerant vie4 of the universe and hu an ,ind than is held by the ty3es 4hich stay at ho e& 9et@ 4hile all these thin"s are true of the 4anderin" 4or,er@ he does not lac, ordinary social instincts@ and the 4ant of any nor al ex3erience of settled co unity life a,es hi attach a hi"h@ 3erha3s exa""erated@ value to the closed circle of his 3rofessional fello4shi3&

I thin, free asonry@ at the death of Cueen 5liIabeth in 16:.@ ust have been uch as I have described@ a survival shorn of uch of its i 3ortance and authority@ held to"ether by its traditional connection 4ith buildin"@ in 4hich ore and ore en of the iddle ran,s of the nation 4ere interestin" the selves@ and "overned as to the constitution of lod"es and the conduct of brethren by Ancient Char"es and Re"ulations& 2f e ble atic or s3eculative asonry at the be"innin" of the

seventeenth century there is no evidence&

-u 3 a hundred and fourteen years@ and in /ebruary 1717@ four London lod"es eet to"ether for the 3ur3ose of consolidatin" their structure and co-ordinatin" their activities by the creation of a 'rand Lod"e& As to ho4 uch ritual they 3ossess and in 4hat 4ays they differ fro us@ their successors@ it 4ould be rec,less to s3ea, in definite ter s& Certainly all traces of o3erative asonry have disa33eared fro these four@ thou"h not by any eans fro all lod"es in 5n"land& Certainly@ too@ there is so e esoteric teachin" contained in the cere onies connected 4ith the ad ission of candidates@ and 3ossibly on feast days& %ro inent 3ractitioners of the art of s3eculative asonry have "iven lectures& )hus@ aterial is 3rovided for the $asonic 2rder to 4or, u3on durin" the ei"hteenth century and to develo3 into the standard for s of virtual 4hich 4e inherit& 7e have a 3roble of e bryolo"y 4hich is co 3letely insoluble& 7e si 3ly cannot tell 4hat sta"e had been reached in 1717@ and I have no Hud" ent to offer& I a,e but t4o su""estions& )he first is that thou"h@ no doubt@ ritual 4as then in 3ri itive sha3e@ 4ith 3ossibly only 3arts exactly 3hrased and neither so #yste atic nor so elaborate as today@ there 4as a basic unifor ity runnin" throu"h free asonry& )he second is that 4hatever ay have been the "ro4th of free asonry 4e can at least identify the seeds& )he for er of these su""estions 4ill not ta,e our attention for lon"@ and I shall not ar"ue it further than to offer an historical 3arallel@ but I thin, a satisfactory one& Indeed@ I ho3e that you 4ill a"ree that free asons 4ere@ as I have described it@ basically unifor in 1717@ for it 4ill assist e@ if you do@ to de onstrate the seeds fro 4hich it s3ran"@ si ilar "ro4th i 3lyin" si ilar seeds&

>6I/2R$I)9 2/ $A#26IC RI)5#@ 1717 )he assi ilation of the content of free asonry in different lod"es de3ended on the 3robability of brethren in the ixin"@ and this in turn u3on the facilities for travel and their use by seventeenth-century 5n"lish en& It is a co on3lace that co unications in our country had to 4ait till nearly 18:: before they 4ere /2L!L2R5 I6)2 $A#26R9 (7 substantially i 3roved& But for three hundred years before then there had been slo4 but steady advance& )he 5n"lish an of the #tuart 3eriod 4as a traveller& If he 4ere a "entle an@ that is@ one 4ho o4ned land and lived on the inco e fro it@ he re"arded travel as a source of infor ationE if he 4ere a erchant@ 'er any or the Lo4 Countries dre4 hi as 3rofitable ar,etsE if he 4ere a Cavalier@ he ay have visited or stayed in /rance 4hile youn" Charles #tuart too, refu"e thereE if he 4ere a Roundhead@ he i"ht 4ell have brothers or cousins in A erica& )hese 4ere the sort of en 4ho 4ere

enterin" the Craft as /ree and Acce3ted $asons& If their 3redecessors@ the o3erative asons@ scattered over 5n"land@ could in the $iddle A"es 3reserve so e sort of national association@ surely it is not creditin" the 4ith too uch in"enuity of or"anisation to say that they 4ere rou"hly unifor in their 3rece3ts and their 3ractice& 7hat they handed on 4as 4hat they held in co on& 5xce3t in a fe4 instances the "eneral 3attern has 3revailedE the ano alous has disa33eared&

)his is 4hat 4e should ex3ect in a 4idely scattered fraternity aintainin" itself in an indifferent society& 2n another scale and a"ainst another bac,"round@ the Christian Church 4as driven under"round by 3ersecution in the Ro an 5 3ire at the end of the first century of our era and rea33eared 4hen toleration 4as 3roclai ed in the last ?uarter of the second& +urin" the intervenin" 3eriod@ 4hen it too, care as far as it 4as able to be un,no4n and unheard of@ it succeeded in develo3in" an 2r"anisation and a ritual 4hich 4ere 3ractically unifor fro Antioch to 9or,& Is it too uch to clai in the sa e 4ay that the s3rin"s of s3eculative asonry had risen to a33roxi ately the sa e hei"ht durin" the seventeenth century in all the various centres in 5n"landP 7*A) #)AR)5+ #%5C>LA)I26P 2ne su""estion has been ade that@ alone a on" the craft "ilds@ asons continued to cherish and trans it their s3ecial reli"ious 3ractices& 5ach edieval association 4as reli"ious in character@ venerated one 3atron saint and ,e3t its festival in a 4ay 4hich i"ht be 3eculiar to itself& )he Refor ers loo,ed as,ance at such carryin"s on@ 4hich they conde ned as su3erstitious and 3ut ruthlessly do4n& It is not easy to i a"ine a "rou3 or "rou3s of en ta,in" the trouble and ris, to continue to 3erfor the in secret& 6or are the ty3es I have en@ tioned as belon"in" to lod"es those 4ho 4e should ex3ect to court official disfavour&

5lias Ash ole is the ost fa ous of the & *e records in his diary that he 4as ade a free ason at 7arrin"ton in 1646& *is second 4ife 4as a 4ealthy 4ido4@ and at the Restoration he 4as created 7indsor *erald& *e a,es no other reference till 168(@ 4hen he a"ain attended a lod"e and notes co 3osedly that he 4as the senior fello4& *e 4as ty3ical of his a"e@ a natural student@ no4 critical@ no4 credulous@ /ello4 of the ne4ly-chartered Royal #ociety@ collector of curiosities of art and nature@ 4hich #ir Christo3her 7ren built a fa ous useu in 2xford to house& *is credulity a33ears in his friendshi3 4ith the conte 3orary astrolo"ers and his dabblin" in the cult of Rosicrucianis & $ichael $aier=s boo, about this syste of theoso3hy had been recently translated fro 'er an to 5n"lish& As $ichael $aier 4as an alche ist@ Ash ole see s to focus in

his (8 ;)*5 %R5#)26IA6 L5C)>R5#= 3erson all the novel@ unusual and curious ideas that 4ere driftin" throu"h the seventeenth century&

)here are those 4ho believe that 5lias Ash ole i 3orted tenets of Rosicrucianis - 4ith its Le"end of the )o b and its i 3licit 3rinci3les of brotherly love@ relief and truth - into free asonry& )here is not the s allest evidence that he 4as ore than su3erficially interested in either@ and it 4as to concrete rather than abstract atters that he devoted hi self@ a history of heraldry and the collection of rarities absorbin" hi to the exclusion of theolo"y and eta3hysics&

Robert %lot and -ohn Aubrey have lin,s 4ith Ash ole@ for they 4ere both anti?uarians and %lot 4as-#ecretary of tfle Royal #ociety as 4ell& 6either 4ere free asons@ but both ention the Craft Ain 1686 and 1691 res3ectivelyB as 4ides3read throu"h 5n"land@ 3ractisin" charity and 3atronised by onarchs the selves& #hado4y as the 3icture is@ it is difficult to conceive that lur,in" in the shade is a hand bent u3on transfor in" it& Bro Bernard -ones closes his discussion of the subHect by ?uotin" Le4is 5d4ards< /e4@ if any@ institutions are invented offhand& )hey are all creatures of "ro4th& If 4e find one of the or"anised and in 4or,in" order at a certain date@ it is hi"hly 3robable that@ 4hether or not 4e find traces of it@ it has existed for any years in a rudi entary and unor"anised for @ and this is obviously the case 4ith s3eculative free asonry&= $5+I50AL I+5A# 2/ )*5 >6I05R#5 And so it is a ?uestion of 4hat@ 4hen at dus, the "ates of the to4n 4ere closed and the bell an be"an his ni"htly rounds@ our seventeenth-century brethren tal,ed at their secret eetin"s in 3rivate roo s of taverns under the 3residency of an ex3ert in the atters under discussion& )hese 4ere the serious "entry and bur"esses of the 3laceE the li"hter fry 4ere dancin" at the asse bly roo s or fore"atherin" in each other=s houses for usic@ cards and su33er& Let us thin, of the for the o ent not as asons@ but as fairly educated 5n"lish en fully a4a,e to an endless debate that 4as "oin" on around the < the debate 3articularly about the nature of 'od=s creation and the la4s by 4hich it 4as aintained in bein"@ the debate as to ho4 an could be elected to sanctification and 4hat 4as the balance bet4een revelation and reason@ that is@ bet4een the evidence of the Bible and the evidence of an=s native intelli"ence& /or the Bible@ of 4hich the Authorised 0ersion 4as 3ublished in 1611@ 4as in everybody=s hands& Its co in" had sti ulated the teachin" of letters&

#3ea,in" of the duties of an@ a sixteenth-century 4riter 4rote< #o e thin"s in such sort are allo4ed@ that they be also re?uired as necessary unto salvation@ by 4ay of direct i ediate and 3ro3er necessity finalE so that 4ithout 3erfor ance of the 4e cannot by ordinary course be saved@ nor by any eans be excluded fro life observin" the & In actions of this ,ind our chiefest direction is fro scri3ture@ for nature is no sufficient teacher 4hat 4e should do that 4e ay attain unto life everlastin"&= )hus Richard *oo,er@ the an 4ho co 3osed the subli e a3olo"y for the 5liIabethan iddle 4ay in reli"ion@ and laid do4n the 3rinci3les of faith and Bernard 5& -ones@ /ree ason=s 'uide and Co 3endiu @ 98& I *oo,er@ )he La4s of 5cclesiastical %olicy@ B, ii@ ch viii@ /2L!L2R5 I6)2 $A#26R9 (9 conduct that 4ere classic in the seventeenth century& *is attitude 4as ado3ted 4idely by his country en&

)he Bible 4as read "reedily@ extensively and ?uite uncritically& 6o distinction 4as dra4n bet4een the si"nificance of an account of early *ebre4 barbarity and late 3ro3hetic insi"ht@ bet4een the oral teachin" of %roverbs and that of %aul& As co entary u3on the elucidation of #cri3ture@ en had the conce3tion of 4orld or"anisation 4hich had been trans itted throu"h the $iddle A"es "ro4in" ore co 3licated and ore in"enious as the centuries 4ent by& It ulti ately constituted a co 3endiu of ,no4led"e contained in the seven liberal arts and sciences@ and@ of course@ fully attained only by the learned fe4@ yet in "eneral outline 3art of the bac,"round of the co on ind& It is to this "eneral outline that I have referred in y title as ;fol,lore=& *ere it is su arised&

In desi"nin" the 4orld@ )he 'reat Archited i 3osed u3on *is Creation a 3articular style of *is o4n@ fittin" every ite into a sin"le 3attern and decreein" for each a course of action a33ro3riate to the 3art assi"ned& )he 3attern 4as alluded to as a chain@ the lo4est lin,s consistin" of inani ate obHects@ the next ve"etation@ then "rou3s of beasts@ then en@ then an"els& 7ithin each class the e bers 4ere not ran"ed indiscri inately@ but held their 3ositions by erit and desert@ and at the head of each class 4as the 3ri ate< fire a on" the ele ents@ sun a on" the stars@ ,in" a on" en@ ea"le a on" birds& /or instance@ in #ha,es3eare=s Richard II@ Act III@ #cene .@ Bolin"bro,e before /lint Castle says< Be he the fire@ I=ll be the yieldin" 4ater@ and a fe4 lines later< #ee@ see@ !in" Richard doth hi self a33ear@ As doth the blushin" discontented sun /ro out the fiery 3ortal of the east@ 7hen he 3erceives the envious clouds are bent )o di his "lory and to strain the trac, 2f his bri"ht 3assa"e to the occident )o 4hich 9or, adds< 9et loo,s he li,e a ,in"<

behold his eye@ As bri"ht as is the ea"le=s li"htens forth Controllin" aHesty&= Li,e children@ the edieval thin,ers 4ere not accusto ed to consider thin"s detached fro all other thin"s& All 4ere creatures of 'od=s a,in" and *e had "iven to each nature 4hich it is its raison d=etre to fulfil& )he ,ind of stran"e theory that 4as 3roduced to inter3ret a fact or to relate it to an acce3ted theory is exe 3lified by an ex3lanation of the 3eriod of creation< the 4orld 4as created in six days because the cro4n of creation 4as hu an ,ind@ ale and fe ale@ but the nu ber three stands for an the nu ber t4o for 4o an@ and throu"h the creative act of ulti3lyin" you "et six&

)he 3oint that ust be borne in ind is that as everythin" in the 4orld has been desi"ned by the 'reat Architect@ it had@ as it 4ere@ *is ar, u3on it and 4as 1 Cuoted by 5& $& 7& )illyard@ )he 5liIabethan 7orld %icture&

.: ;)*5 %R5#)26IA6 L5C)>R5#= 3ersonalised& Brethren 4ill re e ber that as a certain 4ord 4as once a test 4ord to distin"uish friend fro foe@ !in" #olo on after4ards caused it to be ado3ted as a %ass 7ord in a /ello4craft Lod"e to 3revent any un?ualified 3erson ascendin" the 4indin" stair=& )he 3ro3riety of the use of the 4ord for this 3ur3ose@ to our inds@ ust consist in a chance felicity 3roduced by the al ost hu orous co 3arison bet4een the turbulent 53hrai ites and either an entered a33rentice or a co4an to asonry tryin" to force entry to a /ello4craft Lod"e& But to our ancient brethren the 4ord had an existence of its o4n and 4ith that a s3ecial virtue@ Hust as the na e of a 3o4erful su3ernatural bein" i"ht liberate iraculous 3o4ers& )he sa e a33lies to nu bers@ as 4e have seen& )he 3erfection of the nu ber seven is illustrated for asons by the fact that !in" #olo on 4as seven years and u34ards in buildin"@ co 3letin" and dedicatin" the )e 3le&

I trust that I have ade the 3oint that thin"s 4ere never indifferent in the edieval ind& If one of the sy bolised so e abstract idea@ the sy bolis 4as never re"arded as i 3osed by anE it 4as inherent& 7ithout any doubt the t4enty-four inches in the t4enty-four inch "au"e 4ere not considered to be si ilar in nu ber to the t4enty-four hours of the day by accident& )he corres3ondence 4as 3art of the 3attern& It is obvious that to ac?uire this ,no4led"e - or science@ as it 4as na ed-3rofound i a"ination and 4illin"ness to be tau"ht 4ere re?uiredE the student ust ;dedicate his heart@ thus 3urified fro every baneful and ali"nant 3assion@ fitted only for the rece3tion of truth and 4isdo & & &=

)*5 %A##I6' 2/ )*5 2L+ )he ove ent of thou"ht 4ith 4hich the na e of /rancis Bacon 4ill al4ays be connected be"an in the seventeenth century to loosen the foundations of this syste & $en started to notice thin"s for the selves and found that the facts they observed did not s?uare 4ith it& ;2ur ethod@= he said@ ;is continually to d4ell a on" thin"s soberly &&& to establish forever a true and le"iti ate union bet4een the ex3eri ental and rational faculty&M )hose 4ho have "one all the 4ay 4ith Bacon have co 3letely discarded the sche e of accountin" for the universe by abstract 3rinci3les and values@ 3referrin" one 4hich rests u3on observation@ easure ent and the analysis of the results of these& )hey have built u3 #cience in its odern eanin"@ and to the the universe a33rehended in a for of athe atical ter s is the real one@ the 4orld drea ed of in seventeenth-century fol,lore only a "lo4 of t4ili"ht in the s,y&

)*5 '>AR+IA6# 2/ )RA+I)I26 )he old ideas 3assed slo4ly@ and in our century there 4ere any notable 4riters 4ho sou"ht to fuse the old and the ne4& #uch na es as -ohn $ilton and Isaac 6e4ton could be instanced@ but there is roo for one ?uotation@ and I shall choose it fro Reli"io $edici& )he fa ily of its author@ )ho as Bro4ne@ ca e fro Cheshire& *is father 4as a erchant in London@ 4here )ho as 4as born in 16:6& *e studied edicine in Leyden@ in *olland@ and 3ractised as a doctor in 6or4ich& *e 4rote on a variety of subHects and 4restled 4ith this ?uestion of abstract a"ainst ex3eri ental science& *e 4as not a free ason@ but for reasons = %reface to +e Au" entis&

/2L!L2R5 I6)2 $A#26R9 .1 that I have already "iven the s3eculative ason 4ould ea"erly search his boo,s@ 4hich are 4ise@ lively and ost choice in style&

6or do I so for"et 'od as to adore the 6a e of 6ature@ 4hich I define as that strai"ht and re"ular line@ that settled and constant course the 4isdo of 'od hath ordained the actions of *is Creatures@ accordin" to their several ,inds& )o a,e a revolution every day is the nature of the #un@ because of that necessary course 4hich 'od hath ordained it@ fro 4hich it cannot s4erve but by a faculty fro that voice 4hich did first "ive it otion& 6o4 this course of 6ature 'od seldo alters or 3erverts@ but li,e an excellent Artist hath so contrived *is 4or,@ that 4ith the self-sa e instru ent@ 4ithout a ne4 creation@ he ay effect *is obscurest desi"ns & & & for 'od is li,e a s,ilful 'eo etrician@ 4ho 4hen ore easily

and 4ith one stroa, of *is co 3ass he i"ht describe or divide a ri"ht line@ had yet rather do this in a circle or lon"er 4ayE accordin" to the constituted and forelaid 3rinci3les of *is Art&= -Reli"io $edici@ #ect 16 #ir )ho as is@ of course@ de3recatin" recourse to iracles to account for events in 6ature& #o far he is in ste3 4ith the rationalisers@ but his ethod is not ;continually to d4ell a on" thin"s soberly=E to hi @ 'od is Artist and 'eo etrician@ he 3reserves the idea of +ivine style in the orderin" of the universe& *ad o3inion in the next century been faithful to Bro4ne=s teachin" 4hich is reflected in any of his conte 3oraries@ 4e should not have develo3ed in the one-sided 4ay 4e have done&

Let e not be isunderstood& )hat there 4as uch rubbish cu berin" edieval science "oes 4ithout sayin"& It had to be cast out@ and the ne4 science@ 4ith all its triu 3hs@ re3laced it& )ruth has benefited&

But )ruth has also lost< the facts that life is one< that 3erfection is a "oal to be believed in even if never to be achieved< that the universe exists not only as a ine for 4ealth@ but also as a 3lace of service< that 3ersons ran, before thin"s< that there is Absolute Bein" 4hich 4e disre"ard at our 3eril - these facts are inca3able of ex3eri ental 3roof@ they cannot be 4ei"hed or easured@ so they are reduced to the order of indeter inate 3ro3ositions& But Hust as those 3ro3ositions 4ere sli33in" out of the consciousness of 7estern $an@ the 2rder of #3eculative /ree asons fastened u3on the and 3reserved the in Char"e@ Constitution and Cere onial@ so that 4e@ their descendants@ i"ht follo4 the in tracin" the intellectual faculty fro its develo3 ent@ throu"h the 3aths of *eavenly #cience@ even to the throne of 'od *i self&

1 #ir )ho as Bro4ne@ Reli"io $edici@ #ect 16&

)*5 '565#I# 2/ 2%5RA)I05 $A#26R9 )*5 %R5#)26IA6 L5C)>R5 /2R 1964 )*5 R50 A& -& AR!5LL@ $B5@ $C BRo /R5+ L& %IC! concluded the %restonian Lecture for 1948 4ith these 4ords< ;)here 4ould therefore a33ear to be so e Hustification for the theory of Bro -& 5& #hu )ue,ett A)he 2ri"in of Additional +e"rees@ ACC@ xxxiiB that a 3ortion only of the store of le"end@ tradition and sy bolis 3ossessed by free asonry 3assed into the Rite evolved after the constitution of the first 'rand Lod"e in 1717&= And Robert /re,e 'ould@ in his *istory of

/ree asonry A1911@ vol 1@ 3 .B@ ?uotes 4ith a33roval Brand=s %o3ular Anti?uities as sayin"< ;7e ust des3air of ever bein" able to reach the fountain-head of strea s 4hich have been runnin" and increasin" fro the be"innin" of ti e& All that 4e can as3ire to do is only to trace their course bac,4ards@ as far as 3ossible@ on those charts that no4 re ain of the distant countries 4hence they 4ere first 3erceived to flo4=E and a very fe4 lines later 'ould a,es the thou"ht-3rovo,in" re ar,< ;%ast events leave relics behind the ore certainly than future events cast shado4s before the &= )hese considerations@ then@ are y Hustification for as,in" you to ta,e yourselves bac, in ti e a lon" 4ay before 1717@ 4hen the 'rand Lod"e of 5n"land 4as founded@ indeed bac, for nearly five thousand years@ to consider 4hat archaeolo"y has revealed to our "eneration of the circu stances under 4hich o3erative asonry be"an& I ust fro the outset disclai any intention of su""estin" that the be"innin" of o3erative asonry in any 4ay influenced the evolution of the cere onies of s3eculative asonryE but the be"innin" of o3erative asonry cannot lac, interest to us as free asonsE and it is 3articularly i 3ortant to note that the invention of o3erative asonry s3ran" fro a reli"ious i 3ulse&

It 4as 3robably in the 2ld #tone A"e that so e "enius first thou"ht of 3ilin" rou"h stones on one another to a,e a shelter& And archaeolo"ists have recently discovered that in Asia@ by the seventh illeniu BC@ rou"h stone-4allin" had been so far develo3ed that@ for exa 3le@ -ericho 3roves to have been a 4ell-built to4n@ surrounded by stone fortifications@ durin" uch of the seventh and sixth illenia BC&Q *istory be"ins in 5"y3t 4ith the introduction of 3icture-4ritin"@ 4hich has enabled us to co 3ile a list of ,in"s and to learn so ethin" about the events 4hich led to the union of >33er and Lo4er 5"y3t under the /irst +ynasty@ circa .::: BC and about cere onies and other eventsE for labels on 4ine Hars and rece3tacles containin" food@ buried in the to bs of ,in"s and their "reat officers@ ention these events as a 4ay of recordin" dates&

Q 7& /& Albri"ht@ )he Archaeolo"y of %alestine@ revised edition@ 196:& 3 6(&

.( )*5 '565#I# 2/ 2%5RA)I05 $A#26R9 )he ,in"s of the /irst and #econd +ynasties 4ere buried at Abydos@ the reli"ious ca3ital of >33er 5"y3t before the union of 5"y3t@ 4hile their "reat officials and so e relatives 4ere buried at #a,,ara@ a fe4 iles south of Cairo on the 4estern ed"e of the fertile 6ile 0alley@ in the iddle of 4hich they had

sited $e 3his@ the ne4 ca3ital of united 5"y3t@ at the Hunction of the 6ile 0alley 4ith the +elta&

)he su3erstructures of the royal to bs of the first t4o dynasties at Abydos have not survived@ but Hud"in" fro the burial cha bers there and the "reat to bs of the sa e date at #a,,ara@ there is little doubt that 4hat 4as seen of the above the surface of the "round 4as a rectan"ular ass of sun-dried ud bric, 4ith a rounded roof@ the 4hole 3ainted 4hite@ in len"th anythin" u3 to fifty yards@ and u3 to thirty feet hi"h& Internally@ the su3erstructures 4ere divided into thirty or so roo s@ in 4hich 4ere stored Hars of 4ine and food@ furniture and co33er tools indeed@ any obHects that 4ere then considered essential for "ood livin"& In the centre 4as a "reat roo E "radually sun, dee3er and dee3er into the "round in order to a,e it ore safe fro robbers& In this roo 4as a 4ooden coffin@ constructed to rese ble a house of the 3eriod& In the burial cha ber 4ere also 3laced the ost valuable treasures - He4ellery@ dishes of unbelievably s,illed 4or, anshi3 in roc, crystal and other fine stones@ so e ade to rese ble vine leaves or bas,ets@ etc& #o eti es the burial cha ber itself 4as 3anelled 4ith 4oodE in one case A!in" +en or >di uB it 4as 3aved 4ith slabs of "ranite brou"ht fro As4an@ about (4: iles south of Abydos& As the burial cha ber 4as sun, dee3er into the "round it 4as cut into the natural li estone@ the shaft bein" so eti es built u3 above the livin" roc, 4ith rou"h stone 4allin"& 7here a slo3in" staircase 4as cut do4n fro the surface of the "round to the burial cha ber@ it ca e to be bloc,ed by one to three lar"e slabs of dressed li estone@ let do4n by ro3es in "rooves@ 3ortcullis-4ise@ to 3revent robbers "ettin" in by the stair4ay&

/re?uently on the 4alls of the burial cha ber@ and occasionally on the 4alls of the storeroo s above it@ 4as 3ainted a door4ay in red to i itate 4ood& )here 4ere no other doors@ these false doors bein" intended for the use of the s3irit of the dead ,in"@ 4hose ;house of eternity= Athe ancient 5"y3tian 3hrase for the to bB this lar"e erection 4as& Indeed@ the to b 4as an atte 3t to a,e in bric, as a ore 3er anent aterial a lastin" co3y of the 3alace in 4hich the ,in" lived in life@ and 4hich 4as constructed of ti ber@ 4ith the 4alls decorated 4ith attin" 4oven in elaborate coloured 3atterns@ of 4hich i itations 4ere 3ainted on the ud bric, 4alls of the to b& )he s3irit of the dead ,in" 4as at this ti e thou"ht to re ain on earth@ livin" in his ;house of eternity= a on" his 3eo3le@ continuin" to influence the land for "ood@ as he had done in life&

Koser 6eter,het@ the first !in" of the )hird +ynasty@ built a to b of this old ty3e at Beit !hallaf@ in >33er 5"y3tE but then he built a uch lar"er to b of a ne4 ty3e at #a,,ara@ e 3loyin" a co 3letely ne4 ethod of construction< stone bloc,s cut and fitted to"ether& Indeed@ this ne4 to b is so lar"e and sho4s so uch advance in any details that at first the ind refuses to believe that it is the first stone asonry construction in 5"y3t - or@ for that atter@ in the 4orld& But the ore fa iliar one beco es 4ith the re ains@ the ore clearly one can see that .. .4 ;)*5 %R5#)26IA6 L5C)>R5#= they contain in the selves evidence of the birth-3an"s of stone asonry - of the efforts of a "enius 4restlin" 4ith 3roble after 3roble as it arose fro the use of the ne4 techni?ue&

)here is@ too@ so e indication that it 4as a ne4 reli"ious belief@ attributable to the sa e "enius@ 4hich 4as behind not only the use of the ne4 buildin" aterial@ but the chan"e in for of the su3erstructure and surroundin"s of the royal to b& 6eter,het@ the *orus na e of !in" Koser and the only na e used in his to b@ is 4ritten 4ith t4o si"ns@ a fla" on a 3ole above an ani al=s belly& )he first si"n eans ;"od= or ;divine=@ and the second is usually inter3reted ;body=& 7hatever the exact eanin" of the conHunction of the t4o si"ns@ the na e 6eter-,het indicates that the ,in" 4as loo,ed on as divine& )hus@ 4hen he died@ it 4as reasonable for a an of sufficient i a"ination to thin, of the ,in"=s s3irit as no lon"er hauntin" the to b@ his ;eternal ho e= on earth@ but as "oin" u3 into the s,y@ 4here the I 3erishable #tars@ those that revolve round the %ole #tar in the northern s,y 4ithout ever settin"@ had been - 3robably fro 3rehistoric ti es in 5"y3t - thou"ht of as the i"hty dead& Indeed@ I ho3e that you 4ill be able to see@ fro 4hat follo4s@ that the su3erstructure of 6eter,het=s to b@ the #te3 %yra id of #a,,ara@ the uni?ue and oldest of the 3yra ids@ be"an as a re3resentation of the ,in"=s 3alace and ended u3 as a staircase to heaven&

7hile its enclosure 4all 4as 3lain@ the rectan"ular ud-bric, su3erstructure over a lar"e /irst +ynasty to b 4as 3anelled or recessed@ a33arently in i itation of the a33earance of a ovable house constructed of ti ber 3lan,s fastened to"ether by lashin" and so of necessity overla33in" one another& AA fe4 of these 3lan,s have been found linin" /irst +ynasty "raves at )ar,han@ not far fro #a,,ara&B )he 4all enclosin" the #te3 %yra id and its associated buildin"s 4as nearly six hundred yards lon" fro north to south and Hust over three hundred yards 4ide& )he enclosure 4as thus ten to t4elve ti es as lon" as that of a lar"e /irst +ynasty to b@ and covered one hundred ti es the area& )his enclosure 4all 3reserved the traditional recessed for of the /irst

+ynasty ud-bric, to b su3erstructure Asee s,etchB@ but instead of bein" built of bric, it 4as built of very fine 4hite li estone brou"ht fro the )ura ?uarries on the other side of the 6ile& It 4as@ ho4ever@ built@ accordin" to the 3rinci3les "overnin" bric,4or,@ in re"ular courses of s all cut-stone bloc,s@ each fro seven and three-?uarters to ten inches hi"h& In this 4all@ fourteen double "ates 4ere re3resented as closed and irre"ularly s3aced@ su""estin" that the architect odelled this enclosure on so e actual enclosure in 4hich the "ates served a real 3ur3ose@ 3robably the fa ed ;7hite 7all of $e 3his=@ the 3alace co 3ound built by $enes@ le"endary first ,in" of united 5"y3t& )he hei"ht of this stone enclosure 4all@ t4enty royal cubits or over thirty feet@ 4as ascertained fro its batter& In the u33er half of this 4all 4ere s all rectan"ular recesses re3resentin" the ends of ti ber bea s usually built into the u33er 3art of lar"e ud-bric, 4alls to stren"then the &

In the centre of the vast rectan"le enclosed by this 4all@ a 3it about t4enty-three feet s?uare 4as cut in the roc, to a de3th of ninety-t4o feet@ and at the botto of this 3it a cha ber about 9 ft 9 in in len"th and 1 ft 6 in in 4idth and hei"ht 4as constructed@ entirely of "ranite brou"ht fro As4an& At its northern end a hole 4as cut throu"h t4o of the rafter-li,e slabs s3annin" the roof@ in order to ad it )*5 '565#I# 2/ 2%5RA)I05 $A#26R9 .1 )he #te3 %yra id enclosure at #a,,ara ARe3roduced by 3er ission fro I& 5& #& 5d4ards& )he %yra ids of 5"y3t - after -&-%& Lauer@ La %yra ide 6 +e"r9s@ vol It@ 3late I0B the royal cor3se at the funeral& After the body had been 3laced in the cha ber@ this hole 4as filled by a "ranite 3lu"@ easurin" about six feet hi"h and three feet in dia eter@ and 4ei"hin" about three- and-a-half tons& Access to the cha ber above this "ranite roof 4as by a staircase@ 4hich be"an in an o3en trench on the north side of the 3yra id and descended under"round& )he to b 4as co 3leted by various under"round 3assa"es in 4hich 4ere stored very any a"nificent stone vases and other furniture& 2ne "allery and t4o under"round roo s nearby had their 4alls lined 4ith blue faience tiles& In one of the roo s the tiles re3resented the attin"-covered fa"ade of a 3alace 4ith 4indo4s@ its three du y doors of fine li estone carved 4ith reliefs sho4in" the ,in" in the cro4n of >33er 5"y3t 3erfor in" reli"ious cere onies&

Above the burial 3it at first 4as built a rectan"ular stone 3latfor Aor astabaB (:7 feet s?uare and (6 feet hi"h@ each side facin" one of the cardinal 3oints& It 4as ade of rubble set in clay ortar@ and cased 4ith carefully-dressed 4hite li estone bloc,s& It 4as then extended by about fourteen feet on all four sides and a second facin" of dressed li estone

added& )he hei"ht of this extension 4as t4o feet less than that of the ori"inal 3latfor @ a,in" a ste3@ 4hich 4as 3robably si"nificant in vie4 of subse?uent develo3 ents& Alon" its eastern ed"e 4ere no4 sun, a series of eleven 3its@ each over a hundred feet dee3@ havin" at the botto of each a corridor nearly a hundred feet lon" runnin" 4est under the su3erstructure& )hese corridors 4ere intended as to bs for the various e bers of the royal fa ilyE in so e of the @ alabaster coffins 4ere found& )his ro4 of to bs 4as then incor3orated in the ain to b by a further enlar"e ent of about t4enty-ei"ht feet 4hich 4as added on to the east side of the su3erstructure@ thus renderin" it oblon"& But before the facin" of this second addition had been dressed@ there 4as a co 3lete chan"e in the desi"n&

*itherto the to b had been hidden fro anyone outside the enclosure 4allE only the 4all on the crest of the 4estern desert could have been seen by the inhabitants of $e 3his& But no4 the architect conceived the idea of a "reat ste3-sha3ed buildin"@ a "i"antic ladder as it 4ere@ erected s,y4ards@ as if to facilitate the ascent of the dead ,in"=s soul to a celestial abode& )he 3latfor 4as extended by nine-and-a-half feet on each side@ and it no4 beca e the lo4est sta"e of a 3yra id 4ith four ste3s& 2n the northern side of this 3yra id the construction of a ortuary te 3le 4as be"un@ but before either the 3yra id or the te 3le .6 ;)*5 %R5#)26IA6 L5C)>R5#= had been finished it 4as decided to extend the 3yra id further to the north and 4est@ and to "ive the 3yra id six ste3s& But 4hen this enlar"e ent had reached the fourth ste3@ this 3lan also 4as abandoned@ and the sixth and last extension added a little ore to each side& )he six-ste3 3yra id 4as no4 co 3leted and cased 4ith a final layer of dressed )ura li estone& Its hei"ht 4as no4 (:4 feet@ and its base a33roxi ately 411 feet fro east to 4est and .18 feet fro north to south&

It is interestin" to note that there 4as a chan"e in the siIe of the bloc,s of stone used in the construction of the 3yra id@ lar"er bloc,s bein" used in the last extension& 6o doubt the architect 4as learnin" as the 4or, 3roceeded that thou"h s all bloc,s of stone a33roxi ately the siIe of bric,s are easier to handle@ they ta,e ore ti e to 3re3are and the resultant construction is less stron" than one built of lar"er bloc,s&

Koser=s successor@ #e,he -,het@ 3ossibly e 3loyin" the sa e architect as an old an@ be"an another enclosure 4ith a ste3 3yra id close to the

south-4est corner of Koser=s to b co 3lex& It 4as never co 3leted and is therefore ,no4n to archaeolo"ists as the >nfinished %yra id& %robably the architect died& Its excavation@ be"an in 1911@ has also not been co 3letedE but as far as it has "one it has revealed that the stone bloc,s 4ith 4hich the enclosure 4all 4as built are t4enty inches hi"h@ that is@ double the hei"ht of the lar"est bloc,s used in Koser=s 4all& An econo y 4as also ade in the best li estone facin" itE for the casin" 4as reduced to one course Aabout one footB thic,&

$any stone asonry constructions surrounded Aand ostly still surroundB Koser=s #te3 %yra id 4ithin the "reat enclosure 4all& 7ith the exce3tion of the $ortuary )e 3le and the #erdab@ each built u3 a"ainst the 3yra id on its north side@ none of the other buildin"s has any 3recedent or 3arallel& But it is i 3ortant to note that every buildin" in the enclosure had a reli"ious 3ur3ose@ bein" intended to 3rovide for the ,in"=s needs after death& Bet4een the 3yra id itself and the entrance colonnade at the south-east corner@ 4hich 4ill be described later@ there is a series of du y buildin"s@ all solid@ of rubble covered 4ith cut stone@ intended to 3rovide the settin" necessary for re3eatin" in the ,in"=s after-life his Hubilee cere ony& 5very ,in" of 5"y3t 4as entitled to celebrate his Hubilee after a certain nu ber of years Ausually thirtyB& )his festival derived fro 3rehistory@ 4hen ,in"s rei"ned for a li ited ti e and 4ere then 3ut to death@ in the belief that it 4as essential for the 4elfare of the country that the ,in" should be 3hysically stron"& )he Hubilee cere ony enabled the ,in" to re"ain his vi"our by a"ic@ and so obviated the necessity of re3lacin" hi by a youn"er an& It is 3robable that by re3roducin" in stone the te 3orary booths@ shrines@ etc@ of 4ood and attin"@ in 4hich the cere ony 4as celebrated in life@ the ai 4as to secure i ortality for the ,in" by 3rovidin" for the 3er3etual celebration of his Hubilee in a ne4 and ore 3er anent ediu @ stone&

In the Hubilee festival all cere onies 4ere du3licated@ for@ des3ite the union of >33er and Lo4er 5"y3t@ the ,in" usually 4ore a double cro4n and 4as loo,ed u3on as a dual 3ersonality@ the !in" of >33er 5"y3t and the !in" of Lo4er 5"y3t& )hus the buildin"s 4ithin the #te3 %yra id enclosure a33ear all to have been du3licated for the sa e reason& )here 4as even a to b co 3lete 4ith burial cha ber du3licatin" the to b under the #te3 %yra id itself& )he su3erstructure )*5 '565#I# 2/ 2%5RA)I05 $A#26R9 .7 of this second to b 4as in the for of a lar"e rectan"ular astaba 4ith a curved roof@ runnin" east and 4est@ the "reater 3art of it bein" concealed in the body of the southern stretch of the enclosure 4all& )he substructure of this astaba has any features in

co on 4ith the #te3 %yra id itself& A to b cha ber ade of bloc,s of As4an "ranite 4as built at the botto of a vertical shaft& Its only entrance 4as a hole@ sto33ed 4ith a "ranite 3lu"@ in the flat roof& 5ast of the to b cha ber 4ere "alleries@ in one of 4hich 4ere also three se3arate li estone reliefs of the ,in" 3erfor in" reli"ious cere onies& In a 3arallel "allery Hust 4est of the first one@ the bac,s of three doors 4ere carved in the li estone facin" of the 4all& )he 3osition of these doors@ a33roxi ately behind the reliefs of the ,in"@ su""ests that the 3anels 4ith reliefs 4ere re"arded as false doors throu"h 4hich the ,in" 4as thou"ht of as e er"in"& )he 4alls of several of these "alleries 4ere covered 4ith blue faience tiles@ re3resentin" han"in"s of attin"& )he to b cha ber here@ bein" only five-and-a-?uarter feet s?uare@ is unli,ely to have been used for an actual burial@ and is therefore re"arded as a du3licate to b re?uired for cere onial 3ur3oses@ es3ecially in vie4 of the du3lication of the reliefs sho4in" the ,in" 3erfor in" ritual cere onies&

I ediately on the north side of this a33arently du3licate to b@ and thus corres3ondin" in orientation 4ith the te 3le on the north side of the 3yra id@ there is a rectan"ular asonry buildin"& It is al ost solid exce3t for t4o elon"ated cha bers set at ri"ht an"les to each other@ and its outer 4alls of dressed li estone are decorated at the to3 4ith a frieIe of cobra-heads-the first ,no4n exa 3le of a otif 4hich 4as to beco e very co on& )hese are the 4ell-,no4n e ble s of the cobra "oddess of Buto@ "uardian of the ,in"do of Lo4er 5"y3t@ and it is therefore 3robable that this south astaba co 3lex 4as re"arded as the cere onial to b of Koser as !in" of Lo4er 5"y3t&

I ediately bet4een this ;du3licate to b= and the 3yra id itself 4as a lar"e o3en court in 4hich are t4o solid stone B-sha3ed bases@ and in line 4ith the near the 3yra id an altar& )hese bases 3robably ar,ed the course of the ritual race 4hich the ,in"@ carryin" a flail and acco 3anied by the 3riest of the s3irits of the dead ,in"s of >33er 5"y3t@ had to run as 3art of his Hubilee cere ony& )he ,in" is sho4n runnin" this race in reliefs found both under the #te3 %yra id and in the du3licate to b&

An i 3ortant ele ent in the Hubilee 4as a re-enact ent of the coronation& *ere a 3rocession led by a 3riest entered the cha3els on one side of the Hubilee court@ in 4hich 4ere the "ods of the various districts of >33er 5"y3t& *avin" obtained fro each "od consent to a rene4al of his ,in"shi3@ the ,in" 4as conducted to the southern of t4o thrones@ 3laced

on a dais beneath a cano3y@ in order to be cro4ned 4ith the 4hite cro4n of >33er 5"y3t& A si ilar cere ony 4as then re3eated in the cha3els of the "ods of the districts of Lo4er 5"y3t@ before the ,in" ascended the northern throne to receive the red cro4n of Lo4er 5"y3t& )his clearly 4as the 3ur3ose of an oblon" court on the eastern side of the o3en s3ace for the cere onial race& Alon" both the east and 4est sides of this oblon" court 4as a series of du y cha3els constructed of solid asonry& In front of each cha3el 4as a s all court 3rovided 4ith an i itation o3en door Aalso in solid asonryB& #cul3tured in hi"h relief on the stone 4alls se3aratin" each cha3el .8 ;)*5 %R5#)26IA6 L5C)>R5#= 4ere re3resentations of a 4ooden fence ade of ta3ered u3ri"hts 3iercin" a horiIontal crossbar&

A 3assa"e fro the south-4est corner of the Hubilee court leads to a s aller court@ in 4hich stood a buildin" 4ith an i 3osin" entrance hall@ three inner courts and a "rou3 of side cha bers& %roHectin" fro the iddle of the 4est side of the entrance hall 4ere three ton"ue-4alls@ t4o of 4hich ended in en"a"ed colu ns decorated 4ith vertical flutin"s& Another si ilar en"a"ed colu n 3roHected fro the north 4all@ and in the east 4all is a du y door of stone in a half-o3en 3osition& )he 4hole ay have re3resented the 3avilion in 4hich the ,in" 4as thou"ht of as residin" durin" his Hubilee@ and to 4hich he retired bet4een cere onies in order to chan"e his robes&

'oin" bac, a"ain throu"h the oblon" court bet4een the t4o ro4s of du y shrines@ one 3asses out at the north end bet4een t4o lar"e asses of rou"h asonry fro 4hich the casin" has been stri33ed@ into the area east of the 3yra id 4hich 4as ori"inally do inated by t4o lar"e rectan"ular buildin"s 4ith curved roofs@ each co 3osed of a solid core of asonry overlaid 4ith dressed )ura li estone& )he southern face of each buildin"@ 4hich 4as once nearly forty feet hi"h@ 4as decorated 4ith four en"a"ed colu ns@ 4hich@ to"ether 4ith a broad 3ilaster at each side@ su33orted a cornice follo4in" the curve of the roof& In the ore northern of the t4o buildin"s@ vertical flutin"s 4ere carved on both the en"a"ed colu ns and the 3ilasters& In the southern buildin" the en"a"ed colu ns 4ere si ilarly fluted@ but the 3ilasters 4ere ribbed& )he ca3itals of the en"a"ed colu ns rese ble t4o lar"e 3endant leaves@ 3robably those of the 'iant /ennel@ of 4hich the ste is ribbed 4hen "reen and fluted 4hen dry&

#ituated near the iddle of the southern face of each buildin" 4as the entrance to a narro4 3assa"e 4hich led@ by t4o ri"ht-an"led turns@ to a s all crucifor sanctuary& )he stone ceilin" of the 3assa"e 4as carved to rese ble the lo" rafters 4hich si ilar corridors 4ere roofed in buildin"s co 3osed of 4ood and udbric,&

In front of each of these buildin"s 4as an o3en court@ the southern one uch the lar"er of the t4o& 5ach court 4as surrounded by a 4all@ in the east side of 4hich@ near the corner of the buildin"@ 4as a broad recess& In the northern court in this recess 4ere three en"a"ed colu ns@ each re3resentin" the trian"ular ste of the 3a3yrus 4ith a sin"le flo4er-head at the to3E 4hile in the recess in the southern court there 4as only a sin"le en"a"ed round-ste ed colu n 4hich re3resented a lily& )he lily and the 3a3yrus 4ere the e ble s of >33er and Lo4er 5"y3t res3ectively@ and it is 3robable that the southern buildin" re3resented the 3rehistoric sanctuary of >33er 5"y3t@ and the northern the corres3ondin" sanctuary of Lo4er 5"y3t& )he 3resence of a +-sha3ed altar in the court of the southern buildin" confir s that their function 4as reli"ious&

)he southern sanctuary is near the east side of the 3yra id@ and its northern face is in line 4ith the northern face of the 3yra id&

'oin" round the north-east corner of the 3yra id@ one co es to the serdab already entioned& )his 4as a cha ber co 3letely closed and bac,in" on to the 3yra id@ built throu"hout of dressed )ura li estone@ its front 4all inclinin" in4ards at an an"le of 16 de"rees fro the 3er3endicular to corres3ond 4ith the )*5 '565#I# 2/ 2%5RA)I05 $A#26R9 .9 an"le of the lo4est ste3 of the 3yra id& Inside it 4as a li estone statue of !in" Koser seated& )4o round holes 4ere cut in the front 4all of the serdab o33osite the face of the statue@ to enable the ,in" to loo, out 4ithout har in" onloo,ers by the "lory of his 3resence& It is 3robably si"nificant that the ,in" is loo,in" to4ards the north& )he serdab is flan,ed on either side by a 4all@ a"ainst the north end of 4hich on the inside is scul3tured in stone the re3resentation of one half of a double door 4ide o3enO -ust 4est of the serdab@ and also abuttin" on the north side of the 3yra id@ is the outer 4all of the ortuary te 3le& #ix feet of this 4all still stand today& In it is the entrance to the te 3le@ 4ith a sin"le Adu yB door scul3tured in stone as if o3en@ 4ith a baffle 3assa"e behind it& Little re ains of the interior of the te 3le@ but there 4ere any other si ilar i itation o3en doors in stone@ and the bases of fluted en"a"ed

colu ns belon" to the fa"ade of t4o interior and sy etrical courts& /ro one of these courts a staircase descends to the 3assa"e under the 3yra id& )o the 4est 4ere t4o roo s@ each 4ith a stone bath in its floor@ and on the south side of the te 3le 4as a sanctuary 4ith t4o reccsses sun, into the face of the 3yra id itself& )he du3lication of the chief features Acourts@ ablution roo s and recesses in the sanctuaryB indicates that the te 3le 4as intended for the celebration of a ritual 4hich had to be re3eated for the ,in"@ once as ruler of >33er 5"y3t and a"ain as ruler of Lo4er 5"y3t&

7e have yet to consider the actual entrance Ainto the "reat co 3ound surroundin" the 3yra idB& )his 4as situated about thirty yards fro the south-east corner of the enclosure 4all@ and consisted of a narro4 3assa"e runnin" throu"h the fourth bastion& )he 3assa"e@ ori"inally roofed 4ith stone slabs carved on the underside to re3resent 4ooden lo"s@ ends in a s all hall@ on the ri"ht side of 4hich can be seen the hin"e of one half of an o3en du y door carved in stone& )hen follo4s another 3assa"e@ sli"htly 4ider than the first@ 4hich ends in another du y o3en door@ this ti e a sin"le door& Beyond this is a a"nificent 4alled colonnade consistin" of a lon" narro4 3assa"e runnin" 4est4ards bet4een a series of alcoves for ed by ton"ue 4alls@ of 4hich there 4ere forty in all@ t4enty on each side& )hese ton"ue 4alls ter inated in en"a"ed ribbed colu ns@ about t4enty feet hi"h& 6o trace of statues has been found@ but it is 3robable that these alcoves 4ere intended for double statues of the ,in"@ each 4ith one of the "ods of the forty-t4o no es or districts of 5"y3t@ those on the south side re3resentin" hi as !in" of >33er 5"y3t and those on the north side as !in" of Lo4er 5"y3t& A#uch double statues are ,no4n fro the next dynasty&B )his colonnade 4as covered 4ith a heavy roof ade of stone slabs 3laced on ed"e and carved round on the lo4er ed"e to re3resent trun,s of 3al trees& #lits cut at an obli?ue an"le in the side 4alls near the roof ad itted li"ht to each alcove& Across the 4est end of the colonnade ran a s all rectan"ular hall 4ith a flat roof@ borne by ei"ht ribbed colu ns Hoined in 3airs by asonry 4allin"&

)he exit fro this s all 3illared hall 4as on its 4est side by a narro4 3assa"e@ at the end of 4hich is an unusually detailed half-o3en du y door@ on 4hich can be seen the ends of the crossbars to 4hich the 4ooden 3anels 4ere nailed@ all details carefully re3resented in stone& %assin" throu"h@ one enters the lar"e o3en court@ bounded on the south side by the 3anelled enclosure 4all and on the north by the 4: ;)*5 %R5#)26IA6 L5C)>R5#= 3yra id itself& #trai"ht in front on the 4est

side of this o3en court is a 4all decorated 4ith recessed 3anellin"@ 4hich is the outer 4all of the first of t4o 3arallel structures of solid asonry 4hich cover nearly the 4hole of the 4estern side of the 3yra id co 3lex& )he second structure@ 4hich 4as hi"her than the first@ had a curved roof rese blin" the roof of the south astaba@ and it ay therefore be the su3erstructure of a ro4 of to bs belon"in" to the ,in"=s retinue@ but here the roc, is dan"erous and it has not been excavated& Beyond the t4o structures 4as the thic, enclosure 4all itself&

7e have no4 considered the ain features of the co 3lex of buildin"s surroundin" the #te3 %yra id& It is indeed one of the ost re ar,able feats of architecture ever 3roduced by the ancient 5"y3tians& 6o other 3yra id 4as surrounded by such an array of buildin"s to su33ly the ,in" 4ith his needs in the after-life& In their 3lace@ subse?uent 3haraohs 4ere content 4ith 3ictorial re3resentations 3ainted or carved in reliefE no court 4ith buildin"s s3ecially desi"ned for the Hubilee cere ony 4as ever ade a"ain&

+oubts are naturally ex3ressed fro ti e to ti e as to 4hether such a hi"h de"ree of architectural 3erfection could have been achieved 4ithout havin" been 3receded by lon" develo3 ent@ but for so e centuries before this the 5"y3tians had been a,in" beautiful stone vases fro the hardest of stones@ 4hich sho4 that the stone-4or,er had obtained co 3lete control over his aterial@ both in cuttin"@ drillin"@ sha3in" and 3olishin" it& )here is@ ho4ever@ no evidence that stone had been e 3loyed in any earlier buildin"@ exce3t for the construction of isolated 3arts@ and then seldo @ if ever@ carefully cut stone& 2ver and over a"ain in the #te3 %yra id@ features occur 4hich sho4 that its builders lac,ed ex3erience in the use of stone for buildin"& # all bloc,s 4hich could easily be handled 4ere used instead of the assive bloc,s found in later buildin"s& Clar,e and 5n"elbach AAncient 5"y3tian $asonry@ 19.:B@ 3oint out that the asonry of the #te3 %yra id is inferior to the better exa 3les of later ti es in that the fineness of the Hoints bet4een t4o adHacent bloc,s@ 4hich a33ears "ood 4hen vie4ed in front@ only extends in4ards for at ost a cou3le of inchesE after4ards the Hoints beco e 4ide and irre"ular@ and are filled in 4ith thic, 4hite "y3su ortar&

In the #te3 %yra id@ fineness of Hointin" at the face of the 4alls 4as only obtained at the ex3ense of solidity& $ore 3atches are noticeable at the Hoints in the #te3 %yra id than ever after4ards& )he architect 4as also

clearly 3uIIled as to ho4 to re3resent in i ovable stone the doors 4hich@ in 4ood@ naturally s4un" on their hin"es& )hat is 4hy in the #te3 %yra id the doors are ade in stone in one of three 3ositions< o3en@ shut or half-o3en& Later@ 4hen the stone architecture develo3ed its o4n rules@ the door itself 4as of 4ood covered 4ith co33er 3lates and had co33er hin"es& )he uni?ue character of any of the buildin"s@ of 4hich the for @ line and 3ro3ortions 4ere those suitable for the bric,@ 4ooden or reed constructions of the ti e@ sho4s ho4 they 4ere ada3ted ?uite naturally by the architect 4hen faced 4ith the need for innovation in creatin" this@ the first "reat construction in cut stone&

It is the siIe@ co 3lexity and beauty of the co 3lete 4or, that a,e it see incredible that it is the first edifice in cut stone@ es3ecially 4hen one re e bers that the architect had little but an3o4er and the co33er chisel at his dis3osal&

)*5 '565#I# 2/ 2%5RA)I05 $A#26R9 41 )he ex3lanation is that he had "enius as 4ell& I hote3@ !in" Koser=s architect@ ust have had a brain of the sa e ty3e as that of Leonardo da 0inci& *e ust have been an inventor and or"aniser of uni?ue brilliance@ ca3able of ins3irin" both his aster@ the ,in"@ and all 4ho 4or,ed under hi @ of teachin" crafts en@ and of controllin" the hu"e labour force re?uired for this 4or,&

It is to $anetho@ an 5"y3tian 3riest of *elio3olis@ 4ho 4rote in 'ree, a history of 5"y3t in the third century BC for the ne4 $acedonian rulers of the country@ that 4e o4e the bare state ent that I hote3 invented the art of buildin" in he4n stone& *is association 4ith the #te3 %yra id is su33orted by the occurrence of his na e on 3art of the base of a fine li estone statue of !in" Koser found Hust outside the ain entrance to the #te3 %yra id@ 4ith an inco 3lete inscri3tion 4hich su""ests that I hote3 dedicated the statue to the ,in"& )his statue@ Hud"in" fro the fra" ents 4hich survive@ re3resented Koser as !in" of Lo4er 5"y3t@ and ust have been one of a 3air of statues@ the other re3resentin" hi as !in" of >33er 5"y3t& )he fra" entary inscri3tion on the front of the base@ besides "ivin" the na es of the ,in" and of I hote3@ "ives 3art of I hote3=s titles@ 4hich ay be translated ;the )reasurer of the !in" of Lo4er 5"y3t@ 6ext after the !in"@ #te4ard of the %haraoh@ %rince@ Chief AAstrono icalB 2bserver=@ and t4o si"ns@ a car3enter=s axe and a 3air of har3oons@ 4hich 3robably stand for ;car3enter= and ;scul3tor=@1 and su""est so ethin" li,e the old 3riestly title@ ;Chief of the $aster Crafts en=@ 4hich 4as the title of the

hi"h 3riest of %tah at $e 3his@ as ;Chief of the 2bservers= 4as the title of the hi"h 3riest of 2n Alater *elio3olis@ the seat of the cult of RaB& I hote3=s a33arently co bined res3onsibility for all astrono ical rec,onin"s and crafts anshi3 is si"nificant@ for his aster3iece@ the #te3 %yra id@ is orientated on the north@ and its successor@ the 'reat %yra id of 'iIa@ is the ost carefully orientated of all 5"y3tian buildin"s&

7e ,no4 that for the construction of te 3les in later ti es the actual site 4as astrono ically fixed the ni"ht before the foundation cere ony by orientatin" the short axis of the te 3le fro north to south bet4een the 'reat Bear and 2rion& At the be"innin" of the cere ony the site 4as ar,ed out by the ,in"@ 4ho@ 4ith a allet@ drove in a sta,e at each of the four corners and then hi self ade four ud-bric,s& )he cere ony ended by the ,in" layin" one of these bric,s at each corner of the te 3le& /oundation de3osits@ includin" odel tools@ 4ere 3laced at these corners& ( %rofessor Cerny says that this cere ony 4as very old and 4as desi"ned for buildin"s ade of 4ood or bric,s@ and is therefore 3robably earlier than the introduction of buildin" in stone&

6o foundation de3osits have yet been found at the #te3 %yra id site@ but@ at $eydu @ %etrie found t4o foundation de3osits . that had been under the te 3le attached to the 3yra id& )his 4as be"un at the end of the )hird +ynasty@ 3erha3s as a ste3 3yra id@ and chan"ed into a true 3yra id by #eneferu@ the first ,in" of the /ourth +ynasty and father of the builder of the 'reat %yra id at 'iIa&

By (::: BC odel etal tools 4ere bein" included 4ith full-siIed 3ots in the foundation de3osits of the te 3le of the 3yra id of #enusret II at Illahun@ Bt C& /irth@ ;%reli inary Re3ort on the 5xcavations at #a??ara A19(1:=@ Annales de #ervice@ 0ol (6@ 19(6@ 33 97-1:1& itisco be 'unn@ ;Inscri3tions fro the #te3 %yra id #ite=@ o3& cit&@ 33 171-(:(&

-& Cerny@ Ancient 5"y3tian Reli"ion@ 191(@ 3 114 f&

. 7& $& /linders@ $eydu

and $e 3his 111@ 191:@ 3 ( and 3l JJ0&

4( ;)*5 %R5#)26IA6 L5C)>R5#= althou"h for so e reason the four sets of de3osits@ instead of bein" 3ut under the corners of the buildin"@ 4ere all 3ut to"ether@ in a cavity roofed 4ith stone bloc,s@ at the centre of the buildin"& By the 6e4 !in"do A118:-1:81 BCB it 4as the re"ular custo to 3lace de3osits consistin" of stone vases Aso e unfinishedB@ odel 3ots and tools@ and s3eci ens of the aterials used in the buildin"@ under each of the four corners& $any of these obHects had the na e of the rei"nin" 3haraoh in hiero"ly3hs inscribed on the &= )hus our 3resent custo of 3lacin" coins of the real @ etc@ under the corner of a ne4 buildin" is li,ely to be a continuation of the 5"y3tian custo of over .@4:: years a"o@ and unli,ely to be connected 4ith a 3ri itive hu an sacrifice@ as Bro #3eth su""ests& ( )he foundation stones of #ennacherib and Ashurbani3al of Assyria@ 4hich 4ere 3robably inscribed bric,s 3laced under the 4alls of the 3alaces they built@ 4ere the oldest foundation de3osits ,no4n to Bro #3eth@ but they only date fro the seventh century BC@ and they are later than all the 5"y3tian exa 3les I have entioned& Indeed@ the introduction of this custo into $eso3ota ia 4as no doubt 3art of the s3read of 5"y3tian culture into %alestine and the 6ear 5ast& )his culture 4as influencin" Byblos in #yria by the /irst +ynastyE and in the t4o illennia that follo4ed@ %alestine and #yria 4ere do inated by 5"y3t@ often 3olitically as 4ell as culturally& )his a33lied in the s3here of architecture as 4ell as in other s3heres& !in" #olo on=s date is about 1::: BC@ and his te 3le can have been no exce3tion to this 5"y3tian influence&

About a century before !in" #olo on=s day@ durin" the )4entieth +ynasty in 5"y3t A1(::-1:81 BCB@ 4e ,no4 so ethin" about the life and or"anisation of the stone-cutters and asons e 3loyed on the construction of royal to bs in the 0alley of the !in"s at )hebes@ fro the excavation of their villa"e at +eir el $edina& )hese 4or, en 4ere or"anised in "an"s& 5ach "an" 4as divided into the ri"ht side and the left side& 5ach side 4as under a fore an@ ;the head one of the "an"=@ and each fore an had a de3uty to hel3 hi & )he siIe of the "an" varied@ usually nu berin" about sixty& )he division into ri"ht and left sides 4as not bnly ad inistrative@ but a33lied also to their 4or,@ the ri"ht side a33arently 4or,in" on the ri"ht side of the to b& A scribe or secretary ,e3t a diary of the 4or,@ hel3ed to su3ervise it@ and for4arded re"ular 3ro"ress re3orts to the viIier@ the hi"hest official under the ,in"@ a ran, held by I hote3 lon" before& As the to b 4or,in" 3enetrated the hill@ la 3s A3ottery= bo4ls filled 4ith ve"etable oilB beca e necessary@ and the issue of 4ic,s fro the royal store to either side of the "an" 4as recorded by the scribe&

)he 4or,in" day see s to have been divided into t4o e?ual 3eriods for labour@ 4ith an interval for refresh ent& +o 4e not hear an echo of this 4hen our lod"es are called off and onP )he 4or, en 4ere 3aid onthly by issues of 4heat@ barley@ etc@ fro the royal "ranaries& )his is interestin"@ for in the Bible AII Chronicles@ (B 4e read ho4 !in" #olo on "ave 4heat@ barley@ 4ine and oil to the he4ers of ti ber fro Lebanon for his te 3le@ and@ in the ex3lanation of the )racin" Board t '& 7& #3eth@=Builders=Rites and Cere onies< the /ol, Lore of $asonry=@ CuatuorCoronati %a 3hlet 6o 1@ 1947@ 33 1 end 11&

)he erection of the 5"y3tian te 3le at #esibi@ in the #udan@ has been dated to 4ithin four years because the na e of the 3haraoh in the foundation de3osits is A enhote3 AI0B@ and 4e ,no4 that he chan"ed his na e to A,hnaton in the fourth year of his rei"n&

)*5 '565#I# 2/ 2%5RA)I05 $A#26R9 4. in our #econd +e"ree cere ony@ it is said that at the buildin" of !#) the 5As received a 4ee,ly allo4ance of corn@ 4ine and oil&

6ear the villa"e 4ere s all sanctuaries of the deities s3ecially revered by the 4or, en@ and it ay be si"nificant that the lar"est and finest sanctuary 4as that of *athor@ the "oddess of the ni"ht s,y in the Archaic 3eriod& #o e of the 4or, en the selves acted as the 3riests of these sanctuaries& %rofessor Cerny@ 4ho too, 3art in the excavations and "ave e this infor ation@ co ents that this s all co unity of royal 4or, en enHoyed a de"ree of self-"overn ent in reli"ious as 4ell as civil atters 4hich is re ar,able@ for 5"y3t at that ti e 4as under the control of an elaborate bureaucracy and a 3o4erful 3riestly class&

)he or"anisation of stone asons into "an"s in !in" #olo on=s ti e see s to find an echo in our o4n cere onies 4hen@ on a 3articular occasion 4hich 4ill be fa iliar to you@ fifteen trusty /Cs for ed the selves into three lod"es or classes 4hen ordered by !# to search for &&& *A& )here is evidence that "an" or"anisation of asons 4ent bac, in 5"y3t to the /ourth +ynasty@ and 3robably to I hote3 and the buildin" of the #te3 %yra id itself@ for his 4or, en ust have been 4ell or"anised@ or such a ;stately and su3erb edifice= could never have been co 3leted&

At a certain 3oint@ 4hich 4ill a"ain be fa iliar to you@ our ritual also re inds us of the "rievous conse?uences of the loss of the 3rinci3al architect@ 4hich could not fail to be "enerally and severely felt@ and you 4ill recall that the 4ant of those 3lans and desi"ns 4hich had hitherto been re"ularly su33lied to the different classes of 4or, en 4as the first indication that so e heavy cala ity had befallen our $& /ro the 3yra id at $eydu @ 3robably be"un as a ste3 3yra id at the end of the )hird +ynasty@ co e the na es of several "an"s found on casin" bloc,s< ;#te3 %yra id "an"=@ ;Boat "an"=@ ;0i"orous "an"=@ ;#ce3tre "an"=@ =5ndurin" "an"=@ ;6orth "an"= and ;#outh "an"=& And at the 'reat %yra id of 'iIa built by !in" !hufu ACheo3sB@ the successor of #eneferu 4ho finished the $eydu 3yra id@ 4as found a bloc, of li estone on 4hich is 4ritten< ;)he Crafts en "an"=& *o4 3o4erful is the 4hite cro4n of !hnu !hufu AI& 5& #& 5d4ards@ )he %yra ids of Ancient 5"y3t@ 1961B& *ere the ,in"=s full na e eans that he is under the 3rotection of !hnu @ the creator "od fro As4an@ incidentally the source of "ranite uch used in his 3yra id& 5"y3tolo"ists have not ex3lained 4hy the na es of "an"s 4ere 3laced on stones& +oes the last inscri3tion su""est a lod"e or class of o3erative asons 4ho@ 4ith instruction in their craft@ "ave their a33rentices esoteric teachin" tooP %arallels 4ith our 4or,in" tools are re ar,able& I have already entioned the co33er chisel& I do not ,no4 of any asons=s tools 4hich actually co e fro the #te3 %yra id@ but all the 4or,in" tools of the /irst and #econd +e"rees ust have been used by I hote3=s asons& If 4e ta,e the cubit rod as e?uivalent to the (4-inch "au"e@ "avels of 4ood for stri,in" the chisel and auls of stone for dressin" the stone 4ere in use then@ and so no doubt 4ere the s?uare@ level and 3lu b rule& 5xa 3les of asons= tools 4hich survive fro the )hird +ynasty@ and ust be al ost@ if not ?uite@ conte 3orary 4ith the #te3 %yra id@ are 3lu b bobs of li estone@ "avels of 4ood and chisels of co33er& A odel 4ooden s?uare and 3lu et 4ere found in a ason=s "rave at #ed ent@ datin" fro about ((:: BC& )he earliest survivin" level of 4hich I a a4are dates fro about 1(1: BC 44 Aabout the ti e of the 5xodusB& Lon" before that 4e ,no4 that the 5"y3tians ade use of the 3ro3erty of 4ater to aintain its o4n level@ a sli"ht error in the level of the base of the 'reat %yra id bein" attributable to the 3revalence of the north 4ind&

/ro early ti es@ scribes used to 3our a libation to I hote3 fro the little vase of 4ater 4ith 4hich they 3re3ared their coloured in,s before 4ritin"& A nu ber of statuettes of I hote3 as a de i-"od date fro 1::: to 1:: BC@ and it 4as 3robably about 1:: sc@ durin" the %ersian occu3ation of 5"y3t@ that I hote3 4as raised to the status of a full "od@ as third e ber of the trinity of $e 3his@ 4here he 4as ,no4n by such titles as ;'reat

2ne= or ;#on of %tah@ 4ho "ives life to all en=& )4o centuries later@ 4hen the %tole ies ruled 5"y3t@ he had beco e the chief "od 4orshi33ed at $e 3his@ and under the 'ree, for of his na e@ I outhes@ he 4as e?uated 4ith the 'ree, "od of edicine@ As,le3ios& *is botanical s,ill@ sho4n by his accurate re3resentations of 3lant for s in his colu ns@ 4hich co3y the 3a3yrus@ lily and 'iant /ennel@ 3robably led hi to study the 3ro3erties of 3lants and so to found the science of edicine&

*is final deification is not unconnected 4ith the "reat 3art he 3layed as hi"h 3riest in the s3iritualisation of the reli"ion of ancient 5"y3t& )his 4e have seen reflected in his alteration of the su3erstructure of the royal to b@ 4hat had been the ,in"=s ;house of eternity= on earth bein" chan"ed into a ;3lace of ascent= to the s,y@ 4here the ,in"=s s3irit 4as to Hoin the i ortals@ the ;I 3erishable #tars=@ revolvin" round the %ole #tar& )his ex3lains the northern orientation of the #te3 %yra id@ 4ith its ortuary te 3le on the north side@ and the chief royal statue in the serdab or ;statue house= facin" the %ole #tar@ at the north-east corner of the 3yra id& Incidentally@ this ay 3ossibly ex3lain 4hy@ as it is stated at the be"innin" of the Char"e in our /irst +e"ree cere ony@ ;it is custo ary at the erection of all stately and su3erb edifices=- 4hat an a3t descri3tion of the #te3 %yra idO - =to lay the first or foundation stone at the 6&5& corner of the buildin"=& /or the ,in"@ 4ho in foundation cere onies had to lay a bric, at each corner@ ay 4ell have chosen to lay the first one at the corner at 4hich his o4n re3resentation in stone 4as to stand in his ;statue house=&

7e ,no4 that in the next A/ourthB +ynasty there 4as a chan"e in the state reli"ion@ the 4orshi3 of Ra the sun "od beco in" 3redo inant& )he ,in" 4as no4 "iven the title ;#on of Ra= durin" life@ for he 4as re"arded as the re3resentative of Ra on earth@ and thou"ht of at death as reHoinin" Ra in the boat in 4hich he crossed the s,y every day& )he su3erstructure of the royal to b no4 beca e a true 3yra id@ 3robably reflectin" the an"le at 4hich the sun=s rays ay often be seen descendin" fro the clouds in the afternoon s,y in 5"y3t& Corres3ondin" 4ith the chan"e fro stellar to solar reli"ion@ the 3yra id te 3le 4as oved fro the north side to the east side of the 3yra id@ the eastern horiIon no4 beco in" i 3ortant as that on 4hich the sun rises to o3en and enliven the day&

)he 3riests of Ra fro 2n A*elio3olisB seiIed 3olitical 3o4er and re3laced the /ourth +ynasty& +urin" their dynasty Athe /ifthB the 4alls of the royal

burial cha ber under the 3yra id be"an to be covered 4ith a"ic texts& )hese texts@ 4hich consist of s3ells@ so e of 4hich ust have been 3reserved fro 3rehiRtoric ti es in the colle"e of the 3riests of 2n@ not only refer to the 3yra id as a ;3lace of ;)*5 %R5#)26IA6 L5C)>R5#= )*5 '565#I# 2/ 2%5RA)I05 $A#26R9 41 ascent to the s,y=@ but reflect in a confused 4ay all three beliefs as to the after-life of the ,in"< terrestrial@ stellar and solar& A-& *& Breasted@ +evelo3 ent of Reli"ion and )hou"ht in Ancient 5"y3t@ 191(B&

I hote3=s title@ ;Chief of 2bservers=@ sho4s that he 4as head of the colle"e of 3riests at 2n& *is other title su""ests ;Chief of the $aster Crafts en=@ the title of the head of the colle"e of 3riests of the "od %tah at $e 3his< and this is to so e extent confir ed by the fact that 4hen he 4as deified centuries later he 4as called the #on of %tah& *e 4as a 3riest as 4ell as an architect and a builder< and it 4as his reli"ious belief 4hich led hi to use his creative and i a"inative "enius to beco e the /ather of 23erative $asonry& )he 3ur3ose of the stately and su3erb edifice 4hich he built at #a,,ara 4as entirely reli"ious@ to 3rovide a heavenly as o33osed to an earthly after-life for the %haraoh< and to achieve this end he invented@ or at least develo3ed into a ne4 for of architecture@ the use of cut stone@ 4hich before his day had only been used incidentally for the floorin" or door4ays of ud-bric, buildin"s& *is 3yra id and its associated te 3le and shrines set a 3attern for all te 3les built in Ancient 5"y3t durin" the three thousand years that follo4ed& And it is "enerally acce3ted that o3erative asonry all over the 6ear 5ast@ includin" %alestine@ evinces evidence of an 5"y3tian ori"in&

)hus@ 4hile there can@ of course@ be no su""estion that I hote3=s beliefs in any 4ay influenced the evolution of the cere onies in s3eculative asonry as 4e ,no4 the @ he did undoubtedly influence the ideas behind the construction of !in" #olo on=s )e 3le& In so far@ therefore@ as #olo on and his te 3le are i bedded in asonic tradition@ it can be said@ if only obli?uely@ that I hote3 and his 3yra id are i bedded in asonic tradition also& )hus@ brethren@ should 4e not be "rateful for this li"ht shed by archaeolo"y on our 3ast@ revealin" as it does ho4@ throu"h his 3riestly 3osition as ediator bet4een 'od and an@ I hote3 beca e the /ather of 23erative $asonry@ bein" assisted in all his underta,in"s by the 'reat Architect of the >niverseP BR5)*R56 7*2 $A+5 $A#26IC *I#)2R9 )*5 %R5#)26IA6 L5C)>R5 /2R 1961 5+7AR+ 657)26 205R A %5RI2+ of so e (1: years any distin"uished na es have been recorded in the annals of free asonry& #o e ,no4n to the outside 4orld@ so e only in the craft - Anderson@ +esa"uliers@

+unc,erley@ +er ott@ Leslie@ %reston@ *ar3er@ Crucefix@ and a host of others& It is i 3ossible to say 4hich of the had the "reatest influence@ not only in their day@ but on the future of the craft& /or the 3ur3ose of this lecture on so e of the brethren 4ho ade history I have chosen Anderson@ +esa"uliers@ +unc,erley@ and *e in"& 6ot all 4ill a"ree 4ith y choice but the careers of these en have al4ays had a fascination for e and such ust be y excuse for their selection&

-A$5# A6+5R#26@ ++ A1679-17.9B )he story of the for ation of the first 'rand Lod"e of /ree and Acce3ted $asons has been told innu erable ti es& )he earliest and only official accounts are those found in the first and second editions of )he Constitutions of /ree asons@ co 3iled by -a es Anderson and 3ublished by the order of the 'rand Lod"e of 5n"land& )he edition of 17(. contains only a 3assin" reference to the event& )he edition of 17.8 is the one 4hich su33lies the earliest su ary of ha33enin"s fro 1716&

-a es Anderson 4as born at Aberdeen in 1679& *e "raduated fro $arischal Colle"e and after4ards received the de"ree of +octor of +ivinity& About 17:8 he arrived in London 4here he "athered to"ether a nu ber of his %resbyterian country en and beca e their inister& 2n 11 /ebruary 17:9@ he 4as assi"ned the lease of a house in 'lasshouse #treet@ his first 3reachin" 3lace& In 171: he re oved to the #cottish %rotestant Church in #4allo4 #treet@ #t -a es=& )here he had a nu erous con"re"ation and beca e 3o3ularly ,no4n as ;Bisho3 Anderson=& In 17.4 he left #4allo4 #treet and oved to Lisle #treet@ Leicester /ields&

A on" his 3ublished ser ons is one 3reached on .: -anuary 1711@ the anniversary of the execution of Charles I@ entitled ;6o !in" !illers=@ and 4as chiefly intended to beat do4n current isre3resentation of the 3osition of the %resbyterians durin" the civil 4ar& )he 3ublication is dedicated to the Rev +aniel 7illia s@ one of the ost e inent divines of the ti e@ by 4ho Anderson had been ordained to the inistry&

A3art fro the Constitutions his chief literary 4or, 4as entitled Royal 'enealo"ies@ or the 'enealo"ical )ables of 5 3erors@ !in"s and %rinces@ fro Ada to these ti es@ 3ublished in 17.(& )he folio 4as dedicated to

/rederic, Le4is@ %rince of 7ales& It 4as the first 4or, of its ,ind on so lar"e a scale 46 BR5)*R56 7*2 $A+5 $A#26IC *I#)2R9 47 3ublished in the 5n"lish lan"ua"e& A catalo"ue of his non- asonic 4ritin"s 4as co 3iled by 7& -& Chet4ode Cra4ley and 3ublished in ACC@ vol J0II@ 19:1& 7hen or 4here Anderson 4as initiated into free asonry is not ,no4n@ but the earliest records of lod"es A'rand Lod"e $inute Boo,@ 17(.-.1B sho4s that in 17(. he 4as a e ber of a lod"e 4hich et at the *orn )avern@ one of the four old lod"es 4hich founded the 'rand Lod"e@ and 4hich no4 4or,s as the Royal #o erset *ouse and Inverness Lod"e@ 6o 4& In 17(1 he is recorded as a e ber of )he /rench Lod"e 4hich et at #olo on=s )e 3le@ *e in"s Ro4& A)his lod"e is not sho4n on the 17(9 List of Lod"es or in subse?uent lists&B *e attended the eetin" of 'rand Lod"e on (4 -une 17(.@ as -unior 'rand 7arden@ but there is not other record of his attendance until (8 Au"ust 17.:@ 4hen he acted as #enior 'rand 7arden 3ro te 3ore&

)he circu stances 4hich led to the co 3ilation of the first t4o editions of the Boo, of Constitutions are as follo4s& At the Annual Asse bly of 'rand Lod"e on (4 -une 1718& Brother 'eor"e %ayne 4as elected and Installed as 'rand $aster& *e thereu3on ;desired any brethren to brin" to the 'rand Lod"e any old 7ritin"s and Records concernin" $asons and $asonry in order to sho4 the >sa"es of ancient )i es< and this 9ear several old co3ies of the 'othic Constitutions 4ere di"ested and collated&= ABoC 17.8@ 3 11:B&

+urin" his second ter as 'rand $aster@ 17(:@ %ayne co 3iled a list of 'eneral Re"ulations fro the collection of 4ritin"s@ 4hich doubtless included several extracts fro the 2ld Char"es& )hese 4ere a33roved by 'rand Lod"e at the 'rand /east held on #t -ohn the Ba3tist=s +ay@ 17(1&

At a eetin" of 'rand Lod"e on (9 #e3te ber 17(1@ the +u,e of $onta"u@ 'rand $aster@ ;findin" fault 4ith all the old 'othic Constitutions@ order=d Brother -a es Anderson A$@ to di"est the sa e in a ne4 and better $ethod=& ABoC 17.8@ 3 11.B& Anderson be"an this tas, i ediately and on (7 +ece ber of that year the 'rand $aster a33ointed a Co ittee of 14 learned brethren to exa ine Brother Anderson=s anuscri3t& )his Co ittee re3orted to 'rand Lod"e on (1 $arch 17((@ that they had 3erused the anuscri3t and after so e a end ents had a33roved of it@ u3on 4hich the 'rand Lod"e ordered it to be 3rinted& )he 3rinted 4or, 4as 3roduced at the eetin" on 17 -anuary 17(.@ and

a33roved&

)he inutes of the eetin" of 'rand Lod"e held on (4 /ebruary 17.1@ record ;Brother -a es Anderson re3orted that 4hereas the /irst 5dition of the 'eneral Constitutions of $asonry co 3iled by hi self 4as all sold off@ and a #econd 5dition very uch 4antedE and that he had s3ent so e )hou"hts u3on #o e Alterations and Additions that i"ht fittly be ade to the sa e 4hich 4as no4 ready to lay before the 'rand Lod"e for their a33robation if they 4ere 3leased to receive the =& It 4as then resolved ;)hat a Co ittee be a33ointed consistin" of the 3resent@ and for er 'rand 2fficers and such other $aster $asons as they thin, 3ro3er to call on to revise and co 3are the sa e@ and 4hen finished they i"ht lay the sa e before the 'rand Lod"e ensuin" for their a33robations=& Anderson re3orted to 'rand Lod"e on (1 -anuary 17.8@ that the ne4 edition 4as ready for the 3ress and re?uested a33roval for the 3rintin"@ 4hich 4as "ranted&

*is last recorded attendance at 'rand Lod"e 4as on 6 A3ril 17.8@ 4hen he acted as -unior 'rand 7arden& *e died on (8 $ay 17.9&

48 ;)*5 %R5#)26IA6 L5C)>R5#= -a es Anderson=s *istory of /ree-$asonry 3rior to 1716@ contained in his ;Constitution= has been severely criticised by asonic scholars& In his defence it can be said he 4as a 3ioneer in the field and had little to "uide hi & )here is no doubt that he "ave rather free rein to his i a"ination 4hen studyin" the ;2ld 7ritin"s= collected by %ayne@ but his chronicle of events fro 1716 to the co ence ent of the first official inutes@ 17(.@ has stood unchallen"ed and has been ?uoted any ti es as an authentic history of the 'rand Lod"e of 5n"land&

/ree asons o4e hi a dee3 debt of "ratitude for 4ithout his account 4e should have no ,no4led"e of the occurrences 4hich led to the establish ent of the 'rand Lod"e fro 4hich all re"ular free asonry has s3run"&

-2*6 )*52%*IL># +5#A'>LI5R#@ /R#@ LL+ A168.-1744B )his 4orthy brother 4as closely associated 4ith +r Anderson in the

co 3ilation of the Boo, of Constitutions& *e has been credited 4ith the authorshi3 of ;)he Char"es of a /ree-$ason=@ 4hich a33eared in the 17(. edition and 4hich have re ained substantially the sa e since that ti e&

-ohn )heo3hilus +esa"uliers 4as the son of a /rench %rotestant inister and 4as born at La Rochelle on 1( $arch 168.& )hese /rench %rotestants 4ere descendants of the *u"uenots of the sixteenth century@ 4ho after any years of reli"ous 3ersecution had been "ranted a easure of toleration by *enry I0 under the 5dict of 6antes of 1198& )he so e4hat stor y 3eriod of toleration ended 4hen Louis JI0@ an ardent Catholic@ decided in 1681 on the forcible conversion of all his subHects to Ro e@ to 4hich end he revo,ed the 5dict 3ro ul"ated by his "randfather& )he results of the Revocation 4ere that /rench %rotestants lost all le"al status and beca e 3ractically outla4sE their 3ro3erty 4as confiscated@ and all 3ersonal ri"hts forfeited& )he %rotestant cler"y 4ere ordered to leave /rance 4ithin 14 days under the 3enalty of death& )heir churches 4ere destroyed and laid in ruins& It 4as forbidden to ta,e children out of the country and it 4as ordered that these 4ere to be educated in the Ro an Catholic faith&

-ohn )heo3hilus 4as about t4o years of a"e at the ti e of the Revocation@ 4hen his father esca3ed 4ith hi to 'uernsey& 6ine years after4ards they settled in 5n"land& )he lad 4as educated by his father until the a"e of 16 years and then at #utton Coldfield@ 7ar4ic,shire& *e atriculated at Christ Church@ 2xford@ 4here he obtained the de"ree of BA in 17:9@ and on 7 -une 171:@ received +eacon=s 2rders fro the Bisho3 of London& In the sa e year he 4as installed Lecturer in 5x3eri ental %hiloso3hy at *art *all@ 2xford@ an a33oint ent he held until 171.@ havin" in the eanti e 3roceeded to the de"ree of $A in 171(& 2n "ivin" u3 this Lectureshi3 he 4ent to live at Channel Ro4@ London@ and "ave 3ublic lectures in 6atural %hiloso3hy&

2n (9 -uly 1714@ he 4as elected a /ello4 of the Royal #ociety and beca e its +e onstrator and Curator shortly after4ards& *e received the de"rees of ;B L LL+= at 2xford on 16 $arch 1718& A)hese de"rees are no4 ,no4n as sCL and +CL&B 2n 8 +ece ber 1717@ he received %riest=s 2rders fro the Bisho3 of 5ly and 4as then 3resented by the Lord Chancellor to the livin" of Brid"eha in 6orfol,@ 4hich he held until $arch 17(6@ 4hen he exchan"ed for the livin" of Little 7arley in 5ssex&

BR5)*R56 7*2 $A+5 $A#26IC *I#)2R9 49 In the ei"hteenth century it 4as not unusual for a cler"y an to hold t4o livin"s at the sa e ti e@ hence 4e find that on (8 Au"ust 1719@ +r +esa"uliers 4as a33ointed Rector of 7hitchurch Aor Little #tan oreB by a lease fro the +u,e of Chandos 4hose Cha3lain he had been a33ointed&

+urin" the years 17.:@ 17.1 and 17.(@ the Rector s3ent so e ti e in *olland 4here he "ave lectures& *e 4as a 3rolific 4riter@ contributin" any 3a3ers to %hiloso3hical )ransactions& In 174( he received the Co3ley 'old $edal fro the Royal #ociety in ac,no4led"e ent of his ex3eri ents@ and his ;+issertation of 5lectricity= 3ublished in the sa e year "ained a 3riIe at the Acade y of Bordeaux& *is dee3 scientific ,no4led"e@ bac,ed by an intensely 3ractical ind@ ade hi so ethin" of an inventor and an en"ineerin" consultant and he 4as retained as such on any lar"e 3roHects& It a33ears@ for instance@ that he 4as adviser on en"ineerin" ?uestions at the rebuildin" of 7est inster Brid"e in the years follo4in" 17.8& *is natural bent a33eared to be scientific rather than clerical@ 4hich no doubt 3ro 3ted hi to a33oint a curate to loo, after the s3iritual needs of his con"re"ation at 7hitchurch@ leavin" hi free to devote his ti e and ener"ies to scientific 4or, and free asonry&

)here is no evidence to sho4 the date or lod"e in 4hich he 4as initiated@ but it can be established that he 4as a fello4 e ber 4ith his friend -a es Anderson in Lod"e 6o ( 4hich et at the *orn )avern@ and 4as $aster of the /rench Lod"e at #olo on=s )e 3le@ *e in"s Ro4& *e 4as also $aster of the Lod"e of Anti?uity@ then 6o 1@ in 17(.& In the 17.1 List of Lod"es he a33ears as a e ber of the Bear and *arro4 Lod"e Ano4 the #t 'eor"e=s and Corner #tone Lod"e@ 6o 1B and in the sa e List he is sho4n a on" the e bers of >niversity Lod"e@ 6o 74@ 4hich 4ent out of existence in 17.6&

2n (4 -une 1719@ +r +esa"uliers 4as elected 'rand $aster at a lod"e held at the 'oose and 'ridiron Ale-house@ as recorded by Anderson in the 17.8 edition of the Boo, of Constitutions in the follo4in" ter s< A##5$BL9 and /east at the #aid %lace@ (4 -une 1719@ Brother %ayne havin" "ather=d the 0otes@ after dinner 3roclai =d aloud our Reverend Brother -ohn )heo3hilus +esa"uliers@ LL+@ /R#@ 'rand $aster of $asons@ and bein" duly invested@ install=d@ con"ratulated and ho a"ed@

forth4ith reviv=d the old re"ular and 3eculiar )oasts or *ealths of the /ree $asons& 6o4 several old Brothers@ that had ne"lected the Craft@ visited the Lod"esE so e 6oble en 4ere also ade Brothers@ and ore ne4 Lod"es 4ere constituted&

*e held office until (4 -une 17(:@ 4hen 'eor"e %ayne@ 'rand $aster in 1718@ 4as a"ain elected to succeed hi &

*is association 4ith the 'rand Lod"e continued after his tenure of office as 'rand $aster had ex3ired@ and for three successive ter s he 4as +e3uty 'rand $aster - in 17(( to the +u,e of 7harton@ in 17(4 to the 5arl of +al,eith@ and in 17(1 to Lord %aisley& In later years it 4as usually +esa"uliers 4ho 4as called u3on to act as $aster 4hen an exalted 3erson 4as bein" ad itted@ and he doubtless had uch to do 4ith the introduction of free asonry to any en of learnin" and 3osition& It is note4orthy that any e bers of the craft at that 3eriod 4ere also e bers of the Royal #ociety& It is certainly of i 3ortance to note that 4ith the arrival of +esa"uliers free asonry too, on a ne4 and extensive outloo,@ in 1: ;)*5 %R5#)26IA6 L5C)>R5#= i 3rovin" the status of the 2rder by brin"in" into it initiates of the ost desirable ,ind&

2n 8 -une 17(6@ he initiated Lord !in"sdale at the lod"e 4hich et at the #4an and Ru er@ in the 3resence of the 'rand $aster@ the 5arl of Inch?uin& 7hile livin" in *olland@ in 17.1@ he acted as $aster of an 2ccasional Lod"e at )he *a"ue for the initiation of the +u,e of Lorraine@ after4ards /rancis I& 5 3eror of 'er any@ thereby introducin" free asonry into the 6etherlands& At the %alace of !e4 in 17.7 he 3resided as $aster of a lod"e at 4hich /rederic, Le4is@ %rince of 7ales@ 4as initiated@ the first of a lon" line of *anoverian Royal %ersona"es to be free asons&

)he inutes of the eetin" of 'rand Lod"e held on (6 6ove ber 17(8@ infor us that ;+r +esa"uliers@ %ast 'rand $aster@ 3ro3osed that in order to have the Annual /east conducted in the best anner a certain nu ber of #te4ards should be chosen 4ho should have the entire care and direction of the /east Ato"ether 4ith the 'rand 7ardensB& )4elve brethren then advanced to the table and si"ned their na es to be #te4ards&= )he healths of the #te4ards 4as then 3ro3osed ;4hich they returned Hointly in

li,e anner& )he #te4ards then 3ro3osed +r +esa"uliers= health for revivin" the office of #te4ards@ and the sa e 4as dran, accordin"ly&= As a cha 3ion of order and re"ularity he 4as res3onsible for the introduction of the i 3ortant re"ulation concernin" asonic clothin"@ for the inutes of the eetin" of 'rand Lod"e held on 17 $arch 17.1@ record< +r +esa"uliers ta,in" 6otice of #o e Irre"ularities in 4earin" the ar,s of +istinction 4hich have been allo4ed by for er 'rand Lod"es@ %ro3osed@ )hat none but the 'rand $aster@ his +e3uty and 7ardens shall 4ear their -e4els in 'old or 'ilt 3endant to blue Ribbons about their nec,s and 4hite Leather A3rons lined 4ith blue sil,&

)hat all those 4ho have served any of the three 'rand 2ffices shall 4ear the li,e A3rons lined 4ith Blue #il, in all Lod"es and Asse blies of $asons 4henever they a33ear clothed&

)hat those Brethren that are #te4ards shall 4ear their A3rons lined 4ith red #il, and their 3ro3er -e4els 3endant to red ribbons&

)hat all those 4ho have served the office of #te4ard shall be at liberty to 4ear A3rons lined 4ith red #il, and not other4ise@ that all $asters and 7ardens of Lod"es ay 4ear their A3rons lined 4ith 4hite #il, and their res3ective -e4els 4ith 3lain 4hite Ribbons but no other colour 4hatsoever&

)he +e3uty 'rand $aster accordin"ly 3ut the ?uestion 4hether the above Re"ulation should be a"reed to&

And it 4as carried in the affir ative 6e ine con&

+esa"uliers 4as es3ecially active in the 4or, of the Charity /und and acted as a ,ind of Charity #te4ard Afor the 4ant of a better ter B in ta,in" char"e of the su s voted for the benefit of 3oor brethren and dis3ensin" relief 4hen the need arose& At the eetin" of 'rand Lod"e on (9 -anuary 17.:@ he brou"ht about the a33oint ent of a #tandin" Co ittee for the dis3osal of the Charity /und and at the eetin" in +ece ber follo4in" he

3ro3osed that these reliefs should be extended to 4ido4s and or3hans of asons&

6o one could doubt the value of the contribution he ade durin" those years as the effective head of the ne4ly or"anised 'rand Lod"e& *e continued to "uide the craft in its constructive 4or, u3 to the ti e of his last attendance on 8 BR5)*R56 7*2 $A+5 $A#26IC *I#)2R9 11 /ebruary 174.& *e died on (9 /ebruary 1744@ and 4as buried in the Royal Cha3el of the #avoy&

)*2$A# +>6C!5RL59 A17(4-91B )he 3eriod 176: to 1796 4as a ost eventful one for free asonry in 5n"land bein" one of consolidation and the ado3tion of easures 4hich raised the status of the #ociety and established it on a solid basis& 'rand Lod"e 4as then bein" harassed by an active and 3o4erful rival in the sha3e of an o33osition body of free asons that had been or"anised in London in 1711@ and 4hich@ havin" for ed the selves into a 'rand Lod"e@ ade ra3id 3ro"ress in 3ros3erity and influence& It 4ill be sufficient for the 3resent 3ur3ose if 4e state that in the 3eriod entioned the t4o rival asonic bodies 4ere distin"uished by the na es of the ;Antients= and the ;$oderns=E the for er because it alle"ed that it 4or,ed accordin" to the ancient institution and the latter because of its innovations and in s3ite of the fact that it 4as the 3re ier 'rand Lod"e&

)ho as +unc,erley 4as a 3illar of stren"th durin" that difficult 3eriod& *e devoted ore ti e@ hard 4or, and enthusias for the extension and elevation of free asonry than any other e ber of the craft&

Born on (. 2ctober 17(4@ at #o erset *ouse@ London@ +unc,erley entered the 6avy in 1744 and served for (: years as a 7arrant 2fficer& In this connection *enry #adler A)ho as +unc,erley@ *is Life Labours and letters@ 3 66B 4as res3onsible for ori"inatin" the state ent that +unc,erley 4as an Able #ea an on board *$# 'uadalou3e& )his 4as not so& Ad iralty records reveal that he served firstly as a #chool aster A*$# 5dinbur"h@ 19 /ebruary 1744@ until 4 $arch 1746B and then as 'unner in various vessels fro 1746 until su3erannuated in 1764& *is service record in the ran, 4as< /ro )o *$# /ortune (: $ay 1746 1 $arch 1747 *$# Cro4n 17 -une 1747 17 A3ril 171. *$# 6onsuch 18

A3ril 171. (4 A3ril 171. *$# )y"er (1 A3ril 171. .1 $arch 1714 *$# 0an"uard 1 A3ril 1714 (6 -uly 1714 *$# 5a"le (7 -uly 1714 (1 #e3te ber 1711 *$# 0an"uard (6 #e3te ber 1711 (6 $arch 1761 *$# %rince (7 $arch 1761 .1 $ay 176. )he ran, of 'unner 4as as i 3ortant in 1764 as it is today& )he ar a ent@ a unition@ 4arli,e stores and everythin" a33ertainin" thereto are under the 'unner=s i ediate care and he is re?uired to ,ee3 an account of their recei3t and ex3enditure&

)he reasons behind +unc,erley=s voya"e in the 'uadalou3e are set do4n by +unc,erley hi self& A/urther 3articulars of the late )ho as +unc,erley@ 5s?@ co unicated in his o4n hand4ritin" by his executors& )he /ree asons= $a"aIine@ /ebruary 1796&B #hortly after his retire ent he found hi self in acute financial difficulties& ;/earful of bein" arrested@= he records@ ;I left the !in"do in Au"ust 1764E and@ havin" ordered the 3rinci3al 3art of y su3erannuation for the 1( ;)*5 %R5#)26IA6 L5C)>R5#= su33ort of y 4ife and fa ily durin" y absence@ I sailed 4ith Ca3tain Ruthven in the 'uadalou3e for the $editerranean@ and here it 4as that I ha33ened to be ,no4n to Lord 7illia 'ordon@ 4ho 4as "oin" to reHoin his re"i ent at $inorca& In -une 1761@ I 4as 3ut ashore at $arseilles@ bein" seiIed 4ith the scurvy to a violent de"ree&= #ix 4ee,s later he returned via /rance overland to 5n"land&

