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Article THE "WILLIAM WATSON MS." OF A.D. 1687. ← Page 2 of 2 Article THE "WILLIAM WATSON MS." OF A.D. 1687. Page 2 of 2 Article THE LATE BRO. W. WINN, P.M. Page 1 of 1
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
The "William Watson Ms." Of A.D. 1687.
copy of the "Old Charges" traced that so resembled the "' Cooke MS . " * It appears to me that the " W . W . MS . " vvas not copied from the " Cooke MS , " but from another similar version , which had
been utilised in the latter part of the sixteenth century for Masonic purposes , and more modern regulations added . Line § o of " Cooke" has " we were the founders , " which Bro . Speth suggests should have read " whowe were , " and in the MS . of 168 7 it is given accordingly .
In Bro . M . Cooke's reproductiont of the "Additional MS . " line 140 , the word p ' nyd occurs , and is most unfortunately translated as " printed , " thus making the note concerning the " Policronicon " refer to Caxton ' s typographical reproduction of not earlier than 1482 , whereas the words clearly were taken from the MS . version of that noted chronicle of the former
century . In the roll under consideration the clause reads " It is a story proved , " thus agreeing with Bro . Speth ' s correction , that the contraction is " p ' uyd or p re ttyd—ie ., proved trustworthy . " Similar happy corrections by Bro . Speth ^ are in like manner justified by
the more modern roll : but one addition by that brother does not appear to me at all needful . At line 301 , respecting the " Seaven Sciences , " the word evidently should be and , not but , hence the
words " this I affirm not" ( in brackets ) are superfluous . The later MS . reads " Some men doe affirme , yt . they write all their Seaven Sciences in ye Said Stones & as they had their minde yt vengeance would come , " & c .
The old legend about the two " stones " appears to have been taken from the " Polycronycon , " their names in the edition of 1482 being " marble and brent tyle . In a pyler of marble for water , and in a pyler of tyle for fyre . " § Josephus ( " Antiquities " ) gives them as " the one of brick , the other of stone . " The
" Cooke MS . " has " marbylle and lacerus , " with which the "William Watson MS . " corresponds , " marble and laterus " { later a brick ) . There is no lack of variety in the orthography of the numerous rolls of the last two centuries respecting these pillars .
In the " Commentary " aforesaid Bro . Speth records quite a number of remarkable passages in the " Cooke MS . " which are entirely omitted " in the mediasvial versions of the Old Charges . " This statement is correct , save as to the " William Watson MS . " which has now come on the scene , for it has all the peculiar
readings mentioned down to the reference to " St . Adhabelle " or " Amphabell" ( line 603 ) , and is thus a roll of special importance . Strange to say , however , it does not contain the declaration that Edwin ( described as the youngest son of Athelstan )
" of speculatyfe he was a Master , " so that it lacks that curious reference at so early a period , though it recites the defence of Charles' legitimacy , of France , and , like the senior version , terms that Monarch " Carolus Secundus , " and not " Charles Martel , " as the MSS . generally .
The original of the " William Watson " MS . strikes out in quite a different style after following the "Cooke . MS . " so closely for some 600 lines ; and though both copy and prototype as with the senior version , are silent as to " Naymus Groecus " |) to be found in nearly all the other scrolls , yet subsequent
additions to the legendary history are to be noted in the Roll before us , according with the 16 th and 17 th century MSS ., such as St . Albans being a Steward to the King , Edwin ' s compilation of the " Book of Charges , " and the holding of an assembly in the city of York .
The unusual preamble to the " general and singular Charges , which refers to " Henry VI . and his Councell , " has already been noted . The statement that the Charges have been " drawne and gathered out of divers antient bouks , both of ye old Latu and netv Law made in Egypt , " also calls for particularisalion .
These " articles and points " ( as they were formally called ) , in "W . Watson ' s MS ., " are evidently from a more modern version than " Cooke ' s , " and partake of the character of the " Dauntesey MS . " ( of late 17 th century ) , which was made
known by Bro . W . H . Rylands , F . S . A ., in 1886 H These two copies agree as to the wages in St . Alban ' s time , and are the onl y two that I know of , which speak of the sum of four pence being devoted to the " Nunchions" [ al hettre de none , Hen .
