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Article WATSON'S MS. OF THE "OLD CHARGES." ← Page 2 of 2 Article WATSON'S MS. OF THE "OLD CHARGES." Page 2 of 2
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
Watson's Ms. Of The "Old Charges."
used for operative Masonic purposes , that , doubtless , being the object of its transcription . I heard of its existence through my friend , Bro . Geo . Washington Bain , of the same town , who , by my desire , and to relieve my consuming anxiety , lost no time in
seeing the present owner and soliciting from him the loan of the orig inal MS ., and likewise the copy he hacl made , in order for my careful examination of both , and due report in the columns of the Freemason .
This Bro . Watson most readily granted , ancl in the kindest manner forwarded me the Scroll and Transcript to make what use of them might seem to me desirable . I desire to gratefully acknowledge such practical evidence of sympathy with our
Masonic researches , and feel assured that my appreciation of the courtesy and consideration will be warmly supported by the members of the " Quatuor Lodge , " with whom I am intimately associated in all such matters , as well as by all Masonic students wherever located .
The Roll is written on six unequal strips of vellum , sewn together , and extends to 12 feet . Its width is a little over five inches , the margin being about one-third of an inch on the left hand side , formed by two or more rubricated lines , extending
vertically throughout the MS . Lines of a similar character run horizontally for the guidance of the copyist , numbering on an average five to an inch . The caligraphy is good generally , but , though probably all by the same hand , portions were written apparently at different times .
What seems to me to have been the original Roll ends on the fifth strip , and concludes the MS ., which , according to this estimate , ran to nearly 11 feet . Even then it was of exceptional length , and , so far as my memory serves me , I venture to declare the Scroll to be the longest document of the kind extant .
All the five strips are about the same length , varying from 25 to 27 I inches , the final one , however , containing the " ' Prentice ' s Charge "—the gem of the six—measures but 13 inches , is of thinner vellum , the text differing in some respects from the preceding , and may be of a little later transcription ; but all , to my mind , is of the latter part of the seventeenth century .
In nearly every word , Bro . Watson and myself are agreed , his copy being exceedingly well done . The slight departures I have made from his transcript have been satisfactorily explained to him , and so the following reproduction may be accepted as accurate throughout ; the excellent condition of the scroll , and
the good , bold hand of the writer , enabling me to determine all doubtful words with a fair amount of certainty . A few lines show signs of having been traced over , but for the period the document is in a good state of preservation . The double ff ' s I have given as capitals , and in only one or two instances is the
V used for 11 , so the latter letter has been uniformly adopted . As respects the Roll proper , it may be located with the "Sloane Family , " according to Dr . Begemann ' s classification ; though that being settled does not sufficiently indicate its full value and importance , because the additional strip of the
Prentice Charge" removes it from the ordinary series of some score or more of original MSS . and places it in the special class with seven others only . These are "Harleian , No . 1942 " ( British Museum ); "Melrose , No . 2 " ( Old Lodge at Melrose ); "Hope" ( Lodge of "Hope , " Bradford , Yorkshire );
" Colne , No . 1 " ( " Royal Lancashire Lodge , " Colne ); " York , No . 4 " ( The " York " Lodge , York ); " Gateshead " ( Lodge of " Industry , " Gateshead ); and the "Wren" ( present location is
uncertain ) . These will be found reproduced in my " Old Charges of the British Freemasons" ( 1872 ) , and "Masonic Sketches and Reprints" ( 1871 ) , or in the "Masonic Magazine" * and the Freemason . 1 *
The invocation , which rightly begins the Roll , is not quite of the usual phraseology , as it reads " Hfoe Mighty God , Father of Heaven . " — whereas the ordinary commencement is " The might of the hather of Heaven . " Another different reading occurs almost
directl y afterwards , " that hath been three persons , " which is the hrst departure of the kind known to me . In one or two others the Invocation varies slightly from the usual text , s nch as the "Atcheson Haven" J and "Buchanan MSS .. " § which reads
" 0 Lord God Father of Heaven ;" hut in nearly all the 60 or more copies of the "Old Charges , " the Invocation in some form , is to be found , and w as doubtless so read to the Masonic neophytes during the
mainl y operative period of the Craft down to early last century . ilk ^ ^ ' Smith draws attention to the fact that generally in | h " Dedication " portion of the ordinances of most Guilds " the ( ather Almighty would seem to have been forgotten . No doubt ^ ' "at must strike every reader as so strange an oversight was not
Watson's Ms. Of The "Old Charges."
intentionally so , but grew out of the habit and form of prayers of intercession . " * It is singular—under these circumstancesthat , without an exception , all the " Invocations " or " Dedications" in the Masonic MSS ., from the sixteenth to the last
century , refer most distinctly and individually to the " Three Persons in one Godhead , " and represent much older ori ginals . The " Aberdeen MS . " describes this part as " A Prayer before the Meeting , " in A . D . 1670 .
