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Article MASONIC TOLERATION. ← Page 2 of 2 Article BRO. SPETH'S COMMENTARY ON THE COOKE MANUSCRIPT ONCE MORE. Page 1 of 2 Article BRO. SPETH'S COMMENTARY ON THE COOKE MANUSCRIPT ONCE MORE. Page 1 of 2 →
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Masonic Toleration.
virtues , nnd Miiners to he remembered nnd respected among nil men and all creeds . To my mind , sir , away back in that far past , ono hundred nnd sixty years ago—I clo not know bnt moio—for I am not to be bounded and limited by any
of these common periods of time in my belief of the antiquity of the breadth or spiritual character of Freemasonry —hut away back ns far ns wo know it in onr English history , thc element which gave vitality to Masonry , the element whieh erratcd brotherhood among its members , the
element which gave fat-en and impetus , and sent it forward as the great pioneer of liberty throughout all the world , to raise the oppressed , to break 4 he bonds , nnd proclaim the brotherhood of man—aye , tho equality of the races—was that same clause thafc we should tolerate the religion that
our brothers professed ; and that , while we claimed thc individual and independent right to hold our own creed , we should give our brother the equal right to hold his creed and worship his God in tho same purity and with the same independence that we claim for ourselves . Wo started
thero , nnd that spirit spread throughout the world ; and whenever you will point to me the religious persecution rlnring the history of the Masonic organization—and there
has been many such—I will show you that ifc was born of bigotry and intolerance . Tho church led in the persecution , and it was liberty and independence and religions toleration thafc resisted .
I remember the time , since T have beon a Mason , when there was hardly a country in Europe whero Masonry was not under the ban , where it was not oppressed , whore it was not attacked ; and yet now , throughout tho wholo broad expanse , from Siberia to the Atlantic , from tho Atlantic to
the North Pole , and from the North Pole to the Pacific , Masonry is an honoured institution . You can hardly imagine how in those dark days—those days of feudal medirovalismMasonry alone held up the candle of liberty to tho oppressed of all races and all nations . From the Church
and State down to the lowest bigot or mercenary in rank , all combined to put out the light . But the light would nofc be put out ; and , though the blood of our brothers has been shed in every country in Europe , yefc the blood of our brothers has been the blood of martyrs , which was the
seed of the Masonic church—aye , and tho seed of the church of liberty throughout all the world . There has not been a step of progress for the lasfc two hundred years that the light of Freemasonry has not shone in front , leading the way , and pointing to the equality of man ancl to the elevation
of the human race . Tho day has come when things are changed completely , and now kings , dukes , and lords , side by side with the humble artizan , seek our altars ancl our
shrines , desire to put on the apron of the workman , to be classed with us , and , with Fellow Crafts and Masters , to work in the re-generation of millions . —Bro . Charles L . Woodbury .
Bro. Speth's Commentary On The Cooke Manuscript Once More.
BRO . SPETH'S COMMENTARY ON THE COOKE MANUSCRIPT ONCE MORE .
BY BRO . JACOB NOETON .
IN my former paper I quoted from Bro . Speth ' s Commentary on the Cooke MS . that the said MS . contains 13 times the Anglo Saxon letter *? , and that I counted in the Regius poem that letter 172 times . Upon further examination I found thafc we were both wrong .
The Cooke MS . has thafc letter 16 instead of 13 times ; and instead of 172 , I bave since then found in that poem no less than 191 times that letter z- This wonld average that letter to every 100 lines in one case to H and a fraction , and in the other case to about 24 to every 100
lines . But another fact must not be overlooked , viz ., that while in the Cooke MS . the letter z is exclusively confined to the words Rigid , Might , Night , Wrought , and Taught , and always represents the letter g only , in the poem we
have such words as se , sef , set , *? er , zese , *? urn , and a number of other such words , in many of which that letter represents an e , i , y , & c . Indeed , in some words it stands for something I cannot make oufc at all , and sometimes even the modern English version of the Regius poem ,
published by Bro . Woodford , leaves doubts in my mind as to tho meaning of certain phrases ; for instance—&? ( Original ) . — " This craffc com ynto England as y sow say . "
Bro. Speth's Commentary On The Cooke Manuscript Once More.
( Translated ) . — "This Craft came into England as I you say . " The reader will observe in fche first place that in tho upper line the letter z stands for say : and second , the phrase " as I you say" is a puzzle . I do not understand it .
