THE STONEMASONS OF GERMANY.
was and
;
if
we
believe
it,
the curious questiou remains,
or a proof of a connecting link between the
Ages
?
On
Osterrietli's
own
showing, he must
awkward dilemma,
the resemblance a mere coincidence,
German and English Stonemasons
of the
Middle
have violated his promise of secrecy to his
and therefore cannot be regarded
Strassburg
places himself in the
l;)rethren,
is
147
He
as a witness of scrupulous veracity.
either of having deceived the
Freemasons of Aarau by
a falsehood, or of having perjured himself, so that we shall be justified in receiving his
It is also to be noted, that although all writers claim a grip for the
disclosure with caution.
stonemasons, the only evidence by which this claim can be supported, is the one word quoted
This word is derived from schencken, to give hence handschcncken,
viz., Schcnck.
in Art. LIV.,
to give or shake
;
hands
;
and in
this case
we must suppose
that the
word Hand
is
omitted and
The word schenck occurs
understood, as Schcnck alone would not import the fuller meaning.
in the Ordinances, and in other clauses always refers to the pledge feast;
veiy frequently
ausschcnckcn or vcrschcnckcn is to pour out, a libation, a toast, pledge, etc., and as these toasts
were always drunk in other handicrafts, with a prescribed movement of hand and cui),
accompanied by a fixed form of words, it may be assumed that the stonemasons also