The title " Master of Storyes is more frequentl y rendered "Master of Historyes" ( Colne MS ., No . 1 , & c ) , and the wages noted as paid the Masons in St . Alban ' s time as amounting to "Three shillings and sixpence to their double wages , " which accords with most of the " Sloane Family" is not in agreement
with many of the other Scrolls , which in a number of instances quote 2 s . 6 d ., with "three pence to their nonesynches" ( Buchanan MS . ) , " their cheire" ( Grand Lodge MS . ) , "Nonfinch" ( York MS ., No . i ) , " For the Bearers of Burthens" ( AntiquityMS . ) , and " Nuncion ' s " ( Papworth's MS . ) .
The orthography resembles the Briscoe MS ., as will be seen in relation to the "Land of Behest [ "Bethel" in "Briscoe , " doubtless an error of the transcriber ] , now called amongst us the country of Flierusalem ; " ancl other instances ; that printed copy of the " Old Charges" belonging to the same class of text , as respects the ordinary Roll .
The Latin clauses which follow the injunction "Here followeth the worthy and godly oath of such as are made Masons " t are translated in several of the MSS ., that of the " York , No . 4 , " having the words " il 1 i vel ille " represented by " He or she , " % the copyist evidently considering the last of the trio was ilia .
This curious blunder has led some hasty readers to assume that females were eligible for membership in the lodge at the period of the transcription of this MS . ( A . D . 16 93 ) just as in most of the Social Guilds for centuries . There is not , however , the slightest justification for such an absurd fancy , the singular text of the MS .
in question being due to misapprehension or some other cause . The " Charges" are not numbered , unfortunately , like " Colonel Gierke ' s MS ., " and many else ; but , in my opinion , the original before the transcriber was , as he begins nearly all the Rules with the first letter of " And " in capitals .
The definite article is omitted before " Greeke Hermermes , " the previous sentence , as with the texts , generally ending with the words " were written in . "
The ending of the original Roll agrees with most of the "Old Charges , " the "Booke" referred to in the concluding sentence , and at the commencement of their recital being " Ye holy Scripture , " as the "York MS ., No . 1 , " declares-S Another of
the York MSS . ( No . 6 ) has the additional words following the ordinary finale , " Doe all as you would bee done unto , and I beseech you att every meeting and assembly you pray heartily for all Christians—Farewell . " ||
There are a few minor departures from the accepted text which are more amusing than important , such as " Ghost of Masonry , " instead of " Craft . " Possibly the substituted word
was intended as an equivalent for spirit , but it is difficult to understand how such a mistake could have been made . Also 40 miles , in lieu of the ordinary 50 , within which distance , attendance at the Annual Assemblies was obligatory .
The speciai value of the Scroll , in my eyes at least , is the " Prentice ' s Charge " on the sixth and last strip of Vellum . I believe it was copied from another MS ., and added some little time after the original " Old Charge " was completed .
Throughout the latter , the term " True Mason" is used , whereas , in the Charge to the Apprentices , " Free-Wiason . " is exclusively employed , and occurs four times , just as with all the other copies which have those additional or supplemental clauses , excepting the " Gateshead MS . "
The " Future Charges " ( as they are called ) in the " Wren MS . " agree almost word for word with the "Prentice ' s Charge " of the "Watson ' s MS ., " only the latter has "Peace" for
" Prince ; " an obvious error in transcription . The Roll is kept in an old parchment bag of a unique character , which , originally , was tied at the top with a thong for safety , but the holes only now remain .
Bro . John Taylor ( J . W . 1402 ) has kindly photographed two portions for me . These facsimiles are about half the size of the original vellum Scroll . W . J . HUGHAN . We propose to reproduce a transcript of the MS ., together with the facsimile mentioned above , in our next . —ED . F . M .
