STONEMASONS OF GERMANY.
TflE
from the Book
articles
we
for the general good,
and the Book
shall
135
remain in high honour in such
and there will we hear once a year
if any offence
every year
master builders or fellows, that such be adjudged and atoned,
have been committed against
and also if the lords of states, be they spiritual or temporal, have any cause of complaint as
regards their buildings and they shall submit them to such craftsmen as are chosen to be
places as
shall deposit
it
;
;
chief masters [literally Ovcrmastcr'X in writing or
to builders' usage.
by speech, and they
shall be heard according
Therefore shall the overmasters that are there, and have taken the oath
and have summoned them on the yearly day, whenever it be, give them hearing as is
lords suffer any loss, m ake good such loss
customary, for the sake of the building and if the
if he come not and answer not for himself, so
but
according to the judgment of the masters;
;
and lay down
nor shall he be true man.
true,
shall he be proscribed
him
all rule
over his fellows, and none shall esteem or hold
before-mentioned masters, wardens, and fellows have taken and drawn up from the
Book for brevity, divers Ordinances that are obligatory on all workmasters in authority and
I'ellows
that the real Book remain intact, and be only read there when we hold our yearly
And we
;
assembly.
And when
the lords will not have
it so,
then shall
it
not be so
;
and what the lords will
not have, that shall be left undone of all such articles as are not of necessity, and the masters
in such lands are not bound to enforce, according to their oath, such articles as contents of the
God, and also for sustenance,
this is not of necessity to write now
every master knows this well who has formerly heard it.
have been drawn up from the letter of the ancient lodge rights, that
And all these articles
were instituted by the holy worthy crowned martyrs, by name Claudius, and Christorius, and
to the honour and praise of the Holy Trinity and ]\Iary the Queen of Heaven.
Book
of the craft
;
to declare
what
shall
be done
for the service of
;
Significamus,
1.
Therefore have
And
And
be
we made
divers rules and statutes with the help of God.
all acknowledged fasts cause four masses to be said.
on St Peter's Day, when he was raised at Antioch, shall he also cause four masses to
every master shall on
said.
mass of the Holy Trinity, the other of our dear Lady, the third of the four
crowned martyrs, the fourth for all who have died in the guild, and for all who help our craft
and labour therein.
2. And the other masters shall also cause four masses to be said every feast of our Lad3%
And
the
first
one for each of the aforesaid souls, and the money wherewith he pays for the mass, the same
money shall he take from the box, and the remainder shall he give to the craft box.
And for God's service shall every master of a work, be it great or small, give on each fast
of our Lady one old groat.
And every fellow shall give every week to the box one penny for God's service.
himself such
3. And furthermore, no master shall undertake a work unless he have proved
to the craft, that the craftsmen be protected.
should there appear a master that has not previously worked as master, then shall
he have twain proven masters to speak for him, that he may be placed at the head of th P