A Curious Masonic Tract.

in my time I have met with , ancl have taken great pleasure to return the roasting they intended for me . The Masons took great care , when they first invented those signs , that they should be of so simple a nature , and accidentally common to all men , that when they made or gave them to any one , no person should suspect them to have a meaning , or the least tendency thereto , but merely accidentalas will plainly appear in the description of them . Some

, Masons are of opinion that when those signs were first invented pockets were not made use of ; but they all agree in this , that the hands were put to those places where the pockets now are , and that they shut their hands , or bowed their fingers inwards , except those made use of in or for the signs . But be that as it will , this is certain , that for many ages past they have been handed clown in the following manner : the first , or Sunday sign , is by putting the

right hand in the right side pocket of your breeches , with the thumb out , and pointing to the left side . The second , or Monday sign , is the left hand in the left side breeches pocket , with the thumb out , and pointing to the right side . The third or Tuesday sign , is the right hand in the right side waistcoat pocket , with the thumb out , and extending towards the left side . The fourth , or Wednesday sign , is the left hand in the left side waistcoat pocket , with the

thumb out and extended towards the ri ght side . The fifth , or Thursday sign , is the right hand in the right side coat pocket , with the thumb and fore finger out , and pointing downwards . The sixth , or Friday sign , is the left hand in the left side coat pocket , with the thumb ancl fore finger out , ancl inclining downward . The seventh , or Saturday sign , is by putting the first thrbe fingers of the right hand to that part of the riht eye-brow next the ear' ancl so

g , drawing it along till the third finger touches the nose . From this last sign arises that misapprehended one , which some people address or give to Masons , by putting the fore finger of the right hand to or across the nose . These signs are observed exactly the same by all Masons throughout the globe .

The next in course are the watch-words , which are fourteen in number , one for each clay ancl one for each night in the week , as follows : Sunday , from one o ' clock in the morning till one at noon , Gera ; the same clay from one o ' clock at noon till one o ' clock Monday morning , Gomer ;* from one o ' clock Monday morning till one o ' clock at noon , Ionia ; from that time till one o ' clock on Tuesday morning the watch-word is Iockshean . So that there is no intermediate time between the morning awl the afternoon or evening words . And

if any Mason is remiss in his words , or takes no pains to remember the proper one for each hour in the whole seven days , but gives an improper word , he generally incurs a severe censure from the lodge . For the sake of brevity , ancl to avoid the uncouth repetition of the words from one o ' clock in the morning , etc . I shall set the words down regularl y with the seven clays ; the first watch-word to each day is for the morning , the last for the afternoon or evening .

Sunday { ^ Wednesday { gja , * " ** { roctiiean . Thursday { f £ > _ . * " •* * { Sea . ™«* { &

Saturday { ™ £ > The signs were invented by the first associates in Masonry to know each other by ; but the watch-words were not till the first persecution of the Masons