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
Watson's Ms. Of The "Old Charges."
used for operative Masonic purposes , that , doubtless , being the object of its transcription . I heard of its existence through my friend , Bro . Geo . Washington Bain , of the same town , who , by my desire , and to relieve my consuming anxiety , lost no time in
seeing the present owner and soliciting from him the loan of the orig inal MS ., and likewise the copy he hacl made , in order for my careful examination of both , and due report in the columns of the Freemason .
This Bro . Watson most readily granted , ancl in the kindest manner forwarded me the Scroll and Transcript to make what use of them might seem to me desirable . I desire to gratefully acknowledge such practical evidence of sympathy with our
Masonic researches , and feel assured that my appreciation of the courtesy and consideration will be warmly supported by the members of the " Quatuor Lodge , " with whom I am intimately associated in all such matters , as well as by all Masonic students wherever located .
The Roll is written on six unequal strips of vellum , sewn together , and extends to 12 feet . Its width is a little over five inches , the margin being about one-third of an inch on the left hand side , formed by two or more rubricated lines , extending
vertically throughout the MS . Lines of a similar character run horizontally for the guidance of the copyist , numbering on an average five to an inch . The caligraphy is good generally , but , though probably all by the same hand , portions were written apparently at different times .
What seems to me to have been the original Roll ends on the fifth strip , and concludes the MS ., which , according to this estimate , ran to nearly 11 feet . Even then it was of exceptional length , and , so far as my memory serves me , I venture to declare the Scroll to be the longest document of the kind extant .
All the five strips are about the same length , varying from 25 to 27 I inches , the final one , however , containing the " ' Prentice ' s Charge "—the gem of the six—measures but 13 inches , is of thinner vellum , the text differing in some respects from the preceding , and may be of a little later transcription ; but all , to my mind , is of the latter part of the seventeenth century .
In nearly every word , Bro . Watson and myself are agreed , his copy being exceedingly well done . The slight departures I have made from his transcript have been satisfactorily explained to him , and so the following reproduction may be accepted as accurate throughout ; the excellent condition of the scroll , and
the good , bold hand of the writer , enabling me to determine all doubtful words with a fair amount of certainty . A few lines show signs of having been traced over , but for the period the document is in a good state of preservation . The double ff ' s I have given as capitals , and in only one or two instances is the
V used for 11 , so the latter letter has been uniformly adopted . As respects the Roll proper , it may be located with the "Sloane Family , " according to Dr . Begemann ' s classification ; though that being settled does not sufficiently indicate its full value and importance , because the additional strip of the
Prentice Charge" removes it from the ordinary series of some score or more of original MSS . and places it in the special class with seven others only . These are "Harleian , No . 1942 " ( British Museum ); "Melrose , No . 2 " ( Old Lodge at Melrose ); "Hope" ( Lodge of "Hope , " Bradford , Yorkshire );
" Colne , No . 1 " ( " Royal Lancashire Lodge , " Colne ); " York , No . 4 " ( The " York " Lodge , York ); " Gateshead " ( Lodge of " Industry , " Gateshead ); and the "Wren" ( present location is
uncertain ) . These will be found reproduced in my " Old Charges of the British Freemasons" ( 1872 ) , and "Masonic Sketches and Reprints" ( 1871 ) , or in the "Masonic Magazine" * and the Freemason . 1 *
The invocation , which rightly begins the Roll , is not quite of the usual phraseology , as it reads " Hfoe Mighty God , Father of Heaven . " — whereas the ordinary commencement is " The might of the hather of Heaven . " Another different reading occurs almost
directl y afterwards , " that hath been three persons , " which is the hrst departure of the kind known to me . In one or two others the Invocation varies slightly from the usual text , s nch as the "Atcheson Haven" J and "Buchanan MSS .. " § which reads
" 0 Lord God Father of Heaven ;" hut in nearly all the 60 or more copies of the "Old Charges , " the Invocation in some form , is to be found , and w as doubtless so read to the Masonic neophytes during the
mainl y operative period of the Craft down to early last century . ilk ^ ^ ' Smith draws attention to the fact that generally in | h " Dedication " portion of the ordinances of most Guilds " the ( ather Almighty would seem to have been forgotten . No doubt ^ ' "at must strike every reader as so strange an oversight was not
Watson's Ms. Of The "Old Charges."
intentionally so , but grew out of the habit and form of prayers of intercession . " * It is singular—under these circumstancesthat , without an exception , all the " Invocations " or " Dedications" in the Masonic MSS ., from the sixteenth to the last
century , refer most distinctly and individually to the " Three Persons in one Godhead , " and represent much older ori ginals . The " Aberdeen MS . " describes this part as " A Prayer before the Meeting , " in A . D . 1670 .
