Duncan's Ritual of Freemasonry.pdf - FatimaMovement

secret vault under ground, leading from
Solomon's most retired apartment, a due west
course, and ending under the sanctum sanctorum
of the Temple, to be divided into nine separate
arches. The ninth arch was to be the place for
holding the grand council, and also for a deposit
of a true copy of all those things which were
contained in the sanctum sanctorum above.
"After the ninth arch was completed, the three
Grand Masters deposited therein those things
which were important to the craft, such as the
Ark of the Covenant, a pot of manna, the rod of
Aaron, the book of the law, etc.p. 254
"Prior to the completion of the Temple, Grand
Master Hiram Abiff was assassinated, and by his
death the Master's Word was lost. The two kings
were willing to do all in their power to preserve
the Sacred Word, and as they could not
communicate it to any, by reason of the death of
Hiram, they agreed to place it in the secret vault,
that if the other treasures were ever brought to
light, the Word might be found also."--Fellows's
Inquiry into the Origin, History, and Purport of
Freemasonry, pp. 308, 309.