The "William Watson Ms."

them good pay for a Mason took but a penny a day and meat & drink , & St Albone got of ye King yt every Mason Should have xxxd . a week & iiiid . for their non finding & he got them charges A manners as St Amphabell had taught him , & they doe but a little differ from ye charges yt be used now at this time & Soe these charges & mauners were used many years & afterwards they were almost near hand lost , bargarieinarAsic ] untillyetime of King Ethelstone wch Said King Ethelstone

& ye Same Edwine loved well Geometry and applied himselte busily in learning y t Science and alsoe he desired to haue ye practise thereof wherefore he called unto him of ye best Masons y t were in ye Realme for he knew well yt they had ye practise of Geometry best of any craft in ye Realme & he learned of them Masonry & cherished and loved them well & he took upon him ye charges & learned ye mauners & afterward for ye lo / e yt he had unto ye craft , & for ye good

grounding yt it was found in he purchased a free charter of ye King his ffather yt they Should haue Such a fredome to haue correction within themselves & yt they mig ht haue communication together to correct Such things as were amiss within themselves and they made a great Congregation of Masons to assemble together at at York where he was himselfe , & let call ye old Masons of the Realme to yt congregation , & comanded them to bring to him all ye writeings of ye old books of

ye craft that they had , out of wch books they contrived ye charges by ye divise of ye wisest Masons yt were there , & comanded yt these charges might be kept & holden & he ordained yt Such congregacon might be called Assembly , & he ordained for them good pay yt they might Hue honestly ye wch charges I will declare hereafter , & this was ye craft of Masonry there grounded and considered , In England rig ht worship full masters and fellowes yt been of divers Semblies

and congregations wth ye consent of ye Lords of this Realme hath ordained & made charges by their best advise yt all mauner of men yt shall be made & allowed Masons , must be Sworne upon a booke to keep the Same in all yt they may to ye uttermost of their power , & alsoe they haye ordained yt when any ffellow Shall be received & allowed yt these charges might be read unto him & he to take his charges , and these charges have been Seen & perused by our late

Soveraigne Lord King Henry ye Sixth & ye Lords of ye Honourable Councell , and they haue allowed them well & Said they were right good Sz reasonable to be holden fend of fourth strip ] and these charges haue been drawne & gathered out of divers antient books both of ye old Law and new Law as they were confirmed and made in Egypt by ye King and by ye great Clarke Euclidus & at ye makeing

of Solomon ' s Temple by King David & by Salom his Sonn and in ffrance by Charles King of ffrance and in England by St Albon that was ye Steward to ye King yt was at yt time , & afterward by King Ethelstone yt was King of England , & by his Son Edwin yt was King after his ffather as it is rehearsed in many and divers histories & Stories and Chapters & ensueth as ye charges following perticularly and Severally , ye first and principall charge is

I . —That ye Shall be true man or true men to God and ye holy Church , and that ye Shall use neither errour nor heresie by yor own understanding or discreaton wise mens teaching . 2 . —That ye be true leidgemen to ye King without treason or falsehood and if yu know either Treason or treachery look ye amend it if ye can or else privately warne ye King or his Rulers or his deputies & officers .

3 . —That ye Shall be true one to another , yt is to Say to every Master & fellow of ye Science and craft of Masonry yt been allowed Masons , & to doe unto them as ye would they Should doe unto you . 4 . —That every Mason keep true councell both of Lodge & Chamber and all other Councells yt ought to be keept by way of Masonrie .

5 . —That noe Mason be Theif or Theives for as far forth as he knoweth . 6 . —That he shall be true to his Lord and Master yt he doth Serue , & truly look to his Masters profitt and advantage . 7 . —You Shall call Masons yor ffellowes or yor Brethren and J ^ . noe other foull name , nor Shall yu take yor ffellows wife in villany nor further desire his Daughter nor Servant .