The title " Master of Storyes is more frequentl y rendered "Master of Historyes" ( Colne MS ., No . 1 , & c ) , and the wages noted as paid the Masons in St . Alban ' s time as amounting to "Three shillings and sixpence to their double wages , " which accords with most of the " Sloane Family" is not in agreement
with many of the other Scrolls , which in a number of instances quote 2 s . 6 d ., with "three pence to their nonesynches" ( Buchanan MS . ) , " their cheire" ( Grand Lodge MS . ) , "Nonfinch" ( York MS ., No . i ) , " For the Bearers of Burthens" ( AntiquityMS . ) , and " Nuncion ' s " ( Papworth's MS . ) .
The orthography resembles the Briscoe MS ., as will be seen in relation to the "Land of Behest [ "Bethel" in "Briscoe , " doubtless an error of the transcriber ] , now called amongst us the country of Flierusalem ; " ancl other instances ; that printed copy of the " Old Charges" belonging to the same class of text , as respects the ordinary Roll .
The Latin clauses which follow the injunction "Here followeth the worthy and godly oath of such as are made Masons " t are translated in several of the MSS ., that of the " York , No . 4 , " having the words " il 1 i vel ille " represented by " He or she , " % the copyist evidently considering the last of the trio was ilia .
This curious blunder has led some hasty readers to assume that females were eligible for membership in the lodge at the period of the transcription of this MS . ( A . D . 16 93 ) just as in most of the Social Guilds for centuries . There is not , however , the slightest justification for such an absurd fancy , the singular text of the MS .
in question being due to misapprehension or some other cause . The " Charges" are not numbered , unfortunately , like " Colonel Gierke ' s MS ., " and many else ; but , in my opinion , the original before the transcriber was , as he begins nearly all the Rules with the first letter of " And " in capitals .
The definite article is omitted before " Greeke Hermermes , " the previous sentence , as with the texts , generally ending with the words " were written in . "
The ending of the original Roll agrees with most of the "Old Charges , " the "Booke" referred to in the concluding sentence , and at the commencement of their recital being " Ye holy Scripture , " as the "York MS ., No . 1 , " declares-S Another of
the York MSS . ( No . 6 ) has the additional words following the ordinary finale , " Doe all as you would bee done unto , and I beseech you att every meeting and assembly you pray heartily for all Christians—Farewell . " ||
There are a few minor departures from the accepted text which are more amusing than important , such as " Ghost of Masonry , " instead of " Craft . " Possibly the substituted word
was intended as an equivalent for spirit , but it is difficult to understand how such a mistake could have been made . Also 40 miles , in lieu of the ordinary 50 , within which distance , attendance at the Annual Assemblies was obligatory .
The speciai value of the Scroll , in my eyes at least , is the " Prentice ' s Charge " on the sixth and last strip of Vellum . I believe it was copied from another MS ., and added some little time after the original " Old Charge " was completed .
Throughout the latter , the term " True Mason" is used , whereas , in the Charge to the Apprentices , " Free-Wiason . " is exclusively employed , and occurs four times , just as with all the other copies which have those additional or supplemental clauses , excepting the " Gateshead MS . "
The " Future Charges " ( as they are called ) in the " Wren MS . " agree almost word for word with the "Prentice ' s Charge " of the "Watson ' s MS ., " only the latter has "Peace" for
" Prince ; " an obvious error in transcription . The Roll is kept in an old parchment bag of a unique character , which , originally , was tied at the top with a thong for safety , but the holes only now remain .
Bro . John Taylor ( J . W . 1402 ) has kindly photographed two portions for me . These facsimiles are about half the size of the original vellum Scroll . W . J . HUGHAN . We propose to reproduce a transcript of the MS ., together with the facsimile mentioned above , in our next . —ED . F . M .