It is ost i 3robable that a 3ensioned 7arrant 2fficer 4ould si"n on as an Able #ea an& A"ain@ an Able #ea an 4ould not describe hi self as sailin" 4ith Ca3tain Ruthven - he 4ould sail under hi & #adler=s ista,e 3robably arose fro the fact that@ at about this ti e@ t4o others of the na e )ho as +unc,erley are recorded in the Ad iralty as servin" in the 'uadalou3e@ viI@ one@ a"ed 17@ 4ho Hoined fro 'uernsey as an Able #ea an on 16 Au"ust 1764@ and 4as dischar"ed@ Le"horn@ 11 -anuary 1766@ and another 4ho Hoined the shi3 fro $ahon in the sa e ratin" (8 -anuary 1761@ and 4ho 4as dischar"ed CadiI@ 1. A3ril 1761&

)he Ca3tain of the 'uadalou3e@ the *on -ohn Ruthven@ had been initiated in the Royal 6avy Lod"e@ 6o (8(@ on 7 #e3te ber 176(@ 4hile +unc,erley at that ti e had been a ason for ei"ht years& It is reasonable to conclude@ therefore@ that they 4ould have been on friendly ter s and that +unc,erley acco 3anied the Ca3tain as his "uest and not as a lo4er dec, ratin"& All this is of i 3ortance for durin" that 3eriod a lod"e 4as held on board the 'uadalou3e&

+unc,erley 4as initiated on 1: -anuary 1714@ in the Lod"e of Anti?uity@ 6o .1@ 4hich et at the )hree )ons )avern in *i"h #treet@ %orts outh& )his lod"e 4as fre?uented by seafarin" en of the ti e@ but is not no4 in existence@ havin" been erased fro the roll in 18.8& 7hile at %ly outh he Hoined the $asons Ar s )avern Lod"e@ 6o 1(9@ and the %o3e=s *ead )avern Lod"e@ 6o (:.& Both lod"es are no4 extinct& Cuic,ly he i 3ressed his 3ersonality u3on the e bers of these lod"es@ and after fillin" the 7ardens= Chairs 4as installed as $aster in both lod"es@ and 4as re-elected in each for three successive sessions&

In #e3te ber 1718@ the 0an"uard 4ith +unc,erley as her $aster 'unner@ covered the successful landin"s in the #t La4rence under 'eneral 7olfe& A on" the troo3s 4hich "arrisoned Cuebec after that decisive victory 4ere seven ilitary lod"es fro different constitutionsE five 4ere Irish@ one 5n"lish under the Antients 'rand Lod"e@ and one under the %rovincial 'rand Lod"e of Boston@ e anatin" fro the $oderns& 2n 8 6ove ber 1719@ these lod"es held a Hoint eetin" and for ed the selves into a %rovincial 'rand Lod"e and 3etitioned 'rand Lod"e for a %rovincial 'rand $aster to 3reside over the & +unc,erley carried this 3etition to London 4hen the 0an"uard returned to 5n"land late in 1719 for refit and revictuallin"&

By this ti e he had develo3ed a fiery enthusias for free asonry 4hich 4as evidently a33reciated by the 'rand Lod"e 4ho "ave hi a %atent to ;Ins3ect the Craft 4heresoever he i"ht "o= A'rand Lod"e Letter Boo,@ 1769@ 3 176B@ and 4as also "ranted 7arrant 6o (14@ dated 16 -anuary 176:@ to hold a lod"e and a,e asons on board *$# 0an"uard& )he shi3 arrived bac, in Canada on 11 $ay 176:@ and on (4 -une follo4in" +unc,erley honoured the ilitary lod"es 4ith his a33robation of their conduct and installed Col #i on /raser as the first %rovincial 'rand $aster of Canada&

2n leavin" the 0an"uard in 1761 +unc,erley too, the Lod"e 7arrant ashore BR5)*R56 7*2 $A+5 $A#26IC *I#)2R9 1. 4ith hi @ but he ade no use of it until 1768@ 4hen he for ed a lod"e in London to eet at the Cueen of Bohe ia=s *ead@ 7ych #treet& )his lod"e no4 4or,s as the London Lod"e@ 6o 1:8&

#oon after his a33oint ent to *$# %rince he obtained 7arrant 6o (79@ dated (( $ay 176(@ 4ith 4hich he for ed the second sea-"oin" lod"e& )he last 3ay ent 4hich 'rand Lod"e ac,no4led"ed fro the lod"e on board that shi3 a33eared in the accounts of (. A3ril 1764&

$uch has been 4ritten concernin" the circu stances of the birth of )ho as +unc,erley& It 4ill suffice to ention here that he had been ac,no4led"ed the natural son of !in" 'eor"e II and had been "ranted a 3ension fro the %rivy %urse and allotted a tenure of a3art ents at #o erset *ouse& #o erset *ouse 4as then used for 3recisely the sa e 3ur3ose as *a 3ton Court is no4@ that is@ for the acco odation of "entle en and "entle4o en reco ended for ad ission by the Lord Cha berlain& 2n de olition of the for er #o erset *ouse in 1774@ the residents 4ere transferred to *a 3ton Court&

2n retire ent fro the 6avy +unc,erley retained 3ossession of the 7arrant fro *$# %rince and it 4as 4ith the authority of this that he 3resided over a lod"e on board *$# 'uadalou3e@ described in the 5n"raved List of 1764@ (nd edition@ as ;A $asters Lod"e on board the 'uadalou3e=&

A eetin" of the Co ittee of Charity 4as held at the *orn )avern in /leet #treet on (( -anuary 1766@ 4hich 4as attended by the $asters of .8 lod"es& 2nly the na es of the lod"es attendin" are recorded@ second on the list bein" ;$aHesty=s #hi3 'uadalou3e=& A reasonable inference 4ould be that as the 'uadalou3e 4as then in the $editerranean +unc,erley hi self attended as $aster&

By this ti e he had ta,en u3 residence at #o erset *ouse and 4ith the %rince 7arrant he for ed a lod"e in a %rivate Roo at #o erset *ouse& 2n (9 -anuary 1766@ a Cuarterly Co unication of 'rand Lod"e 4as held at the Cro4n and Anchor in the #trand@ and the inutes record that t4o e bers of the lod"e attended& 2ne year later it 4as na ed the #o erset *ouse Lod"e&

At that ti e one of the four lod"es 4hich 3artici3ated in the for ation of 'rand Lod"e in 1717@ the *orn Lod"e@ 6o (@ had fallen into a decline and 4as 3ractically dor ant& It is evident that +unc,erley set about its revival by unitin" it 4ith his o4n vi"orous #o erset *ouse Lod"e and thereby ac?uirin" the uch earlier nu ber& )he union of these t4o lod"es too, 3lace on 1: -anuary 1774@ and the lod"e no4 exists as the Royal #o erset *ouse and Inverness Lod"e@ 6o 4&

A on" the na es of the 'rand 2fficers 4ho attended the eetin" of 'rand Lod"e on 11 A3ril 1767@ is ;)ho as +unc,erley@ %'$ for the County of *a 3shire=@ the first ti e his na e a33ears in the inutes& *is %atent of A33oint ent for *a 3shire is dated (8 /ebruary 1767& %rior to this a33oint ent the office of %rovincial 'rand $aster 4as virtually dor ant in 5n"land& )he advent of +unc,erley and the earnest enthusias he brou"ht to bear on his ne4 duties doubtless a4a,ened the authorities to the ,no4led"e that it 4as 3ossible for a %rovincial 'rand $aster to be of "reat service in consolidatin" free asonry under the $oderns 'rand Lod"e& 5vidence of this is "iven in the inutes of 'rand Lod"e@ 14 ;)*5 %R5#)26IA6 L5C)>R5#= 4here under date 1( 6ove ber 1777@ )ho as +unc,erley is described as ;#u3erintendent over the Lod"es in the %rovince of 7iltshire=@ and by %atent dated (( 6ove ber 1786@ he 4as a33ointed ;%rovincial 'rand $aster for the Counties of +orset@ 5ssex@ 'loucester@ #o erset and #outha 3ton to"ether 4ith the City and County of Bristol and the Isle of 7i"ht=& *is last a33oint ent 4as for *erefordshire@ the date of %atent bein" 8 $ay 179:&

7hile in residence at #o erset *ouse +unc,erley had been associated 4ith any London lod"es@ but after re oval to *a 3ton Court he "radually dro33ed out of active interest in these and devoted ost of this ti e to extensive travel throu"hout his 3rovinces@ constitutin" any lod"es&

*e retained his "reat love of the craft until the end of his life& *is constructive 4or, durin" a critical 3eriod did uch to4ards brin"in" 3eace and reconciliation bet4een the Antients and $oderns 4hich "ained for hi the res3ect and confidence of a lar"e nu ber of notable conte 3oraries@ and in 3articular the brethren of those counties he served so Iealously as %rovincial 'rand $aster&

7illia %reston 3ays this tribute in his Illustrations of $asonry@ 1781< By the indefati"able assiduity of that asonic lu inary@ )ho as +unc,erley@ 5s?&@ in 4hose favour the a33oint ent for *a 3shire 4as first ade@ asonry has ade considerable 3ro"ress@ not only 4ithin his %rovince@ but in other Counties in 5n"land&

)he 'rand Lod"e recorded its than,s on (( 6ove ber 1786@ 4hen it 4as resolved unani ously< )hat the ran, of %ast #enior 'rand 7arden A4ith the ri"ht of ta,in" 3lace i ediately next to the 3resent #enior 'rand 7ardenB be "ranted to )ho as +unc,erley@ 5s?&@ &&& in "rateful )esti ony of the hi"h #ense the 'rand Lod"e entertains of his Iealous and indefati"able 5xertions for any years to 3ro ote the honour and interest of the #ociety&

*e died at %ortsea on 19 6ove ber 1791@ and 4as buried in #t $ary=s Church@ no4 the Cathedral Church of %orts outh&

#A$>5L *5$$I6'@ ++ A1717-18(8B )he Rev #a uel *e in" is best ,no4n in asonic literature as a brother 4ell versed in ritual and 4ho had uch to do 4ith the co 3ilation of our 3resent for s and cere onies&

*e 4as initiated in )ho as +unc,erley=s first shore lod"e@ the #o erset *ouse Lod"e@ on 14 /ebruary 18:.@ and on (1 -uly follo4in" he beca e a e ber of the last lod"e to be constituted by that 4orthy brother@ the Lod"e of *ar ony@ 6o .84 Ano4 6o (11B@ at *a 3ton Court&

#a uel *e in" 4as born on . /ebruary 1717& *e entered the $erchant )aylor=s #chool in 177.E 3roceeded to #t -ohn=s Colle"e@ 2xford@ ta,in" his BA de"ree in 1787E his $A in 1791 and lastly a +octorate of +ivinity in 18:1& In 18:. he 4as a33ointed *ead aster of the *a 3ton /ree #chool@ 4hich then adHoined the north 4all of the %arish Church@ and 4hich is no4 ,no4n as the *a 3ton 'ra ar #chool& *e held the a33oint ent until his death on 1. -une 18(8&

Brother *e

in" sho4ed an a3titude for

asonic cere onial fro

the

be"innin"@ for 4ithin five years of his initiation he 4as installed $aster of the Lod"e of BR5)*R56 7*2 $A+5 $A#26IC& *I#)2R9 11 *ar ony and 4as re-elected as such on nine successive occasions& *e 4as a"ain re-elected in 18(:@ 18(1 and 18(6&

2n 1 +ece ber 181.@ the Articles of >nion bet4een the Antient and $odern asons 4ere ratified and confir ed by the t4o res3ective 'rand Lod"es& In 3ursuance of Article 0 thereof@ nine 4orthy and ex3ert $aster $asons or %ast $asters 4ere no inated fro each of the fraternities@ to"ether 4ith the t4o 'rand #ecretaries@ to for the Lod"e of Reconciliation@ the 7arrant for 4hich 4as issued on 7 +ece ber 181.& Brother #a uel *e in" 4as a33ointed by the 'rand $aster@ the +u,e of #ussex@ to 3reside as its $aster&

)his s3ecial lod"e 4as entrusted 4ith the tas, of co-ordinatin" the for s and cere onies of the Antients and the $oderns a"reeable to all brethren reHectin" everythin" 4hich 4ould not be universally acce3ted&

)he fifth Article of >nion also enacted that all subscribin" e bers fro each fraternity should be re-obli"ated in the other ode so that they i"ht be re"istered on the boo,s of 'rand Lod"e to entitle the to be 3resent at the Asse bly of >nion on (7 +ece ber 181.& )he Lod"e of Reconciliation set about this 4eariso e business at once for the inutes of the lod"e infor us that under the $astershi3 of #a uel *e in" the lod"e et on the 1:th@ 14th@ (:th and (1st of +ece ber and re-obli"ated a total of .61 brethren&

I ediately after the >nion the Lod"e of Reconciliation continued assiduously in the 4or, of reconstruction of the ritual@ eetin" at re"ular intervals until 6 +ece ber 1814@ 4hen the $aster sent this re3ort to the 'rand $aster< )o *R* Au"ustus /rederic,@ +u,e of #ussex@ etc@ etc@ 'rand $aster of $asons&

)he Lod"e of Reconciliation res3ectfully be" leave to re3ort to the $ost 7orshi3ful 'rand $aster that they have 3roceeded so far in 3erfor ance of the duties entrusted to the @ as to have thrice exhibited to the Lod"es in the London +istrict the ne4ly arran"ed odes of instruction@ so far as

relates to the o3enin" and closin" of a Lod"e in the three de"rees@ the several obli"ations therein re?uired and the cere onies of a,in"@ 3assin"@ and raisin"@ 4ith a brief test or exa ination in each de"ree@ and that they are also 3re3ared to 3roceed in their syste of elucidation@ by such eans as ay be considered the best ada3ted to their 3ur3ose&

#a l& *e

in"s@ #&'&7&@ R&7&$&

/ree asons )avern@ #e3t& 6th@ 1814 /ro this brief docu ent it is evident that Brother *e in" and his lod"e had laboured 4ith all dili"ence in the i 3ortant tas, i 3osed u3on the & )hey then 3roceeded 4ith the 4or, of instructin" lod"es in the revised 4or,in"s& It is recorded that at these rehearsal eetin"s 98 lod"es of the $oderns attended@ 6. London lod"es@ .4 country lod"es and 1 overseas lod"e& 2f the Antients the total lod"es attendin" 4as 77@ of 4hich 47 4ere London@ (8 country and ( overseas lod"es& #a uel *e in" 3resided at 16 of these eetin"s&

5arly in its career the Lod"e of Reconciliation decided that no note or record of the ne4ly arran"ed ritual or cere onial should be 4ritten or 3rinted& A e ber of the lod"e offended in this re"ard@ as is disclosed by the follo4in" extract fro the records@ 4hich unfortunately bears no date< 16 ;)*5 %R5#)26IA6 L5C)>R5#= 2n a $otion re"ularly ade and seconded ;)hat Bro )ho 3son havin" offended a"ainst a ,no4n asonic rule@ in 3rintin" certain letters and ar,s@ tendin" to convey infor ation on the subHect of $asonic Instruction@ should for this offence be re3ri anded in such ter s as the 7& $aster of the Lod"e of Reconciliation i"ht thin, 3ro3er=&

)he $aster bein" in the chair@ did ex3ress accordin"ly@ the hi"h senses of disa33robation 4hich the Lod"e felt at the un"uardedness of his conduct@ in havin" so done@ but@ that in conse?uence of his candid ac,no4led"e ent of the 5rror into 4hich he had fallen@ and his deter ination to collect every Co3y of the sa e that could be "ot at@ and 3lace the in the Custody of the Lod"e of Reconciliation@ to be destroyed at their discretion&

)he $aster ex3ressed his confidence that the re3roof no4 exhibited 4ould effectually 3revent any recurrence of such offence in future&

)his is clear evidence that the scholarly ability of #a uel *e in" hel3ed considerably in "uidin" the lod"e in the literary co 3osition of the ritual@ de3endin" lar"ely on the $aster=s ca3ability of retainin" his e ory@ the essentials of the 4or, as it 3ro"ressed&

At a s3ecial eetin" of 'rand Lod"e on (: $ay 1816@ the $aster and brethren of the Lod"e of Reconciliation attended@ and after o3enin" the lod"e in the three de"rees@ exhibited the cere onies of initiatin"@ 3assin" and raisin" a ason& )he 'rand $aster 4ould not 3er it any discussion on this de onstration& At the ?uarterly eetin" held on 1 -une follo4in"@ the several cere onies@ etc@ reco ended 4ere a33roved and confir ed&

)hus ended the labours of the s3ecial lod"e 4hich had co 3leted its tas, under the s,ilful astershi3 of Brother #a uel *e in" to the satisfaction of the 'rand $aster and the 'rand Lod"e@ reflected in his a33oint ent to the hi"h office of #enior 'rand 7arden conferred u3on hi &

)here can be little doubt that to this day the ritual 4or,ed by 5n"lish lod"es re ains essentially the sa e as that dra4n u3 and de onstrated by the Lod"e of Reconciliation& )here are@ of course@ any variations in non-essentials in the 4ordin" and 4or,in" of the de"rees@ but bearin" in ind that no 4ritten record of his de onstration has been handed do4n to us@ these variations 4ould see to be of little i 3ortance@ and 4hile it is true to say that no 4ritten or 3rinted ritual has ever been a33roved by 'rand Lod"e@ it is e?ually true that the 'rand Lod"e 4ould ?uic,ly assert itself if the essentials 4ere de3arted fro &

C26CL>#I26 *avin" recorded so ethin" of the activities of four brethren 4ho ade history is it 3ossible to co 3are the P I thin, not& 5ach 4as "reat in his o4n 4ay& 5ach ade his ar,& 5ach influenced the develo3 ent of free asonry& Anderson=s has 3roved the ost 4idely ,no4n na e@ at ho e and abroad& *is 3roduction of the first Boo, of

Constitutions 4as of the "reatest i 3ortance@ even thou"h his i a"ination "ot the better of hi in the 3re3aration of the historical 3ortion of the second issue of that "reat 4or,& +esa"ulier=s contribution 4as the introduction of any distin"uished 3ersona"es into free asonry@ thereby addin" lustre to the craft and i 3rovin" its status& *is re"ularisation of the 4earin" of re"alia 4as i 3ortant& +unc,erley 4as 3erha3s the "reatest of y four brethren& *is 4or, for the $oderns durin" the difficult 3eriod ex3erienced at the for ation and "ro4th of the Antients 'rand Lod"e 4as outstandin" and his devotion to BR5)*R56 7*2 $A+5 $A#26IC *I#)2R9 17 asonic duties in the various 3rovinces over 4hich he 3resided as %rovincial 'rand $aster 4ith the conse?uent s3read of free asonry therein 4as of the hi"hest order& *e in"=s clai to fa e lies in his labours in 3re3arin" the craft for the >nion in 181. and his 4or, in reconcilin" the ritual for use in lod"es under the ne4ly united 'rand lod"es& )hey are each assured a 3lace in asonic history&

)*5 502L>)I26 2/ )*5 56'LI#* %R20I6CIAL 'RA6+ L2+'5 )*5 %R5#)26IA6 L5C)>R5 /2R 1966 )*5 *26 7& R& #& BA)*>R#) %rovincial 'rand Lod"e )oday %R20I6CIAL 'RA6+ RA6! is such a co on feature of the 5n"lish Constitution that 3erha3s 4e hardly realise ho4 odd it ust see to free asons of other countries& An observant 6or4e"ian@ for instance@ on seein" an 5n"lish an 4earin" an a3ron ed"ed 4ith cri son At4o inches in 4idthB 4ill 4onder 4hich of the hi"her de"rees this can denote& 2n learnin" that this is the clothin" of a %ast %rovincial 'rand #te4ard of Barsetshire@ should he then re?uire an ex3lanation of the duties of the office and the ethod by 4hich brethren are selected to fill it@ our #candinavian friend ay 4ell be confir ed in his o3inion that the 5n"lish are definitely - thou"h not un3leasantly - ad&

5very free ason ,no4s that 4ithin 'rand Lod"e and %rovincial 'rand Lod"e a "reat deal of ad inistrative 4or, is 3erfor ed by a s all nucleus of ;3er anent staff= and that the ore e inent officers 3erfor uch cere onial 4or, as 4ell& But the ost obvious function of these bodies is the confer ent of 'rand or %rovincial 'rand Ran,@ once in every year the creation@ in fact@ of sinecure offices on a vast scale as a result of 4hich the fortunate reci3ients are entitled to 4ear the clothin" ore decorative than that of those brethren 4ho have not been di"nified in this 4ay& )his conce3t is one 4hich@ as so often ha33ens@ has "radually evolved fro so ethin" fairly different& *avin" "ro4n in=this 4ay the syste is full of ano alies&

London neither is nor could be a %rovince& )o eet the de and of the London brethren for "arter-blue and "old clothin"@ London 'rand Ran, 4as created& But in that syste of honour there is one notable advanta"e& )he reci3ients are all of e?ual ran,& 2ne 4ould have thou"ht that 'rand Lod"e honours could be arran"ed so e4hat si ilarly& Active 'rand Ran, is conferred annually on 64 individuals Aexclusive of the 'rand #te4ardsB& But 4hat of the ;%ast Ran,s= nu berin" bet4een (:: and ((: annuallyP 7ould it not be si 3ler to create the ;*onorary 2fficers of 'rand Lod"e=@ rather than 3reservin" the fiction that these 4orthy en at so e for er ti e assisted in the direction of cere onies or bore the standards in 'rand Lod"eP 7hen the sa e idio is transferred to the %rovinces and +istricts a further co 3lication ensues& /or these "rou3s of lod"es differ 4idely in siIe&

)he ini u nu ber of %rovincial or +istrict 'rand 2fficers is (:& )o this ay be added t4o %ast Ran,s but you ay subtract five s3ecialist offices@ leavin" 17 offices to be distributed annually& /our of the %rovinces do not have as any as 17 lod"es& #o e of the +istricts oreover consist of a fe4 lod"es 4hich elected to 18 )*5 502L>)I26 2/ )*5 56'LI#* %R20I6CIAL 'RA6+ L2+'5 19 re ain under the 5n"lish Constitution rather than Hoin a ne4 'rand Lod"e 4hich had been for ed& 2thers are on islands or in si ilar isolated colonies& $ore than half the .1 +istricts have fe4er than 17 lod"es&

At the other end of the scale six %rovinces have ore than (:: lod"es cul inatin" 4ith 7est Lancashire@ last recorded as havin" 47. and increasin" at the avera"e rate of six 3er year& )here is of course a slidin" scale re"ulatin" the nu ber of Ran,s %resent and %ast that ay be a4arded in ratio to the siIe of the %rovince& But the "radation of this curve is such that in the lar"est %rovince Hust about half the %ast $asters 4ill receive %rovincial *onours and the other half 4ill not& In the s allest %rovinces every %ast $aster ex3ects to receive %rovincial Ran, 4ith little delay as a atter of courseE in the lar"er %rovinces there ust be a 3rocess of selection - in the s aller there is 3ractically none&

#election is never easy& 'ideon A-ud"es vii@ 1B thou"ht of an in"enious ethod but he 4as only ai in" at a 3roduct of . 3er cent& In ost fields of hu an activity it is ore li,ely that so e 1: 3er cent 4ill be outstandin"ly "ood and 1: 3er cent outstandin"ly 3oor< and@ in bet4een@ 8: 3er cent 4ho are tolerably "ood& A syste under 4hich a 3ro3ortion of 1: 3er cent

are re4arded and the rest left unre4arded ust be exceedin"ly difficult to o3erate fairly& In the s aller %rovinces@ o ission fro the *onours List 4ould of course be re"arded as a slur& )he a4ard is ho4ever ta,en lar"ely as a atter of course& And as an illustration of this it ay be observed that it is still unusual for a reci3ient to trouble to 3rovide hi self 4ith a %ast Ran, He4el@ 4hen his year of office ex3ires&

Both in 'rand Lod"e and in %rovincial 'rand Lod"e this ass of sinecure offices and %ast Ran,s ust be re"arded as a vast or olu case in the centre of 4hich the co 3act 4or,s are busily tic,in"& 'rand Lod"es ho4ever 4ere at liberty to 3rovide the selves 4ith additional offices as and 4hen necessary - e" the %residents of the Boards of 'eneral %ur3oses and of Benevolence& 2r in ti es 3ast@ 4ith a 'rand %ortrait %ainter@ or a 'eneral #ecretary for 'er an Corres3ondence&

%rovincial 'rand Lod"e cannot do this& )he ost i 3ortant function of so e officer of %rovincial 'rand Lod"e is the or"anisation and co-ordination of the efforts of the Lod"es of the %rovince in su33ort of the recurrin" Charity /estivals& )hese /estivals are nearly al4ays or"anised at the %rovincial level in su33ort of the %rovincial 'rand $aster 4ho is ter ed %resident or Chair an& )he or"anisin" secretary could of course be the %rovincial 'rand #ecretary or )reasurer but the office is an onerous one and is usually held by so e brother 4ith a talent for that sort of 4or,& *e is of course a %ast %rovincial officer but it does see stran"e that@ a on" the ass of sinecures@ there should not be a s3ecific ran, of Charity #ecretary or Al oner so as to "ive this brother a hi"h 3lace a on" the 3resent officers of %rovincial 'rand Lod"e& A)he 'rand Lod"e of #cotland has a 'rand Bard and a 'rand %i3er&B )he Constitutional %osition in the 6ineteenth Century #uch is %rovincial 'rand Lod"e at the 3resent& *o4@ then@ did it co e into existenceP Bro -& R& Rylands@ in his interestin" 3a3er on the 7est Ridin" of 6: ;)*5 %R5#)26IA6 L5C)>R5#= 9or,shire re inds us that in the 1811 edition of the Boo, of Constitutions it is laid do4n that< As the %rovincial 'rand Lod"e e anates fro the authority vested in the 3rovincial "rand aster@ it 3ossesses no other 3o4ers than those here s3ecified& It therefore follo4s that no 3rovincial "rand lod"e can eet but by the sanction of the 3rovincial "rand aster or his de3utyE and that it ceases to exist on the death@ resi"nation@ sus3ension or re oval of the 3rovincial "rand aster@ until he be reinstated or a successor a33ointed@ by 4hose authority they ay a"ain be re"ularly convo,ed&

In the 1884 Boo, of Constitutions a ne4 rule A79B a33eared 4hich 3rovided that on the death@ etc of the %rovincial 'rand $aster@ his +e3uty should 3erfor all the functions of that office until a Brother is duly a33ointed %rovincial 'rand $aster& )his dis3osed of the inconvenient doctrine that %rovincial 'rand Lod"e actually ceased to exist 4hen the %rovincial 'rand $astershi3 4as vacant& It 4as not until the 194: edition of the Boo, of Constitutions that it 4as declared the 'rand $aster for s an area into a %rovince and Hurisdiction over it is thereu3on "iven to %rovincial 'rand Lod"e@ the %rovincial 'rand $aster actin" therein by the authority vested in hi under his %atent of A33oint ent ARule 6( B of CB&

)he Hurisdiction exercised by %rovincial 'rand Lod"e is of course very li ited& It can do little beyond the fra in" of its o4n By La4s& But ri"ht u3 to 194: its authority 4as still held to ;e anate= fro the %rovincial 'rand $aster& It could thro4 out otions tabled by hi but could not enact any easures of its o4n volition&

5i"hteenth Century 2ri"ins A difficulty 4hich besets all historians is that 4ords in one a"e ac?uire eanin"s 4hich they did not 3ossess a "eneration or so before& )he 4ords ;%ools=@ ='ra ar #chool=@ ;Roc,= and ;Roll=@ all existed thirty years a"o but they did not ean 4hat they ean no4& #i ilarly the ter %rovincial 'rand $aster 4hen used in the early ei"hteenth century does not i 3ly that there 4as any %rovincial 'rand Lod"e@ of if there 4as that it bore uch rese blance to the ,ind of "atherin" 4ith 4hich 4e are fa iliar today&

)here are no rules concernin" %rovincial 'rand $asters in Anderson=s #econd Boo, of Constitutions - the edition of 17.8& It is here ho4ever that the existence of %rovincial 'rand $asters is first reco"nised& )hey a33ear in 4hat one i"ht re"ard as a sort of narrative a33endix& /or the learned author see s to be discussin" the the e of free asonry as a society for the 3ro otion of %alladian architecture& *e turns to 7ales as bein" full of "othic castles@ ;but no4@= he says@ ;)he Au"ustan stile is as 4ell estee ed in 7ales as in 5n"land and there also the Brethren of the Royal Art have coalesced into lod"es as branches of our fraternity=&

)hen@ as a sort of di"ression@ he launches into lists< Inchi?uin 'rand $aster "ranted a +e3utation on 1: $ay 17(7 to *u"h 7arburton 5s?uire

to be %rovincial 'rand $aster of 6orth 7ales at Chester - and another on (4 -une 17(7 to #ir 5d4ard $ansel Bart& to be %rovincial 'rand $aster of #outh 7ales at Caer arthen&

*is next list is headed ;II +e3utations have been re?uested fro and sent to several Countries AsicB Cities and )o4ns of 5n"land=& *e na es four #hro3- )*5 502L>)I26 2/ )*5 56'LI#* %R20I6CIAL 'RA6+ L2+'5 61 shire@ Lancashire@ +urha and 6orthu berland& *is third list is headed ;III +e3utations sent beyond #ea= and there follo4s a list of sixteen na es@ for 3laces in 5uro3e@ 5ast India@ Africa and A erica&

*e then continues< All these forei"n Lod"es are under the 3atrona"e of our 'rand $aster of 5n"land& But the old Lod"e at 9or, City and the Lod"es of #cotland@ Ireland@ /rance and Italy@ affectin" inde3endency@ are under their o4n 'rand $asters@ tho= they have the sa e Constitution char"es and re"ulations etc& for substance 4ith their brethren in 5n"land@ and are e?ually Iealous for the Au"ustan #tile@ and the #ecrets of the antient and honourable fraternity&

)he source of Anderson=s infor ation is 3reserved at 'rand Lod"e& It is a rou"h noteboo, headed An Acco;& of %rovincial 'rand $asters& It a33ears to have been first co 3iled about 17.7 since the entries u3 to that date are all in the sa e hand4ritin"@ those for 17.8 and later years bein" by different hands& )he na es and 3laces are a33roxi ately the sa e& )he first entry subse?uent to the 3rintin" of the list by Anderson@ ie in 17.9@ is of so e interest& It is =7illia *orton 5s?& for ye 7est Ridin" of ye County of 9or,=- not@ as has been stated@ for the 4hole of 9or,shire&

)he other interestin" feature in the noteboo, ;Account= is a blan, s3ace no na e "iven - ;for Cheshire=&

)he first reference to %rovincial 'rand $asters in the inutes of 'rand Lod"e occurs on (4 -une 1747& )he order of the 3rocession into the *all 4as laid do4n& )hey 4ere to enter Huniors first& %rovincial 'rand $asters are 3laced after ;)he 'rand )reasurer 4ith his #taff= and are follo4ed by %ast -unior 'rand 7ardens and %ast #enior 'rand 7ardens&

)he Constitutional %osition in +unc,erley=s )i e 7e no4 co e to the next edition of the Boo, of Constitutions& )his 4as 5ntic,s /irst 5dition 3ublished in 1716& 7e read as follo4s< ;2/ %R20I6CIAL 'RA6+ $A#)5R#= AR)& I& )he 2ffice of %rovincial 'rand $aster 4as found 3articularly necessary in the 9ear 17(6E 4hen the extraordinary Increase of the Crafts en@ acid their travellin" into distant %arts and convenin" the selves in Lod"es@ re?uired an i ediate *ead@ to 4ho they i"ht a33ly 4here it 4as not 3ossible to 4ait the decision or 23inion of the 'rand Lod"e&

AR)& 11& )he A33oint ent of this 'rand 2fficer is a %rero"ative of the 'rand $asterE 4ho "rants his +e3utation to such Brother of 5 inence and Ability in the Craft as he shall thin, 3ro3erE not for life@ but durin" his "ood 3leasure&

AR)& III& )he %rovincial thus de3uted is invested 4ith the %o4er and *onour of a +e3uty 'rand $asterE and durin" the continuance of his %rovincialshi3 is entitled to 4ear the Cloathin"@ to ta,e ran, as the 'rand 2fficers@ in all 3ublic, Asse blies@ i ediately after the 3ast +e3uty 'rand $asters< and to constitute Lod"es in his o4n %rovince&

AR)& I0& *e is enHoined to corres3ond 4ith the 'rand Lod"e and to trans it a circu stantial Account of his %roceedin"s@ at least once in every year& At 4hich ti es@ the %rovincial is re?uired to send a List of those Lod"es he has constituted@ their contributions for the "eneral fund of CharityE and the usual +e and@ as s3ecified in his +e3utation@ for every Lod"e he has constituted by the 'rand $aster=s Authority&

6( ;)*5 %R5#)26IA6 L5C)>R5#= #everal 3oints of interest arise fro the Articles&

i )he status of a %rovincial 'rand $aster is defined as that of a +e3uty 'rand $aster& *is 3recedence has been raised& In 1741 he 4as senior to the 'rand )reasurer but belo4 the %ast 'rand 7ardens& *e no4 ran,s only belo4 %ast +e3uty 'rand $asters&

ii )here is no ention of %rovincial 'rand Lod"e and its 2fficers at all& 'rand Lod"e did not a33arently ,no4 or care 4hether these existed or not&

iii )he %rovincial 'rand $aster is a33ointed by the 'rand $aster&

iv 5ntic,=s Article I& confir s the i 3ression "iven by the 6oteboo, ;Account= and by Anderson=s List and his verbia"e relatin" thereto - that %rovincial 'rand $asters 4ere intended 3ri arily for /orei"n %arts and for 7ales& 5ntic,=s sentence sidetrac,s the issue@ Hust as Anderson=s does@ that ;these forei"n lod"es= include %rovincial 'rand $asters 4ho 4ere not forei"n at all& And that they 4ere all in the 6orth of 5n"land&

5ntic,=s Constitutions 4ent throu"h several editions and in the fourth@ 3ublished in 1767@ 4e find that the third article has been altered&

AR)& III& ;)he %R20I6CIAL 'RA6+ $A#)5R thus de3uted is invested 4ith the %o4er and *onour of a 'rand $aster in his 3articular +istrict@ and is intitled to 4ear the Cloathin" of a 'rand 2fficer@ to constitute Lod"es 4ithin his o4n %rovince and in all 3ublic Asse blies to 4al, i ediately after the 'rand )reasurer& *e is also e 3o4ered to a33oint a +e3uty@ 7ardens@ )reasurer@ #ecretary and #4ord Bearer 4ho are entitled to 4ear the Cloathin" of 'rand 2fficers 4hile they officiate as such@ 4ithin that 3articular +istrictE but at no other ti e or 3lace&= )his is the first official a33earance of %rovincial 'rand 2fficers& As there are no4 other officers@ 5ntic, no lon"er uses the ex3ression ;)he %rovincial= to denote the %rovincial 'rand $aster& )he %rovincial 'rand $aster is a 'rand $aster 4ithin his +istrict& )he 3revious edition defined hi as a ,ind of +e3uty 'rand $aster at lar"e& *e no4 has 2fficers and they 4ear the sa e clothin" as 'rand 2fficers@ but are only to 4ear it on %rovincial occasions-not on ordinary lod"e ni"hts& )he %rovincial 'rand $aster=s 3recedence at 'rand Lod"e reverts to the 1741 3osition@ ie senior to the 'rand )reasurer but inferior to the %ast 'rand 7ardens& In 5ntic,=s first edition the 3recedence had been next belo4 %ast +e3uty 'rand $asters&

)he nu ber of %rovincial 'rand 2fficers ay a33ear rather ea"re but there 4ere no ore 2fficers in the 'rand Lod"e than this@ at that 3eriod&

In 6oorthouc,=s Constitutions of 1784 the individual 2fficers to be a33ointed are no lon"er s3ecified by na e& )he %rovincial ruler is e 3o4ered to a33oint "rand officers for his 3rovince - that is to say officers on the sa e scale as those in the 'rand Lod"e& 'rand Lod"e had ac?uired a 'rand Cha3lain and a 'rand Architect by then@ so that %rovincial 'rand $asters could 3resu ably a33oint the sa e for their %rovinces&

In 1767 )ho as +unc,erley 4as first a33ointed %rovincial 'rand $aster for *a 3shire& *e 4as@ as you all ,no4@ the a3ostle of free asonry in the #outh of 5n"land& Before 4e ta,e this year - the sa e year as 5ntic,=s ne4 Article III - as the date of ori"in of %rovincial 'rand Lod"e 4e ust en?uire 4hat 4as ha33enin" in the 6orth of 5n"land&

)*5 502L>)I26 2/ )*5 56'LI#* %R20I6CIAL 'RA6+ L2+'5 6. )he 'rand Lod"e at 9or, )he old lod"e at 9or, City@ says Anderson@ ;affectin" Inde3endency= 4as under its o4n 'rand $aster& )his old lod"e 4as flourishin" in 17:1& 6o doubt it 4as a "ood deal older than that& )he syste there 4as li,e that 4hich 3ersisted in #cotland& )here 4as a 'eneral Lod"e on one or both #t -ohn=s +ays but in the eanti e 4ritten licences could be "ranted to s all bodies of brethren any4here in 9or,shire to enter asons< and 4e ,no4 that occasional eetin"s 4ere held one at Bradford and one at #carborou"h&

)he County "entry Hoined the lod"e& #ocial distinctions 4ere 4ell understood but the classes ixed ?uite ha33ily& It 4as a co on feature of the dinin" clubs of the 3eriod both in and outside asonry that s?uires and crafts en sat do4n to"ether& At the 'eneral Lod"e a local notable 4as elected ;%resident= and served for varyin" 3eriods&

2n #t -ohn=s +ay in 7inter 17(1 instead of a ;%resident= there 4ere elected a 'rand $aster@ +e3uty@ 7ardens@ )reasurer and Cler,& )he ne4 'rand $aster 4as called Charles Bathurst&

9ou 4ill@ I ho3e@ for"ive a short di"ression on y distant cousin& )he Bathurst fa ily 4ere s all yeo an and lando4ners on the borders of #ussex and !ent& 0arious e bers 4ent to London@ ade oney and settled in various 3arts of the country& $y i ediate ancestors 4ere cavaliers but +r -ohn Bathurst of 'oudhurst 4as obviously on the other side and beca e 3hysician to 2liver Cro 4ell& *e invested his 3rofessional fortune in land in 9or,shire&

)he doctor=s "reat "randson@ Charles@ is described as of Clint and #,utters,elf in the County of 9or,s& )he latter 3lace is near the +urha border not far fro #toc,ton& *e 4as *i"h #heriff of 9or,shire in 17(7 at the a"e of (.& *e 4as Hust (1 4hen he 4as ;ad itted and s4orn= into the #ociety of /ree and Acce3ted $asons at 9or,& )his 4as in -uly 17(1 and his election as 'rand $aster follo4ed on (7 +ece ber& )his ,ind of thin" 4as ?uite nor al at that date& $ost of the 'rand $asters in London 4ere en in their early thirties and the Antient Char"es still 3rovide that@ thou"h a 'rand 7arden ust have been $aster of a lod"e@ )he 'rand $aster need only be a fello4 craft at the ti e of his election& )he lod"e at 9or, 4as oreover clearly 4or,in" a sin"le-session rite@ 4hether of one or t4o de"rees 4e do not ,no4& But it ust have been a si 3le affair as co 3ared 4ith the 3rodi"ious feats of e orisation to 4hich 4e are accusto ed today&

)he %rovincial 'rand Lod"e at Chester 5ntic, "ives 17(6 as the date 4hen so ebody at 'rand Lod"e realised that the 'rand Lod"e in London 4ould have to beco e the 'rand Lod"e of 5n"land and indeed of the 4hole 4orld& It 3robably occurred a year or t4o earlier@ since it is clear that the brethren at 9or, had heard of the develo3 ent in London by 17(1 and decided that they had Hust as "ood a ri"ht to for a 'rand Lod"e as their brethren in the Ca3ital&

I doubt 4hether this 4as re"arded as a hostile act@ in London@ at that date& )he idea that the other lod"es in the 6orth i"ht ;Hoin= 9or, rather than London had hardly for ed itself in en=s inds& /orty years later of course@ thin"s 4ere very 64 different& #till@ the ore thou"htful e bers in London ust have been ?uite 3leased 4hen at the Cuarterly Co unication on (7 6ove ber 17(1@ returns ca e in fro Chester&

)he $aster@ 7ardens and $e bers of three lod"es are "iven@ but at the head of the senior lod"e- the lod"e at the ;#unn= in Brid"e #treet- above the $aster=s na e there a33ears< ;)*5 %R5#)26IA6 L5C)>R5#= )his see s to e truly re ar,able& )he decision of the 9or, Lod"e to "o on electin" their o4n %resident and to di"nify hi 4ith the style of 'rand $aster is ?uite natural& But here 4e see the Chester lod"es tellin" London that they already had a %rovincial 'rand $aster@ +e3uty and 7ardens in 17(1& )hey 4ere not a33ointed< they 4ere elected&

2ne can for all sorts of theories as to 4hat had ha33ened& Ar stron"@ the author of the *istory of /ree asonry in Cheshire A19:1B 3resu es that Cheshire 4as already a %rovince bearin" ;a certain alle"iance to the 'rand Lod"e at 9or,=& I feel sure that this is ost i 3robable but 4hat the truth is I cannot i a"ine& )here could have been so e corres3ondence 4ith London in 4hich the 3osition of the elected ruler of the Chester lod"es 4as discussed and the title of %rovincial 'rand $aster su""ested& It is hard to see other4ise ho4 the very ex3ression 4as ,no4n in Chester at such an early date& But this is ere conHecture&

)he next three %rovincial 'rand $asters at Chester 4ere li,e4ise elected& In 1717@ after the 3ublication of 5ntic,=s /irst Boo, of Constitutions@ a ;de3utation= 4as sent to Chester a33ointin" the %rovincial 'rand $aster@ -ohn %a"e@ 4ho had in fact been elected three years 3reviously& )he Chester brethren see to have received this ?uite ha33ily and the ;de3utation= 4as read in o3en lod"e& )hey 3robably felt that the chan"e 4ould not "reatly affect the and that any candidate 4ho they reco ended 4ould certainly al4ays be a33ointed& )hey could not foresee 4hat odd a33oint ents future 'rand $asters 4ould a,e in so e other 3arts of 5n"land&

7e can no4 see the reason 4hy the 6oteboo, Account sho4s a blan, a"ainst Cheshire and 4hy Anderson does not ention it at all& 6o de3utation had been sent to Cheshire because the %rovincial 'rand $aster there 4as not de3uted@ but elected&

7hatever ay have ha33ened before 17(1@ there 4as one an at 'rand Lod"e 4ho realised that the 3osition called for so e action& )his 4as

-ohn )heo3hilus +esa"uliers& It see s certain that he 4as the asonic states an 4ho@ after his Hourney to 5dinbur"h in 17(1@ realised the need for a 'rand Lod"e of 5n"land& It 4as he 4ho visited Chester@ as +e3uty 'rand $aster@ in 17(7& A letter 4hich 4as si"ned by *u"h 7arburton@ %rovincial 'rand $aster@ and the other three %rovincial 2fficers 4as thou"ht so i 3ortant that it 4as co3ied verbati into the $inutes of 'rand Lod"e& It is a beautiful letter ex3ressin" ; ost Chearfull obedience and extensive 'ratitude to our #u3eriors in London and 7est inster=& It is addressed to the 'rand $aster@ Lord Inchi?uin@ and ex3resses than,s ;for the Coll& /rancis Colu bine %rovincial 'rand $ar&

#a uel # ith +e3uty Coll& *erbert Laurence 7ardens Ca3tain *u"h 7arburton )*5 502L>)I26 2/ )*5 56'LI#* %R20I6CIAL 'RA6+ L2+'5 61 "reat honour done us by your 7orshi3=s ost affectionate L=re and the ,ind visitation of our Lod"es by your ost acce3table +e3uty=&

It is@ I thin,@ extraordinary that Ar stron" in his *istory ?uotes this letter but does not so uch as ention 4ho the ; ost acce3table +e3uty= 4as& )hat +esa"uliers 4as a 4ise@ far-seein" an is not in ?uestion@ but this ust have been one of his "reatest 3ersonal triu 3hs& )he elective %rovincial 'rand 2fficers of Chester 4ere tacitly reco"nised@ and 3eace rei"ned sereneO )he i ediate result 4as the issue of the ;de3utation= of 1: $ay 17(7@ to *u"h 7arburton@ the %rovincial 'rand $aster 4ho si"ned the letter@ to be %rovincial 'rand $aster for 6orth 7ales& )his 4ould "ive hi surveillance over the lod"e at *oly4ell in /lintshire@17 iles a4ay& Bro 7illia 7a3les tells us- of his evidence of a lod"e there in 17(8& )he $aster of the lod"e oreover 4as -ohn Coleclou"h 4ho had been $aster of one of the three Chester lod"es in 17(1 and 4ho@ as %rovincial -unior 'rand 7arden@ had si"ned the letter to the 'rand $aster in 17(7& +esa"uliers ust have ,no4n that Chester 4as about to ;s3ill over= into 6orth 7ales& 6o record@ ho4ever@ 4as ade in London and the lod"e at *oly4ell never ade any returns to 'rand Lod"e&

#ir 5d4ard $atthe4s@ %rovincial 'rand $aster for #hro3shire A17.(B a33ears to have been de3uted for 6orth 7ales in 17.1& A ty3ical ;3a3er transaction= of the 3eriod - since he ,ne4 nothin" of *oly4ell or they of hi & 2n the contrary@ the *oly 4ell $# refers to one =7 7essel de Linden= as 'rand $asterO 6o doubt ;%rovincial 'rand $aster=@ 4as eant but@ e?ually@ 4hat 4e have here is another elected %rovincial 'rand $aster@ as at Chester& 7e 4ho are accusto ed to everythin" bein" ;cut

and dried= can hardly i a"ine that 'rand Lod"e and everybody else could be so va"ue and infor al as 4as the case in those days&

)he 2ther 6orthern Counties As re"ards the other 6orthern Counties the 3osition is even ore uncertain than that of Cheshire& )hree =de3utations= 4ere issued in 17.4 to 5d4ard 5nt4iIle for Lancashire@ -ose3h Laycoc, for +urha and $atthe4 Ridley for 6orthu berland& )he si ultaneous issue to three adHacent counties is su""estive that so ethin" 4as bein" done to re"ularise a state of affairs 4hich had already co e into existence and of 4hich 'rand Lod"e 4as not 3reviously a4are&

It is 3ossible that there 4ere elective %rovincial 'rand $asters here also before the date in ?uestion& 7e only ,no4 that in +urha the old lod"e at #4al4ell did clai the ri"ht to elect@ and that -ose3h Laycoc, and his successor 4ere e bers of that lod"e& Bro 7illia 7a3les has recently recounted that -ose3h Laycoc, 4as also %rovincial 'rand $aster of the *arodi and conferred de"rees the na es of 4hich sound as if they consisted of Christian Lectures or Catechis s& 5vidently then@ in so e 3laces #t -ohn=s $asonry 4as not all& )here 4as so ethin" else as 4ell&

5d4ard 5nt4iIle@ of Lancashire@ had been the first $aster of the Anchor and *o3e Lod"e Ano4 6o .7B of Bolton in 17.(& $atthe4 Ridley 4as the "randfather of #ir $atthe4 7hite Ridley@ %rovincial 'rand $aster for 6orthu berland 18(4-.7 4hose "randson in turn served that office fro 1886 to 19:6&

It is i 3ossible to say 4hether there 4as any calculated 3olicy underlyin" the 66 ;)*5 %R5#)26IA6 L5C)>R5#= reco"nition of Cheshire and the 3ro ul"ation of these a33oint ents to three 6orthern Counties& )hey ay have been 3urely fortuitous - due to the fact that free asonry 4as stron"er there than in the #outh& 2r they ay have been deliberate defensive o3erations ins3ired by is"ivin"s at the inde3endence of 9or,& #o eone ay have thou"ht that@ if %rovincial 'rand $asters 4ere not a33ointed for the 6orth as for 7ales@ se3aratist ove ents i"ht arise in 3arts of the country in 4hich rule fro London i"ht not be 3articularly 4elco e&

#ta"es in 5volution A 3attern is no4 be"innin" to e er"e&

1& 17(6-67 %rovincial 'rand $asters a33ointed 4ith no reference to any %rovincial 'rand 2fficers& In at least one case@ the %rovincial 'rand $aster and so e 2fficers 4ere already in existence thou"h ho4 they ca e to be so is un,no4n&

II& 1767-181. %rovincial 'rand $asters have 3o4er to a33oint %rovincial 'rand 2fficers@ but the nature of %rovincial 'rand Lod"e undefined&

III& /ro the ;>nion %eriod= on4ards& )he 7illia s Constitutions 1811-(7@ re?uire the %rovincial 'rand $aster to hold %rovincial 'rand Lod"e at least once a year< and for the first ti e %rovincial clothin" is differentiated& )he "arter-blue ed"in" is to be ( inches 4ide@ 4hile that of the 'rand 2fficers is .1S( inches&

$ost 4riters of %rovincial histories refer 4ith 3ained sur3rise to the %rovincial 'rand $asters of the first t4o 3eriods& )hey seldo attended lod"es@ they say@ and never held %rovincial 'rand Lod"e& But in fact no one at 'rand Lod"e ever ex3ected the to do anythin" of the sort& )he ost a %rovincial 'rand $aster 4as ex3ected to do at this date 4as to issue 4arrants for ne4 lod"es Auntil 3revented fro doin" so by the >nla4ful #ocieties Act of 1799B and to visit 'rand Lod"e 4hen u3 in London Ae" for %arlia entB 3erha3s so as to "ive 4arnin" of any s3urious asons or lod"es in his 3art of the country&

)he ei"hteenth century 4as@ of course@ an a"e of sinecures@ but the early %rovincial 'rand $asters are not to be bla ed for ne"lectin" their duties& If anyone had su33osed that they had any@ this 4ould have been ?uite a stran"e ne4 idea& )hey the selves 4ere una4are of any& #ir 7alter 0avasour@ Bt of 9or,shire 4hen invited to resi"n in 178. co 3lied in a char in" letter to the effect that@ if there 4as any 4or, attached to the a33oint ent he had not the sli"htest obHection to resi"nin" since he had al4ays ,no4n that he 4as not fit to hold the office& 2ne "ets the i 3ression that any 3eer@ baronet or $% 4ho 4as invited to dine 4ith 'rand Lod"e 4as a3t to be ade %rovincial 'rand $aster irres3ective of 4hether there 4ere any lod"es 4or,in" in his 3art of the 4orld or not&

Absentee %rovincial 'rand $asters )he ost absurd instance 4as that of Robert Corn4all@ $% for Leo inster& *is father@ a 0ice Ad iral@ had been offered a baronetcy but declined it ;not li,in" the ex3ense in the 4ay of fees=& Robert rec,oned that he had been cheated out of his di"nity and called hi self #ir Robert& *e also called hi self ;de Corne4all= as his ancestors had often done in the $iddle A"es& In 171. he 4as a33ointed %rovincial 'rand $aster not only for *erefordshire but for the adHoinin" Coun )*5 502L>)I26 2/ )*5 56'LI#* %R20I6CIAL& 'RA6+ L2+'5 67 ties of $on outh@ 'loucester@ 7orcester and #hro3shire@ and for 6orth 7ales& 7hether there 4ere any lod"es 4or,in" in this lar"e area@ and@ if so@ 4hether it 4as anybody=s duty to infor the of the a33oint ent - all this see s to have been re"arded as ?uite uni 3ortant& 2ne is te 3ted to 4onder if the 4hole thin" 4as not a 3ractical Ho,e&

-ohn +ent 4as a33ointed %rovincial 'rand $aster for 7orcestershire in 179(& *e 4as a 3artner in Child=s Ban, at )e 3le Bar& *e 4as $% first for Lancaster and after4ards for %oole@ +orset& In %arlia ent he beca e notable for introducin" the Bill for licensin" do"s& It can never have been li,ely that such a an 4ould 3erfor any asonic duties in 7orcestershire&

)he first %rovincial 'rand $aster for 2xfordshire 4as %hysician 5xtraordinary to the %rince Re"ent& )here 4ere no $odern lod"es 4or,in" in 2xford or the County at the date of his a33oint ent iIE 179(& -ohn Allen 4as a native of Bury in Lancashire& *e 4as a barrister in Cle ents Inn& *e attended 'rand Lod"e re"ularly often actin" as +e3uty 'rand $aster and so eti es even 3residin"& *e carried out the conveyancin" 4or, of the first 3urchase by 'rand Lod"e of 3re ises in 'reat Cueen #treet& *e 4as %rovincial 'rand $aster for Lancashire fro 1769 to 18:6& #uch a an 4as a useful re3resentative of the Lancashire lod"es in London but he s3ent very little of his life in Lancashire and 4as not a e ber of any Lancashire lod"e&

;)he a33oint ent of this 'rand 2fficer is a 3rero"ative of the 'rand $aster=& 7e ust conclude that the 'rand $asters 4ho ade these a33oint ents had no idea on the ?uestion of 4hether %rovincial 'rand $asters 4ere really necessary or not& Indeed@ if the odern duties of the office had been described to the @ they 4ould 3robably have re3lied that

no one 4ould ever ta,e on such a Hob&

)he %oc,et %rovincial 'rand Lod"e 5ntic,=s Constitutions of 1767 ade 3rovision for the a33oint ent of %rovincial 'rand 2fficers but none for the holdin" of %rovincial 'rand Lod"e& 7hen therefore@ durin" %eriod II A1767-181.B@ 4e co e across the ex3ression@ 4e ust not assu e that it connoted an asse bly of the $aster and 7ardens of every 3rivate lod"e& )he nor al arran"e ent 4as that it 4as so ethin" that existed 4ithin a 3rivate lod"eE usually@ but not al4ays@ the oldest lod"e in the district& 7e have seen that this 4as in effect the 3osition at Chester in 17(1 4hen the na es of the %rovincial 'rand $aster@ his +e3uty and 7ardens 4ere "iven at the head of the list of e bers of the lod"e at the ;#unn=&

)here are nu erous other instances@ so e of 4hich have 3uIIled local historians& In fact there 4as not uch else to do about it at that date& )ravellin" 4as slo4 and dan"erous and@ besides this@ there 4ere no 3rovincial dues fro 4hich the ex3ense of re"ular %rovincial asse blies could have been defrayed&

Bro Beesley@ the author of /ree asonry in Lancashire is at a loss to understand the Return to 'rand Lod"e of 1768 by the Lod"e of >nani ity Ano4 6o 89B in $anchester& )he list of 2fficers and e bers of the lod"e is headed by the list of %rovincial 2fficers& )he $aster and #enior 7arden of the Lod"e 3ro3er are %ast %rovincial -unior 'rand 7ardens& In fact Aand this is the only confusin" featureB@ the lod"e 4as@ inaccurately@ ,no4n as ;)he %rovincial 'rand Lod"e=& 7e find the 68 ;)*5 %R5#)26IA6 L5C)>R5#= sa e thin" in #hro3shire& )he lod"e at 7hitchurch 4as co only referred to as ;the %rovincial 'rand Lod"e=@ eanin" that it had the %rovincial 'rand Lod"e 4ithin it and that@ if the %rovincial 'rand $aster- or@ in his absence@ the +e3uty - 4ere 3resent he could o3en %rovincial 'rand Lod"e and dischar"e any %rovincial business< after 4hich the lod"e reverted to its nor al 4or,&

)he 3osition at 9or, 4as si ilar and o4in" to the "reat siIe of the County soon beca e a cause of discontent& )here the ancient 'rand Lod"e of 9or,@ after a 3eriod of dor ancy@ had@ ri"htly or 4ron"ly@ been revived@ but@ in 177.@ the ore realistic e bers decided@ instead@ to hold a re"ular 3rivate lod"e under the $odern Constitution& )he A3ollo Lod"e@

4hich 4as then constituted@ beca e - or contained - the %rovincial 'rand Lod"e& And 4hen the A3ollo Lod"e be"an to droo3@ the >nion Lod"e at 9or, too, over the 3rivile"ed status& )his sort of arran"e ent be"an to loo, absurd 4hen@ o4in" to the Industrial Revolution@ the 7est Ridin" to4ns be"an to "ro4 in siIe and i 3ortance&

)ho as +unc,erley )o a33reciate the extent of +unc,erley=s 4or,@ 4e ust first realise ho4 s all a 3art of the country 4as even no inally under %rovincial 'rand $asters in 1767& Cheshire and Corn4all 4ere in 4or,in" order& )here 4as an annual "atherin" of lod"es@ 4ith a 3rocession to Church& )he %rovincial 'rand $aster@ or his +e3uty@ 3resided and there 4ere %rovincial 'rand 7ardens& )he church service in connection 4ith %rovincial 'rand Lod"e is one of the oldest traditions of the Craft& In those %rovinces 4here the custo still survives@ it should not be li"htly cast a4ay& I yself as a youn" an have ta,en 3art in a 3rocession throu"h the streets& In vie4 of odern traffic conditions ho4ever this 4ould be hardly 3racticable today&

Corn4all clai s su3eriority over Chester on the so e4hat s3ecious "rounds that their first ruler 4as de3uted by the 'rand $aster in 171(@ 4hereas@ as 4e have seen@ the %rovincial 'rand $aster of Cheshire@ thou"h reco"nised by 'rand Lod"e in 17(7@ did not actually receive a de3utation until 1717&

In the other three 6orthern counties@ Lancashire@ +urha @ and 6orthu berland@ there 4ere %rovincial 'rand $astersE and also in 6orfol, and in #o erset& 6one of these rulers 4as ex3ected to do very uch@ althou"h 4e do ,no4 that the t4o last na ed@ 5d4ard Bacon and -ohn # ith 4ere ?uite active by the standards of the day& In 9or, the inde3endent 'rand Lod"e 4as still in existence& In the rest of 5n"land@ %rovincial 'rand $asters can hardly be said to have existed at all&

+unc,erley=s career is 4ell ,no4n@ because - or ay I say in s3ite - of the fact that his life 4as 4ritten by the e"re"ious #adler& AIt is surely one of the 4orst bio"ra3hies ever 3ublished&B A casual reader of the $asonic 9ear Boo, ay su33ose that +unc,erley=s ;e 3ire= 4as of a si ilar nature to the i a"inary do ain of #ir Robert de Corne4all& But this is far fro bein" the case&

+unc,erley 4as initiated at %orts outh in 1714@ and *a 3shire 4as therefore his first %rovince& )hin,in" that he had found a suitable successor he relin?uished that office in 1776 and too, on the t4o adHoinin" counties@ 7iltshire and +orset in 1777& Li,e4ise 5ssex& 7iltshire 4as the only County in 4hich he 4as not successful& *e had ac?uired a s all house in #alisbury Ain addition to his a3art- )*5 502L>)I26 2/ )*5 56'LI#* %R20I6CIAL 'RA6+ L2+'5 69 ents in *a 3ton CourtB@ but the #alisbury brethren see to have thou"ht this 4as not ?uite "rand enou"h for their taste@ and they "ave hi a bit of trouble&

In 1784 he too, char"e of the next t4o counties - #o erset and 'loucestershire@ the latter consistin" only of lod"es in Bristol& *e for ed a lod"e at 'loucester and severed it fro Bristol in 1786& )he Isle of 7i"ht 4as severed fro *a 3shire in 1787& /inally he too, on *erefordshire as 4ell in 179:&

In 1786 he 4rote< I have in the course of this year held 'rand Lod"es at Colchester@ Blandford and Bristol& I 4as favour=d 4ith the attendance of near t4o hundred Brethren Aon his $aHesty=s birthdayB in 3rocession to the Church at 7ells@ and the ladies honour=d us 4ith their co 3any at the Asse bly Roo 4here li,e the 4elco e #un@ at *i"h t4elve they beautify=d adorn=d@ and enliven=d our ha33y eetin"&

7ritin" of the for ation of the t4o ne4 %rovinces he says< )his 4ill be very 3leasin" to the Brethren at Bristol and the Isle of 7i"ht< and it 4ill enable e to a33oint a "reater nu ber of blue and red a3rons@ 4hich I find of "reat advanta"e to the #ociety as it attracts the notice of the 3rinci3al 'entle en in the several Counties@ 4ho see a bitious to attend e at y %rov& 'rand Lod"es&

)his is@ incidentally@ the first ention of %rovincial 'rand #te4ards& >nder 6oorthouc,=s Constitutions of 1784 it 4as inferred@ thou"h not ex3ressly stated@ that %rovincial 'rand 2fficers could be a33ointed on the sa e scale at 'rand 2fficers@ and 4ear the sa e clothin"& +unc,erley=s ;red a3rons= 4ere 3resu ably the sa e as those of the 'rand #te4ards&

+unc,erley ade free asonry s3ectacular& *e also collected oney@ not only for the 'eneral Charity@ but for the fund for buildin" a $asonic *all in 'reat Cueen #treet& In this necessary 3roHect@ brethren 4ho lived a hundred iles or so fro London dis3layed a very faint interest& *e sa4@ ho4ever@ that a fine s3ectacle and an ele"ant re3ast for the ladies 4as no bad ethod of raisin" funds&

And he ade free asonry interestin"& *e cultivated additional de"rees& )he Royal Arch 4as 4or,ed by the ;Antients= but 4as little ,no4n to the ;$oderns= in the #outh of 5n"land& *e a33ears as 'rand #u3erintendent in and over 18 %rovinces - thou"h that is really as isleadin" a 3icture as it 4ould be to describe #t %aul as ;Bisho3= of all the 3laces 4hich he visited on his issionary Hourneys& )here 4as also a de"ree called the $ar, and@ at the end of his life@ another ,no4n as the !ni"ht )e 3lar& )hese all added variety to the asonic scene&

*ad it not been for this an=s 4or,@ the ;$odern= 'rand Lod"e i"ht ?uite easily have been ta,en over by the ;Antients=& And they had no %rovincial syste & +unc,erley=s exa 3le created a de and for %rovincial 'rand $asters in other 3arts of the country& *e not only 3reserved the ;$odern= Constitution - he ,e3t it influential@ and indeed enhanced its 3resti"e&

7ith elected %rovincial 'rand $asters Aunder the ori"inal syste B or 4ith no %rovincial 'rand $asters at all@ British free asonry 4ould not have survived& But for Lord $oira@ the Royal +u,es and other 3eers@ and any $e bers of %arlia ent@ the Craft 4ould have succu bed under the >nla4ful #ocieties Act of 1799&

7: ;)*5 %R5#)26IA6 L5C)>R5#= )he >nion of the )4o 'rand Lod"es@ 181. After the >nion@ the ne4 Boo, of Constitutions 4as 4ritten by 7illia 7illia s A%rovincial 'rand $aster for +orsetB in 1811& %rovincial 'rand Lod"e no4 assu es reco"nisable sha3e& It is to eet once a year& %resent and %ast %rovincial 'rand 2fficers and the $asters@ %ast $asters and 7ardens of every lod"e are e bers& It ay have a local fund for ;charitable and other $asonic 3ur3oses=& )he inutes are to be ,e3t& And@ as I have said@ the clothin" is no4 defined& Curiously

enou"h there is no s3ecific 3rovision as to the collars and a3rons of %rovincial 'rand #te4ards& )hese 4ere not defined until 1841&

*itherto the inutes of %rovincial 'rand Lod"e had been 4ithin the lod"e inutes of the lod"e to 4hich %rovincial 'rand Lod"e 4as attached& Corn4all antici3ated the ne4 rule by ,ee3in" a se3arate %rovincial $inute Boo, as early as 179(@ and see to have been the first %rovince to have done so& <= -I )he ne4 arran"e ents naturally "ave rise to ne4 3roble s& If@ as 4as no4 ade clear@ the %rovincial 'rand 2fficer 4as an inferior s3ecies of 'rand 2fficer@ 4hat 4ere the ?ualifications for ad ission to the su3erior "radeP )he lo"ical conclusion 4as not conceded until 1887 4hen - a33arently under cover of celebratin" the -ubilee - lar"e nu bers of %rovincial $asons@ e" +e3uty %rovincial 'rand $asters@ 4ere at last ad itted to %ast Ran, in 'rand Lod"e&

A distressin" incident had arisen in 'loucestershire in 188: at the Installation of #ir $ichael *ic,s Beach& )he retirin" +e3uty %rovincial 'rand $aster@ '& /& 6e4 arch by na e@ 4ho had toiled 4ith i ense Ieal for .: years@ had never been ade a 'rand 2fficer& A nu ber of 'rand 2fficers %resent and %ast attended the Installation Cere ony and 6e4 arch@ 4ell a4are that the Constitutions stated that a +e3uty %rovincial 'rand $aster 4as invested 4ith the ran, of a +e3uty 'rand $aster 4ithin the %rovince@ 4as a aIed to find that as a %ast +e3uty he 4as considered inferior in ran, to %ast Assistant 'rand +irector of Cere onies& As the Constitutions then stood he see s to have had a stron" case& It too, 'rand Lod"e over sixty years to realise that if %rovincial 'rand 2fficers 4ere to 4ear less "or"eous clothin" than the 'rand 2fficers@ then the leadin" %rovincial 2fficers ust be "iven ran, in 'rand Lod"e&

)he ne4 status of %rovincial 'rand Lod"e see s to have "iven rise to so e unex3ected 3roble s at first - as refor s often do& )hree %rovincial 'rand $asters ca e to "rief throu"h inex3erience in 3residin" over the ne4 s3ecies of asse bly-those for Bristol A1814B@ #o erset A1819B@ and Lancashire A18((B& In all three cases the underlyin" cause 4as the sa e - so e ;difficult= brother 4ho@ feelin" that his erits had been insufficiently a33reciated@ or"anised a hostile faction&

Arthur Chichester of #o erset had ade several 3ro3ositions 4ith re"ard to the Byela4s includin"@ ho4ever@ fines to be inflicted on %rovincial 'rand 2fficers 4ho ne"lected to attend& 6one of his 3ro3osals 4as confir ed at the follo4in" %rovincial 'rand Lod"e@ and he resi"ned& In the other t4o cases the 'rand Re"istrar 4as 3laced in char"e 4hilst accusations a"ainst the %rovincial 'rand $aster 4ere investi"ated& 'old4yer of Bristol 4as fully vindicated& But even so it ust have been a ost hu iliatin" ex3erience&

)*5 502L>)I26 2/ )*5 56'LI#* %R20I6CIAL 'RA6+ L2+'5 71 7illia )uc,er 2ne %rovincial 'rand $aster@ ho4ever@ has actually been de3osed by the 'rand $aster& )his 4as 7illia )uc,er@ of Coryton %ar,@ Ax inster@ %rovincial 'rand $aster for +orset& *is offence 4as that at a %rovincial 'rand Lod"e at 7areha on 18 Au"ust 181.@ he a33eared in the clothin" of the ..& *e also delivered an address in 4hich he clai ed to have ta,en a4ay the re3roach of free asonry bein" Anti-Christian& )he Ancient and Acce3ted Rite in its 3resent for 4as introduced into 5n"land in 2ctober 1841 fro A erica& )uc,er@ 4ho had been a33ointed %rovincial 'rand $aster for +orset in -anuary 1846 4as one of the ei"ht brethren 4ho@ later in the sa e year@ 4ere elected to Hoin the ori"inal #u3re e Council&

I have al4ays 4ondered ho4 )uc,er co itted his cri e& )he corres3ondence is ho4ever 3reserved at 'rand Lod"e@ and fro this it a33ears that he 4ore his full clothin" as %rovincial 'rand $aster and over it the robe of the ..& )his ans4ers y ?uestion since no4adays@ as you ,no4@ no robes are 4orn by e bers of that or any other Rose Croix de"ree& But a33arently there 4as a robe@ and he 4ore it& )uc,er did not ar"ue - he 4as not "iven ti e to do so& *e i"ht have observed that the Constitutions of 1811 and of 1841 refer only to He4els@ thou"h those of 181. s3ecify ;He4el@ edal or device=& *e could 3ossibly have 3leaded that no ention is ade of robes& *e ay of course have 4orn his collar bad"e@ but it is not stated that he did&

2n (4 2ctober )uc,er ad itted that he had co

itted the offence&

2n .: 2ctober@ the %resident of the Board of 'eneral %ur3oses AR& '& AlstonB 4rote to the 'rand #ecretary A7& *& 7hiteB& *e had@ he said@ lon"

foreseen that a contest on the 3retensions of the ..rd +e"ree 4as inevitable-that it ust be far better to fi"ht the battle no4@ than 4hen they had 3roceeded further and "ot a fir er hold& In his o3inion an enforced resi"nation 4ould not have so 4holeso e an effect as a for al re oval@ and could not be announced 4ith such "ood effect to 'rand Lod"e& 2n 1: 6ove ber 7illia )uc,er 4as accordin"ly de3osed& 7ithin t4o years he 4as dead&

+id )uc,er ,no4 4hat he 4as doin"P 7as he really a revolutionary or had he 4andered ai lessly into a cry3t full of barrels of "un3o4derP 7e shall never ,no4 the ans4er& )here is an alternative for of asonic "overn ent and it is the one 4ith 4hich our 6or4e"ian friend is fa iliar& In the #candinavian countries the )hird +e"ree does not 3redo inate as it does in the 5n"lish s3ea,in" 4orld& )he Craft is ruled by the hi"hest Christian de"ree - the 1: in fact&

But the date of the e3isode 4as 181.& 7e could have been thro4n out of India by the $utineers in 1817 in 4hich case our African 5 3ire 4ould 3robably never have existed& If 5n"land had beco e a 3o4er 4ithout colonies@ and if )uc,er had been allo4ed to start a ove ent Aal4ays assu in" that he intended to do soB it 4as then 4ithin the bounds of 3ossibility that 5n"lish free asonry 4ould have develo3ed alon" #4edish lines - an interestin" 3icture in the "allery of $i"ht*ave-Beens&

Conclusion %rovincial 'rand Lod"e is an accident& It "re4 fro the a33oint ent of %rovin- 7( cial 'rand 7ardens& )he 'rand Lod"e had 'rand 7ardens 4hen it 4as first for ed in 1717& )here 4ere %rovincial 'rand 7ardens at Chester in 17(1& At 9or,@ ho4ever@ until 17(6@ there 4as only a %resident& 7hether the Chester 7ardens 4ere elected in i itation of the 'rand 7ardens in London@ or 4hether both 4ere derived fro so e earlier tradition@ I cannot tell&

'rand Lod"e do not see to have conte 3lated settin" u3 %rovincial 'rand Lod"es at the outset - at least there is no ention of the till the Constitutions of 1767& And the Constitutions of 1716 see to envisa"e a %rovincial 'rand $aster actin" alone@ very uch li,e the 'rand Ins3ectors today& 7hat +esa"uliers encountered on his visit to Chester in 17(7 4as a fait acco 3li=&

'iven the odest establish ent of a +e3uty and %rovincial 'rand 7ardens the rest follo4ed in lo"ical se?uence& 'rand Lod"e had a )reasurer@ #ecretary and #4ord Bearer - the %rovincial 'rand $aster had to have the too& )he 'rand 2fficers 4ore ;blue and red a3rons=- sooner or later the %rovincial 'rand 2fficers ust 4ear the too& )his distinction 4as naturally coveted and the besto4er of the honours 4as faced 4ith the 3roble of ho4 to select so e 4ithout "ivin" u bra"e to the rest& )his 3roble is solved in the s aller- but not 3resu ably in the lar"er3rovinces by honourin" everyone eli"ible@ thus@ as the !in"s of Barataria discovered@ defeatin" the obHect of the exercise&

)he %rovincial 'rand $asters 4ho 4ere overco e by the co 3lexity of the office cannot@ I thin,@ have had-or have ta,en-ex3ert advice& )his is fortunately available to every holder of the office today& )he tireless and tactful labours of +e3uty and Assistant %rovincial 'rand $asters and %rovincial #ecretaries ,ee3 their chief u3 to the ar,@ 3revent hi fro "ettin" into trouble@ or "et hi out of it if he does& )heir 4or, 4ill never be recorded in any 3ublished %rovincial *istory& Behold@ it is 4ritten in the Boo, of -asher&

;)*5 %R5#)26IA6 L5C)>R5#= #ir Cuthbert #har3 /ree asonry in the %rovince of +urha 18.6 Alexander 'raha A *istory of /ree asonry in the %rovince of #hro3shire 189( *a on le #tran"e *istory of /ree asonry in 6orfol, 1896 -ohn #trachan@ 2C 6orthu brian $asonry 1898 -ohn Ar stron" A *istory of /ree asonry in Cheshire 19:1 -& Littleton L A& C& %o4ell /ree asonry in Bristol 191: 'eor"e 6or an %rovincial 'rand Lod"e of 'loucestershire 1911 5& A& Beesley /ree asonry in Lancashire 19.( 5& #& 0incent A Record of /ree asonry in the %rovince of Corn4all 1711-19&19 196: 7ilfred '& /isher *istory of the %rovincial 'rand Lod"e of #o erset 196( Col& A& -& !erry@ 2B5 *istory of /ree asonry in 2xfordshire 1961 BIBLI2'RA%*9 )*5 502L>)I26 2/ )*5 56'LI#* %R20I6CIAL 'RA6+ L2+'5 7. -& R& Rylands )he Cri"in of the %rovincial 'rand Lod"e of 9or,shire A7estRidin"B ACC@ Ixvi 7illia 7a3les 6ote A CC@ lxxv '& 9& -ohnson +ivision of the $asonic %rovince of 9or,shire ACC@ lxxvi 6or an Ro"ers 6ote A CC@ Ixxvii )*5 'RA6+ L2+'5 2/ 56'LA6+ A *istory of the /irst *undred 9ears@ 1717-1817 )*5 %R5#)26IA6 L5C)>R5 /2R 1967 )*5 C5L5BRA)I26 I6 1967 of such a uni?ue event as the (1:th anniversary of the foundin" of the 3re ier 'rand Lod"e of the 4orld a,es it fittin" that the %restonian

Lecture for the year should be devoted to a brief historical survey of its ori"in and "ro4th in the first hundred years not4ithstandin" that so uch has already been said and 4ritten on the subHect&

/R55$A#26R9 B5/2R5 1717 /or ho4 lon" non-o3erative or s3eculative free asonry existed before the advent of its first "overnin" body it is i 3ossible to sayE an exact date can never be assi"ned to so ethin" 4hich has evolved over a lon" 3eriod of ti e& >ndoubtedly 4hat is no4 ,no4n as free and acce3ted or s3eculative asonry e er"ed fro early o3erative asonry-the craft of the stone ason@ the builders or 4or,ers in stone& >nli,e other crafts and trades the asons needed to travel the country see,in" localities 4here buildin" 4as in 3ro"ress 4hence@ on the co 3letion of the 4or,@ they oved on once ore& /or this reason it 4as seldo 3ossible to or"anise the selves into static "uilds as did other crafts 4hich@ "enerally@ o3erated in so e settled 3lace& An exce3tion 4as the London Co 3any of $asons 4hich re"ulated the o3erative craft in and about the City of London& )he itinerant asons con"re"ated in lod"es at the buildin" site 4herein the 4or, 4as 3lanned@ disci3line enforced and atters affectin" the craft discussed& )hey 4ere also 3laces for refresh ent and relaxation&

)*5 2L+ C*AR'5# $ention should 3erha3s be ade here of the ;2ld Char"es= consistin" of a le"endary history of the ason craft 4ith a code of re"ulations "overnin" the behaviour of crafts en& In the absence of a central or controllin" body these ;Char"es= 4ere a ,ind of bindin" force for the craft& $any versions are in existence today the earliest bein" that ,no4n as the Re"ius %oe Aso eti es called the *alli4ell $#B 4ritten about the end of the fourteenth century Ac 1.9:B and no4 in the British $useu & Another is the Coo,e $# of the early fifteenth century Ac 141:B& )he third oldest is the 'rand Lod"e $# 6o 1 and dated 118.& A lod"e of ason crafts en fortunate enou"h to o4n a version of these 2ld Char"es 4ould have considered it a treasured 3ossession enablin" it to enHoy a easure of continuity& )he Ancient Char"es ,no4n today are their counter3arts@ any of the individual char"es bein" re iniscent of those read to our 3redecessors& )hey for one of the closest lin,s bet4een the o3erative asons of yesterday and the s3eculative free asons of today&

74 )*5 'RA6+ L2+'5 2/ 56'LA6+ 71 )*5 L26+26 C2$%A69 2/ $A#26# 7hereas the travellin" asons asse bled in lod"es near their 4or, the London Co 3any 4as an established and settled "uild of

crafts en founded in the City before the year 1.71 AConderB and so e asonic scholars believe that uch of the fra e4or, of our asonry of today 4as inherited fro that Co 3any& Certainly its ode of "overn ent@ its coat of ar s@ its syste of acce3tin" non-o3eratives into a lod"e and 3robably so e of its esoteric character 4ere ado3ted by 'rand Lod"e& Conder@ author of the standard history of the Co 3any@ believed that the Co 3any included a lod"e into 4hich 3ersons in no 4ay connected 4ith the buildin" trade 4ere ;acce3ted=@ a necessary ?ualification for non-o3eratives before bein" ad itted to the Co 3any=s livery& )he earliest reference to acce3tance into asonry in this 4ay is the year 16(1&

5ARL9 626-2%5RA)I05 $A#26# 5lias Ash ole@ the distin"uished anti?uary@ recorded that he 4as@ 4ith others@ ade a free ason at 7arrin"ton in Lancashire in 1646& Another anti?uary@ Randle *ol e@ a conte 3orary of Ash ole@ and hi self a s3eculative@ refers to the 4ords and si"ns of a free ason in a $# note 4ritten bet4een 167: and 1671@ attached to an early version of the 2ld Char"es A*arleian $# 6o (:14B& A third seventeenth-century reference to the craft is that ade by +r Robert %lot@ the historian and anti?uary@ 4ho entions the #ociety of /ree asons and the cere ony of their ad ission in his 6atural *istory of #taffordshire@ 1686& 9et another reference is to be found in -ohn Aubrey=s 6atural *istory of 7iltshire@ 4ritten bet4een 1616 and 1691& Ash ole@ .6 years after his ad ission into the 7arrin"ton Lod"e@ recorded in his diary that@ in 168(@ he 4as su oned ;to a33ear at a lod"e to be held & & & at $asons *all@ London=&

A lod"e at #4al4ell had a history fro the be"innin" of the ei"hteenth century and another is ,no4n to have et in 9or, in 17:1-6@ both 3robably ainly o3erative lod"es& )here 4as also an o3eratives= lod"e at Aln4ic, 4ith records fro 17:1&

'rand Lod"e inutes@ (4 -une 17.1@ refer to a *enry %ritchard as a ason of u34ards of 4: years 4ho 4as@ therefore@ ad itted in c 169:@ althou"h the inutes of 11 +ece ber 17.: refer to hi as bein" thirty years a ason - 4hichever 4as correct he 4as ad itted before the for ation of 'rand Lod"e& A"ain@ ( $arch 17.(@ there is ention of 5d4ard *all@ ade a ason in Chichester .6 years 3reviously and therefore ad itted in 1696&

)*5 /2R$A)I26 2/ 'RA6+ L2+'5 5nou"h has been said to indicate the existence of nu erous lod"es throu"hout the country and that non-o3eratives - the "entle en asons as they are Ho eti es called-4ere bein" acce3ted into craft lod"es in various 3arts of 5n"land in the seventeenth century@ a 3ractice 4hich continued into the early ei"hteenth& )here is even ore evidence of si ilar 3ractice in #cotland& At the turn of the century any lod"es had lost their o3erative character and it 4as four of such lod"es that a"reed to band to"ether and for a 'rand Lod"e& )he event has been recounted on innu berable occasions but for the sa,e of co 3leteness and 76 ;)*5 %R5#)26IA6 L5C)>R5#= continuity it ust be retold here& )here is no conte 3orary account of this historic event but Anderson in his second Boo, of Constitutions A17.8B records that@ in 1716@ a fe4 lod"es in London thou"ht fit to ce ent under a 'rand $aster as the centre of union and har ony& )he four lod"es 4ere those that et< at the 'oose and 'ridiron Ale-house in #t %aul=s Churchyard Ano4 the Lod"e of Anti?uity@ 6o (BE at the Cro4n Ale-house in %ar,er=s Lane@ near +rury Lane Ano lon"er in existenceBE at the A33le )ree )avern in Charles #treet@ Covent 'arden Ano4 the Lod"e of /ortitude and 2ld Cu berland@ 6o 1(B and at the Ru er and 'ra3es in Channel Ro4@ 7est inster Ano4 the Royal #o erset *ouse and Inverness Lod"e@ 6o 4B& )hey and so e old brothers held a eetin" at the A33le )ree and@ havin" 3laced in the chair the oldest $aster $ason 3resent A4ho 4as at the ti e the $aster of a lod"eB they a"reed to constitute the selves into a 'rand Lod"e 3ro te 3ore and forth4ith ;revived the Cuarterly Co unication=&

)*5 /IR#) 'RA6+ $A#)5R )he use of the 4ord =revived= has been the subHect of conHecture because@ in s3ite of Anderson=s le"endary history@ there is no record or su""estion of any 3revious 'rand Lod"e& )he eetin" also resolved to hold an annual asse bly and feast and to choose a 'rand $aster fro a on" the selves until such ti e as ;they should have the *onour of a 6oble Brother at their *ead=& Accordin"ly@ an asse bly and feast 4as held on (4 -une 1717@ and@ by a aHority@ $r Antony #ayer@ "entle an@ 4as elected 'rand $aster of $asons and invested& *e a33ointed Ca3t -ose3h 5lliot and $r -acob La ball@ car3enter@ 'rand 7ardens& )he asse bly then con"ratulated hi and 3aid hi ho a"e& *e co anded the $aster and 7ardens of lod"es to eet the 'rand 2fficers every ?uarter in Co unication at a 3lace that he should a33oint in the su ons& And so 'rand Lod"e 4as born&

Anderson records re"ular annual asse blies at 4hich a 'rand $aster 4as chosen for each ensuin" year& Be"innin" 4ith only four lod"es the ne4 'rand Lod"e steadily i 3roved its status by the ad ission of noble en and other 3ersons of ;?uality=& Its Hurisdiction 4as extended by the adherence of ore of the self-constituted lod"es and by the constitution of ne4 lod"es@ so uch so that@ in 17(1@ re?uirin" ore roo @ it 4as 3ro3osed that the next asse bly and feast should be held at the #tationers= *all&

)*5 B22! 2/ C26#)I)>)I26# )he second 'rand $aster@ 'eor"e %ayne@ in 1718< +esired any Brethren to brin" to the 'rand Lod"e any old 7ritin"s and Records concernin" $asons and $asonry in order to s3e4 the >sa"es of antient )i es< and this 9ear several old co3ies of the 'othic Constitutions Fi&e&@ the 2ld Char"esG 4ere 3roduced and collated&

)hus ste3s 4ere ta,en for the 3roduction of the first Boo, of Constitutions 4hich Anderson 3re3ared and 3ublished in 17(.& )hat year also sa4 the co ence ent of recorded inutes@ na ely@ those for (4 -une@ 4hich continued until 1868 Athereafter only 3rinted inutes have been aintainedB& )he first inute is )*5 'RA6+ L2+'5 2/ 56'LA6+ 77 devoted to atters relatin" to the Constitutions and one of the resolutions carried 3rovided< )hat it is not in the %o4er of any 3erson@ or Body of en@ to a,e any Alteration or Innovation in the Body of $asonry 4ithout the Consent first obtained of the Annual 'rand Lod"e 4hich bears a fa iliar rin" today&

+505L2%$56) I6 )*5 5ARL9 95AR# At first the Hurisdiction of 'rand Lod"e 4as confined to the cities of London and 7est inster and adHacent localities@ in fact the earliest 5n"raved List of lod"es@ 17(.-(4@ contains a note of 1(@ only one of 4hich 4as beyond the etro3olis@ viI at Rich ond@ #urrey& $eans of co unication 4ere slo4 and it too, ti e for the foundin" of 'rand Lod"e to beco e ,no4n and ac,no4led"ed& #o e lod"es in the country 4ere reluctant to reco"nise a "overnin" body in London@ about 4hich little 4as ,no4n@ and so lose their inde3endence@ althou"h a study of the 17(. Constitutions reveals ho4 little 'rand Lod"e controlled or dictated the internal ana"e ent of 3rivate lod"es& )he first 3rovincial lod"es to a33ear in the list A17(4B - a3art fro those situated near London at 5d"4are@ Acton@ /ulha and Brentford - 4ere at Readin"@ Bath@ Bristol@ 6or4ich@ Chichester@ Chester@ 'os3ort and Car arthen@ all of 4hich a33ear to have been founded in 17(4& )he first

lod"e to be for ed overseas 4as at 'ibraltar@ ,no4n to be in existence on 1: $ay 17(7@ 4hen the health of the brethren thereof 4as drun, in 'rand Lod"e althou"h the for al de3utation to constitute it 4as not a33roved until 9 $arch 17(9& In the eanti e the +u,e of 7harton A'rand $aster 17((-(.B had set u3 a lod"e in $adrid in 17(8@ 4hich 4as re"ularised (7 $arch 17(9& )radition has it that the 5arl of +er4ent4ater established a lod"e in %aris in 17(1 but nothin" is ,no4n of it in the 'rand Lod"e records of the 3eriod& 2n (7 +ece ber 17(8@ a 3etition 4as received fro brethren at /ort 7illia @ Ben"al@ for a lod"e there@ the constitution of 4hich 4as authorised 6 /ebruary 17(9S.:& #o e early lod"es 4ere of short duration but others 4ere bein" fir ly established by the end of 17(4 there 4ere 61&

C26#)I)>)I26 2/ L2+'5# Before the existence of 'rand Lod"e and for so e years after 1717 no for al docu entary authority for the constitution of a lod"e 4as dee ed necessary& Lod"es 4ere 3robably for ed by brethren Hoinin" to"ether in eetin"s 4ho then re"arded the selves as a lod"e@ or by a lod"e s3littin" into se3arate "atherin"s or by the 3ossession of a co3y of the 2ld Char"es as has already been su""ested& After 'rand Lod"e beca e fir ly established ne4 lod"es 4ere for ed by the issue of =dis3ensations= or =de3utations= authorisin" so e 4ell-,no4n brother to constitute a nu ber of brethren into a lod"e& )he Antients 'rand Lod"e Afounded in 1711B constituted the lod"es by de3utin" a distin"uished brother to o3en and hold a 'rand Lod"e at the 3lace concerned for a nu ber of hours@ usually three@ and no ore& )he date of the first 5n"lish 7arrant of Constitution is un,no4n but by the 171:s 7arrants 4ere bein" re"ularly issued& It 4as so eti es the 78 =)*5 %R5#)26IA6 L5C)>R5#= 3ractice to sell or=assi"n= a lod"e 7arrant to a brother or brethren 4ishin" to for a lod"e but 4ith the 3resti"e of an earlier nu ber - a asonic offence today@ one ay hasten to add& After the 3assin" of the >nla4ful #ocieties Act in 1799 the for ation of ne4 lod"es 4as i 3ossible for a ti e and it beca e the 3ractice to re-issue 7arrants of erased or defunct lod"es so as to 3er it the establish ent of ne4 lod"es& Althou"h existin" lod"es 4ere safe"uarded under the Act it 4as not until the 3assin" of the #editious $eetin"s Act@ 1817@ that exe 3tion fro both 4as secured&

2)*5R 'RA6+ L2+'5# 7ithin (: years of the foundin" of the 3re ier 'rand Lod"e three others ca e into bein"& /irst@ the old lod"e in the City of 9or, constituted itself a 'rand Lod"e in 17(1@ under the title of 'rand Lod"e of All 5n"land& After a che?uered existence it finally disa33eared in about 179(& +urin" its lifeti e it constituted so e 11 lod"es and one

other 'rand Lod"e& #econdly@ the 'rand Lod"e of Ireland 4as for ed in 17(1 and@ thirdly@ the 'rand Lod"e of #cotland in 17.6&

IRR5'>LAR $A#26# A6+ )*5 ;5J%2#>R5#= As early as 17(4 there is evidence that@ in s3ite of the existence of 'rand Lod"e and any re"ular lod"es clandestine asons@ so e callin" the selves honorary asons@ 4ere bein" ade and irre"ular eetin"s held& )he fre?uent use of the ex3ression =re"ular lod"es= in the 'rand Lod"e records 3re-su33oses that there 4ere nu erous =irre"ular= ones& In 17.1 the 'rand $aster too, notice of the = a,in" FofG extranious FsicG $asons in a 3rivate and clandestine anner@ u3on s all and un4orthy Considerations= and easures 4ere enacted a"ainst those so ad itted&

Irre"ularity in the a,in" of asons in the iddle and later 17(:s 4as undoubtedly sti ulated by the 3ublication of a nu ber of so-called ex3osures@ the first@ A $ason=s 5xa ination@ in 17(.& )he ost successful of such 3ublications 4as #a uel %richard=s $asonry +issected 4hich a33eared in 17.:& It 4as referred to in 'rand Lod"e A11 +ece ber 17.:B by the +e3uty 'rand $aster 4ith indi"nation and =as a foolish thin" not to be re"arded=& In s3ite of bein" so described %richard=s boo, 4ent throu"h any editions in the follo4in" years and 4as used as a basis for si ilar 4or,s& It also 3roved invaluable to brethren as a boo, of ritual - hitherto they had had to rely ainly on ritual handed do4n by 4ord of outh&

5L5C)I26 A6+ I6#)ALLA)I26 2/ 'RA6+ $A#)5R# Before the year 17(: 'rand $asters 4ere selected by the $asters and 7ardens of Lod"es asse bled in 'rand Lod"e@ the 'rand 2fficers@ #te4ards and others havin" 3reviously 4ithdra4n& A chan"e 4as ade in 17(: 4hen it 4as a"reed that the out"oin" 'rand $aster 4ould 3ro3ose his successor for a33roval by 'rand Lod"e&

)he installation of a 'rand $aster in the 17(:s and 17.:s 4as attended by "reat cere onial both in 3ublic before the eetin" of 'rand Lod"e and in 3rivate after dinner& )he for er consisted of an i 3ressive cavalcade of coaches and chariots )*5 'RA6+ L2+'5 2/ 56'LA6+ 79 carryin" the 'rand 2fficers@ 4ith others on foot or horsebac,@ 4hich escorted the 'rand $aster elect fro his house to the *all& )he

3rocession round the dinner table included the 'rand 2fficers and 'rand #ecretary 4ith his ba" and others carryin" the 'reat Li"hts@ the Boo, of Constitutions on a cushion@ and the #4ord of #tate& )he 3rocession escortin" Lord 7ey outh to his installation on 17 A3ril 17.1 4as acco 3anied by =hautboys@ tru 3ets@ french horns and ,ettle dru s 3layin"=& In 1747 'rand Lod"e ordered that 3ublic 3rocessions should cease&

'RA6+ 2//IC5R# /or any years there 4ere only four 'rand 2fficers@ na ely@ the 'rand $aster@ the +e3uty 'rand $aster and 7ardens& )he #ecretary 4as not desi"nated 'rand #ecretary until 17.7 and the )reasurer 'rand )reasurer until 171. Aby resolution of 14 -uneB althou"h the latter 4as not so sho4n in the inutes until 1718& )he first office holder Aother than those entionedB to be a33ointed 4as a #4ord Bearer in 17.. 4ho 4as@ at the ti e@ re"arded as an 2fficer of the 'rand $asterhe 4as first described as 'rand #4ord Bearer in 1768& 2ther 'rand 2ffices 4ere created in later years- 'rand Cha3lain@ 1771E 'rand Architect@ 1776E and 'rand %ortrait %ainter@ 1776& )he Antients 'rand Lod"e Ato 4hich reference is ade laterB first a33ointed a 'rand %ursuivant and a 'rand )yler in 171(@ a 'rand Cha3lain in 177( and a 'rand #4ord Bearer in 1788& )he other 'rand offices ,no4n today 4ere not created until the >nion in 181. and after&

5ARL9 -575L# A6+ R5'ALIA 6othin" is ,no4n of the He4els and re"alia 4orn in the early years of 'rand Lod"e@ the first descri3tion occurrin" in the inutes of (4 -une 17(7& It 4as then laid do4n that $asters and 7ardens of lod"es should 4ear the He4els of asonry han"in" fro a 4hite ribbon@ the $aster to 4ear the s?uare@ the #enior 7arden the level and the -unior 7arden the 3lu brule& A 3ortrait believed to be of #ir -a es )hornhill@ /R# and #er"eant %ainter to Cueen Anne@ #enior 'rand 7arden in 17(9@ sho4s hi 4earin" a level sus3ended fro a li"ht blue ribbon and an a3ron ed"ed 4ith the sa e colour& 2n 17 $arch 17.1@ it 4as ordered that none but the 'rand $aster@ his +e3uty and 7ardens should ;4ear -e4els in 'old or 'ilt 3endant to blue Ribbons about their 6ec,s and 4hite Leather A3rons lined 4ith blue #il,=& It 4as also laid do4n that F'randG #te4ards should 4ear a3rons lined 4ith red sil, and those of $asters lined 4ith 4hite sil,&

