History | Page 197

THE STONEMASONS OF GERMANY. " 175 from which Stock owns to liaving copied not above suspicion, at least in this exact form, as Schneider he has discovered the secrets of these masons with great difficulty," and he may not Book of Coustitutions for the lodge at Altenburg," it; so that its very existence " says, is have obtained a veritable transcript of their " examination." Beyond the fact that it consists of question and answer, there is very little that I need comment upon in this chapter, the more especially as shall " " this so-called now proceed to give a few What was the name of the examination extracts first will be again discussed at a later period. I : mason "Anton Hieronymus [Adou-Hiram " ?], ? and the working tool was invented by Walkan" [Tubal Cain ?]. In regard to these expressions, the two pillars previously referred to sufficiently attest that the masons were conversant with the architectural details of the Holy Writings ; our surprise in their claiming Adon-Hiram as a brother, or in their affirming that the first artificer in metals designed the implements of their handicraft. Fallou lays great stress on the following and there is excite nothing to : Q. A. Q. What A dost thou carry under thy hat laudable loisdom. What A. A Q. ? dost thou carry under thy tongue What ? truth. praiseworthy is the strength of the craft A. That which fire ? and water cannot destroy. And he explains the substitution of truth for beauty, by the fact (sic) that beauty is no a part of a mason's art.^ longer But even if we were to concede this (which I am far from doing), we should only that the stonearrive at the simple conclusion which