8 . —And alsoe yt yu pay truely for yor meat & yor drink wheresoever yu goe to boord , alsoe ye Shall doe noe villany in ye house whereby ye craft Shall be slandered .

These been ye charges in generall that every Mason Should hold by both masters and ffellowes . Now other Singular charges for Masters and Fellows . ist . —© Tjclt noe Master or ffellow take upon him noe Lords worke nor other mans but he know himselfe able and of cunning enough to performe it , Soe yt ye Craft haue noe Slaunder nor disworshipp Soe yt ye Lord may be well and truel y Served .

2 ly . — (? Tl ) Jlt noe Master take noe worke but he take it reasonable Soe yt y Lord may be well and truely Served with his owne good and ye Master may live honestly and pay his ffellowes truely their pay as ye mauner of craft asketh . 3 ly . —That noe Master nor ffellow Shall Supplant other of their worke , yt is to Say if he haue taken a worke , or else Stand Master of any Lords worke or other , ye Shall not put him out unless he be unable of cunning yt end yt worke .

4 ly . —That noe Master nor ffellow take noe Apprentice to be allowed his Apprentice but for Seaven years , and yt Apprentice to be able of birth and of liveing as he ought to be . Sly . —That noe Mason nor ffellow take noe allowance to be Mason without ye consent of V . or VI . of his ffellowes at least and heyt Shall be made Mason to be nu ' ena within all Sides , yt is to S . iy yt he be free borne and of good kindred and noe bondman and yet he haue his right limbs as a man ought to haue .

61 y . —That noe Master nor ffellow take any Lords worke to taske yt hath been accustomed to be journey worke .

7 ^ y- —That every one giue pay to his ffellow but as be may deserue Soe yt ye worthy Lord of ye worke may not be deceived through false workemen . Sl y- —That noe ffellow doe Slander other behind his backe to make him lose his good name or his worldy goods . 9 ' y- — I hat noe ffellow within Lodge nor without doe minister evill answere to other ungodly without reasonable cause . ., / loly . — That every Mason Shall doe reverence to his betters and and Shal

put him at worshi pp . / JI ' y- — I hat noe Mason Shall play at hazard , or at ye dice nor noe other unlawful games whereby ye craft Should be Slandered . I 2 ly . — I hat noe Mason be noe Riband in Lechery to make the craft Slandered . ' 3- — That noe ffellow goe into ye Towne in ye ni ghttime without a ffellow to bear him witnes yt he hath been in honest company for if he Soe doe there a Lodge of ffellows to punish yt Sinne .

14 . — I hat every Mason and ffellow Shall come to ye Assembl y and it be within fiue miles of him , and if he haue any warning to Stand there at ye reward of Masters & ffellowes .

The "William Watson Ms."

15 . —That every Master & ffellow if they haue trespassed to Stand at ye reward of Masters & ffellows to make them accord there if they may , and if they may not accord them , they to goe to ye Comon Law . [ End of fifth strip . ] 16 . — -That noe Master make noe mould nor Sware [ Square ] , nor rule to lare . 17 . —That noe Master nor ffellow Shall Set a layer within Lodge nor without to Shew any moulded Stones with any mould of his owne makeing .

18 . —That every Master Shall receive and cherish Strang Masons when they come out of ye Country and Set them to worke as the mauner is yt is to Say , if they haue moulded Stones in place ye Shall Set them a fortnig ht at ye least in worke , and giue him his pay , and if he haue not Stones for him to worke , that then he shall refresh him to ye next Lodge .

19 th . —That yu shall truely serue ye Lord for yor pay , and justly and truel y make an end of yor worke be it task or Journey worke As yu may haue yor . pay truely according as yu ought to haue . 20 th . —That every Mason worke truely upon ye working day , Soe yt he may receive his pay and deserue it Soe he may Iw / e honestly upon ye holy day , and yt ye and every Mason receive yor pay godly of yor paymister and that ye Shall keep due time of travaile in yor worke & of rest as it is ordained by the Masters Councell .