RI)>AL In the atter of ritual there is such a dearth of aterial of the seventeenth and early ei"hteenth centuries that little is ,no4n of the

subHect& Anderson tantalisin"ly records that in 17(:&

several very valuable $anuscri3ts & & & concernin" the /raternity@ their Lod"es@ Re"ulations@ Char"es@ #ecrets and >sa"es@ 4ere too hastily burnt by so e scru3ulous Brothers@ that those %a3ers i"ht not fall into stran"e *ands&

If it had not been for such scru3les there i"ht still be in existence today so ethin" further to enli"hten us on ?uestions of ritual& A little ay be "leaned 8: ;)*5 %R5#)26IA6 L5C)>R5#= fro versions of the 2ld Char"es but early catechis s and 3rinted ;ex3osures= of the ti e are the real sources& )he subHect is too lar"e to be considered here exce3t to ention that in the early 3art of the century there 4ere only t4o de"rees and that the ritual 4as catechis ic& )he tri"radal syste evolved durin" the 17(:s and by the end of the decade three de"rees 4ere@ "enerally@ bein" 4or,ed in lod"es& )here 4as no cere ony of installation as it is ,no4n today&

C26#2LI+A)I26 )he decade be"innin" 17(: 4as a 3eriod of consolidation& /ree asonry 4as attractin" to its ran,s 3ersons fro all 4al,s of life - cler"y@ 3hysicians and sur"eons@ la4yers@ the ar y@ actors@ 4riters and 3ainters as 4ell as trades en and artisans& %eers Hoined in so e nu bers& )he first noble 'rand $aster 4as -ohn@ (nd +u,e of $onta"u@ elected in 17(1@ and even envisa"ed in 1717 4hen the first 'rand $aster 4as installed& $onta"u 4as follo4ed by t4o barons@ t4o 5arls and four +u,es@ the last of 4ho in the decade 4as )ho as@ 8th +u,e of 6orfol,@ 17(9-.1@ not a very active holder of the office but he is re e bered by his "ift of the #4ord of #tate in 17.1@ borne before the 'rand $aster in 'rand Lod"e to this day& 2n the sa e occasion he "ave D(: to the Charity and a ne4 'rand Lod"e inute boo,&

6ot only 4ere the nobility attracted to free asonry but so 4ere e bers of the Royal fa ily& Accordin" to Anderson@ /rederic, Le4is@ %rince of 7ales@ 4as initiated at an occasional lod"e held at !e4 %alace on 1 6ove ber 17.7@ 4ith the Rev +r +esa"uliers@ cleric@ 3hiloso3her@ scientist and a %ast 'rand $aster@ as $aster& *e thus beca e the first 5n"lish Royal initiate but .: years 4ere to ela3se before another Hoined the 2rder&

It is safe to say that in 1. years the ne4 body had fir ly established itself as a ;centre of union= and its authority had beco e 4idely ac,no4led"ed& /ree asonry had s3read ra3idly to any 3arts of the country as 4ell as to a nu ber of 3laces overseas - a ?uite re ar,able achieve ent - and the "ro4th of ne4 lod"es continued& By the end of the 17(:s 69 lod"es 4ere recorded& )he year 17.( 4as an outstandin" one in that no fe4er than .( lod"es 4ere constituted& )he extent of the ex3ansion is reflected by t4o references in the inutes& 2n (1 6ove ber of that year the +e3uty 'rand $aster ;observin" that the 6u ber of Lod"es are very uch increased 3ro3osed that the Co ittee of Charity shall be enlar"ed=& )he -unior 'rand 7arden on the sa e occasion said that the ;6u ber of Lod"es are so very uch encreased that & & & so e restraint ou"ht to be 3ut u3on a,in" any ore= unless each should 3ay five "uineas to the 'eneral Charity& A year later A1. +ece ber 17..B@ a co 3laint havin" been ade by a nu ber of lod"es that the inutes and 3roceedin"s of 'rand Lod"e had not been sent to the @ the +e3uty 'rand $aster observed that the ex3ense of sendin" inutes to every lod"e had beco e a char"e too burdenso e - a further indication of "ro4th&

A+$I6I#)RA)I26 A6+ A%%2I6)$56)# 2/ %R20I6CIAL 'RA6+ $A#)5R# +urin" the 17(:s an ad inistration 4as ta,in" sha3e& )he first #ecretary of 'rand Lod"e@ 7illia Co43er@ 4as a33ointed in 17(.& A )reasurer@ 6athaniel )*5 'RA6+ L2+'5 2/ 56'LA6+ 81 Blac,erby@ 4as a33ointed in 17(7@ the year in 4hich the #ecretary and )reasurer 4ere each allo4ed a cler,& )he first Boo, of Constitutions 4as 3re3ared by Anderson and 3ublished in 17(.& A Charity /und 4as established and a Co ittee a33ointed to ana"e its affairs A17(4B& )he first %rovincial 'rand $asters 4ere a33ointed@ na ely@ Col /rancis Colu bine@ Chester A17(1BE #ir 5d4ard $ansell@ Bt@ #outh 7ales A17(6BE Ca3t *u"h 7arburton@ Chester and 6orth 7ales A17(7BE -a es %rescot@ 7ar4ic,shire A17(8BE Ca3t Ral3h /arr 7inter for 5ast-India A17(9B and +aniel Cox@ %rovinces of 6e4 9or,@ 6e4 -ersey and %ennsylvania in A erica A17.:B& )he a33oint ent of a %rovincial 'rand $aster did not i 3ly the establish ent of a %rovincial 'rand Lod"e - his duties 4ere intended to be su3ervisory of free asonry in his territory&

C2$$I))55 2/ C*ARI)9 )he Co ittee of Charity@ to 4hich reference has Hust been ade@ 4as later enlar"ed and its functions extendedE for exa 3le@ in 17..@ it 4as found that business before 'rand Lod"e 4as

increasin" to such an extent that it 4as i 3ossible to "o throu"h it on one ni"ht and it 4as a"reed that business not des3atched at a Cuarterly Co unication should be referred to the Co ittee of Charity& As ti e 3assed it exercised any "eneral functions and beca e@ in fact@ the 3redecessor of the Board of 'eneral %ur3oses 4hich@ 4ith various other boards and co ittees@ 4as established at the >nion in 181.&

#5C26+ B22! 2/ C26#)I)>)I26# In /ebruary 17.1@ Anderson re3orted that co3ies of the Boo, of Constitutions 4ere exhausted and@ at the sa e ti e@ co 3lained of 3iracy of his 4or, by 7illia # ith@ author of the %oc,et Co 3anion for /ree asons A17.1B& A ne4 edition 4as 3re3ared and 3ublished in 17.8& In addition to recordin" chan"es in the Re"ulations since 17(. the ne4 edition contained a uch extended le"endary history and 3articulars of eetin"s of 'rand Lod"e fro 1717 Aincludin" the historic eetin" 4hen 'rand Lod"e 4as for edB and so brid"in" the "a3 fro that date to the co ence ent of the first inute boo, in -une 17(.& )he Re"ulations of 17(. contained a nu ber of a 3rocedural nature but the first for al Rules of %rocedure to be observed in 'rand Lod"e 4ere laid do4n in 17.6@ 3robably as a result of a="reat 4ant of 2rder that had so eti es ha33ened in the +ebates= to 4hich the +e3uty 'rand $aster dre4 attention on (4 -une 17.1&

-a es Anderson@ 4hose na e 4ill al4ays be associated 4ith the Boo, of Constitutions@ 4as a %resbyterian $inister@ a $aster of Arts and +octor of +ivinity and -'7 in 17((& *e died in 17.9 and 4as buried in Bunhill /ields Ce etery@ London& A conte 3orary account of the funeral ALondon +aily %ostB recorded that the brethren attendin" ;in a ost dis al 3osture@ lifted their hands@ si"h=d and struc, their a3rons three ti es in honour of the deceased=&

A %5RI2+ 2/ +5CLI65 )he steady "ro4th of the first (: years of 'rand Lod"e 4as arrested in the 174:s and 171:s& A nu ber of unfortunate factors built u3 over a 3eriod of ti e to 8( ;)*5 %R5#)26IA6 L5C)>R5#= create serious deterioration in the affairs of the craft@ in its 'rand Lod"e and in the 3o3ularity of free asonry@ resultin" in the division of the craft into t4o o33osin" ca 3s& Let us loo, at so e of these factors&

AiB )he increasin" nu ber of irre"ular

asons and the influx of Irish@

#cottish and continental free asons in the early 17.:s@ any tryin" to "ain ad ission into the re"ular lod"es@ cou3led 4ith the 3ublication of so-called @ex3osures=@ caused 'rand Lod"e "rave concern& In an endeavour to co3e 4ith the 3roble s involved it too, a ste3 4hich had far reachin" effects@ ?uite unforseen at the ti e& It decided to chan"e the odes of reco"nition by trans3osin" the in the first and second de"rees so that ;irre"ular= asons 4ould be ore easily detected& $any in the craft felt that 'rand Lod"e ne"lected@ or at least did not encoura"e@ observance of the established or 3ure asonic ritual - exactly 4hat that 4as@ there bein" no established ritual@ is uncertain&

AiiB )he availability of ;ex3osures=@ 3articularly %richard=s $asonry +issected@ enabled the 3rofane to learn so ethin" of the ritual and cere onies& %ossession of such infor ation 4as enou"h for so e unscru3ulous 3er sons to advertise the ; a,in"= of free asons for 3altry considerations@ for exa 3le@ at a fee of (S6d& and@ in one instance@ in exchan"e for a le" of utton& )hese 3ublications also encoura"ed a nu ber of 3ublic burles?ues and 3rocessions of oc, asons& Ridicule@ a 3o4erful 4ea3on@ did uch to brin" the craft into disfavour&

AiiiB #o e 'rand $asters durin" the unha33y 3eriod sho4ed little or no interest in the craft and 4ere ?uite ineffectual in the hi"h office they held& A"ain@ there 4as a "eneral a3athy on the 3art of 'rand Lod"e itself& Re"ular Cuarterly Co unications 4ere dro33ed - in so e years only t4o or three 4ere held and in each of the years 1746@ 1749 and 171: there 4as only one eetin"& A3athy 4as not confined to the 'rand Lod"e& $any lod"es did not bother to send re3resentatives to eetin"s of 'rand Lod"e and 4ere@ in conse?uence@ erased& 24in" to the nu ber of lod"es in existence in the lar"er to4ns@ any 4ere too 4ea, to be viable& In this connection the 'rand $aster on (4 -une 174( ;too, notice of the "reat +ecay of any Lod"es in a "reat $easure occasioned as he a33rehended by the $ulti3licity of the =&

AivB )here 4as bad feelin" bet4een the 'rand Lod"es of 5n"land and Ireland& AvB )he issue of the first %a3al Bull a"ainst free asonry in 17.8 and the 3ersecution of free asons on the continent 4ere havin" detri ental effects& Althou"h the %a3al Bull 4as not 3ro ul"ated in 5n"land for any years it did affect the craft here in that a nu ber of 3ro inent free asons resi"ned the 2rder but no reference to it occurs in the 'rand Lod"e inutes& Abroad@ its effects 4ere ore 4ides3read&

'RA6+ L2+'5 2/ )*5 A6)I56)# #uch a state of affairs created fertile "round for the establish ent of a rival 'rand Lod"e 4hich ca e about in 1711 4hen six lod"es a"reed to establish such a body&

)*5 'RA6+ L2+'5 2/ 56'LA6+ 8. )he 3urists as 4ell as the alcontents 4ere soon attracted to its ran,s& >nattached asons as 4ell as any Irish Hoined& )he ne4ly created 'rand Lod"e clai ed that it 3ractised a ore ancient and 3urer for of free asonry and thereu3on na ed the older 'rand Lod"e the ;$oderns= because of its ne"lect of the old for s and for recent innovations& It al4ays aintained this vie4& /or exa 3le@ in 1771@ in a e orial to the 'rand Lod"e of #cotland the 3re ier 'rand Lod"e 4as accused of ;s4ervin" fro the ori"inal syste of asonry=& $e bers of the ne4 'rand Lod"e called the selves the ;Antients= Aal ost invariably s3elt in this annerB 4hich i"ht i 3ly that it 4as the older body& )he unfortunate use of these ter s has caused "reat confusion ever since and@ clearly to differentiate bet4een the t4o@ it is ore lo"ical to refer to the earlier body as the 3re ier 'rand Lod"e&

;A6)I56)= RI)>AL 6ot all the lod"es under the Hurisdiction of the 3re ier 'rand Lod"e ado3ted the ritualistic chan"es& $any of the @ althou"h loyal to their 'rand Lod"e@ re ained true to the old tradition and continued to 3ractise the old ritual& )o describe such asons@ ;$odern= in loyalty but ;Antient= in 3ractice@ *eron Le33er coined the ex3ression ;traditionar= a ost a3t and descri3tive 4ord& #o e lod"es even 4ent so far as to obtain 7arrants fro both 'rand Lod"es&

)he s3read of ;Antient= or traditional ritual throu"hout the country and overseas 4as due@ in lar"e easure@ to ove ents of ilitary lod"es& #uch lod"es 4ere constituted in Re"i ents of the British Ar y by eans of a bulatory 7arrants issued by the 'rand Lod"e of Ireland fro 17.(@ 18 years before the first ilitary lod"e 4as for ed under the 'rand Lod"e of 5n"land& As the traditional ritual 4as in use in Ireland it 4as this ritual 4hich the aHority of ilitary lod"es too, 4ith the &

C*AR'5# A'AI6#) )*5 $2+5R6# As 4ell as the char"e of a,in" innovations in the ritual the Antients also accused the so-called $oderns of@ inter alia@ de-Christianisin" the ritual@ i"norin" the #aints -ohn days

and discoura"in" the esoteric character of the Installation cere ony& Another i 3ortant difference bet4een the t4o 4as the attitude to4ards the Royal Arch@ at this ti e be"innin" to ta,e fir roots& )he 3re ier 'rand Lod"e refused to reco"nise it Aalthou"h any of its e bers too, the de"ree as individualsB@ 4hilst the Antients actively su33orted it by encoura"in" its confer ent in its craft lod"es&

)hat the si"nificance of the #aints -ohn days 4as i"nored by the 3re ier 'rand Lod"e cannot be denied& 2n (: $ay 17(1@ the 'rand Lod"e ordered that the /estival be held on #t -ohn the 5van"elist=s day and not on #t -ohn the Ba3tist=s day& 2n (1 6ove ber 17(9@ it bein" inconvenient to have a feast on the follo4in" #t -ohn=s day@ it 4as ordered that it be ;adHourned= to another date& It 4as also deferred or 3ost3oned on other occasions and it see s that the last feast to be held actually on a #t -ohn=s day 4as that on (7 +ece ber 17(8@ 4ith the exce3tion of the eetin" held in 181. 4hen the Articles of >nion 4ere si"ned& 7hen the annual /estival 4as o itted entirely the 'rand $aster so eti es invited 84 ;)*5 %R5#)26IA6 L5C)>R5#= e bers of 'rand Lod"e to brea,fast or dine 4ith hi in to4n@ in *a 3stead@ %utney or else4here but these infor al occasions 4ere not inuted as 4ere the /estivals&

'R27)* 2/ )*5 A6)I56)# /ro the earliest record of the ne4 'rand Lod"e A,no4n as $or"an=s Re"isterB it a33ears it first et on 17 -uly 1711@ 4hen a co ittee 4as a33ointed to dra4 u3 a set of Rules and 2rders& )he first recorded inutes are those of 1 /ebruary 171(@ sho4n as )ransactions of the 'rand Co ittee - the title 'rand Lod"e 4as not used until +ece ber 171.@ althou"h the Rules and 2rders of 1711 use the ter throu"hout& -ohn $or"an@ first 'rand #ecretary@ held office only until /ebruary 171(@ 4hen Laurence +er ott@ an Irish ason@ 4as a33ointed& %ainter@ 4ine erchant@ self-educated@ he beca e the ovin" s3irit in the 'rand Lod"e and its early success 4as undoubtedly due to the ener"ies of this extraordinary an& )4o and a half years ela3sed before a 'rand $aster@ Robert )urner@ 4as a33ointed& Li,e its older rival@ the 3re ier 'rand Lod"e@ the ne4 body 4as anxious to have a noble 'rand $aster at its head and in 1716 the 5arl of Blesin"ton Aa 3ast 'rand $aster of IrelandB 4as a33ointed& In 176: he 4as follo4ed by the 6th 5arl of !ellie Alater 'rand $aster of #cotlandB& )he first of the Atholls Aalso 'rand $asters of #cotlandB@ the .rd +u,e@ 4as a33ointed in 1771 to be follo4ed by his son@ the 4th +u,e@ fro 1771 to 1781 and a"ain fro 1791 to 181.& )he lon" rei"n of the Atholls - a total 3eriod of .. years earned the Antients the additional na e of ;Atholl $asons=&

A3art fro the a33oint ent of a noble 'rand $aster the year 1716 4as an i 3ortant one for the Antients& Its first Boo, of Constitutions 4as 3ublished and the lod"es 4arranted@ to"ether 4ith the six founder lod"es@ reached a total of 19@ an indication of its fairly ra3id "ro4th& )he Boo, of Constitutions 4as co 3iled by +er ott and 3ublished under the curious title of Ahi an ReIon or hel3 to a Brother@ uch of its contents bein" based on Anderson&

5//5C) 2/ )*5 A6)I56)# 26 )*5 $2+5R6# )he 3re ier 'rand Lod"e did its best to i"nore the ne4 body& )he first i 3lied reference in the inutes to its existence occurred on (: $arch 1711@ 4hen a co 3laint 4as considered that Lod"e 6o 94 and other e bers 4ere eetin" at Ben -onson=s *ead under the deno ination of Ancient asons 4ho considered the selves inde3endent of 'rand Lod"e and 4ho tended to introduce ;6ovelties and Conceits of o3iniotative FsicG %ersons and to create a Belief that there have been other #ocieties of $asons ore Ancient than that of this Ancient and *onourable #ociety=& )he lod"e 4as erased& 5arlier@ in 171.@ other easures 4ere ta,en to ti"hten control over the a,in" of asons it bein" ordered that no lod"e should a,e a ason 4ithout due in?uiry into his character@ neither should a lod"e a,e and raise the sa e brother at one and the sa e eetin"& As a further eans of identification it 4as later decided that Certificates "ranted to a brother should@ in future@ be sealed and si"ned by the 'rand #ecretary for 4hich a co33er 3late 4as en"raved and vellu ordered& *itherto such certificates@ issued by individual lod"es@ had been hand4ritten&

)*5 'RA6+ L2+'5 2/ 56'LA6+ 81 )he earlier difficulties ex3erienced by the 3re ier 'rand Lod"e 4ere increased enor ously by the develo3 ent and "ro4th in 3o3ularity of its rival@ 4hich by 1777 had issued or re-issued over (:: 7arrants& 2n 7 A3ril of that year the 3re ier 'rand Lod"e ordered that< 3ersons callin" the selves Ancient $asons and no4 asse blin" in 5n"land or else4here under the 3atrona"e of the +u,e of Athol are not be considered as $asons&

Anta"onis bet4een the t4o syste s is further exe 3lified by the fact that it beca e co on 3ractice for each 'rand Lod"e to re?uire brethren under the other=s constitution to be re- ade before bein" ad itted either

as e bers of@ or visitors to@ its o4n lod"es& It 4as in this connection that a nu ber of lod"es ;3layed safe= by obtainin" a 7arrant or other authority to eet fro both 'rand Lod"es&

A3art fro the Antient asons the irre"ular a,in" of asons continued and the 3re ier 'rand Lod"e decided to increase fees for initiation and the issue of ne4 7arrants@ 3resu ably to ;raise the tone=&

5RA#>R5 2/ L2+'5# Lod"es continued to default in their 3ay ents and returns and@ as a result@ 4ere erased fro the Roll& )hat internal dis3utes disru3ted lod"es is abundantly clear fro the inutes of the Co ittee of Charity 4hich@ on any occasions@ it 4as called u3on to resolve& +issension 4ithin the lod"es and default by lod"es in sendin" dues 4as not confined to the one 'rand Lod"e& )he inutes of the Antients and of their #te4ards Lod"e reveal the existence of si ilar 3roble s and difficulties& )he latter half of the century sa4 uch strife and dissension&

A))5$%)5+ I6C2R%2RA)I26 2/ 'RA6+ L2+'5 A atter 4hich 3robably caused ore bitterness than any other 4as the atte 3ted Incor3oration of the 3re ier 'rand Lod"e@ 3ro3osed by the +u,e of Beaufort A'rand $aster@ 1767-71B& )he 3ur3ose behind the 3ro3osal 4as to stren"then 'rand Lod"e@ as a le"ally constituted Cor3oration@ in its fi"ht a"ainst the Antients& Althou"h first su""ested by Lord /errers A'rand $aster 176(-6.B it 4as Beaufort@ in 1768@ 4ho 3ressed the atter in the Co ittee of Charity and before 'rand Lod"e@ finally securin" a33roval by the latter in 2ctober 1768& At the sa e ti e it 4as a"reed to o3en a fund for the buildin" of a *all and to institute a ne4 scale of fees and 3ay ents& )he 3roHect for Incor3oration soon ran into trouble in both London and the country& 2ne lod"e@ the Caledonian Athen 6o .(1B 4ent so far as to enter a caveat a"ainst the 3ro3osal@ an action 4hich brou"ht u3on it the "rave dis3leasure of 'rand Lod"e& 2n (8 2ctober 1769@ it 4as oved that the lod"e be erased but the $aster@ bein" 3resent@ 3ublicly as,ed 3ardon of 'rand Lod"e and the offence 4as 3ardoned& )he $aster@ ho4ever@ the affair still ran,lin" in his ind@ behaved in so truculent a anner at later eetin"s of the Co ittee of Charity and of 'rand Lod"e that he 4as ex3elled the 2rder&

#o any lod"es 4ere a"ainst the sche e that the idea of a Royal Charter 4as dro33ed in 'rand Lod"e but in 177( a Bill 4ith the sa e obHect 4as introduced into %arlia ent& Althou"h it received first and second Readin"s it 4as ulti ately 86 ;)*5 %R5#)26IA6 L5C)>R5#= 4ithdra4n& 6o further atte 3ts at Incor3oration 4ere ade but the resultin" ill-4ill lived on&

R5LA)I26# 7I)* IR5LA6+ A6+ #C2)LA6+ )he early coolness bet4een the 3re ier 'rand Lod"e and Ireland also develo3ed bet4een 5n"land and #cotland 4hich re"arded the Antients as the 'rand Lod"e of 5n"land@ a fact borne out by corres3ondence in 1771 bet4een the 'rand Lod"e of #cotland and 7illia %reston of the $oderns& In one of his letters to 5dinbur"h@ %reston re"retted that #cotland had been so "rossly i 3osed u3on as to have established a corres3ondence 4ith an irre"ular body of en 4ho falsely assu e the a33ellation of Antient $asons@ and I still ore sensibly la ent that this i 3osition has li,e4ise received the countenance of the 'rand Lod"e of Ireland&

2ne of the reasons for the close affinity bet4een Ireland@ #cotland and the Antients 4as that Irish and #cottish ritual 4as ore antient than odern& Althou"h #cotland a33eared on occasions to ado3t a neutral attitude to4ards the differences in 5n"land the a33oint ent of the +u,es of Atholl@ later 'rand $asters of #cotland@ as 'rand $asters of the Antients undoubtedly s4un" its sy 3athies to4ards the 'L Antients rather than to the 3re ier 'rand Lod"e&

)hat the Antients over the years had "rossly isre3resented the status and 4or, of the 3re ier 'rand Lod"e@ at least to the #cottish brethren@ is revealed in exchan"es bet4een Lord $oira@ Actin" 'rand $aster of the $oderns@ and the 'rand Lod"e of #cotland in 18:6& $oira re3orted A1( /ebruary 18:6B that@ on a recent visit to the #cottish 'rand Lod"e@ he had ta,en the o33ortunity of ex3lainin" the extent and i 3ortance of the 3re ier 'rand Lod"e and the ori"in and situation of those $asons in 5n"land 4ho et under the authority of the +u,e of Athol&

)he brethren of the #cottish 'rand Lod"e ex3ressed to $oira that@ until then they had been "reatly isinfor ed of the circu stances havin" al4ays been led to thin, that the 'rand Lod"e of the $oderns 4as of

recent date and of no a"nitude but bein" no4 thorou"hly convinced of their error they 4ere desirous that the strictness union and ost inti ate co unication should subsist bet4een the 3re ier 'rand Lod"e and the 'rand Lod"e of #cotland&

)*5 /IR#) *ALL A6+ )*5 *ALL C2$$I))55 )he 3re ier 'rand Lod"e had et in taverns and Livery Co 3any *alls since 1717 and the need for a 3er anent ho e beca e 3ro"ressively ur"ent& $ention has already been ade that the buildin" of a *all 4as ooted at the sa e ti e as Incor3oration in 1768 but there 4as little 3ro"ress until the a33oint ent of a *all Co ittee in 177.& After considerin" several sites@ includin" the 2ld %layhouse in %ortu"al #treet and one in /leet #treet@ 3re ises in 'reat Cueen #treet 4ere ac?uired in 1774 for conversion and rebuildin"& )he foundation stone of the *all 4as laid on 1 $ay 1771& It too, one year to build and 4as dedicated and o3ened in the $ay follo4in"& )he *all Co ittee continued in bein" until 181.@ it chief )*5 'RA6+ L2+'5 2/ 56'LA6+ 87 3ur3ose bein" to 4atch over the aintenance of the *all@ its furnishin" and fittin"s@ lettin" for outside functions@ etc@ but it did@ on occasions@ deal 4ith atters not nor ally 4ithin its 3urvie4@ includin" the 3ublication of an A33endix to the Boo, of Constitutions and a Calendar in 1771 and the issue of 6oorthouc,=s edition of the Boo, of Constitutions in 1784& 5xtraordinary as it ay no4 see this Co ittee on (4 A3ril 1777@ by dis3ensation& initiated@ 3assed and raised t4o "entle en en"a"ed as 3erfor ers for the anniversary concert in 1778&

A))5$%)# A) R5C26CILIA)I26 B5)7556 )*5 'RA6+ L2+'5# )he division of the craft into t4o 'rand Lod"e syste s in the ei"hteenth century@ each follo4in" its o4n tradition@ 4ith differin" rituals@ each refusin" to reco"nise the other or its e bers@ each ta,in" every o33ortunity to decry their o33onents@ i"ht have brou"ht do4n the 4hole edifice of free asonry& /ortunately@ before irre3arable har 4as done@ oderate en on both sides believed reconciliation 4as 3ossible and essential for the "ood of the 2rder& Active oves to4ards a union 4ere s3read over a 3eriod of ore than (: years before it 4as effected& As early as the 176:s ho4ever@ accordin" to *eron Le33er@ efforts 4ere ade by Lord Blayney A'rand $aster of the 3re ier 'rand Lod"e@ 1764-66B to restore the ancient ritual in his 'rand Lod"e& Blayney 4as a =traditioner= as 4as his successor@ the +u,e of Beaufort A1767-71B and Le33er credits the for er 4ith havin" set the course 4hich led to >nion in 181.& +urin" Blayney=s 'rand $astershi3 Laurence +er ott 3ublished the second edition of his Boo, of Constitutions@ Ahi an ReIon@ 4hich

contained a bitter and so e4hat s3iteful attac, on the 3re ier 'rand Lod"e&

)he a33oint ent of Lord $oira Aafter4ards first $ar?uess of *astin"s@ !'B as Actin" 'rand $aster durin" the %rince of 7ales= 'rand $astershi3 of the 3re ier 'rand Lod"e A179:-181.B 4as a turnin" 3oint in the affairs of the craft& A oderate and di3lo atist@ $oira 3robably did ore than any other to s ooth the 4ay to4ards reconciliation& )o t4o others ust also be "iven a share of the honours@ the +u,e of #ussex and his brother the +u,e of !ent& )he latter held a33oint ents at various ti es under both 'rand Lod"es and 4as@ therefore@ sufficiently broad inded to understand the 3roble s involved and to atte 3t their resolution& +urin" his ilitary duties in Canada he held the office of %rovincial 'rand $aster of Lo4er Canada under the Antients& A 3eriod of duty in Cuebec ended in -anuary 1794@ and on his de3arture fro the %rovince an address 4as 3resented to hi @ si"ned by the +e3uty 'rand $asters of both Hurisdictions@ the $oderns and the Antients@ in 4hich the ho3e 4as ex3ressed that under the conciliatin" influence of 9our Royal *i"hness the fraternity in "eneral of /ree $asons & & & 4ill soon be united@ thus indicatin" that !ent=s desire for and 4or, to4ards a union 4as 4ell ,no4n& In his re3ly the +u,e said you ay trust that y ut ost efforts shall be exerted that the uch 4ished for >nion of the 4hole /raternity of $asons ay be effected&

)he 3ity of it is that such 4orthy ai s 4ere frustrated for a nu ber of years by the actions or inaction of others&

88 =)*5 %R5#)26IA6 L5C)>R5#= In 1797 there 4as a sli"ht softenin" on the 3art of the 'rand Lod"e of the Antients in its ri"id attitude to4ards = odern asons= 4hich it had consistently refused to ac,no4led"e& 2n 6 +ece ber of that year it ordered that 4hen any such ason 4as to be re"istered its 'rand #ecretary should =re?uest the si"ht and Ins3ection of the 'rand Lod"e Certificate of such $odern $ason= before enterin" the sa e in the Antient=s 'rand Lod"e boo,s& By so orderin" that 'rand Lod"e ac,no4led"ed the fact that there 4as another 'rand Lod"e 4hich issued certificates and 4hich the Antients 4ere 4illin" to acce3t or at least ins3ect&

2n the sa e day it 4as also resolved to a33oint a Co ittee to eet one that i"ht be a33ointed by the $oderns and =4ith the to effect an >nion=& *o4 such a resolution ca e about is ?uite un,no4nE there is no a 3lification in the inutes@ neither is there any indication that the 3re ier 'rand Lod"e had a33ointed at about the sa e ti e a si ilar Co ittee nor had it su""ested such a ove&

#5)-BAC!# I6 R5C26CILIA)I26 In 18:1 and 18:( action by the 3re ier 'rand Lod"e in the atter of irre"ular asons and reaction by the Antients undoubtedly 3ost3oned any ho3e of reconciliation& )ho as *ar3er@ +e3uty 'rand $aster of the Antients and a 3ro inent e ber of that 'rand Lod"e for any years@ havin" held the offices of #enior 'rand 7arden and Hoint 'rand #ecretary@ 4as also a free ason under the 3re ier 'rand Lod"e& In A3ril 18:1@ a co 3laint ca e before the 3re ier 'rand Lod"e a"ainst a nu ber of brethren for havin" 3artici3ated in the a,in" of irre"ular asons& A on"st those accused 4as )ho as *ar3er@ 4ho@ as a $odern ason@ 4as called u3on to Hustify hi self& *e duly a33eared before the Co ittee of Charity and the 'rand Lod"e@ and 4as re?uested to renounce his connection 4ith irre"ular lod"es& It 4as an i 3ossible re?uest 4ith 4hich to co 3ly and he as,ed for ti e to consider the atter and to consult 4ith others in the ho3e of ter inatin" the differences 4hich had so lon" subsisted a on"st asons& )his 4as an ad irable o33ortunity of 4or,in" to4ards the co on "oal and ste3s 4ere ta,en accordin"ly& >nfortunately the 3re ier 'rand Lod"e a33eared to be in so ethin" of a hurry and events did not ove ?uic,ly enou"h for it& *ar3er 4as a"ain ta,en to tas, but his ans4ers not 3rovin" satisfactory the 3re ier 'rand Lod"e@ on 9 /ebruary 18:.@ ex3elled hi & #o e hard thin"s 4ere said by both sides& A ,ind of =o3en letter= fro Robert Leslie@ 'rand #ecretary of the Antients@ to the brethren 4as 3rinted and circulated 4ith the inutes of (7 +ece ber 18:(& It entioned =s3urious societies= 4hich ay not necessarily have been ai ed at the 3re ier 'rand Lod"e but reference 4as also ade to de3artures fro the 3urity of ori"inal 3rinci3les and to the dressin" u3 of asonry in ne4-fan"led dra3eries& )he 3re ier 'rand Lod"e had been throu"h a difficult financial 3eriod and had or"anised a *all /und to eet the cost of the ne4 *all erected in 1776& Leslie referred to his o4n 'rand Lod"e as bein" =4ithout a shillin" in debt=& 2ther obli?ue allusions in his letter i"ht also be read as Hibes a"ainst the $oderns&

Leslie=s o3en letter 4as follo4in" by a +eclaration@ a33roved by the Antients 'rand Lod"e on ( $arch 18:.@ and 3rinted@ fro 4hich it ust be assu ed that )*5 'RA6+ L2+'5 2/ 56'LA6+ 89 the $oderns

had been usin" ;un3rovo,ed ex3ressions= and had resorted to ;illiberal and unfounded= acts@ etc& )he +eclaration 4as an ans4er to the $oderns and 4as 3re3ared for the 4idest circulation& It dra""ed u3 the old 3roble of the @variations= introduced by the $oderns any years 3reviously and set out to sho4 the as the sinners and the Antients as the saints& 2ne 3ara"ra3h therein@ to"ether 4ith the foolish action of the $oderns in ex3ellin" *ar3er Aalthou"h he 4as later restoredB effectively 3ut an end to all ho3es of union in the near future& )he da a"in" 3ara"ra3h read )he Antient 'rand Lod"e of 5n"land has thou"ht it due to its character to a,e this short and decisive declaration@ on the unauthorised atte 3ts that have recently been ade to brin" about an union 4ith a body of 3ersons 4ho have not entered into the obli"ations by 4hich 4e are bound@ and 4ho have descended to calu nies and acts of the ost unHustifiable ,ind&

I$%R205$56) I6 R5LA)I26# 7I)* IR5LA6+ A6+ #C2)LA6+ After events over the 3eriod 18:1 to 18:. no a33roach see s to have been ade by either side to the other but in the years 18:1@ 18:6 and 18:8 efforts 4ere ade to i 3rove relations bet4een the $oderns and both Ireland and #cotland& 2n 4 A3ril 18:1 Lord $oira re3orted that a co unication had been received fro the 'rand Lod"e of #cotland 4hereu3on it 4as resolved that@ as that 'rand Lod"e had ex3ressed its earnest 4ish to be on ter s of confidential co unication 4ith the 'rand Lod"e of 5n"land and that as the 'rand Lod"e 4as ever desirous to concur in a /raternal intercourse 4ith re"ular $asons doth eet that dis3osition 4ith the ut ost cordiality of senti ent and re?uested $oira to a,e a ;+eclaration= accordin"ly to the 'rand Lod"e of #cotland&

$oira visited the 'rand Lod"e of #cotland and too, the o33ortunity of dis3ellin" that 'rand Lod"e=s isconce3tion about the 3re ier 'rand Lod"e& #cotland@ as 3reviously entioned@ ac,no4led"ed that it had been isinfor ed and 4as convinced of its error& Bein" desirous ;that the strictest union and ost inti ate co unication should subsist= bet4een the t4o 'rand Lod"es and as a first ste3 to4ards such a desirable obHect@ the 'rand Lod"e of #cotland forth4ith elected as its 'rand $aster the 'rand $aster of the 3re ier 'rand Lod"e - the %rince of 7ales& )he 'rand Lod"e of 5n"land resolved that $asters and 7ardens of #cottish lod"es visitin" London should be "iven seats in 'rand Lod"e& 2ther co unications 4ith #cotland indicate that the ost cordial relationshi3 had been ha33ily established& Althou"h the inutes are silent on the subHect discussions 4ith #cotland 4ere@ a33arently@ also bein" held re"ardin" reci3rocity in the atter of asonic disci3line for@ on (.

6ove ber 18:8@ the inutes refer to a co unication fro #cotland a33laudin" the 3rinci3les 3ro3osed by the 3re ier 'rand Lod"e@ in a declaration to #cotland@ as to authority necessary to be aintained over an individual lod"e by a re3resentative body of the 4hole craft& In this Ireland also 3led"ed itself&

not to countenance or receive as a Brother any 3erson standin" under the interdict of the 'rand Lod"e of 5n"land for asonic trans"ressions&

9: ;)*5 %R5#)26IA6 L5C)>R5#= *ere@ then@ 4ere the 'rand Lod"es of Ireland and #cotland 4or,in" in har ony 4ith the 3re ier 'rand Lod"e in atters of co on concern to the exclusion of the Antient@ a co 3lete chan"e fro the 3revious attitude&

A R5)>R6 )2 C26CILIA)I26 2n 1( A3ril 18:9@ 'rand Lod"e 4ith Lord $oira as Actin" 'rand $aster@ 3assed a si"nificant resolution&

)hat it is not necessary any lon"er to continue in force those $easures 4hich 4ere resorted to in or about the year 17.9 res3ectin" Irre"ular $asons and do therefore enHoin the several Lod"es to revert to the Antient Land $ar,s of the #ociety&

)he easures referred to cannot s3ecifically be identified but it is safe to assu e that they included the trans3osition of the 4ords of reco"nition in the first and second de"rees& )he restoration of the ori"inal 3ractice thus re oved one of the ost contentious of the char"es levelled by the Antients a"ainst the $oderns&

)he year 18:9 sa4 another 3re3aratory ste3 to4ards union@ na ely the settin" u3 by the 3re ier 'rand Lod"e of the Lod"e of %ro ul"ation 4hich 4as char"ed 4ith the tas, of revie4in" and revisin" the ritual& It rehearsed revised for s and cere onies@ any such rehearsals ta,in" 3lace in the 3resence of $asters of lod"es& It certainly restored the ancient for s@ re odelled the cere ony of Installation and introduced the office of +eacon in lod"es Ahitherto they 4ere al ost un,no4n in

$oderns lod"esB& 2ther atters dealt 4ith included the "ivin" of honours@ adHourn ent to refresh ent and returnin" to labour and the arran"e ent of 7ardens= colu ns& )he lod"e lasted until 1811&

#i"ns that the Antients 4ere a"ain loo,in" to4ards a union a33eared in the sa e year 4hen their 'rand Lod"e set u3@ not 4ithout o33osition@ a Co ittee to consider and ado3t 3ro 3t and effectual easures for acco 3lishin" a asonic union& )he Co ittee et on (4 -anuary and 7 $arch 181:@ 4hen it 4as finally a"reed that a union bet4een the t4o 'rand Lod"es on 3rinci3les e?ual and honourable to both and 3reservin" inviolate the Land ar,s of the Craft 4ould be ex3edient and advanta"eous and that it be so co unicated to Lord $oira& *e re3orted to his 'rand Lod"e 4hich received the desire for union 4ith ;unfei"ned cordiality=& )he Antients 'rand Lod"e held an e er"ency eetin" 1 $ay 181:@ and 3roceeded@ so e4hat 3re aturely@ to lay do4n certain conditions for a union re"ardin" the obli"ation@ attendance of $asters@ %ast $asters and 7ardens of lod"es at all eetin"s of 'rand lod"e and atters of benevolence& It decided to sub it these conditions to the 'rand Lod"es of Ireland and #cotland for their o3inions@ both of 4hich inti ated that the oves et 4ith their 4holehearted a33roval& +urin" the ne"otiations in 5n"land Ireland a33ointed a Co ittee to ta,e into consideration the 3ro3riety of ad ittin" $odern 5n"lish asons to Irish lod"es& Ireland ;received 4ith inex3ressible satisfaction= the ne4s that ne"otiations to4ards an 5n"lish union 4ere ta,in" 3lace&

$55)I6'# B5)7556 )*5 )72 #I+5# Re3resentatives of both sides first et to"ether at /ree asons= )avern@ (1 -uly 181:@ an historic occasion@ althou"h little 4as achieved& 6e"otiations 4ere 3rot- )*5 'RA6+ L2+'5 2/ 56'LA6+ 91 racted ainly on the ?uestion of the 3resence of $asters@ %ast $asters and 7ardens at any eetin"s of a united 'rand Lod"e@ a 3ro3osal resisted by the 3re ier 'rand Lod"e on the "rounds of inade?uacy of acco odation for so 3otentially lar"e attendances& )he 3re ier 'rand Lod"e sho4ed si"ns of i 3atience over the lac, of 3ro"ress and re?uested the Antients to a33oint a Co ittee 4ith full 3o4ers to effect a union to 4hich the Antients a"reed& At one of the eetin"s of the Antients 'rand Co ittee it 4as re3orted that the 3re ier 'rand Lod"e had resolved to return to the Ancient Land ar,s and 4ould consent to the sa e obli"ations&

A si"nificant event occurred before the

eetin" of the 3re ier 'rand

Lod"e on 6 /ebruary 1811& $oira announced that he intended to be installed before the business of that Cuarterly Co unication and had re?uested the attendance of the Lod"e of %ro ul"ation for the 3ur3ose& *e 4as duly installed accordin"ly in a for believed to be uch as is ,no4n today - a co 3lete innovation a on"st $oderns asons&

CA%I)>LA)I26 2R #)A)5#$A6#*I%P It is clear fro the inutes of the Antients Co ittee that the 3re ier 'rand Lod"e re3resentatives 4ere 3re3ared to acce3t the Antient for of obli"ation and 4or,in"& It 4as also recorded that the $oderns had for so e ti e exerted the selves to act by the Ancient for sE they had for ed a Lod"e of %ro ul"ation and they had the assistance of several Ancient $asons &&& in short they 4ere ready to concur in any 3lan for investi"atin" and ascertainin" the "enuine course@ and 4hen de onstrated to 4al, in it&

)he settin" u3 of the Lod"e of %ro ul"ation to revie4 and revise the ritual 4as in fact an ad ission by the 3re ier 'rand Lod"e that its ritual left uch to be desired and that it 4as 4illin" to consider and acce3t chan"e& It certainly acce3ted the Antient for of obli"ation and re odelled the Installation cere ony& )hese and other chan"es 4ould a33ear to be ca3itulation on the 3art of the 3re ier 'rand Lod"e@ but in the author=s vie4@ they de onstrate its "reater states anshi3& In its desire to effect a union to the lastin" benefit of the craft@ it 4as 3re3ared to chan"e its 3ractices in favour of those tenaciously follo4ed by the Antients@ 3erha3s to the latter=s credit@ but such inflexibility on the 3art of the Antients could have 3revented unity if the 3re ier 'rand Lod"e had not been 3re3ared to 3ut the 4elfare of the craft before everythin" else&

)*5 +>!5# 2/ #>##5J A6+ !56) In /ebruary 181(@ the +u,e of #ussex 4as a33ointed +e3uty 'rand $aster of the 3re ier 'rand Lod"e by his brother the %rince of 7ales@ then 'rand $aster& In the follo4in" year the %rince did not see, re-election and #ussex thereu3on succeeded hi as 'rand $aster@ the +u,e of !ent of the Antients@ bein" 3resent at the Installation& At the last eetin" of the 3re ier 'rand Lod"e@ Au"ust 181.@ the 'rand $aster ex3ressed his anxious 4ish that a >nion of the t4o #ocieties should be effected u3on ter s e?ual and honourable to both 3arties& *e 4as thereu3on e 3o4ered to ta,e such easures as i"ht see to hi ost ex3edient for arran"in" such a >nion& And so in Co ittee and behind the scenes the 9( ;)*5 %R5#)26IA6 L5C)>R5#= tas, of settlin" outstandin" differences and

3re3arin" for eventual unity 4ent on& /inally@ dele"ations of both 'rand Lod"es headed by the +u,es of #ussex and !ent res3ectively@ et at !ensin"ton %alace@ (1 6ove ber 181.@ and the Articles of >nion 4ere si"ned&

2n 1 +ece ber 181.@ the +u,e of !ent succeeded the +u,e of Atholl as 'rand $aster of the Antients and 4as duly installed in the 3resence of the +u,e of #ussex of the $oderns& It 4ill be noted that co 3lete identity of interests 4as established at both Installations by the 3resence of the re3resentative of the other 'rand Lod"e&

>6I26 A 'rand Asse bly of /ree asons for the >nion of the )4o 'rand Lod"es of 5n"land 4as held on #t -ohn=s +ay@ (7 +ece ber 181.& 5ach 'rand Lod"e o3ened in adHoinin" roo s& #eatin" in the *all for the final act 4as so arran"ed that brethren of the t4o Constitutions 4ho had been re-obli"ated in the Lod"e of Reconciliation Ato 4hich reference is ade belo4B 4ere co 3letely inter in"led& )4o 3rocessions then entered the *all headed by the res3ective 'rand $asters 4ho too, each a 3lace on either side of the )hrone& )he Articles of >nion 4ere read and 3laced in an Ar, of the $asonic Covenant& )he +u,e of #ussex 4as elected 'rand $aster of the >nited /raternity and 3laced on the )hrone and 3roclai ed& %rayers 4ere offered& Con"ratulatory letters fro the 'rand Lod"es of Ireland and #cotland 4ere read - there bein" insufficient ti e for their re3resentatives to attend& 'rand 2fficers 4ere no inated& It 4as then ;sole nly 3roclai ed that the t4o 'rand Lod"es 4ere incor3orated and consolidated into one= and declared o3en by the 'rand $aster& )he 'rand Lod"e 4as called to refresh ent 4hen the Cu3 of Brotherly Love 4as 3assed round& 2n resu 3tion so e business 4as transacted@ 'rand Lod"e 4as closed in a 3le for and the brethren re3aired to a ban?uet& )hus ended so e 6: years of division in the Craft&

#uch a drastic reor"anisation of the craft could not@ ho4ever@ be ex3ected to eet 4ith universal a33roval and acce3tance& #o e dishar ony develo3ed in 3arts of the country ainly in the atter of cere onial@ ritual and the lectures& )he ost disturbin" revolt occurred a on" so e Lancashire lod"es resultin" in the ex3ulsion of brethren and the erasure of lod"es& In s3ite of the erasures so e of the lod"es continued to eet@ eventually for in" their o4n 'rand Lod"e in 18(. 4hich beca e ,no4n as the 'rand Lod"e of 7i"an& After a short 3eriod of o3eration it 4as in abeyance until 18.8@ later revived but a"ain beco in" ineffectual until its

disa33earance in 1866& +urin" its existence it constituted six lod"es but in 1866 only one 4as left@ the Lod"e of #incerity 4hich@ in 191.@ returned to the fold as 6o .677&

L2+'5 2/ R5C26CILIA)I26 >nder the Articles of >nion a Lod"e of Reconciliation 4as constituted@ the first duty of 4hich 4as to underta,e the re-obli"ation of $asters@ 7ardens and %ast $asters& )hey 4ere re?uired to attend&

for the 3ur3ose of bein" obli"ated@ certified and re"istered to entitle the to be 3resent at the asse bly of $asons for the >nion of the t4o 'rand Lod"es )*5 'RA6+ L2+'5 2/ 56'LA6+ 9. on (7 +ece ber 181.& )he lod"e=s ain tas,@ ho4ever@ 4as to ;3ro ul"ate and enHoin the 3ure and unsullied syste of ritual and cere onial - in short@ to reconcile the t4o for er syste s& /or this 3ur3ose $asters and 7ardens attended its eetin"s to learn the a"reed ritual and so be enabled to instruct their o4n lod"e e bers accordin"ly& It de onstrated or ;exhibited= the o3enin" and closin" cere onies and the cere onies of the three de"rees before the 'rand Lod"e and re3resentative eetin"s of lod"es& Its e bers and those 3resent at eetin"s and de onstrations 4ere forbidden to a,e notes of the 3roceedin"s and cere onies and it is as 4ell to stress here that no ritual has ever been 3rinted and issued as an ;a33roved= ritual& )he lod"e ended its 4or, in 18&16&

A+$I6I#)RA)I26 A/)5R )*5 >6I26 )he >nion of t4o 'rand 'rand Lod"es necessitated@ as a atter of course@ an a al"a ation of the t4o ad inistrations into one& -oint 'rand #ecretaries 4ere a33ointed@ one fro each of the for er 'rand Lod"es& A Board of 'eneral %ur3oses 4as established to carry out the "eneral functions for erly exercised by the Co ittee of Charity of the $oderns and by the #te4ards Lod"e of the Antients& )hree other Boards 4ere set u3@ /inance@ 7or,s and #chools& )he t4o latter disa33eared in 1819 and the Board of /inance in 18.1& A Colonial Board ca e later but has lon" since disa33eared& A Co ittee@ or Lod"e@ of Benevolence 4as also established 4hich later beca e the Board of Benevolence&

)he first tas, of the Board of 'eneral %ur3oses 4as to su3ervise and arran"e the co 3ilation of a ne4 Boo, of Constitutions 4hich 4as finally

a33roved and 3ublished in 1811& )he Board of 7or,s considered the atter of re"alia and in due course 3re3ared re"ulations as to desi"n@ etc@ 4hich 4ere a33roved by 'rand Lod"e& )he Board of /inance dealt firstly 4ith the financial 3roble s arisin" out of the >nion and reco ended the establish ent of a fund of "eneral 3ur3oses and a fund of benevolence& It also 3re3ared la4s relative to the fund of benevolence&

)o 3rovide the necessary increase in acco odation the *all 4as altered and extended in 1814& In the follo4in" year t4o houses adHoinin" the tavern 4ere also ac?uired for the sa e 3ur3ose&

)he lists of lod"es 4ere a al"a ated 4ith a ne4 enu eration resultin" in the na es of 648 lod"es a33earin" in the ne4 list&

An International Co 3act bet4een the 'rand Lod"es of 5n"land@ Ireland and #cotland@ 4hich re"ulated fraternal intercourse@ territorial Hurisdiction and other atters of co on concern 4as si"ned in 1814&

)he re ainin" years of the first century of or"anised free asonry 4ere devoted to consolidation& In s3ite of inevitable 3roble s the united body steadily advanced to4ards co 3lete inte"ration and har ony under the "uidin" influence of the +u,e of #ussex@ 'rand $aster for .: years until his death in 184.@ 4ho can fairly be re"arded as one of the chief architects of >nion and a "reat 'rand $aster&

)*5 /I05 62BL5 2R+5R# 2/ ARC*I)5C)>R5 )*5 %R5#)26IA6 L5C)>R5 /2R 1968 *& !56) A)!I6# /ive hold a Lod"e@ in allusion to the five noble orders of architecture@ na ely@ the )uscan@ +oric@ Ionic@ Corinthian and Co 3osite&

ALL /R55$A#26# are fa iliar 4ith the ex3lanation of the #econd )racin" Board@ and the reference to the /ive 6oble 2rders of Architecture@ but not all are as 4ell ac?uainted 4ith the 2rders the selves& $anuals and learned 3a3ers have been 4ritten on the /ive 2rders and their 3lace in asonry& 7illia %reston@ after 4ho the

%restonian Lectures are na ed@ arran"ed a lecture on the /ive 2rders@ 4hich first a33eared in the #yllabus& An ;ex3lanation= of the lecture a33eared in the second edition of his Illustrations of $asonry@ 1771@ and ;re ar,s= thereon in the third edition@ 1781& )he anuals and learned 3a3ers@ ho4ever@ are not 4ell ,no4n@ and the Lecture is no4 un,no4n in ost 5n"lish lod"es&

)*5 /I05 2R+5R# A6+ )*5 CRA/) It should be re e bered that the /ive 2rders are of ;Architecture=& Architecture has al4ays been closely associated 4ith o3erative asonry@ and its influence@ its sy bolis @ 4as carried for4ard durin" the transition 3eriod@ and into free and acce3ted or s3eculative asonry& 6on-o3erative asonry certainly existed before the for ation of 'rand Lod"e in 1717@ but there is a lac, of infor ation as to the develo3 ent of ritual and cere ony&

/ree asonry is re3uted to be descended fro the "uilds of edieval stone asons@ 4ho 4or,ed in the 'othic styleE but it 4as the classical style of ancient 'reece and Ro e that 4as ado3ted for the lecture on architecture& It is i 3ossible to say 4ith certainty 4hen the /ive 2rders first beca e associated 4ith the Craft@ but as classical architecture 4as the ?uintessence of the Renaissance@ it is reasonable to assu e it 4as durin" the latter half of the seventeenth century or early in the ei"hteenth& An a"e 4hen the 'othic style 4as every4here attac,ed and abused@ and the classical 4orld 4as the all-sufficient odel& An a"e 4hen it 4as the custo for cultured 3eo3le to devote their attention to the study of architecture& In those days it 4as not unusual for lectures on architecture to be "iven at lod"e eetin"sE for the "entle en of the 3eriod@ 4ho had travelled and studied the subHect@ to instruct the ordinary e bers of the Craft&

7illia %reston A174(-1818B is considered by so e 4riters to have been res3onsible for the introduction of the /ive 2rders of Architecture into the asonic syste & Certainly his Lectures have a noted 3lace in asonic literature@ but there is a 3le evidence that the /ive 2rders 4ere of si"nificance to /ree asons before the 3ublication of his Illustrations of $asonry& A $ason=s 5xa ination@ an irre"ular Catechis issued in 17(.@ fifty-t4o years before 7il94 96 ;)*5 %R5#)26IA6 L5C)>R5#= lia %reston=s Lecture first a33eared@ refers to the /ive 2rders in the for of ?uestion and ans4er< C& *o4 any 2rders be there in ArchitectureP A& /iveE )uscan@ +oric@ Ionic@ Corinthian@ and Co 3osite@ or Ro an& Also@ in

+r -a es Anderson=s first Boo, of Constitutions A17(.B@ the frontis3iece sho4s a 3ave ent or arcade 4ith the /ive 2rders@ cou3led@ on each sideE the Co 3osite 2rder in the fore"round@ recedin" to the )uscan in the bac,"round& It is of interest that this illustration@ 4ithout the fi"ures@ bears a close rese blance to desi"ns by Ini"o -ones for scenery for Court $as?uesE ade ore than one hundred years before@ at the ti e 4hen he introduced into 5n"land@ %alladian Renaissance architecture&

It is intended in this Lecture@ first@ to refer to the Ro an architect and 4riter 0itruviusE to trace the /ive 2rders of Architecture fro the Ro an era@ 4hen they 4ere re"ularly e 3loyed@ to the be"innin" of the ei"hteenth century@ 4hen their use beca e fir ly re-established in 5n"landE and to briefly ention the Italian and 5n"lish architects 3articularly associated 4ith the Renaissance of the Classical style& )hen to describe each of the /ive 2rdersE and finally to consider the )hree %illars ore "enerally ,no4n to free asons&

*I#)2RICAL BAC!'R2>6+ 0itruvius is the earliest ,no4n authority on the 2rders@ and his celebrated treatise@ de Architectura@ had been the ost i 3ortant source of infor ation for all subse?uent studies& #ir *enry 7otton@ traveller@ di3lo at and scholar@ in his 5le ents of Architecture@ 3rinted in London in 16(4@ refers to hi as ;2ur 3rinci3al $aster=& 0itruvius=s treatise 4as 4ritten about t4o thousand years a"o@ and is the only boo, on architecture in the 4hole of classical literature& *e describes the )uscan@ +oric@ Ionic@ and Corinthian 2rders@ and 3ro ul"ates the canons "overnin" their 3ro3ortions& *e does not ention the Co 3osite 2rderE it 4as not evolved until later@ 3ossibly in the first century A+& As 0itruvius a33arently never visited 'reece@ the infor ation he "ives about the 'ree, 2rders 4as 3robably obtained fro various 'ree, authors@ 4ith 4hose 4ritin"s he see s to have been 4ell ac?uainted&

0I)R>0I>#@ 4hose full na e 4as $ARC># 0I)R>0I># %2LLI2@ lived in the ti e of -ulius Caesar and Au"ustus@ the first Ro an 5 3eror@ so eti e bet4een 9: Bc and 1: Bc& *e 4as a ilitary as 4ell as a civil architect and en"ineer@ and served under -ulius Caesar in the African 4ar of 46 BC& *e 4as ade by Au"ustus an Ins3ector of the various 5n"ines of 7ar and also Ins3ector of %ublic Buildin"s& It is li,ely that his treatise 4as co 3osed 4hen he 4as advanced in life@ and that it 4as 3resented to his 3atron@ Au"ustus@ to 4ho it is dedicated@ so eti e about (1 BC&

It is usually acce3ted that the anuscri3t of 0itruvius=s treatise 4as rediscovered in about 1414@ at the onastery of #t 'all@ near La,e Constance in #4itIerland& Another version is that it 4as found in the library of the Benedictine Abbey of $onte Cassino@ near 6a3les& )he first ,no4n 3rinted edition is in Latin@ and is believed to have been 3rinted at Ro e in 1486& In the sixteenth century further Latin editions 4ere 3ublished@ and translations in Italian A11(1B@ )*5 /I05 62BL5 2R+5R# 2/ ARC*I)5C)>R5 97 /rench A1147B@ 'er an A1148B@ and #3anish A118(B@ but the first 5n"lish edition 4as not issued until t4o hundred years later@ in 1771&

#o e 4riters have doubted the authenticity and a"e of the treatise@ believin" that the author 4as not a conte 3orary of Au"ustus@ but of a later date@ 3ossibly of the third century or even as late as the fifth& )hat he 4as not a 3ractical architect but an un,no4n an of letters@ 4ho had so little faith in his o4n 4or, that he used the na e of the architect entioned by %liny&

)hree of the Classic 2rders@ the +oric@ Ionic@ and Corinthian@ 4ere used by the 'ree,s& )he Ro ans ado3ted these three and added the )uscan and the Co 3osite@ so a,in" the /ive 2rders of Architecture& )hese 2rders are conte 3orary 4ith Ro an civilisation@ and exa 3les of the are found@ not only in Italy@ but in all countries of the Ro an 5 3ire& 7ith the decline of the Ro an 5 3ire of the 7est and the eventual brea,-u3 in A+ 476@ the style of architecture "radually chan"ed@ broadly@ throu"h 5arly Christian@ Ro anes?ue@ and 'othic@ and the Ro an 2rders fell into disuse& It 4as not until the be"innin" of the Italian Renaissance@ early in the fifteenth century@ that the Classic Ro an 2rders 4ere reintroduced@ after havin" been in abeyance for nearly one thousand years&

%*ILLI%2 BR>65LL5#C*I A1.77-1446B ay be considered as the first of the Renaissance architects& *e 4as born in /lorence@ and 4as first a "olds ith@ then a scul3tor@ and finally an architect& 7hen t4enty-four years of a"e he entered a co 3etition a on" scul3tors for the fa ous bronIe north doors of the Ba3tistry in /lorence@ but he 4as unsuccessful& *e then visited Ro e and studied the ancient ruins@ and there settled the 2rders of architecture fro classic exa 3les& In 1418 he started his career as an architect@ and one of his first 4or,s 4as the /oundlin"

*os3ital in /lorence A14(1-.4B@ one of the first /oundlin" ho es in the 4orld& )his buildin" has a fa ous arcaded lo""ia of Corinthian colu ns su33ortin" se i-circular arches& *is other 4or,s also sho4 the influence of the Classic 2rders@ for exa 3le@ the Church of #anto #3irito@ /lorence A14418(B@ desi"ned by hi but only Hust be"un in his lifeti e@ has a classic arcaded interior and@ after a lon" 3eriod of su33ression@ the entablature a"ain a33ears inter3osed bet4een the very li"ht arches and the thirty-five su33ortin" Corinthian colu ns&

2f all the Italian architects of the 3eriod@ the t4o 4ho contributed ost to the s3read of the Renaissance of Classic architecture to the 4est 4ere 0i"nola and %alladio&

'IAC2$2 BAR2KKI +A 0I'62LA A11:7-7.B@ en"ineer and architect@ 4as the author of Re"ola delli cir?ue ordini d=Architettura@ issued in 116(& )his 3ublication ade a considerable i 3ression on the architecture of his ti e@ es3ecially on the desi"n and treat ent of the Classic 2rders& *e 4ent to /rance for t4o years A1141-4.B in the service of /rancis I@ 4here he "reatly influenced the develo3 ent of /rench Renaissance architecture& 2ne of his best ,no4n 4or,s is the villa of %o3e -ulius in Ro e A111:-11B@ no4 the 5truscan $useu &

A6+R5A %ALLA+I2 A11:8-8:B@ usually considered the "reatest architect of the 4hole Renaissance@ first trained as a ason@ and did not a33ear as an architect until he 4as thirty-t4o years of a"e& *is careful study of ancient buildin"s still 98 ;)*5 %R5#)26IA6 L5C)>R5#= standin" in Ro e led to the issue in 117: of his fa ous boo, 1 ?uattro libri dell= Architettura& $any of his buildin"s no lon"er exist@ or 4ere never co 3leted@ but the 3ublication of the desi"ns in his boo,@ first issued in 0enice@ and since 3ublished in every country of 5uro3e@ had a very i 3ortant influence on architecture@ es3ecially in 5n"land& %alladian architecture@ 4hich confor s closely to the 3rece3ts of 0itruvius@ re ained for a lon" 3eriod the odel for an entire style& )he result of %alladio=s classical research can be traced in his desi"ns for buildin"s@ both in 0enice and 0icenIa& 2ne of 3articular interest is his celebrated 0illa Ca3ra@ 0icenIa A1167B@ ,no4n also as the Rotonda@ 4ith its exa""erated a33lication of Classic features@ is a s?uare buildin" 4ith 3illared 3ortico of Ionic colu ns on each face& )he desi"n has often been co3ied both in 5n"land@ and on the Continent& $ere4orth Castle@ !ent A17((B@ by Colin Ca 3bell@ is based very closely on the 0illa Ca3ra& )he

elevations are the sa e on all fronts@ each havin" a 3illared 3ortico of Ionic colu ns& Chis4ic, *ouse@ Chis4ic, A17(1B@ built by Lord Burlin"ton and 7illia !ent@ lon" ,no4n as the %alladian 0illa@ is a odified co3y@ but has only one 3ortico&

)he "reat Italian architects 4ere the founders of the Renaissance@ and it 4as fro the re ains of Ro an architecture alone that the ins3iration ca eE there is no evidence that they had any ,no4led"e of the ore refined architecture of the 'ree,s& 24in" to the distance fro Italy@ the slo4 co unications of the a"e@ and her insular 3osition@ 5n"land 4as the last country to co e under the influence of the ne4 ove ent& 7hereas the da4n of the Renaissance in Italy 4as early in the fifteenth century@ the be"innin" of the full Renaissance in 5n"land 4as not until the early 3art of the seventeenth century@ 4hen Ini"o -ones@ the fa ous 5n"lish architect@ introduced %alladian Renaissance architecture@ 4ith its reversion to Classic style@ and the e 3loy ent of the Ro an 2rders&

$ore than one thousand five hundred years before the introduction of %alladian Renaissance architecture@ the Classic 2rders 4ere used in 5n"land by the Ro ans& 7ith the Ro an invasion of A+ 4. and the subHu"ation of the country forty years later@ Britain beca e one of the forty-five 3rovinces of the Ro an 5 3ire& /or the next three hundred years@ under Ro an 3rotection and 4ith co 3arative civilisation@ to4ns 4ere laid out@ and buildin"s erected& A 3eriod of ti e al ost e?ual to that 4hich se3arates us today@ fro the restoration of the onarchy under Charles II& Ro an architecture in 5n"land 4as of the sa e character as in other 3arts of 5uro3e@ althou"h 3ossibly inferior in detail@ and the Classic 2rders 4ere e 3loyed in the desi"n of foru s@ te 3les@ and other i 3ortant buildin"s& After the 4ithdra4al of the Ro an le"ions and the end of Ro an control in the year 41:@ the Britons 4ere left to defend the selves a"ainst invasions by the An"les and #axons& )he 3rocess of An"lo-#axon con?uest 4as slo4@ and one hundred and fifty years ela3sed before the con?uest of even southern 5n"land 4as co 3lete& +urin" those turbulent years@ Ro an buildin"s 4ere either destroyed by the #axons@ or deserted and left to fall into ruinsE the ruins 4ere 3lundered for buildin" aterials@ and all trace of Ro an architecture disa33eared fro vie4&

I6I'2 -265# A117.-161(B 4as born in London@ the son of a cloth4or,er& Little is ,no4n of his early life& It is ,no4n@ ho4ever@ that he 3aid several

visits to )*5 /I05 62BL5 2R+5R# 2/ ARC*I)5C)>R5 99 Italy@ 4here he ade serious studies of Italian buildin"s@ both conte 3orary and anti?ue@ and ore es3ecially of the 4or,s of Andrea %alladio& *e 4as a sta"e desi"ner as 4ell as an architect@ and on his return to 5n"land he introduced the 3rece3ts of %alladio in scenery desi"ned for Court $as?ues& 7hen he 4as forty-t4o years of a"e@ Ini"o -ones 4as a33ointed #urveyor-'eneral of the Royal 7or,s& A nu ber of country houses and other buildin"s clai hi @ but any do not erit serious consideration@ for as #ir -ohn #u erson had 3ointed out@ ;the fi"ure of -ones is obscured by such a s4ar of isattributions that the toil of discern ent enfeebles 3erce3tion=& )he only buildin"s no4 existin" 4hich can be attributed to hi 4ith absolute certainty are the Ban?uetin" *ouse@ 7hitehall@ London A1619-((B@ and the Cueen=s *ouse@ 'reen4ich A1616-.1B& )he Ban?uetin" *ouse@ 7hitehall@ intended to for 3art of a vast royal 3alace@ is considered to be the first@ and one of the finest exa 3les of the 5n"lish Renaissance& )he severely Classic treat ent@ 4ith its Ionic and Corinthian 3ilasters and half colu ns@ bold cornice@ and balustrade@ 4as the result of his study of the %alladian architecture in Italy& It is ironical that his 3atron@ !in" Charles I@ ste33ed out to execution on the scaffold in 1649 fro a first floor 4indo4 of this Ban?uetin" *all& *orace 7al3ole@ the ei"hteenth-century 4riter@ said of Ini"o -ones@ ;0itruvius dre4 u3 his "ra ar@ %alladio sho4ed hi the 3ractice@ Ro e dis3layed a theatre 4orthy his e ulation@ and !in" Charles 4as ready to encoura"e@ e 3loy@ and re4ard his talents& )his is the history of Ini"o -ones as a "enius=&

Ini"o -ones initiated the chan"e in 5n"land to for al Classic desi"n@ 4ith the use of the 2rders& *is co 3leted 4or,s 4ere fe4 but the traditions of desi"n 4hich he 3ioneered 4ere lastin"& %alladian architecture 4ould have been ore develo3ed by hi had he not lived in an a"e of 4ars and "eneral unsettledness< the )hirty 9ears 7ar@ the Civil 7ar@ the 5xecution of !in" Charles@ the Co on4ealth 4ith the reaction re3resented by %uritanis & )he Civil 7ar brou"ht a cha3ter in 5n"lish architecture to an abru3t close and Ini"o -ones died before the Restoration&

)he second "reat architect of the 3eriod@ 4hose na e and 4or, are ore 4idely ,no4n@ 4as #IR C*RI#)2%*5R 7R56 A16.(-17(.B& #cholar@ athe atician@ astrono er@ and architect& %rofessor of Astrono y at the a"e of t4enty-fiveE #urveyor-'eneral and 3rinci3al Architect for rebuildin" London after the 'reat /ire at thirty-fourE #urveyor-'eneral of the Royal 7or,s at thirty-sevenE %resident of the Royal #ociety at forty-ei"ht& 7ho built ;the noblest te 3le@ the lar"est 3alace@ and the ost stu3endous

hos3ital=@ as 4ell as fifty-t4o London churches@ and a "reat nu ber of other buildin"s throu"hout 5n"land& *e did not 3ractise architecture until he 4as thirty years of a"e@ 4hen he 4as already one of the ost fa ous scientists in 5uro3e& 7ith the restoration of the onarchy in the year 166:@ and the destruction caused by the 'reat /ire of London in 1666@ #ir Christo3her 7ren@ 4ith the 3atrona"e of !in" Charles II@ had any o33ortunities to exercise his undoubted talents& *e continued the classical tradition@ thou"h 4ith a ore inde3endent style@ and did not rely on the 3recedents of the Italian Renaissance as uch as Ini"o -ones& *e 4as ore influenced by the /rench Renaissance& %e bro,e Colle"e Cha3el@ Ca brid"e A166.-61B@ desi"ned 1:: ;)*5 %R5#)26IA6 L5C)>R5#= for his uncle@ the Bisho3 of 5ly@ 4as his first 4or,E a restrained rectan"ular buildin" 4ith 3edi ented fa"ade and si 3le "reat Corinthian 3ilasters& #t %aul=s Cathedral A1671-171:B is his ost fa ous and best ,no4n buildin"& *e 4as ninety-one years old 4hen he died@ havin" lived and 4or,ed throu"h five rei"ns&

Both Ini"o -ones and #ir Christo3her 7ren are re3uted to have been free asons@ and to have hcid hi"h office in the Craft& +r -a es Anderson in the second edition of his Boo, of Constitutions A17.8B@ 4ritten fifteen years after #ir Christo3her 7ren=s death@ credits hi 4ith havin" held the offices of 'rand 7arden@ +e3uty 'rand $aster@ and 'rand $aster& $ore recently@ 'eor"e *& Cunnin"ha in his boo,@ London& A Co 3rehensive #urvey of the *istory@ )radition and *istorical Associations of Buildin"s and $onu ents@ 3ublished in 19(7@ states that< )he for er Ban?uetin" *ouse of 7hitehall %alace 4as built in 1619-(( by Ini"o -ones@ the fa ous architect and 'rand $aster of the /ree asons&

)he 'oose and 'ridiron@ #t %aul=s Churchyard@ 4as the eetin"-3lace of #t %aul=s Lod"e@ one of the first lod"es of free asons in London& +urin" the buildin" of #t %aul=s Catherdral@ #ir Christo3her 7ren 3resided as $aster&

#t %aul=s Cathedral& )he 3resent cathedral dates fro 1671@ 4hen the foundation 4as laid by #ir Christo3her 7ren@ the architect@ as 'rand $aster of the /ree asons@ assisted by his Lod"e&

*o4ever@ it is no4 usually acce3ted that neither Ini"o -ones nor #ir

Christo3her 7ren 4ere 3ro inent free asons& It is ,no4n that +r -a es Anderson had a rather vivid i a"ination@ and that uch of his 4ritin"s are le"endaryE and it is li,ely that Cunnin"ha =s state ents are based on Anderson=s 4or,s& Bro Bernard 5& -ones@ in his authoritative boo, /ree asons= 'uide and Co 3endiu A1916B@ does not ention Ini"o -ones in this connection@ but he considers that #ir Christo3her 7ren 4as al ost certainly a s3eculative ason@ but not a 'rand $aster of the 2rder nor an i 3ortant fi"ure in the e er"ence of s3eculative asonry&

At the be"innin" of the ei"hteenth century the influence of Ini"o -ones and #ir Christo3her 7ren had s3read throu"hout 5n"land& Classical desi"n@ of 4hich the 2rders 4ere an essential 3art@ 4as ado3ted@ not only by architects but also by 4or,in" asons and car3enters& )he 3rece3ts of Ini"o -ones and #ir Christo3her 7ren 4ere carried on by 3u3ils and follo4ersE such as #ir -ohn 0anbru"h A1664-17(6B@ 4ho desi"ned Blenhei %alace@ 2xfordshire@ the ost onu ental ansion in 5n"landE 6icholas *a4,s oor A1661-17.6B@ a 3u3il of #ir Christo3her 7ren@ 4ho built a nu ber of London churchesE and -a es 'ibbs A168.1774B@ 4ho desi"ned any buildin"s in the 3revailin" %alladian ode& 2f note is his Church of #t $artin-in-the-/ields@ )rafal"ar #?uare@ London@ 4ith its "reat Corinthian 3ortico& #ir 7illia Cha bers A17(.-96B 4as 3robably the last 3ractitioner of the strict %alladian tradition@ and his 4or,s are found in al ost every 3art of 5n"land and even extended to Ireland& *is )reatise on Civil Architecture@ 3ublished in 1719@ is still today an i 3ortant "uide as re"ards the 3ro3ortions of the /ive 2rders&

And so after thirteen centuries@ the Classical style of architecture 4as a"ain )*5 /I05 62BL5 2R+5R# 2/ ARC*I)5C)>R5 1:1 fir ly established in 5n"land@ and the 2rders 4ere once ore an inte"ral 3art of desi"n& )he a"e@ 3robably 4hen the /ive 2rders of Architecture 4ere introduced into the asonic syste & It should be re e bered that the 2rders associated 4ith free asonry are those e 3loyed by the Renaissance architects&

2R+5R# 2/ ARC*I)5C)>R5 An ;2rder= in Classic architecture is a co bination of colu n@ includin" ca3ital and base@ and horiIontal entablature or 3art su33ortedE desi"ned in relation one to the other& )he colu n by itself is not the order&

7illia %reston in his Lecture on the /ive 2rders A1781B@ defines an ;2rder= in 3ossibly ore 3ictures?ue lan"ua"e& =By order in architecture is eant a syste of all the orna ents and 3ro3ortions of colu ns and 3ilastersE or a re"ular arran"e ent of the 3roHectin" 3arts of a buildin"@ es3ecially those of a colu n@ 4hich for one beautiful@ 3erfect and co 3lete 4hole&= )he 2rders@ as used by the 'ree,s@ 4ere essentially constructive& )he Ro ans introduced the use of colu n and entablature as facin"s to 3iers@ and fre?uently used the as 3urely decorative features@ 4ithout any structural valueE althou"h they continued to use the constructively@ as in the colonnades of foru s and te 3les& )he characteristics of all 'ree, architecture is in its si 3licity and refine entE in Ro an architecture@ in its forcefulness and lavishness of dis3lay& )he Ro an use of the 2rders 4as follo4ed by the architects of the Italian Renaissance 4ho@ as 3reviously entioned@ had no ,no4led"e of the architecture of the 'ree,s& 5astern 5uro3e at that ti e 4as do inated by the 2tto an 5 3ire@ and travel 4as al ost i 3ossible and certainly dan"erous&

)>#CA6 2R+5R )he )uscan is the first of the /ive 2rders of Architecture& #everely desi"ned 4ith no orna ent but ouldin"sE the colu n@ an unfluted shaft 4ith base and ca3ital@ seven dia eters hi"h& )he entablature is 3lain@ and in ancient ti es 4as constructed in ti ber& )he Renaissance architects ade their o4n )uscan 2rder 4ith a stone entablature& #ir *enry 7otton A1168-16.9B@ in his 5le ents of Architecture A16(4B@ describes it as =a 3lain@ assive@ rural 3illar@ rese blin" a sturdy 4ell-li bed labourer@ ho ely clad=&

)here is no certainty as to the ori"in of the 2rderE it 4as not used by the 'ree,s@ and it is unli,ely that the Ro ans invented it& 6o exa 3le exists si ilar in for ation to that described by 0itruvius& It see s hi"hly 3robable that it 4as used by the 5truscans@ and that it 4as ado3ted by the Ro ans at the sa e ti e as the arch@ vault@ and do e& )he use of ti ber in the entablature of the early exa 3les@ a33ears to confir the ori"in@ as it is ,no4n that this for of construction 4as 3ractised by the 5truscans& #o e authorities consider that it is a si 3lified version@ or a utation@ of the +oric 2rderE 4hile 7illia %reston@ in his Lecture on the /ive 2rders@ si 3ly states that it 4as invented in )uscany& )he )uscan 2rder "ives an i 3ression of severe di"nity@ and a "ood exa 3le of this can be seen in the 3ortico of #t %aul=s Church@ Covent 'arden@ London& )he ori"inal church A16.1-.1B 4as desi"ned by Ini"o -ones@ but 4as burnt do4n in 1791& )he 3resent one is a close co3y@ built by )ho as *ard4ic, A171(-18(9B@ in 1:1 1:( ;)*5 %R5#)26IA6 L5C)>R5#=

1791-98& Anthony #ayer@ the first 'rand $aster of the 1717 'rand Lod"e@ is buried in the vaults of the church&

+2RIC 2R+5R )he +oric is the second of the /ive 2rders of Architecture@ and the first and si 3lest of the three 'ree, 2rders& )he Ro an 2rder differs in desi"n fro the 'ree, ori"inalE it has less onu ental "randeur and is freer in detail@ 4ithout any of the delicate 3rofiles& )he +oric 2rder 4as evolved by the 'ree,s of the 7estern territories@ si ultaneously 4ith the Ionic 2rder by the 'ree,s of the 5astern territories& )he true +oric style is found in 'reece@ #icily@ and #outh Italy@ and its finest and cul inatin" exa 3le is the %arthenon on the Acro3olis at Athens A447-4.( BCB& )he +oric 4as the 2rder ost li,ed by the 'ree,s@ and they used it al ost entirely in te 3le buildin"sE it 4as little used by the Ro ans@ bein" too severe and 3lain for the buildin"s they re?uired& 0itruvius tells us that the +oric colu n 4as odelled on the for of a an& )hat it 4as found that the len"th of the foot 4as one-sixth of the hei"ht of the bodyE and so the hei"ht of the colu n@ includin" the ca3ital@ 4as ade six ti es its thic,ness at its base& )hus the +oric colu n exhibits the 3ro3ortions@ stren"th@ and beauty of the body of a an&

In the 'ree, 2rder the colu n stands 4ithout a base@ directly on a stylobate@ usually of three ste3s@ and the circular shaft is divided as a rule into t4enty shallo4 flutes@ se3arated by shar3 arrises or ed"es& )he colu n@ includin" the ca3ital@ has a hei"ht of fro four to six ti es the dia eter in the earlier 3eriod@ and u3 to seven in the later 3eriod& )he entablature@ the frieIe or iddle section of 4hich is often orna ented 4ith scul3ture@ is about one-?uarter the hei"ht of the 2rder& )he colu n of the Ro an 2rder is ore slender@ has a base@ and the circular shaft is fre?uently 4ithout flutes& )he hei"ht of the colu n@ includin" base and ca3ital@ is about ei"ht dia eters& #ir 7illia Cha bers in his )reatise on Civil Architecture A1719B@ "ives the hei"ht of the 'ree, +oric colu n as six dia eters@ and the Ro an +oric is ei"ht dia eters&

)here are several different o3inions as to the ori"in of the +oric 2rder& It is traced by so e to the sixteen-sided colu ns at the entrance to the 5"y3tian roc,-he4n to bs at Beni *asan on the 6ile& Also@ to the nu erous s all roc,-cut to b fa"ades to be found in Asia $inor& Bro Bernard 5& -ones considers that the idea of the +oric ca e fro 5"y3t@ but that the 'ree,s so lar"ely redesi"ned the 2rder as to be re"arded as

its ori"inators& )he consensus of o3inion is that the 2rder is traceable to 5"y3t and that it had a ti ber ori"in& )he considerable 4idth bet4een the colu ns of the very early 'ree, te 3les sho4s that the lintel or horiIontal bea 4as of 4ood@ and it is su""ested that the colu ns also 4ere of the sa e aterial@ bein" re3laced "radually 4ith stone& )here is little but a le"endary reason 4hy the style should be called +oric& *istoric tradition has it that@ in about 1::: BC@ the +orians@ a tribe fro the re"ion to the north of the 'ulf of Corinth@ invaded and con?uered southern 'reeceE and ade i 3ortant settle ents also in #icily and in south-4est Italy& )he +orians@ bein" the do inant race@ "ave their na e to the style of architecture es3ecially characteristic of the lands over 4hich they ruled&

)*5 /I05 62BL5 2R+5R# 2/ ARC*I)5C)>R5 1:. I26IC 2R+5R )he Ionic@ the third of the /ive 2rders of Architecture@ and the second of the three 'ree, 2rders@ is 3laced after the +oric thou"h it 4as develo3ed at the sa e ti e& )he Ro ans ado3ted the 2rder but they treated its details 4ith less beauty and refine ent& )he Ionic 2rder 4as evolved by the 'ree,s of the 5astern territories@ and its true ho e 4as Asia $inorE 3robably the ost i 3ortant exa 3le@ ho4ever@ is the 5rechtheion on the Acro3olis at Athens& Accordin" to 0itruvius< 4hereas the +oric colu n 4as odelled on the for of a an@ so the Ionic 4as fashioned on the 3ro3ortions of the fe ale fi"ure& )hat the hei"ht of the colu n 4as ade ei"ht ti es its thic,ness at is base@ so that it i"ht have a slender loo,@ and in the ca3ital@ volutes or scrolls@ 4ere 3laced han"in" do4n at the ri"ht and left li,e curly rin"letsE the front 4as orna ented 4ith cy atia and 4ith festoons of fruit arran"ed in 3lace of hair@ 4hile the flutes 4ere brou"ht do4n the 4hole shaft@ fallin" li,e the folds in the robes 4orn by atrons& )hus the Ionic colu n has the delicacy@ adorn ent@ and 3ro3ortions characteristic of 4o en&

)he 2rder is co 3aratively slenderE the colu n@ 4ith base and ca3ital@ bein" usually nine ti es the dia eter in hei"ht& )he circular shaft has as a rule t4entyfour flutes@ 4ith fillets left bet4een the in 3lace of the shar3 ed"es as in the +oric& )he shaft of the Ro an colu n is often unfluted& )he base is ouldedE the distinctive ca3ital has@ in the 'ree, 2rder@ usually t4o volutes or scrolls@ sho4in" to the front and bac,@ and in the Ro an 2rder@ often an"le scrolls@ sho4in" on all four sides& It is so eti es su""ested that the scrolls ay have been derived fro the 5"y3tian lotus@ or that they re3resent the horns of a ra @ as it is ,no4n that ra s 4ere venerated in 7estern Asia& )he entablature is usually one-fifth of the 2rder& )he Ionic 2rder is thou"ht to ta,e its na e fro the Ionian tribes@ 4ho settled on the coasts and isles of Asia $inor@ 4hen

driven out of Central 'reece by the +orians&

C2RI6)*IA6 2R+5R )he Corinthian is the fourth of the /ive 2rders of Architecture@ and the third of the three 'ree, 2rders& )he Corinthian 2rder first a33eared in 'ree, architecture as a variant of the Ionic@ the difference bein" al ost entirely in the ca3ital& It 4as less used by the 'ree,s than either the +oric or the Ionic@ and 4as never fully develo3ed by the E their aHor achieve ents had been co 3leted before the 2rder 4as invented& )he Ro ans brou"ht the Corinthian 2rder to full aturity& )he richness and exuberance of its decoration a33ealed to the Ro an instinct@ and 4as e 3loyed by the far ore fre?uently in their buildin"s than any of the other 2rders of Architecture& 0itruvius relates that@ as the +oric colu n 4as odelled on a an@ and the Ionic on a fe ale fi"ure@ so the Corinthian 4as an i itation of the slenderness of a aidenE for the outlines and li bs of aidens@ bein" ore slender on account of their tender years@ ad it of 3rettier effects in the 4ay of adorn ent& #ixteen hundred years after the ti e of 0itruvius@ #ir *enry 7otton "ives a different@ and aybe less 3leasin"@ descri3tion of the Corinthian colu n< ;lasciviously dec,ed li,e a courtesan@ and therein uch 3artici3atin" of the 3lace 4here they 4ere first bornE Corinth havin" been 4ithout controversy one of the 4antonest to4ns in the 4orld=&

1:4 ;)*5 %R5#)26IA6 L5C)>R5#= )he colu n of the 2rder is ore slender than that of the Ionic@ and includin" base and ca3ital@ is usually ten dia eters in hei"ht& )he circular shaft of the 'ree, colu n is fluted@ 4hile the Ro an shaft ay be either fluted or unfluted& )he Ro ans 4ere inclined to leave the shaft 3lain@ 3ossibly as a contrast to the lavishly decorated ca3italE or because of their 3reference for usin" onolithic colu ns of "ranite and veined arble@ both aterials bein" unsuitable for flutin"& )he ornate ca3ital is as a rule about one and one-sixth dia eter hi"h@ the Ro an ca3ital bein" ore heavily decorated than the 'ree,& )he leaves surroundin" the ;bell= of the 'ree, ca3ital are of the 3ric,ly acanthus ty3e havin" 3ointed leaves of 0-sha3ed sectionE 4hile those surroundin" the Ro an one are blunt-ended flat section acanthus@ or of the olive& )he entablature is usually one-fifth of the 4hole&

)he ori"in of the 2rder is uncertain@ and there is a33arently no conclusive reason for its bein" called Corinthian& )he na e is 3ossibly derived fro the foliated ca3ital& )he follo4in" traditional le"end of the creation of the ca3ital is first recounted by 0itruvius in about (1 BC@ it is re3eated by

any ei"hteenthcentury architectural 4riters@ and is included by 7illia %reston in his Lecture on the /ive 2rders of Architecture&

A freeborn aiden of Corinth 4as attac,ed by an illness and died& After her burial@ her nurse collected a fe4 thin"s 4hich used to "ive the "irl 3leasure 4hile she 4as alive@ 3ut the into a bas,et and 3laced it on her "rave@ coverin" the bas,et 4ith a roof-tile for 3rotection& It ha33ened that the bas,et 4as 3laced over the root of an acanthus& 7hen the 3lant "re4@ the stal,s and leaves curled "racefully around the bas,et@ until reachin" the tile they 4ere forced to bend do4n4ards into volutes& Calli achus@ a scul3tor and a 4or,er in Corinthian bronIe@ 3assed by the "rave and observed the bas,et 4ith the leaves "ro4in" round it& +eli"hted 4ith the novel style and for @ he built for the Corinthians so e colu ns 4ith ca3itals desi"ned after that 3attern@ and deter ined the 3ro3ortions to be follo4ed in finished 4or,s of the Corinthian 2rder&

Anderson and #3iers in their boo,@ )he Architecture of 'reece and Ro e@ 3ublished in 19:(@ consider that in early exa 3les of the 'ree, Corinthian ca3ital@ the treat ent of the leaves and tendrils is such as to su""est their havin" been co3ied in arble fro etallic or"inals& And as Calli achus of Corinth is ,no4n to have 4or,ed in arble as 4ell as in etal@ he 3erha3s executed ca3itals of this ty3e in Corinthian bronIe or brass& )hey su""est@ therefore@ that the na e ay have been "iven because it 4as invented by Calli achus of Corinth@ or on account of the aterial in 4hich the first 3rototy3e 4as ade&

C2$%2#I)5 2R+5R )he Co 3osite@ called also Ro an@ is the last of the /ive 2rders of Architecture& It differs fro the Corinthian only in the desi"n of the ca3italE 4hich is a co bination of the Corinthian and the Ionic@ havin" the an"le volutes or scrolls of the Ionic ca3ital inserted above the Corinthian leafa"e& )he hei"ht of the colu n@ includin" base and ca3ital@ is usually ten dia eters& )he entablature rese bles the Corinthian& )he 2rder 4as un,no4n to the 'ree,s@ bein" a Ro an invention@ and used lar"ely by the in triu 3hal arches to "ive a very ornate character& #ir *enry 7otton says of the 2rder< ;thou"h the ost richly tric,ed@ yet the 3oorest in this@ that he is a borro4er of all his beauty&= )*5 /I05 62BL5 2R+5R# 2/ ARC*I)5C)>R5 1:1 )*5 )*R55 %ILLAR# 7illia %reston concludes his Lecture on the /ive 2rders of Architecture 4ith< ;)he ancient and ori"inal@ orders of architecture@ revered by asons@ are no ore than three@ the +oric@ Ionic@

and Corinthian=& 5arly 4riters refer to )hree 'reat %illars@ the e ble atic su33orts of a ason=s lod"eE and the traditional history attaches considerable i 3ortance to the )hree %illars&

In the ex3lanation of the /irst )racin" Board 4e are told that the three "reat 3illars are called 7isdo @ #tren"th@ and BeautyE but as 4e have no noble orders of Architecture ,no4n by the na es of 7isdo @ #tren"th@ and Beauty@ 4e refer the to the three ost celebratedE the Ionic@ +oric@ and Corinthian& )hey are no4 ex3lained as< the $aster=s@ the Ionic@ re3resentin" 4isdo E the #enior 7arden=s@ the +oric@ re3resentin" stren"thE and the -unior 7arden=s@ the Corinthian@ re3resentin" beauty& It is a atter of interest@ that 4hereas the "enerally acce3ted se?uence of the three Classic 2rders is the +oric@ Ionic@ and Corinthian@ in the asonic use of the three@ the se?uence is chan"edE the Ionic is 3laced before the +oric&

In early lod"es the a33ro3riate floor 3illar stood before the $aster and each of the 7ardens@ but fe4 lod"es no4 continue this old custo & )oday 4e have floor candlestic,s@ and in any lod"es the actual candle-holders are on Ionic@ +oric@ and Corinthian colu ns& )he colu ns of the three 2rders are also often found as 3illars on the bac,s of $aster=s and 7ardens= chairs@ but there a33ears to be no unifor ity in the 2rders used& )hree chairs ade by )ho as Chi33endale in about 176:@ and o4ned by Britannic Lod"e@ 6o ..@ can be seen in the useu at /ree asons= *all@ LondonE the $aster=s has Corinthian 3illars@ and both the #enior and -unior 7ardens= have Ionic& Also in the useu are t4o lar"e "ilt 7ardens= chairsE the #enior 7arden=s has Ionic 3illars@ and the -unior 7arden=s@ Corinthian& 2ther exa 3les of chairs have Corinthian 3illars on the $aster=s@ and +oric on the 7ardens=&

#ince the iddle of the ei"hteenth century certificates have been issued to brethren& In the early days of non-o3erative asonry they they 4ere a33arently 4ritten docu ents@ but in 1716 the 3re ier 'rand Lod"e issued en"raved and 3rinted certificates& 24in" to the custo in the ei"hteenth century of destroyin" all 4ritten or 3rinted asonic atter@ ore es3ecially the certificates of a deceased Brother@ to 3revent any infor ation 3assin" into the hands of non asons@ no very early exa 3le exists today& )he ;)hree 'races= certificate@ 4hich incor3orated the )hree %illars@ 4as first issued in 1717 and since that ti e@ des3ite chan"in" desi"ns@ all the 3ictorial certificates of the t4o rival 'rand Lod"es sho4

the )hree %illars& In 1819 the >nited 'rand Lod"e first used a desi"n 4ith the )hree %illars in line across the certificate@ for in" t4o 3anels& )his certificate is ,no4n as the ;%illars Certificate=@ and@ 4ith odifications@ is in use today&

5J)5R6AL I6/L>56C5# 26 )*5 502L>)I26 2/ 56'LI#* $A#26R9 )*5 %R5#)26IA6 L5C)>R5 /2R 1969 -& R& CLAR!5 )*5 6>$B5R of asons@ and subse?uently free asons@ in this country has never been ore than a relatively s all 3ro3ortion of the 3o3ulation yet there has been a tendency 4hen tracin" the develo3 ent of the Craft to concentrate attention on the 3urely asonic docu ents available and not sufficiently to ta,e into account the inevitably "reat influence of conte 3oraneous thou"ht and events on its evolution& )his influence has been continuous for the brethren have al4ays been en livin" in a 4ider society and subHect to the 3ressures of their environ ent& In this lecture I 3ro3ose to "ive a fe4 exa 3les of the effect of these at crucial ti es&

)he first is fro the be"innin" of our asonic history& In 'rand Lod"e@ 1717 to 1967 *& Carr re inded us that there is Hustification for re"ardin" the be"innin" of the trade or"anisation of asons in 5n"land as havin" ta,en 3lace in 1.16@ 4hen the aster- asons of London sub itted a code of craft re"ulations to the civic authorities for re"istration& )hese re"ulations 4ere concerned 4ith en 4ho had ore or less 3er anent e 3loy ent in one cityE and they established 4or,in" standards 4hich the authorities@ the craft and the 3ublic could all acce3t as re3resentin" fair dealin"& )here 4ere@ ho4ever@ asons in a different cate"ory 4ho oved fro site to site@ either voluntarily or by i 3ress ent@ 4ho could not beco e e bers of a city "ild and 4ho indeed could only in s3ecial circu stances obtain e 3loy ent in a 3lace 4here there 4as one& It is natural to su33ose that they also 4ould have to confor to local rules 4hich 4ould have a basis co on to all localitiesE and@ in addition@ that they 4ould have so e eans of establishin" that they 4ere ex3erienced crafts en 4hen they oved to a ne4 site& 2nly so@ one 4ould i a"ine@ 4ould it be 3ossible for the i ense nu ber of asons to 4or, to"ether at 7indsor Castle in 1.6: 4hen@ it is said@ nearly all the asons in 5n"land 4ere e 3loyedE 3robably the lar"est asse bly of the there has ever been&

)*5 5ARLI5#) $A#26IC +2C>$56)# )hese en had been i 3ressed fro all over southern 5n"land@ fro 5ssex in the east to

