THE STONEMASONS OF GERMANY.
176
Erwin of
Why
Steinbcicli,
tliat
mason, carved the porch.
his daughter Sabina, being a skilful
"undoubted authenticity" of this tale it is difiicult to
81) speaks of the
Assertion does not merge into demonstration by the mere fact of constant
Fort
(p.
conjecture.
Without
repetition.
maintain
and
caring, however, to
its probability.
deny
possibility, I certainly should
its
argument that women were admitted
Stieglitz's^
in the majority of the mediseval guilds
is
quite valueless.
Membership
not like to
to
membership
of a guild did not
it implied that a female member might
and in the event of her husband's death (he
share in all its benefits, pious and pecuniary,
But this was easily done with the help of a
being a master) might carry on his trade.
and we know that provision was made for his promptly acquiring the
managing journeyman,
carry with
master's
it
the right of being apprenticed, although
From
by marrying such a widow.
rights
the
that
records
are
we
accessible,
no evidence that the stonemasons ever contemplated the contingency of female memberApprenticeship and travel were essentials, and of these ordeals, though the fortitude
ship.
find
of a determined
scarcely to be
woman might have sustained her throughout
conceived that a member of the gentler sex
the labours of the former,
it is
could have endured the perils
and privations of the latter.A remarkable tradition appears to have been prevalent from the earliest times, viz.,
that the stonemasons had obtained extensive privileges from the popes.
Heideloff gives,
amongst the confirmations of the Emperors already
cited,
two papal
bulls, viz.,
from
Pope Alexander VI., Eome, 16th September 1502.
Pope Leo X., pridie calendariuni Januarii 1517.
He
they received an indulgence from Pope Nicholas III., which was
his successors up to Benedict XII., covering the period from 1277 to 1334.
also says,^ that
renewed by
all
He, confesses, however, that he could never obtain one of these documents for perusal.
The Strassburg lodge in its quarrel with the Annaberg lodge (1518-1521), besides relying
upon the confirmations
bulls, so that
we
of the Emperors, also alludes to the authority granted
find this tradition (if
have both made strenuous
fruitless
the Bullarium
be) in force very early.
make a
careful
search
It is well
in
it by the papal
Kloss and Krause
known
that Governor
the archives of the Vatican,
he was
rendered every possible assistance
although
Krause searched the Bullarium Magnum Eomge in vain and Kloss,
in
by the pope himself*
it
efforts to discover these bulls.
Pownall, in 1773, was allowed to
which was
such
its
result,
;
Maonimi Luxemburm^ with a
similar
want of
success.
But whether
or
not the tradition rests on any solid foundation, it is certain that the Church, by holding out
from time to time special inducements, sought to attract both funds and labour for the
erection of
consistent
states
its
with
strict
cathedrals
splendid
morality.
was signed on the
absolution to all
who
1st April
;
and some
were not quite
a document which Lacomblet
of these tempting
offers
For instance, there is
1279 by Archbishop Sifrid of Cologne, promising
full
shall, for the furthering of the cathedral building operations, present
'
Stieglitz, Gescliichte der Baukunst, p. 573.
"It should be stated, however, that in London ^ woman was admitted to the "freedome" of the C.irpenters'
"
In another portion of this work ("Old
Company in 1679,
haveing served \kx Mistrcs a terme of seaven years."
Charges of British Freemasons," No. 25) the suhject of female memhership is treated more fully.
^
IleidelufT,
^
Die Bauhiitte des Mittelalters,
^
p. 23.
Kloss, Die Freimaurerei in ihrer wahren Bedeutung,
p. 236.
Archwologia, vol.
ix., p.
126.