Questions.

QUESTIONS .

1 st , HOW MANY DEGREES DID MASONS HAVE BEFORE 1717 ? 2 nd , HOW MANY DEGREES DID MASONS HAVE IN 1723 ? BY BRO . JACOB NORTON .

ABOUT two or more years ago Bro . Gould gave birth to nevj theories , namely , that Masons had two degrees before 1717 , and that they had no more than two degrees in 1723 , and I then took issue with him about his new born theories . I maintained that before 1717 Masons

had but ono degree , and thafc in 1723 thoy had three degrees . In a recent number of this paper appeared an article by Bro . Gould , in which it was shown that a South Australian Brother adopted Bro . Gould's theories above

referred to . In a private letter I remonstrated with Brother Gould upon the question at issue , and his uuswer to my letter was not afc all satisfactory . I see , however , that Bro . Gould still sticks to his theories , for in the 7 th of October number of this paper , p . 218 , Bro . Gould says : —

"Also No . XIII . of the General Regulations [ Anderson ' s 1723 Constitutions ] , forbidding the working of the 2 nd [ degree ] , or as it has since become , tho 3 rd degree , had not been enacted . " I beg , however , to remind Bro . Gould , that since

Halliwell s poem was printed in 1840 , nearly eighty copies of tho pre-1717 Masonic ritual , known by the name of " Ancient Charges , " have been discovered , but as far as I know , not a solitary pre 1717 second degree ritual has made its appearance during that time . Bro . Gould , however ,

claimed ( in a private letter ) that the MS ., known by fcho title of " The Grand Mystery Discovered , " was written before 1717 , because there is a corrupt Hebrew word in it ; he therefore assigns the origin of the said MS . to the pre-1717 Masons . The fact , however is , the word in our third

degree ritual can no more be found in the Hebrew language than the word in " The Mystery of Masonry Discovered " can be found in the Hebrew language . And second , while there is not a particle of evidence to prove that the said

MS . was written before 1717 , there is good internal evidence to prove that it was written after 1717 . Thus , in all the pre-1717 Masonic rituals , the namo of St . John is not mentioned , but in the Mystery Discovered , I find as follows : —

Q . — " Of what Lodgo are you ? A . — " The Lodge of Sfc . John . " Hence , the said MS . musfchave been written after Masonry was Johannized by the Grand Lodge , that is , after the Grand Lodge made the two St . John ' s days . into festivals .

Again , there is in existence a number of operative Scotch Masonic records , written many years before 1717 ; thus , the Edinburgh Lodge record began in 1598 , other records began about 30 years later . Brother D . Murray Lyon examined all the pre-1717 Scotch Lodge records , and he

could not find the slightest hint in any of them tbat Masons conferred more than one degree , or knew of more than one Mason ' s word . In England wejhave at least two operative Lodge records , One is called the Alnwick record , which began in 1703 and was continued to 1757 . Another record belonged to

Sealwell Lodge , which began in 1725 , and was continued till 1735 , when it took a charter from the Grand Lodge of England , and became a speculative Lodge . The Alnwick Lodge record was examined by Bro . Hnghan , and the Scalwell record , was , I believe examined by the late Rev .

Bro . Woodford , and neither of the said records furnished any evidence that the members of the said Lodge received more than one degree . We see now that Bro . Gould ' s assumption that the pre-1717 Masons had more than ono degree is simply baseless .

Having disposed of the first question , let us see now whether Masons in 17 A . possessed three degrees ? or as Bro . Gould will have it , that in 1723 Masons possessed two degrees only ? First , Anderson in his Constitutions of . 723 , Article

. says , "A-r .-entices must be admitted Fellow Craft ? , and Masters only here [ meaning they must be admitted only in the Grand Lodge ] , unless by a dispensation from the Grand Master . " Thc above plainly shows that tlio Mastor ccald confer thc

Questions.

apprentice degree in his Lodge , bufc the Fellow Craft and Master ' s degrees could be received only in the Grand Lodge , unless the Worshipful Master received a dispensation from the Grand Master to confer either of the last two degrees in his Lodge . And I cannot see how Bro .

