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  • July 1, 1874
  • Page 19
  • THE OLD MASONIC POEM.
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The Masonic Magazine, July 1, 1874: Page 19

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Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.

The Old Masonic Poem.

Of such goods as he hath taken , Of thy fellow ' s goods that thou hast spent , AVhere , and how , and to what end ; Such accounts thou must come to , When thy fellows will that thou do . Tenth point .

The tenth point presents well good life , To live without care and strife ; For if the mason lives amiss , And in his work be false , ( 6 ) y-wysse , And through such a false excuse May slander his fellows without reason , Though false slander of such often May make the craft catch blame .

If he do the craft such ( 6 ) vylany ; Do him no favour then securely . Nor maintain not him in wicked life , Lest it would turn to care and strife ; But yet him ye shall not delay , But that ye shall him constrain , For to appear wheresoever ye will , AVhere that ye will ( 7 ) lowde or stylle

, ; To the next assembly ye shall him call , To appear before his fellows all , And but if he will before them appear , The craft he must needs forswear ; He shall then be chastised after the law That was founded ( 8 ) by old dawe .

Eleventh point . The eleventh point is of good discretion , As ye may know by good reason ; A . mason , if he this craft well know , That sees his fellow hew on a stone , And is in point to spill that stone , Amend it soonif that thou can

, , And teach him then it to amend , That the whole work be not ( 9 ; y-schend , And teach him easil y it to mend , With fair words , which God thee has given : For His sake that sits above , AVith sweet words nourish him love .

Twelfth point . The twelfth point is of great royalty There as the assembl y holden shall be , There shall be masters and fellows also , And other great lords many more ; There shall be the sheriff of that country , And also the mayor of that city ,

Knightes and squires there shall be , And other aldermen , as ye shall see ' - Such ordinance as they make there , ' They shall maintain it whole together , Against that man , whoe ' er he he , That belongeth to the craft both fair and free ; If he any strife against them make , Into their ward he shall be taken .

( 5 ) Y-wysso ; certainly . ( 6 ) vylany : wickedness . ( 7 ) Lowde or stylle : Loud-or-still , a common phrase in Old Romancer . ( 8 ) By old dawe : in old days . ( 9 ) Y-schend : ruined , destroyed ,

The Old Masonic Poem.

Thirteenth point . The thirteenth point is to us full dear , He shall swear never to bo no thief . Nor succour him in his false craft , For no good that he hath bereft , And thou mayest it know or see , Neither for his good , nor for his kin . Fourteenth point .

The fourteenth point is full good law , To him that would be under ( 10 ) awe ; A gond true oath he must there swear , To his master and his fellows that he there ; He must be steadfast and true also , To all this ordinance , lvherosoa ' er he go , And to his liege lord the king , To be true to him above all thing .

And all these points here before , To them thou must needs be sworn , And all shall swear the same oath , Of the masons , be they willing , be they loth , To all these points here before , That hath been ordained by full good ( 11 ) lore . And they shall inquire every man , Of his party , as well as he can ,

If any man may be found guilty In any of these points specially ; And what he be , let him be sought , And to the assembly let him be brought .

Fifteenth point . The fifteenth point is of full good ( 12 ) lore , For them that shall be there sworn , Such ordinance at th' assembly was ( 13 ) layd , Of great lords and masters before said ; For ( 14 ) thy Ike that be disobedient , for certain , Against the ordinance that there is Of these articlesthat were moved there

, , Of great lords and masters all together , And if they be proved openly , Before that assembly , by and by , And for their guilt no amends will make , Then must they needs the craft forsake ; And so mason ' s craft they shall refuse , And swear it never more to use . But if that they will amends make ,

Again to the craft they shall never take ; And if that they will not do so , The sheriff shall come them soon to , And put their bodies in deep prison , For the trespass they have done , And take their goods and their cattle Into the king ' s hand , every ( 15 ) del , And let them dwell there full still , As long as it be our liege king ' s will . ( 7 * 0 be contimied . )

( 10 ) Awe : governance . : ( 11 ) Lore : learning , knowledge . ( 12 ) Lore : advice , knowledge . ( 13 ) Layd : provided . ( 14 ) Thy Ike : every-one . ( 15 ) Del : a part or portion .

A cordial affection is tlie life and soul of all societies , and must be much more so of those who claim to associate together upon the noblest maxims of charity and frienr'ship .

