te as it of Ff THE BOOK OF SIGNS RUDOLF KOCH S FT % a Bee TO THE MIDDLE AGES B' ARLY CHRISTIANS6, Stonemagons’ signs. These were signs by whic jour- neyman stonemasons in the MiddleAgesdistinguishedthete finished work, They are to be found carbed on many German cathedrals and other mediaeval buildings. The Masonic lodges were pots- erful guilds of stonemasons, the chief one being the Masonic lodge of Strassburg, whic had authority over all the other lod- ges of all the German-speaking countries Themembers ofthese guilds were strongly bound to- getherin theie work. Originally these Masonic lodges were en- tirely controlled by the Churdy, but they soon shook themselves free from the influence of reli- gion. For along time, however, they still remained powerful societies of men remarkable for their principles and adherence to the Churd. On the comple- tion of his apprenticeship the journeyman received a sign, conferred upon him by his mas= ter. This sign was taken from aso-called Nother-figuee, whic differed in ead) Masonic lodge, These different Mother-figueres were based upon triangulation and squaring, the trefoil and the quatrefoil. §rom these signs te can tell exactly whence the wandering fourneymen came tho trorked on any particular building. Disgraceful conduct might lead to a mason being deprived of his sign, and excluded from bis lodge. The first duty of a jours neyman when he came under anew master, in the course of his travels, was to construct the sign of his own Mother lodge, before his assembled col- leagues in the lodge room, and then to explain it symbolically. Master magons were allowed toenclose theirotwn signs with: ina shield, 43Sere follow a few stonemasons’ signs of different periods: The above are four Byzantine masonic signs, actually purely alphabetical monograms, closely related to the designs in the last hapter. 44Six Roman signs, remarkable for their beautiful clearness and simplicity of form. To the modern mind these signs are typical of the bigorous age whid) produced them. 4 kK gf Y xX By far the commonest masonic signs are those on the Gothic 45buildings that still surbive. They are often to be found in great profusion, and show considerable ingenuity. The two following pages show examples of these: & «8 tqle t2# pix kK,