History | Page 114

THE OLD CHARGES OF BRITISH FREEMASONS. 96 And XI. that they should deserve theire pay of the Lord or Master they should serve And that they should ordaine And that neither Lord nor man the wisest of XII. them to bee the : Master of their Lords of Great Linage or Eiches or for favour should make Eule and be governour of theire worke that hath but small and bee knowledge or understanding in the science whereby the owner of the worke should evill served and you ashamed of your worke-manshipp. •worke ordaine such a one to beare XIII. wrought And alsoe that they should call the governour of the worke master whilest they him. witli XIV. And many other charges that are to long to tell and to aU the charges hee made them to sweare the great oath which men used in that time : . . XV. And hee XVI. And : . ordered for them reasonable wages that they might live with honesty. come and assemble themselves together once every alsoe that they should worke best to yeare That they might take advice and councell together how they might an theire owne creditt and honestie And to serve theire Lord and Master for his proffitt Correct amongst themselves or science of Geometric XVII. And this him or them grounded there that erred and trespassed And thus was the Craft : worthy Master gave it the name of Geometric And now it is called Masonrie. XVIII. Sith the time when the children is now called of Israeli were come into the land of behest that amongst us the land of Cannaan the countrie of Jerusalem, Kinge David began the Temple which is called Templum Dominum and is now called with us the Temple of Jerusalem and the same Kinge David loved INIasons well and cherished them and gave good paiement unto them and gave them charges in manner as hee had in Egipt by Euclid and other charges more as you shall heare afterwards And after the Decease of Kinge David Solomon sonne unto the said King iinnished the Temple that his father had begunn and hee sent after masons of divers towns and countries and gathered them together soe that he had 24,000 Masons and 1000 of them were ordayned Masters and governours of his worke. XIX. And there was another Kinge of another Land which was called Huram and hee Solomon well and hee gave him timber for his worke and hee had a sonn named loved Kinge Aymon and hee was master of Geometric and the chiefest master of all his masons and all liis graven and carved worke and of all manner of other masonrie that unto the Temple and all this witnesseth the Fourth booke of the Kings in the belonge Governour of Bible: XX. And had given to same Kinge Solomon confirmed both charges and manners that his father masons and soe was this worthy craft or science of Masonrie confirmed in the this