The "William Watson Ms." Of A.D. 1687.
IV ., 1402 ) , and allude to the appointment of a lodge Steward , or for " common house needs . " The " Dauntesy " version has not so correct a reading , however , on that point , neither are the several clauses divided invariably in quite the same fashion . *
The 14 th rule of the "William Watson MS . " provides for obligatory attendance at the " Annual Assembly , " if within five miles , thus agreeing with the " Hope , " " Papworth , " and a few other MSS ., t but the majority fix the limit at 50 miles .
There are a few curious readings to be noted , one of-which is inexplicable . I have consulted Bro . W . H . Rylands on the point , but he , like myself , cannot fix the meaning intended by the Scribe . It occurs in the 5 th Clause of the " Singular Charges , " viz ., "He yt shall be made Mason to be aiiena within
all Sides . " Bro . Rylands suggests that the reference may be to " a man , " and that the copyist probably misunderstood the original MS . The general reading is " able in all manner of degrees , "
or " able of birth , " but the York MS ., No . 1 ( 1600 circa ) has , " Able of body and sound of lymbs , " and some MSS . have " Able of all Syres . " My opinion is in favour of the word being able , or some equivalent term .
Another curious expression is " bargarie war . " It occurred to me it might mean foreign wars , but unfortunately there is no MS . that helps one much as to the solution . " Grevious warrs , "
" Divers warres , " and " Great warrs " are the general readings . All the curious and unusual references have been carefully examined and tested by comparison with other MSS ., as well as by my able confrere , Bro . John Lane , F . C . A .
The interesting subject of the Old Charges of British Freemasons has been almost exhaustively treated by Bro . Gould in his History ( Chapters II ., XIV . and XV . ) , and the " Masonic Reprints" of Lodge No 2076 , might also be perused with advantage . Though the first part of the MS . in question is
virtually the same as " Cooke s , " I have decided to mark it 24 ^ , because the latter portion partakes of the Dauntesey MS ., No . 24 , in Bro . Gould ' s Calendar ( " Commentary to the Regius MS . " )
A drawing of the "Arms of the Freemasons" forms an appropriate heading to the "William Watson MS ., " and as there appears to be a small turret issuing from the castle { crest ) , it reminds one of the arms in the Freemasons' Charter of Gateshead , of A . D . 16 71 , which is only one of the kind else I know of .
There are many other points which should be mentioned to make the description complete , but I must plead lack of time to do more just now . W . J . HUGHAN . [ The MS . will be given in the next issue of the Freemason . ' ]
The Late Bro. W. Winn, P.M.
THE LATE BRO . W . WINN , P . M .
By the death of Bro . WILLIAM WlNN , P . M ., Patron of our three Masonic Institutions and one of the Trustees of the Royal Masonic Benevolent Institution , the Craft in England has lost one of its truest and best members—a man who made very little stir in the sphere in which he moved , but went about his
appointed duties in a quiet and unobtrusive manner ; a man who , though he once permitted himself to be put in nomination for the Grand Treasurership , never seems to hg . ve aspired to the purple of Grand Lodge ; who belonged to the class of those who " do good bv stealth and blush to find it fame , " rather than to
that other and more numerous class of men who proclaim aloud their every act of Charity in order that they may win fame as benefactors . Bro . WlNN , indeed , appears to have concerned
himself as little about this kind of publicity as about Grand Lodge honours . He served onl y a few Stewardships—just enough to entitle him to the Charity jewel—but the total of the votes he received from the three Institutions in return for his
various contributions would alone have enabled him , by a few judicious exchanges , to secure the election of any candidate he vvas interested in , certainly once in every two years , if not annually . His gifts , too , were of a special , as well as of the usual character ; the bulk of what he contributed found its way into
the general exchequer , but in the case of each of our two Schools , a sum of £ 525 was set apart for the special and laudable purpose of presenting prizes for those of the children who acquit themselves to the satisfaction of the Examiners in our university middle-class examinations . Such is
the brother whose death has occurred so recently—a Mason of long-standing but undistinguishable from the general body except by his many acts of beneficence ; and though it has been said that the good men do is " oft interred with their bones , " the prize funds established by Bro . WlNN will preserve the memory of his acts as long as the Schools themselves are in existence .
