To the Author of the DAILY JOURNAL.
SIR,
The Grand Whimsy of Masonry has been long the Subject of Amusement to diverse Persons, who have wonder'd, that among so many idle People as have been admitted into that Society, many of whom are not noted for eminent Virtues, or the Gift of Taciturnity, the boasted Secret has never been, thro' Inadvertence, or the Power of Liquor, divulg'd. Some have imputed this to one Cause, some to another, while others have judged, (with too much Appearance of Reason) that it must be of a very unaccountable Nature, that they are afraid or ashamed to divulge it ; since, say they, if there were any thing Praiseworthy or Excellent in it, what should hinder their publishing of it for the Imitation of others ?
For my own Part, I must needs say, that I am not of their Opinion, who think there is any thing criminal, or greatly indecent or shameful in it, because of the many Gentlemen of Honour and Character, who have condescended (no doubt in a merry and ludicrous Vein) to countenance those already in, by becoming Members of the Fraternity ; tho' it must be confessed, they could not easily know what it was, till they had been cloathed and initiated, and of consequence first found themselves Brethren from Head to Foot, and so obliged (Se Defendendo) to propagate the Jest with as solemn a Face as the rest. But yet I have been tempted to believe, that if there were any thing in it, either useful or worthy of Imitation, the Secret had not been so tenaciously kept till now : And we may challenge the warmest Advocate for the Whim, to look round on all his Acquaintance of the Fraternity, and make it appear, that any of 'em have come out either wiser or better Men for their Admission, and if such decline to be Judges in their own Cause, we will leave the Decision of this Point to the good Wives of the Brethren, to inform the World, what superadded Portion of Wisdom, or Improvement of Morals, or Sobriety, in their dear Spouses, they have found to be the Consequences of their Entrance ; always supposing, that Orators, Raree-Show-Men, and Publicans, who are so much wiser in their Generation than the Children of Light, that they can reap Advantage and Subsistence from the Follies of others, together with their respective Wives, Daughters, Box and Bar-keepers, be out of the Question, as too much concerned in Interest.
At last, the Death of a Brother, who for his own Remembrance and Observation, had seem'd to have committed to Writing, the Form and Manner of his Admission, which he kept among his choicest and most private Papers, and in the most secret Part of his Cabinet, has given us a Light into the mysterious Part of Entrance, into their puerile Signs and Wonders. I shall not pretend to use many Words to bespeak your Readers Belief of the Genuineness of this MS. only referring him to the Observation of the Conduct of the Fraternity on this Occasion, who will be sure to be either very angry, or very silent, or very zealous to decry it, if it be really what I in myself have abundant Reason to be satisfied it is. I have taken up too much of your Room, supposing you will be so kind to insert this as well as the Piece ; and pray reserve 200 of the Papers, which a Servant in Blue Livery faced with Yellow, and Brass Buttons, shall call and satisfy you for, as well as for the Demand you shall think fit to make for thus obliging
Your Constant Reader, F. G.
THE MYSTERY OF FREE-MASONRY
Q. Are you a Mason ? A. I am.
Q. How shall I know you are a Mason ? A. By Signs, Tokens, and Points of my Enterance.
Q. How was you made ? A. Neither naked nor cloathed, standing or lying, but in due Form.
Q. Give me a Sign. A. Every Square is a Sign; but the most Solemn is the Right-hand upon the Left-breast, the Arm hanging down, a little extended from the Body.
Q. Give me a Letter. A. B. O. A. Z.
When this Question is ask'd you are to give the Letter B. The Querist will say O. you A. he Z.
Q. Give me another. A. J. A. C. H. I. N.
Alternately as Boaz. N.B. Boaz and Jachin were two Pillars in Solomon's Porch. 1 Kings, vii. 21.
Q. To what Lodge do you belong ? A. The Holy Lodge of St. John.
Q. How is it seated ? A. East and West, as all other Temples are.
Q. Where was you enter'd ? A. In a Just and Perfect Lodge.
Q. What makes a Just and Perfect Lodge ? A. A Master, two Wardens, and four Fellows, with Square, Compass, and Common Gudge.
N.B. One of them must be a Working Mason.
Q. Where was you made ? A. In the Valley of Jehosaphat, behind a Rush Bush, where a Dog was never heard to bark, nor a Cock to crow, or elsewhere.
Q. Where was the first Lodge kept ? A. In Solomon's Porch, the Pillars were call'd Jachin and Boaz.
Q. How many Orders be there in Architecture ? A. There be five, Tuscan, Dorick, Ionick, Corinthian, and Composite or Roman.