“The Masonic Magazine: 1874-07-01, Page 19” Masonic Periodicals Online, Library and Museum of Freemasonry, 25 May 2025, django:8000/periodicals/mmg/issues/mmg_01071874/page/19/.
  • List
  • Grid
Title Category Page
Untitled Article 1
PREFACE. Article 2
INDEX. Article 4
Monthly Masonic Summary. Article 6
MYSTIC SYMBOLS. Article 7
THE MASON'S GRAVE. Article 7
EARLY HISTORY OF FREEMASONRY IN AMERICA. Article 8
THE OLD MASONIC POEM. Article 18
MONSIEUR LE BARON. Article 20
THE NEW MORALITY. Article 23
THE BROKEN EMBLEM. Article 24
THE MYSTERY. Article 31
DISPERSION OF LANGUAGE. Article 32
THE BRICKLAYER. Article 33
Review. Article 34
AN ELEPHANT HUNT IN SIAM. Article 34
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Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.

The Old Masonic Poem.

Of such goods as he hath taken , Of thy fellow ' s goods that thou hast spent , AVhere , and how , and to what end ; Such accounts thou must come to , When thy fellows will that thou do . Tenth point .

The tenth point presents well good life , To live without care and strife ; For if the mason lives amiss , And in his work be false , ( 6 ) y-wysse , And through such a false excuse May slander his fellows without reason , Though false slander of such often May make the craft catch blame .

If he do the craft such ( 6 ) vylany ; Do him no favour then securely . Nor maintain not him in wicked life , Lest it would turn to care and strife ; But yet him ye shall not delay , But that ye shall him constrain , For to appear wheresoever ye will , AVhere that ye will ( 7 ) lowde or stylle

, ; To the next assembly ye shall him call , To appear before his fellows all , And but if he will before them appear , The craft he must needs forswear ; He shall then be chastised after the law That was founded ( 8 ) by old dawe .

Eleventh point . The eleventh point is of good discretion , As ye may know by good reason ; A . mason , if he this craft well know , That sees his fellow hew on a stone , And is in point to spill that stone , Amend it soonif that thou can

, , And teach him then it to amend , That the whole work be not ( 9 ; y-schend , And teach him easil y it to mend , With fair words , which God thee has given : For His sake that sits above , AVith sweet words nourish him love .

Twelfth point . The twelfth point is of great royalty There as the assembl y holden shall be , There shall be masters and fellows also , And other great lords many more ; There shall be the sheriff of that country , And also the mayor of that city ,

Knightes and squires there shall be , And other aldermen , as ye shall see ' - Such ordinance as they make there , ' They shall maintain it whole together , Against that man , whoe ' er he he , That belongeth to the craft both fair and free ; If he any strife against them make , Into their ward he shall be taken .

( 5 ) Y-wysso ; certainly . ( 6 ) vylany : wickedness . ( 7 ) Lowde or stylle : Loud-or-still , a common phrase in Old Romancer . ( 8 ) By old dawe : in old days . ( 9 ) Y-schend : ruined , destroyed ,

The Old Masonic Poem.

Thirteenth point . The thirteenth point is to us full dear , He shall swear never to bo no thief . Nor succour him in his false craft , For no good that he hath bereft , And thou mayest it know or see , Neither for his good , nor for his kin . Fourteenth point .

The fourteenth point is full good law , To him that would be under ( 10 ) awe ; A gond true oath he must there swear , To his master and his fellows that he there ; He must be steadfast and true also , To all this ordinance , lvherosoa ' er he go , And to his liege lord the king , To be true to him above all thing .

And all these points here before , To them thou must needs be sworn , And all shall swear the same oath , Of the masons , be they willing , be they loth , To all these points here before , That hath been ordained by full good ( 11 ) lore . And they shall inquire every man , Of his party , as well as he can ,

If any man may be found guilty In any of these points specially ; And what he be , let him be sought , And to the assembly let him be brought .

Fifteenth point . The fifteenth point is of full good ( 12 ) lore , For them that shall be there sworn , Such ordinance at th' assembly was ( 13 ) layd , Of great lords and masters before said ; For ( 14 ) thy Ike that be disobedient , for certain , Against the ordinance that there is Of these articlesthat were moved there

, , Of great lords and masters all together , And if they be proved openly , Before that assembly , by and by , And for their guilt no amends will make , Then must they needs the craft forsake ; And so mason ' s craft they shall refuse , And swear it never more to use . But if that they will amends make ,

Again to the craft they shall never take ; And if that they will not do so , The sheriff shall come them soon to , And put their bodies in deep prison , For the trespass they have done , And take their goods and their cattle Into the king ' s hand , every ( 15 ) del , And let them dwell there full still , As long as it be our liege king ' s will . ( 7 * 0 be contimied . )

( 10 ) Awe : governance . : ( 11 ) Lore : learning , knowledge . ( 12 ) Lore : advice , knowledge . ( 13 ) Layd : provided . ( 14 ) Thy Ike : every-one . ( 15 ) Del : a part or portion .

A cordial affection is tlie life and soul of all societies , and must be much more so of those who claim to associate together upon the noblest maxims of charity and frienr'ship .

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