THE COMPANIONAGE.
230
But the Sons of Solomon were not content with this partial victory, and endeavoured
Lyons.
to drive their competitors still further away.
Another great battle was fought, resulting in a
number of killed and wounded. This was only fifteen years before Perdiguier wrote,
large
but, curiously enough,
he omits to mention who were
In 1808 the locksmiths contested Marseilles.
the hands of a Dauphine
tlie
victors in the second encounter.
The Sons
of Jacqiies placed their cause in
those of Solomon entrusted their reputation to a Lyonnais. They
;
were locked up as usual in separate rooms, guarded by their rivals, who passed them nothing
but food and necessary materials, but allowed of no counsel or advice. The understanding
"
should have all his talent in his head, and his execution at
always was that each champion
his fingers' ends."
many months the competitors were released, and
The Dauphine's lock was beautiful, the key still more
After
before the judges.
Lyonnais had given
him
all his
their
so.
work carried
The unlucky
time and labour to complete the beautiful tools which were to
most complicated lock. Each tool Avas in itself a masterpiece, but
the lock was not even commenced.
His indignant and crestfallen fellows accused him of base
assist
treachery
;
in fashioning a
he
left
the town and has never since been heard of
The most memorable of all battles appears to have been that of 1730, on the plains of
La Crau, between Aries and Salon, in Provence. The combatants were the Sons of Solomon
on the one part, and those of Jacques and Soubise on the other. The provocation is unknown,
but the original parties to the quarrel were the stonemasons, joiners, and locksmiths only.
These exchanged a formal cartel, and appointed a rendezvous.
Volunteers from all the
different corps affiliated to Jacques and Soubise, joined their fellows against the common foe,
and the Sons of Solomon trooped in from all the towns in the neighbourhood. The weapons
even comprised fire-arms, and the battle was most determined and sanguinary. The list of
killed
was very
large,
and
it
was with the utmost
difficulty that the
military were able to
restore order.
I
must not
mention that the cnfants de Salomon admit workmen of all religious
the Companionage, whilst those of Jacques and Soubise restrict their
forget to
denominations to
to Roman Catholics.
Pew workmen on their tour
membership
Provence.
]\Iention has
already
make
been made of
forget to
a pilgrimage to the grotto of St Beaume, in
this hill as the starting-point of the original
Companions. Tradition records that the Magdalene retired here to end her days after the
death of our Saviour; and in the neighbourhood is a wood in which,
according to popular
no living being is ever seen (excepting of course the Companion who visits it). The
belief,
pilgrims here purchase relics in the shape of silk ribbons,
the sacred spot.
A
etc.,
as
mementoes
of their visit to
workman having completed
his tour, on settling down as master, generally thanks his
and resigns his Companionage. A general
society
assembly is usually held for the purpose, at
which he is granted a demit pass, or certificate of honourable conduct
during his membership.
Although severed from his society, he seldom ceases to take an especial interest in it, and to
prefer as
workmen, its Companions to that of any other society. The Sons of Solomon, however, differ, inasmuch as they never resign their membership.
If, as most writers maintain, the
Sons of Solomon are the descendants of the ecclesiastical as
ojiposed to the secular masons, this
habit would agree perfectly with that of the German
stonemasons, in which body the masters
remained an integral part of the
fraternity, in contradistinction to the usage of other
crafts.