'loucester in the 4est@ and later fro the northern counties also& 7illia of 7y,eha 4as Cler, of 7or,s at the CastleE -ohn of #3onlee Aor #3oonley near 7inchco be@ 'loucestershireB 4as chief ason both before and after the i 3ress entE Robert of 'loucester is na ed as 4arden of the asons and 4as succeeded in 1.61 by 7illia of 7ynford A#o ersetB& It see s not unli,ely that 1:6 5J)5R6AL I6/L>56C5# 26 )*5 502L>)I26 2/ 56'LI#* $A#26R9 1:7 these en 4ould establish a code of 3ractice 4hich 4ould have as its basis that of their 4est country ori"in@ thou"h it 4ould have rese blances to the others& 7hen there 4as dis3ersal fro this "reat asse bly@ the asons 4ould carry 4ith the the usa"es 4hich had obtained there@ of 4hich 3erha3s so e record had been ade& $asons fro 9or, 4ere a on"st those i 3ressed and this ay have influenced the rules dra4n u3 by the Cha3ter of 9or, $inster in 1.7: for the asons re"ularly e 3loyed there& )hey included the 3rovision that $aster $asons 4ere to be s4orn ;u3on the boo,= Aie the BibleB to adhere to the code@ a 3rovision later found in the 2ld Char"es& It is even ore 3robable that it influenced the t4o earliest extant full state ents of the custo s and usa"es of asons@ the Re"ius $# and the Coo,e $#& )hese 4ere 4ritten in the half century 4hich follo4ed@ in 4estern and south-4estern dialects of the 5n"lish of the 3eriod& 2n textual "rounds !noo3@ -ones and *a er have decided that they have a co on ori"in& )hey are the first of the 2ld Char"es@ 4hich 4ere used at the ad ission of o3eratives@ and later of acce3ted asons@ before the ei"hteenth century& It is ,no4n that the Re"ius $#@ 4hich is in verse@ found a ho e in the no4 ruined Llanthony Abbey@ about a ile 4est of #t %eter=s Abbey 4hich is no4 'loucester Cathedral@ and it ay have been 4ritten there early in the last decade of the fourteenth century& )he Coo,e $# has been dated as havin" been 4ritten not later than 141:& It ca e to li"ht 4hen the second 'rand $aster@ 'eor"e %ayne@ 3roduced it at the /east in 17(1 and a33ealed for only early docu ents so that the Re"ulations could be revised& *e said he had it fro the 4est country&

A 'loucester #chool of $asons flourished bet4een 1..: and 11::@ its last "reat 4or, bein" the Lady Cha3el of 'loucester Cathedral@ thou"h its "reatest achieve ent ust be considered to be the ori"ination@ in the latter half of the fourteenth century@ of fan vaultin" in the cloisters of the Cathedral& )his 4as later to reach its finest ex3ression in the Cha3el of !in"=s Colle"e@ Ca brid"e and in *enry 0II=s Cha3el in 7est inster Abbey& )hat the #chool 3layed a lar"e 3art in the develo3 ent of the 3eculiarly 5n"lish style of %er3endicular Architecture is es3ecially sho4n in the se?uence of chan"es in the style in the Cathedral& )here 4as also uch rebuildin" at Llanthony durin" the %riory of 7illia of Cheriton fro

1.76 to 14:1& )he 4or, of the #chool 4as not confined to 'loucester@ ho4ever@ but is in evidence at any other 3laces in a 4ide area& Conse?uently it is not sur3risin" that state ents of the 3ractices and res3onsibilities of asons should have been 4ritten in the 4est country& )hey "ive an account of the custo s@ state the oath of entry@ include an account of the ori"in of the Craft and cite the authority of !in" Athelstan for holdin" an asse bly&

7hy the Re"ius $# should have been versified is still to be deter ined but before 4e leave these early docu ents there is another to be entioned& )he asons at Lincoln clai ed to have established a "ild there in 1.1. thou"h there is no docu entary evidence to su33ort this@ the first record of its existence a33earin" in 1.89& It 4as ade in res3onse to a 4rit issued by Richard II in 1.88& )he country 4as at 4ar and this had to be financed& In 1.81 the Co ons 3etitioned the ,in" settin" forth the vie4 that the confiscation of Church 3ro3erty 4ould relieve the situation< this 4as one hundred and fifty years before *enry 0III secularised the onasteries& Richard=s 4rit see s to have been the se?uel to the 1:8 )*5 %R5#)26IA6 L5C)>R5#= 3etition& It re?uired that $asters and 7ardens of all "ilds and brotherhoods A4hich latter ter 4ould include asons not in a "ildB should send a return describin" the foundation and for of "overn ent over 4hich they 3resided& )hey 4ere to state the oath of entry@ describe their feasts and eetin"s@ liberties and custo s@ "ive a list of all their 3ro3erty@ all other 3articulars relatin" to their constitution@ and co3ies of their Charter or Letters %atent if they had any& 7estla,e has exa ined the returns ade as a result of this 4rit@ and includes one fro the Lincoln "ild of All #aints A asonsB& It enu erates the duties of the asons to each other and to the "ildE no oath is entionedE they 4ere to "o to Church and offer u3 a candle on the /east of %entecost and 4ere to eet to transact the business of the "ild ;on the orro4 of 5aster=E they had ;no "eneral eetin"s save such as are held for their social 3ur3oses a on" the selves=E and they had no 3ro3erty& )he re3ly 4as evasive and "ave fe4 of the 3articulars re?uestedE their custo s and usa"es 4ere not described& )he differences bet4een a "ild and the fello4shi3 of asons not s3ecifically attached to a city or reli"ious centre are reco"nised but it is note4orthy that )he )4o 5arliest $asonic $## "ives uch ore of the infor ation de anded by RichardE that they 4ere 3roduced fairly soon after the 4ritE and that there are no others extant 4hich 4ere 4ritten for al ost t4o centuries after it& It ay be that these 2ld Char"es 4ere 4ritten@ 3erha3s fro co3ies of others@ in res3onse to the 4rit&

#IJ)556)*-C56) >R9I6/L >56C5# )here is no evidence of any later atte 3t to control fraternities exce3t that in 14.7 *enry 0I enacted that no "ild@ fraternity or co 3any should a,e any ordinance 4ithout first sub ittin" it to the authorities for a33roval& 6o res3onse to this by any body of asons has been found& After the dissolution of the onasteries there 4as little lar"e scale ecclesiastical buildin" and no buildin" of castles in the old style< the i 3ress ent of labour had considerably di inished and the royal 3alaces of #t -a es and *a 3ton Court and any lar"e houses 4ere ade of bric,@ the use of 4hich aterial 4as "ainin" "round& $oreover@ the conditions under 4hich asons 4or,ed 4ere chan"in"< there 4as less direct e 3loy ent of labour and an increase in the nu ber of aster- ason contractors 4ho e 3loyed their fello4s and bar"ained for the co 3letion of a 4or, or a 3ortion of it& $asons still collected in "rou3s but 4ith decreasin" obility these beca e stabilised 4ith 3er anent ho es@ as o3erative lod"es&

It is 3ossible that other $## relatin" to asons ay have been lost at the dissolution& 7estla,e ohserves that there are lar"e areas of the country for 4hich no re3lies to the 4rit of 1.88 are available& 2n the other hand@ it ay be that fe4 asonic $## 4ere 4ritten< the trans ission of the 4ordin" of those 4hich existed ay have been oral and the fact that the Re"ius $# is a 3oe has been held to hel3 this su""estion@ for verse is ore easily re e bered than 3rose& $oreover@ there are at 3resent any brethren 4ho need no boo, to hel3 the 4ith our rituals thou"h they are at least as lon" as the 2ld Char"es& )he earliest of the later versions extant to 4hich a definite date has been assi"ned is the 'rand Lod"e $# 6o 1 of 118.@ thou"h it is considered 3ossible that a fe4 others 4ere 4ritten shortly before this& In these and all subse?uent versions the ason is no 5J)5R6AL I6/L>56C5# 26 )*5 502L>)I26 2/ 56'LI#* $A#26R9 1:9 lon"er bidden to reverence ;All *allo4es= or ;All #aints= but to be ;true to 'od and *oly Church and >se no 5rror or *eresy=& )his chan"e see s to be si"nificant and ay have been ade 4hen the onasteries 4ere dissolved& )he 3eo3le 4ho assisted at their dis antlin" had as little res3ect for su3erstitious beliefs about the saints as had )ho as Cro 4ell=s later na esa,e 2liver& It 4as about this ti e A114:B@ accordin" to !noo3 and -ones on other evidence@ that a ;first revision= of the 2ld Char"es 4as ade& )he Refor ation had be"un and so had the Revival of Learnin" 4hen educated en 4ere be"innin" to be interested not only in the ,no4led"e of the ancients but also in that of other "rou3s of their fello4 en< for exa 3le@ in the ,no4led"e 4hich had enabled asons to erect stately and su3erb edifices& 2nly fifteen years after 118. the #cha4 #tatutes for asons 4ere 3ro3ounded in #cotland by a an 4ho 4as not an o3erative ason

thou"h the ac,no4led"ed head of the Craft in that country& )he accounts of the London Co 3any of $asons contain a record of so e o3erative asons bein" ad itted into the Acce3tion of the Co 3any in 16(1E and later it is found that non-o3eratives 4ere ; ade asons= in the sa e inner circle@ 4hich 4e ay conclude to be the first record of a body of Acce3ted $asons in 5n"land& )here is no indication that this 4as anythin" ne4< it ay have been "oin" on for years@ and if in London so else4here& I su""est that Acce3ted $asonry@ not yet called ;#3eculative=@ ay be older than has been i a"ined< it ay have started in the latter half of the sixteenth century 4hen a nu ber of ne4 versions of the 2ld Char"es be"an to a33ear& If the Char"es 4ere to be read or recited at the ad ission of a ason@ co3ies 4ould have to be ade for the benefit of the ne4 ty3e of entrants< for exa 3le@ the #loane $# ay have been 4ritten for the eetin" at 4hich Ash ole 4as initiated in 1646& As the Acce3ted $asons beca e ore nu erous ore co3ies 4ould be ade@ 4hich is 4hy ore than one hundred of the 4ritten bet4een 118. and 17(. have been found&

It is not intended in this lecture to follo4 the transition fro o3erative to s3eculative asonry& )he 4hole story@ as "iven by Carr for exa 3le@ sho4s the influence of external events on the Craft& *e concludes< )he transition fro o3erative to s3eculative $asonry 4as not a nation-4ide deliberately 3lanned o3eration@ but the result of econo ic and industrial chan"es in 4hich the Craft suffered a 3urely 3assive role&

)*5 5#)ABLI#*$56) 2/A 'RA6+ L2+'5 In the latter 3art of the seventeenth century the Craft continued to be affected by external events but it 4as by no eans 3assive& It 4as conscious of its develo3 ent fro o3erative to acce3ted asonry both in London and throu"hout the country@ thou"h there is no evidence of co unication bet4een the various centres& )he 4ant of it ay be ore a33arent than actual because 4e find lod"es at 6or4ich and Bristol a4are of the re-or"anisation in London in 1717 soon after it had ta,en 3lace& )he roads ay have been bad but all classes of 3eo3le ana"ed to ove about@ as 4e ,no4 fro the diaries of %e3ys and 5velyn& $oreover@ o4in" to its hi"h death rate@ the etro3olis 4as continually dra4in" on the rest of 5n"land to a,e "ood the loss and to allo4 for the ex3ansion 4hich 4as ta,in" 3lace& It 4as in London@ ho4ever@ ore than in any other 3lace in the 4orld@ that 11: ;)*5 %R5#)26IA6 L5C)>R5#= there arose the custo of en eetin" to"ether in taverns and coffee-houses to learn the ne4s of the day and to discuss it and other thin"s 4ith a freedo that sur3rised forei"ners& )he nu ber of such 3laces increased

enor ously and before the end of the century any Londoner had only to 4al, to the end of the street to find a coffee-house& 'radually the various eetin" 3laces attracted a s3ecialised clientele@ erchants eetin" at one 3lace Ae" Lloyd=sB@ la4yers at another@ 4its and 3oliticians else4here@ each "rou3 fre?uentin" its o4n house& )hus there develo3ed a club-habit and also the custo of en eetin" to"ether at stated intervals for conversation and other 3ur3oses@ as exe 3lified by the eetin"s of the ne4ly founded Royal #ociety& )he century 4as a ti e of ne4 thou"ht@ 4hen ?uestions 4ere bein" as,ed about everythin"E about the 3heno ena of nature and about the very foundations of reli"ion&

)he any o33ortunities for 3rivate eetin"s and the 3revalent s3irit of in?uiry 3rovided Hust 4hat 4as re?uired for the develo3 ent of Acce3ted $asonry and afford sufficient reasons for the existence of several lod"es of Acce3ted $asons in London at the be"innin" of the ei"hteenth century and the ?uestion arises 4hy so e of the should decide to co-o3erate to for a 'rand Lod"e at this 3articular ti e& It see s to have been acce3ted that the obHect 4as social and colour is "iven to this by an advertise ent in the +aily Courant of 7 -uly 1716< /or the Continuance of $utual #ociety@ the Annual /east of the /raternity of #t -a es=s at Cler,en4ell 4ill be held as usual@ on 7ednesday@ the (1th Instant@ at -erusale *all 4ithin the said %arish & & & 6&B& #te4ards are 3rovided for the year ensuin"&

/ree asons@ ho4ever@ could enHoy their utual society at their stated eetin"s@ 4hich other brethren could attend if Ash ole=s visit to the London Acce3tion in 168( ay be ta,en as a "uide& I have already advanced the su""estion that the 3olitical state of the country ade it i 3erative that the free asons should 3rotest their loyalty at this ti e& )he -acobite rebellion of 1711 4as badly ana"ed and easily su33ressed but the "overn ent feared a recurrence@ sus3ectin" -acobites behind every closed door& 2nly one onth after the 3reli inary eetin" of the ;four old lod"es=@ in -anuary 1717@ the #4edish A bassador 4as arrested contrary to di3lo atic usa"e and his 3a3ers revealed that he and his fello4 A bassadors in /rance and *olland 4ere involved in a cons3iracy to su33ort a fresh insurrection 4ith 1(@::: #4edish troo3s& Later in the year a 3roHected invasion of #cotland 4ith the hel3 of the #4edish fleet 4as 3revented by the intervention of an 5n"lish fleet& In 1719 a fleet sailed fro CadiI@ the %retender bein" then in #3ain@ 4ith re"ular troo3s on board@ but stor s dis3ersed it and only a s all force could be landed in #cotland& )his 4as defeated and forced to surrender& )he 3rolon"ed trial of +r Atterbury@ Bisho3 of Rochester@ tnded

in his exile after he had been sho4n to have been in co unication 4ith the -acobite leaders abroad since 1717& )he fears of the "overn ent 4ere entirely Hustified< and free asons= lod"es 4ere eetin" behind closed doors& 7hatever the truth of Anderson=s story in the Boo, of Constitutions that 7ren had been 'rand $aster and had forsa,en the @ it is certain that there 4as no4 nobody of 3osition and influence to s3ea, for the & It 4as necessary for the to de onstrate their loyalty and they decided to do this by co-o3eratin" to hold a /east&

5J)5R6AL I6/L>56C5# 26 )*5 502L>)I26 2/ 56'LI#* $A#26R9 111 Accordin"ly they et on (4 -une 1717@ elected a 'rand $aster and held their /east in a se i-3ublic 3lace@ a tavern& In such a 3lace their loyal toasts and loyal son"s 4ould be heard and "ain the credit& #oon they 4ere Hoined by en of "ood social standin" and the first of a continuin" series of noble 'rand $asters 4as elected in 17(1& In s3ite of this@ 4hen the +u,e of 7harton tried to ca3ture the Craft for the -acobites in 17((@ an influential body of the #ociety dee ed it desirable to 4ait on the #ecretary of #tate 4ho 4as in char"e of /orei"n Affairs Aand conse?uently of anti--acobite easuresB and@ averrin" their loyalty@ as, 3er ission to hold their annual eetin" at $idsu er& )his 4as "ranted but the fact that such a de3utation 4as needed and could be asse bled sho4s that the decision to 3ublicise the Craft in 1717 had been vital& In the year follo4in" this de3utation@ 7illia Co43er@ Cler, of the %arlia ents 4as a33ointed #ecretary to 'rand Lod"e& )hat he should have been able to acce3t this 3osition is a further indication that free asonry 4as then 4ell re"arded by the authorities&

An i 3ortant after ath of the declaration of loyalty to the *ouse of *anover 4as the %a3al Bull of 17.8@ issued after the %retender had been in Ro e& Althou"h by that ti e free asonry had s3read to the continent@ the Bull 4as never 3ro ul"ated in /rance& It 4as directed a"ainst 5n"lish free asonry and for t4o hundred and thirty years it has ade it difficult for a Ro an Catholic to be a free ason&

)*5 C*A6'5# I6 )*5 /IR#) B22! 2/ C26#)I)>)I26# In addition to the freedo of "eneral discussion in the clubs@ there 4as also uch ore freedo of reli"ious thou"ht and ex3ression than on the continent@ thou"h there had been so e su33ression of it durin" the Co on4ealth and atte 3ted restriction of reli"ious 3ractices by the ecclesiastical Acts of the rei"n of Charles II& 2n the 4hole@ ho4ever@ there had been

throu"hout the century an exa ination of the foundations of reli"ion 4hich had resulted in a tendency to4ards >nitarianis & )he +eis 3ro3ounded by Lord *erbert of Cherbury in the ti e of -a es I had been discussed and re-discussedE and at the end of the century the 3hiloso3hy of -ohn Loc,e had ore ;natural reli"ion= in it than Christianity@ in s3ite of his assertion that he 4as a sincere e ber of the established church& In fact the tendency to +eis had infiltrated into the churches@ both confor ist and non-confor ist& '& $& )revelyan states this succinctly 4hen he 4rites< )he a"e of latitudinal 3iety that follo4ed the Revolution of 1688 4as 3re3ared by the intellectual ove ent of the Restoration & & & by the end of the century@ >nitarian doctrines@ for 4hich en 4ere burnt one hundred years before@ 4ere not unco on a on" 5n"lish %resbyterian con"re"ations of the hi"hest bour"eois res3ectability&

)here had develo3ed a toleration by the churches for other beliefs in 'od 4hich has rese blance to that of the 3resent ti e& )his evolution of thou"ht 4as to find ex3ression in the state ent of the /irst Char"e in the first Boo, of Constitutions of the recently for ed 'rand Lod"e@ issued in 17(.&

)he ne4 Re"ulations for the Craft@ 4hich 'eor"e %ayne had said in 17(1 that he intended to a,e@ 4ere 3rinted in the 17(. Constitutions@ 3receded by a le"endary history of the Craft and a revised version of the 2ld Char"es& In this 11(@ ;)*5 %R5#)26IA6 L5C)>R5#= version the state ent of the first Char"e@ entitled ;Concernin" 'od and Reli"ion= no4 read< A $ason is obli"=d by his )enure@ to obey the oral La4E and if he ri"htly understands the Art@ he 4ill never be a stu3id Atheist@ nor an irreli"ious Libertine& But thou"h in ancient )i es $asons 4ere char"=d in every Country to be of the Reli"ion of that Country or 6ation@ 4hatever it 4as@ yet =tis no4 thou"ht ore ex3edient only to obli"e the to that Reli"ion in 4hich all $en a"ree@ leavin" their 3articular 23inions to the selvesE that is@ to be 'ood $en and true@ or $en of *onour and *onesty@ by 4hatever +eno inations or %ersuasions they ay be distin"uish=dE 4hereby $asonry beco es the Center of >nion and the $eans of conciliatin" true /riendshi3 a on" %ersons that ust have re ain=d at a 3er3etual +istance&

)his 4as a very i 3ortant chan"e fro the 4ordin" of the Coo,e $# and the other 2ld Char"es to be true to 'od and *oly Church and it bore fruit ?uic,ly& )here is incontestable evidence that 4ithin a fe4 years -e4s

4ere ad itted to the Craft 4hich had been@ till that ti e@ 4holly or 3redo inately Christian& In A erica BenHa in /ran,lin 4as initiated in 17.1 and he 4as a 3ronounced +eist@ never reluctant to 3roclai hi self as such@ not a Christian& In the latest Boo, of Constitutions issued by 'rand Lod"e@ as in its 3redecessors of last century@ there is a 3lification of the above 4ordin" but no essential chan"e of eanin"& )he Craft did not beco e anti-Christian nor even non-Christian@ but today@ by reason of this 4ordin"@ the 3roduct of the latitudinarian thou"ht of the ti e@ Christians@ >nitarians@ -e4s@ $osle s@ *indus and en of all other faiths 4hich re?uire a belief in 'od@ are e?ual e bers of the #ociety of /ree asons 4hich has@ indeed@ beco e ;the Center of >nion and the $eans of conciliatin" true /riendshi3=&

)*5 2RI'I6 2/ )*5 A6)I56)# 'RA6+ L2+'5 I no4 3ass to an instance of the influence of econo ic conditions on free asonry& )hese 3roduced an influx of Irish en into 5n"land in the iddle of the ei"hteenth century& At this ti e 5n"land 4as 3ros3erous and althou"h the conditions in 4hich the 3oor of London lived 4ere de3lorable by odern standards@ the streets of the city see ed to be 3aved 4ith "old to those outside it& A very lar"e 3ro3ortion of the 3o3ulation of the country 4as concentrated in it and there 4as continuous i"ration to4ards it& %itiable as the life of the London 3oor a33ears to us@ conditions in Ireland 4ere far 4orse& An a33allin" 3icture is dra4n by the historian Lec,y< )he fa ine of 174: and 1741 & & & 4as follo4ed by ali"nant fevers so that 4hole villa"es 4ere laid 4aste &&& the country 4as so deci ated of its 4ealth that but little could be done Ato alleviate the distressB &&& one third of the 3eo3le in the country of !erry had disa33eared &&& it 4as esti ated that in 174( there 4ere ore than 1:@::: strollin" be""ars in the country&

/a ine 4as recurrent and 4as 3articularly bad a"ain in 1716 and 1717& %rotestant e i"ration fro Ireland had started at the end of the seventeenth century 4hen 3olitical considerations here had necessitated the i 3osition of 3rotective duties on 4oollen "oods and the Irish 4oollen anufacture had been destroyed& 2ther 3rotective tariffs had follo4ed@ Irish industry had been further de3ressed and the fa ines "ave "reat i 3etus to the e i"ration& It has been said that for several 5J)5R6AL I6/L>56C5# 26 )*5 502L>)I26 2/ 56'LI#* $A#26R9 11. years the %rotestant e i"rants fro >lster annually a ounted to ore than 1(@:::& 2f course@ only a relatively s all 3ro3ortion of the ca e to these shores@ the tide settin" ainly 4est4ards@ but any ca e here and "ravitated to the ca3ital&

7hatever the ?ualifications and abilities of the i i"rants their first thou"ht on arrivin" in London 4ould be eans of subsistence and they 4ould ta,e the Hobs available& )hey 4ould naturally associate 4ith each other and those 4ho 4ere free asons 4ould eet to tal, about the Craft and eventually for lod"es& )here 4as no difficulty about this since even at that ti e 4arrants 4ere not essential< and there is evidence that lod"es of Irish en had 3reviously been for ed in London and 6or4ich& )he 3re ier 'rand Lod"e had not the 3o4er nor@ a33arently@ the desire to 3revent this& )he i i"rants could not affiliate 4ith this 'rand Lod"e because the 'rand Lod"e of Ireland@ 4hence they derived their asonry@ had not reco"nised the chan"es ade in the 5n"lish syste in the 17.:s as a conse?uence of the disclosures ade in such 3ublications as $asonry +issected& 5ventually@ in 1711@ they considered that there 4ere enou"h lod"es to enable the to for their o4n 'rand Lod"e& )hey asserted that they adhered to ;the 2ld Constitutions=@ called the selves ;2ld 9or, $asons=@ and obtained reco"nition fro the 'rand Lod"e of Ireland& In their first Boo, of Constitutions@ issued in 1716@ the #ecretary@ Laurence +er ott@ addresses the ori"inal e bers as ;$en of so e 5ducation and an *onest Character but in lo4 Circu stances=@ 4hich co 3letely tallies 4ith the descri3tion of the as i i"rants& )he boo, also a,es clear their close connection 4ith the 'rand Lod"e of Ireland& )here is no su""estion in it of anta"onis to the 'rand Lod"e of 5n"land< the rivalry only develo3ed 4hen the latter a33reciated that the adherence to the old 4ays@ 3lus the re ar,able ener"y of the #ecretary@ 4as attractin" to the ne4 body any 4ho i"ht have "iven their alle"iance to the one established in 1717& As 4e ,no4@ the rivalry increased until the end of the century 4hen the 3olitical state of this country ade a ra33roche ent and ulti ately a union desirable& It is to this that 4e turn next&

)*5 56+ 2/ )*5 5I'*)556)* C56)>R9 A6+ A/)5R7AR+# )he closin" years of the ei"hteenth century 4ere as full of incident as had been those of its co ence ent& )he arts of literature@ 3aintin" and usic 4ere flourishin"E the brothers Ada 4ere co binin" their artistic taste 4ith architecture& )he industrial revolution 4as be"innin" for 7att=s stea en"ine had been adeE *unts an 4as 3roducin" better steel by the crucible ethod and the cuttin" ed"es of cutlery and tools 4ere i 3roved by its useE and in the cotton industry the ost fa ous of the inventions concerned 4ith s3innin" had been ade by 179:& )hese industrial develo3 ents and the 3ublication of )ho as %aine=s Ri"hts of $an in 1791 led to a de and for electoral refor and to 3olitical unrest@

intensified by events abroad& )he loss of the A erican colonies 4as follo4ed in 1789 by the /rench Revolution& )here 4as a s3ate of for ation of 3olitical clubs< the Constitutional #ociety 4as founded in #heffield in 1791E the London Corres3ondin" #ociety 4as established in 179( and at once allied itself 4ith the #heffield bodyE and any others arose in $anchester and other "ro4in" ;)*5 %R5#)26IA6 L5C)>R5#= to4ns& )hey 3rofessed ;Refor and not Revolution is our obHect= and in this they follo4ed the fa ous -acobin club in %aris@ started in the year of the Revolution@ for it also 4as at first oderate in its ai s& 2ne of the early actions of the London society 4as to send re3resentatives to 3resent addresses to the /rench Convention< as one of the ost able of its or"anisers 4rote later ;All the leadin" e bers of the #ociety 4ere re3ublicans=& )he total e bershi3 of these societies 4as not very "reat in 3ro3ortion to the 3o3ulation and the aHority of the 3eo3le 4ere not in sy 3athy 4ith the @ so that they had difficulty in findin" acco odation for their eetin"s< in so e 3laces the eetin"s 4ere bro,en u3 and riots ensued& A odern sy 3athiser 4ith the has 4ritten ;)he country@ in truth@ 4as a"ainst refor =& 6evertheless the 3ro3a"anda continued and the "overn ent ca e to fear -acobinis as uch as its 3redecessors at the be"innin" of the century had feared -acobitis & )his resulted in $ay 179( in the issue of a 3rocla ation a"ainst seditious eetin"s and 3ublications& It 4as not effective and a second 3rocla ation 4as ade in +ece ber 4hich ordered the e bodi ent of the ilitia because the Constitution 4as in dan"er fro ;evil dis3osed 3ersons & & & actin" in concern 4ith 3ersons fro forei"n 3arts=& In 1794 the *abeas Cor3us Act 4as sus3ended and the sus3ension 4as rene4ed annually until 18:1& In 1791 an attac, on the !in" 4hen he 4ent to o3en %arlia ent 4as follo4ed by the )reasonable %ractices Act 4hich ade any defa ation of the #overei"n or the established "overn ent or Constitution a hi"h isde eanour& Another Act of this year@ the #editious $eetin"s Act@ 3rohibited eetin"s of ore than fifty 3ersons 4ithout notice to a a"istrate&

#till the 3olitical unrest continued and it 4as increased by a succession of 3oor harvests and the ill-success of the 4ar on the continent@ declared in 179.@ in s3ite of 6elson=s successes at sea 4hich eventually enabled victory to be 4on& Britain 4as the 3ay aster of 5uro3e and that ade the cost of the 4ar so "reat that inco e tax 4as i 3osed for the first ti e in 1798@ and in a fe4 years nearly D.::@:::@::: 4as added to the 6ational +ebt& ;It 4as a ti e of crushin" taxation@ hi"h 3rices@ une 3loy ent@ isery and starvation&= A33arently the restrictions of 1791 did not 3revent the t4o 'rand Lod"es fro holdin" their /estivals@ for #te4ards 4ere still a33ointed annuallyE there are allusions in the $inutes to sho4 that they

4ere uch concerned at the state of the country and their o4n 3osition therein& In 1791@ for exa 3le@ the 3re ier 'rand Lod"e voted a loyal address to the !in" ;at this 3eriod of innovation and anarchy=& In 1799 a Bill brou"ht before %arlia ent to control subversive activities threatened to create such a serious 3osition for free asonry that the heads of the t4o 'rand Lod"es felt that they ust act to"ether& )he events are clearly set out in the inutes of the Antients 4here@ on 6 $ay it 4as re3orted that< a Co ittee of the 'rand 2fficers had et by co and of the Ri"ht 7orshi3ful 'rand $aster to ta,e into consideration 4hat 4as 6ecessary and Ri"ht to be ado3ted by the Antient Craft in the Critical #tate of the Country& Resolved unani ously that it be reco ended to his 'race the +u,e of Atholl@ Ri"ht 7orshi3ful 'rand $aster of $asons accordin" to the 2ld Constitutions to inhibit and totally 3revent all 3ublic $asonic %rocessions and all 3rivate eetin"s of $asons of Lod"es of 5 er"ency on any 3retence 4hatever and to su33ress and sus3end $asonic eetin"s exce3t the re"ular #tated Lod"e $eetin"s and Royal Arch Cha3ters 4hich shall be held o3en to all $asons 5J)5R6AL I6/L>56C5# 26 )*5 502L>)I26 2/ 56'LI#* $A#26R9 111 duly ?ualified as such& )hat 4hen the usual $asonic Business be ended the Lod"e shall then dis3erse the )yler fro the door of the Lod"e roo and for ality of restraint of Ad ission shall cease&

2n 1 -une the record states< Re3ort of the +e3uty 'rand $aster res3ectin" the 3roceedin"s relative to a Bill no4 3endin" in %arlia ent for the su33ression of %rivate $eetin"s of #ocieties and no4 containin" a Clause "rantin" a %riviled"e to the 'rand Lod"e of $asons accordin" to the 2ld Constitutions and to all subordinate lod"es under the to be exe 3ted fro the 3enalties and 23eration of the said Act& Resolved to "ive than,s to the +u,e of Atholl for this Clause&

)he %re ier 'rand Lod"e had reacted si ilarly& )he Bill 4hich caused this concern 4as the >nla4ful #ocieties Act and it beca e la4 on 1( -uly 1799& It refers 3articularly to so e societies@ entioned by na e and includin" the London Corres3ondin" #ociety@ 4hich 4ere considered to be in collusion 4ith societies on the continentE and it directs that they should be i ediately su33ressed and 3rohibited& Certain other societies 4ere dee ed unla4ful@ na ely societies< the e bers 4hereof shall & & & be re?uired to ta,e an oath 4hich shall be an unla4ful oath & & & or to ta,e any oath not re?uired or authorised by la4E and every society the e bers 4hereof or any of the shall ta,e or in any anner bind the selves by any such oath or en"a"e ent & & & and every 3erson 4ho fro and after the 3assin" of this Act shall beco e a e ber of any such

society at the 3assin" of this Act & & & shall aid@ abet or su33ort any such society & & & shall be dee ed "uilty of an unla4ful co bination and confederacy&

*eavy 3enalties 4ere 3rescribed for contravention of the Act@ 4hich clearly 4ould 3ut a sto3 to all asonic activities& )he t4o leaders therefore exerted their influence and obtained the insertion of clauses 4hich stated that the Act 4as not to extend to re"ular lod"es of free asons held before the 3assin" of the Act and in confor ity 4ith the rules 3revailin" a on" the asonic societies& )he condition 4as ade that< )4o e bers of such Lod"e AareB to certify on 2ath as to such Lod"e & & & that such society or Lod"e had before the 3assin" of this Act been usually held under the deno ination of a Lod"e of /ree $asons and in confor ity to the rules 3revailin" a on" the societies or lod"es of /ree $asons in this ,in"do & & & 4hich certificate 4ith na es and descri3tions of all and every the e bers thereof@ Ais to beB re"istered 4ith the cler, of the 3eace & & & on or before the (1th day of $arch in every succeedin" year&

All 4as not 4ell@ ho4ever@ for ten onths later the 5arl of $oira AActin" 'rand $aster of the $odernsB had to call attention to ;the situation in 4hich the #ociety 4as 3laced by the late Act of %arlia ent restrainin" the Constitution of 6e4 Lod"es=< the exe 3tin" clause 4as not so co 3rehensive as had been ho3ed& A33arently it 4as felt that nothin" could be done about it for this 3re ier 'rand Lod"e only issued t4o 7arrants for lod"es at ho e in the seven years 4hich follo4ed& )he Antients 'rand Lod"e 4as ore fortunately 3laced durin" this difficult 3eriod< it could "rant the nu bers of erased 7arrants to ne4 lod"es&&& for a consideration& )hese lod"es 4ere allo4ed to function as havin" existed 3revious to the 3assin" of the Act& Both 'rand Lod"es continued to issue ;)*5 %R5#)26IA6 L5C)>R5#= 7arrants for ilitary lod"es and lod"es abroad& )he 3osition 4as clarified in 1817 by a revision of the #editious $eetin"s Act& )his re-enacted the Act of 1799 but there 4as a chan"e in the exe 3tin" clause@ 4hich no4 "ave exe 3tion to all lod"es of free asons& )he returns to the Cler, of the %eace had to be ade annually until an Act 3assed in 1966 ade chan"es in a nu ber of la4s relatin" to offences and a on" other thin"s nullified the 1817 Act and thus brou"ht to an end a re?uire ent 4hich had been in existence for so e 11: years&

/or al ost the 4hole of the existence of the #ociety of Antient /ree asons there had been any brethren in both syste s 4ho de3lored the existence of t4o 'rand Lod"es@ both 3rofessin" brotherly love yet o3enly at variance& A on" these 4ere the t4o 'rand $asters at the end of the century and their Hoint action to obtain a end ent of the 1799 Act 4as a considerable ste3 to4ards a union& )he ne"otiations to effect this 4ere 3rolon"ed@ but all 5n"lish free asons ,no4 that it 4as acco 3lished on (7 +ece ber 181.& >nfortunately@ internal dissensions in the country over electoral refor follo4ed soon after4ardsE there 4as a recurrence of civil disturbance and this affected the 3ros3erity of the Craft& )he total nu ber of lod"es slu 3ed to a ini u of about 4.: in 184: but the i 3roved econo ic situation in the 0ictorian era reacted on asonry and there be"an the steady increase 4hich has continued ever since&

In our o4n ti e 4e have seen the effect of national events for after each of t4o 4orld 4ars there has been a ;bul"e= in the nu ber of lod"es and e bers@ en havin" been attracted to asonry@ 3ossibly in the ho3e that they could rene4 the co 3anionshi3 4ith their fello4 en 4hich they had ex3erienced on service& )he hu ane tendencies of our national thou"ht have led to the reconsideration of the state ents concernin" the 3enalties for brea,in" the obli"ations@ 4ith conse?uent 3er ission to a,e chan"es& As I said at the be"innin" of the lecture 4e are brethren livin" in a 4ider #ociety of all en< 4e ho3e that our brotherhood 4ill influence this #ociety for "oodE and it is inevitable that@ in its turn@ it should react on us& )his is 4hat I have tried to sho4 has ha33ened in the 3ast&

I6 )*5 B5'I66I6' 7A# )*5 72R+&&&

A6 5J5RCI#5 I6 RI)>AL ARC*A52L2'9 )*5 %R5 #)26IA6 L5C=)=>R5 /2R 197: Lt Col 5RIC 7AR+@ )+ At the distance of t4enty-five years@ I can neither for"et nor ex3ress the stron" e otions 4hich a"itated y ind as I first entered the 5ternal City & & & as I sat usin" a idst the ruins of the Ca3ital@ 4hile the barefooted friars 4ere sin"in" ves3ers in the te 3le of -u3iter&

)*5#5 72R+#& 7*IC* I hasten to add are not ine but those of 5d4ard 'ibbon@ see to e to ex3ress dra atically@ aHestically and not

a little ro antically@ an e otional ex3erience 4hich so ins3ired the "reat historian that he 4as i 3elled to 4rite his classic history of ancient Ro e& But des3ite his odest disclai er@ he did ?uite often ex3ress his e otions in 4ords and 3hrases of excellin" beauty&

I have ?uoted 'ibbon=s senti ents for the reason that there is about the so ethin" not alto"ether dissi ilar to the feelin"s 4e as asons have in loo,in" bac,@ for all of us have an abidin" interest in be"innin"s& )o effect these 4e use a ritual havin" the 3reciseness of for re?uired of litur"ical recitation@ 4hich 4e try to 3erfor and encoura"e others to e ulate in such a 4ay that an e otional at os3here is created 4hich can be felt throu"hout the 4hole lod"e& It is thus co unicated to the candidate 4ith the sa e i 3act that another te 3le had u3on 'ibbon& 7e 4ant to a,e so 3o4erful and endurin" an i 3ression u3on the ind of the initiate@ to convey to hi the "ravity of the occasion@ that he 4ill re e ber it to the end of his life& /or this 3ur3ose 4e de3end ainly u3on 4ords@ since 4ords are not only the stones of our fabric but are also the 3rinci3al 4or,in" tools of the s3eculative ason and the 4ay 4e handle the 4ill deter ine our ?ualifications& /or 3atently 4e are crafts en in 4ords& But reco"nition of these ?ualities de3ends u3on our use of other en=s 4ords@ for no honours are a4arded if 4e a,e u3 our o4n as 4e "o alon"&

)his is not the occasion@ nor a I the 3erson to ex3ound u3on the delivery of asonic aterial@ but I have an historian=s interest in the 4ay our 4ords ca e to us and it is in the ho3e that I can sti ulate si ilar interest in others that I have ade this the the e of y address&

%erha3s the edifices I build are not to the taste of everyone@ but I can only su""est that@ as in al ost every 4al, of life today@ that 4hich 4as once acce3table 4ithout ?uestion to our forebears is no4 seen in a different and not necessarily 4orse li"ht& But before "oin" on to discuss 3arts of our ritual on 4hich this ne4 li"ht is to be thro4n@ y o4n understandin" of the be"innin" of our ,ind of asonry ust be declared@ for this a funda ental&

117 ;)*5 %R5#)26IA6 L5C)>R5#= )*5 A+056) 2/ /R55$A#26R9 5n"lish free and acce3ted asonry@ fro 4hich ste s s3eculative asonry the 4orld over@ 4as established in the early years of

the ei"hteenth century& )here 4ere s3oradic "ro4ths before that@ but none that can be loo,ed u3on as the unleashin" of the "reat strea & 7e cannot in truth clai to be a continuation of edieval o3erative asonry for the "round rules are entirely different& 7hen in 1717 a s all "rou3 of 3eo3le et to"ether in London to for that 4hich eventually blosso ed out into the first 'rand Lod"e@ it 4as a very 3ri itive or"anisation co 3osed ainly of en of hu ble ori"in 4ho left for 3osterity no records of their 3roceedin"s& In the early 17(:s@ still 4ithin the confines of London and 7est inster@ the seeds of a "reat international ove ent has be"un to ta,e root but the days of the elaborate cere onial fa iliar to us no4 4ere a very lon" 4ay off& If our forebears had any intention of develo3in" a syste of orality@ etc@ it is difficult to reco"nise it as such@ 4hereas on the other hand it is crystal clear that one of their 3rinci3al obHects 4as to eet to"ether in the lod"es and 'rand Lod"es /estivals to enHoy the 4ar th of hu an co 3anionshi3@ free fro the bic,erin"s about 3olitics and reli"ion 4hich characterised that era and the vul"arity 4hich 3er eated it& As a eans of controllin" e bershi3@ they ada3ted certain si 3le rites and custo s 4hich they "athered fro docu ents of the o3erative craft of for er ti es and to "ive an aura of res3ectable anti?uity they aintained and believed they 4ere erely continuin" an unbro,en line of asonic 3ractice and 3hiloso3hy&

)o e the 4ay in 4hich s3eculative asons have dra4n u3on aterial fro for er ti es@ fro the freestone asons@ the Bible and fro ancient sources unconnected 4ith either - is little short of a aIin"& By a lon" 3rocess of refine ent@ by addin" and discardin"@ a syste has been develo3ed 4hich des3ite all the ano alies and anachronis s inevitable in such a "ro4th is nevertheless sur3risin"ly har onious&

I 4ill no4 ove on to the consideration of so e exa 3les fro any that in y o3inion de onstrate ho4 si"nificant is the 3art 4hich 4ords have 3layed in the asonic sa"a&

#AI6) -2*6=# $A#26R9 >ntil the end of the ei"hteenth century@ 4hen free asonry in Britain 4as 3redo inantly Christian and fre?uently referred to as #t -ohn=s $asonry@ 4e find continual references lin,in" the Craft to the traditional author of the fourth 'os3el&

In the $# constitutions or 2ld Char"es 4hich undoubtedly are of 5n"lish ori"in there are virtually no references to #t -ohn and it is only in very late versions@ 3robably for #cottish or 6orthern 5n"lish use@ e" )aylor A17 centB and 'ateshead Ac 17.:B $##@ that the 5van"elist=s na e a33ears& /ro about 17::T any of the Catechis s@ e" #loane@ 'rand $ystery and 7hole Institutions contain in various for s the ?uestion ;/ro 4hence ca e you= 4ith the ans4er ;I co e fro a R& 7orshi3ful Lod"e & & & of *oly #t -ohn=&

)here are innu erable references fro about 17.: on4ards to the 0#L bein" o3en at the 'os3el of #t -ohn@ e" the evidence of -ohn Coustos before the I6 )*5 B5'I66I6' 7A# )*5 72R+ & & & 119 %ortu"uese In?uisition@ and si ilarly it is ost co on to find the 5n"lish s3eculative lod"es havin" their 3rinci3al eetin"s on #t -ohn the 5van"elist days& $any lod"es 4hich had half-yearly installations celebrated the on #t -ohn the Ba3tist=s day in su er@ and #t -ohn the 5van"elist=s day in 4inter& )he custo of arran"in" eetin"s on both those days is still 3reserved by any others& In #cotland@ the 4holly o3erative lod"es ado3ted the 3ractice uch earlier@ e" 5dinbur"h 1199@ $elrose 1674@ +unblane 1696 and Aitchisons *aven 17::&

Instances of the asonic connection 4ith #t -ohn the 5van"elist durin" the first hundred years of or"anised /ree and Acce3ted $asonry are indeed so co on that it is unnecessary to labour the 3oint& But 4hy that 3articular 3atron saintP I can see no really valid reason other than the first verse of his 'os3el@ ;In the be"innin" etc= 4hich re ains to this day one of the fe4 and survivin" and undoubtedly the ost i 3ortant of the Christian fra" ents to be still in use in 4hat is called %ure Antient $asonry&

)he so e4hat cry3tic 3hrase ;In the be"innin" 4as the 4ord@ and the 4ord 4as 4ith 'od and the 4ord 4as 'od= 4as of course utilised by the author of the -ohannine "os3el as an extension of the si ilar ?uotation in 'enesis I&G& *e 4as leadin" to a 3ro3osition funda entally unacce3table to -e4ish thou"ht@ 4hich 4e do not need to develo3 here& *o4ever@ the reference is clearly to the be"innin" of the -e4ish adherence to -ehovah@ and the foundation of the national reli"ious doctrine& )his 4as 4hen 'od revealed hi self to $oses 4ho received the tables of the La4& 9et $oses did not see 'od@ for revelation 4as by voice alone& *e thus heard only the s3o,en 4ord@ but this o entous occasion 3rovided the foundation

for all the biblical aterial that 4as to follo4@ the co 3leted 4or, bein" fa iliarly ,no4n as the 7ord of 'od&

-ohn=s 3ro3osition 4as that no4 'od had revealed hi self further throu"h the 3erson of his #on -esus@ ie the 4ord 4as ade flesh& )hus the ex3ression in 'enesis and that by -ohn@ have in co on a cons3icuous reverence for the i 3ortance of the 4ord as the 3ri eval for of co unication bet4een Creator and $an&

But to see the real si"nificance of the 3hrase ;In the be"innin" & & &= 4e ust loo, bac, so e .@::: years before Christianity and lon" before the era of $oses& /or 4e find that even then 5"y3tian 3hiloso3hers 4ere 3roclai in" of the Creator that ;all thin"s ca e into bein" throu"h that 4hich the heart Fie indG thou"ht and the ton"ue co anded=@ 4hich is a still further and ore 3ri itive 4ay of ex3ressin" the sa e idea&

6o4 of all livin" thin"s the "enus an is the only one 3hysiolo"ically as 4ell as 3sycholo"ically e?ui33ed to for abstract thou"hts and conce3ts@ to ex3ress his thin,in" in ter s understandable by other en@ and he does this ost easily by 4ord of outh& Althou"h obviously ani als@ fish and insects can co unicate 4ith each other@ such co unication does not "o beyond the aterial needs of livin" or 3er3etuation of the s3ecies& 6o creatures other than en and 4o en can discuss abstract atters@ can conte 3late 3heno ena outside their o4n ex3erience and dilate u3on the & 6one 3ossess inds that can i a"ine and convey to others beliefs and disbeliefs@ nor yet the sy bols of s3eech if they had such inds& )o 3ri itive an then the 3o4er of s3eech@ the uni?ue ability to use 4ords as a 1(: ;)*5 %R5#)26IA6 L5C)>R5#= eans of conveyin" thou"ht@ ust have see ed of such tre endous i 3ortance as to be a anifestation of the character and 3ersonality of the Creator hi self& #o in 'enesis 1 4e find ;In the be"innin"= 'od created *eaven and 5arth & & & and 'od said let there be li"ht & & &=& 6ot 4e should note@ 'od decided or 'od 4illed@ but 'od said@ even thou"h since none 4ere yet created to listen@ he said these thin"s to hi self& In -ohn=s brief account of the creation he condenses both the 3hiloso3hies of the 5"y3tian sa"es and the 4riter of 'enesis by elevatin" the 4ord to a 3osition 4here it has beco e not erely the ost i 3ortant function of the Creator but a anifestation of hi &

6o4 so e of us ay see in the teachin" of #t -ohn a source of reli"ious conviction 4hich ins3ired the asons of the ei"hteenth century and in #cotland fro an earlier 3eriod& 2r alternatively 4e ay 3erha3s discern a 3arallel bet4een the i 3ortance of the 7ord as defined by -ohn and the su3re e i 3ortance to #cottish 4or,in" asons of the ;$ason 7ord= as a eans of 3rotectin" their very livelihood& It is y vie4 that such a coincidence 4as too "ood to be overloo,ed and that in this 4e find the real ex3lanation of the connection bet4een asonry and #t -ohn&

If such a 3ro3osition see s li,e heresy or erely far-fetched@ I ust cite the case of the 5n"lish 'ild of $erchant )aylors 4ho chan"ed fro their ori"inal 3atron to #t -ohn the Ba3tist@ because they ar"ued he 4as the harbin"er of the La b and the 4ool fro the la b 3rovided the finest aterial u3on 4hich they relied for their livin"&

7hat then is ore li,ely than the o3erative asons reco"nisin" in the biblical 3hrase ;In the be"innin" 4as the 4ord= a dual-3ur3ose ex3ression stri,in"ly a33ro3riate to their callin"@ conveyin" the su""estion of 3iety on the one hand and reverence for the anti?uity of the ;$ason 7ord= on the otherP And it is si"nificant that@ in the early days of s3eculatives@ 4arrants issued by 'rand Lod"e in the settin" u3 of subordinate lod"es@ e" Royal Cu berland at Bath@ carried a seal 4ith the inscri3tion Ain 'ree,B ;In the be"innin"= etc&

)*5 $A#26 72R+ 7e can no4 consider the $ason 7ord itself@ by 4hich is eant a 3ass4ord traditionally associated 4ith the craft of the stone ason@ but in recent ti es one of the essential esoterics i 3arted at the a,in" of a /ree and Acce3ted $ason& 6o4 there is no reason for thin,in" that there ever 4as a secret 4ord used by the freestone asons of 5n"land@ yet there is no doubt at all that it 4as of "reat i 3ortance to the 4or,in" asons of #cotland& 2n the other hand@ the 2ld Char"es or anuscri3t constitutions@ of 4hich any co3ies fro the fourteenth century on4ards have survived@ 4ere devised for and follo4ed by 5n"lish free asons@ althou"h none of these docu ents is to be found in #cotland exce3t those undoubtedly of 5n"lish ori"in& But there 4as another vital difference& In 5n"land the ason desi"ners and crafts en of the 'othic era 4ere essentially 4or,ers in freestone@ ie a aterial 3eculiarly ada3ted to the carvin" of intricate lace-4or,@ the beauty of this entailin" and the aterial itself bein" one of the "lories of our ancient cathedrals@ royal 3alaces@ and university edifices& *ence these en@ the free asons

ac?uired su3erlative s,ill and had no fear of bein" ousted fro their I6 )*5 B5'I66I6' 7A# )*5 72R+ & & & 1(&1 Hobs by se i-s,illed 4or,ers since such en 4ould be detected as soon as they a33lied ha er to chisel or axe to stone& But in #cotland it 4as different@ for there 4as virtually no freestone in that country but only intractable stones 4hich cannot be so decoratively fashioned& *ence@ those ancient buildin"s in #cotland ade fro indi"enous stone and by native crafts en are cons3icuously austere in external a33earance@ si 3le treat ent of the stone bein" a33arent& Conse?uently in #cotland there 4ere no native free asons@ the ter bein" virtually un,no4n there& It thus follo4s that in #cotland there "re4 u3 "enerations of en A4ho beca e ,no4n as Co4ansB@ 4ithout for al a33renticeshi3 4hose s,ill 4ould be not so very far short of those 4ho had follo4ed the ti e-honoured 3rocedure& )hose 4ho thus did not belon" to a lod"e@ the reco"nised or"anisation for re"ulatin" the Craft@ had first to be challen"ed if they ca e to see, e 3loy ent and then to be reHected once their irre"ularity 4as established& 2ne eans of testin"@ althou"h al ost certainly not that alone@ 4as the interchan"e of the $ason 7ord 4hich 4as thus a 3ass3ort of considerable co ercial value& In short it 4as a useful co odity of livelihood@ and such 4as its i 3ortance in this res3ect that so late as 1711@ ie centuries after the heyday of the 5n"lish freestone ason@ the Lod"e of -ourney en Aessentially o3erativeB of 5dinbur"h successfully a33lied to the Courts for their ri"ht to its use in their trade&

7e are then on fairly fir "round in re"ardin" the $ason 7ord as an essentially #cottish institution@ 4here lod"es of o3erative asons continued in bein" lon" after the very different 3attern of the 5n"lish freestone ason trade or"anisation had disa33eared& But if it 4as of no value to the 5n"lish crafts an and see in"ly never had been@ the $ason 7ord 4as of inesti able value to the non-o3erative society 4hen that ca e into bein" as a eans of 3reventin" ;co4ans= fro obtainin" the benefits o3en to bona-fide e bers&

In the above I have referred to the $ason 7ord as if there 4ere only one& But of course secrecy 4ould not for lon" be 3reserved by that alone and si"ns as 4ell as further 4ords 4ere needed in the ar oury of the o3erative #cottish ason& #o e of these 4ords and to,ens 4ere borro4ed by the s3eculatives as the society develo3ed and further ones 4ere invented to eet re?uire ents un,no4n to the o3erative&

+istinct fro but relevant to the subHect of the $ason 7ord so ethin" should be said of the na e by 4hich 4e of the 2rder are ,no4n@ because this is an exa 3le 3ar excellence of the 4ay that 4ords ta,e on different eanin"s over a 3eriod of ti e& It has already been indicated that the 5n"lish 4ord free ason 4as used over centuries to denote a freestone ason@ a crafts an ex3ert in the art of fashionin" and carvin" the fine ?uality free-cuttin" li estone fa iliar to all in the southern 3art of the >nited !in"do & At the advent of s3eculative asonry the brethren called the selves /ree and Acce3ted $asons Athe 5ntered A33rentices son" is a fa iliar exa 3leB@ eventually abbreviatin" this to /ree Ahy3henB $asons@ a ter al4ays used in 3rinted atter durin" the era of the first 'rand Lod"e& 7ith the revolution of the buildin" trade and the ever decreasin" re?uire ent for the old ty3e of freestone ason@ all 4or,ers in stone tended to be called Hust asons@ and by the end of the ei"hteenth century the s3eculative ason had ta,en the na e of his o3erative 3redecessor and beca e a free ason@ the title by 1(( =)*5 %R5#)26IA6 L5C)>R5#= 4hich he is no4 universally ,no4n& 9es such is the tenacity of tradition that throu"hout the Bristol ritual the 4ord free ason is never once used& It is al4ays $ason and the art 4hich he 3ractices $asonry@ 4ith the i 3lication that it is still the free and acce3ted variety to distin"uish it fro the o3erative ,ind of free asonry 4hich incidentally still exists as a trade&

)*5 R29AL ARC* In a 3revious section attention has been "iven to a 3hrase no4 an inte"ral 3art of the Royal Arch and I a sure ost brethren are fa iliar 4ith the odd soundin"@ but very i 3ortant 4ords used at the ti e of the >nion in 181. and still a funda ental@ that =3ure Antient $asonry consistes of three de"rees and no ore & & & includin" & & & the *oly Royal Arch=& 6o4 4e all ,no4 3erfectly 4ell that before the >nion the ori"inal 'rand Lod"e did not officially reco"nise the RA@ 4hilst the later rival 'L re"arded it as the =root@ heart and arro4 of /ree-$asonry=@ union of the t4o bein" conditional u3on retainin" the RA& #o 4hat 4as needed then 4as a si 3le co 3ro ise 3hrase to indicate that those asons satisfied 4ith three craft de"rees 4ere not to be considered inco 3lete@ but those 4ho leaned to4ards the RA could feel that it 4as no less ancient and entitled to be re"arded as an inte"ral 3art of asonry for those 4ho 4anted it& /or sheer econo y of 4ords the 181. 3hrase 4ould be hard to i 3rove u3on but it 3oses considerable incon"ruity& If %ure $asonry consists of no ore than three de"rees then the RA 4ould see to be either i 3ure 4hich is not 4hat 4as eant@ or else it 4as not a de"ree at all@ 4hich also 4as not intended&

$y 3ersonal vie4 for 4hat it is 4orth@ is that 11: odd years is too lon" to live 4ith an illo"icality that custo Ain 5n"landB has out oded& /or the RA is beyond doubt a de"ree and to the "reat aHority 3art of the asonic syste ?uite irres3ective of 4hether it is a sort of co 3letion of the third de"ree Aas so e thin,B or nothin" of the ,ind Aas I thin,&B 6ot to reco"nise this and a,e it ,no4n fro the be"innin" is I feel to render a disservice to youn" asons 4ho often in later life bitterly re"ret that their entry into the RA 4as too lon" delayed@ usually because no one advised the other4ise&

It is not y 3ur3ose to discuss in de3th the history or develo3 ent of the RA@ for any of us have devoted a lar"e slice of our asonic lives to doin" this and 4e are still ?uite a lon" 4ay fro "eneral a"ree ent& But it is 4orth 4hile considerin" 4hy this de"ree is called the Royal Arch&

6o4 it is no secret that the le"end describes the discovery of an arched vault& But the latter is erely an incidental detail and ?uite uni 3ortant to the the e of the ritual@ 4hich 4ould not be i 3aired had the vault been found 4ith a lintel over the o3enin"& Indeed@ historically it 4ould be ore sensible as the discovery of an arched vault belon"in" to the first )e 3le 4ould have by itself been an archaeolo"ical find of exce3tional i 3ortance seein" that none are ,no4n in %hoenician architecture& 9et even if there had been@ no one by any stretch of i a"ination 4ould refer to the entrance to a vault as a Royal arch&

7e ust therefore consider the circu stances 4hich obtained at the be"innin"& I have ar"ued else4here that the de"ree ,no4n as the #cots $aster 4hich a33eared s3oradically in southern 5n"land in the 17.:s is ost li,ely to have been I6 )*5 B5'I66I6' 7A# )*5 72R+ & & & 1(. i 3orted fro /rance and@ for 4hat 4e ,no4 of the earliest continental #cots $asters de"ree@ the evidence is fairly clear that it 4as born of -acobite and therefore Ro an Catholic influences& )he 3eriod not bein" conducive to -acobitis @ intended or other4ise@ the 5n"lish =#cots $aster= soon disa33eared but al ost i ediately after4ards the Royal Arch be"an to be heard about&

7e ,no4 fro the earliest literary evidence that the de"ree@ albeit very 3ri itive@ 4as not conferred ad libitu but 4as reserved for asons of

s3ecial standin"@ such as ex-$asters of lod"es& I a sure all are fa iliar 4ith the 4ell-,no4n ex3ression by +assi"ny concernin" brethren =4ho have 3assed the Chair=@ and the later subterfu"e cere ony of 3assin" the Chair as a necessary 3reli inary to bein" exalted&

Indeed it is ?uite evident fro the docu ents that the RA 4as loo,ed u3on as a very su3erior ,ind of de"ree@ to be conferred only u3on en of hi"her status& )hus it see s certain that Arch eant su3erior and an Arch ason 4as of exalted ran, co 3ared 4ith the Craft ason& )he use of the 4ords Arch $ason to denote a su3erior ason is exactly 3aralleled by Archbisho3 eanin" a su3erior bisho3 and Archdu,e@ a 3re-e inent du,e& 2r to co e still nearer ho e as Architect is Aor 4asB a $aster $ason of the tectonic art - the 3rofession of buildin"&

It 4as not until any years had 3assed that a different eanin" of Arch be"an fir ly to ta,e root@ 4hen confer ent of the de"ree had beco e al ost co on3lace and other still ore exalted de"rees had been invented& By a fortunate coincidence@ the ritual act of o3enin" u3 a ,eystoned arch@ an architectural device so dear to the foundin" fathers of the ei"hteenth century but ?uite un,no4n to the builders of the )e 3le@ ca e to be re"arded as 4orthy of entitlin" the RA de"ree itself& )hus the ost i 3ortant and central the e of discoverin" lost secrets 4as@ so far as the title 4as concerned@ subordinated to the incidental act of de olition&

But tradition is not easily extin"uished and so late as the 178:s an RA ritual of the 3eriod and the earliest authentic one 4e ,no4@ contains the basic ?uestion addressed to the candidate@ =7hat is your re?uest=@ to 4hich the 3ro3er ans4er 4as =)o be ad itted into this subli e arch order=& 7e could not ex3ect anythin" ore conclusive than this declaration tellin" us loud and clear of the days 4hen the RA 4as essentially the arch@ e?uals su3erior andSor exalted order in /ree$asonry&

)he a33ellation Royal ay 4ell have co e fro the earlier #cots $aster lin,@ slender that it 4as@ 4ith the Royal *ouse of #cotland influenced 3ossibly by the fact that in the first Boo, of Constitutions -a es Anderson 4as rather fond of referrin" to asonry "enerally as the Royal Art& )his ex3ression could not 3ro3erly be used for the Craft in the iddle of the

ei"hteenth century@ but it could in an abstract sense be a33lied to a s3ecial de"ree at a ti e 4hen so fe4 ,ne4 anythin" about it&

/or those to 4ho the above ex3lanations ay co e as 3erha3s a rather un4elco e sur3rise@ I ho3e 4e can at least a"ree on the t4o basic facts& )hey are that in the 5n"lish Royal Arch as it has been develo3ed fro id ei"hteenth century the rite@ s3lendid thou"h it is@ has nothin" about it 4hich is ar,edly Royal& 6or yet is the brea,in" a4ay of an arch of any vital si"nificance to the 3erfor ance or eanin" of the cere ony&

1(4 ;)*5 %R5#)26IA6 L5C)>R5#= Before leavin" the Royal Arch it is relevant to refer to another 4ord@ no4 ore or less inse3arable fro that de"ree@ but 4hich 4e shall eet in another for in the next section& -5*20A*@ the na e "iven to 'od by Christian translators of *ebre4 in the thirteenth century and used ever since@ 4as derived in error@ bein" co 3ounded fro the ri"ht consonants 4ith the 4ron" vo4els& Certain it is that no such 4ord 4as ,no4n in ancient ti es@ the one no4 "enerally acce3ted by odern scholars bein" 9A*75*& )he ori"inal 3ronunciation is still in so e doubt but 3robably the nearest for the 5n"lish ton"ue is 9ar4ay&

7*A) I# )R>)*P *avin" Hust cited the exa 3le of an extre ely i 3ortant 4ord 4hich throu"h errors of trans ission has co e do4n to us in a for 4hich 4hether s3o,en or 4ritten 4ould not be reco"nisable to the ancients@ 4e should 3erha3s consider the broader issue before "oin" on to further exa 3les&

)he i 3ortance of the 0#L to free asonry "enerally and asonic ritual 3articularly needs no stressin" and indeed )ruth as revealed to us throu"h the 4ords of the 2ld )esta ent is one of the three "rand 3rinci3les of the 2rder& 7e acce3t as funda ental our belief in the +eity and the oral 3rece3ts 4hich in every lan"ua"e are conveyed by this re ar,able collection of ancient boo,s&

But there are t4o thin"s to be re e bered& /irstly the 2ld )esta ent is really a isno er as no sin"le definitive one is yet in existence& #econdly the 4or, contains the sa"a of the *ebre4s and thus e braces a vast

a ount of incidental historical atter@ social custo s@ la4s and so on fro 4hich asonic ritual has dra4n freely& It is on this as3ect alone that I dra4 attention to the 3eculiarity that the 2ld )esta ent in our native ton"ue is so fa iliar to us fro childhood that 4e tend to for"et that 4ere it 3ossible to sho4 any of the biblical 4riters a co3y of any 5n"lish version@ not one of the 4ould be able to understand a sin"le 4ord even in the 3art for 4hich he 4as res3onsible& It is not Hust a atter of the difficulty of exact translation fro an ancient lan"ua"e to a odern one@ but that 4e are far fro certain both of understandin" and inter3retin" archaic docu ents all of 4hich are co3ies of ori"inals 4hich had ostly 3erished lon" before the Christian era be"an& )he earliest textual aterial no4 ,no4n occurs scattered in anuscri3ts 4ritten in *ebre4@ in #yriac@ in 'ree, and in Latin@ so if 4e 4ant to ,no4 4hat the 2ld )esta ent as a 4hole has to say 4e shall not find out fro any one of these@ not even fro the *ebre4 text itself& Because so uch ori"inal atter has been lost and errors of co3yin" and translation have inevitably occurred@ as 4ell as chan"es and re-arran"e entsE the 2ld )esta ent has never reached finality but is bein" continuously revised and a ended as archaeolo"ical discoveries and rethin,in" brin" ne4 li"ht& #uch discoveries@ "enerally inute in the selves@ fre?uently involve a33lication of the 4hole ran"e of #e itic lan"ua"es and any ore besides@ so that 4hen so e fra" ent of 4hat is believed to be ori"inal text has thus been recovered@ the tas, of decidin" its eanin" is both extre ely co 3lex and arduous@ re?uirin" access to a vast a ount of co 3arative data and scholarly e?ui3 ent of no ean order to a,e use of it&

)hus althou"h 4e can all a"ree 4ith and understand the broad oral 3rinci3les 4hich the 0#L teaches@ the 4ords used to ex3ress the as indeed all other atters I6 )*5 B5'I66I6' 7A# )*5 72R+ & & & 1(1 of 3rofound interest are often at best a33roxi ations of literary aterial of "reat anti?uity& )he understandin" of these is beset by hi"hly co 3lex 3roble s of lin"uistics@ trans issional inaccuracies and 3erha3s ost difficult of all that of decidin" 4hat the any ancient authors eant to convey in idio atic 3hrases used in civilisations that have lon" since ceased to exist&

In the t4o exa 3les 4hich no4 follo4 I discuss the asonic usa"e of biblical aterial as 3ortrayed in 5n"lish versions of the 2ld )esta ent but 4ith si"nificantly ne4 eanin"s& It is nevertheless necessary to a,e clear that certain conclusions can only be tentative@ a4aitin" the discovery of additional aterial or better hy3otheses to confir the &

-AC*I6 L B2AK 6o as3ect of asonic ritual is ore intri"uin" both in sy bolis and in Craft history than that of the 3illars - and B& 6or 4ould it be easy to find a subHect 4hich durin" the last hundred years has been 4ritten about so exhaustively& 9et there is ore to be said if 4e 4ant to have a better understandin" of our aterials&

In asonry@ the litur"ical descri3tion see s stran"ely at odds 4ith our re3resentations of the & Althou"h 4e assi"n to the the ?ualities of stren"th and establish ent@ no4here so far as I ,no4 are they de3icted as su33orts for any 3art of #olo on=s )e 3le& 7hat then are they su33osed to carry to Hustify bein" s3ecially na ed a33arently for their exce3tional functional ?ualitiesP 2n tracin" boards and even on the 3illars the selves 4here they are used in lod"es@ it is custo ary to find the sur ounted by "lobes@ so eti es said to re3resent the earthly and celestial s3heres and in other cases the sun and oon& If such 4ere the 3ur3ose 4e can hardly doubt the need for stren"th and AconHointlyB stability but 4e are fairly certain that 4as not the intention of #olo on& 2ur usa"e co es fro not bein" sure of the ori"inal 3ur3ose@ our forbears evidently thin,in" it necessary to find so ethin" for the colu ns to su33ort rather than they should stand in the o3en erely holdin" u3 the s,y& )his 4as by no eans the only instance of enthusiasts see,in" to i 3rove ritual atter by the inHection of co on sense@ only to be?ueath tan"led 3roble s 4hich have to be unravelled by those that follo4& Let us therefore loo, at the ori"inal 3illars - and B to find if 4e can their ori"inal 3ur3ose and eanin"&

#ince every stone of #olo on=s )e 3le has disa33eared our ain source of infor ation is that in I !in"s 0II@ 11 to ((& Althou"h the earliest account@ it 4as nevertheless 4ritten durin" the 5xile so e 4:: years after the )e 3le 4as built 4hen the ori"inal 4as in ruins& II Chronicles III@ 11 to 17 "ives a 3arallel account but this 4as 4ritten (:: years later still& 6evertheless@ both "ive the i 3ression that the 3illars 4ere free standin" before the )e 3le@ an inter3retation so fir ly handed do4n by tradition that virtually all re3resentations fro the introduction of 3rintin" in the late fifteenth century sho4 the thus&

9et a study of the earliest anuscri3ts reveals the 3ossibility that they could have been 4ithin the 3orch@ in 4hich case they 4ould ost li,ely

have had the si 3le functional 3ur3ose of su33ortin" the roof& 6o4 bearin" in ind that this buildin" 4as of %hoenician desi"n circa 96: BC it had lon" been ho3ed to find evidence of si ilar te 3les of the sa e 3eriod in %alestine@ and 4e are fortunate 1(6 =)*5 %R5#)26IA6 L5C)>R5#= that 4ithin the last fifty years t4o have been discovered& )he earliest@ in the 3rocess of excavation no4@ 4as the thirteenth-century BC te 3le at *aIor@ the latter incidentally bein" a city 4hich #olo on rebuilt& )he other excavated in 19.6@ 4as that at biblical *attina also in #yria dated ei"hth century BC& Both these te 3les are of %hoenician desi"n and follo4 the sa e 3rinci3les consistin" essentially of 3orch@ holy 3lace and holy of holies& Indeed their "round 3lans follo4 so closely the 3attern of #olo on=s )e 3le as described in the 0#L that bein" 3rior to and after their fa ous counter3art@ 4e can 4ith so e de"ree of certainty say that they all had a fa ily li,eness& Both these ,no4n te 3les had the t4in 3illars 4ithin the 3orch@ a fact 4hich su33orts the 'ree, version of the #e3tua"int 4hich in reference to the - L B of #olo on=s edifice tells us of =a bea u3on both the 3illars=@ evidently describin" the bea of the 3orch roof& In such case the )e 3le 4ould ost li,ely have had the a33earance indicated on 3a"e 1(7& Co 3are the 3ro3ortions of this odern reconstruction fro biblical and archaeolo"ical data 4ith that i a"ined in the seventeenth century and illustrated on 3a"e 1(8&

6o4 it is i 3ortant to our consideration to realise that #olo on=s )e 3le 4as at the be"innin" a royal cha3el or sanctuary havin" a not alto"ether dissi ilar relationshi3 to #olo on the !in" as #t 'eor"e=s Cha3el@ 7indsor@ has to the 5n"lish royal house& It 4as ade by a ,in" for a ,in"ly 3ur3ose@ and exce3t in one res3ect 4e ust re ove fro our inds the traditional belief that it 4as a ,ind of 7est inster Abbey@ a shrine for national 4orshi3& 6o such 3ur3ose could have ever been considered by +avid or #olo on@ but it does see clear that their obHect 4as to establish a sort of reli"ious focal 3oint for the tribes 4hich 4as for the first ti e in Israelitish history synony ous 4ith the court of the !in"& By this eans they 4ere able to 3revent the 3riestly class@ the reli"ious leaders@ fro the selves beco in" heads of #tate& In this they succeeded ad irably@ as is 3roved by the fact that for four centuries descendants of +avid continued to occu3y the throne and he hi self has been revered as the !in" 3ar excellence throu"hout the 4hole of -e4ish history& )he )e 3le@ a very odest buildin" by any standards@ only be"an to assu e its undis3utedly 3ara ount 3lace in the reli"ion of Israel lon" centuries after it had ceased to exist in its ori"inal for @ 4hen indeed distance and ti e lent enchant ent to 4riters recordin" a "lorious 3ast&

In the be"innin" then the )e 3le 3lanned by +avid and executed by #olo on 4as a dynastic institution& It 4as the 3lace to be identified for ever 4ith the accession of ,in"s@ and Hust as the raisin" of 3illars had fro ti e i e orial been a ritual custo associated 4ith onarchs@ so 4e can ex3ect that the 3illars - L B had si ilar ritualistic si"nificance& 2ther4ise it is difficult to see 4hy these t4o of all the any 3illars used in the construction of the )e 3le 4ere alone di"nified by s3ecial na es&

In 19.9 %rofessor R&B&9& #cott 3ointed out that the na es -achin and BoaI 4ere ost li,ely to have been the initial 4ords of inscribed oracles@ ie the 3illar na es 4ere contractions of divinely ins3ired essa"es to the sin"le o3enin" 4ords 4hich beca e acce3ted in ti e throu"h co on usa"e& #uch abbreviations of 4ell-,no4n texts are fa iliar to church"oers of the 3resent day@ e" #olo on=s )e 3le as visualised by the author fro available evidence&

6-Ix I I / a x : I d I6 )*5 B5'I66I6' 7A# )*5 72R+ 1(9 %aternoster is )he Lord=s %rayer in Latin fro o3enin" 4ords %ater noster- 2ur /ather & & & A"ain@ ost 3eo3le belon"in" to the Christian church ,no4 that the canticle erely called the )e +eu si"nifies that one 4hich co ences )e +eu Lauda us A)hee 'od 4e 3raiseB&

#o if -AC*I6 and B2AK 4ere the first 4ords of inscri3tions@ it is reasonable to ex3ect that the 3illars the selves 4ere in so e 4ay connected 4ith the throne and that the full inscri3tions 4ould si"nify 9ah4eh=s su33ort for the !in"& 7hat then 4ere these oracles and 4hat 4as their si"nificance&

7e have no clue durin" #olo on=s ti e@ but at a later 3eriod an account is "iven of the accession rites of -ehoash 4hen 4e have the si"nificant observation in II !in"s JI@ 4 AA0B ;And the !in" stood by a 3illar@ as the anner 4as=& )his is translated by the Revised #tandard 0ersion as ;)he !in" standin" by the 3illar accordin" to custo =&

A"ain at a si ilar cere ony in honour of -osiah 4e have in 11 !in"s JJIII@ . ;And the !in" stood by the 3illar and ade a covenant before the Lord=& )hese ?uotations could refer to any 3illars 4ere it not for the observation in II Chron JJIII@ 1. AR#0B< ;)he !in" standin" by the 3illar at the entrance= Fto the house of the LordG #ince 4e ,no4 of no 3illar or si ilar furnishin" at the entrance other than - or B@ 4e ust conclude that one or other of these is eant& But the narrative has the 3illar and althou"h there is no evidence to su33ort the 3ro3osition it could be that -achin the southern 3illar re3resented the #outhern !in"do and BoaI the 6orthern& /or it ust be recalled that the 3ur3ose in selectin" -erusale as the site of the )e 3le 4as to unite the t4o !in"do s and the )e 3le itself had a si"nificant 3art to 3lay in effectin" that unity& )hus it is 3ossible that the !in" 4ould stand by each 3illar in turn as a sy bolic "esture to both sides&

But to return to the oracles inscribed on the 3illars& )he 4ords -achin and BoaI are evidently derivations of early *ebre4 ter s 9d-,in and Bo-6I& 2f the for er@ #cott 3oints out that the verb ,un a33ears a"ain and a"ain 4ith the eanin" ;to establish=@ e" II #a & 0II@ 1(-(6 ;1 4ill establish his !in"do = and ;I 4ill establish the throne of his !in"do for ever=& And since 9d can be an"licised as *e@ 'od@ -ehovah or ore 3ro3erly 9ah4eh@ the oracle on the 3illar 4ould ost 3robably have the eanin" ;9ah4eh 4ill establish the throne of +avid and his !in"do to his descendants for ever=&

#t -ero e=s Bible ,no4n as the 0ul"ate co 3iled in the fourth century A+ has the na e of one of the 3illars as BooI and in %hoenician the noun 6I is of fre?uent occurrence in the %sal s to denote stren"th& )hus in %sal (1 ;2 9ah4eh@ in thy stren"th shall the !in" reHoice= and fro si ilar ex3ressions 4e ay conclude that the Bo-6I ca3tion 4ould ost li,ely be the e?uivalent of ;In the stren"th of 9ah4eh shall the !in" reHoice=&

#u arisin" the evidence@ it see s conclusive that the ritualistic si"nificance of the ori"inal 3illars - L B differs fro the asonic a33lication in that the for er 4as concerned 4ith the house of +avid and the latter 4ith the house of 'od& And althou"h the verb ,un and the noun 6I cannot literally be conHoined to ean stability@ aybe 4e could stretch a 3oint to derive say the si"nificance that ;#tren"thened by 9ah4eh the house of +avid is established for ever=&

1.: ;)*5 %R5#)26IA6 L5C)>R5#= )he dynastic connection is really a uch ore satisfactory one than that used asonically@ for the latter i 3lies that the first house of 'od and that necessary to 3er3etuate his na e 4as the one built by #olo on in 96: Bc@ 4hich is irreconcilable 4ith the nature of the Creator and indeed the 0#L itself&

6evertheless@ it is rather curious that the asonic ex3lanation of -achin and BoaI by "ivin" the reli"ious rather than dynastic si"nificance@ 4as thereby unable to brin" out and ex3loit the fact that Hust as the ori"inal 3illars 4ere necessary sy bols at the a,in" of a !in"@ so re3resentations of the no4 for an essential 3art of the a,in" of a free ason&

)*5 *AILI6' #I'6 In the 3revious section 4e considered #olo on=s )e 3le fro its secular rather than reli"ious as3ects& It is understandable that the biblical narrative bein" 3ri arily concerned 4ith the 4orshi3 of 9ah4eh@ it could not be ex3ected to eulo"ise the !in"s or heads of state of Israel for their 3urely re"al ?ualities& Conse?uently@ any 3assa"es of ainly historical or instructional value in the ancient records 4ere re3hrased by the 3riestly authors of the biblical boo,s to be inter3reted in a lofty s3iritual sense as indeed they have been ever since&

2ne of the ost stri,in" is that fro 4hich the *ailin" #i"n 4as derived& 7e are all fa iliar 4ith the 3assa"e in 5xodus J0II@ 11< And it ca e to 3ass@ 4hen $oses held u3 his hand@ that Israel 3revailed< and 4hen he let do4n his hand@ A ale, 3revailed& But $oses= hands 4ere heavy and they too, a stone and 3ut it under hi @ and he sat thereonE and Aaron and *ur stayed u3 his hands@ the one on the one side@ and the other on the other sideE and his hands 4ere steady until the "oin" do4n of the sun&

6o4 these 4ords can never have been eant to be ta,en literally see 3a"e 1.1& )hey obviously si"nify in eta3horical lan"ua"e the vital i 3ortance to success of the sy 3athetic bond of confidence "enerated bet4een the head of a nation and his 3eo3le@ a 3arallel to 4hich 4as the ins3iration conveyed to the British nation under the leadershi3 of 7inston Churchill in recent ti es& 5very "reat "eneral has 3ossessed this sa e ?uality fro 4hich troo3s believin" in their leader 4ill face over4hel in"

odds@ certain in their inds that they are "oin" to 4in because he ins3ires and radiates confidence&

)hus 4hen $oses eta3horically lifted u3 his hand@ 4hen it could be seen that he 4as confident in the ability of his subHects@ he trans itted to the 3eo3le the 4ill to overco e the ene y& 7hen he beca e 4eary and his hand fell or to use another biblical eta3hor his hand 4as 4ea,ened@ this attitude of ind dis3irited the troo3s and they too lac,ed the essential in"redient needed to 4in& It further ore needed the oral su33ort of Aaron and *ur for $oses to re"ain confidence@ after 4hich the for er fi"htin" s3irit 4as revived and the Israelites triu 3hed&

#o the story of 5xodus is really an alle"ory eant to sho4 3ri arily the ?uality of !in"shi3 in a develo3in" nation and secondly the i 3ortance of loyalty on the 3art of the !in"=s trusted advisers&

)his eta3hor of ;4ea,ened hands= occurs in other si ilar instances& In 19.1 tablets 4ere discovered durin" excavations of the ancient city of Lachish 4hich 1.( ;)*5 %R5#)26IA6 L5C)>R5#= 4as finally destroyed circa 188 ac by 6ebuchadneIIar& 2ne of the reads a33roxi ately< And behold the 4ords of the 3rinces are not "ood@ but 4ea,en your hands and slac,en the hands of the en 4ho are infor ed of the &

)he 4riter of this essa"e a"ain 4as referrin" to hands in a fi"urative anner@ but the sense is exactly as that in 5xodus& 7hen the 3rinces s3o,e in 3essi istic ter s@ des3ondency 4as co unicated to all 4ho heard 4hat had been said and they lost the 4ill to succeed&

#i ilarly in -ere iah JJJ0III@ 4< ;he 4ea,eneth the hands of all the 3eo3le in s3ea,in" such 4ords unto the =&

#o althou"h the asonic ex3lanation of ho4 the hailin" si"n arose is very colourful and of considerable dra atic value@ it is really based u3on

isinter3retation of ?uite another

essa"e already veiled in alle"ory&

7e can be ?uite sure that the 3hases of the battle at Re3hidi 4ere in no 4ay influenced by the an"ular 3osition of the hands of $oses@ but as in any other battle by his de eanour as a co ander durin" critical 3eriods& 2r to use another eta3hor 4hether or not he had cold feet&

I6 C26CL>#I26 )he 3ur3ose of this exercise 4as really to de onstrate the extraordinary sy bolic value 4e 3lace u3on 4ords@ so e of 4hich 4ere never so inter3reted by our ancestors and others 4ere not even to be invented for centuries after the events they de3ict& $aHestic and beautiful as is the 5n"lish of the !in" -a es Bible@ it is at best a substitute for aterial uch of 4hich has lon" since 3erished and could only a33roxi ately be translated if any survivin" ori"inal fra" ents 4ere ever found& In ada3tin" aterial@ biblical or other4ise to asonic ritual usa"e any ori"inal eanin"s have tended to beco e lost or obscure@ but this is not a "ood enou"h reason for the to re ain so ad infinitu if 4e are interested enou"h to 4ant it other4ise& In y o3inion ,no4led"e of ho4 thin"s 4ere in the be"innin" "reatly enhances a33reciation of the for in 4hich they have co e do4n to us@ for if there are lessons to be learned 4e are the better enabled to teach others&

But there is another 3ur3ose& 7ords bein" sy bols to convey ideas to the hu an ind@ it follo4s that over lon" 3eriods of ti e their eanin"s chan"e as the subHects 4hich they 3ortray the selves chan"e& In the early days of free asonry any 4ords conveyed ?uite different eanin"s to our forbears fro those 4hich are co only understood today& )his creates a 3er3etual te 3tation to ritual i 3rovers to odernise and tidy u3 ex3ressions 4ithout ade?uate a4areness of the si"nificance of their actions& Certain it is that the a33lication of 4hat ay su3erficially be believed to be co on sense can 3lay and in so e instances has 3layed havoc 4ith tradition&

*ence the full circle is turned& )he asonic historian not only ta,es 3art in the ti e-honoured search for 4ords that are lost and ust be found& *e has also to consider 4hether 4ords e 3loyed in the search are the selves substitutions for others 4hose loss has 3assed unreco"nised&

$A#)5R# A6+ $A#)5R $A#26# A )*52R9 2/ )*5 )*IR+ +5'R55 )*5 %R5#)26IA6 L5C)>R5 /2R 1971 )*5 R50 CA626 RIC*AR+ )9+5$A6 BR5)*R56@ I6 so res3ectable an asse bly@ and before such co 3etent Hud"es of real erit@ it ay 3robably be dee ed arro"ant or 3resu 3tuous in an individual to offer his senti entsE es3ecially 4hen convinced that neither his ,no4led"e of lan"ua"e@ or his talents for elo?uence@ can do sufficient Hustice to the di"nity of his the e&

It is not y intention to enter into an elaborate dis?uisition concernin" $asonry& )hat tas, far exceeds the li its of y abilities& I shall only venture to sub it to your serious consideration a fe4 observations & & &

)hose 4ords are not an exa 3le of t4entieth-century odestyE they are@ in fact the o3enin" 4ords of the 2ration "iven by Brother 7illia %reston hi self@ in 177(@ 4hen he introduced the first of his $asonic Lectures AIllustrations of $asonryB&

All the sa e@ those 4ords ay be said to su u3 the "eneral re?uire ent for a %restonian Lecture< that it should not be an ;elaborate dis?uisition=@ but rather the sub ission of ;a fe4 observations=@ and it is in this s3irit that the follo4in" thou"hts are offered on the subHect 2f $A#)5R# A6+ $A#)5R $A#26#&

)*5 L2'ICAL %A))5R6 2/ +5'R55# Let us be"in 4ith a ?uotation that 4ill be fa iliar to all< ;)o distin"uish the s3ot@ they stuc, a s3ri" of acacia at the head & & &= A livin" s3ri" fro a tree 4as uncere oniously bro,en off and hastily thrust into the "round as a te 3orary easure& #o runs the story& But surely that s3ri" too, root in the "round and "re4 and flourished@ until its branches covered the 4hole earth&

In other 4ords@ that s3ri" of acacia ay be said to re3resent the )hird +e"ree itself@ 4hich be"an as a te 3orary easure and is no4 fir ly established all over the 4orld& Its li"ht is still dar,ness@ its e ble s so bre@ its s &&&&& s are substituted and its ritual inco 3lete Aas every Co 3anion of the Royal Arch ,no4sB@ and yet its 3o3ularity re ains as stron" as ever& %erha3s this is because it co es nearer to our-o4n hu an ex3erience than any of the so-called ;hi"her de"rees=&

In the ;retros3ect of de"rees= throu"h 4hich the candidate has already 3assed@ he is re inded that the /irst re3resents an=s infancy@ a state of&hel3less indi"ence in 4hich he is "radually "iven li"ht and instruction to fit hi for his tas,& )he #econd develo3s the intellectual faculty and re3resents the aturity of an& )he )hird brin"s hi face to face 4ith his inevitable destiny@ the one absolutely certain forecast for each one of usE and it teaches us to face that destiny 4ith fortitude and hu ble confidence in the Lord of Li"ht 4ho 4ill@ in his o4n "ood ti e@ restore to us the "enuine s & & & & & s denied us in this our ortal existence& 1.. 1.4 ;)*5 %R5#)26IA6 L5C)>R5#= C26/>#I26 2/ )I)L5# )his 3attern of de"rees in free asonry is co 3letely lo"ical and understandable& )he stran"e thin" is to find that@ until t4o hundred and fifty years a"o@ asonry in this country ac,no4led"ed only t4o ,inds of ason@ A33rentices and /ello4s@ and there is little tal, of ;de"rees= at all until about 17.: Asee A CC@ vol 71@ 3 11:B& )he only reference to a=$aster $ason= a33lied to the Crafts an 4ho 4as elected to 3reside over the lod"e&

Confusion arises here because in early days the ter s ;$aster= and ;$aster $ason= 4ere virtually interchan"eable< thus in the *au"hfoot $inutes for 17:4 Asee /ree asons= $a"aIine@ 18 #e3te ber 1869@ 3 (((B it is a"reed that -ohn *o33rin"le should continue $aster $ason till #t -ohn=s +ay next - 4hich obviously eans that he should stay in the Chair until thenE 4hile at 9or, in 17(1 A'ould@ *istory of /ree asonry@ vol I0@ 3 (71B at least three brethren in one lod"e are referred to si 3ly as ;$asters=& And at +u barton in 17(6@ AACC@ vol 71B 'abriel %orterfield@ /ello4 Craft@ 4as unani ously ad itted and received a $aster of the /raternity&

)here is further confusion in the use of 4ords to describe the a,in" of a $aster $ason& )he 4ord ;raisin"= does not a33ear before 17.7 ACollected %resto an Lectures@ 0ibert@ 3 .8B& 2ne reads of ; a,in"=@ ;ad ittin"=@ ;receivin"= and even ;3assin"= $asters - 4hich led to the extre e co 3lication of a ;3assed aster= A3&a&s&s&e&d&B as o33osed to a ;3ast aster= A3&a&s&t&B And Hust to round it off@ 4e actually find our dear friend Brother 7illia %reston at the very end of the ei"hteenth century layin" do4n cere onies for ;the initiation of a $aster $ason=O AIllustrations of $asonry@ (nd ed@ 1771@ 3 1::B&

+RA7I6' )*5 )*R5A+# )2'5)*5R Little 4onder@ then@ that historians have not been able to a,e any hard and fast state ents about the ori"ins of our three-de"ree syste @ or the actual date 4hen it ca e into bein"& )here 4ere so any threads to dra4 to"ether< there 4as the old-established 4or,in" of the o3erative asons 4here a $aster $ason 4ould ta,e on an a33rentice in the sa e 4ay that a $aster %rinter or a $aster Cutler 4ould ta,e a33rentices@ 4hile bet4een the aster and a33rentices ca e the Hourney en 4ho 4or,ed on their o4n& )hen there 4as the early #cottish s3eculative asonry fro 4hich derived the titles Athou"h not necessarily the de"reesB of 5ntered A33rentice and /ello4 CraftE there 4ere the !ni"hts )e 3lar and !ni"hts of #t -ohn 4ho undoubtedly contributed the title ;'rand $aster= to free asonry@ and ay very 4ell have contributed uch oreE and there 4as the old theoso3hical teachin" of the !abbalah@ 3arts of 4hich 3robably survive in the Royal Arch&

)*5 $A#)5R=# %AR) )hese and various other threads 4ere all 4eavin" to"ether at the be"innin" of the ei"hteenth century and it 4as clear that so e central authority 4as vitally necessary to co-ordinate and re"ularise thin"s into due order& )he four London lod"es 4ho for ed our 'rand Lod"e in 1717 had Hust that 3ur3ose in vie4& 7ithin a very fe4 years their Boo, of Constitutions@ under the "uidin" hand of Brother Ander $A#)5R# A6+ $A#)5R $A#26# 1.1 son@ had laid do4n rules for lod"es to a,e A33rentices and /ello4s@ -thou"h at this sta"e it is not clear 4hether this eant t4o se3arate cere onies or only one& 7hat is abundantly clear@ ho4ever@ is that 3rivate lod"es 4ere not 3er itted to ;4or, the $aster=s %art=@ and $asters could only be ade by and in 'rand Lod"e itself& In this 4ay@ 'rand Lod"e could ,ee3 a fir hand on those to 11e nu bered a on" the rulers of the Craft@ and be able to ;vet= each inco in" $aster to a,e sure he 4as orthodox and suitable&

)his state of thin"s lasted a very short ti e& 2n the one hand as lod"es "re4 in nu ber it ust have beco e increasin"ly difficult for candidates to a,e the necessary Hourney u3 to 'rand Lod"e to be "iven ;the $aster=s %art=@ and on the other hand there 4ere other lod"es 4or,in" in defiance of 'rand Lod"e 4ho insisted on a,in" $asters the selvesE and so 4e find in 17(1 a otion in 'rand Lod"e re3ealin" Article 1.@ and sayin"@ ;that the $ast of each lod"e 4ith the consent of his 7ardens and the aHority of the Brn@ bein" $asM ay a,e asts at their discretion=& By 17.8 there are records of at least eleven such lod"es 4or,in" the ;$aster=s %art= A'ould< *istory of /ree asonry@ vol I0@ 3 .68B&

)*5 $A#)5R 5L5C) /or a ti e@ then@ it see s certain that this third de"ree of $aster $ason 4as "iven only to those 4ho 4ere about to beco e $asters of lod"es& )his is the only inter3retation 4hich a,es sense of the idea of a ;$aster=s %art=@ and as evidence I rely on the footnote to the Antient Char"es 3rinted at the be"innin" of our Boo, of Constitutions A197:@ 3 6B&

6& B& In antient ti es@ no brother@ ho4ever s,illed in the craft@ 4as called a $aster $ason until he had been elected into the chair of a Lod"e&

)he ex3ression ;in antient ti es= is certainly va"ueE but here at any rate is a direct connection bet4een $aster $ason and $aster 5lect - not $aster@ you notice@ but $aster 5lectE and this 3erha3s 3rovides the clue to the 4ay in 4hich thin"s then develo3ed&

6o doubt because of the difficulties of travel and the infre?uency of such cere onies@ it beca e the 3ractice to "et the $aster=s %art conferred@ in one of the ;$asters= Lod"es=@ on /ello4crafts 4ho 4ere ?ualified by ex3erience and s,ill to occu3y the chair so e ti e in the fairly near future@ so as to have a reserve of ?ualified candidates for installation 4ithout havin" to send each one u3 for his third de"ree after beco in" $aster 5lect& In uch the sa e 4ay that on board shi3@ al ost every $ate 4ill already hold a Ca3tain=s tic,et in 3re3aration for the day 4hen he ay be "iven a shi3 of his o4n&

I6#)ALLA)I26 And so there be"an to be found this ne4 3heno enon@ the Crafts an 4ho had ;ta,en the $aster=s %art= but had not yet been installed in the Chair& *e 4as not a $aster in the sense of ;Installed $aster=@ and yet he 4as obviously ore than a /ello4 Craft& *e 4as in fact@ and still is@ a $aster $ason&

)hose Antient Char"es in our Boo, of Constitutions a"ain see to su33ort this theory< 1.6 ;)*5 %R5#)26IA6 L5C)>R5#= 6o Brother can be a 7arden until he has 3assed the 3art of a /ello4 Craft@ nor a $aster until he had acted as a 7arden&

or a"ain@ )he ost ex3ert of the fello4crafts en shall be chosen or a33ointed the $aster&

And notice that in our Installation cere onies 4e still ac,no4led"e the old 4or,in"@ and "o on behavin" as thou"h the de"ree of $aster $ason did not existO /or exa 3le@ the $aster 5lect is 3resented and obli"ated not in the third de"ree but in the second& A/or@ don=t for"et@ that accordin" to the Antient Char"es@ a 7arden only needed to be a /ello4 Craft&B )he Installin" $aster addresses the Brethren< /ro ancient ti es it has been the custo & & & to select & & & an ex3erienced crafts an to 3reside as $aster not ;an ex3erienced $aster $ason=@ but ;an ex3erienced crafts an=@ 4ho ust have been elected by his ;Brethren and /ello4s=& )he $aster 5lect advances and ta,es his obli"ation in the 3osition of a /ello4 Craft& )he lod"e is then o3ened in the third de"ree@ but nothin" 4hatever is done in it@ and all belo4 the ran, of Installed $aster retire i ediately& I su""est to you that in the early ei"hteenth century it 4as at this 3oint@ and ori"inally at this 3oint only@ that the third de"ree as 4e ,no4 it@ 4as conferred on the $aster 5lect&

-575L# A6+ #9$B2L# 2f the inner 4or,in" of the Board of Installed $asters one can obviously say nothin" here@ exce3t to ention that 4hen the ne4 7orshi3ful $aster is invested 4ith his collar he is infor ed ho4 the #?uare is to be a33lied by $aster $asons& Is this a sli3 of the ton"ue or a 3rinter=s errorP #hould the #?uare have been a33lied by Installed $asters rather than $aster $asonsP 2r is this not Hust one ore indication that the ne4 $aster is also a ne4 $aster $asonP 7hen the brethren return after their te 3orary absence@ the only visible difference they find is that their ne4ly installed $aster no4 4ears the collar and He4el of his office@ and so e ne4 sy bols on his a3ron@ and 4e i"ht sto3 for a o ent here to consider 4hat these ne4 sy bols are&

)hey are usually described as ;levels=@ and indeed they do bear a su3erficial rese blance to that 3articular 4or,in" toolE but they are certainly not intended to be levels - and in any case the level is the He4el of the #enior 7arden and not of the 7orshi3ful $aster&

)hey are neither ex3lained nor even referred to in the inner 4or,in"@ so

4e can "et no hel3 there& )he Boo, of Constitutions describes the cautiously and athe atically@ 4ithout sayin" 4hat they are< ;3er3endicular lines one inch each u3on horiIontal lines t4o inches and a half each@ thereby for in" three several sets of t4o ri"ht an"les=& )his latter descri3tion 4ill sound fa iliar to Co 3anions of the Royal Arch 4ho 4ill see in this a se3aration of certain ele ents 4hich are "athered to"ether in ne4 for in that su3re e de"ree& 2thers have li,ened the to ;)-s?uares=@ or ;t4o s?uares bac, to bac,=@ 4hile so e 4riters have "one into fanciful references to 3hallic sy bolis and the cult of 2siris&

$A#)5R# A6+ $A#)5R $A#26# 1.7 A />R)*5R 5J%LA6A)I26 6one of these ex3lanations 4ould see entirely satisfactory and I 4ant to su""est another idea alto"ether@ 4hich fits in co 3letely 4ith 4hat 4e have been sayin" so far&

