Evolution Of The Pre-1717 Masonic Ritual.

only one . Dr . James Anderson Grand-mastered Adam , Moses , Julius Ciesar , Herod the Great , St . Austin or Augustin , and above fifty more . Thero ia no doubt that

this Grand-mastering was Anderson ' s own invention . Now if Anderson could invent fibs in tho 18 th century , why could not tho authors of the pre-1717 Masonic MSS . have also invented their own fibs ?

But I shall now proceed to prove , from another standpoint , that tbo Regius Poem is considerably older than the Cooke MS . I must , however , again remind the reader of what I have repeatedly stated , viz ., that the Cooke MS ., as well as the MSS . known as " Old Charges , " were designed

by their scribes to make them look older than they are . Bat in order to show that the Masonic Poem is older than the Cooke MS ., in my last paper on the Hub MS ., among other reasons , I stated that I found in the poem words , such aa Taf , ^ ef , ser , ? ese , & c , whioh were pronounced gave , if ,

given , & c , & c , and these words , I said , could not be found in tho Cooke MS . Now all this is perfectly true , but I confess that whon I made the above remark , I did not know that tho letter " z " occurred at all in the Cooke MS . From Bro . Speth's Commentary I , however , learned that

ho found tbo said letter in the Cooke MS . thirteen times , and he pointed out that while in the first 642 lines the said letter appears only four times , in the last 318 lines he found that letter ( -5 ) nine times , and he gave the following reason why the division is unequal . He says , that in the

first 642 lines there are no quotations from older MSS ., but in the latter part there are such quotations , hence the letter " 3 " occurs more often in the latter part of the MS . than in the first part . This suggested to my mind an inquiry about that letter " z , " and how long it took for the

gradual diminution and fin J disappearance of that letter from English writings . So I first took up an Anglo-Saxon Chronicle , giving the history from A . D . 838 to 901 ( published by Bohn ) , and opened the book at random , and on

page 410 I found 38 such letters in 38 Hues . I opened the book again haphazard , and on page 254 I found in 37 lines aa many as 41 of the said letters . If the above is a fair average , the letter " 3 " will average at least 100 times to every 100 lines .

The Polycronycon , according to Disraeli was translated into English in A . D . 1385 , and according to Brother Speth it was printed in 1482 . Now , whether the printer reduced the number of the Anglo-Saxon letters , that is ,

what we call modernized it , words aud letters , so as to make tho book bettor understood by tbe then readers , I know not . But any bow , the letter " 3 " I found to average in that book about 22 , or rather more , to every 100 lines .

There are 794 lines in the Regius poom , and the " 3 " occurs in it no less than 172 times . This would give an average of more than 21 such letters to eveiy 100 lines . The Cooke MS . has 960 lines , and only 13 letter " " in it . This would average about 1 ^ to every 100 lines .

Now , if I had no other criterion to prove the relative ages of the poem and the Cooke MS ., I think that the relative number of times that Anglo-Saxon letter 3 occurs in each of the said MSS . would decide , in my mind , that the Regius Poem was written many years before the Cooke MS .

Again , Mr . Jenner , of the Museum , confirmed Brother Sadler ' s opinion that the Graud Lodge MS ., printed by Bro . Sadler , in his " Facts and Fictions , " was written , if not positively in 1783 , it was at least written " thereabouts . " And he added that , judging from the

abbreviations , spelling , & o ., the MS . appears to be a century older , he , however , has no doubt that it is not older . But , notwithstanding the efforts of the scribe to make the MS . appear a century older than it is , the letter " 3 " I could not find in it .

And now , in order to give the reader a chance to see at a glance the respective number of times the letter " 3 " occurs in the above described books and MSS ., I will exhibit them in the following table : —

When written . 901—Old Chronicle . In every 100 lines the letter " 3 " occurs - 100 times 385—Polycronycon do . - 22 „ Be it , however remembered that it was not

printed before 1482 . No date—The Regins Poem . In every 100 lines " 3 " occurs- - - 21 „ And a fraction .

Evolution Of The Pre-1717 Masonic Ritual.

