" Ars Quatuor Coronatorum, 1886-7."—Iii.

" ARS QUATUOR CORONATORUM , 1886-7 . "—III .

GOULD'S PAPER . The 3 rd June , 1886 , will be remarkable in the annals of the lodge for a very representative gathering of many of the chief Masonic authors of this country _ Woodford , Hughan , Lane , Rylands , Bywater , Speth—and some 0 f the front rank in literature , who assembled to hear a Paper by Bro Gould , 0 I 1 " Some Old Scottish Masonic Customs . ' We scarcely know what to do

about the matter , for with the Paper now before us , and knowing Gould s aptitude and information on the subject , we should like to transfer , almost bodily , the whole thereof to these pages . Manifestly this would be unfair

to the lodge , as a friendly criticism or sketch of a Lecture , does not carry with it the rig ht to entirely reproduce it in the " Freemason , ' " even though it be the generally accepted organ of the Craft . The next best thing we can do is to advise our readers to procure copies for themselves , as we have

done . Bro . Gould was at his best evidently , whilst descanting on the peculiar and time-honoured usages of the ancient Scottish Craft . Coming fresh as he did from his sanctum or study , so long devoted to the preparation of the History of Freemasonry , in which "Early British Freemasonry" forms a

most attractive portion , one would expect to hear much of interest and value on so important a subject , and judging from the contents of the Paper , we should say no one who attended could possibly have been dissapointed , save as to its brevity , for the Lecture is simply " crammed full" of facts and details , the like of which , in so small a compass , has never been delivered before , and beyond question , few brethren , if any , could possibly have dealt

more interestingly on the topic . Gould explains at the outset , the singular fact—for fact it is , — that though Scotland was so identified by name with Degrees additional to the first three , from about 1740 to late last century , Scottish Masonry , as known to members of the " Mother Lodge Kilwinning , " and other old lodges ,

was rigidly confined to the three Degrees , and " the only Degree ( of a speculative or symbolical character ) known in the early Masonry of Scotland [ i . e ., before the '" 'Revival of 1717 " ! was that in which the Legend of the Craft was read , and the benefit of the Mason Word conferred . " Until so late as i 860 no other Degrees were

recognised by that Grand Lodge , when the Mark was authorised , and in 1 S 72 the Ceremonial oi Installation , as practised in England , was adopted . We are not quite assured of the accuracy of Gould's theory , " that so far back as it is possible to institute any comparison between the two systems of Masonry—Eng lish and Scottish—viz ., in the seventeenth century , they were

dissimilar . " We ask to be allowed to postulate that , so far as we can ] udge , they were substantially and practically alike . However , be that as it may , we yield to none in our appreciation of the labours of Bro . Gould in relation to Masonic History . His services have surpassed all others , and his great work will always remain an unquestionable evidence of his superiority as a thoroughly critical and authentic Masonic Historian .

A glance at the Paper in question will reveal the source of his great successes in Masonic literature . Nothing is too small or apparently unimportant to come under his critical eye , and the consequence is that by his delving and pry ing into unlikely quarters , he has discovered much of real importance to a correct and complete examination of the existing records and ancient laws and customs of our world-wide and ancient and honourable

Society . The period under review in this Paper covers the whole of two centuries , and portions of two others , and is well written , most interestingly treated , and aptly described , so that even to the ordinary brother whohas had neither time nor inclination possibly for such researches , the whole evidence of the

ancient usages of the Scottish Craft is herein given " in a nutshell , " and what is more , we doubt any Mason reading this lecture , without being slightly enamoured at least wilh the enquiry , which is so absorbing to many of us . Many of these customs have their counterparts in to-day ' s lodge usages and regulations , and thus we see how such researches connect us with the eventful past , and prove our continuity as a Society .

Bro . Woodford made an able and impartial Chairman , the discussion being of more than usual interest , and all who took part bore testimony to the value of the Paper . Notwithstanding a portion of the discussion touched on the subject of Degrees , or only one ceremony , prior to the last century , the " W . M . in the Chair " was throughout no partisan , but a genial

Presidentand at the conclusion favoured the lodge vvith an excellent summary of the Proceedings , praised Bro . Gould for his valued Paper , and also thanked the brethren who took part in the criticisms . Evidently the reading of such

able Papers and the friendly discussion thereon will be found a most attractive part of the lodge work of No . 2076 , and lead to a large attendance of visitors , as the distinctive character of the meetings and the hearty welcome extended by the members become more widely known .

"Old Charges" Of British Freemasons.

" OLD CHARGES" OF BRITISH FREEMASONS .

Bro . Gould's high opinion of the value of Dr . Begemann ' s researches a "d labours in connection with an analysis of the " Old Charges of British freemasons" is fully shared by me , and I am glad to take this opportunity ° f acknowled ging our indebtedness to the learned Doctor for his painstaking and , lo me . most interesting articles on the various MSS . of what may be termed

'he operative Masonic Constitutions . Having made a similar examination of t " numerous versions extant of the " Old Charges , " both as respects the general character , and important peculiarities of the several Rolls and oooks , & c , now numbering over fifty , I am able from actual knowledge of What such a labour involves to admire his industry and confirm Dr . Begemann ' s verdict , in relation to the special characteristics of the MSS . noted ,

"Old Charges" Of British Freemasons.

and I hope , as Gould does , that he will " continue his researches" until the whole of the MSS . have been collated in a like , careful and exhaustive manner . My collation agrees well with his , only the Dr . has gone still farther in his examination , and moreover has kindly published the result of many of his investigations , for the benefit of all concerned , [ t has been a pleasure

for me to lend him several of my transcripts—the only ones made—just as I did for Bro . Gould , when preparing his able History , for we owe a duty to each other and to the Craft , thus to help one another in the critical study

of these old , curious , and sometimes perplexing documents . Bro . Woodford was most kind to me , under similar circumstances , when my work on the "Old Charges of British Freemasons" was being written , and it is very pleasant thus to mutually assist in such needful and arduous labours .

