The Old Charges Of The British Freemasons.

communicated with Bro . W . Cowling , of York , who has done so much on behalf of that city , Masonically ( but , alas , since then he has been numbered with those that are past ); and , after a careful examination of the registers , he was unable to find a " William Thompson " on the roll . It is very likely , however , that the lodge Avhich thus assembled at Scarborough was an offshoot of the old lodge at York . A few years later a lodge Avas warranted there by the

Grand Lodge of England ( London ) , ancl later on another was chartered under the York authority . The MS . is certainly about the latter part of the seventeenth century , or early in the one folloAving , and therefore may fairly be placed at A . D . 1700 ( circa ) . The endorsement , of couse , must be of a subsequent date to that of the MS . itself , the latter probably being from five to twenty years the senior .

We are all pleased to know that , through the kindness of Bro . the Rev . J . W . Kerr , the MS . under consideration has become the property of the Grand Lodge of Canada ; and , certainly , so pleasing a result attending the first notice of the document by Bro . Norton , and then its search being so zealousl y undertaken by the editor of the magazine and . Grand Secretary Harris , abundantly illustrates what may yet be done in the tracing of other MSS . if more

, brethren would be similarly earnest and enthusiastic in such matters . The present transcript is from the copy printed in the Craftsman for February , 1874 , Avhich Avas made verbatim at literatim from the ori ginal . Not so the copy in the Mirror and Keystone , Avhich was termed a translation , or a modernised version .

The " Scarborough MS . has nothing special to recommend it , saA e the curious endorsement , it being in the main as the generality of the " Old Charges" of the seventeenth century , and as it lacks the "Apprentice Charge , " peculiar to the "Harleian " ( 1942 ) , "Hope " MSS ., etc ., it is nothing like so valuable as either of these documents ; but it forms another link iu the chain of evidence , all tending to exhibit our descent as Masons from the operative Sodalities of the Craft .

It agrees m many points Avith the Gentleman ' s Magazine MS . ancl several of the York Rolls . It is probable that a more careful collation with other MSS . by an expert Avould lead to the correction of several of the Avords transcribed for the present copy from the original ; but on the whole it is doubtless a very fair reproduction of the ancient document .

The might of the Father with the Wisdom of his most Glorious Sonn through the gooclnesse of the Hol y Ghost three persons in One Godhead be Avith vs att our beginninge , ancl give vs grace Soe to governe vs in our Livinge that wee may come to his Blisse that never shall have Endinge . Good Brethren ancl fellowes our purpose is to tell yo how ancl in what manner this Craft of Masonry Avas begun ancl after hoAV it was founded by Avorthy

Kings ancl Princes and other Worshi pful men , Ancl also to them that be here wee will declare unto them the charge that belongeth to every Mason to [ a word is illegible here ] for if you take heed thereof it is well Avorthy to be kept for a Craft and curious Science , There is Seaven Severall Sciences of the which it is one of those folloAvinge ; The ffirst is Gramer which Teacheth a man to Speake truly and Avrite truly ; the Second is Rhetoricke which teacheth a

man to speake faire & in subtill Tearmes ; The Third is Lod gicke which teacheth to discerne truth from Falshood ; The Fourth is Aretmaticke that teacheth to accompt ancl reckon all manner of numbers ; The Fifth is Geometric which teacheth to ineete and measure of the Earth ancl of this Science is Masonry ; The Sixth is Musicke Avhich teacheth Songe ancl voice of Songe Orgaines and Harpe , the Seaventh is Astronomic which teacheth the course of the Sun and Moone and other Ornaments of the Heavens ; The Seaven Liberall Sciences which be all by one Science that is to say Geometric ;