Mackey A G - Encylopedia of Freemasonry - The Grand Masonic ...

1 12 BOOK
BOOK
Book of Constitutions . The Book of
Constitutions is that work in which is contained
the rules and regulations adopted for
the government of the Fraternity of Freemasons
. Undoubtedly, a society so orderly
and systematic must always have been governed
by a prescribed code of laws ; but, in
the lapse of ages, the precise regulations which
were adopted for the direction of the Craft in
ancient times have been lost. The earliest
record that we have of any such Constitutions
is in a manuscript, first quoted, in 1723, by
Anderson (Constitutions, 1723, pp . 32, 33),
which he said was written in the reign of Edward
IV. Preston (p 182, ed . 1788) quotes the
same record, and adds, that "it is said to have
been in the possession of the famous Elias
Ashmole, and unfortunately destroyed," a
statement which had not been previously
made by Anderson . To Anderson, therefore,
we must look in our estimation of the authenticity
of this document ; and that we cannot
too much rely upon his accuracy as a transcriber
is apparent, not only from the internal
evidence of style, but also from the
fact that he made important alterations in
his copy of it in his edition of 1738 . Such
as it is, however, it contains the following
particulars •
"Though the ancient records of the Brotherhood
in England were many of them destroyed
or lost in the wars of the Saxons and Danes,
yet King Athelstan (the grandson of King
Alfrede the Great, a mighty Architect), the
first anointed king of England, and who translated
the Holy Bible into the Saxon tongue
(A .n. 930), when he had brought the land
into Rest and Peace, built many great works,
and encourag'd many Masons from France,
who were appointed Overseers thereof, and
brought with them the Charges and Regulations
of the Lodges preserv'd since the
Roman times, who also prevail'd with the
King to improve the Constitution of the English
Lodges according to the foreign Model,
and to increase the Wages of Working Masons .
"The said king's youngest son, Prince
Edwin, being taught Masonry, and taking
upon him the Charges of a Master Mason, for
the love he had to the said Craft and the honourable
Principles whereon it is grounded,
purchased a free charter of King Athelstan his
Father, for the Masons having a Correction
among themselves (as it was anciently express'd),
or a Freedom and Power to regulate
themselves, to amend what might happen
amiss, and to hold a yearly Communication
and General Assembly .
"Accordingly, Prince Edwin summoned all
the Masons in the Realm to meet him in a
Congregation at York, who came and composed
a General Lodge, of which he was Grand
Master ; and having brought with them all
the Writings and Records extant, some in
Greek, some in Latin, some in French, and
other languages, from the Contents thereof
that Assembly did frame the Constitution and
Charges of an En$lish Lodge, and made a law
to preserve and obserpe the same in all time
coming, and ordain'd good Pay for Working
Masons, &c."
Other records have from time to time been
discovered, most of them recently, which
prove beyond all doubt that the Fraternity of
Freemasons was, at least in the fourteenth,
fifteenth, sixteenth, and seventeenth centuries,
in possession of manuscript Constitutions contain
mg the rules and regulations of the Craft .
In the year 1717, Freemasonry which had
somewhat fallen into decay in tie south of
England, was revived by the organization of
the Grand Lodge at London ; and in the next
year, the Grand Master having desired, says
Anderson, "any brethren to bring to the
Grand Lodge any old writings and records
concerning Masons and Masonry, in order to
show the usages of ancient times, several old
copies of the Gothic Constitutions were
produced and collated ." (Constitutions, 1738,
p . 110.)
But these Constitutions having been found
to be very erroneous and defective, probably
from carelessness or ignorance in their frequent
transcription, in September, 1721, the
Duke of Montagu, who was then Grand Master,
ordered Bro. James Anderson to digest
them "in a new and better method ." (Ibid .,
p . 113 .)
Anderson having accordingly accomplished
the important task that had been assigned
him, in December of the same year a committee,
consisting of fourteen learned Brethren,
was appointed to examine the book ; and,
in the March communication of the subsequent
year, having reported their approbation
of it, it was, after some amendments,
adopted by the Grand Lodge and published,
in 1723, under the title of h e Constitutions
of the Freemasons, containing the History,
Charges, Regulations, etc ., of that Most Ancient
and Right Worshipful Fraternity . For the use
of the Lodges .
A second edition was published in 1738
under the superintendence of a committee of
GrandOfficers. (Ibid .,p . 133 .) But this edition
contained so many alterations, interpolations,
and omissions of the Charges and Regulations
as they appeared in the first, as to show the
most reprehensible inaccuracy in its composition,
and to render it utterly worthless except
as a literary curiosity. It does not seem
to have been very popular, for the printers, to
complete their sales, were compelled to commit
a fraud, and to present what they pretended
to be a new edition in 1746, but which
was really only the edition of 1738, with a new
title-page neatly pasted in, the old one being
canceled .
In 1754, Bro . Jonathan Scott presented a
memorial to the Grand Lodge, "showing the
necessity of a new edition of the Book of Constitutions."
It was then ordered that the book
"should be revised, and necessary alterations
and additions made consistent with the laws
and rules of Masonry" ; all of which would
seem to show the dissatisfaction of the Fraternity
with the errors of the second edition .
Accordingly, a third edition was published is