An Analysis Of Ancient And Modern Freemasonry.

AN ANALYSIS OF ANCIENT AND MODERN FREEMASONRY .

LONDON , SATURDAY , NOVEMBER 30 , 1867 .

BY * J < BEO . WILLIAM J . HUGHAN , 18 ° . Memher of the German Union of Freemasons , Knight Comp of the Royal Order of Scotland , _ 5 'e . [ Continued from pacje 370 . ) Next as to England , the various constitutions

from Hallewell ' s M . SS . down to those printed by-Cole abundantly prove that , as a degree , the Master Mason was not known before the eighteenth century , as do the records of the earliest lodges we have been able to obtain by excerption .

Prom a visit we made to York , and from the researches of Bro . J . Gr . Findel , it would appear that the ancient Lodge of York was of a similar character to the other Operative lodges of Great Britain , and no more entitled to be called a Grand

Lodge than those of Kilwinning , Edinburgh , Glasgow , Perth , and such others . If the Lodge at York issued warrants or permitted other lodges to -work under their authority , so did all the large Operative lodges of Scotland . If it was

acknowledged as the mother of Masonry in the South , so ivere the others recognised as such in the North , East , and West . In fact , they were either all Grand Lodges , or simply lodges of position and influence working by virtue of the protection

afforded them by the State . The latter view accords more with common sense and history than the former , and the Masonic student will find that such terms as Grand Master , Grand Lodge , third degree , and Eoyal Arch are all of the last century .

We had the good fortune to secure the valuable services of Bro . William Cowling , P . M . and Treas . of the Union Lodge , when on a visit to the City of York , and nothing could exceed the kindness and attention of that obliging and intelligent

Mason . Apart from traditions we did not find any secure resting-place until the first minutes were examined , and even then but little light was communicated as to the history of a lodge , which is said to have existed from A . D . 926 . The minutes

commence March 19 fch , 1712 , when several members ivere " sworn and admitted , George Bowes , Esq ., Deputy President . " Other meetings were held on June 24 th , 1713 , August 7 th , and a "Private Lodge - " 18 th December in the same

year , when several gentlemen " were admitted /' This record is signed by Sir Walter Hawkworfch ,. Knight and Bart ., as "President . " "At St , John ' s Lodge , on Christmas , 171 G , being a general lodge , " the members met to transact business ,

These minutes are written on a long narroiy slip of parchment . These are all the minutes of any importance before A . D . 1717 ( excepting that a lodge was held at Bradford under its authority A . D . 1703 ) . The

so-called "York Constitution of 92 G , " is of questionable antiquity , at least , nothing like so old as the date just given , according to an undoubted authority ( the historian , Dr . Kloss ) . The original of Bro . Krause ' s translation , as certified by Bro .

Stonehonse , of York , has neither been discovered in England , nor has it been inserted in the inventories of the lodge at York , and the Latin document itself is nowhere ! The Constitutions of A . D . 1693 is a valuable

document , and certainly of the age stated . It ivas presented by George Walker , of Wetherby , to the Grand Lodge of York A . D . 1 777 . Unfortunately it is a little torn , but the few deficiencies can easily be supplied as the omissions occur at the

beginning of the roll . The Fraternity are charged to be " true to one another—viz ., to every Master and fellow of the Craft of Masonry that be Masons allowed . The conclusion runs thus : " Those be

the constitutions of the noble and famous history called Masonry , made , and now in practice , by the best Master and fellows for directing and guiding all that use the said Craft , " & c . The next is a roll of parchment dated 1704 ; ,,

almost word for word with the ancient manuscript published as the " Gentleman ' s Magazine , " and which has already been inserted in the magazines of the Craft .

So far as minutes are concerned , the " Grand Lodge at York " is much behind Mother Kilwinning and several other ancient lodges , and the evidence afforded for its being entitled to rank as a Grand Lodge , would enable some dozen in

Scotland to claim the same distinction . Elias Ashtnole , the noted antiquarian , states in his diary that " He was made a Freemason at Warrington , Lancashire , with Colonel Henry Manwai-ing , by Richard Penkes , the Warden , ancl .

the Fellow Crafts , on the 16 th October , 164 G , " and on the 10 th March , 1682 , we find that he visited a lodge in London , and was the senior fellow present , " the Master of the Masons' Com--