Re e berin" that@ under the old syste @ only Installed $asters 4ere considered to be in 3ossession of the third de"ree it therefore follo4s that only they had ta,en the three re"ular s3s in free asonry& But recollectin" ho4 those s3s are for ed y sub ission is that each of these sy bols 4hich 4e call levels or 3er3endicular and horiIontal lines is in fact a 3icture of a I&f& 4ith a r&f& in its h&@ thus sho4in" that the 4earer of this a3ron has ta,en the three re"ular s3s& 6o4 there is no 3roof of this@ but it see s reasonable@ es3ecially 4hen 4e consider the evolution of the a3ron "enerally&

)*5 A%R26 In every case@ s3eculative asonry has for alised and standardised 4hat it too, fro o3erative asonry& )hus the lar"e 3rotective leather a3ron of the o3eratives@ 4hich covered hi fro chin to belo4 the ,nee@ has been reduced to Aa"ain to ?uote the Boo, of Constitutions@ 197:B ;a 3lain 4hite la b-s,in fro fourteen to sixteen inches 4ide@ t4elve to fourteen inches dee3@ 4ith a fla3=& )he fla3@ of course@ is all that re ains of the u33er 3art that for erly 4ent u3 to the chin&

)his 3lain 4hite la b-s,in is@ as the #enior 7arden tells the ne4ly ade brother@ the bad"e of a ason- not Hust the bad"e of an 5ntered A33rentice@ but the bad"e of a ason& In ti e it ay "et covered 4ith rosettes and sy bols@ s,y blue@ "arter blue and "old braid@ but all the ti e

the 3lain 4hite la b-s,in is still there@ as it 4as on the ni"ht he 4as initiated& It is rather i 3ressive to read the descri3tion in the Boo, of Constitutions 4hich be"in@ as ?uoted@ 4ith the 3lain 4hite la b-s,in for the 5ntered A33rentice@ and then "oes on< /ello4 Craft@ the sa e@ 4ith t4o rosettes& $aster $ason@ the sa e@ 4ith three rosettes and a li"ht blue ed"in" etc@ and so on u3 the scale@ throu"h ;%rovincial 'rand 2fficers@ the sa e@ 4ith "arter blue ed"in" and "old cord= until last of all co es 'rand $aster@ the sa e@ 4ith the blaIin" sun in@"old in the centre@ an ed"in" of 3o e"ranate@ lotus and seven-eared 4heat@ and a frin"e of "old bullion&

but the ost i 3ortant 4ord in all those descri3tions is ;the sa e=@ the 3lain 4hite la b-s,in&

R2#5))5# )he ori"in of rosettes is obscure& Could they have started as buttons or buttonholes 4hich@ 4hen no lon"er re?uired@ 4ere left in 3osition li,e the t4o useless buttons on the bac, of a tail coatP Brother 0ibert in his %restonian Lecture for 19(1 ade this su""estion< )he $$ ay have 4orn it Athe a3ronB 4ith the fla3 do4n as 4e do todayE the 5A and /C ,ee3in" the fla3 u3@ buttoned to the 4aistcoat@ the 5A further turnin" u3 one corner& )he rosettes &&& ay have been ado3ted in 'er any in the 18th centuryE they see to re3resent ori"inal buttonholes for the turned u3 corners&

1.8 ;)*5 %R5#)26IA6 L5C)>R5#= Brother *ills in 1916 A#o erset $asters )ransactionsB 4rote< )he & & & rosettes & & & 3ossibly ori"inated in so e contrivance@ a loo3 or a buttonhole@ 4hich a33ears in old illustrations@ for fastenin" the fla3 u3 a"ainst a brother=s coat and he adds@ In the >#A the ordinary a3ron is si 3ly a 4hite-s,in@ and the ran, is distin"uished by the 5A 4earin" the fla3 turned u3@ the /C the fla3 turned do4n@ 4hilst the $$ has the corner of his a3ron turned u3&

A"ainst this there is a state ent in the 5ncyclo3edia of /ree asonry A*a4,ins L *u"han@ 19(:B )here is evidence in so e old A erican a3rons still existin" that rosettes 4ere for erly 4orn but have since been discarded&

)herefore@ thou"h the idea of ;functional= button-rosettes is attractive@ it see s ore 3robable that the t4o rosettes of a /C 4ere 3urely orna ental@ to distin"uish hi fro the 5A& )here is such an a3ron in the useu at /ree asons= *all 4ith t4o rosettes@ dated 1791&

$ean4hile the $aster had lined and ed"ed his a3ron@ first 4ith 4hite sil, and by 177: 4ith blue@ to"ether 4ith those indications that his three s3s had no4 been co 3leted& But if there 4ere still brethren 4ho had ;ta,en the $aster=s %art= but had not yet occu3ied the chairE ho4 could they be distin"uishedP And if@ by then@ the sy bols on the a3ron had beco e a re"ular 3art of the Installed $aster=s re"alia@ then a ne4 for 4ould have to be evolved& 7hy not add one ore rosette to the /ello4 Craft=sP A third ;button= to indicate that here is a crafts an ar,ed out for 3ro otion@ and on his 4ay to the chair&

6o4 I realise that this has considerably si 3lified and strea lined the history of a3rons& It is not as easy as all that& /or any years there 4as no set 3attern for a3rons at all@ and they 4ere decorated 4ith 3ainted@ e broidered or 3rinted desi"ns incor3oratin" 3illars@ 4or,in"-tools@ all-seein" eyes and 3ractically anythin" else you can thin, of& But by the end of the ei"hteenth century a set 3attern had started to e er"e@ and I sub it that y ex3lanation is not unreasonable&

)*5 'R5A) +I0I#I26 Before 4e leave this subHect 4e ust not lose si"ht of the "reat division that existed durin" the ei"hteenth century bet4een the so-called Antients and the $oderns@ 4ith t4o 'rand Lod"es both clai in" su3re acy& A)he $oderns@ in s3ite of this na e 4hich their rivals besto4ed on the @ re3resented the 3re ier 'rand Lod"e established in 1717E the self-styled Antients 4ere constituted in 1711@ clai in" that they alone 3reserved the ancient custo s and 3ractices of asonry& )he division 4as only finally healed by the >nion of 181. into the >nited 'rand Lod"e of 5n"land&B )he Antients 4ere concerned about the third de"ree for ?uite another reason< in their syste the Royal Arch 4as an inte"ral 3art of the Craft 4or,in"& )heir 'rand #ecretary@ Laurence +er ott in 1764 AAhi an ReIonB calls it ;the very essence of asonry= and in another 3lace says he ;fir ly believes it to be the root@ heart and arro4 of asonry=& ;A $odern=@ says +er ott@ ;is un?ualified to $A#)5R# A6+ $A#)5R $A#26# 1.9 a33ear in a $aster=s Lod"e & & & nor in a Royal Arch Lod"e FsicG until he has been installed=&

And he has hard thin"s to say about ;those 4ho thin, the selves Royal Arch $asons 4ithout 3assin" the chair in re"ular for =&

6o4 there see s no 3articular reason 4hy an uninstalled $aster $ason should not be exalted into the Royal Arch& )here is certainly nothin" in our 3resent Installation cere ony 4hich 4ould be necessary for that 3ur3ose@ and in fact $aster $asons are readily exalted every day into our Cha3tersE but it 4ould a,e co 3lete nonsense of the Royal Arch cere ony to confer it on a /ello4 Craft 4ho 4ould not have the necessary bac,"round to understand 4hat it is all about&

%RAC)IC5 2/ )*5 A6)I56)# And so@ a on" the Antients@ the sa e sort of subterfu"e 4as ado3ted to allo4 brethren to 3roceed to the Royal Arch 4ithout actually "oin" throu"h the chairthey 4ere ade $aster $asons& )hus Brother 'ould ex3resses an o3inion in an article Ain the /ree ason@ 1 #e3te ber 188.B on Ri"hts and %rivile"es of %ast $asters that the ;de"ree of $aster & & & 4as invented by the AAntientB 'rand Lod"e to serve as a constructive 3assin" of the chair@ and thereby ?ualify Brethren for the de"ree of Royal Arch 4hich could only be conferred on actual %ast $asters of Lod"es=& )he sa e author in his *istory of /ree asonry Avol I0B ad its that under both 'rand Lod"es the 3ractice of ;3assin" Brethren throu"h the chair- or in other 4ords conferrin" u3on the the de"ree A4ithout servin" the officeB of Installed $aster@ 4hich had cre3t into the ritual of the Antients@ 4as very co on=& If@ by this@ Brother 'ould eans that crafts en 4ere "iven the ;$aster=s %art= to 3roceed to the RA before bein" installed in the chair of a lod"e@ then surely it has beco e so co on that it is no4 the nor al 3rocedure&

2ne ore 3oint about re"alia< not all the old custo s have survived& Laurence +er ott@ in reference to the $oderns@ infor s us that each A33rentice carries a 3lu b@ /ello4 Crafts carry a level@ and ;that every 3erson di"nified 4ith the title of a $aster $ason Fitalics sicG should 4ear a s?uare 3endant to his ri"ht le"= AAhi an ReIor@ 1764@ (nd ed& 3 xxxB&

Laurence +er ott is not entirely trust4orthy@ and here he is obviously bein" facetious at the ex3ense of his rivals@ but even so there is surely so ethin" si"nificant in a33lyin" to every $aster $ason the 3endant

#?uare 4hich is no4 4orn only by the $aster of the Lod"e - albeit on a collar and not on his le"&

72R!I6' )22L# /or t4o hundred and forty years@ then@ the three de"rees as 4e ,no4 the have been "enerally 3ractised 4ith this stran"e ixture of lo"ic and illo"ic@ 4ith so uch of the third de"ree bein" ore a33ro3riate to an Installed $aster< Loo, at the 4or,in" tools& In the first de"ree they are enial - easurin"@ ha erin"@ s oothin"@ but never finishin"& In the second de"ree they are res3onsible@ the tools for finishin" the Hob@ tryin"@ adHustin"@ fixin"& But the third de"ree tools are not the tools of a 4or, an at allE they are the instru ents of the architect@ the $aster hi self@ layin" lines@ dra4in" desi"ns and renderin" the circle co 3lete&

14: ;)*5 %R5#)26IA6 L5C)>R5#= )he s3s in the first are hesitant but "ro4in" bolderE in the second ascendin" to4ards the 3lace of re4ard& )he bold archin" s3s of the third 4ould carry us ri"ht u3 to the chair itself if they had not been diverted on the 4ay&

)*5 *IRA$IC L5'56+ 7hich brin"s us to *ira Abif and the asonic traditional history& )hat there 4as such a 3erson there is no doubt& *e is entioned several ti es in #cri3ture 4here he a33ears as a hi"hly s,illed crafts an sent to !in" #olo on by *ira !in" of )yre to su3ervise the buildin" of the )e 3le& *e 4as of ixed race@ his father bein" a an of )yre and his other a 4ido4 of the tribe of +an or 6a3htali& )he le"end of his death and its conse?uences 4ill not be found in #cri3ture@ but only in our asonic ritual& )his is not to say@ as so e have su""ested@ that the story 4as only invented (1: years a"o 4hen the third de"ree too, its 3resent for E but one of the handica3s 4hich our society has to acce3t is the absence of docu entary evidence& 2ne can say that there is no 4ritten evidence of the *ira ic le"end before the ei"hteenth century@ but that does not 3rove that the oral tradition did not exist@ for asonic ritual 4as not 4ritten do4n at all in those days but 3assed on by e ory and 4ord of outh& A%erha3s it 4ould a,e for the better 3reservation of our secrets if the sa e 3ractice 4ere still observed today&B BIBLICAL 50I+56C5 )here is@ ho4ever@ one 3iece of historical evidence that has so eti es been overloo,ed@ and that is the na e by 4hich 4e refer to our hero - *ira Abif& 7here does it co e fro P Certainly not fro the Authorised 0ersion of the Bible 4hich tells us 3lainly about #olo on !in" of Israel and *ira !in" of )yre@ and erely entions a third an called

*ira or *ura & But there are t4o texts 4here this na e a33ears to be ?ualified in so e 4ay& As 4e shall be referrin" to these t4o texts ?uite extensively@ let us call the @ for convenience@ text AaB and text AbB& )ext AaB is in fact II Chronicles II@ 1.@ and text AbB II Chronicles I0@ 16& In the Authorised 0ersion they read as follo4s< )he first is 3art of the letter fro !in" *ira to !in" #olo on< AaB ;And I have sent a cunnin" an@ endued 4ith understandin"@ of *ura y father=s&= )he second is at the end of the list of orna ents< AbB ;And all their instru ents did *ura his father a,e to !in" #olo on for the house of the Lord of bri"ht brass&= )*5 2RI'I6AL *5BR57 Both obviously refer to this *ira or *ura 4ho 4as a s,illed crafts an@ but 4hat is the si"nificance of ; y father=s= and ;his father=P Loo, no4 at the ori"inal *ebre4< in text AaB 4e find ;*ura Abi= Aale3h@ beth@ HodB& In text AbB@ ;*ura Abiv= Aale3h@ beth@ Hod@ vanB& )he *ebre4 4ord ;Ab= eans ;/ather=@ ;Abi= eans ;$y father=@ and Abiv= eans ;*is father=& #o far@ so "oodE but the trouble is that ;*ura y father=s= and ;*ura his father= Hust don=t a,e sense@ for this *ira could hardly have been the father of !in" *ira @ and certainly 4asn=t the father of !in" #olo on&

$A#)5R# A6+ $A#)5R $A#26# 141 )*5 0>L'A)5 )he 'ree, version of the #e3tua"int i"nores the dile a and Hust calls hi ;Cheira =@ but #t -ero e and the Latin 0ul"ate 3lu 3ed for the literal translation< AaB $ihi er"o tibi viru 3rudente et scientissi u *yra 3atre eu & AbB 2 nia vassa fecit #ala oni *ura 3ater eius&

It 4as this version that 4as follo4ed by ost subse?uent translators@ so that the first 5n"lish Bible of 7yclif in 1.88 has< AaB I sente to ye a 3rudent an and ost ,unnyn"e *ura y fader AbB *yra ye fader of #alo on ade to hy alle vessels in ye hous of ye Lord )he 'reat Bible of 11.9 4hich 4as the 3arent of the Authorised 0ersion varies this sli"htly< AaB &&& a an 4ho y father *yra did use AbB &&& did *yra Ahis fatherB a,e&

)*5 BI#*2%#= BIBL5 )he Bisho3s= Bible 117( re3eats this@ o ittin" the 3arenthesis in AbB ; & & & did *ira his father a,e=@ and adds this interestin" footnote< =*ira is called #olo on=s father because #olo on reverenced hy and favoured hy as his father=& )his sho4s that the editor 4as unha33y about the text and felt he ust atte 3t to Hustify it& #o also in the version 3rinted by Christo3her Bar,er in 1199 ;4ith ost 3rofitable annotations u3on all the hard 3laces@ and other thin"s of "reat i 3ortance=@ text AbB reads< ;All these vessels ade *ura his father=@

and the ar"inal note says@ 4ho #alo on reverenced for his "ifts that 'od had "iven hi @ as a father& *e had the sa e na e also that *ura the !in" of )yre hadE his other 4as a -e4esse and his father a )yrian& #o e reade@ for his father@ the author of this 4or,&

)his latter state ent re3resents yet another tradition to 4hich 4e shall be returnin" 3resently&

)*5 +2>AI 05R#I26 *o4ever@ not all editors a"reed that the ;fatherhood= referred to #olo onE so e thou"ht it referred to the !in" of )yre& )hus the +ouai Bible 16.1 a,es that !in" 4rite in text AaB< ;I have sent thee a an 4ise and ost s,ilful@ *ira y father=@ ex3lainin" in the ar"inal note@ It is 3robable that this an had instructed the !in" of )yre in true reli"ion of 2ne 'od@ 4ho he confesseth in verses 11 and 1(@ and that therefore the !in" called hi his father&

/ro then on4ards@ until the Revised #tandard 0ersion of 191(@ all 5n"lish Bibles have stuc, to the 3lain ; y father=s= and ;his father=@ 4ithout any atte 3t at ex3lanation&

L>)*5R A6+ C205R+AL5 6o4 in all this 4ilderness of translations and ar"inal notes@ there have been one 14( ;)*5 %R5#)26IA6 L5C)>R5#= or t4o lone voices 4hich have insisted that if a descri3tion doesn=t a,e sense@ then the li,elihood is that 4e are dealin" 4ith a 3ro3er na e and not a descri3tion at all& )he earliest I can find of these is $artin Luther in 'er any in the 11(:s 4ho ade his o4n translation of the Bible@ "oin" bac, 4hen 3ossible to ori"inal anuscri3ts& *ere is his version of our texts< AaB &&& einen 4eisen an der verstand hat *ura Abi&

AbB &&& and alle ihr "efess

acht *ura

Abif de

!oni"e #olo o&

In 11(8@ $yles Coverdale@ one of the leaders of the 5n"lish Refor ation@ findin" 5n"land too dan"erous for hi @ fled to *a bur" 4here he et 7illia )yndale and hel3ed hi to translate the %entateuch& By 11.1@ Coverdale had 3roduced a co 3lete translation of the Bible into 5n"lish@

usin" not only the Latin 0ul"ate but also Luther=s 'er an Bible as his sources& And so it is that in Coverdale=s Bible@ 3ublished only in three years 11.1@ 6 and 7@ 4e find in text AaB the na e *ira Abi@ and in text AbB *ira Abif& 6ot ;*ura = but ;*ira =-*ira Abif@ in t4o distinct 4ords 4ith a ca3ital * and a ca3ital A&

)his is the one and only 3lace in the 4hole of 5n"lish literature outside asonic ritual that I have been able to find the full na e 3rinted in this 3articular anner& In 11.7 the =$atthe4s= Bible@ 4hich dre4 u3on )yndale and Coverdale@ 3rints =Abi= in both 3laces@ but by 11.9 the 'reat Bible had arrived 4ith ; y father= and ;his father=@ and the old na e 4as lost a"ain&

R5C56) )RA6#LA)I26# It rea33ears in the /rench Bible of +=2ster4ald in 1881 as =*ura -Abi= in both texts@ 4ith a ca3ital ;A= but hy3henated@ but 4e do not find it a"ain in 5n"lish until the Revised #tandard 0ersion of 191( 4here it is 3rinted in both texts as =*ura abi=@ hy3henated and 4ithout the ca3ital =A=& It is re3eated in this for in the -erusale Bible of 1966&

It re ains to account for the third 3ossible readin" of the ori"inal *ebre4@ hinted at in that ar"inal note of 1199< =#o e reade@ for Mhis father@ the author of this 4or,M =@ su""estin" that it eans@ =)he 4or, 4as done by *ira 4ho 4as the author or father of it=& Later translators have observed that the 4ord ;Ab= besides eanin" ;father= could 3ossibly bear the eanin" of ;author=@ ;ori"inator= - or even ; aster=& )his is the sense in 4hich the 5s3eranto Bible of 189: too, it@ usin" ; ian aHstron *ura = ;lia aHstro *ura =@ and it is interestin" to note that this is the inter3retation acce3ted by the ost recent translation of all@ the 6e4 5n"lish Bible 197:@ in 4hich our t4o texts are "iven as< AaB I no4 send you a s,ilful and ex3erienced crafts an@ aster *ura &

AbB All these obHects !in" #olo on&

aster *ura

ade of bronIe@ burnished 4or, for

)*5 6A$5 I6 R5'>LAR >#5 2ut of all this be4ilderin" ass of aterial@ one fact of "reat si"nificance e er"es clearly< that in 5n"land the na e *ira Abif had a33eared in 3rint but once@ in a little ,no4n

Bible of 11.1@ and nothin" li,e it 4as used a"ain in #cri3ture for 4:: years& 9et free asons in 17(. 4ere a33arently fa iliar 4ith the na e and did not find it necessary to ex3lain it in any 4ay& Can 4e really su33ose that Anderson $A#)5R# A6+ $A#)5R $A#26# 14. and his brethren invented a le"end@ and too, the trouble to di" out a na e fro a Bible of t4o centuries earlier to "o 4ith itP Is it not far ore 3robable that the na e *ira Abif 4as in re"ular use a on" asons even before Luther and Coverdale ca e across it@ and that it has been in continuous use a on" asons ever sinceP %erha3s so eone should do a little research on the relationshi3 bet4een Luther and the Craft@ to see 4hich 4ay round the borro4in" too, 3laceO )he story of *ira Abif@ then@ cannot be 3roved as history@ but neither can it be dis3roved& It is therefore a3tly described in our cere ony as a ;traditional history=@ and as such it still can and still does teach $aster $asons any "reat and useful lessons&

)*5 )RACI6' B2AR+ Let us turn no4 to the )racin" Board of this de"ree&

)he first thin" to notice about it is that it stands the o33osite 4ay round@ co 3ared 4ith the other t4o@ for its head is to4ards the 4est and its foot to the east& Q *ere@ surely@ is yet another indication that the third de"ree is the ;$aster=s 3art=@ for the other t4o Boards are 3laced so that they can best be seen by the brethren on the floor@ but the )hird is 3laced so that it can best be seen by the 7orshi3ful $aster in the chair& A)racin"-boards are@ of course@ of co 3aratively late ori"in@ but this 3attern had beco e 4ell established to4ards the end of the ei"hteenth century&B Round the ed"e of the Board are the 3oints of the co 3ass@ 4ith the rest of the e ble s occu3yin" the centre& )his de"ree attaches a "reat deal of i 3ortance to the Centre< the lod"e is o3ened on itE 4e ho3e to find the "enuine secrets 4ith itE ashes are to be burnt on it@ and the si"n recovered on it& And no4 4e find in the descri3tion of the di ensions that they are to be easured ;fro the centre@ . ft& 5 and . ft& 7=&

/or in this de"ree it is i 3lied that 4e can no4 4or, to render our circle co 3lete& But the first thin" necessary for a,in" a circle is to establish a centre@ and then one can trace the circu ference@ every 3art of 4hich 4ill be e?uidistant fro that centre&

*o4ever@ the co 3asses@ 4e are told@ belon" to the 'rand $aster in 3articular as bein" the su3re e authority by 4hich 4e are ,e3t 4ithin due bounds& )he co 3asses@ to"ether 4ith the 0#L@ and the # are described as the three 'reat Li"htsE they are sy bols of authority and co and& 2n a /rench tracin" board of 1741@ a 3air of co 3asses is de3icted in the east and a s?uare in the 4est& )his see s to fit in 4ith that early ei"hteenth-century catechis described in the ex3osure called $asonry +issected< Are3roduced in 5arly $asonic Catechis s@ !noo3 L -ones@ 3 168B&

C& *o4 ca e you to be 3ass=d $asterP A& By the hel3 of 'od@ the #?uare and y o4n industry& C& *o4 4as you 3ass=d $asterP A& /ro the #?uare to the Co 3ass&

M )his state ent aybe dis3uted by lod"es 4ho are accusto ed to stand all their boards a"ainst a 3edestal or han" the on the 4allE but the fact re ains that ost boards have the 3oints of the co 3ass inscribed round the ed"e@ and if boards are 3laced on the floor 4ith the ;6= to the north and the ;5= to the east@ it 4ill be found that the first t4o face one 4ay and the third the other&

144 ;)*5 %R5#)26IA6 L5C)>R5#= Can this be inter3reted as anythin" less than a reference to the 3assin" of a $aster into the chair of authority in his lod"eP )*5 C56)R5 But to "o bac, to the e 3hasis laid on the Centre in this de"ree@ and the eni" atic state ent that 4ith it 4e ho3e to find the "enuine& Let us ta,e it that the Centre 4hose aid 4e see, is in so e 4ay connected 4ith the "rave of *ira Abif 4ho is certainly the central character in this story&

)here is a "rave@ fro the centre . ft& 5 and . ft& 7@ . ft& bet4een 6 and #@ and 1 ft& or ore 3er3endicular & & &

7e sole nly recite those di ensions@ but 4hat do they eanP Certainly they re3resent the sort of "rave one 4ould ex3ect for a an of avera"e hei"htE but the easure ents are so s3ecific< let us try ulti3lyin" the to"ether and see 4hat ha33ens& 6 ft lon" by . ft 4ide "ives us an area of 18 s?uare ft& 6o4 ulti3ly this 18 by the 1 ft 3er3endicular@ and 4e "et a

total volu e of 9: cu ft-ninety de"rees@ or the fourth 3art of a circle& In other 4ords@ *ira Abif is buried on the #?uare& But he is also buried on the Centre@ the 3oint 4ithin the circle&

;*o4 4ill you be 3rovedP) =By the #?uare and Co 3asses=- in other 4ords@ by the test of the 3erfection of *ira Abif& It is for this reason that 4e ho3e to find that 4hich is "enuine ;4ith the Centre=@ for this Centre contains an exa 3le of the 3erfect ason&

But 4here is this CentreP )he /irst )B tells us that in every re"ular 4ell-for ed constituted lod"e there is a 3oint 4ithin a circle round 4hich the brethren cannot err& 2n the u33er 3art of this circle rests the 0#L& #o the Centre is located as close to the *oly 7ord as it can be& And our $aster 4as ordered to be re-interred as near the ## as Israelitish la4 4ould 3er it& In fact it 4ould see that 4e are to understand that his se3ulchre 4as ri"ht in front of the ## Hust as the 3oint 4ithin the circle is ri"ht in front of the 3edestal&

2R6A$56)# /urther indications of this are "iven by 2rna ents of a $aster $ason=s Lod"e& )here they are@ a33ro3riately enou"h in the centre of our 3icture&

)he %orch is the 5ntrance@ sho4in" that 4e need "o no further than that& 6ext co es ;the 4indo4 that "ave li"ht to the sa e=& I a sure that 4e usually inter3ret ;the sa e= as referrin" to the ## but is this the ri"ht inter3retationP )he ## needed no li"ht@ for A5xodus JL@ .4B ;the "lory of the Lord filled the tabernacle=& )he li"ht therefore is co in" fro 4ithin@ and 4e should understand that the %orch 4as the 5ntrance to the ##@ the + the 4indo4 that "ave li"ht fro 4ithin to that %orch@ Hust as the 0#L@ that "reat li"ht in free asonry@ "ives li"ht to all 4ho ove in the circle before it& And thirdly the reference to the #?uare %ave ent over 4hich the *% 4al,ed to a33roach the %orch@ should surely su""est that it 4as beneath this that *ira found his last restin" 3lace&

In these 4ays the actual s3ot 4here the "rave is to be found is dis"uised under various sy bols so as to be intelli"ible only to those 4ho can understand their eanin"& 2r@ as the Char"e after the second section of

the third lecture 3uts it< $A#)5R# A6+ $A#)5R $A#26# 141 )o hi 4ho did the )e 3le rear@ 7ho lived and died 4ithin the #?uare And no4 lies buried@ none ,no4 4here But 4e@ 4ho $aster $asons are&

)*5 $>#'RA05 RI)>AL )his so e4hat extrava"ant anner of concealin" a secret hidin"-3lace by a series of ?uestions and ans4ers 4as 3erha3s not so unco on as i"ht be su33osed& An interestin" side li"ht is thro4n on the subHect by the "reat detective $r #herloc, *ol es in the story called )he $us"rave Ritual&

/or ten "enerations@ the eldest son of the $us"rave fa ily 4as re?uired to learn and ans4er a series of ?uestions 4hen he reached the a"e of t4enty-one@ althou"h he had no idea 4hat he 4as tal,in" about@ or 4hy& It re ained for a clever and unscru3ulous butler - and of course for an e?ually clever but ore scru3ulous #herloc, *ol es@ to find the 3lace 4here the treasure 4as hidden& Co 3are so e of the ?uestions 4e as, Ae" ;*o4 ca e they lostP=@ ;*o4 do you ho3e to find the =B 4ith these ?uestions in )he $us"rave Ritual< 7hose 4as itP *is 4ho is "one&

7ho shall have itP *e 4ho 4ill co e&

7hat 4as the

onthP )he sixth fro

the first&

7here 4as the sunP 2ver the oa,&

7here 4as the shado4P >nder the el &

*o4 4as it ste33edP 6orth by ten and by ten@ 4est by five and by five@ south by t4o and by t4o@ 4est by one and by one@ and so under&

7hat shall 4e "ive for itP All that is ours&

7hy should 4e "ive itP /or the sa,e of the trust&

In the end the treasure of the $us"raves turned out to be 3art of the cro4n He4els of !in" Charles I@ concealed in 1649& )he clues to their 4hereabouts had been carefully 3assed on fro father to son@ but the identity of the treasure and the eanin" of the clues had lon" been for"otten&

)here is uch in this fascinatin" #herloc, *ol es story 4hich 4ill sound fa iliar to us< a 4indin" staircase@ the endeavour to raise so ethin"@ only achieved 4ith the aid of t4o others@ and a very indecent inter ent& But this is not really a coincidence@ for the author@ Brother #ir Arthur Conan +oyle@ 4as initiated in the %hoenix Lod"e 6o (17 in %orts outh in 1887&

CI%*5R# A6+ C2+5# Returnin" to our tracin"-board< every coffin carries an inscri3tion@ and this one is no exce3tion& 2n the 3late on this coffin is the state ent - so 4e are told@ that 146B =)*5 %R5#)26IA6 L5C)>R5#= here lies *ira Abif 4ho 4as slain three thousand years after the creation of the 4orld&

*o4 do 4e arrive at thisP By inter3retin" the asonic ci3her in 4hich it is 4ritten& )hese ci3hers and codes 4ere very 3o3ular in the seventeenth and ei"hteenth centuries but have since fallen out of use - ainly because they are so easy to find out&

/irst of all@ as one can "uess fro the fi"ures@ the 4ritin" is bac, to front =$irror 4ritin"=@ in i itation of *ebre4 4hich is 4ritten fro ri"ht to left& 6ext@ all the letters and sy bols are ade u3 of strai"ht lines and dots the usual thin" for asons= ar,s 4hich have to be ade 4ith the strai"ht ed"e of the chisel or 4ith the 3oint of a co 3ass& )he al3habet 4as constructed by a,in" t4o sets of crossed 3arallel lines Aas if about to 3lay =nou"hts and crosses=B and insertin" letters in the an"les so for ed@ fro ri"ht to left@ startin" 4ith =A= in the to3 ri"ht-hand corner& )his dia"ra 4ill acco odate the first nine letters of the al3habet AA-IB@ and the 3rocess is then re3eated for the next nine A--RB& )he last ei"ht letters

are sho4n in the sa e 4ay in t4o saltire crosses& )o 4rite in code@ all that 4as necessary 4as to de3ict the section of the dia"ra in 4hich the letter is situated@ and this no4 stood for the letter& )o indicate a letter fro A to I@ the section 4as dra4n 3lainE to indicate a letter fro - to R@ it 4as sho4n 4ith a dot in it& #i ilarly # to 0 4ere 3lain@ 7 to K 4ith a dot& 7ith the aid of these dia"ra s the inscri3tion can no4 be clearly understood&

6>$5RAL# A6+ ACACIA 0ery often on a third )racin"-Board you 4ill also find three =1=s@ or else three *ebre4 characters 4hich are in fact the letter =*e=@ the fifth letter of the *ebre4 al3habet 4hich has the sa e nu erical value& )hese allude to the fifteen trusty fello4 crafts 4ho divided into three lod"es of five each@ and they further allude to the five sns@ the five %s of / and the salute of five 4hich all Crafts en "ive to their ne4 $aster 4hen they enter the Lod"e after their te 3orary absence&

And so 4e return to that s3ri" of acacia at the head& %luc,ed in haste it ay have been@ and te 3orary it 4as intended to be@ but the ore you thin, about it@ the ore you 4ill realise that there could have been no ore a33ro3riate sy bol to adorn the "rave of *ira Abif&

/or first@ the acacia 4hich "ro4s in Israel is an ever"reen@ a sy bol of i ortality containin" all the ho3e and ex3ectation of the life to co e&

#econdly the acacia 4as a sacred tree@ the *ebre4 =shitti =@ and of its 4ood $oses 4as co anded to a,e the Ar, of the Covenant@ the )able of #he4bread@ and all the furniture of the )abernacle&

)hirdly the 4ord =acacia= itself is a 'ree, 4ord si"nifyin" =innocent= or ="uiltless=&

*ere@ then@ in this sy bol of innocence@ holiness and i ortality@ are su ed u3 all the ysteries of life and death@ of ti e and eternity@ of the 3resent and of the future&

#>$$AR9 2/ C26CL>#I26# #uch@ then@ are the =observations 4hich I sub it to your serious consideration=&

$A#)5R# A6+ $A#)5R $A#26# 147 And 4hat conclusions can 4e dra4 fro the P #urely that the office of $aster and the de"ree of $aster $ason have been torn a4ay fro each other@ Hust as a s3ri" is torn fro a tree& )he lo"ical 3attern of the three de"rees only re ains lo"ical if the third de"ree leads strai"ht to the chair& )he reluctance of the first 'rand Lod"e to let this de"ree 3ass out of their hands@ the evidence of the Antient Char"es in the Boo, of Constitutions@ the curious 4ay in 4hich odern installation cere onies i"nore the third de"ree@ the s3s@ the 4or,in"-tools@ the sy bols on the a3ron@ the relationshi3 to the Royal Arch@ the s?uare@ the co 3asses@ the )racin" Board - all these 3oint to the identification of $aster and $aster $ason as one and the sa e 3erson&

6ot that one 4ould 4ish turn bac, the cloc,& 7e ay indeed be than,ful that every installation does not have to include the 4or,in" of the third de"ree on the sa e evenin"@ and thousands of $aster $asons all over the 4orld have cause to be eternally "rateful to those ei"hteenth-century 3ioneers 4ho evolved a eans 4hereby a an need not re ain a /ello4 Craft until elected to the chair@ but can no4 3artici3ate in the ysteries of a $aster $ason to 3re3are hi self for the day 4hen he ay be called on to 3reside as $aster of the lod"e&

/ro bein" an elite inority@ $aster $asons no4 for the over4hel in" aHority of the e bershi3 of the Craft< the s3ri" has "ro4n bi""er than the ori"inal tree& )hus that ;one "reat and useful lesson ore= has been tau"ht to so any 4ho can 3rofit by it& Coura"e@ faithfulness@ truth and honour are ?ualities 4hich the odern 4orld does its best to devalue@ and virtue is constantly under attac, in our 3er issive society&

5I'*)556)*-C56)>R9 $2RAL# It 4as surely no accident that the third de"ree@ as 4e ,no4 it@ dates its 3o3ularity fro the early ei"hteenth century< for this 4as an a"e 4hen death held any terrorsE 4hen 3ublic executions 4ere co onE 4hen churches 4ere e 3ty and 3risons full& It 4as the a"e of *o"arth=s ;Ra,e=s %ro"ress=@ of +ic, )ur3in and -ac, #he33ard@ -onathan 7ild and si ilar anti-heroes "lorifyin" cri eE an a"e

of 3iracy and =hi-Hac,in"=@ 4ith outbrea,s of violence in the streets coincidin" 4ith a fashion a on" youn" en for "ro4in" their hair lon"&

As far as orals 4ere concerned@ notice that it 4as found not only desirable but a33arently necessary to insert a clause in the 2b to 3rotect the chastity of those nearest and dearest to a Brother $ason- even definin" the relationshi3 to include sisters as 4ell as 4ives and children& 6otice also ho4 this see s to su""est@ by i 3lication@ that the chastity of any other fe ale can still be fair "a e@ even to a an of honour and a $aster $ason& #uch 4as life in the early ei"hteenth century&

*o4ever@ the 3icture 4as not entirely "loo y@ for you 4ill observe that this sa e 2b does not consider it necessary to define 4hat it eans by ;the 3osture of y daily su33lication=E the reference to a ,nee 4as ?uite sufficient to ta,e that for "ranted& )hey ay not have been "reat church"oers but it could be safely assu ed that every Brother said his 3rayers every day& I venture to believe that this could also be assu ed about far ore brethren in 1971 than any sort of statistics 4ould be li,ely to sho4&

148 ;)*5 %R5#)26IA6 L5C)>R5#= *2%5 /2R )*5 />)>R5 )here is "reat encoura"e ent in this& /or the a"e of +ic, )ur3in and -ac, #he33ard 4as ?uic,ly follo4ed by the a"e of 7esley and 7ilberforce@ of -ohn *o4ard and 5liIabeth /ry - a co 3lete s4in" of the 3endulu @ ade 3ossible only because there 4ere sufficient individuals 4ho 3riIed honour and virtue above the external advanta"es of ran, and fortune@ 4ho ,e3t faith 4ith the 3ast@ and "ave ho3e to the future&

And so@ 3erha3s the ori"ins and history of the third de"ree are after all the least i 3ortant 3arts of it& 7hat really atters is the eanin" of it today -a call to us in another a"e of oral and s3iritual chaos to hold on steadfastly to 4hat 4e ,no4 to be ri"ht@ at 4hatever cost@ confident that the 3endulu is about to s4in" a"ain@ if 4e ,ee3 faith&

I ?uoted Brother 7illia %reston at the be"innin" of this tal,& Let hi also have the last 4ord@ for he su s it all u3 better than I can@ and thus he ended his lecture on the third de"ree< )he 4hole serves to co e orate

the life and death of our 'rand $aster *ira Abif 4hose extensive "enius 4as a 3ly dis3layed by his 4or,s@ 4hile the fidelity to his trust and his anly behaviour at the close of life ust ins3ire every "enerous ind 4ith "ratitude and render his na e everlastin" to our annals& *is exa 3le ust teach us a noble and heroic fortitude@ to defend our virtue 4hen ex3osed to the ost severe attac,s@ and to 3reserve our honour at the ris, of our lives&Q = As transcribed in $# by -ohn *enderson@ 18.7@ for the Lod"e of Anti?uity&

;I) I# 62) I6 )*5 %275R 2/ A69 $A6&&&= A #)>+9 I6 C*A6'5 )*5 %R5#)26IA6 L5C)>R5 /2R 197( )& 2& *A>6C* #u ary of the A6)I56) C*AR'5# A6+ R5'>LA)I26# to be read by the #ecretary Aor actin" #ecretaryB@ to the $A#)5R 5L5C)@ 3rior to his Installation into the Chair of a Lod"e 9ou ad it that it is not the 3o4er of any $an or Body of $en to a,e innovation in the Body of $asonry AConstitutions of the >nited 'rand Lod"e of 5n"landB I) I#@ %5R*A%# A sli"htly unha33y fact that the recorded history of the 'rand Lod"e of 5n"land@ the first $inute Boo, co enced in 17(.@ o3ens 4ith a su""estion of so e dishar ony - and in 'rand Lod"e itself& )he retirin" 'rand $aster@ the +u,e of 7harton@ frustrated in an atte 3t to have his o4n 4ay over a certain atter de3arted fro 'rand Lod"e in a huff - or@ as it is 3ut so e4hat less collo?uially in the inutes for (4 -une 17(.< ;)he 'rand $aster 4ent a4ay fro the $eetin" 4ithout any Cere ony&= 5arlier at the sa e $eetin" the authority for -a es Anderson=s Constitutions Athe very first Boo, of ConstitutionsB had been called into ?uestion and 'rand Lod"e@ 4ithout satisfactorily resolvin" that 3articular atter did@ instead@ 3roceed to 3ass a resolution 4hich has continued to rin" do4n the years ever since@ and to 4hose substance every candidate for the $aster=s Chair in one of our lod"es is still called u3on to si"nify his sub ission& ;It is not in the %o4er= F'rand Lod"e resolvedG ;of any 3erson@ or Body of en@ to a,e any Alteration@ or Innovation in the Body of $asonry 4ithout the Consent first of the Annual 'rand Lod"e&= )o any 4ho are fa iliar 4ith the ;su ary of Antient Char"es and Re"ulations= to be read to a $aster 5lect@ Aan innovation@ incidentally@ introduced by the 18(7 Boo, of ConstitutionsB it ay a33ear si"nificant that the eleventh clause of that su ary o its the final 3hrase ?uoted above@ ;4ithout the Consent first obtained of & & & 'rand Lod"e=& )his clause is therefore the ast@ aybe@ to 4hich any a=no innovations= banner has been nailed over the years for there has 149 11: ;)*5 %R5#)26IA6 L5C)>R5#= been - and often still is - a tendency to cloa, free asonry 4ith an aura of ystic reverence 4hich is as uncritical as it is irrational& It is to brethren 4ho ay not 3erha3s have 3aused to thin, about it@ but 4ho have rather acce3ted that the syste of free asonry has al4ays been as it is no4 and@ li,e the la4s

of the $edes and %ersians ;altereth not=@ that this lecture is 3articularly addressed& In it I ho3e to sho4 that@ as 4ith any livin" thin"@ free asonry has been subHect to a continuin" 3rocess of alteration and innovation 4ith a cli actic date of 181. at the >nion of the t4o 'rand Lod"es&

)*5 /2R$A)I26 2/ 'RA6+ L2+'5 In 1717 'rand Lod"e 4as itself an innovation& Inde3endent lod"es of free and acce3ted asons had existed before that date bac, into the seventeenth century@ but they 4ere unco-ordinated and often short-lived& )he four London lod"es 4hich held a eetin" at the A33le )ree )avern A171A-17B and constituted the selves ;a 'rand Lod"e 3ro )e 3ore= 4ere not see,in" to set u3@ at a stro,e@ a de facto autocratic syste of "overn ent for the Craft& )heir 3ur3ose 4as erely ;to ce ent to"ether under a 'rand $aster as the Centre of >nion and *ar ony=& )he 3rinci3al officers of the fe4 London lod"es 4ere to eet to"ether ?uarterly in fraternal co unication Ain the event they did not do so for the first fe4 yearsB and once a year they 4ould hold a 'rand Asse bly and /east& 2utside these eetin"s 'rand Lod"e did not exist exce3t as an abstraction re3resented by the 3ersons of the 'rand $aster and his t4o 'rand 7ardens-the only 'rand 2fficers ori"inally& It is doubtful 4hether the insti"ators of the idea sa4 anythin" ore than a social 3ur3ose in the 3eriodical "ettin" to"ether of the lod"es in a "eneral asse bly or ;"rand lod"e=& If the latter 4as thou"ht of as a central controllin" body it 4as one as3irin" to strictly li ited territorial Hurisdiction only@ the Cities of London and 7est inster and their i ediate environs&

'RA6+ L2+'5 C>)# I)# )55)* In six short years@ ho4ever@ atters had ta,en on a very different co 3lexion& By 17(. a Boo, of Constitutions had been 3ublished@ 'rand Lod"e had a33ointed a #ecretary for itself@ had caused the re"ular recordin" of its 3roceedin"s to be co enced and had arro"ated to itself sufficient authority to be able@ in the first of its recorded inutes@ to 3ass the resolution fro 4hich the title of this lecture is ta,en&

)he brethren co 3osin" 'rand Lod"e at that date A17(.B ?uite obviously did not re"ard free asonry as a co 3lete syste delivered@ as it 4ere@ fro heaven on tablets of stone and co 3lete to the last detail& Innovations and alterations could be Aand in the event 4ereB ade in the ;Body of $asonry=@ but only 4ith the 3rior consent of 'rand Lod"e& And even then@ it a33ears@ the sort of chan"es i ediately envisa"ed 4ere those affectin" the or"anisation and ad inistration of the Craft rather than

odifications in free asonry as ;a 3eculiar syste of orality veiled in alle"ory and illustrated by sy bols=- 4hich anyho4 it 4as not at that dateE this develo3 ent 4as to co e later& 7e find no evidence for instance that the consent of 'rand Lod"e 4as necessary - or sou"ht - for the funda ental ;I) I# 62) I6 )*5 %275R 2/ A69 $A6 chan"e 4hich 4as ta,in" 3lace at that ti e Athe 17(:sB< the evolution of a structure of three de"rees fro one of t4o "rades only& 'rand Lod"e in any case could no ore 3revent this than it could enforce obedience to its o4n re"ulation that A33rentices 4ere to receive the next-and then only other-de"ree solely in 'rand Lod"e and@ Hust as later in the century it could only fro4n u3on@ but not sto3 the next ritual innovation@ the rise of the Royal Arch and the 3roliferation of additional de"rees&

)*5 )*IR+ +5'R55 )he study of the develo3 ent of asonic ritual fro the seventeenth@ throu"h the ei"hteenth and into the early nineteenth centuries is by the very nature of the subHect a difficult one& /ro such little direct evidence as there is@ and fro 4hat can be dra4n by inference@ it is a33arent that it 4as very uch a 3rocess of innovation and chan"e reflectin" the transition fro o3erative asonry@ by 4ay of acce3ted asonry@ to s3eculative free asonry& )he advent of the )hird +e"ree is a stri,in" exa 3le of this 3rocess at 4or,& It 4as a free and acce3ted or s3eculative innovation to ta,e the aterial of the old t4o de"rees@ ;5ntered A33rentice= and ;$aster and /ello4-Craft=@ and rearran"e and ex3and it into three< 5A@ /C@ and ;$aster=s %art= Aie $$B& 9et@ as I have already re ar,ed@ this three-de"ree syste 4as co in" into use in the lod"es about@ or very shortly after the ti e A17(.B that 'rand Lod"e had 3assed its ;no innovations= resolution&

)he ne4 arran"e ent did not ta,e on i ediately& An ex3osure of 17.: A)he $ystery of /ree asonryB re ar,ed that ;)here is not one $ason in an *undred that 4ill be at the 5x3ence to 3ass the $aster=s %art exce3t it be for Interest=& As late as the iddle of the century it had still not 3enetrated to !elso in #cotland@ for it 4as only in 1714 that the lod"e there discovered ;a ost essential defect of our Constitution=@ na ely=& & & that this lod"e had attained only to the t4o +e"rees of A33rentices and /ello4 Crafts@ and ,no4 nothin" of the $aster=s 3art@ 4hereas all re"ular Lod"es over the 7orld are co 3osed of at least the three Re"ular +e"rees of $aster@ /ello4 Craft@ and %rentice=&

)he Constitutions of the /ree-$asons@ the first Boo, of Constitutions of

the first 'rand Lod"e@ 4as based on the old t4o-de"ree syste & A on" the 'eneral Re"ulations 4e find this@ for instance< ;If the +e3uty 'rand-$aster be sic,@ or necessarily absent@ the 'rand-$aster ay chuse any /ello4-Craft he 3leases to be his +e3uty 3ro te 3ore&= )hen a"ain@ in the ;$anner of constitutin" a 6e4 Lod"e= Athe earliest official 3iece of cere onial 4or,in" 4e haveB the $aster and 7ardens desi"nate are described as ;bein" yet a on" the /ello4-Craft= and as the cere ony 3roceeds it is directed that the +e3uty 'rand $aster ;shall ta,e the Candidate Fie the $aster desi"nateG fro a on" his /ello4s=& )he rese blance bet4een the Cere ony of Installation as 3ractised in 5n"lish =lod"es and this@ its counter3art of t4o hundred and fifty years a"o@ 4ill be obvious if the t4o are co 3ared& It ex3lains@ too@ 4hy today the 3resentation of the $aster 5lect ta,es 3lace in the #econd +e"reeE 4hen this 3articular 3iece of cere onial 4as devised there 4as none hi"herE the )hird +e"ree 4as still to co e&

)he fact that the three-de"ree syste 4as able to establish itself fro the 11( ;)*5 %R5#)26IA6 L5C)>R5#= iddle 17(:s on4ards@ a33arently 4ithout de ur fro the 'rand Lod"e@ see s to lend su33ort to the theory that it 4as develo3ed by a rearran"e ent and ex3ansion of basic aterial 4hich already existed in the t4o-de"ree syste & )o this extent it 4as not considered an innovation and therefore acce3table& )his is stren"thened 4hen 4e co 3are the attitude of 'rand Lod"e in the latter half of the ei"hteenth century to the next de"ree novelty 4hich had by then ade its a33earance@ the Royal Arch&

/irst@ ho4ever@ it is necessary for us to ta,e a brief loo, at the relationshi3 bet4een the t4o rival Craft syste s 4hich 4ere 4or,in" in 5n"land at that ti e< that under the 3re ier 'rand Lod"e of 1717@ and that obtainin" 4ith its rival 4hich ca e into bein" in 1711@ the ;'rand Lod"e of 5n"land accordin" to the 2ld Institutions=@ the so-called Antients= 'rand Lod"e&

/R55$A#26R9 A6)I56) A6+ $2+5R6 )o us the differences bet4een the t4o syste s ay no4 see s all and of little conse?uence@ and certainly out of 3ro3ortion to the un asonic feelin"s they "enerated@ but at the ti e uch 4as ade of the @ not least by the leadin" 3rota"onist and 'rand #ecretary of the Antients@ Laurence +er ott& In the Boo, of Constitutions 4hich he co 3iled for that 'rand Lod"e@ and to 4hich he "ave the curious title Ahi an ReIon@ he roundly conde ned A(nd@ 1764@ and later editionsB the 4hole syste of 4hat he called

; odern asonry= Athereby@ incidentally@ coinin" the nic,na e for the ori"inal 'rand Lod"eB and char"ed it 4ith havin" deviated "reatly fro the old land ar,s& ;)he innovation@= he declared@ ;4as ade in the rei"n of 'eor"e the first F1714-(7G and the ne4 for 4as delivered as orthodox to the 3resent e bers&= *e 4ent on to alle"e in his ty3ically dis3ara"in" 4ay that the founders of the 3re ier 'rand Lod"e had invented 4hat they could not re e ber of the ori"inal ode of 4or,in"< About the year 1717 so e Hoyous co 3anions@ 4ho had 3assed the de"ree of a craft@ Aalthou"h very rustyB resolved to for a lod"e for the selves@ in order Aby conversationB to recollect 4hat had been for erly dictated to the @ or if that should be found i 3racticable@ to substitute so ethin" ne4@ 4hich i"ht for the future 3ass for asonry a on"st the selves& At this eetin" the ?uestion 4as as,ed@ 4hether any 3erson in the asse bly ,ne4 the $aster=s 3art@ and bein" ans4ered in the ne"ative@ it 4as resolved@ ne & con& that the deficiency should be ade u3 4ith a ne4 co 3osition@ and 4hat fra" ents of the old order found a on"st the @ should be i ediately refor ed and ade ore 3liable to the hu ours of the 3eo3le & & &

+er ott=s assertions ay have a "rain of distorted truth in the for@ as 4e have already noted@ the three Craft de"rees 4ere develo3ed by a rearran"e ent of the existin" otifs of the ori"inal t4o de"rees and a fillin"-out 4ith certain ne4 aterial& 2n the other hand +er ott=s o4n 'rand Lod"e 4or,ed the sa e three-de"ree syste so that he 4as 3robably car3in" only about atters of detail on 4hich 4e ,no4 the t4o 'rand Lod"es differed& In this res3ect the ost notable case in 3oint related to the odes of reco"nition of the /irst and #econd +e"rees over 4hich the 3re ier 'rand Lod"e had ade its ost si"nificant- and ost ill-Hud"ed - innovation&

;I) I# 62) I6 )*5 %275R 2/ A69 $A6 & & & 11. )*5 )RA6#%2#I)I26 At so e ti e in the 17.:s the 3re ier 'rand Lod"e@ alar ed by the 3ublicity 4hich free asonry 4as attractin" throu"h so-called ex3osures and by the increase in the nu bers of irre"ular asons Athe t4o thin"s 4ere 3robably cause and effectB@ ado3ted a series of easures ;to be observed in their res3ective Lod"es for their #ecurity a"ainst all o3en and #ecret 5ne ies to the Craft=& -ust ho4 far these easures 4ent is o3en to debate for the inutes of 'rand Lod"e are understandably reticent on the subHect& #o e concerned rules for visitin"@ but there see s little doubt that the aHor chan"e 4as the trans3osition of certain 4ords of reco"nition& )his is a33arent fro the id-ei"hteenth-century ex3osures and fro the fact that certain

continental syste s@ 4hich too, their free asonry fro 5n"land at that ti e@ still to this day retain the trans3osed arran"e ent@ a,in" intervisitation bet4een Constitutions by 5As and /Cs so ethin" of a difficulty&

)his innovation 4as one of the sources of contention bet4een the Antients and the $oderns& +er ott ade an obli?ue reference to it in a ty3ical s,it describin" $oderns= lod"es and@ in 3articular@ the dra4in" of the lod"e done by the tyler on the floor of the eetin" roo & ;6or is it unco on=@ he 4rote in Ahi an ReIon@ ;for a tyler to receive ten or t4elve shillin"s for dra4in" t4o si"n 3osts 4ith chal, Lc& and 4ritin" -a aica ru u3on one@ and Barbadoes ru u3on the other & & &= )he 3re ier 'rand Lod"e@ havin" allo4ed itself the 3o4er to a,e this funda ental alteration@ e?ually found no difficulty so e seventy or so years later in counter andin" it@ in order to 3ave the 4ay for the union of the t4o rival 'rand Lod"es& In 18:9 it 3assed a resolution to ;enHoin the several Lod"es to revert to the Ancient Land $ar,s of the #ociety= and so re oved one of the "reatest obstacles to a reconciliation&

)*5 R29AL ARC* )he Antients 4ere@ as 4e have seen@ ?uic, to char"e the $oderns 4ith havin" ade innovations in asonry@ but it 4as they 4ho ado3ted and fostered the bi""est innovation of all in ei"hteenth-century free asonry@ the Royal Arch@ to"ether 4ith a series of ;side= de"rees out of 4hich have "ro4n so e of the 3resent-day additional de"rees and orders of free asonry&

)he Royal Arch de"ree had ade its a33earance so e ti e durin" the 174:s and-the Antients= 'rand Lod"e@ under +er ott=s leadershi3@ 4ere ?uic,ly to beco e enthusiasts for it& )heir lod"es 4or,ed this de"ree Aand othersB under the ae"is of their Craft 4arrant and they did not ad it the necessity of any se3arate authority or or"anisation for doin" so& )he 3rea ble to their Rules and Re"ulations for the @ & & 'overn ent of *oly Royal Arch Cha3ters A1794B led off 4ith the state ent that ;Ancient $asonry consists of /our +e"rees &&& )he a33rentice@ the /ello4 Craft & & & the #ubli e +e"ree of $aster@ FandG )he *oly Royal Arch= and it continued< ;It follo4s therefore@ of course@ that every 7arranted Lod"e 3ossesses the %o4er of for in" and holdin" Lod"es in each of those several +e"reesE the last of 4hich@ fro its %re-e inence@ is deno inated a on" $asons a Cha3ter&= )he 3re ier 'rand Lod"e on the other hand did not reco"nise the Royal Arch as 3art of the ori"inal syste of

free asonry@ althou"h had it been so dis3osed it 114 ;)*5 %R5#)26IA6 L5C)>R5#= could 3resu ably have done so 4ithin the 3o4er 'rand Lod"e had reserved to itself by the 17(. ;no innovations= resolution& It 3referred ho4ever to re ain co 3letely a3art fro the Royal Arch and so a ?uite se3arate or"anisation ca e into existence in 1766 to control the de"ree a on" the $oderns - the 'rand and Royal Cha3ter of the Royal Arch of -erusale & )he 'rand #ecretary at that ti e@ #a uel #3encer@ 4ent so far as to say in 4ritin" to a corres3ondent< ;& & & the Royal Arch is a #ociety 4hich 4e do not ac,no4led"e@ and 4hich 4e believe to have been invented to introduce innovations and to seduce the brethren fro the true and ori"inal foundations 4hich our ancestors laid do4n & & &=In other 4ords it 4as not an innovation 4hich the 3re ier 'rand Lod"e 4as 3re3ared to acce3t into the ;Body of $asonry= in the 4ay that@ in the for ative sta"e of its develo3 ent@ it had acce3ted the tri-"radal syste 4hich@ as 4e have seen@ 4as certainly not laid do4n by any 4ho i"ht be dee ed to be the ;ancestors= of the s3eculative free asons of the id-ei"hteenth century&

6evertheless@ in s3ite of the 3re ier 'rand Lod"e=s non-reco"nition of the Royal Arch - and I use the neutral ter =non -reco"nition= in 3reference to @o33osition to= as ore nearly definin" the attitude of 'rand Lod"e in the atter - the de"ree "re4 in 3o3ularity a on" the $oderns and indeed any of the leadin" fi"ures in the 3re ier 'rand Lod"e Hoined it& )hey 4ere not o33osed to it@ but they 4ould not ix the Royal Arch 4ith Craft $asonry in their 'rand Lod"e nor allo4 their 3rivate lod"es to do so - althou"h here and there they occasionally did& As it 4as 3ut by a later 'rand #ecretary@ -a es *eseltine Ahi self a Royal Arch $ason and a founder of the 'rand Cha3terB@ dis3layin" a ore tolerant outloo, than his 3redecessor and one better reflectin" the 3osition ta,en u3 by 'rand Lod"e on the subHect< ;& & & the Royal Arch is a 3rivate and distinct society& It is a 3art of $asonry@ but has no connection 4ith 'rand Lod"e&= )hen a"ain later@ 4ritin" a3ro3os the Royal Arch de"ree@ he co ented& & & its ex3lanations of free asonry are very 3leasin" and instructive=&

)his funda ental difference in their attitude to the Royal Arch by the $oderns and the Antients 4as one of the ore i 3ortant 3oints at issue 4hich had to be reconciled before a union bet4een the t4o could be effected& )he co 3ro ise that in this instance did so 4as the states anli,e concession by the 3re ier 'rand Lod"e in 181. that the #u3re e 2rder of the Royal Arch 4as@ after all@ 3art of 3ure Antient $asonry@ and the le"al fiction by 4hich it 4as ac,no4led"ed as ;the %erfection of the $aster=s +e"ree=@ thus leavin" intact the body of 3ure

Antient $asonry as consistin" of ;three de"rees and no ore=& An e?uivocation@ 3erha3s@ but one 4hich@ ha33ily@ 4as to 3rove a fir foundation for the >nited 'rand Lod"e&

)*5 6A)>R5 2/ 5I'*)556)*-C56)>R9 /R55$A#26R9 7hen one exa ines Aas far as the evidence 3er itsB the develo3 ent of ei"hteenth-century free asonry@ its reli"ious basis@ the oral and sy bolic content of its ritual@ the for of its cere onies@ its social custo s-4hat@ in fact@ is of the very essence of free asonry - one cannot esca3e the conclusion that there 4as a subtle but continuous 3rocess of innovation@ alteration and ex3ansion 4hich could hardly have been envisa"ed by the fra ers of the ;no innovations= resolution of ;I) I# 62) I6 )*5 %275R 2/ A69 $A6 111 17(. althou"h the seed of one very funda ental chan"e had been 3lanted in that year&

)he year 17(.@ as 4e ,no4@ sa4 the 3ublication of the first Boo, of Constitutions& It has been ar"ued that the /irst Char"e of a /ree ason contained in the Constitutions@ ;Concernin" 'od and Reli"ion=@ established the early s3eculative free asonry of 'rand Lod"e on a deistic basis& It is by no eans certain@ ho4ever@ that this 4as the intention of -a es Anderson@ the editor@ or of the co ittee of ;14 learned Brothers= 4ho 4ere a33ointed to exa ine the anuscri3t& It ay have been no ore than a reflection of the ore tolerant attitude of the A"e of Reason to diver"ent vie4s of the basic and universal Christian reli"ion of the country& Be that as it ay@ and in s3ite of the fact that there are recorded instances fro the 17(:s on4ards of en of the -e4ish faith bein" ad itted into the Craft@ there is no doubt that 5n"lish free asonry re ained very definitely Christian throu"hout the ei"hteenth century and u3 to the 4atershed date of 181.@ the >nion of the t4o 'rand Lod"es& )hen in a 4hole series of innovations and alterations the >nited 'rand Lod"e "ave a ;ne4 loo,= to the syste of free asonry by@ a on" other thin"s@ de-Christianisin" its ritual@ thus establishin" it hencefor4ard and ?uite une?uivocally as ;the centre of union bet4een "ood en and true= irres3ective of reli"ion and ode of 4orshi3&

It 4as only to be ex3ected that s3eculative free asonry should earlier have been develo3ed on a Christian basis in a Christian country by the 3ractisin" Christians 4ho for ed the "reat aHority of its e bers& )he ritual and cere onies e braced Christian for s and allusions& )he t4o #aints na ed -ohn fi"ured 3ro inently in asonic traditionE they 4ere

the %atrons of the Art@ the t4o 'rand %arallels in asonryE unattached brethren 4ere said to be fro ;the Lod"e of #t -ohn=E the feast days-that of #t -ohn the Ba3tist on (4 -une and of the 5van"elist on (7 +ece ber 4ere observed by asons as the days of installation 4hich in any cases too, 3lace every six onths& )he installation eetin" 4as called the /estival of #t -ohnE in so e 3laces it still is - thus does tradition die hard&

)he $# Constitutions of the o3erative asons@ the so-called ;2ld Char"es=@ 4ere 3refaced by a )rinitarian 3rayer 4hich +er ott too, and re3roduced in Ahi an ReIon as ;A %rayer used a on"st the 3ri itive Christian $asons=& *e also@ incidentally@ 3rinted a deistic 3rayer stated to be ;used by -e4ish /ree$asons=@ but in "eneral the s3eculative free asons of the ei"hteenth century follo4ed their o3erative ancestors and 4hen 3rayers 4ere re?uired in their 3roceedin"s they ?uite naturally ado3ted or ada3ted the Christian for s to 4hich they 4ere used in their 4orshi3& AAs a atter of interest 4e ay note that the Boo, of Constitutions of the 'rand Lod"e of Ireland@ 4hich is descended indirectly fro an Irish version of Ahi an ReIon@ still "ives a 3rayer for use in the )hird +e"ree 4hich is Christian and )rinitarian in character& 2n its certificates@ too this 'rand Lod"e is referred to as ;)he $ost 7orshi3ful Lod"e of #t -ohn=&B 7hen lod"es started to ado3t distinctive titles - the first to do so 4as in 17.:E Antients= lod"es seldo troubledE 4ith the $oderns@ and at first 4ith the >nited 'rand Lod"e@ it 4as usual but still o3tionalE fro 1884 it 4as andatory -a "reat any too, the na e&of a Christian saint& 2ne has only to refer to Lane=s $asonic 116 ;)*5 %R5#)26IA6 L5C)>R5#= Records and the $asonic 9ear Boo, to note the nu bers of lod"es 4hich have been and continue to be so na ed@ thus underlinin" the stron" connection there has al4ays been bet4een the Craft and the established reli"ion of the country and its individual churches&

RI)>AL@ C5R5$26IAL A6+ C>#)2$ )he develo3 ent of the Craft syste in the ei"hteenth century and u3 to 181. is the final cha3ter in the story of the transfor ation of free and acce3ted asonry into s3eculative free asonry - of the chan"e fro a si 3le social and benevolent society 4ith a 3ictures?ue cere ony of ad ission inherited in its essence fro the o3erative asons@ to an alto"ether ore serious and hi"h inded eans of de onstratin" a 3attern for livin" by eans of alle"ory and sy bols& /reed fro the shac,les of its o3erative@ 3urely trade restrictive 3ur3ose@ and beco in" fashionable and acce3ted at all levels of society@ it 4as able to rise and ex3and on a ore esoteric 3lane&

)he first sta"e in this 3rocess has already been referred to< the ada3tation of the syste into three de"rees and the clothin" of the s,eleton of these 4ith additional aterial to fit the into the ne4 3attern& )hus at first the 3ur3ose - or 3erha3s erely the effect - 4as to add to the novelty and a33eal of 4hat 4as beco in" a fashionable and "ro4in" institution by 3rovidin" it 4ith a dra atic content and 4ith traditional ;histories= or ex3lanations to suit its ele ents and otifs@ old and ne4& As far as can be Hud"ed fro the sources available Aand@ for 4ant of anythin" better@ and unreliable as by their nature they ust to so e extent be@ 4e have here to de3end very heavily u3on ex3osuresB there a33ears at this sta"e to have been no atte 3t to dra4 oral lessons fro asonic traditions and e ble s& )rue@ #a uel %richard in one of the first of the ex3osures to be 4idely circulated@ his $asonry +issected of 17.:@ did include this exchan"e< C& 7hat do you learn by bein" a 'entle an-$asonP A& #ecresy@ $orality and 'oodfello4shi3&

but he did not "o on to develo3 this ans4er either here or else4here in the catechis & )he orality 4hich a ='entle an-$ason= learned 4as 3robably that of the code of conduct of the ;2ld Char"es= rather than that conveyed by ritual alle"ories and sy bols&

In the 174:s ho4ever 4e be"in to find scra3s of evidence that sy bolical ex3lanations 4ere bein" attached to certain features of the ritual and cere onies& )hese occur here and there in conte 3orary /rench ex3osures and in the state ents extracted by the %ortu"uese In?uisition fro the unfortunate -ohn Coustos@ 4ho 4as tried and tortured as a result of his asonic activities in Lisbon& It see s@ therefore@ that the ex3ansion of asonic sy bolis as a eans of ex3ressin" certain ethical teachin"s ust have been ta,in" 3lace round about the iddle of the ei"hteenth century& By the end of the 176:s 4riters and lecturers 4ere be"innin" to a33ear to ex3and and ex3lain this ne4-found 3hiloso3hy of free asonry and to develo3 its s3iritual ideas and inner eanin"s@ cul inatin" in the 4or, of one 4ho 4as to to4er above the all and 4hose asonic "enius is annually co e orated by a lecture such as this - 7illia %reston&

;I) I# 62) 16 )*5 %275R 2/ A69 $A6 117 )here can be little doubt but that the 4or, of these asonic 3hiloso3hers did uch to "ive ener"y and direction to this as3ect of free asonry& 7hat they did in their

co entaries 4as to 3roduce a "reat ass of didactic and ho iletic aterial 4hich@ althou"h not s3ecifically desi"ned 4ith this 3ur3ose in ind@ 4as in factor the best 3arts of it - absorbed into the lod"e 4or,@ thus establishin" the 3attern fa iliar to us& Reduced to their essentials our asonic cere onies consist of certain for s of 4ords and actions by 4hich a an is ade a ason or advance to another de"ree& )hese@ the esoteric ele ents of the cere onies@ 3rovide a rite 4hich is co 3lete in itself and all that is necessary to achieve its 3ri e 3ur3ose@ but around this fra e4or, is then built an elaborate syste of for alised addresses@ exhortations@ char"es and the li,e 4hich lifts the 4hole on to a hi"her 3lane and ex3ands and ex3ounds A4hich the basic rite does notB the 3hiloso3hical 3rinci3les and tenets of free asonry&

7e can understand ho4 this@ the "reat but "radual innovation of the latter half of the ei"hteenth century@ ca e about if 4e consider 4hat 4e ,no4 of the 4or,in" of the ti e& )he actual cere onies 4ere 3robably very brief by odern standards -no ore than the si 3le ritual 3rocedures for a,in"@ 3assin" and raisin"E the basic rite@ in fact& It 4as in the catechetical lectures@ 4hich at that ti e 4ere 4or,ed as the brethren sat at table@ that the ex3lanations@ the oralisin" and eulo"isin"@ the dra4in"-out of alle"ory and sy bolis @ too, 3lace& )his is still so@ of course@ but the Lectures are lar"ely ne"lected since uch of their teachin" Aor@ at least@ the less verbose 3arts of itB has been absorbed into the cere onies@ and because of the chan"e in function of lod"es of instruction@ for these are no4 al ost entirely ere lod"es of rehearsal and not@ as they 4ere until 4ell into the nineteenth century@ lod"es "ivin" instruction in free asonry by 4or,in" the Lectures&

)he coalescin" of the basic rite and 4hat i"ht be ter ed the teachin" and 3reachin" 3art of free asonry ca e about as the cere onial and the social and convivial as3ects of lod"e eetin"s beca e divorced into t4o se3arate and distinct activities& )his 4as one of the any chan"es 4hich finally beca e universal as a result of the 4or, of the Lod"e of Reconciliation in 1811& 7hilst the Lectures 4ere ;"one throu"h= as the brethren sat around a table@ s o,in" and drin,in" and indul"in" in any toasts and char"es@ there 4as 3robably uch roo for individual ideas in atters of inter3retation and sy bolis & )he author of the ex3osure )hree +istinct !noc,s A176:B confir s this Ades3ite his "ibesB in a footnote a33ended to his version of the /ello4-Craft=s Lecture or ;Reasons= Aas he else4here calls a lectureB 4hen he states< #o e $asters of Lod"es 4ill ar"ue u3on Reasons about the holy 0essels in the )e 3le and the 7indo4s and +oors@ the Len"th@ Breadth and *ei"ht of

every )hin" in the )e 3le& #ayin"@ 4hy 4as it so and soP 2ne 4ill "ive one ReasonE and another 4ill "ive another Reason@ and thus they 4ill continue for )4o or )hree *ours in this %art and the $aster-%artE but this ha33ens but very seldo @ exce3t an Irish an should co e@ 4ho li,es to hear hi self tal, &&& so e "ive one Reason and so e "ive anotherE thus you see that every $an=s Reason is not ali,e & & &= 7hen the 4ritin"s of the asonic 3hiloso3hers be"an to a,e their a33earance they found favour by 3rovidin" and 3o3ularisin" ready- ade@ but dee3er inter- 118 =)*5 %R5#)26IA6 L5C)>R5#= 3retations 4hich cau"ht the i a"ination of the asons of the day& )o ta,e an exa 3le by 4ay of illustration@ one of the first of these 3ublications 4as 7ellins Calcott=s A Candid +is?uisition of the %rinci3les and %ractices of the $ost Ancient and *onourable #ociety of /ree and Acce3ted $asons@ 3ublished in 1769& )he second 3art of this boo, has the sub-title ;)he +uties of a /ree-$ason@ in several char"es delivered in re"ular Lod"es & & &= It consists of so e sixty or so 3a"es of char"es@ addresses@ 3rayers and so forth delivered on 3articular@ na ed occasions& )his is 4hat the author@ Calcott@ said in ;a #hort Char"e= delivered by hi in the %alladian Lod"e Ano4 6o 1(:B@ *ereford@ to a brother on his bein" installed in the Chair of that lod"e& )he lan"ua"e ay not be unfa iliar@ althou"h not necessarily in the sa e context&

Ri"ht 7orshi3ful #ir@ By the unani ous voice of the e bers of this lod"e@ you are elected to the astershi3 thereof for the ensuin" half-yearE &&&

9ou have been too lon" standin"@ and are too "ood a e ber of our co unity@ to re?uire no4 any infor ation in the duty of your office& 7hat you have seen 3raise-4orthy in others@ 4e doubt not you 4ill i itateE and 4hat you have seen defective@ you 4ill in yourself a end & & &

/or a 3attern of i itation@ consider the "reat lu inary of nature@ 4hich@ risin" in the east@ re"ularly diffuses li"ht and lustre to all 4ithin its circle& In li,e anner it is your 3rovince@ 4ith due decoru @ to s3read and co unicate li"ht and instruction to the brethren in the lod"e&

/ro the ,no4led"e 4e already have of your Ieal and abilities@ 4e rest assured you 4ill dischar"e the duties of this i 3ortant station in such a anner@ as 4ill "reatly redound to the honour of yourself@ as 4ell as of

those

e bers over 4ho

you are elected to 3reside&

2ther exa 3les could be ?uoted fro this and other authors 4here one finds 3hrases or senti ents unex3ectedly standin" out fro the 3rinted 3a"e 4ith e?ual fa iliarity& It is difficult@ ho4ever@ to assess 4hether these re3resent ori"inal source aterial or 4hether they are instances of a 4riter collatin" or 3ara3hrasin" so ethin" already 4ell ,no4n to hi & 7hichever 4ay round it 4as@ their a33earance in 3rint 4ould nevertheless have the effect of standardisin" a33roaches and attitudes of ind if not of actual 4ords&

)his 3rocess -by 4hich the rudi entary de"ree syste 4as ex3anded into fully-develo3ed s3eculative free asonry has a faint analo"y today in the desire of so e brethren to ex3and and e bellish lod"e 4or, still further by desirin" standard for al addresses or ;ex3lanations= 4here ad hoc infor ality 4ould be ore a33ro3riate& #o ne4 accretions "ro4 ?uite unnecessarily on to ;)he Ritual= to cover such occasions as the 3resentation of a 'rand Lod"e certificate@ *all #tone -e4el@ or the $aster=s (1:th Anniversary collar He4el@ ;ex3lanations= of the a3ron and so on& 7e ay re e ber ho4ever that in their free asonry ei"hteenth-century brethren 4ere only follo4in" the custo of the ti e@ the A"e of /or ality@ 4hen al ost any occasion 4as ade the excuse for a ser on@ address or discourse of one sort or another& /or instance@ -a es Bos4ell on bein" received as a e ber of the Literary Club in 177. recorded in his -ournal< ;>3on y entrance@ -ohnson 3laced hi self behind a chair@ on 4hich he leaned as on a des, or 3ul3it@ and 4ith hu orous for ality "ave e a char"e@ 3ointin" out the conduct ex3ected fro e as a "ood e ber of this club=& )his 3rocedure has a ;I) I# 62) I6 )*5 %275R 2/ A69 $A6 119 fa iliar rin" to us althou"h it ust be stated at once that there is no evidence that +r -ohnson 4as ever a e ber of the Craft althou"h Bos4ell certainly 4as& A3ro3os this custo of a ;char"e= bein" "iven to the ne4 e ber of so e or"anisation@ 4e ay re e ber that the $# Constitutions of the o3erative asons are referred to as the ;2ld Char"es= si 3ly because they contained a series of char"es@ read to a an on his bein" ade a ason@ "ivin" rules and 3rece3ts for his conduct in his trade and in life@ to 4hich he 4as re?uired to 3led"e his adherence&

181. - >6I26 A6+ R5C26CILIA)I26 Reference has already been ade ore than once in the course of this Lecture to the co in" to"ether

of the t4o 'rand Lod"es as the >nited 'rand Lod"e of 5n"land and to the year in 4hich this too, 3lace@ 181.@ as a turnin" 3oint in the develo3 ent of 5n"lish free asonry& 7e have no4 reached the 3oint 4here 4e ay ta,e a loo, at the effect of this "reat u3heaval and reor"anisation of the 5n"lish Craft@ a trau atic ex3erience 4hich sister constitutions 4ere s3ared - a fact 4hich accounts for so e of the differences bet4een 5n"lish 3ractice and theirs& )he story of the events leadin" u3 to the >nion and ho4 this 4as celebrated on (7 +ece ber 181. has been told any ti es over and need not be re3eated here@ for 4e are no4 ore i ediately concerned 4ith the series of alterations and innovations 4hich 4as its outco e&

)he Articles of >nion-the ;3eace treaty= Aas it 4ereB ratified and confir ed by the t4o 'rand Lod"es - had 3rovided for achinery ;to 3ro ul"ate and enHoin the 3ure and unsullied syste @ that 3erfect reconciliation@ unity of obli"ation@ la4@ 4or,in"@ lan"ua"e@ and dress@ ay be ha33ily restored to the 5n"lish Craft= AArticle J0B& )his 3rovision 4as 3ut into effect by the 4arrantin" of the Lod"e of Reconciliation 4hich co enced 4or, in 1814 and continued over the follo4in" t4o years until 1816 4hen ;the several Cere onies@ Lc&= reco ended by the lod"e 4ere a33roved and confir ed by 'rand Lod"e A(: $ay and 1 -une 1816 res3ectivelyB&

$asonic scholars have no4 been ar"uin" for any years as to ho4 far the Lod"e of Reconciliation 4ent into detail in settlin" 4ordin" and 4or,in"@ and 4hat therefore 4as a33roved and confir ed by 'rand Lod"e& )he inutes of the lod"e A4hich are 3reserved in the 'rand Lod"e LibraryB are very s,etchy and unrevealin"@ but it does see that the Lod"e of Reconciliation ay have concerned itself in the ain 4ith the broad outline or 3attern of the cere onies and only to have "one into 3recise detail on 3articular atters li,e the o3enin" and closin"@ the obli"ations@ 3ass4ords@ ethods of advancin" and the li,e&

Be that as it ay@ the 4or, of the lod"e 4as not acco 3lished 4ithout arousin" o33osition& #ix Antients= lod"es under the leadershi3 of the Lod"e of /idelity Afor er Antients= 6o (@ no4 6o .B set u3 a co ittee ;for the 3rotectin" safe"uard of Ancient $asonry= 4hich e bar,ed on a vi"orous ca 3ai"n a"ainst 4hat 4ere described as ;the Innovations atte 3ted to be introduced by the Lod"e of Reconciliation=& )he leaders 4ere Bros -& *& 'olds4orthy of the Lod"e of /idelity A4ho had ori"inally been a e ber of the Lod"e of Reconciliation until 16: ;)*5

%R5#)26IA6 L5C)>R5#= excluded therefro for his ;i 3ro3er conduct= in this affairB and Bro -ohn 7oodcoc,@ $aster of the %hoenix Lod"e Ano4 6o 17.B&

)he activities of the 3rotesters soon@ and inevitably@ resulted in their bein" arrai"ned before the ne4ly-created Board of 'eneral %ur3oses@ but they had the coura"e of their convictions& 7oodcoc, in 3articular 3ulled no 3unches& *e refused to reco"nise the authority of the Board denyin" ;that 'rand Lod"e 4as itself 3ro3erly constituted@ the Articles of >nion not havin" been observed= and the >nion therefore not yet co 3lete& *e then 4ent on to level at the Lod"e of Reconciliation the accusation that the lod"e ;had not done 4hat they 4ere directed by the Articles of >nion and had altered all the Cere onies and Lan"ua"e of $asonry and not left one #entence standin"=&

But the >nion@ so lon" and earnestly 4or,ed for and so recently 4on@ 4as not to be Heo3ardised by rene4ed divisions and dishar ony& )he Board sho4ed 3atience and the Lod"e of Reconciliation a 4illin"ness to co 3ro ise& )he Board could have reco ended-but did not-action under one of the Articles of >nion AJ0IB 4hich "ave 'rand Lod"e 3o4er ;to declare the 7arrants to be forfeited@ if the easures 3ro3osed shall be resisted=& 2n its 3art the Lod"e of Reconciliation@ throu"h its $aster@ #a uel *e in" Ain a re3ort to the 'rand $aster@ 11 /ebruary 1811B@ stated that ;In confor ity to the 4ishes of so e of the obHectors the Lod"e of Reconciliation have introduced a triflin" variation in the business of the #econd +e"ree@ because they are ost anxious that the "eneral har ony of asonic arran"e ent should not be disturbed by a 3ertinacious adherence to ere for s@ 4hich are the selves of inor i 3ort&= )his 4as the crux of the atterE the lod"e 4as 3re3ared to ta,e the broader vie4 for the "eneral "ood of the Craft&

Althou"h the or"anised anti-Reconciliation lobby ste ed fro the Antients= side A4hich had tended all alon" to sho4 itself as intransi"ent as the $oderns 4ere 3re3ared to be states anli,eB dis?uiet at the chan"es that 4ere bein" ade could not have been all one-sided& )he 3re ier 'rand Lod"e had already ade oves to brin" itself into line 4ith the Antients@ and thus to 3re3are the 4ay for the >nion@ throu"h the 4or, of its o4n lod"e s3ecially 4arranted for the 3ur3ose@ the Lod"e of %ro ul"ation 4hich had 4or,ed fro 18:9 to 1811& A2ne of its reco endations - an innovation@ incidentally@ as far as $oderns= lod"es

4ere concerned - 4as the introduction of +eaconsB& $oderns= asons had thus already felt the first stirrin"s of the 4ind of chan"e 4hich 4as to blo4 throu"h the Craft at the >nion& 6evertheless there ust have been any@ too@ a on" their ran,s 4ho found this disturbin" and even unacce3table& )he 2ld +undee Lod"e Ano4 6o 18B@ for instance@ recorded a nu ber of resi"nations about this ti e A1814-11B includin" that of a %ast $aster 4ho 4rote to say that he had ceased co in" to eetin"s ;in conse?uence of his not bein" of late as co fortable 4hen he attended the Lod"e Aon account of the alterations in the lod"eB o4in" to the 6e4 #yste since the >nion=& )he years after 181. 4ere unsettled ones for the 5n"lish Craft 4hen e bers fell a4ay or 4ere ex3elled and lod"es erased and@ althou"h this ay have been 3artly the result of econo ic conditions durin" the after ath of the 6a3oleonic 7ars@ it 4as also to so e extent a reflection of the dissatisfaction of the die-hards 4ith the >nion and its results& 2nly the fir 'rand $astershi3 of ;I) I# 62) I6 )*5 %275R 2/ A69 $A6 the +u,e of #ussex steered the >nited 'rand Lod"e safely throu"h these difficult and often stor y seas and brou"ht it into cal er 4aters beyond&

It is easy to understand the feelin"s of brethren as they found the old order chan"in"& I a"ine the reaction today in the event - the hi"hly unli,ely event@ 4e ay be sure - of the 'rand Lod"e decidin" to issue an a33roved@ standard ritual and re?uirin" all lod"es to confor & )he adherents of this or that= 4or,in"= 4ould indeed be ?uic, to 3rotest and to defend their o4n favourite variant& 7e ay re e ber the excite ent and controversy aroused on the t4o occasions in this century 4hen 'rand Lod"e has oved fro its traditional 3osition of noninterference in such atters to discuss and le"islate on ritual - and then only 4ithin 3articular@ narro4 fields& )he first in 19(6@ 4hen the initial 3rohibition of the extended cere ony of Installation 4as 4isely odified by a 3er issive co 3ro iseE and the second@ in ore recent years@ over the o3tional variations in the obli"ations& *o4 uch "reater ust have been the consternation a on" any brethren a century and a half a"o 4hen@ after years of bitterness and rivalry ar,ed by a tenacity often ver"in" on the fanatical to their o4n 4ay of doin" thin"s@ they found the Lod"e of Reconciliation@ bac,ed by 'rand Lod"e@ see,in" to level out everythin" on to one co on deno inator of ritual and 3ractice&

In 3oint of fact the lod"e could not-and did not-succeed in doin" this& /or the re oter country lod"es the sendin" of re3resentatives to London to 4itness the de onstration of the cere onies 4as an ex3ensive and difficult business& $any did not even atte 3t to do so& /urther ore@ for

the trans ission of the ritual to lod"es reliance had to be 3laced on that ost fallible of instru ents@ the hu an e ory& )he influence and effect of the 4or, of the Lod"e of Reconciliation over the country as a 4hole 4as therefore 3atchy and uncertain and this accounts for the any local variations 4hich survive today& )hat in the circu stances so uch unifor ity 4as achieved is sur3risin"@ but it 4as 3robably= only arrived at over several decades as o33osition and dis"runtle ent eva3orated and the 5n"lish Craft readHusted itself and settled do4n a"ain& )he foundin" of "eneral lod"es of instruction@ such as #tability and 5 ulation@ no doubt accelerated the stabilisin" 3rocess@ as did that innovation of the nineteenth century@ the 3rinted ritual& )he first of these 4as brou"ht out by 'eor"e Claret@ a 3rinter@ in 18.8- althou"h not@ it ay be noted@ 4ithout esca3in" the censure of 'rand Lod"e& AIt 4as not until 189: that the first edition of the 3o3ular %erfect Cere onies of Craft $asonry@ 3ur3ortin" to "ive correct 5 ulation 4or,in"@ 4as 3ublished&B AL)5RA)I26# A6+ I6620A)I26# A) )*5 >6I26 )he ?uestion 4hich no4 naturally arises is 4hat then 4ere the alterations and innovations ade in the 5n"lish Craft at the ti e of the >nionP In broad ter s they affected both of the as3ects under 4hich the syste can be analysed& )he basic rite 4as co-ordinated so that the outline of and se?uence of events in the cere onies Athe o3enin"s and closin"s@ a,in"@ 3assin" and raisin"B follo4ed a unifor and lo"ical se?uence& )he unifyin" of the onitorial content of the ritual@ the didactic and ho iletic ele ents 4oven around the basic rite@ 4as a33arently ore a 3rocess of selection and discardin" Athrou"h the ediu of the LecturesB fro the ass of such aterial that had "ro4n u3 since the iddle of the 16( )*5 %R5#)26IA6 L5C)>R5#= ei"hteenth century as already described& A 3rocess@ so to s3ea,@ of ,noc,in" off the su3erfluous ,nobs and exrescences& In both res3ects 4hat 4as innovation to so e 4as 3robably established usa"e to othersE of necessity there had to be a "reat deal of "ive and ta,e& It ust have been to those 3re3ared to ta,e only the narro4est vie4 that it see ed as thou"h the ritual and cere onies had been so altered that ;not one #entence= had been ;left standin"=&

)he funda entals of the syste of free asonry- that is 4hat 4ere and still are the essentials of the basic rite - re ained unchan"ed& )his ust be so@ but if it 4ere not self-evident@ 3roof is forthco in" fro a conference of the 'rand $asters of 5n"land@ Ireland and #cotland@ 4hich too, 3lace in London six onths after the >nited 'rand Lod"e had co e into bein"& At this conference & & & it 4as ascertained that the )hree 'rand Lod"es 4ere 3erfectly in unison in all the "reat and essential 3oints of the $ystery L Craft accordin" to the i e orial traditions and uninterru3ted usa"e of ancient $asons and they reco"niIed this unity in a fraternal

$anner=& $inutes of the 'rand Lod"e of Ireland@ I +ece ber 1814@ Author=s italicsB&

It is 3ossible to "ain so e idea of the variations 4hich ust have existed in the 5n"lish Craft by co 3arison 4ith the 4or,in"s in those other constitutions Athe Irish@ #cottish and@ to so e extent@ A ericanB 4hich 4ere not subHected to internal strife and the 3ur"ative ex3erience of subse?uent union as 4as free asonry in this country& /urther li"ht can be thro4n on the subHect by an exa ination also of the 3osition in Bristol 4hich ana"ed to re ain the ;odd an out= and retain in it affinity 4ith Irish 3ractice its o4n uni?ue 4or,in" and syste of de"rees& )he basic rite is co on to allE the variations arise in the lan"ua"e and in the cere onial to a "reater or lesser de"ree dra atic Aor even elodra aticB used to enact it@ and in the ran"e and diversity of the alle"ory in 4hich it is veiled and of the sy bols by 4hich it is illustrated&

A erican 3rinted onitors and lod"e anuals 3rovide interestin" evidence on these 3oints& #ince they 4ere derived in the first instance fro 5n"lish 3ractice or 3ublications ori"inatin" here before 181. they "ive an indication of the otifs and features 4hich disa33eared fro 5n"lish Craft free asonry at@ or shortly after@ the >nion& )hey also@ and incidentally@ 4ell illustrate the difference bet4een the basic rite and the onitorial aterial 4ith 4hich it is e bellished& )he for er@ if "iven at all@ tends to be 3rinted in these A erican 3ublications in a hi"hly abbreviated for or in codeE the latter@ consistin" of exhortations@ char"es@ addresses@ ex3lanations and the li,e@ is 3rinted in the clear@ so eti es 4ith en"ravin"s of the e ble s and sy bols involved&

A on" these 4ill be found any of those 4hich a33ear ti es over on 3re-181. 5n"lish He4els and re"alia@ asonic 3ottery and 3orcelain@ furniture@ tracin" boards@ e ble atic charts and certificates and so on@ but 4hich no lon"er fi"ure in the 5n"lish Craft de"rees& )o ?uote but a fe4 exa 3les by 4ay of illustration< the )ro4el@ e ble atically for the s3readin" of the ce ent of brotherly love and affection Astill to be found in BristolBE the Beehive@ the e ble of industry@ 4hose exa 3le ur"es an to add to the co on store of ,no4led"e so that he does not beco e a drone in the hive of nature@ a useless e ber of societyE the *our-"lass and #cythe@ e ble s res3ectively of hu an life and of ti e@ servin" to re ind us ;I) I# 62) I6 )*5 %275R 2/ A69 $A6 16. of the transitory nature of our existence here on earthE the %ot of Incense@ an e ble of

that ost acce3table sacrifice@ a 3ure heartE and any others& )hen there are sundry features such as the $iddle Cha ber Lecture 4ith its ho ilies on the /ive 6oble 2rders of Architecture and /ive #enses of *u an 6ature - hearin"@ seein"@ feelin"@ s ellin" and tastin"-4hich ori"inally a33eared in 3rint in %reston=s Illustrations of $asonry& )he /ive #enses did not survive the >nion in this country and the /ive 6oble 2rders re ain in the Ritual as a 3assin" reference only Athey are still described ore fully in the Craft LecturesB&

It see s@ then@ that 4hat the Lod"e of Reconciliation ai ed to do and 4hat in lar"e easure it succeeded in doin"@ 4as to cut throu"h the thic,et of the accretions of the years to "et bac, to the heart of thin"s and re-establish 5n"lish free asonry on the basis of ;3ure Antient asonry=& If in so doin" uch 4as discarded 4hich 4e ay no4 re"ard 4ith so e4hat nostal"ic re"ret@ 4e ay also be than,ful that the Craft de"rees e er"ed fro the >nion as the fir @ lastin" and A4ith the Royal ArchB the only basis of the 5n"lish syste &

)*5 1811 B22! 2/ C26#)I)>)I26# At the sa e ti e that the Lod"e of Reconciliation 4as 4or,in" to restore ;unity of obli"ation@ & & & 4or,in" FandG lan"ua"e=@ attention 4as also bein" "iven@ as re?uired by the Articles of >nion to the subHect of ;la4 and dress=& By the t4enty-first Aand lastB of the Articles of >nion it had been a"reed that ;A revision shall be ade of the rules and re"ulations no4 established and in force in the t4o /raternities@ and a code of la4s & & & for the 4hole conduct of the Craft@ shall be forth4ith 3re3ared@ and a ne4 Boo, of Constitutions be co 3osed and 3rinted & & &=7hen this eventually a33eared in 1811 it 4as a co 3lete de3arture fro 4hat had "one before@ the crea,in" structure 4hich had been built u3 over the years on Anderson=s Constitutions and the extraordinary hotch-3otch of Ahi an ReIon 4hich had done duty as a Boo, of Constitutions for the Antients= 'rand Lod"e&

7ith the first Boo, of Constitutions of the ne4 >nited 'rand Lod"e a serious atte 3t 4as ade to codify the la4 and custo of 5n"lish free asonry by "atherin" to"ether under subHect heads the re"ulations already in bein" Aif a33ro3riateB or such ne4 ones as 4ere re?uired as a result of the >nion& )he Boo, re ained in force for a 3eriod of three years durin" 4hich ti e e bers of the Craft 4ere invited to offer co ents and su""estions and in 1819 a revised edition a33eared containin" a

nu ber of i 3ortant alterations in substance&

)he 1811-19 Constitutions had any ne4 features@ ainly coverin" ad inistration and 3rocedural 3oints 4hich had 3reviously only been dealt 4ith inade?uately or not at all& A on" the for exa 3le 4as a table of 3recedence of 'rand 2fficers@ ore co 3rehensive than anythin" 4hich had "one before and includin" a nu ber of ne4 offices the duties of 4hich 4ere detailed in ne4 re"ulationsE other ne4 sections set out rules on such atters as %rovincial and +istrict 'rand Lod"es@ the London +istrict@ and a nu ber of ne4ly created boards includin" a ;lod"e= to ad inister the /und of Benevolence and Aanother innovationB the Board of 'eneral %ur3osesE a section on certificates a33earin" for the first ti e in 164 ;)*5 %R5#)26IA6 L5C)>R5#= 1811 4as co 3letely revised in 1819 to a,e it auto atic for a 'rand Lod"e certificate to be issued to every e ber of the Craft - hitherto it had been o3tional@ on re?uest& )here 4as uch else that 4as ne4 but 4e are not i ediately concerned 4ith the detailed codification of asonic la4 and atters of ad inistrationE of ore interest to us in this 3resent study are the re"ulations ade to secure unifor ity of dress&

R5'ALIA B5/2R5 A6+ A/)5R )*5 >6I26 2ne of the ore extensive innovations of the 1811 Boo, of Constitutions Anot substantially altered in 1819B concerned asonic clothin"& *eretofore little or nothin" 3recise had been ordained about this& Althou"h fro ?uite early in its history 'rand Lod"e had occasionally ade orders about re"alia@ these 4ere concerned only 4ith such details as the colour of the sil, linin" to a3rons or of that of ;ribbons= Aie collarsB for He4els Ain each case blue for 'rand 2fficers@ red for 'rand #te4ards@ and 4hite for all other brethrenBE the overall desi"n of a3rons and He4els 4as lar"ely at the 4hi of the a,er or 4earer& -ust as in the latter years of the ei"hteenth century asonic 4riters 4ere bein" ins3ired to inter3ret in any 4ays the 3hiloso3hy and sy bolis of free asonry@ the a,ers of re"alia fro the 3rofessional to the ho e- ade "ave free rein to their i a"ination in the re3resentation of its out4ard and visible si"ns and e ble s& )he result 4as an astonishin" variety of a3rons and He4els nu erous exa 3les of 4hich are to be seen today in asonic useu s and collections&

A3rons 4ere often hi"hly decorated 4ith elaborate hand-dra4n@ 3rinted@ e broidered or a33li?ue desi"ns& -e4els@ a3art fro those of lod"e officers Aby no eans as unifor and co 3rehensive as no4B often too,

the for of edallions - thin 3lates of silver either en"raved on the solid or intricately fretted 4ith asonic e ble s& #uch edallions 4ere for the ost 3art 4orn by brethren@ it see s@ si 3ly as 3ersonal adorn entE ?uite often they 4ere 3resentation 3ieces and occasionally they served as officers= He4els& )he ex3osure )hree +istinct !noc,s A6th edition@ 1776B described the in this 4ay< )hese $edals are usually of #ilver@ and so e have the hi"hly finished and orna ented so as to be 4orth ten or t4enty 'uineas& )hey are sus3ended round the 6ec, 4ith Ribbons of various Colours@ and 4orn on their %ublic, +ays of $eetin"@ at /uneral %rocessions@ Lc& in *onour of the Craft& 2n the Reverse of these $edals it is usual to 3ut the 24ner=s Coat of Ar s@ or Cy3her@ or any other +evice that the 24ner fancies@ and so e even add to the 5 ble s other /ancy )hin"s that bear so e Analo"y to $asonry&

