478 
M A S O N R Y. 
fainly accord in all their principal points with thole laid 
down in the MS. of which vve now proceed to give a 
copy : 
“ The might of the Father of Kings, with the wiftlome 
of his gloripu's grace, through the grace of the'goodnefs 
of the Holy Ghott, there bene three Perfons in one God- 
heade, be with us at our beginninge, and give us grace fo 
to governe us here in this mortal] life liveinge, that wee 
may come to his kingdome that never fhali have endinge. 
Amen. 
“ Good Breethsren and Fellowes; Our purpofe is to tell 
you how and in what manner this worthy Science of Ma- 
fonrye was begunne, and afterwards how it was favoured 
by worthy Kings and Princes, and by many other wor- 
fhippfull men. And alfo, to thofe that be vvilliuge, wee 
will declare the Charge that belongeth to any true Mafon 
to keepe for in good faith. And yee, have good heede 
thereto : it is well worthy to be well kept for a worthy 
craft and a curious fcience. 
“ For there be Seaven liberall Sciences, of the which 
feaven it is one of them. And the names of the Seaven 
Scyences bene thefe: Firft is Grammere ; and it teacheth 
nan to fpeake truely and write truely. And the fecond 
is Rethoric ; and teacheth a man to fpeake faire in Tubtil 1 
tearmes. And the third is Dialeftyke ; and that teacheth 
a man for to difeerneor know truth from falfe. And the 
flburth is Arithmeticke; and that teacheth a man for to 
fecken and to accompte all manner of numbers. And the 
fifth is called Geometric ; and that teacheth mett and mea¬ 
fure of earth, and of all other things ; of the which fei- 
ence is called Mafonrye. And the iixt fcience is called 
Muficke ; and that teacheth a man of fonge and voice, of 
tongue and orgaine, harpe and trompe. And the feaventh 
fcience is called Aftronomye ; and that teacheth a man 
the courfe of the funn, moone, and ftarrs. Thefe be the 
Seaven liberall Sciences, the which being all founded by 
one Science ; that is to fay, Geometrie. And this may 
a man prove, that the fcience of the worke is founded 
by Geometrie, for Geometrie teacheth a man mett and 
iiieafure, ponderation and weight, of all manner of things 
on earth ; for there is noe man that worketh any fcience 
but he worketh by fome mett or fome meafure, nor, noe 
man that buyeth or felletb but he buyeth or felleth by fome 
meafure or by fome weight; and all thefe is Geometrie. 
And thefe merchants and all craftfmen, and all other of 
the Seaven Sciences, and in efpeciall the plowman and til¬ 
lers of all manner -of grounds, graynes, feedes, vynes, 
piowers, and fellers of other fruits ; tor Grammer or Re- 
trieke, neither Altronomie, nor none of all the other Sea¬ 
ven Sciences, can noe manner find mett nor meafure with¬ 
out Geometrie. Wherefore methinketh that the fcience 
of Geometrie is moft worthy, and that findeth all other. 
<! How that thefe worthy Sciences were firft begunne, I 
fhall you tell. Before Noyes fioode there was a man called 
Lamecne, as it is written in the Byble in the iiijth chapter 
of Genefis; and this Lameche had two wives, and the 
one height Ada, and that other height Sella ; by his firft 
wife Ada he gott two forms, and that one Jabell, and 
thqther Juball. And by that other wife Sella he gott a 
fon and a daughter. And thefe four children founden 
the begitiing of all Lienees in the world. And this elder 
fon Jabell found the fcience of Geometrie, and he departed 
flocks of flieepe and lands in the field, and firft wrought 
houfe of ftone and tree, as it is noted in the chapter above- 
faid. And his brother Juball found the fcience of Mu¬ 
ficke, fonge of tonge, harpe, and orgaine. And the third 
brother Tuball Cain found Smith-craft of gold, filver, 
copper, iron, and Iteele; and the daughter found the craft 
of Weavinge. And thefe children knew well that God 
would take vengeance for fynn, either by fire or by water ; 
wherefore they writt their fcience that they had found in 
two pillars of ftone, that they might be found after Noyes 
flood. And that one ftone was marble , for that would not 
bren with fire ; and that other ftone was clipped laterns, and 
Tjould not drown in poe water. 
