THE COMPANIONAGE.
2i6
These
his subscription to the nearest branch.
A
towns of the Tour of France.
latter
were called bastard towns
few writers have derived the epithet
"
;
the former,
Companions of the
Tour de Franca" from some imaginary building called the Toiver of France. Unfortunately
theory and for their knowledge of French towr (tower) is feminine, whereas the
—
for their
—
word actually used
is
"
masculine,
viz.,
tour de France."
le
of France as our grandfathers completed their education
The villcs du devoir, or du tour de France, were
La
and
by making the "grand
tour."
Lyons, Avignon, Marseilles, Nimes,
To these Simon adds Auxerres, Chalons-
Montpellier, Toulouse, Bordeaux, Nantes, and Paris.
sur-Saone, Clermont-Ferram, Bfeiers,
The Companions made the tour
Eochelle, Angouleme, Angers, Saumur, Tours, Orleans,
later, Algiers.^
We may
viz.,
here pause to note a coincidence which
not perhaps without
is
Eoman
that these towns are chiefly in the south, where the
its
—
—in
and that many very important towns of the north are not included
Dunkirk, Calais, Amiens, Soissons, Eheims, Eouen, Dieppe, Havre, Caen, etc.
single town north of Paris.
preserved,
The word
"
devoir has been translated
charge,"
and
significance,
were longest
such as Lille,
traditions
;
fact,
no
as this naturally recalls our ancient
Masonic Charges, it is incumbent to show that the translation is justified, in order that no
To begin with, the word devoir h
suspicion may be raised of unduly influencing the reader.
"
but a duty and a charge are in some cases synonymous. Secondly,
usually translated duty,"
our British Charges are a written code of rules of conduct, prefaced by a traditional history
of the craft
and this description exactly corresponds with that of the French devoir. " Every
;
European
state has its constitution
;
every Coinpagnonnage has also
head gave
of the three divisions relates that its traditionary
"The
charge or duty.
govern a society."
of
it
^
devoir
That
is
a code
was
this code
—the
in ]\IS.
as being deposited in particular places
obtained, and
new
by the conferring
of a code
;
its
own, called
devoir.'"^
Each
them a devoir to keep — that
is,
a
entirety of the laws and regulations which
is
proved by Perdiguier and others writing
as being bought, stolen, or otherwise fraudulently
by one
of the original societies, being necessary
That the legends were also in
writing may be inferred from Perdiguier's remarks;* and, although there is no direct proof
that the legends and the code always formed parts of one document, the most natural con-
before a
craft could
be admitted into the Companionage.
that they did, and nothing but proof of this connection is wanting, to establish a
resemblance between the British Charge and the French devoir}
complete
As regards the position of Solomon towards the Companions, Perdiguier is very reticent,
clusion
is,
though perhaps he had little to communicate, beyond a biographical record of the wise king
which he has admittedly taken from the Holy Writings. He adds, " The Sons of Solomon
claim that this king gave them a charge, and incorporated them fraternally within the preHe also says, " The "stonemasons " [of this fraternity, S. of S.] " are
cincts of the Temple."
accounted the most ancient of the Companions.
An
1
Simon, fitude Historique
2
Monteil, Histoire des Fran9ais des Divers Etats, 4th edit., vol.
'
Perdiguier,
et
Morale sur
Le Livre du Compagnonnage,
*
To be quoted
'
As
Compagnonnage,
p. 158.
v., p. 130.
p. 68.
hereafter.
these devoirs, or some of them,
by French
le
ancient fable has obtained currency
must
still
be in existence,
historians to secure a copy for publication.
it is
to be regretted that
no
efforts
have been made