%lenty of roo

there for innovation@ it 4ould a33ear&

)he Re"ulations of the 1811 Boo, of Constitutions s4e3t a4ay all this by introducin" a section entitled ;2f Re"alia= 4hich for the first ti e laid do4n standard 3atterns for a co 3lete ran"e of a3rons and He4els 4hich 4ere little different fro those of today - an innovation one hundred years after the foundin" of 'rand Lod"e 4hich ust surely a,e is3laced the in"enuity of those 4ho see hidden eanin"s in everythin" asonic@ ho4ever 3ractical and undane@ even to the tassels of our a3rons&

An alteration ade at this ti e in officers= He4els 4as the chan"in" of the +eacons= H e4el fro the 3reviously "enerally used Abut no4here ordainedB fi"ure ;I) I# 62) I6 )*5 %275R 2/ A69 $A6 161 of $ercury to a dove bearin" an olive branch@ but Hust 4hy this chan"e 4as ade 4as not recorded nor had it ever been satisfactorily ex3lained&

)*5 6I65)556)* C56)>R9 7ith ;3erfect reconciliation= and unity ;ha33ily restored to the 5n"lish Craft=-or nearly so - the years follo4in" 1811 consolidated the 3osition and 3aved the 4ay for the "reat ex3ansion of the 2rder in this country in the later years of the nineteenth century& )he ;no innovations= 3rinci3le Ao itted fro the Re"ulations in the 1811 Boo, of Constitutions but reinstated in the 18(7 edition@ as already noted@ as one of the clauses in the ;#u ary of Antient Char"es=B had only one further real test to face& 6ot that the 3rocess of develo3 ent did not

continue after 1811@ for it did@ but 4ithin very as ritual and cere onial 4ere concerned&

uch narro4er li its as far

)he cere onies of Installation and of Consecration are cases in 3oint& An atte 3t 4as ade in 18(7 to =tidy-u3= and standardise the cere ony of Installation@ but 4ith li ited success since the 4or, of the Lod"e or Board of Installed $asters 4arranted for the 3ur3ose 4as 3ro ul"ated to London lod"es only& )he cere ony of Consecration on the other hand is an exa 3le of so ethin" ne4 in 3ost->nion 3ractice - althou"h not in theory for it 4as not un,no4n in the ei"hteenth century havin" been first described in %reston=s Illustrations of 177(& )here is indeed "ood reason to su33ose that it ay have been an innovation of that 4orthy founder of this@ the %restonian Lecture& *o4ever the cere ony a33ears to have been 3erfor ed very little - if at all - in the late ei"hteenth and early nineteenth centuries& A 3rayer of consecration or dedication 4as the ost that i"ht attend the for al constitution of a ne4 lod"e& It 4as only fro about the late 18.:s or early 184:s on4ards that the cere ony of Consecration as 4e ,no4 it Aand derived essentially fro the %reston odelB really be"an to ta,e on as an indis3ensible 3art of the ritual for ulary for constitutin" a ne4 lod"e& #o uch so that 4e today s3ea, of the Consecration of a ne4 lod"e rather than@ as for erly@ of its Constitution&

7hat 4as@ it is to be ho3ed@ the last "reat test of the innovatory 3o4ers of 'rand Lod"e ca e in the iddle of the last century over the reco"nition of the $ar, +e"ree 4hen 'rand Lod"e found itself confronted by a si ilar situation to that 4hich a century before had faced its 3redecessor@ the 3re ier 'rand Lod"e@ over the Royal Arch& )he story is lon" and involved and need not detain us here for 4e are interested only in its outco e& After uch discussion and investi"ation by a s3ecial Co ittee set u3 for the 3ur3ose 'rand Lod"e ado3ted a resolution on 1 $arch 1816 Aon the reco endation of the Co itteeB ;)hat the +e"ree of $ar, $ason is not at variance 4ith Craft asonry@ and that it be added thereto@ under 3ro3er re"ulations&= But this 4as not to be the end of the atter& At the next Cuarterly Co unication on 4 -une 1816 4hen the inutes of the 3revious eetin" 4ere 3ut to 'rand Lod"e@ a otion 4as 3ro3osed by Brother -ohn *enderson Aa %ast %resident of the Board of 'eneral %ur3oses and %ast 'rand Re"istrarB that the 3ortion relatin" to the $ar, +e"ree be not confir ed& In an i 3assioned s3eech to 'rand Lod"e Are3orted in the /ree asons= $onthly $a"aIine@ 1 -uly 1816B< 166 ;)*5 %R5#)26IA6 L5C)>R5#= *e called u3on 'rand Lod"e not to consent to any innovation on their 3resent cere onies@ as@ should they do

so@ the ost disastrous conse?uences i"ht result& If 'rand Lod"e 4ere to consent to the 3ro3osed innovation@ they 4ould be layin" the axe to their 3ros3erity@ and violatin" not only the letter but the s3irit of their $asonic >nion& *e trusted the day 4ould never arrive 4hen 'rand Lod"e 4ould "ive its sanction to so i 3ortant an alteration in their la4s and disci3lines as 4as then 3ro3osed& Indeed@ he denied that they had the 3o4er to a,e so "reat a constitutional chan"e as that of addin" a ne4 +e"ree to the 2rder& )hey 4ere 3led"ed a"ainst all false doctrines@ all innovations on their land ar,s@ and he contended that no an@ nor body of en@ could a,e such innovations as that no4 3ro3osed 4ithout endan"erin" the stability of the 4hole Institution&

$uch discussion ensued but the atter 4as finally clinched 4hen the 'rand $aster@ the 5arl of Ketland@ declared Aaccordin" to the sa e re3ortB that ;seein" that the Boo, of Constitutions called u3on all $asters to declare that no an@ or body of en@ could a,e innovation in the tenets of /ree asonry@ and that by the Act of >nion their 2rder 4as declared to consist of three de"rees@ and no ore@ he could not do other4ise than record his vote in favour of the non-confir ation of the inutes=&

)he otion 3ro3osin" this 4as then 3ut and carried by a lar"e aHority& )he $ar, +e"ree 4as not to be ad itted 3art of 3ure Antient $asonry& )he result@ as 4e ,no4@ 4as that a se3arate or"anisation@ the 'rand Lod"e of $ar, $aster $asons@ then ca e into bein" to control the $ar, +e"ree in uch the sa e 4ay that a century 3reviously the first 'rand Cha3ter 4as for ed because of the non-reco"nition of the Royal Arch by the 3re ier 'rand Lod"e& $asonic history had re3eated itself and once a"ain on this 3oint of the definition of ;3ure Antient $asonry=&

I6 C26CL>#I26 By its decision over the $ar, +e"ree@ 'rand Lod"e had finally divested itself of the 4ider 3o4er it had ori"inally reserved to itself in 17(.& #o today our Boo, of Constitutions defines the 3o4ers of 'rand Lod"e 4ithin the ore li ited field of or"anisation and ad inistration& ;)he 'rand Lod"e=@ states Rule 4@ ;3ossesses the su3re e su3erintendin" authority@ and alone has the inherent 3o4er of enactin" la4s and re"ulations for the "overn ent of the Craft@ and of alterin"@ re3ealin"@ and abro"atin" the al4ays ta,in" care that the antient Land ar,s of the 2rder be observed&= )here@ in that last 3hrase@ is the heart of the atter and the real ;Body of $asonry= is seen to be ;the

antient Land ar,s of the 2rder= - that cor3us of the lore and custo of the fraternity@ undefined and undefinable@ 4hich subHectively rather than obHectively for s the ethos of free asonry&

7e hear uch today about 3er issiveness and 4e ?uite ri"htly see our 2rder as a bastion a"ainst the insidious nihilis 4hich see,s to set aside acce3ted scales of values 4ithout offerin" anythin" in their 3lace& But this does not ean that in our a33roach to the craft 4e need re ain ri"idly unco 3rehendin" so that innovation co es to ean anythin" to 4hich 4e are not accusto ed or@ 4orse still@ so ethin" 4ith 4hich 4e erely do not ha33en to a"ree& /or 4e have seen ho4@ over the years since the e er"ence of s3eculative free asonry and its "ro4th as an or"anised #ociety@ the ;body of $asonry= did not re ain unalter- ;I) I# 62) I6 )*5 %275R 2/ A69 $A6 & & & 167 able& /unda ental innovations there have been such as the three-de"ree syste and the Royal Arch@ alteration and additions in ritual and cere onies as these "re4 in sco3e and si"nificance@ and chan"es 4ithout nu ber in routine atters such as are inevitable in any develo3in" or"anisation&

In 181.@ after sixty years of dissension and division@ 5n"lish free asonry 4as "iven an o33ortunity to 3ause and ta,e stoc,@ to redefine and re-establish itself& )he 3rocesses of innovation@ alteration and develo3 ent that have "iven us our syste of s3eculative free asonry 4ere slo4ed do4n@ al ost haltedE the challen"e of 1816 sho4ed they 4ere virtually co 3lete& 'rand Lod"e had@ in effect@ ac,no4led"ed that not even it had any lon"er the 3o4er to a,e further innovations in the body of asonry& In a century and a ?uarter the 4heel had co e full circle&

I6 #5ARC* 2/ RI)>AL >6I/2R$I)9 A 'eneral 5xa ination of the Re"ulation and +evelo3 ent of Craft Ritual %roceedin"s after 18(. )*5 %R5#)26IA6 L5C)>R5 /2R 197. C& /& 7& +95R /ro Illustrations of $asonry by 7illia %reston A174(-1818B )he Attentive ear receives the sound fro the Instructive ton"ue and the sacred ysteries are safely lod"ed in the re3ository of faithful breasts&

/ro the Articles of >nion of the t4o for er 'rand Lod"es@ 181. III& )here shall be the ost 3erfect unity of obli"ation@ of disci3line@ of 4or,in"

the lod"es@ of a,in"@ 3assin" and raisin"@ instructin" and clothin" BrothersE so that but one 3ure unsullied syste @ accordin" to the "enuine land ar,s@ la4s and traditions of the Craft@ shall be aintained@ u3held and 3ractised@ throu"hout the $asonic 7orld@ fro the day and date of the said union until ti e shall be no ore&

/ro the Boo, of Constitutions current in 197. 1.(& 6o Lod"e of Instruction shall be holden unless under the sanction of a re"ular 4arranted Lod"e@ or by the licence and authority of the 'rand $aster& )he Lod"e "ivin" its sanction@ or the Brethren to 4ho such licence is "ranted@ shall be res3onsible for seein" that the 3roceedin"s are in accordance 4ith the Antient Char"es@ Land ar,s@ and Re"ulations of the 2rder as established by the 'rand Lod"e&

111& )he e bers 3resent at any Lod"e duly su oned have an undoubted ri"ht to@ re"ulate their o4n 3roceedin"s@ 3rovided they are consistent 4ith the "eneral la4s and re"ulations of the CraftE but a 3rotest a"ainst any resolution or 3roceedin"@ based on the "round of its bein" contrary to the la4s and usa"es of the Craft@ and for the 3ur3ose of co 3lainin" or a33ealin" to a hi"her $asonic authority@ ay be ade@ and such 3rotest shall be entered in the $inute Boo, if the Brother a,in" the 3rotest shall so re?uest&

1 I6)R2+>C)I26 A 'R5A) +5AL of y asonic ex3erience has been in connection 4ith atters of ritual and Lod"es of Instruction& Ritual 3ractice is an e otive subHect 4ith ost asons and they tend to vie4 4ith the "ravest sus3icion any 3ractices 4hich they the selves are not used to& 7e have reached a sta"e in the 5n"lish Craft 4here@ bet4een different lod"es and areas@ a "reat deal of variety is found in the detailed 4or,in" of the +e"ree Cere onies and@ as all the varieties continue 4ithout co 3laint or censure fro any authority@ it cannot be a atter of so e bein" ri"ht 168 I6 #5ARC* 2/ RI)>AL >6I/2R$I)9 169 and so e 4ron"& $ost of us learn the basic Ritual fro suitable boo,s@ but in teachin" the detail and the finer 3oints@ Lod"es of Instruction 3lay an i 3ortant 3art& #o e Lod"es of Instruction restrict e bershi3 to brethren belon"in" to one lod"e or to a s3ecified "rou3 of lod"es@ 4hile others ad it any 3ro3erly ?ualified Brother& In the latter case such lod"es can beco e so "eneral in nature as to beco e a se3arate body@ controlled only by its o4n e bers& I have had occasion to 3onder on the relationshi3 on Ritual atters bet4een such a Lod"e of Instruction and its

sanctionin" lod"e@ as 4ell as on rules 1.(-.1 of the current Boo, of Constitutions 4hich "overn Lod"es of Instruction& It see s to e that there could be difficulties in strict co 3liance 4ith the rules&

I had earlier ta,en so e co fort fro ;%oints of %rocedure= 3rinted in the bac, of the 9ear Boo,& )hese are also included@ 4ith Ai s and Relationshi3s and Basic %rinci3les in a se3arate boo,let@ for 4hich the Authorities have recently ta,en ste3s to secure a uch 4ider circulation& /or so e years the follo4in" decision of the Board of 'eneral %ur3oses a33eared< Ritual in Lod"e Is a $aster entitled to decide 4hat Rule 111 B of C lays it do4n that the ritual shall be 3ractised durin" his aHority of a Lod"e shall re"ulate the year of officeP 3roceedin"s&

7ithout this direct reference to Ritual in the Board=s decision@ it is li,ely that any brethren i"ht not have considered that Rule 111 Are3roduced aboveB covered that as3ect of lod"e 3rocedure& I 4as sur3rised to find that in the 9ear Boo, for 1961 the 4ord ;3rocedure= had been substituted for ;ritual=& )his ne4 for 4as contained in later editions of the se3arate boo,let and in subse?uent 9ear Boo,s A197. at 3a"e 8(:B& )his s all chan"e could ean one of t4o thin"s - either the rule ust be ta,en as no lon"er a33lyin" to Ritual 3rocedure@ or the 4ord ;3rocedure= ust be ta,en to include Ritual@ althou"h in this latter case no alteration see ed necessary& I 4as unable to satisfy yself@ but did find that the Board considered Ritual to be outside its Hurisdiction and had in conse?uence sou"ht for so e years to avoid any ?uestion of ta,in" decisions on atters involvin" Ritual& )his did not su33ly an ans4er but left e ore confused 4hen I considered that other authorities under 'rand Lod"e@ such as %rovinces and +istricts@ found no difficulty@ Rule 111 or no@ in "ivin" direction on Ritual atters&

It 4as these ex3eriences in the inter3retation and a33lication of these rules 4hich caused e to loo, into their ori"ins and into the history of Ritual differences and the control of Lod"es of Instruction& )he basic Ritual 4hich 4e use in the 5n"lish Craft for the three +e"ree Cere onies dates fro the >nion of the t4o for er 'rand Lod"es in 181.& #hortly after that date a ne4 Ritual@ definitely different in so e res3ects fro the 3ractices of either of the for er bodies@ 4as 3ro ul"ated for the use of the Craft& I therefore referred to the ter s of the >nion and it see ed ?uite clear to e that 4hen this ne4 Ritual 4as ta,en into use it 4as the intention that all Ritual 4or,in" 4as to be done in exactly the sa e 4ay@

4ithout any variations@ throu"hout the >nited 'rand Lod"e of 5n"land& )he +u,e of #ussex 4as 'rand $aster at the >nion and I beca e interested to 17: ;)*5 %R5#)26IA6 L5C)>R5#= see if@ in the thirty years he held that office@ he succeeded in ensurin" that unifor ity of Ritual 4or,in" 3revailed and 4hat ste3s he too,& I 4as also concerned to try to ascertain 4hat he 4ould consider Ritual to be@ for no co3y of the 3ost->nion Ritual 4as officially ,e3t& As additional issues@ I 4as interested to see if this doctrine of co 3lete unifor ity 4as ne4 or had been 3ractised 3rior to the >nion@ and further@ if co 3lete unifor ity had been considered i 3ortant at the ti e of the >nion 4hen our 3resent Ritual 4as for ulated@ ho4 there co e to be so any variations today&

( %R5->6I26 A6+ 7ILLIA$ %R5#)26 )here had no doubt been atte 3ts at various ti es before the >nion to secure unifor ity of 4or,in" but it see s unli,ely that they 4ere 3articularly successful& In the 'rand Lod"e under the +u,e of Atholl@ the 6ine 7orthies 4ere a33ointed to ensure "eneral unifor ity but their e 3loy ent see ed to die out& In considerin" control under the 3re ier 'rand Lod"e@ the 4or, of 7illia %reston@ after 4ho this Lecture is na ed@ very ?uic,ly co ands the attention& *is Illustrations of $asonry indicates his intense interest in instruction in Craft Ritual 3rocedures& In the 179:s@ after his reinstate ent in the Craft by the 3re ier 'rand Lod"e@ it is ore than 3robable that the Ritual 3rocedures 4hich he tau"ht@ as 4ell as the syste of teachin" the @ 4ere to so e de"ree of his o4n devisin"& By the early 18::s his ediu for instruction 4as a Lod"e of Instruction associated 4ith the Lod"e of Anti?uity and his ethod 4as throu"h Lectures in ?uestion and ans4er for & )here 4as a se3arate Lecture for each +e"ree@ 4ith set ?uestions in a 3articular se?uence and standard ans4ers@ and so e 3art of each Lecture described the Ritual of the +e"ree Cere ony in detail and contained so e of the 4ordin" to be used&

)he use of catechs l Lectures as a eans of teachin" and controllin" Ritual 3ractices develo3ed durin" the second half of the ei"hteenth century fro the testin" catechis s of earlier years and by 18:: 4as the acce3ted ethod of instruction& )he 3ublic ni"hts of the #te4ards= Lod"e Alater 'rand #te4ards= Lod"eB had been started in order to de onstrate and so a33ly a easure of control on the authorised 4or,in" of the 3re ier 'rand Lod"e@ and the 4or, 4as done in this 4ay&= 2ther syste s 4ere develo3ed and 4e read of +unc,erley=s@ Bro4ne=s and /inch=s by the early 18::s@ but %reston=s 4as the ost so3histicated& +es3ite the 'rand #te4ards= Lod"e 3ublic ni"hts@ there 4as not co 3lete unifor ity@ althou"h ost lod"es 3robably did not 4or, accordin" to %reston=s

syste

and in the

anner of the Lod"e of Anti?uity&

)*5 L2+'5# 2/ %R2$>L'A)I26 A6+ R5C26CILIA)I26 In 181: the 3re ier 'rand Lod"e@ throu"h the Lod"e of %ro ul"ation s3ecially for ed for the 3ur3ose@ ado3ted alterations desi"ned to reverse chan"es ade so e seventy years before& )he chan"e bac, 4as ade to facilitate a union 4ith t /ree asons= $a"aIine@ 1818@ 3 917< ;)hose 4ho li,e ourselves have been any years in /ree asonry ay re e ber that in their youn"er days they 4ere infor ed that the 'rand #te4ards= Lod"e & & & 4as established for 3reservin" the authorised ode of 4or,in" and 3ublic ni"hts 4ere s3ecially set aside to enable the Brethren to attend and see 4hat the 4or,in" 4as&= /or ethod of 4or,in" at 3ublic ni"hts@ see 3 148 under )he 'rand #te4ards= Lod"e %ublic 6i"hts&

I6 #5ARC* 2/ RI)>AL >6I/2R$I)9 the rival AAthollB 'rand Lod"e and at the sa e ti e the Ritual 4or, 4as "enerally overhauled 4ith the sa e end in vie4& )he Lod"e of %ro ul"ation 4as very uch influenced by the syste of the Lod"e of Anti?uity and a nu ber of Brethren 4ho 4ere e bers of Anti?uity 4ere a33ointed e bers of %ro ul"ation@ includin" the +u,e of #ussex@ 4ho too, 3art in the deliberations Athe +u,e 4as 3er anent $aster of Anti?uity fro 18:9 until his deathB&= )he fact that Anti?uity did not 4or, accordin" to the earlier chan"es ade by the 3re ier 'rand Lod"eE that its syste follo4ed a nu ber of 3oints of the Ritual used by the Atholl 'rand Lod"e under 4hich %reston had been initiatedE and that it had@ in %reston=s Lectures@ a ready- ade ethod of instruction@ ust have ade the tas, of the Lod"e of %ro ul"ation uch easier and it reached a"ree ent sur3risin"ly ?uic,ly&

)he #ecretary of the Lod"e of %ro ul"ation 4as Charles Bonnor@ also of the Lod"e of Anti?uity& *e described@ as a 3attern@ the ;Ancient 3ractice= as used in his lod"e@ and also 3resented a sche e for obtainin" ;one unifor ode of 3ractice= and an i 3rove ent in the ;relaxed state= of Ritual disci3line of the ti es& Althou"h his 3ro3osal 4as not officially ado3ted@ it see ed to have so e effect in the next fe4 years and ay even have been the startin" 3oint of the atte 3t at co 3lete unifor ity 4hich the +u,e of #ussex ade at the >nion four years later& )he 4hole of the for s settled by the Lod"e of %ro ul"ation 4ere incor3orated in %reston=s Lectures@ sli"ht adHust ents bein" ade in the Lectures 4here %ro ul"ation did not follo4 exactly the Anti?uity 3rocedures and a ne4 edition of %reston=s #yllabus@ containin" an aide e oire of the set

?uestions@ 4as 3ut into 3rint& In 181: and after@ %reston=s Lectures ca e into ore "eneral use in Lod"es of Instruction& . )hey re3resented a standard of the 4or, of the 3re ier 'rand Lod"e as settled by the Lod"e of %ro ul"ation&

7hen the >nion of the t4o for er 'rand Lod"es too, 3lace in 181. the tas, of settlin" the Ritual for s for use in the lod"es under the ne4 >nited 'rand Lod"e 4as "iven to another lod"e s3ecially for ed for the 3ur3ose@ the Lod"e of Reconciliation& )he Ritual 4hich 4as ulti ately settled by this lod"e@ 3robably by the end of 1814@ and 4hich 4as a33roved by the >nited 'rand Lod"e in 1816@ 4as different in a nu ber of res3ects fro that 4hich had been settled by the Lod"e of %ro ul"ation& If %reston=s Lectures 4ere to be of use in this ne4 situation@ they ust be a ended a"ain& %reston 4as by this ti e a sic, and old an and he died in 1818 at the a"e of seventy-six& It is 3robable that he did so e revision@ or that so eone did it for hi 4ith his connivance@ 1 but it is li,ely that they 4ere never adHusted to confor fully to the ne4 for s and so ay not have been "enerally acce3table& /or the short 3eriod bet4een the ta,in" into use of the revisions ade by the Lod"e of %ro ul"ation in 181: and the >nion in +ece ber 181.@ %reston=s t /or further details of the +u,e of #ussex@ see %& R& -a es& =)he 'rand-$astershi3 of *&R&*& the +u,e of #ussex@ 181.-184.= A)he %restonian Lecture for 196(B@ #3onsored by the Lod"e of Anti?uity and dra4n u3 by *& -& da Costa& )hey 4ere 3ublished in 181( Athe /irst and #econd LecturesB and 181. Athe )hird LectureB 4hen de Costa 4as Actin" $aster of the lod"e@ see Ca3t C& 7& /irebrace@ Records of the Lod"e of Anti?uity& 6o (@ vol 11&

=/or exa 3le@ the Burlin"ton Lod"e of Instruction 4hose inutes fro 181: are in the 'rand Lod"e Library and 4hose e bers fro that ti e include several e bers of the Lod"e of Anti9 ty&

/or details of the Lod"e of %ro ul"ation@ see 7& B& *extall@=)he #3ecial Lod"e of %ro ul"ation& 18:9-11 =& A CC&(.@ 3 .7&

1 #ee co ents on a anuscri3t@ attributed to -ohn )ur,@ of %reston=s )hird Lecture< entioned by %& R& -a es@ =7illia %reston=s )hird Lecture of /ree asonry=& ACC@ 81&

17( ;)*5 %R5#)26IA6 L5C)>R5#= syste 3rovided a control ai ed at unifor ity in the 3rocedures of the lod"es under the 3re ier 'rand Lod"e&

5#)ABLI#*$56) 2/ )*5 %R5#)26IA6 L5C)>R5 *enry 'eor"e 7arren@ 4hen "ivin" the %restonian Lecture in 1861@ said in his introduction@ ;>3on his death@ believin" he 4ould leave behind hi a co 3lete and orthodox for ulary@ Brother %reston be?ueathed a su of D.::@ the interest of 4hich 4as to be devoted to the establish ent of an annual Lecture in order to 3reserve the 4or, of his hands and the result of his labours to the Craft&= )his annual Lecture 4as to be of 3art of %reston=s syste and 4as first "iven under the ter s of %reston=s be?uest in 18(:& #uch an annual renderin" i"ht 4ell have for ed a 3oint of reference in Ritual 3ractice after the >nion@ if "iven 3ublicly@ and if the content follo4ed the ne4 for s& By 18(: other syste s of instruction 4ere establishedE the Lecture 4as "iven 3rivately in the Lod"e of Anti?uity and differed in so e res3ects fro the ne4 acce3ted for s@ so that its 3ur3ose 4as not achieved& /or the next thirty years and ore it continued to be "iven 3rivately@ usually in the Lod"e of Anti?uity& In 1818 the Lecture 4as "iven to a 4ider audience but@ because of its difference fro the 4or,in" then current@ it did not 3rove 3o3ular&= )he Lecture 4as "iven in conHunction 4ith the 'rand #te4ards= Lod"e 3ublic ni"hts until 186(@ after 4hich the a33oint ent la3sed& A)he a33oint ent 4as revived in 19(4 in its 3resent for @ the Lecturer deliverin" a 3a3er on a asonic subHect of his o4n choice&B . )*5 AR)ICL5# 2/ >6I26 )he >nion of the 'rand Lod"es 4as achieved in 181. by the si"nin" and ratification of Articles of >nion& Article III@ 4hich is set out at the head of this 3a3er@ refers to ;the ost 3erfect unity in ost as3ects of Ritual 3rocedure& )his@ if achieved@ could leave no roo for any alternatives and this desired unity extended@ not only to ;4or,in"= and the three +e"rees@ but also to =instructin"=4hich in 181. could only ean a syste of Lectures@ the standard ethod of the ti e& Articles I0 and 0 3rovided for the obli"ations@ for s@ rules and ancient traditions to be a"reed 4ith de3utations fro the 'rand Lod"es of Ireland and #cotland before bein" 3ro ul"atedE and this desired unifor ity 4as to be secured throu"h a Lod"e of Reconciliation consistin" of ;nine 4orthy and ex3ert $aster $asons or %ast $asters=@ alon" 4ith so e 'rand 2fficers@ fro each of the for er 'rand Lod"es& )he tas, of 3ro ul"ation after the >nion 4as also laid as a duty on the Lod"e of Reconciliation by Article J0< J0& After the day of Re-union@ as aforesaid@ and 4hen it shall be ascertained 4hat are the obli"ations@ for s@ re"ulations@ 4or,in"@ and instruction@ to be universally established@

s3eedy and effectual ste3s shall be ta,en to obli"ate all the e bers of each Lod"e in all the de"rees@ accordin" to the for ta,en and reco"nised by the 'rand $aster@ %ast 'rand $asters@ 'rand 2fficers@ and Re3resentatives of Lod"es@ on the day of the Re-unionE and for this 3ur3ose the 4orthy and ex3ert $aster $asons a33ointed@ as aforesaid@ shall visit and attend the several Lod"es@ 4ithin the Bills of $ortality@ in rotation@ dividin" the selves into ?uoru s of not less than three each@ for the "reater = *& '& 7arren a,es this state ent in the introduction to the %restonian Lecture in 1861E the anuscri3t of his introductory s3eech is in the 'rand Lod"e Library&

I6 #5ARC* 2/ RI)>AL >6I/2R$I)9 17. ex3edition@ and they shall assist the $aster and 7ardens to 3ro ul"ate and enHoin the 3ure and unsullied syste @ that 3erfect reconciliation@ unity of obli"ation@ la4@ 4or,in"@ lan"ua"e@ and dress@ ay be ha33ily restored to the 5n"lish Craft&

;Instruction= is also included in this Article@ 4hile unity of lan"ua"e is to be restored as 4ell& 5veryone ust 4or, in 3recisely the sa e 4ay and the duty of ensurin" this 4as first 3laced on the Lod"e of Reconciliation&

4 )*5 R>L5 2/ )*5 +>!5 2/ #>##5J )he >nion of 'rand Lod"es had hun" fire fro 181:@ in 4hich year the 3re ier 'rand Lod"e had 3ut its house in order so far as the Ritual of the +e"ree Cere onies 4as concerned and the Atholl 'rand Lod"e had "one so e 4ay to eet the situation by a,in" conciliatory chan"es also& Little real 3ro"ress see s to have been ade in the next three years& )he +u,e of #ussex beca e 'rand $aster of the 3re ier 'rand Lod"e in A3ril 181. and by +ece ber of that year the >nion 4as an established fact& Its achieve ent@ includin" the 3rinci3le of co 3lete unifor ity so stron"ly set out in the Articles@ had beco e a 3ersonal challen"e for the +u,e& )he success of a >nited 'rand Lod"e in the years follo4in" 181. 4as a atter of 3ersonal 3resti"e and finally of 3ersonal triu 3h for hi E it 4as not achieved 4ithout a "reat deal of careful and 3atient di3lo acy by the 'rand $aster hi self&

)he +u,e of #ussex 4as a 'rand $aster 4ho 4as very uch involved in asonry&= After the anner of his ti es he tended to be autocratic@

althou"h he a33eared ready to consider o3inion 3ut for4ard in a de ocratic anner& *e 4as ?uite 3re3ared to allo4 the Craft to be "overned by the aHority decision of 'rand Lod"e but@ if he ade 3ro3osals he ex3ected the to be 3assed@ de ocratic rule or not& *is interest in Ritual atters first sho4ed in his ta,in" 3art in the deliberations of the Lod"e of %ro ul"ationE this interest continued not only in the early years of the >nited 'rand Lod"e@ but ri"ht throu"h the rest of his life@ and uch that ha33ened in the s3here of control of Ritual 3ractice and instruction can be traced to hi & *e even su""ested to the 'rand Lod"es of Ireland and #cotland that they should consider follo4in" the 5n"lish 3ost-union for sE he 3robably felt that his 3osition in the Royal fa ily 4hen Ireland and #cotland 4ere subHect to the sa e rule as 5n"land allo4ed hi to a,e such a su""estion@ for he had no other authority in those soverei"n 'rand Lod"es&

)*5 L2+'5 2/ R5C26CILIA)I26 7ith so e ad hoc adHust ents@ atters 3roceeded very uch as 3lanned& )he >nion too, 3lace@ but the Re3resentatives fro Ireland and #cotland 4ere not able to be 3resent at such short notice& ( )hey did co e to London at the end of -une 1814 . and a33roved the for s 3ut for4ard as a result of the 4or, of the Lod"e of Reconciliation& )he lod"e then co enced@ in Au"ust 1814@ to 3ro ul"ate the ne4 for s by "ivin" de onstrations& Its e bers also visited lod"es t #ee %restonian Lecture for 196(@ entioned ante&

( $inutes of the eetin" on (7 +ece ber 181. for the >nion of the t4o for er 'rand Lod"es&

. )his eetin" resulted in the si"nin" of the International Co 3act 4hich still re"ulates relations 4ith these t4o 'rand Lod"ese &

7& 7onnacott@ ;)he Lod"e of Reconciliation A181.-1816B=@ ACC@ (.&

174 ;)*5 %R5#)26IA6 L5C)>R5#= as the Articles of >nion re?uired@ thou"h not al4ays in threes&= In 1814 and the early 3art of 1811@ by this de onstration and visitin"@ it atte 3ted to carry out its duty of ensurin" unifor ity in Ritual 4or,in"& By the later onths of 1811 there 4as so e concern that this desired unifor ity 4as not bein" achieved& )he inutes

for +ece ber 1811 of the 'eneral Co ittee@ 4hich et in the 4ee, before each Cuarterly Co unication of 'rand Lod"e to settle the a"enda@ contain a co ent by Rev *enry 1& !na33@ one of the 'rand Cha3lains@ ;that so ethin" ou"ht to be done for the sa,e of unifor ity and also that he should ove that the ode reco ended by the Lod"e of Reconciliation should be ado3ted=& !na33 4ithdre4 this notice of otion@ but %eter 'il,es( then said that he 4ould 3ut for4ard a 3etition to the 'rand $aster in si ilar ter s& 7hen his otion for the 3etition 4as not ta,en at the +ece ber Co unication@ 'il,es an"rily 3ut for4ard a otion for $arch 1816< )hat the Lod"e do sanction the #yste as 3ro ul"ated by the Lod"e of Reconciliation of initiatin" 3assin" and raisin" 4ith the exce3tion of the obli"ations 4hich have already received its #anction&

'il,es finally 4ithdre4 this otion@ but the 'rand $aster had decided to 3lace the 4hole of the ne4 ;for s= before 'rand Lod"e for a33roval& )hey 4ere 3ut before 'rand Lod"e in $ay and a33roved in -une 1816@ but the Lod"e of Reconciliation 4as not called to eet a"ain althou"h the 4or, "iven to it under the Articles of >nion 4as not co 3leted &. 657 L5C)>R5# Althou"h ;instruction= is entioned in connection 4ith the duties of the Lod"e of Reconciliation and their survivin" records contain occasional references to the subHect@ and to a re3ri and for 3rintin" ;infor ation on the subHect of $asonic Instruction=@ there is no direct reference to the co 3lication of Lectures nor to 4or,in" by that ethod& )he inutes of the lod"e 4hich are in the 'rand Lod"e Library refer ainly to those eetin"s to 4hich e bers of the Craft 4ere invited in order to 4itness de onstrations of Cere onies@ and no records re ain of other eetin"s held to co 3ile and a"ree the ne4 Ritual for s& )he $aster of the Lod"e 4as Rev #a uel *e in" and he did co 3ile a Lecture in the first +e"ree& #everal 4riters Aincludin" A& /& A& 7oodford@ R& /& 'ould@ 7& 7onnacott@ +r 2liver and *enry #adler@ the last 4hen re3ortin" a s3eech by )ho as /ennB1 have said that *e in" did not co 3lete the other t4o and so the tas, 4as "iven to 7illia 7illia s@ 4ho abandoned *e in"=s 4or, and started afresh& !no4n delays in the Lod"e of Reconciliation after 1814 ay have accounted for *e in" not co 3letin" his Lectures and for the Lod"e of Reconciliation "ivin" no for al "uide on instruction as its brief re?uired it to = ACC@ (.@ 3 (18 "ives a note of so e of these&

( /or details of the life of %eter 'il,es@ see A CC@ 84@ 3 (6:&

s A3art fro the res3onsibilities 3laced on the by the Articles of >nion& see letters 4ritten by %hili3 Broadfoot to the Lod"e of %robity& 6o 61@ in *alifax@ and ?uoted in their *istory&

#ee ACC@ (.@ 3 (4.&

1 7oodford@ 6otes on the 5n"lish Ritual< 'ould@ *istory of /ree asonry-althou"h he infers that this relates to Ritual and not Lectures< 7onnacott@ in ACC@ (.@ 3 (6:@ dis3utes this on the "round that the Ritual 4as settled and a33roved by 'rand lod"e< the s3eech by /enn 4as ade at the /estival of the 5 ulation Lod"e of I 3rove ent on (4 /ebruary 189. and the 3roceedin"s are re3orted at len"th@ 4ith co ents@ in #adler& Illustrated *istory of the 5 ulation Lod"e of I 3rove ent@ 33 1:.-16&

I6 #5ARC* 2/ RI)>AL >6I/2R$I)9 do&= If the +u,e of #ussex 4as anxious to "et instruction by Lectures started as soon as 3ossible and there 4ere delays by *e in" and the Lod"e of Reconciliation@ then his only course 4as to "ive the tas, of 3re3arin" a syste to so eone else& 7illia s 4as extre ely 3ro inent in asonic atters at that ti e& *e 4as the %rovincial 'rand $aster for +orsetshireE the ne4 Boo, of Constitutions in 1811 4as 3ublished in his na eE he 4as a e ber of the Lod"e of Reconciliation and a 3ro inent e ber of the 'rand #te4ards= Lod"e& It 4as under the ae"is of the 'rand #te4ards= Lod"e that the syste of Lectures co 3iled by 7illia s 4as ulti ately 3ro ul"ated&

)*5 'RA6+ #)57AR+#= L2+'5 %>BLIC 6I'*)# )he 'rand #te4ards= Lod"e enHoyed considerable standin"@ includin" that as a reference 3oint on Ritual atters& In the 3re ier 'rand Lod"e@ 4hich 4as the bi""er in nu bers at the ti e of the >nion@ for any years no Brother could be a33ointed a 'rand 2fficer unless he had first served as a 'rand #te4ard& )his 3laced the lod"e in a s3ecial 3osition of influence& /or any years their t4o 3ublic ni"hts in the year had 3rovided a se i-official de onstration of Ritual for s by eans of Lectures&= 7hen the Lod"e of %ro ul"ation had been for ed in 18:9 to revise the Ritual@ the Brother selected as $aster 4as -a es 5arnsha4@ then and for t4o further years@ $aster of the 'rand #te4ards= Lod"e& )he Lectures 4hich 7illia s

co 3iled@ based lar"ely@ but not co 3letely@ on those of %reston@ . 4ere brou"ht into use by the 'rand #te4ards= Lod"e at their 3ublic ni"hts and so@ fro the very start of 4hat beca e ,no4n as the 'rand #te4ards= Lod"e #yste @ it had the authority 4hich ca e fro the standin" and re3utation of that lod"e& It is not recorded 4hether the 'rand $aster had in ind that the s3onsorshi3 of the 'rand #te4ards= Lod"e should also be "iven to the ne4 syste co 3iled by 7illia s@ but@ if he had to abandon *e in"@ he could hardly have done better in the alternative he chose&

)he Lectures 4ere co 3iled durin" 1811 and 1816& At the 3ublic ni"ht in +ece ber 1811 the Lecture in the first +e"ree 4as 4or,ed - in the ne4 for consistin" of seven sections - 7illia #hadbolt@ the $aster@ bein" in the Chair& 4 #hadbolt 4as also the -unior 7arden of the Lod"e of Reconciliation and 4as in his second year as $aster of 'rand #te4ards=& 7illia 7illia s 4as elected $aster of 'rand #te4ards= Lod"e for 1816 and in $arch of that year the Lecture of the first +e"ree 4as a"ain the 4or, at the 3ublic ni"ht 4ith 7illia s in the Chair& *e 4as also in the Chair at the ensuin" +ece ber 3ublic ni"ht 4hen the ne4 Lectures of the second and third +e"rees@ consistin" of five and three sections res3ectively@ 4ere 4or,ed for the first ti e& 7illia s 4as re-elected as $aster for 1817 and 3resided at the t4o 3ublic ni"hts in that year& /or nearly fifty t Article J0 of Articles of >nion@ ?uoted ante&

K #ee note fro

/ree asons= $a"aIine@ 1818@ ?uoted ante&

. #ince the Lecture 4as 4ritten a boo, ori"inally 3resented to the Lod"e of All #ouls& 7ey outh@ in Au"ust 1816@ by 7illia 7illia s& has co e to li"ht& )his boo, contains a set of Lectures based on 3ost->nion Ritual@ but obviously usin" the syste set out in Bro4ne=s $aster !ey@ rather than %reston@ as a source& )he boo, 4ill be the subHect of a %a3er to the lod"e in 1974&

A closer study of the inutes of the 'rand #te4ards= Lod"e sho4s that the first ention of the nu ber of sections in each Lecture 4as in 1817& Althou"h the ne4 for of Lecture 4as 4or,ed in +ece ber 1811 and at both %ublic 6i"hts in 1816@ it is 3robable that the rearran"e ent into sections too, 3lace at the end of 1816& )he syste in Bro4ne=s $aster

!ey@ on 4hich the ne4 Lectures 4ere based@ 4as not divided into sections in ?uite the sa e 4ay as the seven@ five@ three syste found shortly after& I a "rateful to Brother /& -& Coo3er for 3ointin" this out to e&

171 176 ;)*5 %R5#)26IA6 L5C)>R5#= years these Lectures 4ere 4or,ed at 'rand #te4ards= Lod"e 3ublic ni"hts until lon" after the 4or, of Lod"es of Instruction in teachin" the Ritual had chan"ed to rehearsal of the Cere onies&= )he 3ublic ni"hts eventually ceased as uch fro havin" outlived their usefulness as fro any other cause&

A su ary of the 4or, and attendances at the 3ublic ni"hts illustrate the interest 4hich the Craft in London too, in the ne4 Lectures after they beca e established &( At the eleven 3ublic ni"hts fro $arch 18:7 to $arch 181(@ the hi"hest attendance 4as sixty-five@ the lo4est thirty-seven@ and the avera"e fiftyE the 4or, on all occasions 4as described as ;the usual Lectures=&

+ece ber 181(< ;a ost excellent Lecture in the )hird +e"ree=seventy-one 3resent& )his 4as about the ti e of the 3ublication of the first ,no4n syllabus of any 3art of %reston=s third Lecture Acontainin" the o3enin" and closin" and the basic Cere onyB& After the 4or, of the Lod"e of %ro ul"ation@ this re3resented the orthodox 4or,in"& )his 4or, 4as re3eated in $arch and +ece ber 181. 4hen the attendance 4as seventy-three and sixty-three res3ectively&

$arch 1814< ;Lod"e o3ened in the /irst +e"ree& R&7&$& and his 7arden favoured the Lod"e 4ith a ost excellent Lecture in that +e"ree=& /ifty-t4o 3resent& )his 4as in the 4aitin" 3eriod bet4een the >nion and the be"innin" of de onstration by the Lod"e of Reconciliation&

+ece ber 1814< ;$ode of initiatin" 3assin" and raisin" $asons accordin" to the 3lan laid do4n by the Lod"e of Reconciliation=& /ifty-t4o 3resent@ 7illia #hadbolt in the Chair&

+ece ber 1811 A$arch not heldB< /irst 4or,in" of the ne4 first Lecture of the 'rand #te4ards= #yste & /ifty-nine 3resent&

/ro 1816 the 4or, 4as consistently the ne4 first Lecture at the $arch eetin" and the ne4 second and third Lectures in +ece ber& Attendances 4ere< 7hen considerin" these fi"ures one ust have in ind that there 4ere 3robably not ore than seven or ei"ht hundred active asons livin" near the centre of London 4here the %ublic 6i"hts 4ere held &. 1816 $arch 11( 18(( $arch 168 +ece ber 69 +ece ber 164 1817 $arch 69 18(. $arch 119 +ece ber 67 +ece ber 1(: 1818 $arch 1:9 18(4 $arch 169 +ece ber 94 +ece ber@ no record 1819 $arch 118 18(1 $arch 174 +ece ber 14. +ece ber 119 18(: $arch 146 18(6 $arch 1.4 +ece ber 111 +ece ber 17( 18(1 $arch 16( 18(7 $arch 177 +ece ber 166 +ece ber 11. = )he 'rand #te4ards= Lod"e 3ublic ni"hts ceased in 1867& )he 4or, of Lod"es of Instruction for the teachin" of the CeUe onies had beco e rehearsal of Cere onies@ certainly by the early 184:s&

)he details of the 4or, and attendances at 'rand #te4ards= Lod"e 3ublic ni"hts are extracted fro the inute boo,s of th# lod"e&

/or details on lod"es eetin" to central London@ see a note 4ith a a3 contained in C& /& 7& +yer& 5 ulation -A Ritual to Re e ber& A197.B&

I6 #5ARC* 2/ RI)>AL >6I/2R$I)9 177 Althou"h no syste of instruction by Lectures 4as ever "iven official sanction by 'rand Lod"e@ the 'rand #te4ards= Lod"e #yste and Lectures had a sort of official acce3tance& )his syste beca e a standard for Ritual 4or,in" in London and a eans by 4hich instruction in the ne4 Ritual could be "iven and the %ublic 6i"hts for so e years 3rovided a 3oint of reference as to 4hat that standard 4as& )here are several references to the use of this syste in Lod"es of Instruction of that ti e&= )he #yste of the 'rand #te4ards= Lod"e 3rovided a solution to one half of the 3roble s of the 'rand $aster& *e had a standardised eans of instruction and had only to ensure that it 4as used& It 4ould have been si 3le to have 3rinted the 4hole thin" in boo, for as a record and a reference@ but the 3rintin" of anythin" 3ur3ortin" to "ive any clue to the Ritual 4as considered an extre ely serious offence& ( )he teachin" 4as done by oral eans@

althou"h any anuscri3t notes have survived& )he t4ice yearly %ublic 6i"hts 4ere not sufficient in the selves to 3rovide all the instruction that 4as re?uired and Lod"es of Instruction 4ere for ed to eet the need@ 4hile instruction 4as also "iven 3rivately by Brethren 4ho had ade a study of the ne4 for s&

Lod"e e bershi3 at this ti e 4as s all and any lod"es did not have anyone sufficiently ex3ert to instruct the @ so that a lod"e 4as not nor ally able to su33ort a Lod"e of Instruction restricted to its o4n e bers& )his "ave rise to the for ation of ;'eneral= Lod"es of Instruction or"anised by ,een ex3erts and 4hich any Brother see,in" instruction i"ht Hoin& 'eneral Lod"es of Instruction 4ere 3ro oted by "rou3s of Brethren or by Lod"es@ althou"h in the latter case ?uic, chan"e of e bershi3 could ean that 4ithin a year or t4o the Lod"e of Instruction had lost identity 4ith the Lod"e 4hich ori"inally 3ro oted it& In this s3ate of teachin" there had to be so e control of those 4ho tau"ht& 7here there 4as any sort of for al "atherin" for this 3ur3ose res3onsibility for teachin" and 3ractice could be 3laced fir ly on the officers of a re"ular Lod"e@ for 3ressures could be e 3loyed to a,e Lod"es confor & )hese controls 4ere set out in the re"ulations for the "overn ent of the Craft&

)*5 B22! 2/ C26#)I)>)I26# 2/ 1811 6e4 rules 4ere necessary for the "overn ent of the >nited Craft and s3eed in a33rovin" the 4as of vital i 3ortance& A co 3lete draft 4as stated to be ready at the Cuarterly Co unication in #e3te ber 1814@ Hust over ei"ht onths after the >nion@ but it 4as not i ediately 3ut for4ard so as to "ive ore ti e for ature consideration& It 4as laid before a s3ecial 'rand Lod"e on 1 /ebruary 1811@ and finally a33roved on (. Au"ust& )his ne4 Boo, of Constitutions 4as to re ain in force for a li ited 3eriod of three years fro 1 6ove ber 1811 so that revisions could be considered after so e ex3erience& )he ne4 Ritual for s had been 3ro ul"ated for the first ti e in Au"ust 1814 in the Lod"e of Reconciliation& 5ven by Au"ust 1811 it 4ould not have been 3ossible to assess the need for t /or exa 3le@ in the inutes of the Lod"e of 5 ulation@ 6o (1@ and in the $e orial sent to the 'rand $aster in 18.: by Ithe 5 ulation Lod"e of I 3rove ent&

/or exa 3le@ the case of Laurence )ho 3son in the Lod"e of Reconciliation - see ACC@ (.@ 3 (4.&

178 ;)*5 %R5#)26IA6 L5C)>R5#= control of instruction@ 3articularly as no for al syste had yet been devised in connection 4ith the ne4 for s& As a conse?uence@ the 1811 Boo, of Constitutions contains no re"ulations about Ritual 4or,in" other than one very ild in for < All Lod"es bein" 3articularly bound to observe the sa e usa"es and custo s@ it is reco ended that so e e bers of every lod"e shall be de3uted to visit the other lod"es as often as shall be found convenient@ in order to 3reserve unifor ity@ and to cultivate a "ood understandin" a on" free asons&

)*5 B22! 2/ C26#)I)>)I26# %>BLI#*5+ I6 1819 )he Board of 'eneral %ur3oses of 1817-18 undertoo, the revisin" of the Boo, of Constitutions@ and re3orted 4ith 3ro3osals for a end ent at the Cuarterly Co unication on . -une 1818& )he revisions 4ere ordered to be considered at a s3ecial 'rand Lod"e convened for the 3ur3ose on (9 -uly 1818E they 4ere a33roved at that eetin" and 4ere effective fro 1 6ove ber 1818& #o e of these ne4 re"ulations 4ere ai ed at the control of Lod"es of Instruction& )he 3rovision re"ardin" visitin" in the 1811 rules 4as included in the rules relatin" to lod"es@ but 4ith an i 3ortant addition< If any Lod"e shall "ive its sanction for a lod"e of instruction bein" holden under its 4arrant@ such lod"e shall be res3onsible that the 3roceedin"s in the lod"e of instruction are correct and re"ular@ and that the ode of 4or,in" there ado3ted@ has received the sanction of the "rand lod"e&

)here 4as also a co 3letely ne4 section< L2+'5# 2/ I6#)R>C)I26 6o "eneral lod"e of instruction shall be holden unless under the sanction of a re"ular 4arranted lod"e@ or by the s3ecial licence and authority of the "rand aster& )he lod"e "ivin" their sanction@ or the brethren to 4ho such licence is "ranted@ shall be ans4erable for the 3roceedin"s of such lod"e of instruction@ and res3onsible that the ode of 4or,in" there ado3ted has received the sanction of the "rand lod"e&

6otice of the ti es and 3laces of eetin" of the lod"es of instruction@ 4ithin the London district@ shall be "iven to the "rand secretary&

)he

inutes ,e3t of the 3roceedin"s of the Board at this ti e are not very

full and@ exce3t for the 3ro3osals for revision actually 3ut before 'rand Lod"e@ the only records of consideration of these revisions are< AiB an entry in +ece ber 1817 that lod"es 4ere circularised about 3ossible alterations - and this action 4as re3orted to 'rand Lod"e on 4 $arch 1818@ and AiiB a cry3tic note under /ebruary 1818 about re3lies to the circular - none of 4hich referred to Lod"es of Instruction& It is not 3ossible@ therefore@ to say 4hat circu stances had been found in the runnin" of Lod"es of Instruction bet4een 1811 and 1818 to a,e such control necessary& )here is e?ually no record of 4ho 3ut for4ard the 3ro3osals@ exce3t that they 4ere not ade by lod"es in res3onse to the circular& In vie4 of his later activity in this res3ect@ the 'rand $aster hi self ay have 3ut the for4ard&

)he 1811 Boo, of Constitutions as revised in 1818 4as re3ublished in /ebruary 1819& )he ethod of titlin" - still sho4in" it as the 1811 Boo, of Constitutions - has "iven rise to so e confusion because of the ease 4ith 4hich the 1819 revised edition can be ista,en for the ori"inal of 1811& In the %restonian Lecture for 191: Brother Ivor 'rantha states that the earliest ention of the control of I6 #5ARC* 2/ RI)>AL >6I/2R$I)9 179 Lod"es of Instruction by eans of rules in the Boo, of Constitutions 4as in that of 1811& 1 have had an o33ortunity of discussin" the atter 4ith hi and he told e that it 4as not until after the 3ublication of his %restonian Lecture that he had a33reciated that these re"ulations 4ere a on" the a end ents 3assed in 1818 and 4ere 3rinted for the first ti e in the revised edition 3ublished in 1819& )he 1811 Boo, of Constitutions@ as ori"inally 3assed and 3ublished@ contains no reference to the control of Lod"es of Instruction&

)he ne4 re"ulations of 1818@ althou"h i 3osin" control on all Lod"es of Instruction@ a,es a s3ecial 3oint of res3onsibility for "eneral Lod"es of Instruction& )he ode of 4or,in" ust be one a33roved by 'rand Lod"e& In 1818 this eant the Ritual for ulated by the Lod"e of Reconciliation 4hich had been a33roved by 'rand Lod"e in 1816E there 4as no other& It is not clear fro the second 3art of the ne4 rule on Lod"es of Instruction 4hether the re?uire ent to "ive notice to the 'rand #ecretary a33lied to all Lod"es of Instruction in London& )he re?uire ent to re"ister 4ithin the London district is understandable in relation to "eneral Lod"es of Instruction& In the years follo4in" the >nion there 4ere Hust over one hundred re"ular lod"es eetin" in the ne4ly-defined London district of ten iles radius around /ree asons= *all in 'reat Cueen #treet& $ore than half of these et in the central area - on the north of the river )ha es in a band about a ile 4ide and stretchin" about t4o iles each

side of /ree asons= *all& 1 6o other centre of 3o3ulation in the country had such a density of lod"esE in fact@ 4ith the 3ossible exce3tion of $anchester 4hich ay have had u3 to ten@ fe4 cities had as any as five lod"es@ so that the 3roble of the "eneral Lod"e of Instruction and 4hat it tau"ht 4as essentially one related to London& ( )hese re"ulations eant that a record of so e sort had to be ,e3t by the 'rand #ecretary fro 1818& A boo, has survived 4hich contains the infor ation@ a33arently fro the startE it is very rou"hly ,e3t@ but it see s li,ely that it 4as the actual re"ister& )he record is in the bac, of a boo, used for notes on other atters relatin" to the ad inistration of 'rand Lod"e 4hich ta,e u3 in all ninety-six 3a"es@ then after fifty blan, 3a"es@ six 3a"es of details of Lod"es of Instruction@ entered in various hand4ritin"s and obviously at different ti es& )he front label states that the boo, contains the 3articulars of 'rand 2fficers@ 'rand #te4ards and lod"es@ 18(: to 18(4@ but the last entry in the Lod"e of Instruction re"ister is dated ;11 #e3tr& 18.(=& 6o other entry is dated@ althou"h other evidence can "ive a33roxi ate dates& It is also clear that all lod"es 4hich should have re"istered did not do so .@ 4hile the record contains several ista,es and so e du3licate entries 4hich are erely chan"es of eetin" 3lace& It is interestin" to note that nearly half of the entries sho4 eetin"s on a #unday@ 4hich had for so e years already been a 3o3ular day for Lod"e of Instruction eetin"s& It 4as not until forty years later that such for al #unday eetin"s 4ere fro4ned on&

)*5 1819 C2$%LAI6) AB2>) L5C)>R5# )he a,in" of re"ular lod"es res3onsible for 4hat 4as tau"ht in Lod"es of Instruction 4as no sooner settled than the atter of a syste of instruction ca e = /or a a3 4ith lod"e eetin" 3laces in 18(6@ see C& /& 7& +yer@ 5 ulation - A Ritual to Re e ber& A197.B& a )he details of lod"es at this n e have been extracted fro Lane=s $asonic Records&

. #ee %ost& 2ne notable absentee 4as the 4ell ,no4n #tability Lod"e of Instruction&

18: ;)*5 %R5#)26IA6 L5C)>R5#= u3 a"ain& 2n ( -une 1819@ %eter 'il,es 3ro3osed in 'rand Lod"e ;that a Co ittee be a33ointed to investi"ate the anner in 4hich the Lectures of $asonry are no4 4or,ed=& )his 3ro3osal 4as not carried& )he 3robable reason for such a 3ro3osal in 'rand Lod"e is sho4n in co 3laints contained in t4o $e orials to the Board of 'eneral %ur3oses about the sa e ti e& )hey

4ere in relation to a ne4 and unauthorised Lecture bein" 4or,ed in "eneral Lod"es of Instruction by %hili3 Broadfoot@ )ho as #atterly and -a es $c5voy in 4hich@ a on" other thin"s@ ;subHects 4hich belon" to one de"ree are introduced into others=& )he $e orial as,ed the Board ;to 3ut a sto3 to such 3roceedin"s=& )he co 3laints 4ere investi"ated and the Board re3orted to 'rand Lod"e on 1 #e3te ber 1819< )hat the Board are of the o3inion that the char"es stated in the said $e orials are not ade out althou"h they ust at the sa e ti e state their deliberate Hud"e ent that no Individuals have any ri"ht to a,e a ne4 Lecture and 3ro ul"ate the sa e to the Craft as authorised 4ithout receivin" the authority of the 'rand $aster or 'rand Lod"e for such a Lecture@ but they also feel that the Individuals co 3lained of had no i 3ro3er otives&

and later in the sa e re3ort< the Board are of 23inion that the Lecture co 3lained of should not be further 3ro ul"ated in any 'eneral Lod"e of Instruction at this ti e and that the 'rand Lod"e be re?uested at the eetin" in +ece ber to ado3t easures in order to have Lectures established for the three +e"rees under the sanction of the Craft&

%hili3 Broadfoot and )ho as #atterly 4ere leadin" e bers of the #tability Lod"e of Instruction 4hich they had established in +ece ber 1817&1 )hey had both been e bers of the Lod"e of Reconciliation@ althou"h they 4ere not a33ointed to fill vacancies until +ece ber 1814 ( - by 4hich ti e@ or very shortly after@ it is 3robable that Rev #a uel *e in"@ its $aster@ had "iven u3 his 4or, on Lectures and the tas, had been transferred to 7illia 7illia s& /ro later records of the #tability Lod"e of Instruction@ 4e ,no4 that the Lecture in the first +e"ree 4hich they consistently 4or,ed 4as co 3iled by *e in"& . It see s li,ely that@ if other Lectures 4ere co 3iled as the co 3laint i 3lies@ they 4ere dro33ed as a result of the Board=s co ents@ for the records of #tability Lod"e of Instruction sho4 that@ throu"h the 18(:s@ the Lecture in the first +e"ree 4as the only one 4or,ed&

)he +u,e of #ussex 4as not 3resent at the #e3te ber eetin" at 4hich this re3ort of the Board 4as 3resented@ althou"h several 4ere@ includin" *e in"@ 4ho i"ht have been a4are of the situation& If easures 4ere ado3ted to establish officially sanctioned Lectures@ the se i-official syste of the 'rand #te4ards= Lod"e i"ht have to be re-exa ined@ 4ith further bic,erin" of the sort that had occurred at the ti e of tryin" to settle the Ritual only five years before& )he day 4as saved by a resolution bein"

carried that it 4as unnecessary to ado3t the reco endation of the Board on sanctioned Lectures as the otion for a Co ittee had been ne"atived at the 3revious 'rand Lod"e& )his e3isode reflects the feelin" about unifor ity in those 4ho attended 'rand Lod"e at that ti e@ althou"h so e ado3ted a ore ri"id a33roach than others& )hose 4ho felt = #ee /& 7& 'olby@ A Century of $asonic 7or,in"& A19(1B& ( #ee A CC@ (.@3 (..&

. #ee /& 7& 'olby& A Century of $asonic 7or,in"@ 3 6(&

I6 #5ARC* 2/ RI)>AL >6I/2R$I)9 181 that a for ally sanctioned syste 4as the best 4ay of achievin" co 3lete unifor ity ade a further atte 3t at the next Cuarterly Co unication on 1 +ece ber 1819& )hey 4ere@ ho4ever@ unsuccessful in see,in" to restore the Board=s reco endation for sanctioned Lectures& )he 'rand $aster 4as in the Chair at this +ece ber eetin" and he ade a 3ronounce ent on the subHect 4hich 4as ?uite uncharacteristic of his ,no4n 4ish for co 3lete unifor ity@ but 4hich di3lo atically reflected the obvious feelin" of the aHority< )he $&7& 'rand $aster then addressed the Brethren on the subHect of the Lectures 4hen he stated that it 4as his o3inion that so lon" as the $aster of any Lod"e observed exactly the Land $ar,s of the Craft he 4as at liberty to "ive the Lectures in the Lan"ua"e best suited to the Character of the Lod"e over 4hich he 3residedE )hat ho4ever no 3erson 4as 3er itted to 3ractise as an Itinerant Lecturer to other Lod"es 4hich 4as decidedly a"ainst the Rules and re"ulations of the Craft and that Brethren of different Lod"es convenin" the selves for the 3ur3ose of a Lecture 4ithout a re"ular 7arrant or other #anction fro the 'rand $aster 4ere li,e4ise "uilty of dereliction of their duty to4ards the 'rand Lod"e@ and 4hich of course if ,no4n 4ould be noticed and 3roceeded a"ainst accordin"ly & & &

Brethren fro different lod"es eetin" to 4or, a Lecture is a fair descri3tion of a "eneral Lod"e of Instruction and sho4s the 'rand $aster=s interest in the recently 3assed rules& *is 3ronounce ent about freedo to use suitable lan"ua"e "ave no authority for any different Lectures@ nor for any chan"e in the basic illustrations and sy bolis contained in the "enerally acce3ted Lectures of the ti e& *is 3ronounce ent has been inter3reted@ 3articularly 4hen read in later years 4ith the 3resent rule 111@ to ean that the Ritual could be 4or,ed usin" any 4ords at the $aster=s discretion& 7hen it is considered that the

+u,e had "one to so e trouble a fe4 years before to have certain 3arts of the Cere onies a33roved in detail@ 2bli"ations bein" a 3articular exa 3le@ and 4ith his ,no4n efforts for a hi"h de"ree of unifor ity@ I thin, such co 3lete freedo 3uts too 4ide an inter3retation on the +u,e=s 4ords& It is of interest to note that %hili3 Broadfoot 4as a e ber of the Board of 'eneral %ur3oses 4hich dealt 4ith the 1818 revisions and that )ho as #atterly 4as a e ber in the year that the co 3laints 4ere dealt 4ithE yet their #tability Lod"e of Instruction does not a33ear to have "iven notice to the 'rand #ecretary in ter s of the 1818 rule@ for its na e is not in the re"ister 4hich contains the record u3 to 18.(&

)*5 1819 B22! 2/ C26#)I)>)I26# I6 %RAC)IC5 7ith rules and a syste of instruction@ everythin" 4as no4 ade 4ater-ti"ht so far as Authority 4as concerned@ but it is to be 4ondered if the avera"e Brother-inthe-Lod"e realised fully that the re"ulations existed@ or 4hat they eant& Initiates did not receive a co3y of the Boo, of Constitutions for the selves and there 4as 3robably only one in the lod"e -if the #ecretary had bothered to "et it& A circular 4as issued to lod"es in 2ctober 1819@ over a year after the ne4 rules 4ere 3assed< )hose Lod"es 4hich have not yet 3rovided the selves 4ith the 3resent Code of LA7# A6+ R5'>LA)I26# 2/ )*5 #2CI5)9 are hereby re inded of the 6ecessity of bein" 3ossessed of a co3y& )he 5x3ense is )4enty #hillin"s& #uch Lod"es as ay not yet have sent u3 their boo,s to have the #heets@ containin" the revised La4s@ inserted@ are 18( ;)*5 %R5#)26IA6 L5C)>R5#= a"ain re?uested to trans it the to the 'rand #ecretary free of 5x3ense and they 4ill be returned 4ithout additional char"e&

Lod"e #ecretaries 4ere casual about "ettin" co3ies at all and the ne4 re"ulations@ althou"h su arised in the circulated re3ort of the Cuarterly Co unication of #e3te ber 1818@ 4ere not li,ely to be 4ell ,no4n and a33reciated& 7ith the turnover of e bers and officers@ the rules re"ardin" the sanctionin" of Lod"es of Instruction could 4ell "o out of ind 4ithout constant re inder& 5ven 4here they 4ere re e bered@ there could be doubt as to 4ho@ as a 3erson@ 4as res3onsible if it 4as the Lod"e that 4as ans4erable-and the ost obvious ans4er 4as the $aster for the ti e bein"& Althou"h the situation i"ht be a33reciated at the ti e the sanction for a Lod"e of Instruction 4as "iven@ no thou"ht i"ht be "iven to the 3osition a fe4 years later 4hen the officers had chan"ed and there 4as no lon"er any real connection bet4een the e bers of the Lod"e of Instruction and its sanctionin" lod"e@ 4hose then e bers i"ht not even be a4are of any res3onsibility& As an exa 3le@ this is

de onstrated in the records of the Castle Lod"e and its Lod"e of Instruction@ the inute boo,s for that 3eriod of both bodies bein" in the 'rand Lod"e Library& In 2ctober 1819 the inutes of the Lod"e of Instruction< observe 4ith the "reatest re"ret the 6e"lect of the $aster L 2fficers of the Re"ular Castle Lod"e 6o& .9 in totally absentin" the selves fro their duty to the Lod"e of Instruction&

)he Lod"e of Instruction had ori"inally been 3ro oted by the lod"e@ 3robably before the 1818 revisions had beco e ,no4n& Because of this ne"lect@ the Lod"e of Instruction decided to chan"e its eetin" 3lace to an address ore convenient to those e bers 4ho attended& )he $aster of the lod"e at its eetin" on 6 +ece ber announced that the Lod"e of Instruction 4ere eetin" only to instruct the selves and not under the sanction of the Castle Lod"e& )he lod"e inutes contain no reference to this but a full re3ort is recorded in the inutes of the Lod"e of Instruction for 1( +ece ber& )he Lod"e of Instruction then resolved< )his Lod"e of Instruction 4ill feel ha33y to hold their future eetin"s under the sanction of the Castle Lod"e of /ree asons 6o .9@ it a33earin" by the resolutions of the 'rand Lod"e that the sanction of a $aster of a re"ular Lod"e is necessary has AsicB if such sanction is necessary 4ill forth4ith 3lace the selves under the sanction of the Lod"e of /elicity 6o 71 Bro& 7al sley the $aster of that Lod"e havin" ost handso ely offered his sanction to our eetin" in case such sanction be 4ithheld by the Castle Lod"e 6o .9&

)he brethren 3resent on that occasion see to have the i 3ression that it 4as the $aster=s sanction 4hich attered& )his Lod"e of Instruction is the subHect of the second entry in the re"ister ,e3t by the 'rand #ecretaries of the eetin" 3laces notified to the & It is one of those entries carelessly ade@ for it has been entered as Castle Lod"e of *ar ony 4hich 4as 6o (9 in those days&

)he ?uestion also arises as to 4hether sanction 4as al4ays "iven by a lod"e 4ith a due sense of res3onsibility& )he Lod"e of *o3e "ave its sanction for the eetin" of the 5 ulation Lod"e of Instruction Alater called ;Lod"e of I 3rove ent=B in 18(. 4hen -ose3h +ennis@ the $aster of *o3e@ 4as the only e ber to Hoin the Lod"e of Instruction& )he lod"e inutes even "ive the 4ron" na e to the eetin" I6 #5ARC* 2/ RI)>AL >6I/2R$I)9 18. 3lace& +urin" the next three years only t4o other e bers of the lod"e Hoined the Lod"e of Instruction and durin" the

six and a half years that the Lod"e of *o3e aintained the sanction@ only ei"ht of its e bers Hoined& In 18.: only one 4as in re"ular attendance&

)*5 '$=s C2$$>6ICA)I26 A6+ C2$$A6+ I6 18.: In 18(7 a ne4 edition of the Boo, of Constitutions 4as 3ublished but no chan"e 4as ade in the rules "overnin" Lod"es of Instruction& At the Cuarterly Co unication in $arch 18.:@ the 'rand $aster 4as not 3resent@ but he sent a ;Co unication and Co and= 4hich 4as read in 'rand Lod"e& *e directed that in future@ at eetin"s of Lod"es of Instruction@ the Chair ust be ta,en by the $aster or a %ast $aster of the sanctionin" re"ular lod"e& )here are records of the reaction to this direction in the #t $ichael=s Lod"e of Instruction and in the 5 ulation Lod"e of I 3rove ent& In both cases they could not co 3ly because the e bershi3 did not include enou"h %ast $asters of the sanctionin" Lod"e to enable the to continue eetin" and so in both cases the Lod"e of Instruction sou"ht the hel3 of the lod"e 4hich 3rovided the ost e bers of the Lod"e of Instruction and as,ed to be sanctioned by that lod"eE in both cases they 4ere successful& Lod"es of Instruction@ and 3articularly "eneral Lod"es of Instruction@ tended in those days to be se3arate or"anisations fro their sanctionin" lod"esE the connection 4as sli"ht and could be chan"ed at 4ill& )his ay or ay not have been 4hat the 'rand $aster 4anted@ but his direction re inded the Lod"es of Instruction 4here they stood& )he 4or, 4as at that ti e lar"ely controlled fro the Chair in Lod"es of Instruction and it 4as i 3ortant that ade?uately s,illed brethren should be available if a Lod"e of Instruction 4as to flourish&

)he inutes of 'rand Lod"e for . $arch 18.: do not a,e any reference at all to the Co unication and Co and and no further action see s to have been ta,en over the 'rand $aster=s 3ro3osal@ althou"h its very readin" in 'rand Lod"e had had so e effect& It is li,ely that control over the teachin" of Lod"es of Instruction 4as not 4hat the 'rand $aster had in ind on that occasion& #hortly before this eetin" of 'rand Lod"e it had been re3orted to the Board of 'eneral %ur3oses that Candidates 4ho had been re"ularly initiated 4ere bein" 3assed and raised at eetin"s 4hich 4ere erely Lod"es of Instruction and it 4as 3robably this sort of irre"ularity the 'rand $aster 4ished to deal 4ith& In $ay 18.: the $asters of Royal Athelstan@ $ount $oriah@ Royal -ubilee and %ercy Lod"es 4ere su oned to attend the Board to ans4er such co 3laints& )he 'rand $aster see s to have settled the atter 4ith so e di3lo acy and 4ithout drastic action and this ay account for the Co unication and Co and bein" o itted fro the 'rand Lod"e

inutes and for there bein" no follo4 u3 to the 3ro3osal&

)*5 'RA6+ $A#)5R=# LIC56C5 5ver since 6ove ber 1818 the Boo, of Constitutions has included@ in the rules "overnin" Lod"es of Instruction@ 3rovision for such lod"es to be held under licence direct fro the 'rand $aster& 5 ulation Lod"e of I 3rove ent 4as one of the "eneral Lod"es of Instruction affected by the 'rand $aster=s Co unication and Co and in 18.:@ but before it too, the course of findin" another 184 ;)*5 %R5#)26IA6 L5C)>R5#= re"ular lod"e to sanction its eetin"@ it 3etitioned the 'rand $aster for such a licence direct fro hi &= )his 4as refusedE 4hether the result i"ht have been different had not the 'rand $aster 4ithdra4n the 3rovisions of his Co unication and Co and it is not 3ossible to say& It 4as 3ractically one hundred years before the only other recorded instance of invo,in" this 3rovision& )his 4as in connection 4ith a Lod"e of Instruction held in the China /leet in 19(9@ 4hen the Lod"e of Instruction i"ht be held in any one of several asonic districts& In this case the licence 4as "ranted@ the 'rand #ecretary=s letter dated (4 $ay 19(9 to the +istrict 'rand #ecretary of 6orthern China@ readin"< )he conditions are of course exce3tional& I thin, the 3osition i"ht be et by the 'rand $aster "ivin" authority for the holdin" of the Lod"e of Instruction if the +istrict 'rand $aster 4ill underta,e the necessary su3ervision&

In that event@ this letter 4ill act as authority to 3roceed&

)*5 18.8 A$56+$56)# +urin" the 18.:s the +u,e of #ussex 4as for a ti e virtually blind and his activities 4ere reduced& It is 3ossible that the ne"lect to ,ee3 u3 the re"ister of eetin" 3laces of Lod"es of Instruction after 18.( 4as a result of this& After an o3eration his si"ht 4as 3artially restored and he returned to so ethin" a33roachin" his for er 3o4ers& In 18.8 he 3ersonally 3ut for4ard further a end ents to the Boo, of Constitutions to i 3rove the su3ervision of Lod"es of Instruction& ( )hese a end ents 4ere the addition of t4o 3ara"ra3hs to that already in force< (& Lod"es of Instruction shall ,ee3 a inute of all Brethren 3resent at each eetin" and of Brethren a33ointed to hold office@ and such inutes shall be 3roduced 4hen called for by the "rand aster@ board of "eneral 3ur3oses@ or the lod"e "rantin" the sanction and the inutes shall be sub itted& to the 4orshi3ful aster of the lod"e "ivin" its sanction&

.& If a lod"e 4hich has "iven its sanction for a lod"e of instruction bein" held under its 4arrant shall see fit@ it ay at any re"ular eetin" 4ithdra4 that sanction by a resolution of the lod"e@ to be co unicated to the lod"e of instruction& %rovided notice of the intention to 4ithdra4 the sanction be inserted in the su ons for the eetin"&

$ost Lod"es of Instruction see to have ,e3t inutes@ but the 3rovision for the to be sub itted as a atter of routine to the $aster of the sanctionin" lod"e 4ould be an effective control if carried out& It is 3robable that it did not 4or,@ for it 4as deleted in the 181. edition& It is not clear fro the ne4 rule . itself 4hether the 4ithdra4in" of sanction constituted any real 3enalty& Lod"es of Instruction had 3reviously been able to see, ne4 s3onsors if they 4ished@ so that it ay have been the 'rand $aster=s intention that a Lod"e of Instruction 4as closed do4n if its sanction 4as 4ithdra4nE the rules did not a,e this co 3letely clear for another one hundred years& . )hese 18.8 a end ents 4ere included in the 1841 edition of the Boo, of Constitutions A4ith inor adHust ents to the 4ordin" of the old rulesB& In that =/or details of the $e orial to the 'rand $aster and the re3ly@ see C& /& 7& +yer@ 5 ulation -A Ritual to Re e ber& A197.B /or further details of the China /leet Lod"e of Instruction@ see Ivor 'rantha @ Lod"es of Instruction@ their ori"in and develo3 ent@ the %restonian Lecture for 191:@ and )he China /leet Lod"e of Instruction@ a 3a3er 3resented by A& *& Carter to the %aul Chater Lod"e of Installed $asters@ 6o 1.91@ in *on" !on"& AA co3y of the 3a3er is the 'rand Lod"e LiNrary&B )he 3roceedin"s state that the 3ro3osals 4ere 3ut for4ard by the +u,e& . #ee Rule 1.1@ B of C 4hich 4as first included the 194: edition&

I6 #5ARC* 2/ RI)>AL >6I/2R$I)9 181 sa e year the official Calendar@ for the first ti e since the 3assin" of the 1818 re"ulations@ contained 3articulars of ;Lod"es of Instruction 4hich have "iven notice of their eetin"s in confor ity 4ith the la4s of the 'rand Lod"e= so revivin" the re"ister 4hich had not been ,e3t u3 after 18.(& 2nly three such lod"es 4ere includedE the fact that they 4ere listed in the na e of the sanctionin" lod"e stresses that that 4as 4here it 4as considered the res3onsibility lay& )here 4ere any ore than three Lod"es of Instruction in London at that ti e@ but this 3ublication at least sho4s that after the 3assin" of the additional rules in 18.8@ so eone 4as sho4in" concern@ and in the 184( and 184. Calendars the nu ber of entries increased to nine& )his still did not reflect all the Lod"es of Instruction 4hich should have ade a return&

)he +u,e of #ussex died at the a"e of seventy in 184.& )here had been so e challen"e to his rule in the last five or six years of his life and so e of the re"ulations he had been instru ental in 3uttin" into the Boo, of Constitutions had not al4ays been ,e3t to the letter& But his fir and 3ersonally involved rule durin" ost of his thirty years as 'rand $aster had been for the "ood of the Craft& *e had seen the >nion throu"h and established the >nited 'rand Lod"e 4ith a success that fe4 others of his ti e could have achieved& *is insistence on unifor ity@ 3articularly in the s3here of Ritual 3ractice@ had a very aterial effect@ for the 18.:s ended 4ith still virtually one unifor syste of 4or,in"@ at least so far as London and its environs 4ere concerned& I have ta,en considerable s3ace over the efforts he ade to aintain this unifor ity in Ritual for s@ but as the for s 4hich he sou"ht to i 3ose 4ere only 3ro ul"ated after the >nion@ it 4as natural that such efforts needed to be stron"est i ediately after their introduction and that the +u,e@ as the s3onsor@ should be concerned all his life to try to ,ee3 the for s unchan"ed&

1 )*5 5RA 2/ I6620A)I26 In the years i ediately follo4in" the >nion there had been considerable asonic activity but lod"es tended to be s all and e bershi3 chan"ed very ?uic,ly& In the consolidation 4hich ha33ened naturally after about 18(:@ activity slo4ed and the 4ea,est lod"es either closed do4n or a al"a ated 4ith others& )his tendency to consolidate continued still further in the 18.:s@ so that by the end of that decade there 4ere any fe4er lod"es 4or,in"@ both in London and the %rovinces@ than there had been t4enty-five years earlier& A revival of interest started about 184: and "ained steady o entu over the next fifteen years& After that it develo3ed into the tre endous ex3ansion in asonry reflected in the increase in the nu ber of active lod"es in the 186:s and 187:s& )his revival of interest also brou"ht 3ressures for chan"e 4hich caused the next fifty years to beco e an era of innovation&

2//ICIAL C26)R2L# Control@ so far as Lod"es of Instruction 4ere concerned@ 4as no inally aintained in the rules of the Boo, of Constitutions and@ exce3t for the deletion of the re?uire ent for inutes to be sub itted to the $aster of the sanctionin" lod"e@ the rules re ained co 3letely unaltered@ other than for sli"ht rearran"e ents of 186 ;)*5 %R5#)26IA6 L5C)>R5#= 4ords@ until 1884& )he re"ister 4hich 4as no4 3ublished in the Calendar continued to be aintained and the nu ber of lod"es sho4n increasedE in 181: there 4ere t4enty-one on the

list@ but althou"h the rule referred only to London@ the list included a Liver3ool lod"e& $any lod"es did ,ee3 control over the Lod"es of Instruction 4hich they sanctioned@ even those 4hich 4ere of a "eneral nature@ by retainin" the a33oint ent of the ;directors=@ as 3rece3tors 4ere than called@ in their o4n hands@ but as the rules had no bite@ they did not necessarily 3revent chan"es in the for s& In 1891@ 0ictorian influence had an effect@ for the Board of 'eneral %ur3oses ruled that Lod"es of Instruction eetin" on #undays should not be included in the Calendar&

)*5 )>'-2/-7AR )he death of the +u,e of #ussex re oved a stron" control& )he 5arl of Ketland 4as 'rand $aster for the next t4enty-seven yearsE 4ith his ore 4ithdra4n attitude and 4ith so e slac,ness in the 'rand Lod"e ad inistration as 7& *& 7hite@ the 'rand #ecretary@ "ot older@ there 4as less restraint on those 4ho i"ht not 4ish to confor co 3letely to 4hat had been laid do4n thirty years before& )he asonic 3ress of the 184:s and 181:s contains references 4hich lead e to believe that a tu"-of-4ar too, 3lace bet4een those 4ho 4ished to e bellish and innovate and those 4ho 4ished to 3reserve the for s of the >nion unaltered& )hat so e still felt that the for s 4ere sacrosanct is sho4n by a reaction to the 'rand $aster=s o4n 3ro3osal in #e3te ber 1847 that ;free born= should no lon"er a33ly and that all 4ho 4ere free should be eli"ible& It 4as 3ointed out to hi in 'rand Lod"e that this 4as contrary to the Lectures - to 4hich he re3lied that the Lectures ust be altered&= +urin" his lifeti e the +u,e of #ussex@ althou"h no inally interested@ had succeeded in 3layin" do4n the any additional de"rees 4hich flourished 3rior to the >nion in association 4ith Craft lod"es& *e 4as co itted to a Craft of ;three de"rees and no ore=E he had his hands full in achievin" a co 3lete union in that s3here and additional de"rees had to be outside the Craft& )here 4ere stirrin"s in the additional de"rees in the last fe4 years of the +u,e=s rule 4hich cul inated in the re-establish ent of the Ancient and Acce3ted Rite and the $ar, +e"ree& 2ther de"rees also flourished-to an extent that in 1884 the 'rand Council for the Allied +e"rees 4as for ed to 3rovide an or"anisation& It is difficult no4@ and 4as 3robably e?ually difficult then@ for the avera"e ason to se3arate co 3letely in his ind the ulti3licity of Ritual for s as he ac?uired additional de"rees& In so e lod"es today@ for s are used 4hich 3atently have been borro4ed fro other de"reesE this tendency@ alon" 4ith the revival of 3re-union 3ractices 4hich had been arbitrarily dro33ed by the Lod"e of Reconciliation@ and the borro4in"s fro Irish@ #cottish and 3robably Bristol 4or,in"s@ affected the detailed 4or, of individual 5n"lish lod"es& A corres3ondent co 3lained in the /ree asons= $a"aIine in 1819 of the ado3tion of 3ractices fro other Constitutions in

the 4or,in" of 5n"lish lod"es situated overseas&

In 1848 the asons of Bir in"ha 4ere concerned about lac, of unifor ity and as,ed 5 ulation Lod"e of I 3rove ent in London to send so eone 1 $inutes of 'rand Lod"e@ 1 #e3te ber 11147&

I6 #5ARC* 2/ RI)>AL >6I/2R$I)9 187 to instruct the E as a result 7illia *oney of Royal Athelstan Lod"e s3ent a onth in Bir in"ha holdin" instruction classes&= In 1849 the /ree asons= Cuarterly Revie4 derided %eter )ho son and *enry $u""erid"e@ the leadin" li"hts of #tability Lod"e of Instruction@ for teachin" exactly 4hat they had the selves been tau"ht& At the sa e ti e it a33lauded #& B& 7ilson@ %resident of 5 ulation for his liberal attitude& In 1818 the /ree asons= $a"aIine@ successor to the Cuarterly@ too, a co 3letely o33osite vie4 and in an article on ;>nifor ity of 7or,in"= 4as ur"in" #tability and 5 ulation to ,ee3 their 3ro ises to "et to"ether and 4or, to the sa e Ritual and 3ointin" out in detail ho4 s all 4ere the differences bet4een the E ( at the sa e ti e they u3braided the 'rand #te4ards= Lod"e for its loss of authority@ 3resti"e and leadershi3 in its %ublic 6i"hts@ and the 'rand $aster for not ensurin" that the %restonian Lecture 4as "iven ably and 3ublicly& In 1861 the 'rand #te4ards= Lod"e for ed a Co ittee to revise the Lectures& >lti ately 'rand Lod"e too, note and in 1869 a33ointed a co ittee of thirty-nine brethren to "o into the 4hole ?uestion of unifor ity of Ritual& -ohn *avers@ 4ho had been tryin" since 1817 to brin" Hust #tability and 5 ulation to"ether@ 3ointed out the i 3ossibility of the tas,@ 3articularly 4ith a co ittee of thirty-nine@ and the atter 4as dro33ed& Chan"e 4on as it al4ays 4ill@ and 4ith the rise by the 187:s of the various differin" syste s into reco"nisably different 4or,in"s@ it is unli,ely that any one of those syste s retained in its entirety the for s 4hich the +u,e of #ussex tried so hard to 3er3etuate&

'RA6+ #)57AR+#= L2+'5 %>BLIC 6I'*)# Althou"h throu"h the 18.:s and 184:s the %ublic 6i"hts continued to attract any visitors@ the attendance 4as not on the scale of the 18(:s@ 4hile it beca e increasin"ly difficult to find e bers of the lod"e 3re3ared to su33ort the de onstrations& )y3ical attendances 4ere thirteen e bers and seventy visitors in 1847 and nine e bers and sixty-six visitors in 181(&. By 1817 the nu bers had fallen drastically@ total attendances at the t4o eetin"s bein" t4enty-six and forty& As lod"es 4ere by then 4or,in" to syste s containin" differences fro that ex3lained in the 'rand

#te4ards= Lod"e Lectures@ the %ublic 6i"hts lost their a33eal& In $arch 1867 only five e bers attended - one 4or,in" four of the seven sections - alon" 4ith t4enty visitors& After this the %ublic 6i"hts 4ere discontinued&

An i 3ortant atter in the 187:s 4as the i 3lied relaxin" of the co 3lete ban@ 4hich had existed since before the >nion@ on the 3rintin" and 3ublishin" of anythin" 3ur3ortin" to "ive infor ation on Ritual for s& )here had been 3rinted boo,s before this@ but these had been either ex3osures@ 4hich had had no authorityE or 3ublications by such en as 'eor"e Claret@ 4ho 4ere under a33robriu E or anony ous 3ublications 4here the author could not be traced& About the end of 187:@ -ohn *o""@ a e ber of 2a, Lod"e 6o 19:@ 3ublished )he ( /ree asons= Cuarterly Revie4@ 1848@ 33 .69-7:&

n( )hese 4ere stated to be AaB 3osition of 7$ 4hen co unicatin" the secrets of I= and (=E AbB 1 4or,in" toolsE AcB ex3lanation and derivation of /C snE AdB "ivin" of $$ bad"eE AeB so e uni 3ortant verbal distinctions alto"ether efli"ible differences 4hen considered in the context of the co 3lete Ritual of the three +e"rees&

/ree asons= Cuarterly $a"aIine& 181:@ 3 7:@ offers a co ent on the 3ublic ni"hts< ;It is our fir conviction that the Lectures as delivered in the 'rand #te4ards= Lod"e@ thou"h differin" fre?uently fro the sa e lectures as tau"ht in one or t4o of the London Lod"es of Instruction@ as far as re"ards the exact 4ords@ yet adherin" to the sa e land ar,s@ ust ever 3rove e inently useful to the Craft & & &= 188 ;)*5 %R5#)26IA6 L5C)>R5#= %erfect Cere onies of Craft $asonry and 3ublicised it freely& *e did not at that ti e "ive his na e to the 3ublication but issued it as ;A Le4is=@ "ivin" his 3rivate address in Raven 0illas@ *a ers ith& In 1874@ still a e ber of the Craft and tradin" under his o4n na e in %aternoster Ro4@ London@ he used this ne4 business address for further editions of the boo, so that he 4as readily identifiable& 6o action 4as ta,en by Authority a"ainst hi & As a result Ritual syste s could be ade o3enly available in 3rinted for for all 4ho 4ished to follo4 the & After the colla3se of the 1869 atte 3t to restore unifor ity@ so e brethren too, the o33ortunity to co 3ile revised versions of the Ritual@ either to vary the "ra ar of the traditional 4or,in"s@ or to render the illustrations nearer to *oly 7rit@ or Hust to "ive rein to their o4n 3articular or local 3references and other4ise to brin" the Ritual ;u3-to-date=& )his further 3laced beyond

all ho3e the 3ros3ect of the unifor ity 4hich the +u,e of #ussex tried so hard to brin" about and ca e so near to achievin" durin" his rule&

%RI6)5+ RI)>AL B22!# )he effect of the 3rinted 4ord cannot be over-e 3hasised in its controllin" influence on Ritual 3ractice& )he avera"e ason loo,s for hel3 of this nature and has al4ays done so@ as the 3o3ularity of the use of ;ex3osures= as Ritual boo,s sho4ed before the >nion@ 4hen no other such source 4as available& In ore odern days the avera"e ason has co e to re"ard anythin" that "ets into 3rint as bein" un?uestionably ri"ht and he a,es no en?uiry as to its authenticity& Richard Carlile 3rinted in )he Re3ublican in 18(1 an ex3osure of Craft Ritual&= )his 4as re3rinted in boo,let for in 18.1@ 4ith so e revisions& Carlile 3ublished the first edition hi self but a nu ber of later editions@ ex3anded to include additional de"rees@ ca e to the ar,et throu"h other 3ublishers& ( Carlile 4as not a ason& It is 3robable that the 3ublication of Carlile=s boo, and its use as a Ritual aid caused 'eor"e Claret to start to 3ublish asonic boo,lets and in 18.8 he 3roduced a Ritual boo,& It 4ent throu"h four editions in the first ten years and continued throu"h other editions at least until 187.@ even after Claret hi self had disa33eared fro the scene& ( Claret@ 4ho had been 3ro inent in Ritual teachin"@ stated ?uite freely that he introduced alternatives and variations of his o4n@ and succeedin" editions tend to sho4 the 3ro"ress of chan"e fro the 184:s to the 186:s& Claret 4as not 3roceeded a"ainst by any AuthorityE by the ti e he 3ublished the boo, he had been so often the subHect of various co 3laints that he 4as no lon"er an active ason& )he only action ta,en in the early years 4as to atte 3t to discoura"e the use of his boo,s@ a 3olicy 4hich 4as ?uite ineffective& In the 184:s his boo, 4as noted to be in use but still no action 4as ta,en@ althou"h in 1819 -& $ott )hurle@ a boo,seller@ 4as brou"ht before the Board of 'eneral %ur3oses for obtainin" the boo, 3rivately for ,no4n asons&

In 1847 'eor"e Bradsha4 of #t #4ithin=s Lane@ London offered a Ritual boo, for sale& ( )he address "iven 4as@ durin" the 4hole of the ti e that Bradsha4 used it@ a 3ublic house@ . so that it 4as li,ely that it 4as no ore than an address of t /or details of Richard Carlile@ see #& -& /enton@ ;Richard Carlile< his life and $asonic 4ritin"s=@ ACC@ 49@ 33 8.-1(1& I #ee A33endix&

. )he Bay )ree )avern&

I6 #5ARC* 2/ RI)>AL >6I/2R$I)9 189 convenience@ si ilar to that used by later 3ublishers of Carlile=s boo,& Bradsha4 offered for sale in 1811 a co 3letely ne4 3ublication containin" the Ritual of the three +e"rees&= )his boo, a33eared durin" the 186:s in a different bindin" as a 3rivate 3rintin" 4ith no 3rinter=s or 3ublisher=s na e@ but 4ith the addition of the le"end that the contents 4ere as tau"ht by the late %eter 'il,es=& 7hen *o""=s %erfect Cere onies 4ere first 3ublished about 187: it 4as al ost exactly si ilar to the later 3rivate editions of Bradsha4 and it is 3robable that *o""@ 4ho ca e to London in 1818@( used it as his source& 7hether or not the 4or, contained in these boo,s reflected the syste in "eneral use@ the o33osite ust have been true- that the lod"es be"an to 4or, accordin" to the syste s 4hich the various boo,s "ave@ so that@ 4here they 4ere used@ they had a considerable influence on Ritual and its instruction& In 1864@ *& )& Bald4in 4rote fro $anchester to the 'rand #ecretary as,in" if Lod"es of Instruction 4ere 3er itted to use boo,s in instruction and ?uoted a lod"e 4hich ;3ublicly instructed fro boo,s= and another 4here he had been infor ed ;that the 'rand Lod"e 4ere about to sanction their use=& )he 'rand #ecretary@ after referrin" Bald4in to his %rovincial 'rand $aster@ co ented that 'rand Lod"e had not directly or indirectly authorised any such thin"&

In addition to those entioned several other 3rinted boo,s a33eared after the 181:s in s all 3rivate editions@ althou"h the anony ous )ext Boo, of /ree asonry A187:B. achieved a fairly 4ide use in Bir in"ha & In the next thirty years@ 2xford@ Lo"ic Afollo4in" -ohn $aclean=s revisionsB@ 7est 5nd A4hich see s to ado3t ost of ClaretB@ Co 3lete@ +urha @ Revised@ Botto ley A6&7& 5n"landB@ Co on #ense A%ly outhB@ )aylor=s and a nu ber of others ade their a33earance@ so e 3rivately and so e co ercially 3roduced& *o""=s %erfect Cere onies@ 4hich 3ur3orted to "ive 5 ulation@ 4ent into several editions and@ Hust after the turn of the century@ #tability also arran"ed for -ohn *o"" to 3ublish its old Ritual co ercially Acallin" it #tandard@ or $u""erid"eB& A nu ber of 3rivate lod"e Rituals@ in any cases containin" uni?ue features@ 4ere also bein" used&

)he ulti ate in innovation in a 3ublished Ritual for Craft use 4as reached in 1888 4ith the a33earance of )he Revised Ritual of Craft /ree asonry co 3iled by /ran,lin )ho as& )ho as 4as initiated in the Royal !ent

Lod"e of Anti?uity at Chatha in 1841 at the a"e of (.& *e ay have been in the Chair of a lod"e by 1846@ althou"h in that year he oved to 2xford& )here he Hoined Alfred Lod"e@ no4 6o .4:@ and 4as $aster in 181:& In the 181:s he lived for a fe4 years in )or?uay 4here he 4as $aster of #t -ohn=s Lod"e@ no4 6o .(8@ in 1816-17& -ust after4ards he oved to east Lancashire and Hoined %erseverance Lod"e 6o .41 at Blac,burn in 1861& *e 4as active in asonry 4herever he 4as and beca e a %rovincial 'rand 2fficer in !ent@ 2xford and Lancashire A5astern +ivisionBE in the last he 4as ade %%#'7 in 1887& )here is no doubt he 4as very ex3erienced@ and his o3inions 4ere listened toE he also 4rote )he 5ti?uette of /ree asonry@ 3ublished in 189:& In his travels he develo3ed curious vie4s about the Ritual and ;4as a "reat stic,ler for the old fashioned for of Installation Cere ony= - no4 t #ee A33endix&

( A note on -a es *o"" and #on and -ohn *o"" L Co&@ and 3articular reference to the %erfect Cere onies@ is in C& /& 7& +yer@ 5 ulation - A Ritual to Re e ber& A197.B 33 (1(-14&

. %rinted in Bir in"ha by Corns and Bartleet@ >nion #treet@ and 3ublished by Reeves and )urner@ 196@ #trand@ London A4ho had nine years before started to 3ublish Carlile=s $anual of /ree asonry - see A33endixB&

19: ;)*5 %R5#)26IA6 L5C)>R5#= ,no4n as the extended for & *e died in 19:7 at the a"e of ninety& *is syste involved considerable chan"e fro traditional 3ractice in the +e"ree Cere onies@ not Hust in "ra ar and 4ord variation@ but in funda ental structure@ 4ithout uch concern that 5n"lish Craft Ritual in "eneral use 4as based on the a33roved for s of the Lod"e of Reconciliation& *e included co3ious footnotes in his boo,@ statin" in cate"orical ter s 4hy his ethods 4ere ri"ht and ore usual for s 4ron"& *is boo, 4as 3ublished by -ohn *o""@ 4ho had 3reviously 3ublished the %erfect Cere onies& )he 3resent o4ner of the business has ,indly 3er itted e to see so e of the corres3ondence 4ith )ho as 4ith reference to this boo,& *is letters are 4ritten in the sa e forthri"ht ter s as the footnotes in his boo,& *e also included the extended 4or,in" of Installation in his o4n version - in a anner 4hich constituted that Cere ony into the confer ent of a further de"ree and it 4as the use of this 4hich tri""ered off the start of the reactionary trend&

