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SUBLIME MASTER ELECTED. 123
higher, which had been vacated by their promotion.
Twelve of these fifteen he elected Sublime Knights,
and made the selection by ballot, that he might give
none offence, putting the names of the whole in an
urn. The first twelve that were drawn he formed
into a Chapter, and gave them command over the
twelve tribes. He gave them the name of Emeth,
which is a Hebrew word signifying a true man. He
exhibited to them the precious things which were de-
posited in the tabernacle. These, my brother, are
the chief objects delineated on our tracing-board,
and these you should make the constant subject of
your reflections. These last three degrees consti-
tute what are called the "Elu degrees" of the
Ancient and Accepted Scottish rite. They elucidate
a particular part of the legendary history of Freema-
sonry, and constitute a peculiar system which is
necessarily contained in every rite. In the York
rite the Elus are combined into one, and form a part
of the third degree. In the French rite they consti-
tute a separate degree, called " Elu," and forming
the fourth degree of that rite. In some of the other
systems of Masonry the Elus have been divided into
numerous degrees, but their purport is always the
same—to give details of the detection and punish-
ment, by chosen or elected brethren, of those mur-
derers who first stained the escutcheon of Freema*
sonry by an atrocious crime.