Whilst , however , recognising in no unstinted manner the extraordinary perseverance and ability of Dr . Begemann in such studies , I am not all sure of the method followed by him , and prefer the system adopted by Gould , or the plan followed by myself . It is not a matter of a purely philological character that we have to consider , neither can we expect ever to arrive at

the original version of the '' Old Charges , " by any critical examination based on internal evidences alone . The most we can hope to do , in my opinion , is to construct an accepted text of each Famil y group or distinct version , based upon an examination of all the copies known . The original whatever it may have been , is lost amongst the numerous transcripts which

remain , and neither on the grounds of antiquity nor purity of the text would it be safe to assume a MS . in any one class to be the best and most faithful representative of the premier copy , but only the best of that particular version . Who is to decide between the various groups for instance ? Dr . Begemann ' s Class I . may be superior to his Class II ., or to

Division ( a ) , to Division ( c ) , or they may not be . In fact , so far as my researches go ( and they have been considerable on the question , especially during the last twenty years ) , there would seem to be a possibility of arriving at a decision as to the family groups ( as Dr . Begemann well puts it ); but as to the original text itself , from which all have more or less

sprung , we appear to be farther off as each discovery of an old MS . is made known . Then , again , the important consideration of lodge custody , in other words , for whom or for what purposes were the MSS . madeso much and so wisely insisted on by Gould in Chapter XIV . of his History — must be duly weighed and attended to . This needlul test moves a

number aside entirely , so far as their Masonic use was concerned ; and sometimes one of the latest MSS ., because ot its undoubted employment in lodge receptions is entitled to more consideration , Masonically , than a much older document which is devoid of such evidence . Of the former class , the Kilwinning MS . ( 16 ) , the Gateshead MS . ( 30 ) , and others of

Gould s Class I . may be cited , and of the latter we may mention those of Class V ., described by Gould , and in part the oldest two , Halliwell ( 1 ) , and Cooke ( 2 ) , as well as others . The mere textual criticism—valuable as it is — reveals nothing of the use to which ihe document was pui when originally transcribed or written , and to lose sight of this point would , to my mind , irom a Masonic point of view , be a very great misfortune .

I am not prepared to alter the estimate Gould and myself formed of the " Inigo Jones MS . " ( 8)—and also Woodford , I believe—as so far , 1670 circa , seems to be a fair date , but undoubtedly 1607 , the year which it bears , is an error . Much ot the MS . may have been copied from a text of 1607 , the additions being made during ihe latter half of the seventeenth ceruury .

Any way , it is nothing like so old as its declared date would lead one to suppose . On the other hand , to place it so late as Dr . Begemann does , partakes of the other extreme , and I shall be most reluctant ( and certainly not without more light and evidence ) , to assume that it is a fabrication of the third decade of the last century . The heading is assuredly unu .-, ual

and of more modern date than many others . The term " Free and Accepted Mason "is not met with apparently until 1722-3 , but we must remember that we are practically without any lodge minutes in England before that period , save those of Alnwick from 1701 and York from 1712 . The term "Free Mason" was common enough , and likewise the term

" accepted , " but not conjoined as noted . But should that be deem d sufficient to lead us to dub No . 8 MS . as a fabrication of 1725 circa ? Because there are no extant records having the term " Free and Accepted Mason " prior to the Book of Constitutions ( say , of 1723 ) , should we at once decide that any MS . which contains that title must be after that

period ? Why should not Dr . Anderson have seen the MS . in question himself , as we think it likely he did , and possibly was led to adopt the description ? At all events the philological argument ( to say the least ) , on the point is not entirely conclusive . With respect to the extract from Josephus' work of 1670 ( not of 1676 nor of 16 99 editions ) may be taken as

a fair indication that the No . 8 MS . was possibly written about that period . The transcriber of the "Inigo Jones MS . " may have been as familiar with King Athelstan's family relationships as Dr . Plot in 16 S 6 , and we know that many are the arbitary alterations , additions , and omissions , to be found in such Masonic MSS ., as with other old Manuscripts , At any rate , I do

not see we are logically compelled , because the transcriber and Plot both allude to Athelstan's Brother , to infer that the former copied from the latter , as MSS . generally contain "Son" as the reading . The " Robert ' s MS . " we know of but in print , and I have yet to hear of a better origin for it , notwithstanding the unimportant textual differences , than the " Harleian MS .

1942 " ( 11 ) . My aim has been to discover the family groups from certain distinctive characteristics , { not microscopic peculiarities ) , such as the "Apprentice Charges , " which are alone to be found in the No . n Family , of

which the " Robert's MS . " is the least valuable representative , as it comes to us with no Masonic authority whatever , beyond being in all probability based upon a Seventeenth Century MS . There are unquestionably very many resemblances to be detected between the "Spencer" ( 32 ) , and