I got hold of a book called " English Past and Present , " by Archbishop Richard Chenevix Trench . It contains a course of lectures on the evolution of tho English language and the first lecture opens thus : —
" A very slight acquaintance with tho history of onr own language will teach us that the speech of Chaucer ' s age is nofc the speech of Sl *"?! t (> n ' s—thafc thero is a great difference between the language under Elizabeth nnd that under Charles tho First , between that
iu'der Charles tlie First and Charles the Second , between Charles tho Second ancl Queen Anno—that considerable changes had taken placo butween the beginning and the middle of tho last century , and thab Johnson aud Fielding did not writo altogether as we do now . "
When I first got hold of fche Masonic poem , I was surprised to see the great ; difference in the English language between now and then ; bufc if any of my moderately informed readers should take up for the first timo tho Chronicle written by King Alfred , in or about 901 , he would
probably doubt the possibility that the language used b y tho Masonic poet about the year 1450 , or so , could havo descended from the language used by Alfred the Great in 001 : he not only could nofc understand one word oufc of fifty or more , hut he would not know what half of the
letters in the book stood for . In a former paper I stated that I counted in one 100 lines one hundred times the letter z in King Alfred ' s Chronicle . On further examina . tion I found thafc neither g nor G could be found in the said Chronicle . Ifc is evident , therefore , thafc the letter z
then st °° < i altogether for the letter g * but whether tho letter ^ represented , as in the Masonic poem , other letters in the alphabet , I know nofc . But , on the other hand , in our old poem , while the letter g is plentifully scattered , tho
letter z diminishes from one hundred to every 100 lines to only 24 of the same number of lines , while in tho Cooke MS . thafc letter can be found only about H to every 100 lines .
Now , I would like to find out afc what rate , say per fifty years , has the use of the letter z decreased between the time of Alfred the Great and the middle of the 15 th century ? and also , as to when our letter g was first used by the Anglo-Saxon writers ? But , unfortunately ,
my curiosity cannot be gratified , simply because Anglo-Saxon literature did nofc exist between the Anglo-Saxon period and thc days of Edward fche Third . It is , therefore , impossible to trace fche history of the English language , and much more so of the changes made
in the form and shape of letters during fchafc period ; for between the Conquest and the days of Edward the Third , in Parliament and in Courts of Justice , the Norman French language only was used , and in cloisters they used only the Latin language , hence that
long period of several hundred years , as far as vernacular literature is concerned , is a perfect blanJc * Since the days of Chaucer , however , the gradual changes the English language underwent can be traced , and since the invention of printing , one can trace the history of the changes
made in the shape and form of English letters , even if we have no access to older MSS . Hence , what Archbishop Trench did in tracing the successive changes made in English words , could also he made for ascertaining the periods when new-shaped letters were first adopted by
English writers , and when fche old-shaped letters wero entirely abandoned ; and that is just what ; ought to be done to settle tho question relative to the respective ages of the
two oldest Masonic MSS . By examining books in the English language printed , say , every tenth year after the first English book was printed , until fche letter 5 ceases to be used altogether , they might arrive at a pretty correct
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
Masonic Toleration.
virtues , nnd Miiners to he remembered nnd respected among nil men and all creeds . To my mind , sir , away back in that far past , ono hundred nnd sixty years ago—I clo not know bnt moio—for I am not to be bounded and limited by any
of these common periods of time in my belief of the antiquity of the breadth or spiritual character of Freemasonry —hut away back ns far ns wo know it in onr English history , thc element which gave vitality to Masonry , the element whieh erratcd brotherhood among its members , the
element which gave fat-en and impetus , and sent it forward as the great pioneer of liberty throughout all the world , to raise the oppressed , to break 4 he bonds , nnd proclaim the brotherhood of man—aye , tho equality of the races—was that same clause thafc we should tolerate the religion that
our brothers professed ; and that , while we claimed thc individual and independent right to hold our own creed , we should give our brother the equal right to hold his creed and worship his God in tho same purity and with the same independence that we claim for ourselves . Wo started
thero , nnd that spirit spread throughout the world ; and whenever you will point to me the religious persecution rlnring the history of the Masonic organization—and there
has been many such—I will show you that ifc was born of bigotry and intolerance . Tho church led in the persecution , and it was liberty and independence and religions toleration thafc resisted .
I remember the time , since T have beon a Mason , when there was hardly a country in Europe whero Masonry was not under the ban , where it was not oppressed , whore it was not attacked ; and yet now , throughout tho wholo broad expanse , from Siberia to the Atlantic , from tho Atlantic to
the North Pole , and from the North Pole to the Pacific , Masonry is an honoured institution . You can hardly imagine how in those dark days—those days of feudal medirovalismMasonry alone held up the candle of liberty to tho oppressed of all races and all nations . From the Church
and State down to the lowest bigot or mercenary in rank , all combined to put out the light . But the light would nofc be put out ; and , though the blood of our brothers has been shed in every country in Europe , yefc the blood of our brothers has been the blood of martyrs , which was the
seed of the Masonic church—aye , and tho seed of the church of liberty throughout all the world . There has not been a step of progress for the lasfc two hundred years that the light of Freemasonry has not shone in front , leading the way , and pointing to the equality of man ancl to the elevation
of the human race . Tho day has come when things are changed completely , and now kings , dukes , and lords , side by side with the humble artizan , seek our altars ancl our
shrines , desire to put on the apron of the workman , to be classed with us , and , with Fellow Crafts and Masters , to work in the re-generation of millions . —Bro . Charles L . Woodbury .