Gould can make out that Apprentice , Fellow Craft , and Master means only two degrees . On the opposite page of Anderson ' s 1733 Constitutions , are given what lie calls " New Regulations , " that is , Regulations adopted by the Grand Lodge between 1723 and 1738 , and there I find , as follows .

XIII— " 2 . On 22 nd November 1725—Tho Master of a Lodge with his Wardens , and a compet : nt nnmber of fche Lodge assembled in due form , can make Masters and Fellows at discretion . "

Which means , that while the law of 1723 disallowed the Master of a Lxlge to confer the Follow Craffc and Masters' degree ? , tho law of 1725 repealed tho above restriction , and allowed tho W . M . full liberty to confer the 2 nd and 3 rd degrees in his Lodge , without requiring any dispensation from the Grand Master for so doing .

I musfc here add , that the word degree or degrees was nofc applied by Masonic writers to tho grades iu Masonry in those early days of speculative Masonry , nov can I find tho said words so applied in an earlier publication than of 1730 .

Again , in a catechism printed llth April 1723 , there aro five lines in a kind of rhyme , and I herewith give the 1 st , 3 rd , and 4 th of said lines . 1 st . — "An enter'd Mason I have been " 3 rd . — " A Fellow I was sworn most rare , "

4 th . — "I know the Master ' s part full well . " The italicisings in the above lines ( which are mine ) show clearl y thafc the then Masons had three degrees , and I can further prove that the 1723 Masons had three % oords also .

And now having furnished evidence to prove that before 1717 Masons had no more than one degree , and thafc in 1723 Masons had no less than threo degrees , all I have

now to say is , that if my good friend Brother Gould does not at once concede that he made a mistake , I respectfully ask Brother Hughan and other Masonic students to give their respective unbiased opinion upon tho question at issue . BOSTON , U . S . A ., 20 th October 1893 .

Masonic Sonnets.—No. 62.*

MASONIC SONNETS . —No . 62 . *

Br BKO . CHAS . F . FOBSUAW , LL . D .

— : o : — FAITH .

We live and walk by Faith—this symbol grand Leads ns to pray for hope of things not seen j Teaches us how to better understand And work that we may heavenly harvest glean ,

Faith makes us patient in onr honr of need , Bids us depend on God ' s Almighty hand , Until from earth and earthly trammels freed We gain Eternity ' s sublimor land . Faith is the fount whose water ever flows

For all the good and pure of heart who trust In Christ , whose precious life did interpose To save frail creatures only formed of dnst . Faith gives us strength to battle ' gainst our foes , And make-: us Humble , Charitable , Jast .

Winder House , Bradford , 2 Gth October 1893 . * This Sonnet was omitted in its usnal place . No . 61 appeared in our issue of 22 nd July , and "No . 63 the following week .

The Earl of Jersey has forwarded to Mr . G rigor , secretary of Sfc . John ' s Lodge , Inverness , a beautiful gold medal , which was presented to Captain Grigorin 1774 for services

rendered to the Lodge . Ifc was given to Lord Jersey while in Sydney , to be handed back to the old Lodge , by the descendants of its original owner .

THK OI ' . ' . Y or ITEM : LXGLISHMAS' is that liberty of speech and action is the birthright of evi-ry free m ; in . " Unions never shall bo slaves" ia ono of tire most popular if onr national songs , and , as a matter of fact , it is impossible for slavery to exist under tho protecting shadow of the British flag . In tho same manner , men cannot remain bound by the tyrannic shackles of

disease if they will place themselves under the healing influence of Holloway ' s Pills and Ointment . Their success in all parts of tho world is now a familia * story , and it is only necessary to gay here , thero is no known disorder thai cannot be speedily cix »& or relieved by thorn ,