6 )*5 %5RI2+ 2/ R5AC)I26 A6+ )*5 %R5#56) %2#I)I26 )he only 3ublic effort at further control in the 188:s 4as contained in the ne4 edition of the Boo, of Constitutions in 1884& )his extended the re?uire ent that the eetin" 3laces of Lod"es of Instruction should be re"istered@ to those in %rovinces and +istricts& 5arly in 1889 the ne4ly a33ointed %rovincial 'rand $aster for #taffordshire@ Colonel A& C& /oster 'ou"h@ ?ueried 4ith the 'rand #ecretary the orthodoxy of the extended 4or,in" of the Installation Cere ony 4hich 4as used in 3arts of his %rovince& As a result@ a circular 4as sent by the 'rand #ecretary to all %rovinces indicatin" that this 3articular Cere ony 4as not 3er itted and any %rovinces carried out his direction ?uite strenuously&= )his 4as not the end of /oster 'ou"h=s efforts@ for he had been initiated in the Lod"e of *onour in 7olverha 3ton in 1816 and had learnt@ as his Ritual@ that tau"ht by 7illia *oney on his visit to Bir in"ha in 1848& 'ou"h 4as concerned at the a ount of innovation of different sorts 4hich had cre3t into the 4or,in" of lod"es in his %rovince& *e issued a circular ur"in" a return to the si 3ler for s of earlier ti es and encoura"in" the for ation of Lod"es of Instruction to that end&( *e died in /ebruary 189( and so did not see the atter throu"h@ but he s3ar,ed off a ove ent of reaction 4hich still has echoes in the 197:s&

7here the +u,e of #ussex had tried to control fro a central 3oint and had tended to concentrate on London@ the ne4 control arisin" fro this ove ent 4as by direction fro %rovincial 'rand $asters& )his effectively halted indiscri inate innovation 4hen it 4as ado3ted in any locality but 3ut in its 3lace Ritual for s 3eculiar to an area@ uch at the 4hi of successive %rovincial or +istrict 'rand $asters& #ince the 189:s the actions of %rovincial and +istrict 'rand $asters have varied bet4een extre es in dealin" 4ith the atter& )here have been exa 3les of the i 3osition of a 3articular for of Ritual@ either s3ecially = #ee 7& Read@ ;)he M5xtendedM 7or,in" in the Board of Installed $asters=@ A CC@ 84@ fro 3a"e (6@ and@ in 3articular@ co ents on 33 6:-6.&

)he letter is dated ( /ebruary 1891 and 4as circulated as a 1. 33 3a 3hlet@ 3rinted by -ohn #teen L Co@ Ltd@ 7olverha 3ton& It contains the follo4in" 3assa"e on the 3ossibility of his insistin" on Ritual 3ractices 4hich he i"ht 3ersonally 3refer and i"ht 3ublish< & & & I feel it 4ould be e inently unfair on y 3art to 3ractically say to the MI a ri"htM& >3on this "round I decline the ref3onsibility and I ay add that such a ritual 4ould not in any 4ay bind y successors@ or the ruler of any other

%rovince@ and its 3ublication under y authority alone@ could not be ex3ected to obtain any sanction fro the 'rand Lod"e & & &= I6 #5ARC* 2/ RI)>AL >6I/2R$I)9 co 3iled to include 3ersonal vie4s or of a 3articular standard 4or,in"& #o e have atte 3ted to secure a"ree ent on a unifor 4or,in" by discussion in such bodies as their #te4ards= Lod"e& #o e@ in an effort to 3revent the s3read of innovation 4ithout bein" too ri"id@ erely try to 3ersuade lod"es to 4or, to one of the ore "enerally reco"nised 4or,in"s in its entirety& Circu stances differ and there ay in so e cases be a need for a directed ans4er@ 3articularly 4here there is free association 4ith lod"es of other Constitutions& )his ne4 for of control arose "radually over a lon" 3eriod and in so e 3laces innovation continued at the sa e ti e& 7& -& *u"han 4rote in 191: AACC@ (.@ 3 .:4B< ;At the 3resent ti e there are to be found Lod"es o3enly violatin" 4hat ay be considered Ritualistic Land ar,s@ and all because there is no reco"nised authority to set atters strai"ht&= 'rand Lod"e too, action in another direction in 1916@ to restrict the a ount of reli"ious usic 4hich 4as beco in" incor3orated as 3art of the Cere onies&

As in the earlier innovation era@ 4hen reaction ca e@ there 4as a tendency for so e to try to carry it too far& )his sho4ed itself in an atte 3t over a 3eriod to "ain co 3lete unifor ity of Ritual by i 3osin" one 3articular 4or,in" on the 4hole Craft& )hose 4ho 3ut this vie4 for4ard clai ed that the 4or,in" they used 4as the only sanctioned or a33roved Ritual& 6aturally this clai 4as dis3uted by othersE co 3lete unifor ity 4as not a viable solution and these atte 3ts erely brou"ht a le"acy of ill-4ill to4ards the 7or,in" concerned&

A revised Boo, of Constitutions in 194: 3roduced the re"ulations on Lod"es of Instruction 4hich are in force today - includin" a,in" it clear that a Lod"e of Instruction ceases to exist if the sanctionin" lod"e 4ithdra4s its sanction& It also carried a si"nificant chan"e in the descri3tion of the 3ro3er 3roceedin"s of a Lod"e of Instruction& %reviously it 4as the res3onsibility of the sanctionin" lod"e ;that the ode of 4or,in" ado3ted has received the sanction of the "rand lod"e=E it is no4 ;seein" that the 3roceedin"s are in accordance 4ith the Antient Char"es@ Land ar,s@ and Re"ulations of the 2rder as established by the 'rand Lod"e=& 2ne 4onders to 4hat extent the chan"e of 4ordin" 4as influenced by the clai s and counterclai s of the 3recedin" t4enty-five years to have the only Ritual sanctioned by 'rand Lod"e&

#ince the 19.9-41 4ar other events have sho4n that the tu"-of-4ar still "oes on& In 196.@ 'rand Lod"e@ after consultation bet4een the Board of 'eneral %ur3oses and %rovincial and +istrict 'rand $asters@ thou"ht it necessary to re-state@ in sli"htly revised ter s@ the edict of 1916 4ith re"ard to usic in Cere onies& In 1964 ca e the decision by 'rand Lod"e to 3er it the use of alternative for s of 2bli"ation in relation to the 3enalties& )his re3resented the control of i 3ortant chan"e fro the centre and only ca e about after very full discussion& Its after ath tended to sho4 ho4 "reat is the feelin" a on" any res3onsible asons that there should be so e control of Ritual chan"e& 'rand Lod"e settled only the 4ordin" of the 2bli"ations the selves and the Ritual teachin" bodies 4ere officially left to 4or, out the necessary conse?uential adHust ents in other 3arts of the Cere onies& An atte 3t in London to find out 4ho these teachin" bodies 4ere@ sho4ed that any of the "enerally used 7or,in"s 4ere ta,en fro 3rinted boo,s ori"inally 3ublished any years a"o and 4ith no res3onsible 19( ;)*5 %R5#)26IA6 L5C)>R5#= head?uarters& )hree such head?uarters 4hich could be found co-o3erated to 3roduce reco endations 4hich 4ere "iven 4ide 3ublicity@ and undoubtedly hel3ed to 3revent a nu ber of different versions co in" into 3ractice& A further effect 4as to brin" to"ether brethren usin" so e of the ;boo,= 7or,in"s to for Ritual Associations and try to arrive at co on 3ractice& )his also ade 3ossible so e control over re3rintin" of Ritual boo,s@ the decision on the content of 4hich had 3reviously been entirely a atter for 3ublishers& Another noticeable feature of the last fe4 years has been a rene4ed interest in %rovinces and +istricts in the control of differences in Ritual 3ractice& )he chan"e in the Board of 'eneral %ur3oses= decision@ entioned earlier@ also ha33ened in this 3eriod&

7 C26CL>#I26# 7e tend to re"ard the illustrations of sy bolis @ char"es@ and ex3lanations and lectures@ 4hich are custo arily "iven@ as 3arts of the co 3lete +e"ree Cere onies& It is doubtful if all this 4as intended to be treated as truly RitualE there is no official record@ but all that see s to have been truly re"arded as Ritual in the 3eriod after the >nion 4ere the essential rites of testin"@ obli"atin" and entrustin" a Candidate& I do not believe that this Ritual 4as intended to consist of Hust a set for of 4ords& Rather@ I believe that it consists of a series of Ritual acts in a 3articular se?uenceE 4ords are used as 3art of those Ritual acts in order to convey a 3articular sense and to e 3hasise a 3articular 3oint and in certain cases certain s3ecific 4ords should be used@ but the 3recise 4ords ay not in every case be i 3ortant in the selves& If every 4ord

4ere of such i 3ortance@ then every sli3 in lod"e ust be corrected or the Cere ony ust be treated as not havin" been 3ro3erly conducted and the Candidate ust re3eat it - 4hich is nonsense& At the sa e ti e the true sense ust be 3reserved or the Cere onies 4ould ta,e on a different eanin" as ti e 4ent by& )here ust be so e standard and so e control@ even if@ as a livin" thin"@ our Ritual tends to be affected by the chan"in" 4ays of life&

It see s to e that the use of the rules in the Boo, of Constitutions@ the history of 4hich I have tried to trace@ no lon"er really exercises the control that 4as intended& )hose relatin" to Lod"es of Instruction include@ basically@ the 3rovisions ori"inally 3assed in 1818& )hey have outlived the ori"inal need for the and no4 serve ?uite a different 3ur3ose& Lod"es of Instruction ust still be re"istered 4ith the a33ro3riate authority by the re"ular lod"es 4hich sanction the & Re"isters are ,e3t by the authority and infor ation can be "iven to en?uirers& I have en?uired as to the re"ister of London lod"es and a selection of %rovincial and +istrict 'rand Lod"es& Inter3retation of the rules differs and in so e areas there are officially no Lod"es of Instruction@ only rehearsals of lod"e Cere onies and Classes of Instruction& )he ori"inal 3ur3ose of these rules 4as to locate res3onsibility for Ritual teachin" and to 3lace it on a re"ular lod"e& 7here a lod"e rehearsal ta,es 3lace@ the res3onsibility is clear@ but eetin" to"ether for the 3ur3ose of instruction as a Class for 4hich no lod"e has "iven sanction is still technically a breach of the rules - yet ho4 any such bodies are deliberately called Classes in the belief that the ere use of the na e ta,es the atter outside the rules& 5xa ination sho4s that "eneral Lod"es of Instruction still lose touch 4ith their sanctionin" lod"es and althou"h the sanction is not 4ithdra4n they are not officially recorded because the onus to a,e the return is on the sanctionin" lod"e& #anction is often "iven in these days to sho4 to the e bers of a re"ular lod"e an interest in the Lod"e of Instruction 4hich they are reco ended to attend& I have found Lod"es of Instruction 4hich 3roudly announce that they have the sanction of as any as ten re"ular lod"es& #anction i 3lies res3onsibility for 4hat is doneE if a lod"e 4ithdra4s its sanction@ officially the Lod"e of Instruction ceases to exist& 7ith ulti3le sanction@ so eone i"ht have a busy ti e sortin" the situation out&

In so e other Constitutions control of Ritual 3ractice is exercised by 3ublishin" an official Ritual boo, only obtainable fro the 'rand #ecretary& #uch a de"ree of unifor ity is no lon"er 3ossible - or 3erha3s desirable - in the 5n"lish Constitution@ but even 4ith us the 3rinted 4ord

has co e to stay& In the Ritual essentials@ ost of the 3rinted 4or,in"s are re ar,ably si ilar@ even if the lan"ua"e used and the non-essentials differ a "reat deal& In these days of al ost co 3lete reliance on a 3rinted boo,@ follo4in" one of the standard 4or,in"s already in use see s to e to be the best ans4er to ensurin" a lod"e ,ee3s to the land ar,s&

)he reluctance of the Board of 'eneral %ur3oses to rule on Ritual atters@ and the tre endous interest and obHection 4hich see s to arise 4henever such atters co e before 'rand Lod"e@ 4ill 3robably ean that 4e cannot loo, for any resu 3tion of control fro the centre& #o far as nearly t4o thousand lod"es in London are concerned@ there is no inter ediate authority& As to the res3onsibility of %rovincial or +istrict 'rand $asters 4ith res3ect to 3er itted Ritual 3ractice@ it is difficult in the 3resent circu stances to su""est a ore reasonable area of control& )his 4ill only re ain reasonable 4hile the atter is handled 4ith 3ro3er discretion and not ade the o33ortunity erely to i 3ose the vie4s of one 3erson& 7ithout so e central authority@ the differences in 3ractice bet4een areas 4ill be 3er3etuated and 4ill 3robably increase& )he i 3ort of Rule 111 so far as a Lod"e=s res3onsibility for its o4n 4or,in" is concerned - and therefore@ incidentally@ its resistance to direction - is still not clear& I ho3e that@ at least@ so e atte 3t ay be ade@ 4hile 3reservin" all 4e have@ to control any further inadvertent or deliberate chan"e 4ithout due authority@ and to 3lace so e chec, on the 3rintin" and issuin" of any further different for s&

A%%56+IJ In the 'rand Lod"e Library there is a nu ber of co3ies of Ritual boo,s of the 18.:-7: 3eriod& )hose ste in" fro Richard Carlile@ 'eor"e Claret and 'eor"e Bradsha4 are noted belo4& )here ay be other 3rintin"s or editions of 4hich there is no co3y in the 'rand Lod"e Library&

RIC*AR+ CARLIL5 An 5x3osure of /ree asonry or a $ason=s %rinted $anual@ 3ublished by R& Carlile@ 6(@ /leet #treet@ London@ 18.1 A1sB&

#econd edition@ rena ed on the cover Carlile=s $anual of /ree asonry@ and on the title 3a"e /ree asonry@ %art I& A $anual of the /irst )hree +e"rees& %rinted and 3ublished by Alfred Carlile@ 18.@ /leet #treet@

London@ 18.6&

/ree asonry@ %art III@ dealin" 4ith so e additional +e"rees& %ublished by Alfred Carlile@ I6 #5ARC* 2/ RI)>AL >6I/2R$I)9 19. 194 =)*5 %R5#)26IA6 L5C)>R5#= 7ater Lane@ /leet #treet@ London@ 18.7 A1sB& Althou"h the title 3a"e stated that it 4as 3rinted by Carlile@ it has at the end the na e of Cunnin"ha and #al on@ %rinters@ Cro4n Court@ 7(@ /leet #treet&

/ree asonry@ %art II@ dealin" 4ith Craft Installation@ Royal Arch and !&)&@ 3ublished by Bruce and 7yld@ 84@ /arrin"don #treet@ London@ undated A1sB& )here is no se3arate 3rinter=s na e&

A further 3rintin" of the #econd edition of %art I@ 3ublished by 6& Bruce-@ 84@ /arrin"don #treet@ 184.@ and 3rinted by hi at %eterborou"h Court@ /leet #treet&

All three 3arts in one volu e@ ar,ed ;no4 first collected in one volu e=& )his 4as erely a bindin" in one volu e of the three se3arate %arts 3reviously 3ublished- %art I@ as in 184. by Bruce@ %art II@ the Bruce and 7yld 3rintin"@ %art III@ as in 18.7 by A& Carlile& /ro this date all boo,s contain the three %arts in one volu e&

$anual of /ree asonry@ ;3rinted and 3ublished by R& Carlile@ /leet #treet@ re-3rinted and 3ublished by 7& +u"dale@ *oly4ell #treet@= London& )hird edition@ revised and enlar"ed@ 1841& )his a33ears to be a co 3lete re3rintin" of all three %arts and bears throu"hout +u"dale=s na e as 3rinter& It is also headed ;)he "enuine edition=@ 3erha3s i 3lyin" that there 4ere other@ 3irate editions@ on offer@ as a33ears li,ely fro later 3rintin"s& )here is another version bearin" throu"hout +u"dale=s na e as 3rinter in the sa e 4ay& )his is undated and bears R& Carlile=s na e as 3ublisher on %arts 1 and III&

An edition dated 181.@ re3eatin" the clai of Bruce=s 184. edition to be ;no4 first collected in one volu e=& )his is stated to be 3ublished by R&

Carlile@ /leet #treet@ and 4as 3rinted by -& 2& Clar,e@ .@ Ra?uet Court and 1(1@ /leet #treet@ London&

1811E 3ublished by Andre4 0ic,ers@ .7@ *oly4ell #treet@ #trand@ London@ and 3rinted by&l& )urner@ *oly4ell #treet& It is 3ossible that these 4ere successors to +u"dale&

1818E A re3rintin" by -& 2& Clar,@ 4hose address had chan"ed to 1:7@ +orset #treet@ /leet #treet@ and 3ublished by R& Carlile@ /leet #treet& /ourth edition@ undated@ 3ublished by Richard Carlile@ (@ Lovell=s Court@ %aternoster Ro4@ London and $urrey #treet@ *oxton and 3rinted by -ohnston@ Red Lion Court@ Charterhouse Lane@ London& )he co3y in the 'rand Lod"e Library is 4ron"ly ade u3@ so e 3a"es of %art 1 havin" been interchan"ed 4ith si ilarly nu bered 3a"es fro %art II and 4ith the title 3a"e and early 3a"es of %art II at the front of the boo,&

1861E A re3rintin" of the 1811 Andre4 0ic,ers version&

1861E An edition 3ublished by Reeves and )urner@ (.8@ #trand@ London and -& 7& Bouton L Co&@ 87@ 7al,er #treet@ 6e4 9or, and 3rinted by Bo4den and Bra4n@ 1.@ %rinces #treet@ Little Cueen #treet@ London 7&C&

All editions after this are undated and 3ublished by 7illia Reeves@ or by Reeves and )urner A4hich 4as the sa e fir B fro sundry addresses in London< (.8@ #trand so e 4ith no 3rinter=s na e and so e 4ith Bo4den and Bra4n as above&

1::@ Chancery Lane 3rinted by 7& Bo4den@ (.@ Red Lion #treet@ *olborn@ London&

196@ #trand no 3rinter=s na e&

1@ 7ellin"ton #treet 3rinted by 6e4 )e 3le %ress@ 181@ /leet #treet&

181@ /leet #treet 3rinted by 6e4 )e 3le %ress@ 181@ /leet #treet&

8.@ Charin" Cross Road so e 4ith no 3rinter=s na e and so e 3rinted by 6e4 )e 3le %ress A17@ 'rant RoadB Croydon&

*o4 authentic the 3ublishers= na es and addresses 4ere 3robably cannot no4 be established@ but a fairly recent en?uiry sho4ed the Charin" Cross Road address to be one of acco odation and not a 3lace of business&

'52R'5 CLAR5)&

)he Cere onies of Initiation@ %assin" L Raisin"@ 4ith co3ious notes@ as re"ards the duties of the $aster@ 7ardens@ +eacons@ Lc& '& Claret@ 1@ Cueen #?uare@ 5ldon #treet@ /insbury Circus@ London@ 18.8 A(1sB&

)he Cere onies of Initiation %assin" L Raisin"& 23enin" and Closin"@ Installation& 5x3lanation of theT )racin" Boards Lc& '& Claret@ %rinter@ Cueen #?uare@ /insbury Circus@ 184: A(1sB& )his 4as a co 3letely revised boo,&

I6 #5ARC* 2/ RI)>AL >6I/2R$I)9 191 )he 7hole of Craft $asonry in three 3arts@ 184:@ fro the sa e address@ 4as a re3rint of the other 184: Ritual alon" 4ith other@ for er se3arate@ 3ublications as the other t4o 3artsthe Lectures and Illustrations&

)he 7hole of Craft $asonry@ #econd edition@ 1841@ '& Claret@ (8@ >33er Clifton #treet@ /insbury&

)hird edition@ 1847@ fro

the sa e address&

/ourth edition@ ;4ith very considerable i 3rove ents=@ P1848@ sa e address&

/ifth edition@ P181: 4ith a 3ossible re3rintin" P1811& )his and all subse?uent 3rintin"s referred to very considerable i 3rove ents&

#ixth edition& P1866&

#eventh and 3robably last edition@ P187. fro

84@ Clifton #treet@ /insbury&

)he ?ueried dates are those that are allotted as a33roxi ately correct in the co3ies in the 'rand Lod"e Library& )he co3ies are undated 4here these a33roxi ations have been ade&

'52R'5 BRA+#*A7&

)he Cere onies of 23enin" and Closin"@ Initiation@ %assin" and Raisin" Installation@ Lc& %rinted and sold by '& Bradsha4@ 1847& 6o address&

Audi@ 0ide@ )ace@ 3ublished by '& Bradsha4@ 11@ 6orth #treet@ 7est inster& 2ne co3y is endorsed ;)ho as )rollo3e $ay 1864=&

)he Cere onies of 23enin" and Closin" in the )hree +e"rees& Cuestions to Candidates& Initiation %assin" and Raisin"& )o"ether 4ith the 4hole of the Lectures &&& %ublished for the Co 3ilers and sold by 'eor"e Bradsha4 L Co@ ..@ #t #4ithen=s Lane@ Lo bard #treet@ London@

1811&

#econd edition 181.& )here 4as an additional headin" above that stated< 7or,s on /ree asonry containin" & & & )his edition 4as stated to be ;%ublished Afor the Co 3ilersB by -ohn Allen@ 6o ((@ Bro ley #treet@ Co ercial Road 5ast&= )here is a stic,-on label ;sold by Bro 'eor"e Bradsha4 L Co@ ..@ #t #4ithen=s Lane & & &= 6o trace has been found of a Brother 'eor"e Bradsha4@ nor is there any record of a Bradsha4 in connection 4ith either of the addresses "iven& #i ilarly@ -ohn Allen cannot be traced in connection 4ith any of the addresses&

+RA$A A6+ CRA/) %R5#)26IA6 L5C)>R5 /2R 1974 6& BAR!5R CR95R I) 7A# %9)*A'2RA# 4ho tau"ht his follo4ers not to lin"er on the 4ell-4orn 3aths of ,no4led"e but to see, out less fa iliar "round& In re"ard to aterial for asonic research and for one 4ho is 3rivile"ed to deliver the %restonian Lecture in the 1:th year since the 3resent series be"an this advice ay see 4ise@ thou"h i 3racticable@ since I 4ould be foolhardy as 4ell as 3resu 3tuous 4ere I to 3retend that the subHect of this lecture 4as ori"inal and its contents uninfluenced by the devoted labours of those 4ho have "one before& )his lecture is@ in a real sense@ the result of uch readin" and 3onderin" on the research 4or, of the last t4o "enerations and 4ithout hesitation it 4ill be as 4ell at the outset to ac,no4led"e the debt that is due to those 4ho@ li,e 7illia %reston@ and bearin" in so e sense his antle@ first furnished the ideas and evidence that 4ill reveal itself in the course of these 3a"es&

)hat said@ it ay be stated that the ain thesis of this en?uiry Aand nothin" ore 3ositive is to be clai ed for itB does re3resent an atte 3t to shed li"ht on an activity and an as3ect of asonry 4hich have been less considered than ost others& )o that extent it i"ht clai in so e sense to follo4 the counsel of %ytha"oras - surely a Hust ai for even a s3eculative ason - and it 4ill@ I trust@ encoura"e a fresh a33raisal of a 4hole section of our asonic researches& If any substantial basis e er"es for the conclusions to 4hich I shall eventually 3oint the reader then I shall have achieved y dual 3ur3ose< to have added so ethin" 4orth4hile to authentic asonic study and to have reo3ened so e avenues of investi"ation 4hich i"ht have been thou"ht to be for ever closed&

)here are@ so far as I have been able to discover@ only four asonic students of note 4ho have 3ublished 4ritin"s directly related to the the e of this Lecture& 2ne of the @ Bro /red L& %ic,@ 4as hi self a %restonian Lecturer in 1948 4hen he too, as his subHect@ ;)he +elu"e=@ in 4hich reference 4as ade to the edieval dra a and about 4hich he had already 4ritten ore s3ecifically for the $anchester Association of $asonic Research@ in ;)he $iracle %lay= A194(B&

)he second distin"uished author and student 4as 5d Conder -nr 4ho in the ACC transactions JI0 had 4ritten about $ystery %lays& 7hilst the third and fourth are Bro Robert Race and 5rnest )hie eyer to 4hose 4ritin"s I 4as directed in the recent study of #olo on=s )e 3le by Alex *orne& I have read 4hat these ,no4led"eable brethren have 4ritten 4ith the "reatest interest& If@ as thin"s trans3ire@ I 4ill be found to differ 4ith the on several 3oints@ I ho3e that this 4ill not be re"arded as in any 4ay lessenin" y res3ect for their labours& )he debt 4e o4e to our 3redecessors in research is al4ays a s3ecial one-it is that they sho4 us 4here to ?uestion and 4hat to thin, about& $ost of y ?ueries are of their a,in"&

196 +RA$A A6+ CRA/) 197 In addition@ ho4ever@ and in 3articular re"ard to edieval dra a@ it needs to be recorded that since the days of Bro %ic,=s Lecture there has been an enor ous 4ave of research into the ori"ins and character@ the scri3ts and si"nificance of the ystery and orality 3lays of the thirteenth to seventeenth centuries& Anyone 4ho e bar,s on this 3ath of research 4ill soon discover a "reat out3ut of odern aterial 4ith 4hich he needs to en"a"e& If I have found clues and eyed vistas that 4ere a33arently un,no4n to y 3redecessors then the debt here is to a further ran"e of literary scholars since 191: 4hose 4or, is enthrallin" and 4ell-ni"h exhaustive& )o have had the o33ortunity to read and use the aterial they have uncovered for this Lecture eans that this has been yet another 3rivile"e "ained& )hou"h the use of footnotes has been avoided@ all the evidence "iven can be 3rovided at source for any 4ho as, for it@ and a si 3le biblio"ra3hy is a33ended at the close&

$2RAL )5AC*I6' I6 $A#26R9 7e are all fa iliar 4ith the ti e-honoured descri3tion of free asonry 4hich runs< ;A 3eculiar syste

of orality@ veiled in alle"ory and illustrated by sy bols=& As a descri3tion of our 3resent 3ractice and stand3oint it could not be bettered& 7hat is borne in u3on e the ore I delve into the bac,"round of our asonic ancestry@ as it e er"es in the fourteenth to the seventeenth centuries@ is that in every res3ect this is 3recisely a descri3tion 4hich 4ould have fitted our brethren in those a"es as 4ell as our o4n& 2f course@ there 4ere s3ecifically Christian di ensions to the orality 3ractised by our o3erative forbears but 4hat 4e have to hand@ recorded in the Ancient Char"es and@ as I shall 3resently de onstrate@ 3resented in dra atic for by asons@ is a strict attention to oral@ as 4ell as technical@ 3ractice a on"st the buildin" crafts en of the later $iddle A"es& $aynard # ith in his volu e@ %re-Refor ation 5n"land@ 4rites< A too "reat fa iliarity 4ith sacred thin"s ay cause en to be fli33ant and irreverentE and the holiest ysteries@ 4hen ex3lained in vul"ar ter s@ ay cease to ins3ire 4onder@ so that any real sense of the su3ernatural is lost& It 4as entirely ri"ht to teach en to live by eans of alle"ories@ and to teach en by sy bols to "ras3 s3iritual truths& Alle"ories are analo"ies in actionE and sy bolis is a visible shorthand by 4hich 4e reco"nise truths that defy verbal definition& Both are Hustified by the belief of the unity of all thin"s in 'od&

It is in such a context as this Aand only s3ace 3revents one fro elaboratin" it at len"thB that one needs to vie4 the continuin" develo3 ent of the craft of asonry@ a craft as 4ell shall see belo4@ 4hich 4as inevitably at the heart of 3ublic livin" and closely connected 4ith that ains3rin" of edieval ex3erience - the 3ractice of the reli"ious life& )he Constitutions of asonry@ co only called the 2ld or Ancient Char"es@ 3oint to a reco"nisable continuity of attitude@ if not of ritual 3ractice@ as bet4een the so-called o3erative 3eriod of the late fourteenth century ARe"ius $#B and the avo4edly ;s3eculative= 3eriod AAnderson@ 17(.B&

)his continuity is 3recisely of a oral nature@ thou"h I 4ill ho3e to sho4 in other connections that sy bol and le"end@ not to ention alle"ory@ 4ere also 3resent in the 3ractice of asonry - indeed 4ere inse3arable fro it& About the oral e 3hasis@ ho4ever@ there can be no ?uestion& *arry Carr@ in his i 3ortant %restonian Lecture for 1917@ said< 198 ;)*5 %R5#)26IA6 L5C)>R5#= 2ne other feature distin"uishes the $# Constitutions & & & fro the nor al codes of ediaeval craft ordinances@ i&e& the inclusion of a nu ber of ite s in the re"ulations 4hich 4ere not trade atters at all but desi"ned to 3reserve and elevate the oral character of the crafts en& It is this extraordinary co bination of ;history=@ trade and oral re"ulations 4hich a,es these early $## uni?ue a on" conte 3orary craft docu ents& A$y italics&B 7hilst it is true that the

Re"ius $# of 1.9: is@ of course@ re3resentative of its ti e in advisin" the ason of his duty to his aster@ brethren and to *oly Church@ even containin" the ex3ression< ;%ray 4e no4 to 'od al y"ht and to hys oder $ary bry"ht=@ yet there is enou"h to reveal the bond of fello4shi3 in ri"ht livin" 4hich 3er eates our ritual utterances today& Bet4een the stress of 1.9: on leadin" a oral life and res3ectin" the chastity of a aster=s or fello4=s 4ife and dau"hter@ and the /irst Char"e 4ith 4hich 4e are@ or ou"ht to be@ fa iliar there is an undeniable lin,&

Let a an=s reli"ion or ode of 4orshi3 be 4hat it ay@ he is not excluded fro the order@ 3rovided he believe in the "lorious architect of heaven and earth and 3ractice the sacred duties of orality&

It 4ill not be irrelevant to add here one ore brief extract fro the 1.9: Re"ius $#& It closes 4ith these 4ords< ;A enO A enO #o ote it be #o say 4e all for charity&= 9et fa iliar as such a senti ent 4ill a33ear to us today I 4onder if 4e are a4are that this 4as Hust as 3re-e inently and fa iliarly to the fore in the days 4hen those 4ords 4ere first 3enned@ ;3robably by a 3riest@ hi self a aster ason@ or@ at any rate@ in close touch 4ith the buildin" fraternity=&

7hatever ay be our understandin" of the nature of the edieval $asons= 'ild@ and so ethin" ust be said about this in the next section@ it yet re ains true that edieval asons@ li,e any other association of craft-4or,ers@ ;no atter for 4hat s3ecial 3ur3ose they 4ere founded@ had the sa e "eneral characteristics of brotherly aid and social charityE and no "uild 4as divorced fro the ordinary reli"ious observances@ co only 3racticed by all such bodies in those days=& A aster e 3loyin" an a33rentice 4as not si 3ly his technical su3erior and instructor& *e acted also in the ca3acity of his father@ 4atchin" over his orals@ as 4ell as his 4or,@ durin" the 3eriod of a33renticeshi3& )here 4as concern for the use of 3ro3er tools@ and no e ber of the 'ild 4as allo4ed to 3ossess tools ;unless the sa e 4ere testified to be "ood and honest &&& It 4as s3ecially forbidden@ in the stron"est ter s@ to ix inferior aterials 4ith a better sort@ to the detri ent of the buyer@ or to sell 3atched-u3 4or, as ne4 & & & )hus@ the statutes of the 7hita4ers directed the 'ild-brothers to assist a e ber 4ho did not ,no4 ho to "o on 4ith his 4or,@ in order that it i"ht not be s3oiled& #uch directions are s3ecially fre?uent a on" the $asons@ fro 4ho custo ers received s3ecial "uarantees for the 3ro3er co 3letion of their 4or,&= In his recent

essay on the ;Co unal year at Coventry@ 141:-111:= C& %hythian-Ada s has 4ritten@ =5xclusion fro the fello4shi3s of buildin" 4or,ers Afor bad 4or, or bad behaviourB auto atically eant the sti" a of inferior status as only ;co en laborers= or ere +RA$A A6+ CRA/) 199 servants & & & 7hen all asters and Hourney en annually 3rocessed in their res3ective co 3anies at Cor3us Christitide and on the eves of $idsu er and #t %eter@ therefore@ the co unity in its entirety 4as literally definin" itself for all to see=&

It is a"ainst such a bac,cloth of 3ublic as 4ell as trade orality that asonry in the late $iddle A"es has to be seen& 7hat I no4 have to introduce is the evidence 4hich 4e have ac?uired@ since the days of %ic, and Conder@ re"ardin" the involve ent of those very edieval asons in ; oral= 3lays& I a not here referrin" to the $ystery@ or biblical@ 3roductions as these 4ill be dealt 4ith at a later sta"e& I refer 3articularly to 4hat 4ere@ in fact@ called ;$orality %lays= or si 3ly ;$oralities=&

Already@ in the year 1.89@ 4e have evidence that sho4s ho4 in 9or, =once u3on a ti e@ a 3lay settin" forth the "oodness of the Lord=s %rayer 4as 3layed in the City of 9or,E in 4hich 3lay all anner of vices and sins 4ere held u3 to scorn@ and the virtues 4ere held u3 to 3raise=& )he 3lay 4as called a33ro3riately@ the %ater 6oster 3lay and an ancient tradition 3rovided that each of the seven 3etitions contained in that 3rayer 4as a eans of salvation fro one of the #even +eadly #ins& 7hat 4e are told by the "reat ex3ert on the 3lays in 9or, at this 3eriod@ Lucy )oul in # ith@ is that this %ater 6oster 3lay 4as 3robably 3layed on se3arate sta"es@ each 3rovided by one trade@ albeit 4e do not yet have the evidence in 9or, to deter ine ho4 those scenes 4ere allocated& 7e do ,no4 that there 4ere also such 3lays in t4o other 3laces not that far fro 9or,@ viI& Beverley and Lincoln& *ere 4e are able to "ather so e further infor ation@ for in the /urnivall $iscellany by A& /& Leach 4e learn that in 1469 there 4ere ei"ht scenes at Beverley@ one for each of the +eadly #ins@ and an additional one called ;0iciose=& 7e also ,no4 for certain that the 3lay 4as a 3rocessional one li,e the Cor3us Christi 3lays here and else4here and 4e also ,no4 that the craft "uilds had a scene a33ortioned to the individually or as "rou3s of trades& $oreover the =stations= 4here these 3lay-scenes 4ere 3resented 4ere a33roxi ately those of the lon"er and ore fre?uent Cor3us Christi $ysteries& #ince 4e shall notice ore si ilarities bet4een Beverley and 9or, dra a later@ it is es3ecially interestin" to learn that the asons in Beverley 4ere res3onsible for 3resentin" the 3lay on =Avarice=@ of 4hich the contrastin" virtue dis3layed 4as - CharityO At Lincoln 4e learn still ore& 7e ,no4

that there 4as a %ater 6oster 3lay 3erfor ed there in 1.97-98@ in 141:-11@ in 14(4-(1 and in 1416-17& 7hat 4e also ,no4 is that besides these alternatives to the other4ise annual ystery 3lays there 4ere other=saints 3lays= 4hich all 3ortray the con?uest by their na esa,e of so e 3articular vice& )hree of the saints na ed co e interestin"ly on three Au"ust days@ the 1:th@ 1lth and 1(th@ and besides #t #usanna and #t Clara I a fascinated to find - #t Laurence - 4ho con?uered Avarice by his dis3lay of Charity& *ardin Crai" is of the stron" o3inion that here at last 4e be"in to see ho4 this for of early = orality-cu -saints= 3lay of the %ater 6oser 4as ade u3& )he search ust continue but 4e are on a ne4 trac, and our asonic forbears are not ina33ro3riately involved&

*ere I ust dra4 attention to one other conte 3orary facet 4hich had a very "reat effect on both literature and dra a & & & the =danse acabre= or +ance of (:: +eath& 7& #eel an has "one a lon" 4ay to4ards 3rovin" that the ;dra atic= versions of the +ance of +eath in the fourteenth century 4ere actually orality 3lays& All they lac, is an abstract virtue as a hero& )he 3erfor ances too, 3lace in a church and 4ere reli"ious in s3irit and 3ur3ose& )here 4as a door or "rave into 4hich the victi s of +eath disa33eared and as they did so the 3reacher 4ould "ive 4arnin" of the certainty of death to all and the necessity of 3re3aration for the ordeal of death by the accu ulation of "ood 4or,s& +eath@ 4hen he a33ears on the scene@ is ade to rese ble a cor3se or s,eleton& )he develo3 ent of the +ance of +eath into a orality 3lay 4as very obvious and t4o of the best ,no4n 5n"lish oralities of the fifteenth century 5very an and )he %ride of Life@ 4ere direct descendants of this the e and 3attern&

)*5 $5+I50AL $A#26 A6+ *I# CRA/) 7hat I believe is all too easily for"otten in uch of our asonic research is the fact that 4e are dealin" 4ith hu an bein"s& ;As a an and a ason= is a 3hrase that our ritual has be?ueathed to us and it is a 3hrase that erits 3ro3er consideration& $asons today are hu an@ creatures of their ti e and subHect to all the thou"ht for s and 3ractices of the society in 4hich they live& Indeed it is one of the first re3rieves that 4e receive after our obli"ation that 4e are dis3ensed fro our asonic res3onsibilities if they brin" ;detri ent to ourselves and connections=& As 4ith us@ so it 4as 4ith our ancestors in the craft& It is for this reason that so e of us have to try and enable these ancestors to live afresh@ understandin" their a"e and its custo s@ so that 4e shall lend 3ro3er 4ei"ht to the influence u3on the of the 3ractices in 4hich they en"a"ed and the ideas 4ith 4hich they 4ere fa iliar& Ideas and 3ractices@ let e at once say@ that I believe have left indelible ar,s

u3on our 3resent@ a33arently very altered@ Brotherhood&

)he six as3ects of ediaeval free asonry 4hich are 3articularly relevant are as follo4s< 1& $asons 4ere fallible en< )hou"h it is custo ary and laudable to loo, 4ith 3leasure and 3ride on the "reat asonic achieve ents in stone that still so richly adorn our o4n and any other Continental countries and to s3ea, in so e4hat exalted tones about the 3er anence of their construction 4or, and their i ense beauty@ it is also "ood for us to realise that li,e us these en 4ere also inade?uate and inco 3etent at ti es@ and there are not a fe4 occasions recorded in the docu ents still extant 4hich sho4 that buildin"s 4ere erected 4hich fell do4n 4ithin a fe4 years or 4ere so unsatisfactorily executed that the 3atrons of the buildin" venture de anded that a ne4 start or a re3lace ent should be executed& 'allin" as it ay be to acce3t this it 4ill do us no "ood to i"nore it& 6or 4ill it do us any "ood to i a"ine that all asons 4ere hi"hly dedicated 3ersons 4ho only undertoo, 4or, as it 3leased the or as they sa4 in it the fulfil ent of so e noble conce3t& )he en 4e are dealin" 4ith 4ere so eti es i 3ressed by royal a"ents to 4or, far fro ho e on tas,s that they 4ould never have sou"ht and in 3laces 4hich they 4ished to leave as soon as they i"ht& )hey 4ere en 4ho oversle3t and 4ere fined for it@ en 4ho loo,ed for short cuts to doin" un3leasant chores and 4ere so eti es ai ed throu"h inade?uate care@ en 4ho 4ould tolerate no un3roven stran"er on their 4or,-area and 4ho i"ht Aeven 4ith their ;)*5 %R5#)26IA6 L5C)>R5#= +RA$A A6+ CRA/) brethrenB occasionally find fault and co e to blo4s or at least shar3 4ords&

It 4as these flesh and blood creatures@ these en of hardiness and 3assion@ of 4ho 4e so often s3ea, as ;the asons of old=& /or anyone 4ho has unduly ro antic notions about the craft 4ith 4hich 4e are concerned these other 4ords in a recent boo, on Cathedral Architecture by *u"h Braun ay 3rove salutary< )hin, of Athese enB 3articularly in the 4inter of their years& Livin" in shelters of 3oles and ud thatched 4ith heather& 7ra33ed in clothin" of so e coarse aterial and hooded to ,ee3 out the 4inds ho4lin" at the 4hile they 3erched u3on so e 4all-to3& 2ne 4onders ho4 they 4ere shod & & & 3ossibly often 4ith stra4 bound round 4ith ra"s fro clothin" 4orn out a "eneration or ore before&

)hin, of the

cli bin" the scaffoldin" a hundred feet in the air@ 4hile the

onths 3ass into years as they lu" stone after stone u3 and u3 to hel3 the 4alls rise 4hile the s3irit of the to4er-to3 bec,ons the u34ards still and the car3enters are 4aitin" to be"in their difficult tas, of asse blin" hu"e bea s to for a tall stee3le&

#urely the 4or, of the builder & & & 4as ver"in" u3on the su3erhu an& Called fro the 4orld of hovels@ none ore than a sin"le storey in hei"ht@ he found hi self havin" to raise a 3air of 4alls ei"hty feet hi"h and cover the 4ith a roof&

7hen in a little 4hile 4e shall see these hardy and hard4or,in" en involved in the dra a of the 3ublic 3lace 4e shall need to re e ber that 4e are not tal,in" about the dilettante handy en of the a"e@ but 3rofessional and hot-blooded en of their day 4ho 4ould stand for no nonsense and 4ould thin, hard about 4hat occu3ied their ti e and ener"y&

(& $asons 4ere oney-conscious< %rofessional they certainly 4ere@ both aster- ason desi"ners and free-stone carvers and oulders& )hey 4ere@ as a result@ a on"st the ore hi"hly-3aid e 3loyees of the 4hole country and yet the su s 4hich 4ere involved see 3altry by odern standards-4d a day in 14::@ 6d a day in 11::@ 8d by 111: and doubled to 16d a day by 16::@ until by the ti e of the rebuildin" of London and the era of our first 'rand Lod"e a 4or,in" ason 4ould receive .(d a day&

)hou"h the 0#L tells us that ; an does not live by bread alone=@ yet the truth is that our asonic 3redecessors had to exist and to eat and it is instructive to hear 4hat !noo3 and -ones have to say about the ratio of 4a"es to the 3rice of food and drin,&

)hus in 1(1(@ the ason=s daily 4a"e in London 4as fixed at 41SId 4ithout food and .d 4ith food@ i&e& the food 4as treated as 4orth 11hd@ and the oney 4a"e 4ithout food ay be ex3ressed as three ti es 4hat the food cost& It 4as also the case in 1491 that a ason=s daily 4a"e 4as e?ual to three ti es the cost of 3rovidin" hi 4ith ; eat and drin,=& In the second half of the sixteenth century the oney 4a"e a33ears to have been e?uivalent to only t4ice the cost of his ; eat and drin,=& +urin" the

seventeenth century the 3osition a33ears to have i 3roved so e4hat &&&

)o achieve or to aintain these standards the asons 4ere far fro unready to ta,e a stand& In the iddle of the fourteenth century 4e have a London ordinance 4hich asserts that ;the "ood fol,s of the City@ rich and 3oor@ have suffered 4ithin the 3ast year@ by reason of asons@ car3enters@ 3lasterers@ tilers@ and all anner of labourers@ 4ho ta,e i easureably ore than they have been 4ont to ta,e= (:1 (:( ;)*5 %R5#)26IA6 L5C)>R5#= )hus in 1.6: a #tatute of Labourers increased the 3enalties to be i 3osed u3on all those ; asons and car3enters= 4ho 4ere extortionate in their de ands&

It is also 4orth notin" that at this ti e any 4or, an ta,in" ore than he 4as entitled to 4as liable to "o to 3rison for 4: days@ 4hilst anyone 3ayin" hi"her 4a"es than those authorised 4as to be fined 4:s Aor the e?uivalent of 1(: en=s 3ay for a dayOB& 7hen in a little 4hile 4e co e to exa ine the costs and fines levied in relation to the dra a in 4hich these =3ay- inded= secular 4or,ers 4ere involved 4e shall@ I thin,@ be able to Hud"e in a ne4 4ay the values they 3laced on the ;3lay= 4hich diverted the fro their 4or,&

.& $asons 4ere reli"ious< 9et thou"h these 4ere secular en they 4ere also reli"ious en& I find yself in full a"ree ent 4ith the o3inion ex3ressed by Bro Roderic, Baxter in the %restonian Lecture for 19(9 4hen he says@ ;It is "enerally ac,no4led"ed no4 that the 3resent-day #3eculative /ree asons are the le"iti ate descendants of the ediaeval 23erative crafts en 4ho built our 'othic cathedrals@ churches@ castles and ,ee3s and the theory 4hich I 4ant to lay before you is that these old $asons bein" so closely in touch 4ith all the rites of the church@ si 3ly a33lied the "os3el narrative to their trade in a sy bolical 4ay@ Hust as they oralised on their 4or,in" tools and i 3le ents&= A3art fro the e 3loy ent for certain ur"ent 3eriods and in so e areas of the country by the Royal house of the ti e@ the vast aHority of asons 4ere the servants and de3endants of the on,s and cler"y& 6o sooner had the "reat Benedictine and Cluniac houses of the eleventh to thirteenth centuries been co 3leted than the /riars arrived and sho4ed the need@ not only for a 4hole ran"e of ne4 +o inican and /ranciscan convents@ but also for "reat ne4 churches of fresh desi"n and in ne4 areas of the country& It 4ill not be sur3risin" therefore if 4e observe in the inter3lay of

asons and onastic@ of friar and free ason@ a 3artnershi3 4hich 4as not only 3roductive but 4hich 4as so e inently har onious&

+urin" the edieval 3eriod architecture 3rovided a eetin"-3lace for science and art@ of reason and feelin"@ of the nu inous and the severely 3ractical in life& It touched - as it 4as intended to touch - s3irit@ ind and body to"ether& )he architect 4as not si 3ly a aster crafts an of a traditional anual s,ill but one 4ho sou"ht to co e very close ;in his endeavours to i itate the Creator of the natural environ ent& )he $iddle A"es sy bolised this clearly in re3resentations of 'od the /ather@ as Creator of the >niverse@ easurin" it out@ as in the *ol,ha %icture Bible Boo,@ 4ith the "iant co 3asses of the architectural or s3eculative aster ason&= 7hat 4as clearly re?uired of the $aster $ason at this sta"e 4as a sensitive and also an infor ed reli"ious sense 4hich 4ould enable the ason not si 3ly to ,no4 4hat to do but to ,no4 4hat he 4as doin"& )o ?uote a"ain fro Braun< It see s that the exterior Aof a cathedralB i"ht have been intended not as architecture but as scenery@ si ilar to a sta"e settin" for a 3a"eant & & & 7as this 3ilin" u3 of turrets@ buttresses and 3innacles & & & ore li,e a roc,y hillside than a buildin" - could this have been@ 3erha3s unconsciously@ a tribute not only to 'od@ but to the inesca3able "lory of his 7or,s@ ever before the eyes of ediaeval anP +RA$A A6+ CRA/) (:. 7hatever ay have been the case in earlier a"es I 4ould assert that in the latter fourteenth century@ and after@ this 4as certainly the case&

/or this reason& $ention has already been ade of the i 3act of the Blac, +eath on the 3rovision of labour in 5n"land@ as indeed on any countries of 7estern 5uro3e& 9et it 4as not only in its econo ic or social i 3act that this 3heno enon 4as si"nificant& It had@ as %hili3 Kie"ler has ade very clear@ a reli"ious and 3sycholo"ical effect of 3rofound di ension&

$ediaeval an in 1.1: and 1.11 believed 4ithout ?uestion that the Blac, +eath 4as 'od=s 3unish ent for his 4ic,edness& )his ti e he had been s3ared but he could hardly ho3e for such indul"ence to be rene4ed if his contu acious failure to end his 4ays stun" 'od into a second onslau"ht& )he situation@ 4ith sin 3rovo,in" 3la"ue and 3la"ue "eneratin" yet ore sin@ see ed to have all the a,in"s of a uni?uely vicious circle@ a circle fro 4hich he could only ho3e to esca3e by a drastic endin" of his 4ays& 9et@ undeterred@ he continued on his 4ic,ed course a"ainst a

bac,"round of a3ocaly3tic

utterin"s 3ro3hesyin" every ,ind of doo &

)he 3ractical effect for asonry 4as a s3ate of chantry cha3els in 4hich the dead i"ht be re"ularly 3rayed for@ saints i"ht be as,ed to save those in 3ur"atory and 'od=s house i"ht be further honoured& )here 4as a veritable sta 3ede to4ards altars and 3rocessions@ and the hell-fire 3reachin" of the /riars 4as "iven a ne4 lease of life and called for ne4 ex3ression in roof-boss and 4all-decoration@ in 3ainted "lass and stone-tracery& )he so bre and the tra"ic@ the e 3hasis on the necro antic Athe cult of the deadB and of *ellE above all@ the a4areness of the violence in life - all these ca e to the fore for =no-one can live throu"h a catastro3he so devastatin" and so inex3licable 4ithout retainin" for ever the scars of his ex3erience=&

#uch@ I a sure@ 4as the natural air the ason of the day breathed and such the bac,cloth to his involve ent in society& 7hat is re ar,able and fascinatin" is that 4hen you see the settin" in 4hich en are@ in and around 1.7:@ you be"in to understand 4hy it 4as that at this very o ent there e er"ed a 4hole succession of events that are si"nificant for the Craft& )he first recorded articles and char"es of asons are seen to a33ear@ a vast ne4 s3ate of 3arish church buildin" develo3s@ the ne4 style of architecture@ %er3endicular@ be"ins to flourish and the to4ers of 7orcester@ the 7est front of Beverley or the nave of Canterbury co e into existence@ the friars need ne4 accoutre ents for their 3o3ular instruction and 4ith the deci ation of the onastery 3o3ulation Aal ost half the on,s and nuns died@ over 8@::: of the B 3lays 4hich had hitherto been al ost entirely re"arded as their 3reserve are ta,en over by the local co unity of 4hich the asons are far fro bein" uni 3ortant e bers& It 4as not coincidence - it 4as a sta"e in a ne4 develo3 ent&

4& $asons 4ere visually acute< As the rich "ave ea"erly for the beautifyin" of those earthly te 3les 4hich i"ht stay the return of the 3estilence that had been endured so the asonic artificers 4ere faced 4ith a ne4 tas, of ecclesiastical 4or, anshi3 - the 3roduction of fresh sy bolic desi"n&

$edieval 4riters 4ere 3erfectly 4ell a4are that the function of desi"n 4as then 3erfor ed by en 4ho 4ere e bers of the relevant buildin"

trades@ asons@ car3enters and the li,e& )hus Lyd"ate in his )roy Boo, 4ritten in 141(-(:@ (:4 =)*5 %R5#)26IA6 L5C)>R5#= describes ho4 !in" %ria @ desirin" to build a ne4 city on a clear site@ sent out to see,< /or such 4or, en as 4ere curious@ 2f 4it inventive@ of castin" arvellousE 2r such as could craft of "eo etry 2r 4ere subtle in their fantasyE And for everyone that 4as "ood deviser@ $ason@ he4er@ or crafty ?uarrierE /or every 4ri"ht and 3assin" car3enter )hat ay be found & & &

)he co bination in this 3assa"e of the craft of "eo etry@ athe atical ,no4led"e@ the function of =deviser=@ 4ith such ty3es of crafts en as asons and car3enters is si"nificant& )he ention of s,illed ?uarry en is also of interest because there is a "ood deal of evidence that areas of stone ?uarryin" 4ere one of the ain sources of the ost hi"hly trained ty3es of ason&

/or y 3resent thesis this ention of the ?uarry is also very "er ane for there is evidence to sho4 that either the ?uarry 4as a natural =theatre= for the 3erfor in" of 3lays or at any rate for ed one of the stations in 4hich 3art of the edieval 3rocession or =3lay= too, 3lace& )hus@ in #hre4sbury@ fro 4hich 4e have recovered fra" ents of the 3lays 4hich sho4 ho4 an individual 3layer 4as =3ro 3ted= or =cued in= for his 3art@ 4e ,no4 that in 1494 D1&6s&9d 4as 3aid for 4ine ="iven to %rince Arthur at the 3lay in the Cuarrell= and in 1116 there 4as 3resented =the 3lay and sho4 of the $artydo of /eliciana and #abina in the 7hitsun 4ee, in the Cuarry behind the to4n 4alls & & &=& In 7a,efield also 4e learn ho4@ follo4in" the uch older custo of the Cor3us Christi 3rocession@ the later series of craft 3lays ended their se?uence of sto33in" 3laces at 'oodybo4er@ once a s all o3en 3lace@ then@ as no4@ a narro4 lane runnin" fro the 6orth 5ast 3art of the 3arish@ no4 Cathedral@ churchyard and leadin" fro the local ?uarry to the to4n centre& In his history of 7a,efield -& 7& 7al,er says of the na e@ 'oodybo4er@ that it 4as =in allusion to the 3lace 4here the $ystery 3lays 4ere 3erfor ed=@ hence ='od i=th bo4er=@ and certainly in the ystery 3lay of Cain and Abel@ a 3lay 4hich could 4ell have been that 3erfor ed by the asons locally@ there occurs the follo4in" cou3let@ =7han I a dede@= bery e in 'udeboure at the Cuarrell hede&= 7hen@ as ay 4ell have been the case@ the ?uarry 4as the 3lace for the careful choice of stone and its first s?uarin" or =?uarryin"= Aboth of 4hich 4ords@ li,e @?uarrellin"=@ have a lin, 4ith =?uatuor=@ the Latin 4ord for =four=B and also a s3ot in 4hich uch 3reli inary carvin" too, 3lace it is obvious that this 4as 4here the ason exercised his s,ill of si"ht and i a"ination& It 4as not si 3ly a case of ,no4in" the line of the stone and its suitability for this or that decoration& It 4as also a case of ,no4in" 4hich decoration

to ado3t and for 4hat 3ur3ose& 7hilst it is often reco"nised that the asons 4ere "ood constructors it is@ I thin,@ still not sufficiently reco"nised that they 4ere the servants of the church as teachers and sy bolical co unicators& Anyone 4ho be"ins to study carefully the asonic aster3ieces of the t4elfth to the fifteenth centuries in Britain 4ill be struc, not +RA$A A6+ CRA/) (:1 so uch by their "randeur as by their detail& )he asons 4ere en 4ith a very 3erce3tive and retentive eye& )o the the inutiae of sy bolic re3resentation 4as not erely so ethin" re?uired by their e 3loyers or 3atrons< it 4as clearly so ethin" in 4hich they the selves 4ere ex3ressin" all they ,ne4 and all that they@ and they alone@ could convey to their unlettered as 4ell as their educated conte 3oraries@ not to ention those 4ho in future a"es@ li,e us@ 4ould@ they 4ould be sure@ understand 4ithout lan"ua"e the truths 4hich they 3ortrayed&

)hou"h one cannot 3ursue this atter at ore len"th here it is@ I a sure@ i 3ortant for us to try and discern 4hy the asons did in fact re3resent in their 4or, the sa e obHects in identical or near-identical fashion@ viI@ the )e 3le@ a %alace@ a -e4ish 3riest@ an An"el@ so e #aint@ %ro3het or A3ostle& )o ?uote -ohn *arvey a"ain< ;A church 4as the *ouse of 'od@ a shelter for 4orshi33ers@ and a 3icture boo, of reli"ious doctrine& #tatuary@ 3aintin"s@ and stained "lass told their stories in the anner of the stri3-cartoon& & &= )he 3roble that faces us is not@ 4hy did the asons en"a"e in dra a@ but 4hy they en"a"e as they didP /or en of the ,ind of sure si"ht and 4ide ex3erience that they 4ere in the atter of architectural sy bolis and alle"ory it cannot have been by chance that they too, u3 their ;3art= in the dra a of their day 4ithout a full a4areness of 4hat they 4ere doin"& 9et to this 4e shall co e very shortly and in ore detail&

1& $asons 4ere co unity en of their ti e< 7e ust first consider another as3ect of the edieval asons= life as real hu an bein"s and that is their co unity sense& 7ithout at this sta"e enterin" into the i 3ortant and still o3en-ended debate as to 4hat 4as@ and 4hat 4as not@ the real nature of the asons= associations@ such as 4e can ,no4 the fro the fourteenth century on4ards@ the fact still stands that asons 4ere re"arded@ and 4ere a33arently ha33y to be re"arded@ as "enuine e bers of the local society& /or our 3resent 3ur3ose and 4hilst reco"nisin" the ?uestions left unans4ered and unresolved it 4ill be enou"h to record here the un ista,able i 3ression that t4o years of careful readin" of unici3al docu ents has left u3on e& In no instance a I a4are that 4hen the asons are entioned there is any su""estion

that they are a race a3art or that their 3artici3ation in the city life 4as unusual or 3eculiar&

As one exa 3le of the early inclusion of the asons in their co unity life I 4ould es3ecially ention their 3resence in the to4n or city 3rocessions 4hich develo3ed in this country lon" before there 4as any su""estion of their bein" associated 4ith 3ublic 3lays& Bet4een 1.11@ 4hen the official authorisation in 5n"land of the 3ublic Cor3us Christi festival occurred@ and the certain e er"ence of the ystery 3lays c 1.7:@ it is ,no4n that the reli"ious 3rocession@ an act involvin" both church and unici3al officials@ 4as steadily develo3ed as a 3rinci3al feature of the day=s activities& )he outline of the day=s activity 4as si 3le enou"h but its co 3onents 4ere clearly the launchin"-3ad for so ethin" uch ore a bitious as ti e 4ent on& After a sole n hi"h- ass@ the cler"y and their acolytes 4ould leave the church buildin" 4ith candles@ robes and incense and 4ith the sacra ent of the ;sacrificed $aster= borne under a 3ano3ly by the chief cleric 3resent& )his 4ould be follo4ed by the 3rinci3al to4n officers and then the crafts in their 3recise order of 3recedence@ also bearin" candles and their o4n banners@ (:6 ;)*5 %R5#)26IA6 L5C)>R5#= the latter s3ecially and ne4ly desi"ned& )he first of such banners@ as Conder has infor ed us@ 4as that chosen and dis3layed in London by the asons- ;. Castles 4ith a chevron bet4een bearin" an o3en 3air of co 3asses=@ the very otif 4hich is dis3layed to this day on every 'rand Lod"e certificate that a ne4 ason receives&

It is@ I believe@ because the crafts en 4ere accusto ed to sharin" in this ,ind of reli"ious cere ony and to ta,in" an increasin"ly ;visible= 3art in the 3roceedin"s that 4e should be less sur3rised at their eventual and total 3artici3ation in the 3lays 4hich e er"ed& It is here that a si"nificant 3assa"e fro 'lynne 7ic,ha =s 5arly 5n"lish #ta"es Avol IB needs ?uotin"< #ince the distin"uishin" feature of the Cor3us Christi celebrations 4as a 3rocession of the ost for al ,ind@ it is reasonable to su33ose that the livery co 3anies 4ould carry 4ith the not only the obli"atory =li"hts= or torches and banners@ but ore aterial sy bols of their callin"@ as they 4ere 4ont to do at civic celebrations& 7hat could be ore a33ro3riate to the occasion than banners de3ictin" a scri3tural scene 4ith 4hich the craft "uild had 3rofessional affinitiesP And if the sy bol 4as on a banner@ 4hy not three-di ensionally as a odel on a s all@ 3ortable rostru or 3latfor P )he thirty years bet4een the "eneral ado3tion of the /estival and the first onslau"ht of the Blac, +eath 4as ?uite lon" enou"h for this 3ractice to have beco e universal and for the sa e trades to have beco e fir ly associated 4ith the sa e scenes in

any cities& & & & 2nce thus attached@ it is an easy ste3 for the "uilds to clai as ;their o4n= a 3articular scene or story 4hen called u3on by the cler"y to 3artici3ate in the 3erfor ance of the 3lays& If they offered to 3ay the costs in order to secure ;their scene=@ the clai 4ould be hard to resist&

It is te 3tin" to ?uote ore but enou"h has been said to sho4 that 4e are dealin" here 4ith a co unal activity in 4hich asons@ li,e their conte 3oraries in other crafts@ 4ere cau"ht u3 in a develo3in" 3rocess& 7hether it be the ention of individuals Ali,e -ohannus *ardere@ free ason@ in the Cor3us Christi 'uild at 9or,B or the ention of the asons "enerally in 6or4ich in 141. as a on"st those crafts 4hich@ unli,e the aHority@ bore t4o banners in the city 3rocession for Cor3us Christi instead of oneE or yet a"ain the sti3ulation in 5dinbur"h in 1471 that ;the $asons and 7ri"hts should al4ays have 3lace in all 3ublic 3rocessions@ as they haf in the to4ne of Bru"es=- the i 3ression see s undeniable that any of our asonic 3redecessors 4ere rooted and "rounded in the life of their localities& In 17191 read that the Builders= Co 3any of !endal A4hich 4e ,no4 to have included the asonsB ade the follo4in" contribution to the 3ublic 3rocession< Builders about 1:: in nu ber 4ill be 3receded by ( *e4ers of 4ood on *orsebac,@ follo4ed by !in" +avid 3layin" on his har3@ after hi 4ill be carried on en=s shoulders a odel of #olo on=s )e 3le@ follo4ed by !in" #olo on 4ith 3ro3er 'uards@ next the -ourney en and A33rentices in sashes and ca3s 4ith the Ar es of the )rade@ beautifully 3ainted on the /ront@ follo4ed by the $asters in sashes and coc,ades@ richly e broidered& & & &

)he 3ublic ex3ression of ore inti ate cere onial see s to be still at 4or, and the co unity=s a4areness of its buildin" crafts en un?uestioned&

6& $asons 4ere en 4ith s3ecial insi"hts< Before 4e co e to the 3rinci3al section of this Lecture@ ho4ever@ there is still need for us to consider one further as3ect of the asonic crafts en=s a,e-u3& Countless 4riters have referred to the +RA$A A6+ CRA/) (:7 fact that the edieval asons a33ear to have had secrets@ not only of a technical@ but also of an esoteric@ nature& A/or the technical ;secrets= see the %restonian Lecture for 19.1&B Bro *arry Carr@ in his recent 3a3er on the relationshi3 of the Craft and the Royal Arch@ 4rites@ ;)he 3resent 4riter has al4ays believed that there ust be so e ,ind of le"end@ not

necessarily *ira ic@ to ex3lain the /&%&2&/&=@ and in his latest boo,@ !in" #olo on=s )e 3le in the $asonic )radition@ Alex *orne a,es a si ilar 3oint at various sta"es throu"hout that 4or,& 2n 3a"e (6 he su""ests that the underlyin" asonic le"end see s to "o bac, to the fifteenth century accordin" to 4ritten records and 3ossibly uch later by ;oral tradition=E and on 3a"e 46 he re3eats the 4ords of %rofessor -ohnston@ 4ho concluded that the )e 3le le"ends ;4ere not ta,en 4holesale into our syste fro an outside source= but 4ere indi"enous to the "enius of the asonic institution itself&

As 4ith conte 3orary anorial custo s it is su""ested that there could 4ell have been@ a on" asons@ ;custo s@ and 3erha3s traditions@ 4hich had been orally trans itted fro "eneration to "eneration= and this is the less difficult to conceive 4hen 4e recall that it 4as in such a anner that the so-called ="eo etrical secrets= 4ere co unicated& $oreover Alex *orne is not the only 4riter to su""est that there "re4 u3 a tradition in thirteenth-century churches and cathedrals of ; utilation@ sacrifice and death= such as is recounted of the transe3t 4indo4 of Lincoln Cathedral&

It is on 3 ..: of *orne=s boo, that aterial very relevant to y 3resent thesis a33ears& Reference is ade to Robert Race=s vie4 AB$$@ ixB that analysis of the *ira ic +ra a confir s that it is in reality ;nothin" ore than the libretto of a reli"ious dra a - one of those $ystery or $iracle 3lays that 4e ,no4 to have been in the habit of bein" enacted in the $iddle A"es=& 7hatever ay or ay not be the truth of this su""estion it does 3rovo,e Alex *orne into 3ostulatin" the idea of ;a $asonic 3lay A4hichB ay 4ell have been of an esoteric character@ eant for inner circles only@ and trans itted 3urely by oral tradition and therefore not available in 4ritten for =& 5ven after "ivin" due 4ei"ht to 5rnest 5& )hie eyer=s attac, on the Race theory I find it ost instructive to note that Alex *orne=s recent study co es to the follo4in" conclusion< ;It 4ould see obvious@ ho4ever@ that )hie eyer=s -fol,-lore theory and Robert Race=s $orality %lay theory are not utually exclusive@ but that@ if so e ele ents of the *ira ic $yth are indeed ;a 3roduct of the thou"ht 3rocesses of a social "rou3=@ 3reserved fro ore 3ri itive ti es throu"h the instru entality of 3o3ular fol,-lore and ytholo"y@ these ele ents could very 4ell have incarnated the selves in the body of a fol,-dra a@ on the one hand@ as 4ell as in a ritual@ on the other@ and in these t4o for s ay have 3assed on to a ti e 4hen@ as no4@ both the dra a and the ritual are found incor3orated in a sin"le rite&= 7ith this thou"ht u33er ost 4e are ready to ove to another sta"e of the ar"u ent&

)*5 $A#26# A6+ )*5 $9#)5R9 %LA9# 7e no4 co e to 4hat is the 3rinci3al section of this Lecture& Its ar"u ent ay be si 3ly stated& Contrary to 4hat has been 3revious o3inion on the subHect I (:8 ;)*5 %R5#)26IA6 L5C)>R5#= believe that the survivin" evidence re"ardin" the involve ent of local asons in the edieval $ystery dra as sufficiently 3roves that this involve ent 4as deter inate and not ha3haIard@ 4as s3ecifically related to certain biblical and hence ty3olo"ical events@ 4as 4ides3read and continued for lon" 3eriods@ and@ above all@ does see to have had so e connection 4ith the e er"ence of our current rituals& As R& -& $ee,ren once re ar,ed in a related@ albeit a different@ context AACC@ lxxiiB@ ;it 4ould ta,e a treatise of considerable len"th to set out Athe ar"u entB in a coherent for =& All I can ho3e to do here is to "ive an outline of the ar"u ent and to su""est 4here ore evidence can be found&

In ACC@ xxxvii R& I& Cle"" - in his discussion of *erbert %oole=s 3a3er@ $asonic Ritual and #ecrets before 1717 - 3oints to ;the early cere onies of the Church and 3articularly those s3ectacles 4hich have been associated 4ith the 3eriod of 5aster= as bein" a 3ossible ori"in for the later *ira ic dra a& Let us therefore consider Hust 4hat it 4as@ that the asons 4ho 4ere so continuously at 4or, on the slo4ly constructed church buildin"s could have seen and heard ta,in" 3lace around the stone se3ulchres 4hich they had erected at the 6orth 5ast 3art of the church sanctuary Asanctu sanctoru B fro the thirteenth century on4ards&

)he follo4in" extracts are fro the #e3ulchru or 5aster litur"ical dra a 4ritten for use in #alisbury Cathedral in the fourteenth century and also belon"in" to the 3arish of #t -ohn the 5van"elist@ +ublin@ in the fifteenth century& )he ori"inal text is@ of course@ in Latin&

)hree 3ersons enter in sur3lices & & & A)he first a33roaches the se3ulchreB AlasO the "ood she3herd is slain@ 7ho no "uilt stained@ 2 la entable deathO A)he third duly addsB AlasO the true teacher is dead AAB 4ho "ave life to the dead& 2 la entable factO A)he second $ary duly saysB AlasO our Consolation@ 7hy did he suffer deathP AAfter co in" close to the altar@ the third $ary saysB But this 4e cannot acco 3lish 4ithout assistance& 4ho shall roll a4ay the stone for us &&& P A)he an"el@ leanin" on the to b@ saysB

7hat see, ye at the se3ulchre@ 2 follo4ers of ChristP AAfter the $aries= ans4er the an"el addsB *e is risenE he is not here &&&

Co e and see the 3lace 4here he 4as laid& A)he $aries havin" loo,ed around@ cryB *e is risen@ the 3o4erful@ the stron" &&& A/irst $ary says to the con"re"ation after -ohn and %eter have arrivedB & & & +eath and Life have fou"ht in a 4onderful duelE )he %rince of Life@ havin" died@ rei"ns livin"&= In case anyone i a"ines that y use of italics is by 4ay of s3ecial 3leadin" it +RA$A A6+ CRA/) (:9 i"ht be 4orth notin" that in other variations of this 3articular church dra a there are variations 4hich still ore stron"ly enhance a 3hraseolo"y not unfa iliar to 3resent-day asons& In a version used in 2rleans in the thirteenth century 4e find & & &

instead of AAB above@ ;4ho "ave life to the u3ri"ht=E and the first $ary adds the 4ords< 7hy conde ned ye to an i 3ious death )he *oly 2ne 4ith sava"e hateP 2 +ireful ra"eO and the third $ary=s refrain is then AlasO 4hat are 4e 4retched ones to do@ Bereft of our s4eet $asterP &&&

$oreover the an"el sits at the head of the "rave 4ith an ever"reen or 3al @ and a candelabra or li"hts in his hand&

7hilst there are any ore details 4hich could be ?uoted fro the exhaustive studies by Cha bers and 9oun" enou"h has been "iven here to sho4 that follo4in" the alle"orisation of the $ass in the ninth century there exists by the fourteenth century a 3attern of litur"ical re3resentation at the "reat /estivals 4hich 4ould have been very fa iliar to all loyal church en and not least to those 4hose very livelihood co 3elled the to be inti ately related to the church buildin" and its activity& 7hen to the dialo"ue already re3orted 4e add the fact that the three clerics 4ho 3layed $ary@ the $other of -esus@ $ary $a"dalene and $ary #alo e@ ;did not 3roceed in for al litur"ical order@ but 4ent slo4ly and 4anderin"ly@ as thou"h searchin" for so ethin"= 4e are I thin, bound to be struc, 4ith a further ritual si ilarity&

)he next interestin" fact is that by the thirteenth century there is also a 4ell-established and docu ented Christ as 3lay 4hich echoes in stri,in" fashion the features already 3ointed out in the 5aster se?uence& It starts

4ith three she3herds searchin" for so ethin" and their bein" as,ed the ?uestion@ ;4hat do you see,P=@ to 4hich they ans4er@ ;)he #aviour@ Christ the Lord< 4e do not ,no4 4here they have laid hi =& )he baby is then 3ointed out to the & )his dialo"ue is clearly analo"ous to the 5aster event and is exactly 3arallel in its reli"ious eanin"@ save that the one refers to the event of ;risin"= and the other to that of ;bein" born=&

9et this is not the end of the story& 6ot only 4as the 3lay of the #he3herds@ at Christ as@ so eti es@ and in so e 3laces often@ re3laced by a se?uence called the ;2rdo %ro3hetaru = Aor %lay of the %ro3hetsB in 4hich +avid and #olo on@ a on"st others@ foretell the co in" of the final $aster or $essiah@ but there is also a further variation 4hich involved an extended 3lay at 53i3hanytide@1( days after Christ as@ 4hen the three she3herds@ leavin" the an"er@ are et by the )hree !in"s 4ho have left the 5ast to search for so eone and 4ho are led by a li"ht@ a star@ because that 4ill "uide the to 4here this ne4-born !in" and $aster is laid&

)here 4as even one ore elaboration of 4hich 4e have fir evidence by the t4elfth century& 7e ,no4 that in so e 3laces on the Continent the 3lay of the (1: ;)*5 %R5#)26IA6 L5C)>R5#= she3herds and of the !in"s 4as still further len"thened to include 4hat 4as called the ;2rdo Rachaelis= Aor 3lay of the $assacre of the InnocentsB in 4hich@ follo4in" the visit of the three !in"s@ or 7ise en A$a"iB@ to Bethlehe @ *erod ordered the death of all children in the city 4ho 4ere t4o years old or under& In so e cases@ but not all@ this contained one section called Rachel=s La ent for the children - a feature 4hich a"ain lin,s u3 the 4hole 4ith the ori"inal 5aster the e&

#uch 3lays as these 4ere ,no4n to have been 3layed in the course of the cathedral 4orshi3@ even 4hilst the buildin" of these cathedrals 3ro"ressed@ at 9or,@ Lincoln@ Lichfield and 6or4ich@ and of these only Lichfield 4as too s all a to4n to su33ort the ,ind of 3ublic 3lays 4hich develo3ed in the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries& It is clear@ in "eneral@ that the litur"ical dra a 3rovided an authoritative odel for the ystery cycles 4hilst in no sense "ivin" 4ay to the @ for 4hereas the litur"ical dra a 4as 3erfor ed inside the church buildin" at certain s3ecific seasons of the year@ the 3lays to 4hich 4e ust no4 turn 4ere 3erfor ed outside in the su er 3eriod and on one@ t4o or at the ost three@ consecutive days durin" 4hich cro4ds of 3eo3le could be "athered

to"ether& Contrary to earlier 0ictorian and 5d4ardian literary o3inion 4e no4 ,no4 that both church litur"ical@ and 3ublic $ystery@ 3lays 4ere in existence concurrently&

In one res3ect@ and one far fro irrelevant to our 3resent 3ur3ose@ the t4o 3resentations 4ere ?uite distinct& In the litur"ical 3lays the fi"ure of Christ 4as never 3ortrayed& Instead@ his 3resence 4as sy bolically@ de onstrated by the cler"y carryin" the cross and candles@ or ta3ers@ and also by 3rocessin" 4ith the consecrated *ost@ or bread s3ecially a33ointed for the $ass& It is@ I believe@ si"nificant that in no 3lay-se?uence in 4hich the asons 4ere ever en"a"ed 4as there any event 4hich involved the 3hysical 3resence of ;the $aster=& #ince in any series of Cor3us Christi 3lays there 4ere any 3arts in 4hich -esus a33eared I a bound to re ar, that I do not thin, that this 4as a ere coincidence& Co bined 4ith the other features 4hich I shall shortly illustrate I su""est that this 4as of deter inate and considered choice& It also says a "ood deal about the 3lace of sy bolic illustration and the veil of alle"ory&

7e ust co e no4 to the crucial ?uestion Aclearly not one to be ar"ued at len"th in this lectureB as to ho4 and 4hy there develo3ed a 3ublic ;s3ectacle= such as the su er $ystery 3lays 3roved to be& 7hat needs to be re ar,ed on here is the astonishin" fact@ and one that I yself had never 3reviously "ras3ed@ that the 3lays 4ith 4hich 4e are dealin" 4ere 3layed in so e for and in so e 3arts of the British Isles@ and in so e 3arts continuously@ for (1: yearsO 7hen 4e recall that our o4n Craft has only recently celebrated such a 3assa"e of ti e it is 4ell to reco"nise that for a si ilar 3eriod there 4ere in this real -fro about 1.7: until 16(: 3lays of a biblical and reli"ious nature 4hich dre4 audiences that have had no e?ual and no si ilar affection@ even in the days of #ha,es3eare& 2ne 3assa"e fro $ysteries 5nd by 'ardiner A1946B 4ill illustrate the 3oint< AAfter 117:B the old reli"ious dra a in the 6orth still held the 3eo3le=s hearts@ and 4hen the lon" story of 'od=s dealin"s 4ith his children@ 4hich had been set before the 3eo3le of 9or, since at least the year 1.78@ ceased to teach the Christian /aith and a love of +RA$A A6+ CRA/) 3a"eantry and actin" to the 6ortherners@ it 4as not because the 3eo3le 4ished to see the "o@ but because under an at os3here of sus3icion that had been still ore troubled by the A6orthernB rebellion@ the 3lays had been fairly ;3erused@ a ended and corrected= out of existence&

9et that 4as not the end@ for in 1171 the "uild ordinances of 9or, 4ere

totally revised and still included the re"ulation that ;the "uilds shall be ready to set forth their 3lay@ a on" the rest of the Cor3us Christi 3lays 4henever the 4hole 3lays of the to4n shall 3roceed= and in 1181 the asons the selves have a re"ulation 4hich endorses this 3articular 3oint& In 1191 on 19 $ay the Cor3oration of Coventry are a,in" 3lans for a ne4 3lay to be "iven on ;the %a"ens on $idso er daye and #t %eter=s daye= so that these Coventry dra as 4ere still very uch in evidence all throu"h #ha,es3eare=s youn" anhood& In Chester the last co3yin" of the 3lays too, 3lace in 16:1& In !endal@ as 4e have earlier entioned@ the 3lays continued until -a es I=s rei"n and it 4as outside 5ly *ouse@ *olborn@ that the last recorded 3erfor ance of a edieval $ystery 3lay too, 3lace in the 3resence of a cro4d of thousandsO 7e are here dealin"@ then@ 4ith a social 3heno enon of no s all a"nitude& )o dis iss these 3lays as if they 4ere a ere irrelevance to conte 3orary livin" and to reach the conclusion that@ 4hilst re"rettable@ the involve ent of the asons of the day 4as not in any 4ay si"nificant for the or@ by inference@ for us@ si 3ly 4ill not do& I sub it@ 4ith res3ect yet also 4ith confidence@ that neither brothers Conder nor %ic, had really searched far enou"h before they ca e to the conclusions 4hich they offered& Let us@ ho4ever@ recall 4hat their conclusions 4ere before 4e 3ass on to so e further considerations&

In 1941 /red %ic, 4rote an article in the 3roceedin"s of the $anchester Association of $asonic Research AJJJ0B entitled )he Influence of the 'ilds& 2n 3a"e 64 of that issue he 4rote as follo4s< & & & )here is no conclusive evidence of the existence of the *ira ic le"end before 17.: and a on" the fe4 3lays 3reserved is none connected 4ith the )e 3le or any story bearin" on our ritual& 2n the other hand 4e have 3reserved in certain cere onies dra atic e3isodes that ay 4ell have had their "er in so e lon"-for"otten series of iracle 3lays@ and it ust be re e bered that the 3lays 4ere still bein" 3roduced in the rei"n of -a es I@ by 4hich ti e s3eculative asonry 4as be"innin" to develo3& 7hen Bro Conder=s 3a3er 4as discussed &&& the consensus of o3inion 4as that no case could be ade out for a connection bet4een the iracle 3lay and asonic ritual and no ore satisfactory case can be established today&&&& A$y italics&B )he 3a3er of 5d Conder -nr to 4hich he refers 4as 3resented in 19:1AA CC@ JI0B and 4as entitled si 3ly )he $iracle %lay& *avin" done a "ood deal of research he ad its to there bein" 3lays by the close of the fourteenth century fro 6e4castle u3on )yne to %enairth APB in Corn4all@ 4herever the craft "uilds had their centres@ but he does not see to have had ,no4led"e of the Cornish 'uary 3lays in their full for @ he asserts that there 4as no s3ecial 3lay 4ith 4hich the asons 4ere "enerally connected@ and 4hilst a33arently statin" that there is ;no

trace= of any story 4hich i"ht have a bearin" on the ritual of the Craft he a,es the 3oint obviously ta,en u3 by Bro %ic,@ that the $$ and Royal Arch ay have had the source of their cere onies fro the 3lays& /inally@ on 3a"e 79@ he 4rites as follo4s< (1( =)*5 %R5#)26IA6 L5C)>R5#= & & & as dra a re3resentation 4as evidently a "reat factor in the hands of the cler"y in brin"in" ho e to an unlettered 3eo3le the truths of the #cri3ture@ such a eans of 3rocedure ust have forced itself u3on the 3re-Refor ation $asons as a suitable channel for instillin" any s3ecial tradition they ay have thou"ht necessary to ,ee3 alive in their craftE and further@ such realistic 3lays as the =Burial of Christ= and the =Raisin" of LaIarus=@ so 4ell ,no4n to the @ ay have had a considerable effect in the for ation of any 3rivate Craft 3lay@ ystery or le"end they 4ished to 3er3etuate@ al4ays su33osin" that at that date such a le"end existed&

I have only one conclusion to dra4 fro the 4or, 4hich y notable and assiduous 3redecessors did in this field& I believe that they 4ere so sin"le- inded in their endeavour to find the ,ind of lin, that ost reluctantly they could not find that they sto33ed loo,in" a"ain at the aterial 4hich even they had unearthed and 4hich is still there to be exa ined& *ad they had the ti e and the further literary research 4hich is no4 available I a certain that they 4ould have co e to so e4hat different conclusions& 2ne co entator on Bro Conder=s 3a3er re ar,ed that it 4as no4 i 3ossible =to resuscitate these dry bones and clothe the body in its 3ro3er "ar ents=& I su""est that that 4as too 3essi istic an o3inion and I have endeavoured to res3ond to Bro *u"han=s re ar,s that sa e evenin" - =& & & the data su33lied 4ill enable students so desirous@ to continue their researches&= 7e shall best continue our research by first re indin" ourselves of the 3lays in 4hich the asons actually too, 3art& At first si"ht it is ?uite true that the i 3ression you receive is of a otley array of 3lays for 4hich the asons assu ed res3onsibility& Before 4e loo, at the actual titles@ therefore@ 4e shall need to re ind ourselves of one or t4o factors 4hich a33lied to all the crafts of the day@ set as they 4ere in the co unal context of their a"e& A o ent=s reflection on the reality of the hu an situation in 4hich 4e have already tried to set our ancestors 4ill a,e 3lain that in every local co unity in Britain there 4ere different trades 4hich stood out as 3re-e inent and others 4hich too, their 3lace as of "reater or lesser i 3ortance accordin" to 4ho 4ere the 3rinci3al citiIens of any 3articular to4n or city& )he a33lication of this fact to the $ystery 3lays is of 3ara ount i 3ortance& In Chester and 6or4ich@ for exa 3le@ the ost i 3ortant 3ersons 4ere the +ra3ers@ *aberdashers and *osiers@ 4hereas in 9or, and 7a,efield it 4as the Barbers& )he si"nificance of this fact for the 3erfor ance of 4hat 4ere no4 3lays 4hich 4ere a char"e and res3onsibility@ before 'od and *oly

Church@ on the )o4n and City Cor3oration@ 4as that those 4ho 4ere the ost e inent in the to4n 4ere usually invited to 3erfor the first or last 3lays of the day@ and so far as I have been able to discover@ that is exactly 4hat ha33ened& )his at once eant a shift in the allocation of all the other 3lays and "ives anyone 4ho sets out in order the ,no4n 3erfor ers of all the 3lays 4e are a4are of a ,aleidosco3e of a33oint ents 4hich at first si"ht have neither sha3e nor reason& *ence you find the 3lay )he /li"ht into 5"y3t bein" 3erfor ed in 9or, by the $arshalls Aor 0eterinary sur"eonsB@ in Coventry by the #hear en and )aylors@ in 6e4castle by the Bric,layers and %lasterers@ and in Beverley by the Coo3ers& 2n the other hand@ the Barbers alone 3resent the Ba3tis of Christ in 9or,@ 6or4ich@ 6e4castle and Beverley& In case all this see s confusin" let e try to ex3lain 4hy it is not so confusin" after all&

In a 3revious 3art of this Lecture I dre4 attention to the fact that the ori"inal ethod of co e oratin" the Cor3us Christi festival 4as the holdin" of a 3ublic 3rocession in 4hich@ follo4in" an ecclestiastical van"uard@ the crafts in due se?uence 3araded 4ith their a33ro3riate banners andSor craft sy bols@ ost of 4hich de onstrated either the tools of their trade@ the sy bol of their 3atron saint or so e co bination of both& I also sho4ed that 4herever 3ossible the trade in ?uestion 4ould later see, to secure for itself as ;its o4n=@ the 3lay 4hich ost naturally de onstrated either the craft 4hich 4as res3onsible for it or so e event 4hich i"ht alle"orically refer to its 3atron saint& All these factors no4 co e into 3lay as the 3ro3er order of each local Cor3us Christi 3ro"ra e is finally arran"ed& )o 3ut it ore si 3ly -a craft-"uild 4ould be allocated a 3lay accordin" to AiB its i 3ortance in the to4n hierarchy@ AiiB the a33ro3riateness of the 3lay=s content in relation to that trade@ or AiiiB the connection of this biblical incident 4ith a 3articular 3atron saint& In loo,in" at the 3lays allocated above 4e can see Hust that 3attern at 4or,&

)he reason 4hy the Barbers 4ere so consistently a4arded the 3lay of )he Ba3tis of Christ 4as because the 3resentation of this 3lay re?uired a "reat deal of hair and its s3ecial arran"e ent@ e" #t -ohn the Ba3tist 4as clothed in ;ca el=s hair=@ 4as heavily bearded by tradition@ and 4as visited at the -ordan by the bearded re3resentatives of the 3riests in -erusale & 7hen you learn that the %atron #aint of the Barbers 4as -ohn the Ba3tist because he 4as deca3itated and they 4ere also edieval sur"eons AOB the ex3lanation is even ore obvious&

7hen 4e co e to the varie"ated 3erfor ers of the /li"ht into 5"y3t 3lay there are the sa e lo"ical ex3lanations& 6o 3lay is ta,en u3 ;by chance=& A 3lay 4hich sho4ed an ass or don,ey stoutly carryin" $ary on a Hourney 4as a trade advertise ent for the 9or, $arshalls@ 4hilst in Coventry the #hear en and )aylors had a ono3oly of all the 6ativity se?uences@ includin" this one@ because Christ the La b 4as their 3atron and they had a 3le o33ortunity for dis3layin" their trade ?ualities 4ith fabricated ani al s,ins@ she3herds= "ar ents@ the robes of $ary@ -ose3h and the )hree !in"s@ etc& )he underta,in" of this 3lay by 3lasterers and bric,layers in 6e4castle see s less obvious until you learn that the edieval 3resentation included the overturnin" of idols and the destruction of a buildin" durin" the stay in 5"y3t of the *oly /a ily&

/ascinatin" as you ay no4 see this en?uiry to be 4e ust@ because of our ain 3ur3ose here@ leave further such investi"ation and concentrate on 4hat all this could ean for the asons= trade& A3art fro Aberdeen@ 4here the asons are thrice entioned as occu3yin" the honoured 3rocessional 3lace at Cor3us Christi of archin" next to the ;#acra ental *ost= Athe focus of the occasionB@ our trade ancestors 4ere not usually a on"st the ost 3ro inent of a unici3ality=s inhabitants& *ence they 4ere not a on"st those first able to choose or clai the 3lays 4hich they 4ould re"ard as es3ecially their o4n& )he result@ in so far as y 3resent@ thou"h I a sure still inco 3lete@ researches have ta,en e@ 4as as follo4s< Aberdeen Beverley +RA$A A6+ CRA/) (1. )he )hree !ni"hts 3lay Aor $assacre of InnocentsB )he %innacle of the )e 3le te 3tationP (14 ;)*5 %R5#)26IA6 L5C)>R5#= Chester Coventry +ublin 6e4castle u3on )yne 6or4ich 7a,efield 9or, 1411 14.1 14P $assacre of the Innocents 3lay )he )hree $aries at the )o b 3lay %haraoh and his host at the Red #ea A+u b #ho4PB )he Burial of the 0ir"in Aor /er"usB 3lay Cain and Abel 3lay A5ither the %resentation in the )e 3le or Cain L Abel 3layB )he Burial of the 0ir"in 3lay )he *erod A#earchin" by $a"iB 3lay A)ransferB )he %urification 3lay also added&

At first vie4 there a"ain see s to be no discernible 3attern in this list of 3lays fro across the 4hole of Britain and the earlier conclusions referred to 4ould see to be fully Hustified& Let us@ ho4ever@ consider further&

)he sa e 3lay is entioned in 6e4castle u3on )yne and the first 3resentation recorded for the asons in 9or,< the Burial of the 0ir"in& )hou"h Conder 4as a4are of the t4o 3lay 3resentations he did not

co ent further u3on this infor ation save to re ar,@ that ;these 3lays ust have exercised a beneficial effect u3on the 3o3ulace 4henever and 4herever a re3resentation too, 3lace=& 7hat he does not investi"ate nor ans4er is the surely 3ro3er ?uestion 4hy the asons 4ere se3arately invited@ and acce3ted@ as the 3erfor ers of such a dra a& A study of this exa 3le 4ill@ I believe@ 3rovide valuable 3ointers to the other 3lays yet to be considered&

)he 3lay called /er"us@ or )he Burial of the Blessed 0ir"in $ary@ 4as one of the Cor3us Christi 3lays 4hich 4as entirely based on the le"endary aterial 3rovided in the boo,s of 4hat are no4 called )he A3ocry3hal 6e4 )esta ent& )here are any versions of the story behind this event concernin" $ary@ the other of -esus@ and it is re"rettably not 3ossible in this lecture to enter into too uch detail& )he outline on 4hich all a"ree is as follo4s< )he A3ostles are su oned fro all the four corners of the 4orld to 4hich they had been sent and they arrive at the house of the 0ir"in 4hose body has duly to be 3re3ared for burial in -erusale & )he body 4as to be carried by %eter at the head and -ohn at the feet 4ith three 3al s fro 3aradise@ and three branches of the olive tree 4hich 6oah=s dove had brou"ht@ laid on the cor3se& 2n the 4ay to the valley of -ehosha3hat en selected by the -e4ish 3riests in -erusale 4ere sent a"ainst the 3rocession and one of the @ 4ho is variously called -e3honias@ 9o3hana@ Ruben Aor in the very early Irish for s of this 3lay /er"usB@ attac,s the bier and then finds that ;his hands dry u3 fro the elbo4s= and co e a4ay fro his ar s and cleave to the bier& 7hen %eter as,s hi 4hether he believes that this is the $other of the Lord and co ands hi to sho4 his b9lief by e bracin" the body@ 4hich the an does@ the hands are restored to hi and the dar,ness 4hich had descended u3on all the -e4s 3resent is re oved& )he 0ir"in is laid in a stone coffin ;4hich 4as shut li,e 6oah=s Ar,= and in due course is @assu ed= into heaven&

)his "eneral story@ 4hich had any other very stri,in" features that ust be 3ursued at ore len"th else4here@ 4as both 4ell ,no4n and uch a33reciated +RA$A A6+ CRA/) (11 by the edieval believer& It 4as@ of course@ the very first of the $ary 3lays to be discontinued as soon as the Refor ers in 5n"land could exercise censorshi3 of the Cor3us Christi cycle@ and its le"endary content and unusual facets sufficiently ex3lain any such treat ent& )hat the asons 4ere the 3rinci3al 3erfor ers of this 3lay 4hen it 4as included@ and this 4as not often the case@ does de and ex3lanation or consideration@ and not least in the li"ht of 4hat ha33ened

in 9or,&

In his reflective study of the 4hole Cor3us Christi cycle-event@ 0& A& !olve has 4ritten this< $ediaeval 4riters 4ho used lau"hter as a techni?ue of teachin" 4ere@ at the sa e ti e@ rarely aslee3 to its 3ossible dan"ers& & & & An incident in the history of the 9or, cycle can illustrate AthisB concern on the 3art of the dra a& A on" the 3lays lost fro that cycle is the 3lay of =/er"us=@ once the char"e of the $asons& 7e ,no4 it 4as a source of "reat e barrass ent to the @ for they co 3lained to the civic authority in 14.1 that it caused ore lau"hter and cla our than devotion& )hey 4ere "iven =*erod= to 3erfor instead& )he "uild itself sou"ht the chan"e - the lay 3eo3le too 4anted a di"nified and useful entertain ent& Anyone readin" the descri3tion of the lost 3lay fro Burton=s list of 1411 4ould be hard 3ut to say 4hy it 4as found obHectionable< ;Cuatuor A3ostoli 3ortantes feretru $arie@ et /er"us 3endens su3er feretru @ cu iH aliis -udeis Acu uno An"eloB= Aie /our A3ostles carryin" the bier of $ary@ and /er"us han"in" u3on the bier@ 4ith t4o other -e4s Aand one an"elB&&&& B A dra a that offered ;"a e= e?uivalents for reality 4ould not have hesitated to dra atise this incident in detail &&& so /er"us= ar s co e off at the elbo4 and stic, to the bier& But this last action@ in real life so horrible@ 4ould translate into a "a e-version undoubtedly co ic< its literalness 4ould a,e it ludicrous@ and attention 4ould be focused far ore on the costu in" and the tric,@ and on /er"us= hu iliation@ than on the serious iracle it 4as su33osedly enactin"&

7hether or not this last conclusion is alto"ether the ri"ht one the i 3ortant atter for our 3resent consideration is that the asons 4ere concerned that their 3lay should be treated 4ith res3ect and reverence and that there 4ould need to be a chan"e 4hen these ele ents 4ere lac,in"& )he i 3ression 4hich I "et@ and 4hich I co end to your attention@ is not that the asons 4ere unconcerned about 4hat 3lay they 3resented but that they 4ere very concerned& If 4hat they had first chosen 4as ill-received or 4ron"ly inter3reted then it 4ere better to turn to so ethin" else& )he content@ and the effect of the content@ of their 3lay attered as uch to the as devout Catholics as it did to all their fello4crafts en in other "uilds&

9et even to say all this does not ans4er the 3revious ?uestion as to 4hy the /er"us 3lay 4as chosen and acce3ted in 9or, and 6e4castle in the

first 3lace& I believe that there are six reasons&

1& It 4as a 3lay 4hich reflected the 4ides3read@ but 3articularly asonic@ concern 4ith the necro antic feelin" of the a"e of 4hich ention has already been ade& )he ason 4as a an 4ho at this date 4as absorbed 4ith to bs@ chantries for the dead@ se3ulchres and "rave stones& Cha3els and even 4hole churches 4ere erected in 3rofusion as a result of the Blac, +eath and a 3lay 4hich 4as not concerned 4ith the fact of burial 4ould hardly be a true reflection of the craft at that ti e&