Bro. Speth's Commentary On The Cooke Manuscript Once More.
BRO . SPETH'S COMMENTARY ON THE COOKE MANUSCRIPT ONCE MORE .
BY BRO . JACOB NOETON .
IN my former paper I quoted from Bro . Speth ' s Commentary on the Cooke MS . that the said MS . contains 13 times the Anglo Saxon letter *? , and that I counted in the Regius poem that letter 172 times . Upon further examination I found thafc we were both wrong .
The Cooke MS . has thafc letter 16 instead of 13 times ; and instead of 172 , I bave since then found in that poem no less than 191 times that letter z- This wonld average that letter to every 100 lines in one case to H and a fraction , and in the other case to about 24 to every 100
lines . But another fact must not be overlooked , viz ., that while in the Cooke MS . the letter z is exclusively confined to the words Rigid , Might , Night , Wrought , and Taught , and always represents the letter g only , in the poem we
have such words as se , sef , set , *? er , zese , *? urn , and a number of other such words , in many of which that letter represents an e , i , y , & c . Indeed , in some words it stands for something I cannot make oufc at all , and sometimes even the modern English version of the Regius poem ,
published by Bro . Woodford , leaves doubts in my mind as to tho meaning of certain phrases ; for instance—&? ( Original ) . — " This craffc com ynto England as y sow say . "
Bro. Speth's Commentary On The Cooke Manuscript Once More.
( Translated ) . — "This Craft came into England as I you say . " The reader will observe in fche first place that in tho upper line the letter z stands for say : and second , the phrase " as I you say" is a puzzle . I do not understand it .
I got hold of a book called " English Past and Present , " by Archbishop Richard Chenevix Trench . It contains a course of lectures on the evolution of tho English language and the first lecture opens thus : —
" A very slight acquaintance with tho history of onr own language will teach us that the speech of Chaucer ' s age is nofc the speech of Sl *"?! t (> n ' s—thafc thero is a great difference between the language under Elizabeth nnd that under Charles tho First , between that
iu'der Charles tlie First and Charles the Second , between Charles tho Second ancl Queen Anno—that considerable changes had taken placo butween the beginning and the middle of tho last century , and thab Johnson aud Fielding did not writo altogether as we do now . "
When I first got hold of fche Masonic poem , I was surprised to see the great ; difference in the English language between now and then ; bufc if any of my moderately informed readers should take up for the first timo tho Chronicle written by King Alfred , in or about 901 , he would
probably doubt the possibility that the language used b y tho Masonic poet about the year 1450 , or so , could havo descended from the language used by Alfred the Great in 001 : he not only could nofc understand one word oufc of fifty or more , hut he would not know what half of the
letters in the book stood for . In a former paper I stated that I counted in one 100 lines one hundred times the letter z in King Alfred ' s Chronicle . On further examina . tion I found thafc neither g nor G could be found in the said Chronicle . Ifc is evident , therefore , thafc the letter z
then st °° < i altogether for the letter g * but whether tho letter ^ represented , as in the Masonic poem , other letters in the alphabet , I know nofc . But , on the other hand , in our old poem , while the letter g is plentifully scattered , tho
letter z diminishes from one hundred to every 100 lines to only 24 of the same number of lines , while in tho Cooke MS . thafc letter can be found only about H to every 100 lines .
Now , I would like to find out afc what rate , say per fifty years , has the use of the letter z decreased between the time of Alfred the Great and the middle of the 15 th century ? and also , as to when our letter g was first used by the Anglo-Saxon writers ? But , unfortunately ,
my curiosity cannot be gratified , simply because Anglo-Saxon literature did nofc exist between the Anglo-Saxon period and thc days of Edward fche Third . It is , therefore , impossible to trace fche history of the English language , and much more so of the changes made
in the form and shape of letters during fchafc period ; for between the Conquest and the days of Edward the Third , in Parliament and in Courts of Justice , the Norman French language only was used , and in cloisters they used only the Latin language , hence that
long period of several hundred years , as far as vernacular literature is concerned , is a perfect blanJc * Since the days of Chaucer , however , the gradual changes the English language underwent can be traced , and since the invention of printing , one can trace the history of the changes
made in the shape and form of English letters , even if we have no access to older MSS . Hence , what Archbishop Trench did in tracing the successive changes made in English words , could also he made for ascertaining the periods when new-shaped letters were first adopted by
English writers , and when fche old-shaped letters wero entirely abandoned ; and that is just what ; ought to be done to settle tho question relative to the respective ages of the
two oldest Masonic MSS . By examining books in the English language printed , say , every tenth year after the first English book was printed , until fche letter 5 ceases to be used altogether , they might arrive at a pretty correct