INTUODUCTICCN". XXXI 



they saw the sun rise every day with undiminished splendour at that part of Heaven , spread- 

 ing light and warmth around. 



The members of both societies call each other bretliern. In Browne's Masterkey the mas- 

 ter asks the apprentice: yWhat nianner of man, a free and accepted mason ought to be?" 



z/A free man, born from a free woman, the brother of a king, the companion of a prince 

 or the fellow of a mendicant, if he be a mason/' 



Q. ,/Why this equality amongst masons?" 



A. ,/ We are all bretliern since t/te creation, but we are still more so by virtue of an inti- 

 mate union/" (*) 



If we compare now art. 3 of the Oath ( 2 ), it will be seen that the members of the Hung- 

 league consider all classes, if they be members, as bretliern. Art. 13 of the Oath says: „Af- 

 ter having entered the Hung-league, you are boimd by a bloody oath, you have become one 

 gall and one heart (with the bretliern.) ( 3 ) 



The words: „In peace united together, the pledged myriads make it their signal" ( 4 ) ex- 

 press the same idea of freemasonry, and are somewhat like Schillers expression: „Seid urn- 

 schlungen, Millionen!" ( 5 ) 



The spirit of fraternity and equality which vivifies masonry is found also amongst the 

 members of the Hung-league. The latfcer call themselves Tai-ping , which means in the na- 

 tural acception //Universal peace", but in a Budhist sense //Equality." Hence the lodge is 

 called also Tai-ping-ti , //Land of equality." This spirit is, however, so diffused amongst all 

 the ceremonies, laws and principles of the Hung-league, that we would only repeat what 

 is contained in these, and to which, therefore, we refer the reader. 



The bond in the Hung-league is confirmed by a bloody oath, and there are traces in the- 

 rituals of masonry that formerly the bretliern confirmed their oath also with blood. (' j ) 



This custom is as old as the world. The Scythes, when making a bond, made themselves 

 a small wound and mixed the blood running out of this wound with wine, which they 

 drank. The same ceremony was practised by the Greeks, Romans and the Magyars of pre- 

 sent day. Catalina and his confederates united themselves by drinking bloody wine. ( 7 ) The 

 same custom seems to have been in use with the old Germans. ( 8 ) 



With the Chinese the bloody oath is very old ( 9 ), and a different character is used for this 

 oath and the simple sworn oath. In olden times, when a prince made a treaty with the prince 

 of another country, the ear of a victim was cut off and laid in a jade vase; the contract was 

 written with it's blood, and the parties, having smeared the corners of their mouths with 



(i) Symb. d. Freim., II, 82. ( 2 ) See p. 136. ( 3 ) See pag. 138. 



< 4 ) ïn ^ ^ J*I ^ M ® IE, See p a s e u > note 3 - 



( 5 ) Symb. d. Freim., II, 512. ( G ) Symb. d. Freim., II, 53. (?) Grimm, riechts-alterthümcr, 194. 



( 8 ) Grimm, Lieder der alteren Edda, 237. ( 9 ) See p. 1 — 2. 



