THE OLD CHARGES OF BRITISH FREEMASONS.
-ji
the Lodges lately modernized, where a vestige of the Ancient Craft was not suffered to be revived or practized
and that it was for this reason so many of them withdrew from Lodges (under the modem sanction) to support
the true ancient system. .". .'. The Grand Secretary produced a very old manuscript, written or copied
;
by one BramhaU, of Canterbury, in the reign of King Henry the Seventh, wliich was presented to Br. Dermott
On perusal, it proved to contain the whole matter in the
(in 1748) by one of the descendants of the Writer.
fore-mentioned parchment, as well as other matters not in that parchment."
It may be fairly assumed that these two Rolls are rightly placed in the
present series, being in all probability
"
Old Charges."
Laurence Dermott was the Grand Secretary alluded to, his predecessor being
copies of the
John Morgan.
The documents
still
await discovery.
"DowLAND."
39.
*]7tli Cenhiry.
Published in " Gentleman's Magazine," 1815, and Hughan's " Old Charges." The original of this copy is
and though in 1872 Hughan expressed the hope " that after careful comparison, it will be traced
;
to one of the MSS. extant," the expectation has not yet been realised.
Mr James Dowland, who forwarded it
also missing
to the editor of the
gratification of
"Gentleman's Magazine "for publication in 1815, thus described the document, "For the
I send you a curious address respecting Freemasonry, which not long since came
your readers,
my possession. It is written on a long roll of parchment, in a very clear hand, apparently early in the
seventeenth century, and very probably is copied from a MS. of earlier date." ' Woodford styles it " that most
ancient form of the Constitutions," and places it at " about
1500," or rather as representing a MS. of that
into
period.^
Of course
Mr
Dowland's estimate
his paleographical quaUtications
may have been
an erroneous one, as we really
know nothing
as to
under present circumstances, we can but accept the period assigned by
him, because of whatever date the original or autographic version may have been, the Dowland Scroll and the
other
more
;
still,
"Old Charges"
(properly so termed) that have come
or less from those circulated in the first instance.^
down
to us, are but later copies of types differing
do not quite agree with Woodford, that "the
Harleian 2054 is nearly a verbatim copy of Dowland's form," or that " it is really a copy of Dowland's itself,
^
though made about ten years later," because the differences in the two versions are not explainable by the
I
suggestion of errors in transcription, or of vexatious clerical alterations, e.g., the difference in the pages, the
"
customary Latin sentences being in the one instance before the Ordinary Charges," and in the other at the
conclusion of the Roll
;
still it is
not a matter that
we can be
quite certain about at the present time, and
Mr
Woodford's opinion on this or any other point relating to masonic antiquities, is entitled to very respectful
At any rate we are bound to coincide with him as to No. 39 being a transcript of probably the
consideration.
oldest original of
any MS., except Nos.
40.
and 2 of
1
"
Dr
this series.
*17th Century.
Plot."
Published in "Natural History of Staffordshire," < 1686.
Dr Robert Plot, Keeper of the Ashmolean
"
"
in rather a sarcastic manner, examines the claims of the
Museum, Oxford,
Society of Freemasons to antiquity
" Natural
in his noted
History" of a.d. 1686, and particularly alludes to the "large parchment volum they have
amongst them, containing the History and Rules of the craft of masonry. Which is there deduced, not only
from sacred
writ,
communicated
but profane
to St Alban,
story, particularly that it
who
set
down
was brought into England by St Ampliihal, and first
made paymaster and Governor of the
the Charges of masonry, and was
King's works, and gave them charges and manners as St Amphibal had taught him. Which were after confirmed
by King Athelstan, whose youngest son Edu-yn loved well masonry, took upon him the charges and learned the
"
Gentleman's Magazine, March 31, 1815, p. 489.
Preface to the " Old Charges," p. xi.
estimate furnished by Findel is of a very unsatisfactory character, viz.: "With this document most of
the manuscripts known to us agree, excepting only in a few unessential and unimportant particulars, as, for example, a
'
'The
scroll of the
Lodge of Hope,
at Bradford; also one in York, of the year
Laurie's," etc. (History of Freemasonry, pp. 32, 33).
As Dowland's text
that the differences are neither few nor unimportant.
*
Chapter viii., pp. 316-318.
K
is
1704; the Lansdowne Manuscript
of the ordinary kind,
it
;
one of
will be readily seen