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
The "William Watson Ms." Of A.D. 1687.
copy of the "Old Charges" traced that so resembled the "' Cooke MS . " * It appears to me that the " W . W . MS . " vvas not copied from the " Cooke MS , " but from another similar version , which had
been utilised in the latter part of the sixteenth century for Masonic purposes , and more modern regulations added . Line § o of " Cooke" has " we were the founders , " which Bro . Speth suggests should have read " whowe were , " and in the MS . of 168 7 it is given accordingly .
In Bro . M . Cooke's reproductiont of the "Additional MS . " line 140 , the word p ' nyd occurs , and is most unfortunately translated as " printed , " thus making the note concerning the " Policronicon " refer to Caxton ' s typographical reproduction of not earlier than 1482 , whereas the words clearly were taken from the MS . version of that noted chronicle of the former
century . In the roll under consideration the clause reads " It is a story proved , " thus agreeing with Bro . Speth ' s correction , that the contraction is " p ' uyd or p re ttyd—ie ., proved trustworthy . " Similar happy corrections by Bro . Speth ^ are in like manner justified by
the more modern roll : but one addition by that brother does not appear to me at all needful . At line 301 , respecting the " Seaven Sciences , " the word evidently should be and , not but , hence the
words " this I affirm not" ( in brackets ) are superfluous . The later MS . reads " Some men doe affirme , yt . they write all their Seaven Sciences in ye Said Stones & as they had their minde yt vengeance would come , " & c .
The old legend about the two " stones " appears to have been taken from the " Polycronycon , " their names in the edition of 1482 being " marble and brent tyle . In a pyler of marble for water , and in a pyler of tyle for fyre . " § Josephus ( " Antiquities " ) gives them as " the one of brick , the other of stone . " The
" Cooke MS . " has " marbylle and lacerus , " with which the "William Watson MS . " corresponds , " marble and laterus " { later a brick ) . There is no lack of variety in the orthography of the numerous rolls of the last two centuries respecting these pillars .
In the " Commentary " aforesaid Bro . Speth records quite a number of remarkable passages in the " Cooke MS . " which are entirely omitted " in the mediasvial versions of the Old Charges . " This statement is correct , save as to the " William Watson MS . " which has now come on the scene , for it has all the peculiar
readings mentioned down to the reference to " St . Adhabelle " or " Amphabell" ( line 603 ) , and is thus a roll of special importance . Strange to say , however , it does not contain the declaration that Edwin ( described as the youngest son of Athelstan )
" of speculatyfe he was a Master , " so that it lacks that curious reference at so early a period , though it recites the defence of Charles' legitimacy , of France , and , like the senior version , terms that Monarch " Carolus Secundus , " and not " Charles Martel , " as the MSS . generally .
The original of the " William Watson " MS . strikes out in quite a different style after following the "Cooke . MS . " so closely for some 600 lines ; and though both copy and prototype as with the senior version , are silent as to " Naymus Groecus " |) to be found in nearly all the other scrolls , yet subsequent
additions to the legendary history are to be noted in the Roll before us , according with the 16 th and 17 th century MSS ., such as St . Albans being a Steward to the King , Edwin ' s compilation of the " Book of Charges , " and the holding of an assembly in the city of York .
The unusual preamble to the " general and singular Charges , which refers to " Henry VI . and his Councell , " has already been noted . The statement that the Charges have been " drawne and gathered out of divers antient bouks , both of ye old Latu and netv Law made in Egypt , " also calls for particularisalion .
These " articles and points " ( as they were formally called ) , in "W . Watson ' s MS ., " are evidently from a more modern version than " Cooke ' s , " and partake of the character of the " Dauntesey MS . " ( of late 17 th century ) , which was made
known by Bro . W . H . Rylands , F . S . A ., in 1886 H These two copies agree as to the wages in St . Alban ' s time , and are the onl y two that I know of , which speak of the sum of four pence being devoted to the " Nunchions" [ al hettre de none , Hen .
The "William Watson Ms." Of A.D. 1687.