Q. How many Points be there in the Fellowship ? A. There be five, 1st Foot to Foot, 2d Knee to Knee, 3d Hand to Hand, 4th Heart to Heart, and 5th Ear to Ear.
Q. How do Masons take their Place in Work ? A. The Master's Place East, the Warden's East, and the Fellows the Eastern Passage.
Q. How many precious Jewels be there in Masonry ? A. Three, the Master, Wardens, and Fellows.
Q. Whence comes the Pattern of an Arch ? A. From the Rainbow.
Q. Is there a Key for your Lodge ? A. Yes, there is.
Q. Where is it kept ? A. In an Ivory Box, between my Tongue and my Teeth, or under the Lap of my Liver, where the Secrets of my Heart are.
Q. Is there a Chain to your Key ? A. Yes, there is.
Q. How long is it ? A. As long as from my Tongue, to my Heart.
Q. Where does the Key of the Working-Lodge lie ? A. It lies upon the Right-hand, from the Door two Feet and a half, under a Green Turf, or under a Square Ashler.
Q. Where does the Master Mason set his Mark upon the Work. A. Upon the South-East Corner.
Q. Have you been in the Kitchen ?
N.B. You shall know an Enter'd Apprentice by this Question.
A. Yes, I have.
Q. Did you ever dine in the Hall ?
N.B. A Brother Mason by this Question.
A. Yes, I did.
Q. How old are you ? A. Under 5, or under 7, which you will.
N.B. When you are first made a Mason, you are only entered Apprentice ; and till you are made a Master, or, as they call it, pass'd the Master's Part, you are only an enter'd Apprentice, and consequently must answer under 7 ; for if you say above, they will expect the Master's Word and Signs.
Note, There is not one Mason in an Hundred that will be at the Expence to pass the Master's Part, except it be for Interest.
Q. How was you admitted ?
N.B. Some will ask what was that Form after the third Question and Answer above.
A. When I came to the first Door, a Man with a drawn Sword asked me, If I had any Weapons ? I answer'd, No. Upon which he let me pass by him into a dark Entry ; there two Wardens took me under each Arm, and conducted me from Darkness into Light, passing thro' two Rows of the Brotherhood, who stood mute, to the upper End of the Room, from whence the Master went down the Outside of one of the Rows, and touching a young Brother on the Shoulder, said, Who have we here ? To which he answer'd, A Gentleman who desires to be admitted a Member of the Society. Upon which he came up again, and asked me, If I came there thro' my own Desire, or at the Request or Desire of another ? I said, My own. He then told me, If I would become a Brother of their Society, I must take the Oath administered on that Occasion. To which assenting, a Square was laid on the Ground, in which they made me kneel bare-knee'd, and giving a Compass into my Right-Hand, I set the Point to my Left-Breast, and my Left-Arm hanging down. The Words of the Oath I can't remember, but the Purport was as follows :
I Solemnly protest and swear, in the Presence of Almighty God, and this Society, that I will not, by Word of Mouth or Signs, discover any Secrets which shall be communicated to me this Night, or at any time hereafter : That I will not write, carve, engrave, or cause to be written, carved, or engraven the same, either upon Paper, Copper, Brass, Wood, or Stone, or any Moveable or Immoveable, or any other way discover the same, to any but a Brother or Fell. Craft, under no less Penalty than having my Heart pluck'd thro' the Pap of my Left-Breast, my Tongue by the Roots from the Roof of my Mouth, my Body to be burnt, and my Ashes to be scatter'd abroad in the Wind, whereby I may be lost to the Remembrance of a Brother.
After which I was cloathed.
N.B. The Cloathing is putting on the Apron and Gloves.
Q. How was the Master cloathed ? A. In a Yellow Jacket and Blue Pair of Breeches.*
Note originale : * N.B. The Master is not otherwise cloathed than common ; the Question and Answer are only emblematical, the Yellow Jacket, the Compasses, and the Blue Breeches, the Steel Points.
Q. What was you doing while the Oath was tendering ? A. I was kneeling bare-knee'd betwixt the Bible and the Square, taking the solemn Oath of a Mason.
N.B. There's a Bible put in the Right-Hand, and the Square under the Right-Elbow.
Reproduction intégrale de la transcription citée en tête de page, dans l'orthographe d'origine, sans commentaire ni modernisation. Les titres et notes d'époque sont conservés ; l'appareil éditorial moderne a été écarté.