21 . —That if any ffellowes Shall be at discord or dissention , ye Shall truel y treat between them to make accord and agreement & Shew noe favour upon neither part , but Justly and truely for both ye parties , and yt it be done in Such time as ye Lords worke be not hindered . 22 . —Alsoe if ye Stand warden or haue any power under the Master where ye Serue , ye Shall be true to yor Sd master while ye be with him , and be a true mediator betweene Master and his ffellowes to ye uttermost of yor power .

23 . —Alsoe if ye Stand Stewarde either of Lodge Chamber or of comon house needs , ye Shall g iue true account of ye ffellowes good how yt is dispensed , at what time they will take account , and alsoe if yu haue more cuning than yr ffellow yt Stands by yu in his worke and See him in danger to Spoile his Stone and wants councell of yu ye Shall informe and teach him honestly Soe yt ye Lords worke be not spoiled .

These charges that we haue declared and recorded unto yu ye Shall well and truely keep to yor power , Soe helpe yu God & Holidome & by ye holy contents of this booke .

ANNO DOMI : 1687 . [ Endorsed , " 168 7 Freemasons Charge . " ] Transcribed from the original Roll by W . J . Hughan , of Torquay , January , iSlnr

The Freemasons In The Fifteenth Century.

THE FREEMASONS IN THE FIFTEENTH CENTURY .

When the different countries of Europe had been ( tiled with nearly all the churches and monasteries they could contain , and when , above all , an increase of industry and skill , of learning and knowledge , had produced in the local sovereigns of those countries a natural jealousy both of the intrusion of those foreign

artificers and craftsmen privileged to the disparagement of their own authority and to the detriment of their subjects' welfare ; an impatience of the influence and interference of the Popes , who upheld and supported the intruders , and with this diminished respect for the papal dominion , or diminished dependence on

the craft of these his foreign proteges , they began to thwart and persecute them in every possible way , not only to deprive them of their privileges , but , not yet daring to acknowledge the real cause of their antipathy , to impute to them imaginary crimes , in order to terrify

them by unjust punishments . History has recorded the accusation preferred in England against the Lombard merchants and bankers , and the treatment inflicted upon them ; nor was that of the Freemasons much more lenient . In 1 424 , Henry VI . declared all corporations of Freemasons illegal , and threatened

those who should continue to hold chapters and meetings with fine , imprisonment and other penalties . Similar measures were gradually taken against them in other countries , in consequence of which their trade at last entirely failed ; those engaged in it were obliged to seek other means of support , and no new

members aspired to the advantages of the Fraternity . In confirmation of this opinion , it appears that the country in which the Freemasons continued longest to preserve their footing and their credit , viz ., Germany , was that in which the pointed style continued longest to flourish and was latest superseded . —The Architect .

PHILIP DORMER , EARL OK CHKSTEKFIKLD . —Born in 16 94 , and died in 1773 . He was a distinguished diplomatist , statesman , and " litterateur , " and while Ambassador at the Hague in the year 1731 was present at the" Lodge of Emergency , " or special lodge , convened under a dispensation from Lord Lovel , Grand Master , to initiate Francis , Grand Duke of Lorraine and Tuscany . This prince was advanced to the Third Degree the same year , Preston tells us , at a special lodge convened at Houghton Hall , Norfolk , as he had visited England in the meantime . Preston

says that Lord Chesterfield presided on the occasion with a Bro . Strickland as Deputy Master , and with Bro . Benjamin Hadley and a Dutch brother as Wardens . Oliver , in his edition of Preston , 1861 , repeats the statement . Kloss and Mackey , however , assert that Dr . Desaguliers was in Holland at that time and presided , and not Lord Chesterfield . Lenning follows Preston and Oliver . The " Handbuch " leans to Kloss . There are no records in the archives of the English Grand Lodge with respect to this event , nor any official traces of the dispensation said to be granted by Lord Lovel , —Kenning ' s Cyclopaedia of Freemasonry .