(& )here is@ ho4ever@ the ele ent of life throu"h death@ in that all 4ho (16 ;)*5 %R5#)26IA6 L5C)>R5#= listened to the teachin" of the Church@ and es3ecially the teachin" of the /riars@ ,ne4 that this $other of the Lord 4as not only herself to be ;raised= but could restore the believer to ne4 life& In the 'ree, narrative of the Burial it states cate"orically that as she lay on her deathbed sic, 3eo3le 4ho touched the 7all of the roo 4here she lay 4ere restored to health a"ain&

.& )he 3rocession of the corte"e 4as a 3erfect o33ortunity for sho4in" in reli"ious for so e of the 3atrons of the asons@ the Cuatuor Coronati@ or /our Cro4ned $artyrs Asee ACC@ 7(@ 66@ et al&B@ and saints such as )ho as and -ohn&

4& )his is even ore borne out by the facet of the 3lay 4hich sho4ed that the corte"e 4as 3receded by those 4ho bore the ever"reens of artyrdo @ the 3al and the olive@ as -ohn had been instructed Aand here 4e note a"ain that -ohn the A3ostle 4as one of the 3atrons of the asonsB&

1& )here is the very stran"e and ost distinctive feature of the ;sli33ed= hands 4hich a33ear in every 3icture of this a3ocry3hal le"end 4hich I have been able to trace in 5n"lish stained "lass& )hat the asons@ 4ho 4e ,no4 to have shared si"ns and to,ens at this very 3eriod for the 3ur3oses of reco"nition@ 4ere oblivious to the sin"ular a33ro3riateness of this 3lay see s to e very unli,ely@ thou"h I a e?ually sure that it 4as 4hen this feature brou"ht ridicule and irth instead of reverence and attention that they ?uic,ly as,ed to be 3er itted@ not to dro3 that feature@

but to ove to another 3lay se?uence alto"ether& )he =hand-incident= and the Burial 4ere too closely related to be divided@ es3ecially as they also involved the further act of e bracin" and acce3tance&

6& )he 3lay 4as@ li,e the one to 4hich they as,ed leave to ove@ a 3lay about the Blessed 0ir"in $ary@ yet another of the 3atrons of the asons& If they could not 3erfor one 0ir"in 3lay effectively then they 4ould ove to another and in due course they 4ere to be "ranted the chance to add yet another 0ir"in incident to the ones already acce3ted& 2ne further 3ossible exa 3le of this close sy bolic attach ent to the 0ir"in 4ill be 3rovided later&

/or all these reasons@ and for others of 4hich s3ace 3revents full ention at this sta"e@ I a convinced that 4e have here a reasonable and ade?uate basis for understandin" 4hy the asons 4ere involved in this 3articular 3lay& )he sa e is in any 4ays true of the 3lays 4ith si ilar content 4hich they undertoo, in 9or, later@ in Chester and in Aberdeen& Let us no4 consider these&

I have already referred in this lecture to the ;2rdo Rachaelis= or that se?uence of litur"ical 3lays 4hich develo3ed on the Continent of 5uro3e as a 3art of the ore fa iliar Christ as events& 7hilst there is little evidence of such a litur"ical se?uence develo3in" in Britain for Church use@ es3ecially as the chronolo"ical arran"e ent of days of observation 4ould have ade this a4,4ard@ the 3resence of this se?uence in the 3ublic Cor3us Christi 3lays is ?uite nor al& In six of the ei"ht ore co 3lete lists of 3ublic 3lays in Britain this se?uence is s3ecifically entioned and a3art fro the three cases 4here the asons 4ere involved the only 3artici3ants noted are the #hear en and )aylors in Coventry Asee aboveB and the #hoe a,ers of Beverley 4hose 3atron saints@ Cris3in and Cris3ianus@ 4ere 3erfect exa 3lars of artyred innocence sufficient to 4arrant the ado3tion of this 3lay by the & )he ?uestion therefore re ains@ 4hy the asons +RA$A QA6+ CRA/) (17 should be so s3ecifically involved 4ith this dra atic 3resentation& I su""est that there are a"ain six 3ossible reasons&

1& A"ain 4e eet the un?uestioned necro antic nature of the event@ the 4holesale slau"hter of a ne4 ale "eneration in order to re ove the

3ossibility of a rival !in" to *erod and his house& +eath is a aHor as3ect of this 3articular interlude@ and sudden and tra"ic death at that& )he death of the babes of t4o years old or youn"er in their others= ar s@ and the an"er@ conflict and 4ild la ent 4hich the texts of the 3lays ex3ress all e 3hasise in the vernacular@ as o33osed to the litur"ical@ 3lays the "rief and terror that 4as u33er ost in any inds 4hen these 3lays 4ere first co 3osed&

(& 9et the 3reoccu3ation 4ith death is also attended by the ele ent of sacrifice& )o ?uote 0& A& !olve a"ain< 7hile the ,ni"hts s,e4er the children 4ith s4ords@ the others a,e stran"e and ironic la ent@ as in this 3lea@ )hatt Babe thatt ys borne in Bedle @ so e,e@ *e saue y child and e fro velanyO )here is irony because the villainy they are about to suffer is for *is sa,e@ because of *i E *e has co e to save the @ but in a different ti e and 4ay fro 4hat they no4 su33ose& )o the /athers of the Church it see ed no ere coincidence that Cain and Abel@ Abraha and Isaac@ and the #lau"hter of the Innocents 4ere all stories of urder and sacrifice@ since they 4ere all understood to 3refi"ure the death of ChristE neither is it coincidence that all five cycle lists should feature the & )he fi"ures of sacrifice are of the first 3riority&

.& It is note4orthy that 4e have here an act of urder carried out by three ,ni"hts or villains 4hose tas, as ex3ressed in the extant 3lay texts is to ta,e reven"e u3on these innocents because the secret of 4hich child is the future !in" has not been vouchsafed by the )hree 7ise $en or $a"i& 7hat is also stri,in" is that@ bein" the dra atic se?uence on the a3ocry3hal@ rather than the canonical@ scri3tures 4e have in each case the sad event of the urder of *erod=s o4n son@ since he is bein" nursed in the to4n by one of the 4o en there& 7e thus have an additional ele ent of tra"edy in the edieval re3resentation and one 4hich clearly involves the asons in 3resentin" the urder of a !in"=s son&

4& It is not 4ithout si"nificance@ I believe@ that 4e have here the e 3hasis on innocence or the ne4-born& )his is not only the result of 3resentin" a 3lay related to the infancy of the #aviour but is also an alle"orical reference to the innocence of those 4ho are artyred& It needs to be re e bered that the death of the artyred 4as at this date re"arded as the be"innin" of their ne4 life and the dates on 4hich the artyred are co e orated is described as their ;birthday=& /or the asons 4ho@ li,e their conte 3oraries@ had artyrs as their 3atrons@ such a 3lay had very

obvious attraction&

1& In the course of 3re3arin" for this Lecture I have ade it y business to 4itness as any of the re-3resentations of the $ystery %lays as has been 3ossible in the last t4o years and ust here "ive testi ony that such an ex3erience has aterially assisted in a fresh understandin" of the aterial available& In 9or, in 197. the very 3lay chose for re3roduction in its ori"inal (18 ;)*5 %R5#)26IA6 L5C)>R5#= for as a ;3a"eant= or ;4a""on-3lay= 4as =*erod and the )hree !in"s= 4hich 4as ori"inally sta"ed by the asons and "olds iths there& )he 3ro"ra e issued on that occasion read as follo4s< )he $asons ay have been allotted the *erod 3lay as they i"ht reasonably be su33osed to have been ex3ert in 4hat ay be Hud"ed to have been an architectural settin"E 4hereas the 'olds iths on the other hand@ 4ould find the 3rovision of rich "ifts and cro4ns for the !in"s 3articularly 4ithin their ; istery=& A$y italicsB&

As the 4a""on a33eared before the 7est /ront of 9or, $inster it 4as seen to be adorned 4ith a curtained fra e4or, 4hich ran alon" the centre of the cart len"th4ise@ and above the fra e4or, there 4as at one end a stylised re3resentation of the city of -erusale @ includin" the )e 3le and the %alace of *erod@ 4hilst at the other end there 4as a sy bolic thatch roof 3ortrayin" the stable& It 4ill@ I believe@ be of so e little interest to y hearers Aor readersB if 4e 3ause for a short 4hile and consider this latter feature&

I have already re ar,ed on the use of sy bolic odels by the craft and "ild e bers 4hen ovin" in 3rocession either on their #aints= days or on the "reat festival of Cor3us Christi& I have even entioned the eventual 3aradin" of the $asons= 'ild at !endal 4ith a odel of #olo on=s )e 3le& 7hat I no4 venture to su""est is that 3rior to that date and certainly at the ti e of the Cor3us Christi 3lays the asons already had a sy bolic feature@ or co bined features@ 4hich enabled the to be readily identified 4henever they a33eared in 3ublic& )his 4as the re3resentation of a stone edifice 4ith both a castellated and a 3ointed roof& Let e ex3lain further&

In the 4ell-,no4n and Hustly fa ed *ol,ha

Bible %icture Boo, of the

fourteenth century 4e find recorded the stylised for s used@ and hence reco"nised@ by illiterate church e bers for 4ho this ,ind of anuscri3t teachin" aid 4as 3roduced& )he Boo, is in fact a ,ind of 3a3er reflection of the stained "lass or 4all-3aintin"s 4ith 4hich conte 3orary con"re"ations 4ere fa iliar& In that boo, the )e 3le of -erusale is al4ays sho4n as a threefold co bination of sentry-box-ty3e erections@ and the %alace of *erod is al4ays sho4n as a stone@ three-course erection 4ith a crenellated su3erstructure& In the 3lays the sa e idealised bac,cloth or outline 4ould i ediately convey to the audience the location and the association desired& /or the asons@ and surely ho4 a33ro3riate this 4as for their nor al life@ the audience 4ould thin, of those 4ho built ;holy 3laces= and castles&

6or is this all& In his fascinatin" boo,@ )he *ole Craft and /ello4shi3 of $asons@ 5d& Conder has 3articularly 3ut us in his debt by the careful and scholarly 4ay in 4hich he has traced the first develo3 ent of the asons= ar s fro their ado3tion as the oldest 'ild Ar s in London in 147(& In addition@ and on 3 79 of his 4or,@ Conder dra4s our attention to the fact that the asons in London 4ere tenants@ for their 'ildhall@ in the 7ard of Bassisha4@ of the %rior of *oly )rinity& In 1661 they carried a banner or strea er of the *oly )rinity in their 3rocession@ a banner entioned in their "oods inventory at that 3eriod& 7hat that banner loo,ed li,e 4e are not ex3licitly told but it could only have been one of t4o desi"ns - either that of the %riory #eal sho4in" ;the Blessed #aviour seated on a Rainbo4@ and havin" in his left hand a boo, restin" on his +RA$A A6+ CRA/) (19 ,nee@ the other hand elevated=E or that described by *one in his ;Ancient $ysteries= A18(.B and sho4in" the chevron-lin,ed re3resentation of three circles sy bolisin" the three 3ersons of the )rinity in exactly the sa e lay-out as the 3resent successor of the $oderns= coat of ar s& Both desi"ns are of the "reatest interest to any 3resent-day free ason&

It only re ains here to ention the further 3oint ade on 3 94 of Conder=s boo,@ viI that thou"h in later for s of the asons=s ar s 4e have three edifices 4hich rese ble to4ers the ori"inals 4ere castles and 4hen so sho4n they 4ere al4ays tri3le-cro4ned or 3ointed& )his sy bolic for 4as anifestly that 4hich 4as custo arily used by edieval asons and 3ainters in re3resentin" at once the )e 3le and a Royal *ouse - and yet it 4as also so ethin" ore&

6& 7e have already seen that in 9or, earlier@ and else4here@ the asons 4ere ready to ta,e u3 a 3lay about the $other of -esus@ 4ho they 4ould ,no4 alle"orically as the Lily of the 0alley or the Rose of #haron@ both ter s bein" culled fro the biblical 3assa"e ,no4n as the #on" of #olo on& In addition@ $ary is considered to be ;the castle into 4hich Christ entered at his incarnation= and fro a uch-used ho iletic anual called ;$ir,=s /estial= 4e should consider the follo4in"< $ary 4as stron" as a castle and 4ithstood the assaults of the fiend & & & for ri"ht as a castle 4all hath a dee3 ditch & & & so hath 2ur Lady a ditch of ee,ness so dee3 do4n into the earth of her heart that there i"ht never no an "o over it & & &

)his 4or, tells us that the CA#)L5 4hich 4as $ary had a double 4ard@ the front 3art lo4 to si"nify her 3atience and her 4edloc,@ 4hile the inner 4ard 4as hi"h to sy bolise her vir"inity@ and the "ate in this 4all beto,ened /aith&

#uch a double 4ard is often seen Aas by e on a 6or4ich isericord only recentlyB and@ even ore@ the inner 4ard is to33ed by a roof 4ith a clear chevron- ar,in"@ li,e the fra e of a leaded church s3ire@ a33arently to re ind en that the 0ir"in also si"nified for edieval en the Church u3on earth& All this@ 4hich to a odern ind and eye ay see no ore than the si 3lified re3resentation of a stylised edieval fortress or 4alled to4n@ 4as also re iniscent to the edieval 3reacher and ex3onent of that other verse in the #on" of #olo on a33lied to the 0ir"in@ =A "arden enclosed is y sister@ y s3ouse & & &

)here is little doubt left in y ind that such a co bination of i a"es and associations 4as far fro fortuitous& *ere 4ere earthy en of 3ious dis3osition@ closely associated@ as fe4 other trades than the car3enters 4ere@ 4ith the cler"y and on,s@ and the selves constantly en"a"ed in re3roducin" the very artefacts@ furniture and desi"ns that needed and bore s3ecial sy bolic si"nificance&

7e can no4 3ass so uch ore easily to the other 3lays that 4e ,no4 to have been 3erfor ed by the ason in other 3laces& /ore ost a on"st these is the later 3lay 3roduced at 9or,@ the story of the %urification of the 0ir"in@ or@ the %resentation in the )e 3le& It is because this is 3erha3s the

best ,no4n of all the asons= 3lays for those 4ho ,no4 anythin" about their association 4ith the dra a that I have fro the start been sur3rised at the uns4ervin" assertion of /red %ic, and Conder that there is no evidence 4hatsoever of any 3lay in 4hich ((: ;)*5 %R5#)26IA6 L5C)>R5#= the asons and the te 3le 4ere associated& +oubtless they 4ere eanin" that there a33ears to be no edieval 3lay 4hich directly or une?uivocally lin,s the 4ith the buildin" of !in" #olo on=s )e 3le and in that narro4 sense their state ent is of course ?uite correct& 5ven this@ ho4ever@ has yet to be 4holly dis3roved and as I shall sho4 in a little 4hile there is enou"h 4ritten aterial to Hustify continuin" researches into 3ossible asonic lin,s in Corn4all and across the Channel&

*ere@ ho4ever@ 4e have a direct co bination of several interestin" factors& In a se?uence of 3lays in 4hich there is no other o33ortunity for de onstratin" a direct lin, 4ith the )e 3le@ the 0ir"in $ary@ the fi"ure of the Church@ is seen 3resent in that shrine@ a33roachin" the altar of sacrifice 4ith her t4o 3i"eons@ or doves@ Aand the corres3ondence 4ith 6oah and his Ar, is not accidental in fifteenth-century church teachin"B and attended by t4o brothers@ the sons of #i eon@ the 3riest& & & 4ith -ose3h and Anna and a nurse@ seven 3ersons in all& It also needs to be re e bered that in one se?uence of 3lays@ ie@ in Coventry@ the 0ir"in has already a33eared earlier the sa e day@ and on this occasion 4as herself brou"ht as a youn" innocent "irl to the )e 3le and there ade the traditional entry of ountin" 11 ste3s to4ards the *i"h %riest sittin" on the throne of the inner )e 3le@ and recitin" the a33ro3riate 'radual A"radus- de"ree- ste3B %sal s on the 4ay& In so e 3ictures of this event the ste3s are even divided into three@ five and seven divisions&

In his boo,@ )he Blessed 0ir"in $ary in the ediaeval dra a of 5n"land@ -& 0riend has this to say about this latter incident< ;In the oldest records the reason 4hy 3eo3le arvelled at $ary ountin" the )e 3le ste3s is that she did so 4ithout once loo,in" bac, to her 3arents & & & %seudo-$atthe4 adds as a further reason the fact of her not even stu blin" on the ste3s& )his latter reason is the only one "iven in Ludus Coventriae 4here & & & the aiden reaches the to3 4ithout any isha3 and is there 4elco ed by the *i"h %riest@ 4ho then 3roceeds to instruct her briefly in the ten co and ents and the duties of the life a4aitin" her &&& she is to Mserve 'od 4ith 3rayer@ devote so e of her ti e to anual labourM@ and also ta,e Ma resonable ty e to fedeM&= An interestin" char"e before her ad ittance into the inner cha bers of the )e 3le itselfO $oreover@ 4e have recorded for us the Coventry 3lay verses 4hich 4ere recited as the "irl oved in three sta"es u3 the stair4ay& )hey are@ I

believe@ 4orth recordin" in full as they have a re ar,able si ilarity to the ain obHects of the 3resent day de"rees< )he fyrst de"re@ "ostly a33lyed@ It is holy desyre 4ith 'od to be& In trobyl to 'od I have cryed@ And in s3ed that lord hat herde e & & &

Ad +o inu

cu

tribularer cla avi@ et exaudivit

e&

)he secunde is stody@ 4ith ,no4yn"e of 'ods 4ylle&

e,e in?uyssyon veryly *o4 I shall have

)o the o4nteynes of hefne I have lyfte yn ey@ /ro "4ens shall co yn hel3e e tylle@ Levavi oculos eos in ontes@ unde veniat auxiliu ihi&

+RA$A A6+ CRA/) ((1 )he thrydde is "ladnes in )hat 4e shall be savyd all thus&

ende in ho3e to be

I a "lad of these tydyn"ys ben seyd to 'oddys hous&

e 6o4 shall 4e "o in to

Letatus su

in hiHs ?ue dicta sunt

ihi< in do u

+o ini ibi us&

It is also not insi"nificant that the /east of the %urification 4as only officially acce3ted in the Church at the very ti e the Cor3us Christi 3lays 4ere inau"urated - 1.7(O I a bound at this 3oint to re-direct attention to 4hat I have already tried to sho4 in the earlier 3art of this Lecture@ viI that 4e are dealin" here 4ith real 3eo3le 4ho had actual convictions about 4hat they 4ere doin"@ and 4hose activity in this field 4as far fro unrelated to their o4n craft and reli"ious affiliations& If 4e 3roceed fro an assu 3tion that nothin" they did outside the lod"e roo had any relevance to the Craft at all@ and in 3articular to the s3eculative as3ects of their 4or,in" and ritual@ then of course nothin" in this dra atic aterial 4ill be of very uch 4ei"ht& I su""est@ on the contrary@ that 4e should credit our 3ro"enitors 4ith ore real and co 3lex a hu anity and allo4

the evidence to 3oint us to so ethin" ore substantial than has hitherto been envisa"ed& As 7illia 7a3les@ that not uni 3ortant asonic scholar fro )yneside@ once re ar,ed in a 3ublished 3a3er on the 2ld Char"es and Ancient Land ar,s 4ritten for the 7ear $asonic #tudy Circle@ ; & & & 4:@::: reli"ious and trade societies and "uilds are listed in the rei"n of 5d4ard III A1.(7-77B &&& )hese "ilds on "reat festivals 3resented iracle 3lays@ ystery 3lays@ and reli"ious dra as& It is 3ossible that the dra a of the )hird de"ree ay be a survival of this custo for the one cons3icuous survival of the "ild syste is free asonry&= It is for this reason that@ before co in" to the ,no4n asons= 3lays of 6or4ich and +ublin@ I 4ant to su""est a further connection 4ith the )e 3le in the Beverley se?uence& 7e ,no4 that fro the fourteenth century the asons 4ere involved in dra atic 3resentations in this to4n and 'ayley has 4ritten as follo4s< &&& It 4as then A1.9:B ordered by the 4hole co unity that all crafts en AartificersB of Beverley@ viI& $ercers@ )anners@ $asons and the .. other co 3anies of trades or ysteries A inisteria@ isteria@ tradesB shall have their 3lays and 3a"eants ready henceforth on every Cor3us Christi +ay in fashion and for accordin" to the ancient custo s of the to4n of Beverely@ to 3lay in honour of the Body of Christ&&&&

7e have@ of course@ entioned the involve ent of the asons in a 3lay there about ;Charity= but no one so far has been able to su""est 4hich 3lay exactly they undertoo, in the Cor3us Christi cycle& In the li"ht of 4hat has already been said@ and bearin" in ind the other 3lays not yet discussed@ let us see 4hat this i"ht have been&

As in 9or, and 7a,efield@ so e4hat nei"hbourin" to4ns@ the 'lovers 3resent the Cain and Abel 3lay@ and a"ain@ as in 9or,@ the 'olds iths collaborated to 3resent the 0isit of the )hree !in"s to Bethlehe & )here 4as an Innocents 3lay but this 4as 3resented in Beverley@ as I said earlier@ by the #hoe a,ers@ 4hose 'ethse ane 3lay in 9or, 4as not 3art of the stated ((( 3ro"ra e here& 6either the Red #ea nor the Burial of the Blessed 0ir"in $ary 4ere 3resented either& 7e ,no4 that the asons 4ere involved re"ularly - their sheer buildin" 3ro4ess and 3ro"ra e in this to4n 4ould re?uire it - but all the 3lays see ta,en& 2nly one 3ossibility re ains&

In 9or, the 3lay latterly "iven by the asons 4as the %urification of $ary in the )e 3le and they collaborated in 3resentin" this 4ith the *atters@

and also the asons= buildin" associates@ the Labourers& In the li"ht of the evidently close connection bet4een the 9or, and Beverley 3roductions A1( 3lays of 4hich are by identical tradesOB I su""est that the asons= involve ent 4as either 4ith the *atters or the Labourers& )here 4ere no *atters in Beverley so that it did not at all sur3rise e to discover that the other trade@ the Labourers@ dis3layed its A asonicPB s,ill in offerin" the 3lay in 4hich -esus 4as bein" te 3ted as he stood on the 3innacle of the )e 3le& As one 4ho ,no4s so ethin" about -erusale I can tell you that that eant standin" on the to3 ost section of the )e 3le 7allO )he lin,s 4ith the )e 3le are surely there if 4e 4ill but search for the - and searchin" has al4ays see ed to e to be one of the earliest asonic lessons I 4as tau"ht&

It only re ains in this 3art of y survey to consider the 3ossible asonic reasons for acce3tin" and 3resentin" the Cain and Abel 3lay at 6or4ich@ and the 3lay of %haraoh and his host at the Red #ea in +ublin& I have already ?uoted a 3assin" reference to the for er of these 2ld )esta ent 3lays in 4hich !olve 3ointed out that the Cain incident 3refi"ured the death of Christ@ but@ even ore@ 4as ;sho4n as ta,in" 3lace in a hi"hly or"anised edieval co unity= in 4hich individual "ain at any 3rice 4as discoura"ed and altreat ent or violence a"ainst a ;brother= 4as a heinous cri e& A"ain@ 4e have the sa e e 3hasis on artyrdo 4ith Abel as the first 4ho suffers that fate@ and ; edieval si 3licity of sta"e settin" and the confined s3ace in 4hich the action 4as 3layed su""est that in any 3erfor ances Abel fell dead in the very 3lace that had 3reviously served as an altar@ thus beco in" hi self the sacrifice=& AIt 4as sta"ed this 4ay in the $er aid )heatre 3roduction of the )o4neley %lay cycle@ and the theolo"ical eanin" 4as si 3ly and 3o4erfully establishedB& In the uch ore restricted ran"e of 3lays at 6or4ich it is surely si"nificant that asons shared in dis3layin" the fratricidal urder of an innocent crafts an 4hose 4or, had been acce3ted by the Al i"hty Creator and 4hose 3lace of burial it 4as atte 3ted to conceal& I su""est that a basic ;le"end= is once ore revealin" itself&

)he sa e is also true in the +ublin 3resentation of )he Red #ea or %haraoh and his host@ or@ to be ore 3recise@ the destruction of the 5"y3tians durin" the 5xodus of the Israelites& 7hilst 4e do not 3ossess any text of this 3resentation in Ireland and reco"nise that it included a for of silent tableau as the 3layers oved fro and to the ;3latea=@ or 3layin" arena@ yet the ,no4led"e 4e have of other 5xodus 3lays else4here ay be a 3ointer& !olve a"ain describes ho4 in the 3roduction ;at 9or, $inster in 1917@ the Red #ea 4as a lon" linen cloth@ 3ainted 4ith

4aves@ and held facin" the audience 4hile $oses and the Israelites 4al,ed behind itE 4hen %haraoh and his en ca e in 3ursuit@ it 4as thro4n u3 and over the @ and they lay Mdro4nedM beneath& )he Israelites reHoiced in son" as the 4a"on 4as 3ulled a4ay& )he action@ stron"@ clear and deli"htful@ 3robably ;)*5 %R5#)26IA6 L5C)>R5#= +RA$A A6+ CRA/) ((. re3resented so ethin" very close to edieval 3racticeE records fro Coventry s3ecify@ 4ith no sense of incon"ruity@ Mit&3=d for halfe a yard of rede sea vHd&M = )hou"h it is a"ain i 3ossible in the s3ace of this lecture to extend an ex3lanation@ fa iliar to e@ as it 4as to any edieval Christian fro an early a"e@ of ho4 this incident 3refi"ured ba3tis and Christ=s leadin" en in a ne4 5xodus fro sin and death@ it is 4orth notin" that for our edieval ancestors the rite of ba3tis 4as one of initiation as 4ell as of 3urification - and a rite of a violent ,ind& It 4as eant to si"nify a sudden death@ li,e that of the 5"y3tians@ and yet@ as #t A brose of $ilan once 4rote@ ;& & & he 4ho 3asses throu"h the font does not die@ but rises a"ain=& $oreover@ this 3lay 4as at once lin,ed 4ith the other 3lay event 4hich ran,ed hi"her in the list of favourites for edieval Cor3us Christi audiences - the *arro4in" of *ell@ in 4hich a transfi"ured Christ@ 4ith his banner@ descended to the traditional *ell=s $outh and@ stri,in" three ti es u3on its entrance then led forth triu 3hant the "reat fi"ures of the 2ld )esta ent@ $oses@ +avid and #olo on a on" others& AI cannot forebear entionin" here that seein" this incident in 9or, in 197(@ 4ith s o,e "ushin" forth throu"h the leather lattice across the 4ay to *ell@ alone ex3lained 4hy in 9or,@ Coventry and 6e4castle the leather #addlers clai ed this 3lay 4hereas in Chester and Beverley it 4as the Coo,s and Inn,ee3ersOB 7hen to all this re3resentation of death and release fro death@ of inci3ient initiation@ and restoration of the dead to their fello4s@ 4e add the ,no4n fact that as a bac,cloth to the 5xodus there 4ere 3ainted the t4o 3illars of fire and cloud 4hich led the Israelites safely on their 3il"ri a"e you ay find it hard as I do@ to acce3t the theory of others hitherto that there is nothin" in these 3lays 4hich re otely connects 4ith our 3resent ritual& I so eti es 4onder Hust ho4 far they loo,ed@ or en?uired&

*avin" tried to sho4 at so e@ thou"h by no eans co 3lete@ len"th ho4 very a33ro3riate and eanin"ful the 3artici3ation of the asons 4as in the 3lays 4hich@ albeit officially accorded@ they voluntarily acce3ted@ and@ on at least one occasion@ chan"ed@ there yet re ain certain features of the 3lays= 3erfor ances 4hich are also "er ane to y thesis and 4hich 4ill be of interest to the curious ason&

/ore ost a on" these is the

undane

atter of the cost of 3resentin"

any 3lay in the Cor3us Christi cycle& )he asons 4ho received 4d a day 4ith victuals su33lied@ and ar"ued hard@ and even 4ent on stri,e@ re"ardin" un3aid holidays@ 4ere the sa e en 4ho 3aid half-a-day=s 3ay a year to the =brin"in"-out= of a reli"ious 3erfor ance on one of those dis3uted un3aid holy-days of the year& 5ven if they had been irreli"ious@ and that@ I a sure@ ost of the 4ere not@ yet the ere cost of 3roduction ust have i"htily concentrated their attention on 4hat their hard-earned oney 4as to effect&

)he facts are that the 3a"e ant-4a""ons@ e" in Chester@ 4ere lar"e@ ornate and ex3ensive@ an an ex3ert on this city=s dra a@ /& $& #alter@ has esti ated that it cost about D4@::: Ain 1967 oney valuesB to sta"e the 3lay of the Chester # iths in 1114 and this did not include the hirin"@ fittin"@ ovin" and re3airin" of the basic 4a""on or cart& 2f the Coventry # iths #idney Clar,e records that their 3a"eant 4as ;solidly and carefully built of 4ood and iron= 4ith 3latfor s@ ste3s ((4 ;)*5 %R5#)26IA6 L5C)>R5#= and tra3doors@ and in 146( they re3orted in their inutes ;Ite @ ex3ende at the fest of Cor3us Christi yn re3aration of the 3a"ent@ that ys to say@ a 3eyre of ne4 4helys@ the 3rice viiH sE ite @ for naylys and iH ho,ys for the sayd 3a"iente@ iiiH d&=& #ince the asons 4ere 3erfor in" in the sa e year and the sa e 3lay at 9or, as that here referred to for Chester Aie the %urificationB the fi"ures involved above are not to be i"nored&

$iss %rosser also 3oints out that castin" for 3arts 4as ri"orously controlled and fines for the irres3onsible 3ortrayal of 3arts by 3layers 4ere severe& ;A MstarM role i"ht 4arrant 3ay ent e?ual to 4: ti es the daily 4a"e of an avera"e Hourney an@ and this ty3e of fine 4as increased as 4a"es rose so that even 4hen@ as in the id-sixteenth century@ so e 3rofessional 3layers 4ere hired the crafts res3onsible 4ere still liable to 3enalties for the 3oor@ or non-3roduction of the assi"ned 3lay& #idney Clar,e 3oints out that on (1 6ove ber 1117@ the #,inners and 0est ent a,ers of 9or, 4ere ordered to 3ay such fines for their inade?uately 3resented 3lays 3unctually and in Coventry 4e read that on non-3roduction of a 3lay as 3lanned there shall be a levy of M1::s@ to be raised of four asters of the Craft that so offend&M It should be re e bered that a $aster $ason 4as at this ti e in recei3t of 6d a day&= 5very e ber of a craft 4as therefore levied for the u3,ee3 of the 3lay and its 3ro3erties so that in 1479 the 9or, $ariners 'uild A4hich a33ro3riately offered 6oah and his Ar,B 4ere levied ;a aster 4ith free an@ (d a day@ and a fello4 3ay a 1d= to the ;sustentation and u3holdin"@ as 4ell of the 3a"eant of 6oah@ as of the brin"in" forth and

burnin" of certain torches before the shrine of Cor3us Christi yearly=@ and 4e also ,no4 that in 11.6 the tailors of 6e4castle a"reed that every 3erson ade free of their craft should on ad ission 3ay 8d to4ards the 3lay& )his 3a"eant- oney@ incidentally@ 4as levied lon" after the ori"inal 3ur3ose of it had 3assed into oblivion& All craft e bers 4ere liable and ;forei"ners=@ 4hich i"ht ean 3eo3le only Hust outside the city 4alls@ 3aid t4ice as uch as ad itted crafts en& In 9or, in 1771 AsicB@ al ost t4o hundred years after the 3lays had been last re"ularly 3resented there@ this contribution 4as still bein" ade@ and 4as loo,ed after@ as it had been throu"hout@ by t4o %a"eant $asters 4ho@ li,e all "ood treasurers@ had to account for every 3enny s3ent&

2n . A3ril 1476@ 4e also read that in 9or, yearly in the ti e of Lent there shall be called before the $ayor & & & four of the ost cunnin"@ discreet and able 3layers & & & to search@ hear and exa ine all the 3layers and 3lays and 3a"eants throu"hout all the artificers belon"in" to the Cor3us Christi 3lay& And all such as they shall find sufficient in 3ersonne and cunnin"@ to the honour of the City@ and 4orshi3 of the said crafts for to ad it and able< and all other insufficient 3ersons either in cunnine@ voice or 3erson to dischar"e@ re ove and avoid& & & &

7e also note@ both here and else4here that since 3erfor ers fro the crafts 4ere 3aid@ and 3rovided 4ith food and drin, ;in fair abundance=@ e" ;Ite %ayd at the second Reherse in 7hyttson 4e,e@ in brede@ ale and !etchyn@ its iiiHd=@ it 4as forbidden for any one 3erfor er to a33ear ore than t4ice in any one day=s 3lay-se?uence& *ere it 4ill be of interest to note that the 3layers 4ere re unerated on the strictly co ercial basis of ;len"th of 3art= and not on account of the 3arts= reli"ious si"nificance& *ence@ in Coventry@ in 149: %ilate 4as +RA$A A6+ CRA/) ((1 the ost hi"hly 3aid A4sB@ *erod and Caia3has A.s 4dB@ and -esus and %ilate=s 4ife Aonly (sB& At *ull in 1447 ;'od received 6d=@ but in 1484@ #d@ in 1487@ 1:d and in 11(:@ 1s& A ;-ac, of all )rades= or 3ro3s an 4as 3articularly 4ell re unerated@ so that in Coventry a certain /a4ston received 4d for han"in" -udas@ 4d for coc,-cro4in" and 1d for ;settin" the 4orld on fire in the last scene & & &= 7e also sa4 that 3ay ent 4as ade not only for the actual 3erfor ance but for rehearsals@ and in 1184@ 4hen so e 4ould have us believe that the 3lays 4ere 4anin"@ the re?uire ents for rehearsal in Coventry 4ere< the # iths rehearsed the Crucifixion six ti es@ the Ca33ers rehearsed the Resurrection five ti es@ 4hilst t4ice 4as considered enou"h for all the other 4ell-,no4n e3isodes& )hus 4e have the craft "uild ite for that year@ ;%aid for #ent $arye *all to reherse there@ iHd=& It is also not uni 3ortant for us to ,no4 that one

ite a33ears constantly in all the extant records -=Ite 3aid for "loves to the 3leyares@ xixdE Ite 3aid for a 3air of "loves for 'od & & &= Althou"h this by no eans exhausts the details of the ex3ense laid u3on a craft and its e bers for the 3roduction of an annual 3lay it surely 3rovides enou"h evidence to underline the 3oint about asonic en"a"e ent in this activity& It 4as not an incidental or trivial ex3ense but a considered and considerable one@ and those 4ho 4ere char"ed 4ith it 4ere hi"hly sensible of all that 4as involved in the underta,in"& It had - it had to have - so e eanin" for the or else it is very difficult to understand 4hy they s3ent ti e and ener"y on it& )o say that it 4as @si 3ly= a reli"ious or social re?uire ent itself tells us so ethin" about the attitude of our forbears& )o note ho4 they in fact dischar"ed their ;duty= "oes further and reveals so ethin" of their outloo, and later ;traditions=& In one thin" at least they and 4e 4ould have been in co 3lete a"ree ent& )heir dra a@ and our ritual@ are not a reli"ion& Both 4ere and are the eans 4hereby sy bolic and alle"orical lessons of a oral and reli"ious ,ind can be "iven- but they 4ere@ as they are@ no ore than that& 6o edieval crafts an 4ould ever substitute a dra atic re3resentation for the real thin"&

It is at this 3oint that I ust direct your attention to three further areas of study 4hich cannot be se3arated fro the ain thrust of this Lecture& I refer to AaB the o33ortunity 3rovided by the dra a for instructin" the 3ublic in the Christian faithE AbB the inevitable lin, for the asons bet4een this and the other artistic for s 4ith 4hich they 4ere re"ularly and 3rofessionally en"a"edE and AcB the for s@ sy bolis and alle"ory e 3loyed in connection 4ith the 3lays@ 4hich have interestin" echoes in subse?uent asonic 3ractice&

AaB )hat the dra a 4as 3ri arily a33roved and encoura"ed as a didactic@ and only secondarily 3ro oted as an entertain ent@ ediu @ no4 a33ears to be un?uestioned by ?ualified students of the edieval sta"e& )hou"h t4o of the latest 4or,s on the subHect Aby 7oolf and +aviesB still differ in their vie4 as to ho4 closely@ or ho4 3ro"ressively@ the Cor3us Christi 3lays 4ere related to the 3recedin" litur"ical 3lays@ the fact re ains that both 4ere initiated for one 3ur3ose - to infor and stren"then the onloo,er in the Catholic /aith& As one rubric of an early continental Cor3us Christi cycle A19.1B states< =Inci3it Indus utilis 3ro devotione si 3liciu inti andus et 3era"endus@ die Cor3oris Christi@ vel infra octavos@ de fide ,atholica&= A$y italicsB ((6 ;)*5 %R5#)26IA6 L5C)>R5#= )hese 3lays@ then@ that called forth ;the oney@ the ener"y@ and the devoted enthusias of over ten "enerations of hard-headed@ beef-eatin" 5n"lish en=@ far ers@ dra3ers@ cler,s and asons@ 4ere not

ere for less@ 3ri itive and crude festivities for one@ t4o or so eti es three su er days& ;)o the citiIen of 9or, 4hat he sa4 4as a revealed truth about his o4n life ade 3lain in the fall of his forefather@ Ada @ and the restoration@ throu"h death@ to ne4 life brou"ht about by the co in" of Christ=& In 1644 -ohn #ha4@ 4ho 4as in s3iritual char"e of the 3arish of Cart el@ Lancashire@ 4rote of an old an of near 1: 4hose only re iniscence of bein" told of ;salvation= 4as 4hat he recalled of the Crucifixion scene in the Cor3us Christi 3lays 3resented at !endal< and one of the rare entions of the 3lays in London is the 3etition by the cler,s and choristers of #t %aul=s in 1.78 to Richard II to 3rohibit so e i"norant and inex3ert 3ersons fro actin" ;)he *istory of the 2ld )esta ent=& 2ne 4ould li,e to thin, that concern for the faith and its 3resentation 3redo inated over 3rofessional Healousy about 4ho should 3resent a certain dra a&

AbB 9et this ac?uaintance 4ith biblical stories 4as not the result of fa iliarity 4ith the translated biblical text& )he avera"e edieval an 4as a4are of Cain and Abel@ $ary and *erod and the three !in"s as they 4ere 3resented in ser on and stained "lassE in scul3ture and 4all-3aintin"& /or this 4as the 3eriod of a ne4 develo3 ent in instructional ethods@ and as 4as said by 5& %rosser in 1961@ ;it has never before been noted that the develo3 ent of the ysteries closely 3arallels this Ane4B ca 3ai"n of education=@ due lar"ely to the /riars& It 4as@ after all@ one of the ost 3ro inent of all the /riars@ )ho as A?uinas@ 4ho co 3iled the ne4 church ritual for Cor3us Christi and 4e can see by co 3arin" the +ouai Bible translation version of that office 4ith the edieval dra a@ ho4 close in actual 4ordin" so e 3arts of the are&

7e can learn a "reat deal in this connection fro an ac?uaintance 4ith the aterial entioned in 24st=s 4or,@ ;Literature and %ul3it in $ediaeval 5n"land= in 4hich the author refers s3ecifically@ and in detail@ to the reci3rocal influence of 3ul3it and 3a"eant& !raus@ Braun and Anderson@ and es3ecially the latter in her boo,@ ;+ra a and I a"ery in 5n"lish $ediaeval Churches=@ have no4 3rovided us 4ith a ass of evidence 4hich 3ortrays the sa e ,ind of inter3lay bet4een 3a"eant and church decoration at the sa e 3eriod - decoration@ be it noted@ that had of necessity to involve the ason in his full 3rofessional ca3acity&

#3ace a"ain 3revents any extended treat ent of this 3oint but a fe4

exa 3les fro

each area 4ill be"in to

a,e the 3oint&

Anyone 4ho is 3re3ared to s3end ti e 4ith a 3air of binoculars loo,in" carefully at the ne4ly 3ainted bosses 4hich run the 4hole len"th of the interior roof of 6or4ich Cathedral 4ill be struc, by t4o thin"s& )he first is the beauty of the 4or, anshi3@ but the second is the obvious detail of the re3resentations& 7hy@ one i"ht 4ell as,@ did the asons 4ho carved the bother to re3roduce such intricate scenes 4hen@ even as they rea33ear today in full edieval colour@ they are still hard to distin"uish 4ith the na,ed eye fro "round levelP $ore than this@ 4hy did they choose to carve the scenes and characters 4hich 4e no4 discernP $iss Anderson says this< +RA$A A6+ CRA/) ((7 the subHects illustrated in each bay and 3erha3s the "eneral lay-out 4ere 3robably dictated by a onastic official but the desi"ns of the bosses and ore 3articularly those of s aller or less cons3icuous ones see to have been left to the carvers 4ho dre4 u3on their e ories of 3lays& In the transe3ts 4here the very s all bosses are indistin"uishable fro "round level only the "eneral the e can have been ordered by the on,s@ and the co3yin" of AC)>AL %LA9 #C565# is extensive and un ista,ableO )his 3arallelis she then 3roceeds to ex3lain in "reat detail sho4in"@ e" that in the roof boss dedicated to the story of 6oah the scene de3icted is one 4hich only conte 3orary 3aintin" and the dra a could have su""ested -a youn" an@ one of 6oah=s sons@ 3leads 4ith a 4o an of ri"id-loo,in" ien@ his other@ be""in" her not to be left behind and thus dro4ned& 6othin" in the 0#L describes any such incident but in every ystery cycle text ,no4n in 5n"land this is one of the occasions 4hich attracted the "reat attention of the audience and s3ecial interest in the action& AIt dis3layed@ by the 4ay@ a edieval vie4 of 5ve=s 3erverse fe ale offs3rin"@ rather than a desire to be co icOB In the fourteenth to the sixteenth centuries one of the ost sou"ht-for ex3orts fro this country 4ere s3ecially-carved alabaster 3anels for churches all over 5uro3e& #ince these 3anels 4ere to be 3laced in certain a33ointed 3arts of church buildin"s to teach the faithful about biblical events and characters there 4as a need for the to be faithful to co only acce3ted teachin" and 3reachin"& In every extant 3anel involvin" -ohn the Ba3tist there is a scene re3resented 4hich reveals the close connection of conte 3orary instruction and the asonic art< -ohn the Ba3tist=s head is sho4n as lyin" on the dish in *erod=s 3alace 4ith a 4ound on its forehead since co on tradition and the 3ublic dra a 3ortrayed an a3ocry3hal ;stri,in" of -ohn the Ba3tist=s forehead by *erodias=& It is a scene 4hich I have yself recently seen in the edieval church "lass at 'resford@ +enbi"hshire&

24st dra4s attention to the fact that at this ti e there 4ere 3rovided for 4hat one bisho3 called his ;du b do"s= of cler"y 4ho led 3eo3le into the ditch of error@ a 4hole ran"e of 3ul3it and other anuals fro 4hich aterial could be dra4n for a re"ular code of instruction to be used in con"re"ations& )he Cursor $undi@ a boo, on 3enance@ and the Le"enda Aurea Athe latter a co 3rehensive ;Lives of the #aints=@ first 3rinted in 5n"lish by CaxtonB@ are exa 3les of such aterial and a consideration of these 4ill 3rovide a reader 4ith Hust the aterial 4hich reveals ho4 the 3lays ca e to include incidents that a33ear 3ro inently in both the 3lays and edieval asonic carvin"& )hus it is often re ar,ed by odern co entators on the $ystery 3lays that des3ite the 3assa"e of ti e bet4een the birth in Bethlehe and the arrival of the 7ise $en fro the 5ast@ scul3tured and dra atic re3resentations of the event sho4 the 7ise $en reachin" Bethlehe Hust as the she3herds are leavin"& In a uch-?uoted ser on by Isidore 5thy olo"ius these $a"i 4ere said to use dro edaries 4hich could cover 1:: iles a day@ thus enablin" the to reach the *oly Land fro their distant destinations in only 14 daysO In the Chester 3lay of the visit of the $a"i this ex3lanation is actually ?uoted& ;)hat artists i itated dra a=@ 4rites Rose ary 7oolf@ ;but that the authors and or"anisers of 3lays too, their o4n 4ay4ard course 4ithout reference to icono"ra3hical tradition is beyond the bounds of ((8 ;)*5 %R5#)26IA6 L5C)>R5#= credibility & & & /or if one 3ostulates the follo4in" series@ reli"ious 3aintin"@ tableau of the sa e subHect@ i e@ 3lay@ it is unclear at 4hat 3oint one 4ould 4ant to cry halt and dra4 the line bet4een a difference of de"ree and a difference in ,ind&= AcB )hou"h there is a"ain uch ore that could be ?uoted yet I believe that enou"h has been said to e 3hasise the 3oint that 4hen 4e s3ea, of a asonic relationshi3 to edieval dra a 4e are not si 3ly concerned 4ith the restricted area of the Cor3us Christi 3erfor ances@ but 4ith the 4hole ran"e of dra atic co unication in 4hich the asons necessarily 3lay a very 3ro inent role& ;$edieval sin"le- indedness in visual ex3ression encoura"es us to correlate al ost any artist=s i a"e@ in 4hatever ediu @ 4ith that of 3lay4ri"hts and audiences of the sa e 3eriod&= )he asons 4ere those 4ho collectively had the ind to conceive@ the eye to retain and the hands to create 4hat the church desired to convey@ and 4hat the ordinary lay en@ unso3histicated and yet in?uisitive@ could co 3rehend& )he evocative@ concise and si"nificant stro,e of the ha er and chisel@ 4hich fashioned this "esture or that@ this sy bol or so e other@ 4as an i 3ortant raison d=etre of the ason=s craft& )he 3oint of his art 4as that it could s3ea, 4hilst retainin" silence@ 4ithout 4ords@ and yet@ 4hen and as a33ro3riate@ ex3ressive of 4hat 4hose 4ho did s3ea, in churches 4ere tal,in" about& )he lan"ua"e of sy bolis and alle"ory 4as by the fourteenth century@ if not earlier@ already 3art and 3arcel of the ason craft& 7hat ha33ens later@ as 4e shall briefly see@ is that so e4hat different inter3retations ay be "iven to traditional sy bols&

7hat is clear to e is that sy bolic asonry 4as not an ei"hteenth-century@ or even a seventeenth-century@ innovation&

5vidence for this occurs in connection 4ith the Cor3us Christi 3lays to 4hich 4e have devoted so uch attention already& /i"ures of #cri3ture are reco"nised@ not because of the individual 3erson 3layin" the 3art@ for there i"ht be several different *erods@ $arys or Christs in any one se?uence of 3a"eants& )he ethod of identifyin" 3eo3le@ as 4ith locations@ 4as by e 3loyin" s3ecific sy bolic ite s@ dress or "estures& 7e ,no4@ for exa 3le@ both fro 3lay instructions and fro the boss in 6or4ich Cathedral@ that #olo on fre?uently a33eared 4ith a s all odel of the )e 3le in his hand@ and in the Coventry 3lay he actually fi"ured in the %ro3het=s se?uence s3ea,in" the 4ords&

I a #olo on@ the second !in"@ And that 4orthy )e 3le forsooth ade I@ 7hich that is fi"ure of that aid youn" )hat shall be other of "reat $essy&

In vie4 of 4hat has already been said above@ it is of further interest to note that )e 3le e?uals the Blessed 0ir"in $ary&

6or ally a cro4n sy bolised a ,in"@ a bisho3=s itre one of the -e4ish *i"h %riests@ a cluster of candles a star@ a 'othic 3ul3it the syna"o"ue@ and a lar"e 3air of co 3asses the Al i"hty Creator& $any e3isodes 4hich 4e today i"ht re"ard as si 3listic or HeHeune 4ould have had for the conte 3orary onloo,er a si"nificance far dee3er than that 4hich 4e in this ore aterial a"e 4ould attach to the & 7hat 4as true of the fifteenth-century audience 4as also true of those +RA$A A6+ CRA/) 4ho too, 3art in the dra a& )he 3lays 4ere ;?ui,e boo,es=@ livin" accounts@ that s3o,e and oved and illustrated reality under the "uise of a sacred tale@ 3lay or "a e - hence the use of the Latin ter ;ludus= in the title of one se?uence@ the Ludus Coventriae& )he 3lay 4as a cor3orate activity 4ith no 3rofit otive and or"anised accordin" to fixed rules& )he style of 3resentation 4as in rhy e and dialo"ue of a for al nature 4ith no atte 3t at characterisation and no endeavour to create the odern for of theatrical illusion& )o ?uote R& )& +avies&

&&& the ediaeval 3eo3le ust have enHoyed in their re3eated 3erfor ance a reassurin" satisfaction 4hich 4e 4ho crave novelty@ ori"inality and sti ulation can hardly a33reciate& $oreover@ it 4as oneself and one=s friends 4ho 4ere retellin" the tale@ 4hether by 4atchin" or ta,in" 3art@ and in so doin" brin"in" 4ithin co 3ass and a,in" ana"eable in one=s o4n to4n and in one=s o4n bein" the 4hole ysterious and eternal 3rocess of 'od=s arvellous dealin"s 4ith en&

I 4ould su""est that there is uch here 4hich instinctively relates to@ and ex3lains@ the ritualistic attraction of 3resent and 3ast asonic activity& *ere 4e have the a ateur 3resentation by sincere individuals of reli"ious and ethical instruction in a 4ell-defined anner@ e 3loyin" traditional 3hrases@ ,no4n sy bols@ a"reed actions and a confined 3layin" area& )he residue of that ,ind of influence over t4o and half centuries 4as not easily eradicated - I 4ould clai that the effects of it are 3resent 4ith us still&

)*5 $A#26 A6+ 2)*5R +RA$A /ro this consideration of the 3a"eants or 3lay cycles in 4hich asons are ,no4n to have ta,en 3art 4e ust no4 for all too brief a s3ace turn to certain other ediaeval dra atic 3resentations 4hich i"ht be seen to be relevant to our "eneral the e& In 3articular 4e shall need to consider the content of these 3lays as for in" a context 4ithin 4hich certain edieval conce3ts not unconnected 4ith asonry 4ere develo3ed&

I refer above all to the se?uence of 3lays ,no4n as the Cornish 'uary iracles& )he na e 'uary in itself is interestin" as bein" related to the 5n"lish 4ords @?uarry=@ ;s?uare= and ;on the level=& 7e cannot here s3end ti e ex3lainin" these 3lays in detail for t4o A erican scholars A$ar,ha *arris and Lon"s4orthB have recently 3rovided all that any student of these texts could re?uire@ and those 4ho 4ould 4ish to research further 4ill have to "o to the & 7hat I 4ould hi"hli"ht are three thin"s& /irst@ that 4e have in these 3lays@ and es3ecially in the first se?uence - ;2ri"o $undi= Athe Creation of the 7orldB - certain features 4hich relate si"nificantly to asonic ideas& #econd@ that this 4as a different for of 3lay 3resentation 4hich favoured a ore static audience and sy bolic stationsE and thirdly@ that it de onstrates the s3read of edieval dra atic 3ractice over a 4ider area than is often i a"ined&

1& I a fully a4are that %ic, and Conder@ not to ention Alex *orne@ have considered the 'uary cycle and found it to be lar"ely@ if not 4holly@ irrelevant to asonic study& I 4onder 4hyP It contains the first ex3licit British excer3t describin" the buildin" of the )o4er of Babel by 6e roth AsicB and his asons@ and in due course 4e eet the asons of !in" #olo on hi self& It is true that the incidents recorded do not refer ex3licitly to the *ira ic le"end and 3erha3s this is ((9 (.: ;)*5 %R5#)26IA6 L5C)>R5#= the reason for their unsy 3athetic conclusion& Let us@ ho4ever@ continue to re e ber that 4e have here a s3ecifically Christian dra a in 4hich the fulfil ent lay in the death and raisin" a"ain of the $aster@ and to that end all the 3revious action of the 3lays is related& 7ithin this context 4e ay note certain interestin" features&

$asons as 4ell as car3enters are seen as havin" a decidedly necessary role in the unfoldin" of the 4hole Bible story& #i 3ly stated the the e of the Cornish Cycle is the ;tree- otif= -the story of ho4 an fell by the fruit of a tree@ ho4 the 4ood of 6oah=s Ar, established afresh the covenant 4ith 'od@ ho4 $oses ca e to the burnin" bush@ and later 3lanted three rods in $ount )abor@ the fruit of 4hich 4as the Rose of #haron Aor Lily of the 0alleyB@ fro 4hose hu an counter3art@ $ary@ 4as born hi 4ho by the 4ood of the cross 4rou"ht an=s full salvation& 'ranted such a fra e4or, for the 3lays it i"ht 4ell be as,ed 4hy there 4as any need for the re3resentation of the stone- asons= 4or, under 6i rod Aas entioned in the Ancient $asonic ConstitutionsB or under #olo on& )he ans4er@ I believe@ is that in the buildin" o3erations here dra atised 4e are sho4n the futility of an=s buildin" 4ithout the ,ey to 'od=s desi"n or 3lan& )his is "ra3hically de onstrated in the #olo on se?uence 4hen the 4or, of the asons and car3enters is held u3 for 4ant of a bea 4hich shall hold the rafters in fir line& #uch a bea is unable to be found for ho4ever uch they try to sha3e it to the ri"ht siIe it 4ill not fit& At last the #econd Car3enter says@ Let us co e to the ,in" to declare )he bea 4ill not co e to the s?uare&

#y bolically this is very a3t -the true bea of the )e 3le can only co e for these edieval 3eo3le 4hen Christ=s cross is at the centre of the true )e 3le&

2ne 4ould 4ish a"ain to deal in ore detail 4ith the text of these 3lays but that ust be done else4here& It 4ill have to suffice to 3oint out certain distinctive 3ortions of the text& )he first of these is that section in 4hich #olo on su ons ;$asons and )ilers= to assist so ;that the )e 3le ay be fully built=& )he counsellor so addressed by the !in" re3lies< ;#ire@ Lord@ by holy Aor #aintB 'il yn & & &= In the 1819 edition of these 3lays 5& 6orris here adds an interestin" note< ;I do not ,no4 a #t 'il yn@ unless #t Colu banus is intended& %erha3s the na e is ade ex3ressly M"yl ynM@ 4or,er of stones@ as a33ro3riate to the occasion=& A33ro3riate indeed@ and even ore fittin" 4hen one realises that by the ?uite nor al 3rocesses of lan"ua"e utation and etathesis in Celtic lan"ua"es 'IL$96 4as a for of 'ILB96@ 4hence 'IBL96 or 'IBL9$O - 4ith the eanin" re ainin" exactly the sa e& In the a33endix to his 4or, 5& 6orris adds A3 474B ;7as this M#t 7or,stoneM - a sobri?uet of #t )ho as 4ho 4as the 3atron saint of builders and architectsP= Another feature of these 3lays to 4hich 4e i"ht direct attention is the se?uence that follo4s the buildin" of #olo on=s )e 3le and the failure to discover the ri"htly-s?uared ti ber& #olo on no4 a33oints a ;bisho3= for the te 3le@ ;the la4 to aintain= and si"nificantly it is his earlier close counsellor 4ho no4 3uts on clerical dress Aa 3rototy3e of )ho as a Bec,etPB& In cere onial ter s the ;bisho3= no4 3uts on a itre and oves across fro the %alace-station to the one reco"nised as that of the )e 3le& )here he is Hoined by one@ $axi illa@ 4ho@ sittin" u3on a stove@ is badly scorched and cries to Christ for hel3& )he bisho3 rebu,es her 4ith the 4ords< I have the la4 of $oses@ And in all that sa e *is na e is not 4ritten&

)he bisho3=s croIier -bearer then reco ends the 4o an=s death by stonin" and executioners are sent for to 4ho the bisho3 says< 'o@ dra" the 4retched 4o an@ 7ho is a,in" false "ods@ 2ut of our te 3le&

)he second executioner says< ;It is our desi"n to stri,e hard & & &= u3on 4hich the third follo4s 4ith the 4ords< #oon let e stri,e@ 7ith allet@ a terrible blo4 to the vile stru 3et on the forehead@ )hat she ay never eat@ But stin, and rot& & & &

)he /irst 5xecutioner also entions stri,in" her on the breast@ and another s3ea,s of ;on the chee, to s ite her=& $axi illa dies and the )hird 5xecutioner@ re3ortin" to the bisho3@ says< 6o4 is the Hade dead@ At len"th she is lyin"& Althou"h sufferin" death@ #he did not retract her

4ords@ At first nor at last&

7hilst there is nothin" here 4hich could in any direct sense be said to relate to asonic ritual I cannot hel3 but record the incident since it co es in such evident Huxta3osition to one of the ; asonic= sections of the 3lay and then bears so e un ista,able features of an activity-se?uence 4hich is not unfa iliar to us& )he added fact that $axi illa 4as one of the $ontanist artyrs in the early Church 3eriod is not 4ithout si"nificance@ thou"h it is not 3ossible at this 3oint to elaborate on that in detail& 7hat one 4ould very uch li,e to ,no4 is 4ho 3erfor ed both this and the 3revious section of the Cornish cycle& If it 4ere the $asons@ Car3enters@ -oiners and Labourers then a "reat deal 4ould be ex3lained& It is a"ain not 4ithout interest that at the close of this section@ 4hen $axi illa=s body has been re oved@ the Bisho3 re inds the audience of the ain thrust and context of the 4hole ;2ri"o $undi= Aor first day=s 3lay of the three-day cycleB by sayin" to the builders< Co e a4ay@ thou 'ebals Astone-4or,ersB@ Carry the tree outside 4ith a 4ill & & &

cast it & & & into Bethsaida very co 3letely As in 3it Cafale,&

;Cafale,=

eans a sta"nant 3it or 3ool&

+RA$A A6+ CRA/) (.1 (.( ;)*5 %R5#)26IA6 L5C)>R5#= (& )hou"h there is uch ore that could be considered in detail here 4e ou"ht no4 to turn to that fact about the Cornish 3lays 4hich introduces a ne4 feature into the 3resentation of the edieval cycles& 7hereas 4e ay have had the idea so far that edieval 3resentations 4ere ainly 3resented on oveable ;3a"eants= or 4a"ons 4e here eet a 3lay-settin" 4hich 4as ore fixed and for al& #o for al that in his co entary 6orris is able to re3roduce the lay-out left for us by the ori"inal docu ents& *ere 4e find a lar"e@ circular earth4or, 4ith ascendin" ro4s of seats for the s3ectators on all sides of the ;3len= or actin" area in the centre Ahence the na e ;%lenan"uare= for so e 3laces in Corn4all 4here the 3lays 4ere 3robably heldB and also@ around the 3eri eter@ ;loci=@ stations or boxes@ in 4hich certain characters or their residences 4ere located@ e" %haroah@ #olo on@ %ilate@ *erod& 7hat ay be of s3ecial interest 4as that *eaven 4as al4ays in the 5ast@ *ell 4as al4ays in the 6orth@ a onarch al4ays in the 7est A+avid@ #olo on@

*erod@ or Caesar at the Last -ud"e entB@ 4hilst in the #outh 4ere the residences of Abraha @ Caia3has and 6icode us res3ectively in the three days= 3lays& 7hen the 3lay featured those entioned they either s3o,e fro @ or descended fro @ their locations and thus dra atically turned the attention of the audience in their direction& $oreover@ it "ave a sense of ove ent and ti e-s3an to the 3roduction and in the case of the %assion naturally develo3ed a sense of the ain character bein" ;led= round the a 3hitheatre fro one ex3erience to another& )he further si ilarity 4ith our o4n 3ractice 4ill be obvious& Anyone 4ho 4ishes to follo4 this out in ore details 4ill need to consult R& #outhern in his ;$ediaeval )heatre in the Round= but one co ent that cannot be o itted is that of )hurstan %eter@ 4ho 4rites< It 4as not that our ancestors 4ere ore i"norant than ourselves that they found beauty and instruction in such Asi 3le settin"sB as theseE it 4as because the hurry of life had not ,illed their i a"ination&

7hat is certain is that 4e have in these 3lays a clear indication of the 4ides3read fascination and 3o3ularity of the edieval dra a 4ith the ordinary an of the late $iddle A"es& 7hilst it is true@ as one recent co entator has said@ that there is very little evidence to indicate Hust ho4@ or even 4hether@ these 3lays 4ere in fact 3roduced the 3resence of the ;Rounds= or 3layin"-areas@ as at %erranIabuloe to this day@ and the stron" tradition that the 3lays 4ere ,no4n and re e bered 4ell into the seventeenth century does su""est that 4e are dealin" here 4ith a further extension of the edieval dra atic influence throu"h the on,s and friars@ 4ith their tas, of teachin" the faith&

In 1171@ certainly@ the Borou"h Records of #t Ives contain the follo4in" entry< ;Ite @ s3ent u3on the car3enter that ade heaven@ 4d&= and Robert Lon"s4orth records one enthusiastic cleric 4ho 3roclai ed that ;4hat the ancient Attic dra a 4as to the Athenian 4or, an@ the old Cornish reli"ious dra a 4as to the ediaeval Cornish tinner - a i"hty teacher=&

7hether@ as so e contend@ the Cornish 3lays 4ere local variants of the 5n"lish counter3arts or uch ore distinctive and ori"inal Celtic 3roductions@ the rese blances@ if not actual connections@ 4ith /rench conte 3orary dra a re?uire us to exa ine the asonic 3lays and connection in this latter country@ thou"h s3ace is not available for a full discussion here& I 4ould only add that +RA$A A6+ CRA/) such investi"ation as has been 3ossible serves to encoura"e research in this

direction&

BR5A! 2R BRI+'5 I6 )*5 #5056)556)* C56)>R9P 7e have no4 reached the 3oint at 4hich our considerations of the dra a coincides 4ith the first definite e er"ence of the ,no4n asonic rituals@ the closin" years of the sixteenth and the o3enin" years of the seventeenth century& )here are four atters 4hich ou"ht at this 3oint to occu3y us& /irst@ the altered circu stances of the ason craftE secondly@ the state of the dra a in "eneral and the reli"ious dra a in 3articularE thirdly@ the develo3 ent of ne4 attitudes to reli"ious thou"ht and 3ractice@ and lastly@ the rise of so-called ;s3eculative= asonry&

AiB After (:: years of re"ulation under the 3rece3ts of the 2ld Constitutions the craft in the latter 3art of 5liIabeth=s rei"n 4as bound to suffer any severe li itations& )he 6e4 3alace at *a 3ton Court sho4ed all the si"ns of the ne4 bric, industry@ and it is noticeable that in +urha and else4here the asons 4ho continue as a 'uild are Hoined by these crafts en 4or,in" in the ne4 aterial& )he Abbeys and %riories@ the convents and cathedral churches 4hich had ,e3t the asons fully stretched for centuries 4ere =finished= in one sense or the other@ and the ones that re ained in existence 4ith uch de3leted out-buildin"s 4ere able to be aintained by a vastly reduced nu ber of asons& /ro a "uild 3oint of vie4@ too@ the asons be"an to disa33ear and no4adays only the extant records of the London Co 3any in 5n"land re ain as a continuin" re inder of 4hat once 4as&

9et this 4as surely not the only body that 4ould 3ersist& As the "uild or"anisation bro,e u3@ individual e bers or "rou3s 4ould still cherish and recall their "uild traditions and 4ould see, to ,ee3 the alive& 7e ,no4 that in #cotland the lod"e 4as still an active unit at this very ti e@ and 4hilst 4e have no evidence for the 5n"lish scene until the second ?uarter of the seventeenth century@ it is@ I su""est@ inconceivable that so e of those 4ho 3ossessed co3ies of the $# Constitutions 4ere not 4illin" or able@ as 3olitical or reli"ious circu stances 3er itted@ to clai their i e orial ri"ht to o3en ;occasional= or =3rivate= lod"es and ad it ne4 e bers to 4hat they had ,no4n and enHoyed& )he "a3 4e are tal,in" about is at the ost one of 4: years - not lon" enou"h for en of that day to for"et or fore"o the 3rivile"es 4hich they had ,no4n and enHoyed as free- asons u3 to the 118:s& 5ven if they did not continue as reli"ious craft "uilds en the individual asons 4ould be only too a4are

of the other "uilds still in existence around the & It is 4orth re e berin" that any of the other ore sho3-centred and unici3al trades 4ent on al ost unchan"ed save that in the 3lace of $ass there 4as si 3ly the hearin" of a ser on@ and instead of 3rocessions there 4ould be so e ore secular festivity@ as 4ell as the continuin" ban?uet&

7hat did ha33en to the ystery dra aP 5xa 3les of it continue to a33ear in one 3lace or another for the next fifty years until Charles I is on the throne& 9et 4hat in fact ha33ened to it@ in another sense than its eventual de ise@ is also i 3ortant< and this leads us into the 4hole field of dra a "enerally&

AiiB )he first effect of the Refor ation u3on the reli"ious dra a 4as to (.. (.4 ;)*5 %R5#)26IA6 L5C)>R5#= re?uire that all texts 4hich 4ere annually e 3loyed should be sub itted to so e local or ecclesiastical authority for censorshi3& #uch 4as the a4areness of the Church of the teachin" 3ossibilities of this dra a that no atte 3t 4as ade in the iddle of the sixteenth century to re ove the 3lays alto"ether< thou"h it is interestin" to note that in /rance fro 1141 the 3lays 4ere "enerally discoura"ed for the dual reason that 4hilst for the Catholics the 3lays no4 see ed to "ive too uch ex3osure to the Bible@ for the %rotestants it "ave the 4ron" 3icture of the Bible& #ince the feelin" of the authorities@ both secular and ecclesiastical@ in 5n"land 4as anti-Catholic on the 4hole the 3lays that 4ere 3er itted to be 3erfor ed 4ere those 4hich 4ere shorn of their a3ocry3hal@ and es3ecially their $arian@ contents& )exts that 4ere too far fro @ or obviously in contrast to@ the received and ne4ly-translated biblical record 4ere excised or forbidden& It is 4t this 3oint that a further co ent by Alex *orne is of si"nificance< & & & it is only necessary to 3oint out Abut 3erha3s as coincidence onlyB that this royal su33ression of $iracle 3lays & & & ca e shortly after the ti e of 1111 su33ression of the )averner Bible@ 4ith its last ention of the untranslated double na e of *ira Abiff@ after 4hich this double na e disa33eared fro 3ublic vie4 in that 3articular for @ in the later 5n"lish translations of the Bible& )he double na e@ and the $iracle %lay surroundin" it@ ay have both "one under"round at about the sa e ti e@ "enerally s3ea,in"@ and for the sa e reason@ to be 3reserved henceforth only as an esoteric $asonic tradition&

*avin" dis antled the onasteries@ and their co unitiesE 3ur"ed the reli"ious "uilds and ac?uired their 3ious foundationsE severely li ited the

3reachin" 1 orders and ta,en over 3laces of educationE the #tate and its Church 4ere not ea"er to have any 3ublic rivals in the 3o3ular eye& By a steady 3rocess of re3lace ent and re3ression the dra atic interest of the nation 4as directed into other channels& It is to these that 4e ust briefly turn our attention&

;Bet4een about 11(: and the end of 5liIabeth=s rei"n@ 4e ,no4 of about 1: ne4 3lays based on scri3tural stories 4hich 4ere either 3roduced or offered for actin" on the 5n"lish sta"e& About half of these survive&= #o 4rites one of the ne4 ex3erts on )udor dra a@ Ruth *& Blac,burn@ and she adds this< ;& & & in the seventeenth century the i 3ulse to dra atise the Bible 4as uch less stron" and 4or,ed itself out in neo- ysteries and occasional closet 3lays@ ?uite outside the ain develo3 ent of 5n"lish dra a&= $ean4hile she sho4s us that the cycles lasted lon" enou"h in her o3inion to influence dee3ly a ilitant %rotestant li,e Bisho3 -ohn Bale@ 4ho had )ho as Cro 4ell as his one-ti e 3rote"e@ other 4riters of 3o3ular biblical dra a@ and even the ex3onents of so e dra a I in the classical ton"ues&

It is in 116: that an ada3tor of the 3lay ;#a3ientia #alo onis= A)he 7isdo of #olo onB adds the alle"orical fi"ures@ 7isdo @ -ustice and %eace@ to 4hat is already a very uch ore i 3ersonal #olo on than the one 3ortrayed in 3revious edieval dra a& #olo on here is one 4ho 3rays for an understandin" heart@ settles the dis3ute over the child@ ne"otiates 4ith )yre about the 3urchase of )e 3le buildin" aterials@ and 4elco es the Cueen of #heba on its co 3letion&

+RA$A A6+ CRA/) (.1 )he ne4 dra atists@ too@ 4ho 4rite for the London audiences@ 4hilst !endal@ Lancaster and %reston re ain satisfied 4ith their $ystery 3a"eants@ are en li,e *ey4ood 4ith his 3lay@ ;/our %rentices of London=& *ere is a 3lay full of oral and 3ious ta"s for the ex3ress benefit of the conte 3orary a33rentices& It is his 3lays in London 4hich 3oint out the virtue of industry and benevolence@ the idea of loyalty to the established order@ the absolute re?uire ent of decency to4ards the other sex and the "reatness of both the Bible and individual freedo & #uch 4ere so e of the continuin" dra atic influences that ust have affected our asonic brethren as they recovered in 3rivacy and a33arent silence fro the ha er blo4s of )udor econo ic and reli"ious 3olicy&

9et it 4as not only influence& It is a si"nificant trend at the 3resent ti e that ore and ore 3eo3le are 4antin" to dra4 out the reli"ious nature and content of #ha,es3eare=s o4n 4or,& Intri"ued as I have been to read +odd=s boo,@ ;#ha,es3eare@ Creator of /ree asonry=@ I cannot acce3t his all too facile conclusions and yet I believe that he has done a service in sho4in" that 4hether 4e 4ill reco"nise it or not #ha,es3eare is dra4in" on anti?uity in order to 3resent the aterial 4hich 3ours fro his head and heart& If there are features in ;Love=s Labour=s Lost= 4hich see to su""est an esoteric ac?uaintance 4ith asonic ,no4led"e I 4ould 4ant to say that this is because #ha,es3eare 4as indeed a an of his ti e and for so e reason too, all that he had received fro the 3ast and conveyed it in the one ediu of 4hich he 4as a aster& )o ?uote his o4n 4ords< the story@ for those 4ith eyes to see@ ears to hear and hearts to feel@ has several eanin"s& Besides the letter of y narrative@ there is 4hat is si"nified by the letterE and in this si"nificance lies y art& A$y italics&B /or 4hatever reason@ ho4ever@ #ha,es3eare does not use Bible events as the channel for his hu an narratives& It ay be that they had already been used too oftenE it ay be that the Court dissuaded hi E it ay be that %uritanis 4as already so evident that to 3ortray the Bible events on the sta"e 4as a 3roduction haIard that a "ood 3lay- ana"er did not 4ish to ris,& 7hether #ha,es3eare 4ere ever a s3eculative ason or no is an o3en ?uestion& )hat he re3roduces in certain 3assa"es a ,no4led"e 4hich creates certain fa iliar echoes see s undoubted& 7e can@ I thin,@ say no ore@ in this lecture&

If@ ho4ever@ #ha,es3eare re3resents a lar"ely self-i 3osed restriction on the develo3 ent of biblical dra a in late-)udor and -acobean days it is not true to say that the co 3osition of biblical 3lays alto"ether ceased& In the north 4est of 5n"land bet4een the years 16:9 and 16(1 there 4ere 4ritten@ al ost certainly for sta"e 3resentation@ the #tonyhurst %a"eants@ 4hich 4ere obviously an atte 3t to 3rovide a ore odern version of those cycles 4hich had only Hust ceased to be 3erfor ed in 5n"land& $ost si"nificantly of all@ they are all 3lays about events in the 2ld )esta ent& It is 4ith this latter 3oint that I believe 4e ust stay for a o ent&

/or our 3resent 3ur3ose 4e should note that des3ite the loss of so e 3lays 4hich ust have 3receded the 3resent anuscri3t - 3lays such as those of Creation@ )e 3tation@ Cain and Abel and 6oah - 4e have the ei"hth %a"eant (.6 ;)*5 %R5#)26IA6 L5C)>R5#= ;of $oyses=@

another of 'edeon@ another of -e3hthe@ and the sixteenth ;%a"eant of #olo on=& In this latter@ as in all the 3lays@ 4e encounter the 3layer called ;6uncius= or ;Chorus= 4ho re3roduces exactly the %rolo"ue or Interval co entator in #ha,es3eare=s 3lays and the ;+octor= in the earlier $ysteries - a ty3e of narrator or even +irector of Cere onies& In addition 4e here eet the t4o 4o en 4ith their dis3uted child@ the Cueen of #heba@ 'od@ and !in" *ira of )yre& )he assistance of the latter is fully dis3layed but there is not one ention of another *ira or indeed of any such s3ecial artificer@ and yet the 3hrases used in their s3eeches are clearly a close co3y of the 5n"lish Bible version e 3loyed& )he Cueen of #heba=s visit is si ilarly restrained and li ited to the Bible story&

7hilst unable in this 3a3er to develo3 that fascinatin" sideli"ht on the seventeenth-century bac,"round of our o4n asonic scene@ the 3u33et sho4s@ 4e note that constantly in the air@ and visibly on the "round@ in the vicinity of all the aHor to4ns@ there 4ere dra atic 3resentations 4hich ust have co anded 3ublic su33ort and 3o3ular attendance for the to continue unabated as they did& By these eans the vesti"es of fol,-story and iracle 3lay or $orality 4ere continued - and they 4ere not all that 3ersisted& *enry $orley@ the historian of Bartholo e4 /air@ tells us that in 2liver Cro 4ell=s ti e ;there 4as uch secret connivance at dra atic entertain ent& %rivate 3erfor ances 4ere held no4 at one 3lace@ no4 at another &&& 2f the secret 3erfor ances at *olland *ouse there is s3ecial recollection&= 2ne 3articular feature of Conder=s history of the Co 3any of $asons 4hich attracted y attention durin" the 3eriod of 3re3arin" this lecture 4as the fact that fro the ti e of 1661 4hen there be"an to be re"ular inventories of the *all=s "oods there is si"nificant attention 3aid to ;2ne boo, called #ebastian #erlio= A33 179@ 91@ (1:B& It is@ I believe@ not uni 3ortant that 4e should note this interest@ es3ecially 4hen the boo, at one 3oint is issin"& #erlio 4as one of the best ,no4n architectural "uides for the 3eriod of neo-classical stylin"@ thou"h his na e tends to be overshado4ed by 0itruvius and %alladio in the co on ind& *o4ever@ the ain contribution of #erlio=s 4or, 4as in the desi"n and 3resentation of dra atic 3erfor ances and the 3lannin" and 3re3aration of sta"e sets for the ne4 ,ind of ;3ers3ective theatre= that too, its rise in the seventeenth century& I therefore found yself dra4n by this fact to loo, a"ain at the lin, of the $asons= Co 3any 4ith the 4hole field of dra atic 3roduction and be"an to notice the 3articular 3art 3layed in its affairs by Ini"o -ones and 6icholas #tone@ both of 4ho 4ere e bers and of 4hich the latter 4as even $aster in 16..&

+urin" the 3eriod of this lecture=s 3re3aration 4e have 4itnessed in

London a very ar,ed ac,no4led"e ent of the 4or, of Ini"o -ones@ clearly a 3erson of considerable note and influence in his o4n day& About this ;architect= and his extant 4or, one feature beco es increasin"ly obvious< his conce3t of buildin" 4as theatrical and 3ra" atic@ and so e of his "reatest contributions to 5n"lish art 4ere not continuin" structures of stone but the Court $as?ues 4hich sho4ed re ar,able in"enuity and invention& 5ven the "reat Ban?uetin" *all in 7hitehall 4as conceived 4ith the Royal entertain ents in vie4& 6ot only so@ +RA$A A6+ CRA/) but as 'lynne 7ic,ha says 3erce3tively in his 5arly 5n"lish #ta"es Avol 1B@ ;it is a sin"ular and all too fre?uently unnoticed fact that -ones@ a 3ainter and architect@ and his Court A ateurs Athe lord and lady as,ersB 4ere able to set their ideas u3 in co 3etition 4ith the leadin" 3rofessional actors and ana"ers of the day and beat the at their o4n "a e&= /or it is a fact that in Restoration 5n"land@ after 4hat -ones achieves@ the Court $as, Ali,e #olo on and the Cueen of #heba 3erfor ed in 16:7B 4as 3referred to the 3ublic theatrical 3resentations& ;7here@= continues 7ic,ha @ ;in 16:1 and after@ did Ini"o -ones find the crafts en and technicians to execute and o3erate his elaborate sta"e sets= for Royal entertain entP )he ans4er 4ould a33ear to be obvious& /ro those en and their sons and a33rentices 4ho 4ere already fa iliar 4ith the intricacies of $iracle and $orality 3lay 3roductions in 4hich casts of 1:-1:: actors i"ht be en"a"ed@ in 4hich any hundreds of 3ounds 4ere involved@ and at 4hich audiences of any thousands ex3ectantly a4aited a fi"ure to ascend fro the earth@ rain to delu"e@ a te 3le to "o u3 in fla es as in the +i"by 3lays@ or an earth?ua,e to occur@ as in the latter Coventry 3lay@ )he +estruction of -erusale & 7hen to all that ex3erience you add the increasin"ly 4elldocu ented #treet %a"eants= history in 4hich 3ublic constructions and 3resentations 4ere needed around fountains@ arch4ays@ fronts of buildin"s and brid"es@ the lin, of dra atic s3ectacle and it sy bolis @ even after the *i"h $iddle A"e@ beco es ore and ore obvious& In 11:1@ for exa 3le@ the City authorities 3ay the asons and car3enters ;xiis and iiid for 4or, done= in connection 4ith a #treet %a"eant& #3ace alone 3revents one fro 3ursuin" this atter in ore detail&

AiiiB It is no4 necessary to turn to the develo3 ent of ne4 attitudes in reli"ious thou"ht and 3ractice& >3 to the ti e of the Refor ation the *ebraic section of the Bible 4as re"arded ainly as a series of cyclical 3ro3hecies 3ointin" to the Christian $essiah& )hus 6oah 4as de3icted on a 3illar of the +o"e=s %alace in 0enice 3osed a"ainst a vine@ as -esus on a 3arallel 3illar 4as 3osed a"ainst the Cross@ or@ at Canterbury@ as ex3eriencin" in the /lood the Ba3tis of -esus& 2f this I have already 4ritten enou"h& 7hat i"ht be interestin"ly added here 4as that 4hen

Luther sou"ht a translation of the Bible into 'er an it 4as not in order to chan"e this ethod of inter3retation but so as to 4ea,en the hold one Church had u3on it& )he 'eneva 0ersion of 116:@ a translation beloved by the Calvanist %rotestants@ 4as heavily e bedded in this edieval ty3e of inter3retation@ havin" a 3reface to each cha3ter in the for of a ;,ey= to the ty3olo"ical cy3her& 9et this style of Bible a33roach 4as soon to chan"e& As far as the dra atist is concerned 4e are to 3ass fro the saintly other4orldliness of the 6e4 )esta ent to the artial vi"our of the 2ld& In the 3lace of the ainly 6e4 )esta ent $ystery 3lays 4e see the a33earance of those *ebre4 stories 4hich reflect the excite ent and sti ulus of the Renaissance - the vindication of #usanna@ the rebellion of Absalo @ and the herois of -udith& )he ty3olo"y of the 2ld )esta ent di inished as the study of *ebre4 develo3ed@ and ei"ht ne4 5n"lish translations of the Bible bet4een 11.1 and 1611 eant that a "reat deal of ne4 understandin" about the ;facts= of the #cri3tures e er"ed& )o ?uote $urray Roston once ore< (.7 (.8 ;)*5 %R5#)26IA6 L5C)>R5#= & & & the biblical dra a of the Renaissance 3reserved beneath its classical exterior that concern 4ith a reli"ious essa"e 4hich had ani ated the ediaeval ysteries& )he reli"ious essa"e 4as@ ho4ever@ a very different one< it 4as a ne4 insistence u3on divine Hustice visible in the 3attern of hu an affairs&

)he effect of this u3on the 4ay in 4hich a Luther@ for instance@ 4ould re"ard reli"ious 3lays as i 3ortant for instruction - and he did - is note4orthy for our 3ur3ose& It "ave the 2ld )esta ent stories a ne4 archety3al "oal& ;As he read the biblical tales of the 3atriarchs@ 3ro3hets and ,in"s@ and of their stru""le for oral 3robity in the idst of 4orldly te 3tation@ the %rotestant loo,ed for their true eanin" in his o4n s3iritual and even 3olitical exertions& *e be"an to see hi self in biblical ter s@ re-enactin" or M3ost-fi"urin"M in his life leadin" incidents fro the lives of the scri3tural heroes&= A$y italics&B )o ta,e one exa 3le& )he %il"ri /athers no lon"er loo,ed u3on the esca3e of the Israelites across the Red #ea as a 3refi"urin" of the release of the first Christians fro sin by Christ but rather sa4 this event as a 3ost-fi"urin" of their o4n esca3e by sea to a 657 5n"land@ to 'od=s o4n country& 0ice versa< the victorious destiny and exa 3le of the biblical hero 4as li,ely to be the destiny of the 3ost-fi"urer too& 9ou can see the obvious asonic i 3lications&

2ne thin" ore& the shift fro a definitely Catholic exe"esis of the Bible text to so ethin" other re?uired ne4 insi"ht and fresh sti ulus that 4as to be found only a on" the rabbinic@ and s3ecifically@ the Cabbalistic

4riters& It is here that 4e are naturally@ and ad ittedly@ nearer to 3reviously-,no4n influences on our seventeenth-century asonic develo3 ent& 7e are here@ not because of any theoretical 3ro"ression@ but fro the obvious dra atic "uidelines that 4e have follo4ed throu"hout& )he 3assionate identification of $ilton 4ith his tra"ic fi"ures could only be achieved 4hen the ild disdain for the -e4s 4hich is evident in edieval dra a 4as re3laced throu"h ,no4led"e and res3ect for the as en closer to the 3urity of divine revelation than even the saints and artyrs of the older Church& At this very 3oint the 3ublic biblical dra a ceases for t4o centuries and 4hat 4e have been 3leased to describe as ;#3eculative /ree asonry= e er"es& By no4@ ho4ever@ the conflux of 3aths leadin" to a seventeenth-century brid"e is surely evident& 2nly one ore factor needs to be added&

AivB If@ as *arry Carr stated in his 1917 %restonian Lecture@ the 3resent-day sense of the 4ord ;s3eculative= as a33lied to the craft eans ;a 3eculiar syste of orality@ veiled in alle"ory@ and illustrated by sy bols= then it 4ill by no4 be readily understood that such a ter cannot be restricted to the later develo3 ents of the Craft as if there 4ere no s3eculative ele ents at the earlier sta"es& If@ ho4ever@ 4e can a"ree that the ter is one 4hich can 3rofitably be used to describe@ in a ,ind of shorthand@ the seventeenth century and later develo3 ents so that 4e e er"e in the early nineteenth century 7ith a free asonry uch ore obviously li,e that of the 3resent@ then so be it& )he ti e ay be co in"@ ho4ever@ 4hen 4e need to revalue our hitherto effective ter inolo"y&

)he Rev !eith Bennett 4ritin" in the #cottish 'rand Lod"e 9ear Boo, for 1968 su""ests that as the 'uilds beca e defunct@ and church or abbey +RA$A A6+ CRA/) (.9 construction di inished@ so the asons turned in lar"e easure to 4ealthy 3atrons and en"a"ed in the construction of those ne4 ho es fro derelict ecclesiastical sites 4hich they or their fathers and ;brothers= had laboured on for so lon"& As they so laboured ;they brou"ht their 4ealth of traditional lore and custo @ i bibed fro 3revious close association 4ith ecclesiastics and the Church& $any of their reli"ious 3ractices dro33ed a4ay but the heart of their 3hiloso3hy re ained@ a 3hiloso3hy still closely "uarded a"ainst outsiders&= 2bviously the asons= ethod of life 4as its o4n reference& #truc, by its anti?uity@ attracted by its ystery & & & anti?uarians and scholars sou"ht to exa ine their anuscri3ts and@ interestin"ly enou"h@ they 4ere not 4ithheld& ;Can 4e be asonsP= they as,edE to be ans4ered@ ;7e cannot ad it you as asons because you are not asons@ but althou"h you are not@ 4e 4ill acce3t you as thou"h you 4ere&= *ence the traditions 4ere o3en to be

shared and co

ented on&

It is at this 3oint that 4e ay 3ro3erly consider@ a"ain all too briefly@ the indications ste in" fro the seventeenth-century #cottish 4or,in"s that so ethin" of 4hat 4e have already noticed in dra atic 3roductions is e bedded in the earliest asonic Catechis s 4hich 4e 3ossess& 7hat do they sho4P /irst< that there is uch ore to the cere onies than 4ords@ and ost certainly ore than the 4ords 4hich 4e 3ossess& )he 5dinbur"h Re"ister *ouse $# 1969 records ho4 ;after a "reat any cere onies to fri"hten= the candidate ;you a,e hi ta,e u3 the Bible=& In uch the sa e 4ay it is clear to anyone 4ho is ac?uainted 4ith the edieval 3lays that the 4ords are but one ele ent in an activity 4hich can only be fully a33reciated in its live 3erfor ance& Later on the sa e 3oint is a"ain e 3hasised as 4e read that ;after he has ta,en the oath he is re oved out of the co 3any@ 4ith the youn"est ason@ 4here after he is sufficiently fri"htened 4ith 1@::: ridiculous 3ostures and "ri aces@ *e is to learn & & &= )he scenario is the sa eE the activity and the characters chan"e their eanin"& Another 3lay@ another dra a@ has to be 3roduced&

#econd< 4e are clear that there are 3recise and 3eculiar Athe docu ents say@ @ridiculous@ foolish=B 4ays of doin" thin"s& #tandin" 4ith the hands@ bo4in"@ ta,in" off the hat@ co unicatin" 4ith each other& )he activity ay be less for al than 4e i a"ine to be the case today but it is still in a fixed anner and there is no ?uestion that it ust be done correctly - it is dra atic ritual& )hird< the s3ecifically Christian ele ent is still noticeable even thou"h allusions to the )e 3le are also 3resent& )he candidate s3ea,s of s4earin" by ;'od and #t -ohn= and 4hen 4e encounter the dialo"ue in the #loane $# of c 17:: 4e read@ C& fro 4ho e do you derive your 3rinci3alls A& fro a "reater than you&

C& 4ho is that on earth that is "reater than a A& he yt 4as caryed to ye hi"hest 3innicall of free ason the )e 3le of -erusale @ or@ in so e variants@ C& 4here 4as the 4ord first "iven A& at the )o4er of Babylon (4: ;)*5 %R5#)26IA6 L5C)>R5#= C& 4here did they first call their Lod"e C& at the holy Cha3ell of #t -ohn&

9et these re3lies are but 3ale reflections of the bac,"round a"ainst 4hich

4e have been loo,in" at late ediaeval asonic life as co 3ared 4ith the contents of the +u fries 6o 4 $# of c 171:& In that docu ent 4e encounter the follo4in"< ;)he al i"hty father of holiness the 4isdo of the "lorius Hesus throu"h the "race of the holy "host these three 3ersons in one "odhead & & &= as a %rayer of Ad ittance@ and then later@ in the ?uestion %ro3ounded and Ans4ered 4e have@ C& 4hat 4as ye "reatest 4onder yt seen or heard about the te 3le A& "od 4as an L an 4as "od ary 4as a other L yet a aid &&& C& 4hat is eant by ye brassen see yt *ira fra ed &&&

A& & & & But no4 4e finde it 4as ti3e of Christs blood 4hose blood 4as to 3ur"e sin and to 4ash ye elect &&&

C& 4hat eant ye "olden dore of ye te 3le 2r they 4ent in to sanctu sanctoru A& it 4as nother ty3e of Christ 4ho is ye door ye 4ay and the truth L ye life by 4ho e and in 4ho all ye elect entreth into heaven&

It need only be said here that for anyone 4ho has any further desire to search the docu ents they are all available& 7hen you discover@ as I have@ a ention of our contact =/er"us= in a record of 17(4@ and the co ent in 174: that there is li"ht ;far sur3assin" #un or $oon & & & )he Li"ht of the 'os3el= you ay indeed 4onder ho4 4e could ever have overloo,ed the earlier connections adu brated here&

C26CL>#I26 7e have no4 reached that 3oint 4here@ in ti e-honoured fashion@ ;these 4ords ust be the last=& 7hat I have ho3ed to 3resent in this Lecture is a still further co ent on the sa e search carried out by 5d4ard Conder over seventy years a"o 4hen he investi"ated the clai s of edieval dra a as ;a 3ossible source for so e of the essential 3ortions in the ritual of the craft at the 3resent day=& I 4ould be the first to ad it that this Lecture has 3robably raised ore ?uestions than those that is has atte 3ted to ans4er& As I said at the be"innin" of this @en?uiry=@ I believe that uch ore 4or, re ains to be done and I 4ould 3erha3s contribute by sho4in" the ,inds of areas in 4hich ore research 4as re?uired& I 4ould invo,e the 4ords of Bro #3eth@ the first #ecretary of the Cuatuor Coronati Lod"e@ ;Let us@ by all eans@ a,e a distinction bet4een 4hat is 3roved u3 to the hilt and 4hat is hi"hly 3robable@ but let us cease to assert that nothin" is 3ossible 4hich is not

ca3able of 5uclidian de onstration&= 7hat I ho3e that I have sufficiently sho4n is that 4hat 4e no4 3ossess in conte 3orary free asonry is a dra atic 3ractice 4hich has lin,s 4ith@ and echoes of@ the 3ast of a uch ore 3ersistent nature than 4e i"ht 3reviously have been a4are& 7hat 4e no4 enHoy@ des3ite its exclusive Christian ori"ins@ is a refashioned esoteric ex3erience that bears the ar,s of al ost every a"e throu"h 4hich it has 3assed fro the ti e of the first $asonic Constitutions until no4& 7e have@ I beco e ore and ore convinced@ a ritual 3rocedure that carries 4ithin it dra atic e 3hases that are the lastin" i 3rints of an earlier +RA$A A6+ CRA/) asonic a"e 4hich no a ount of refinin" and redesi"nin" in the ei"hteenth and nineteenth centuries could erase@ because this is the very stuff that asonry is ade of - a syste of oral instruction and 3ractical fello4shi3@ fra ed in "iven alle"orical for s and enli"htened by dee3@ fol,-laden sy bols& $oreover it is no4@ ha33ily@ a fello4shi3 in 4hich en of every creed and race can freely eet and en"a"e& It is not - because it never 4as or 4as intended to be - a reli"ion or the 3ractice of a reli"ion& And yet & & &

/or those 4ho have eyes to see and ears to hear 4ith@ not least those 4ho continue to 4onder 4hat is eant by this or that facet of our cere onies and 4ho as, in our study circles@ ;7hy do 4e do or say these thin"sP=@ I can only close 4ith one 4ord fro one 4ho@ if never a e ber of the Craft@ at least 4as alive to dra a< )here are ore thin"s in heaven and earth@ *oratio@ )han are drea t of in your 3hiloso3hy&

(41 BIBLI2'RA%*9 )he $iracle %lay $anchester Assocn& $as& Research& 194(&

;)he $iracle %lay= ACC& 19:1@ vol& JI0@ 33& 6:ff& )he Le"end of the )hird +e"ree Brit& $as@ $isc& ix *ira ic Le"end and the $ediaeval #ta"e& )he Builder& 19(6&

5n"lish Reli"ious +ra a 2xford >niversity %ress& )he 5n"lish $ystery %lays Routled"e& 197( 5arly 5n"lish #ta"es Routled"e& 196.&

)he %lay called Cor3us Christi 5& Arnold& 1966& Biblical +ra a under the )udors $outon& 1971& )he Cor3us Christi %lay of the 5n"& $iddle A"es

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+ra a and I a"ery in 5n"lish $ed& Churches C>%& 196. )he I a"ery of British Churches $urray& 1911& $ediaeval %lays in #cotland 2>%& 19(7&

5arly Irish #ta"e 2>%& 1911&

6orris@ 5& AeditorB )he Ancient Cornish +ra a 2xford& 1819& Lon"s4orth@ Robert )he Cornish 2rdinalia *arvard& 1967&

*arris@ $ar,ha )he Cornish 2rdinalia 7ashin"ton& 1969& Les $ysteres 'eneva& 1968 A( volsB Le $istere du 0iel )esta ent %aris& 188(&

)he $ediaeval /rench +ra a 2>%& 1914& Aedn& 197(B& )he $ediaeval Architect 7ayland %ubs& 197(&

)heatre of the 7orld Routled"e& 1969& -ohn +ee Routled"e& 197(&

%ic,@ /& L&

Conder@ 5& Race@ Robert )hie eyer@ 5& 5&

*ardin Crai" 7oolf@ Rose ary 7ic,ha @ 'lynne !olve@ 0& A& Blac,burn@ Ruth +avies@ R& )&

Anderson@ $& +& Anderson@ $& +& $ill@ Anna -ean Clar,@ 7 & # ith -ulleville Rothschild /ran,@ 'race *arvey@ -ohn 9ates@ /rances A& /rench@ %eter -&

1911&

/aber&

(4(