No date-Cooko MS . In every 100 lines " x " occurs - - 1 „ And a fraction . 1583—Grand Lodge MS . The letter " 3 " occurs - - 0 ,,

With no fraction at all . BOSTON , UNITED STATES , 9 th August 1890 .

The ' Hub' Ms.

The ' Hub' MS .

I AM very pleased to hear of another old Manuscri pt Roll of the" Old Charges , " and thank Bro . J . Norton ( of Boston , U . S . A . ) warmly , not only for presenting the Craft with a transcript , but for sending me photographs of the invocation and the conclusion to the scroll . After a careful examination of the text , it appears to me

to be another copy from a Roll similar to the " Stanley MS ., " which is also dated A . D . 1 G 77 , as the " Hub MS . " Brother G . W . Speth , in announcing tbe discovery of this doenmont , in Vol . I . page 127 " Transactions Lodge Quatuor Coronati , " cites several peculiar readings , which are algo to bo

found in the Roll described by Bro . Norton . In fact they are virtually duplicates , only the " Stanley MS . " has a remarkable addition to the ordinary text of early last century , which renders that copy more than ordinaril y interesting and valuable , though quite apart from the " Old Charges . "

The breadth or width of both MSS . is the same , but the

length varies , owing possibly to the addition mentioned to the " Stanley" Roll , that measuring ten feet , the other only running to seven feet ; both being written on parchment .

Bro . Norton describes the " Hub MS . " as " an offspring of the ' Cooke MS ., ' " but for why I cannot understand , unless he refers to all these Rolls , & c , from the

sixteenth century , in which case the description is far from a definite one . It really belongs to the " Grand Lodge family , " Shane Branch , as classified by Dr . Begemann , the text in many respects resembling the " Colne MS . No . 1 , " giveu by me in tbe Christmas Freemason , 1887 .

A few of the words in the reproduction appear to me to be errors in transcription , such » B "A Varragon , " (? " A Paragon " ) , but the copying generally has been done exceedingly well by Bro . Norton ' s son . It is undoubtedly of the period mentioned , and , containing as it

does , a text peculiar to the " Stanley MS ., " and itself , with resemblances to the " Colne MS . No . 1 , " which latter , however , has the " Apprentice Charge " in addition , I consider the document is an important accession to the list of d

"Old Charges . " I suggest it should be termed 21 , thus following the other three late discoveries in connection with "Colne MS . No . 1 , " viz ., 21 ° "Tew MS ., 21 " " Watson ' s MS ., " and 21 ° the " Clapham MS . " W . J . HUGHAN .

The Boston Ms. Constitution.

THE BOSTON MS . CONSTITUTION .

To the Editor of the FKEEMASON ' S CHRONICLE . DEAE SIR AND BROTHER , —As surmised by me when I first had information of this MS ., from Bro . Norton , it is nothing more nor less than an accurate duplicate of the " Stanley MS . " in the possession of Bro . F . Stanley , of

Margate , and exhibited by me . at Lodge Quatuor Coronafci , 2076 , on the 2 nd March 1888 . You will find its peculiarities fully set out at p 127 , Vol . I . of Ars Quatuor Coronatorum , and every one of these will be found verbatim in the Boston MS ., including the date .

I am in Scotland , aud away from my books , but I believe that , from beginning to end , not one word or letter varies . But the Stanley MS . contains an addendum in the shape of a rhymed prophecy , attributed to " Bro . Roger Bacon , which is wanting in the Boston document .

You will observe that , despite the imminent anathema of Bro . Norton , I refrain from the use of such an ungainly title as that chosen by him . G . W . S PETH P . M ., Sec . Quatuor Coronati .

Marriage.

MARRIAGE .

WEBB-WIIYMI'ER .-On 24 th July 1890 , at the Church of the Holy ^ fg ir Mnrrcc , Punjab , India , ALOBBITOK EDWABD WEBB , Lieutonnnt Bengal ^ Corps , son ot Colonel B . P . WBBB , to AXNBTIB , daughter of Bro . U . w »** CLE .