“ Our intent is to tell you trulie how and in what man¬ 
ner thefe (tones were found that thife fcience were written 
in. The great Hermarynes that was Cubys fon, the which 
Cub was Sem’s fonn, that was Noyes fon : this Hermarynes 
afterward was called Harmes, the father of wife men*: he 
found one of the two pillers of ftone, and found the fci¬ 
ence written there, and he taught it to other men. And 
at the makinge of the Tower of Babylon there was Ma- 
fonry firft made much of. And the kinge of Babylon 
that height Nemrothe, was a mafon himfelfe, and loved 
well the fcience, as it is faid with mailers of hiftories. 
And when the City of Nyneve, and other eitties of thp 
Eaft, flioLild be made, Nemrothe, the King of Babylon, 
fent thither threefcor&Mafons at the rogation of the King 
of Nyneve his cofen. And when he fent them forth, he 
gave them a charge on this manner: That they fhould 
be true each of them to other, and that they fhould love 
truly together, and that they lhould ferve their lord truly 
for their pay ; foe that the mailer may have worfhipp, 
and all that long to him. And other moe charges he gave 
them. Anil this was the firft tyme that ever Mafon had 
any charge of his fcience. 
“ Moreover, udien Abraham and Sara his wife went into 
Egipt, there he taught the Seaven Scyences to the Egip- 
tians ; and he had a worthy fcoller that height Ewclyde, 
and he learned right well, and was a mailer of all the vij 
Sciences liberall. And in his days it befell that the lord 
and the eftates of the realrne had foe many forms that they 
had gotten fome by their wifes and fome by other ladyes 
of the realme; for that land is a hott land and a plentious 
of getieracion. And they had not competent livelode to 
find with their children : wherefore they made much care. 
And then the King of the land made a great counfell and 
a parliament, to witt how they might find their children 
honeitly as gentlemen. And they could find noe maimer 
of good way. And then they did crye through all the 
realme, if there were any man that could enforme them, 
that he fhould come to them, and he fhould be foe re¬ 
warded for his travill, that he fhould hold him pleafed. 
“After that this cry was made, then came this worthy 
clarke Ewclyde, and faid to the King, and to all his great 
lords : “ If yee will, take me your children to governe, 
and to teach them one of the Seaven Scyences, wherewith 
they may live honeitly as gentlemen fhould, under a cori- 
dicion that yee will grant me and them a commiflion that 
I may have power to rule them after the manner that the 
Science ought to be ruled. And that the Kinge and all 
his counlell granted to him anone, and fealed their coirt- 
miflion. And then this worthy doiflor tooke to him thefe 
lords’ fonns, and taught them the fcyence of Geometrie in 
praftife, for to worke in (tones all manner of worthy worke 
that belongeth to buildinge churches, temples, ■caftells, 
towres, and mannors, and all other manner of buildings; 
and he gave them a charge on this manner. 
“ The firft was, that they fhould be true to the Kinge, 
and to the lord that they owe. And that they fhould love 
well together, and be true each one to-othcr. And that 
they fhould call each other his fellowe, or elfe brother, 
and not his fervant, nor his knave, nor none other fotile 
name. And that truly they fhould deferve the>r paie of the 
lord, or of the mafter that they lerve. And that they 
fhould ordaine the wifeft of them to be mafter of the 
worke; and nether for love nor great lynneadge, ne fitches, 
ne for noe favour, to lett another that hath little conning 
for to be mafter of the lord’s .worke, wherethrough the 
lord fhould be evtil ferved and they afhamed. And alfo 
that they fhould call their governor of the worke Mafter, 
in the time that they worke with him. And other many 
moe charges that longe to tell. And to all thefe charges 
he made them to fweare a great oath that men ufed in that 
time; and ordayned for them reafonable wages that they 
might live honeitly by. And alfo that they fhould come 
and femble together every yeare once, how they might 
worke belt to ferve the lord for his profitt, and to the,if 
owne worfhipp ; and to correiit within themfelves, him 
that 