IV ., 1402 ) , and allude to the appointment of a lodge Steward , or for " common house needs . " The " Dauntesy " version has not so correct a reading , however , on that point , neither are the several clauses divided invariably in quite the same fashion . *
The 14 th rule of the "William Watson MS . " provides for obligatory attendance at the " Annual Assembly , " if within five miles , thus agreeing with the " Hope , " " Papworth , " and a few other MSS ., t but the majority fix the limit at 50 miles .
There are a few curious readings to be noted , one of-which is inexplicable . I have consulted Bro . W . H . Rylands on the point , but he , like myself , cannot fix the meaning intended by the Scribe . It occurs in the 5 th Clause of the " Singular Charges , " viz ., "He yt shall be made Mason to be aiiena within
all Sides . " Bro . Rylands suggests that the reference may be to " a man , " and that the copyist probably misunderstood the original MS . The general reading is " able in all manner of degrees , "
or " able of birth , " but the York MS ., No . 1 ( 1600 circa ) has , " Able of body and sound of lymbs , " and some MSS . have " Able of all Syres . " My opinion is in favour of the word being able , or some equivalent term .
Another curious expression is " bargarie war . " It occurred to me it might mean foreign wars , but unfortunately there is no MS . that helps one much as to the solution . " Grevious warrs , "
" Divers warres , " and " Great warrs " are the general readings . All the curious and unusual references have been carefully examined and tested by comparison with other MSS ., as well as by my able confrere , Bro . John Lane , F . C . A .
The interesting subject of the Old Charges of British Freemasons has been almost exhaustively treated by Bro . Gould in his History ( Chapters II ., XIV . and XV . ) , and the " Masonic Reprints" of Lodge No 2076 , might also be perused with advantage . Though the first part of the MS . in question is
virtually the same as " Cooke s , " I have decided to mark it 24 ^ , because the latter portion partakes of the Dauntesey MS ., No . 24 , in Bro . Gould ' s Calendar ( " Commentary to the Regius MS . " )
A drawing of the "Arms of the Freemasons" forms an appropriate heading to the "William Watson MS ., " and as there appears to be a small turret issuing from the castle { crest ) , it reminds one of the arms in the Freemasons' Charter of Gateshead , of A . D . 16 71 , which is only one of the kind else I know of .
There are many other points which should be mentioned to make the description complete , but I must plead lack of time to do more just now . W . J . HUGHAN . [ The MS . will be given in the next issue of the Freemason . ' ]
The Late Bro. W. Winn, P.M.
THE LATE BRO . W . WINN , P . M .
By the death of Bro . WILLIAM WlNN , P . M ., Patron of our three Masonic Institutions and one of the Trustees of the Royal Masonic Benevolent Institution , the Craft in England has lost one of its truest and best members—a man who made very little stir in the sphere in which he moved , but went about his
appointed duties in a quiet and unobtrusive manner ; a man who , though he once permitted himself to be put in nomination for the Grand Treasurership , never seems to hg . ve aspired to the purple of Grand Lodge ; who belonged to the class of those who " do good bv stealth and blush to find it fame , " rather than to
that other and more numerous class of men who proclaim aloud their every act of Charity in order that they may win fame as benefactors . Bro . WlNN , indeed , appears to have concerned
himself as little about this kind of publicity as about Grand Lodge honours . He served onl y a few Stewardships—just enough to entitle him to the Charity jewel—but the total of the votes he received from the three Institutions in return for his
various contributions would alone have enabled him , by a few judicious exchanges , to secure the election of any candidate he vvas interested in , certainly once in every two years , if not annually . His gifts , too , were of a special , as well as of the usual character ; the bulk of what he contributed found its way into
the general exchequer , but in the case of each of our two Schools , a sum of £ 525 was set apart for the special and laudable purpose of presenting prizes for those of the children who acquit themselves to the satisfaction of the Examiners in our university middle-class examinations . Such is
the brother whose death has occurred so recently—a Mason of long-standing but undistinguishable from the general body except by his many acts of beneficence ; and though it has been said that the good men do is " oft interred with their bones , " the prize funds established by Bro . WlNN will preserve the memory of his acts as long as the Schools themselves are in existence .