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

114 BOOK
BRAHMANISM
or the Book Revealing Light to the Soul . Great
dependence was had, as to the immediate
attainment of celestial happiness, upon the
human knowledge of this wonderful Book,
especially of the principal chapters . On a
sarcophagus of the eleventh dynasty (chronology
of Prof . Lepsius, say B .C. 2420) is this
inscription : "He who knows this book is one
who, in the day of the resurrection of the underworld,
arises and enters in ; but if he does not
know this chapter, he does not enter in so soon
as he arises." The conclusion of the first chapter
says : "If a man knows this book thoroughly,
and has it inscribed upon his sarcophagus, he
will be manifested in the day in all the forms
that he may desire, and entering into his
abode will not be turned back " (Tiele's Hist.
Egypttan Rel ., p . 25.)
The Egyptian belief was that portions of
the Book were written by the finger of Thoth,
back in the mist of tune, B.C . 3000 . The
one hundred and twenty-fifth chapter describes
the last judgment . The oldest preserved
papyrus is of the eighteenth dynasty
(B.c . 1591, Lep .) . The most perfect copy of
this Book is in the Turin Museum, where it
covers one side of the walls, in four pieces,
300 feet in length .
The following extract is from the first chapter
:
"Says Thot to Osiris, King of Eternity, I
am the great God in the divine boat ; I fight
for tbee ; I am one of the divine chiefs who are
the TRUE LIVING WORD of Osiris. I am Thot,
who makes to be real the word of Horus
against his enemies . The word of Osiris
against his enemies made truth in Thot, and
the order is executed by Thot . I am with
Horns on the day of celebrating the festival of
Osiris, the good Being, whose Word is truth ;
I make offerings to Ra (the Sun) ; I am a simple
priest in the underworld, anointing in
Abydos, elevating to higher degrees of initiation
; I am pro het in Abydos on the day of
opening or upheaving the earth . I behold
the mysteries of the door of the underworld ;
I direct the ceremonies of Mendes ; I am the
assistant in the exercise of their functions ;
I A s GRAND MASTER OF THE CRAFrSZeEN
WHO SET UP THE SACRED ARCH FOR A SUP-
PORT ." (See Truth .)
Book of the Fraternity of Stonemasons .
Some years ago, a manuscript was discovered
in the archives of the city of Cologne bearing
the title of Bruderschaftsbuch der Steinmetzen,
with records going back to the year 1396 .
Steinbrenner ( . andEarly Hist. of Masonry,
p . 104) says : "It fully confirms the conclusions
to be derived from the German Constitutions,
and those of the English and Scotch Masons,
and conclusively proves the inauthenticity of
the celebrated Carter of Cologne ."
Books, Anti-Masonic. See Anti-Masonic
Books .
Border, Tesselated . See Tesselated Border .
Bosonlen, The (or Bossonius) . The
Fourth Degree of the African Architects also
called the "Christian Philosopher." (Thory,
A . L ., i ., 297 .)
Boswell, John (of Auchinleck) . A Scottish
laird of the family of the biographer of Dr .
Johnson . His appearance in the Lodge of
Edinburgh at a meeting held at Holyrood in
June, 1600, affords the earliest authentic instance
of a person being a member of the Masonic
Fraternity who was not an architect or
builder by profession. He signed his name
and made his mark as did the Operatives .
Bourn . A limit or boundary ; a word familiar
to the Mason in the Monitorial Instructions
of the Fellow-Craft's Degree, where he is
directed to remember that we are traveling
upon the level of time to that undiscovered
country from whose bourn no traveler returns
; and to the reader of Shakespeare, from
whom the expression is borrowed, in the beautiful
soliloquy of Hamlet :
"Who would fardels bear,
To grunt and sweat under a weary life ;
But that the dread of something after death-
The undiscovered country, from whose bourn
No traveller returns-puzzles the will."
Act III ., Scene 1 .
Box of Fraternal Assistance . A box of
convenient shape and size under the charge of
the Hospitaler or Almoner, in the Modern
French and A. A. Scottish Rites, wherein is
collected the obligatory contributions of the
duly assembled Brethren at every convocation,
which collections can only be used for secret
charitable purposes, first among the members,
but if not there required, among worthy profane
; the Master and the Hospitaler being
the only ones cognizant of the name of the
beneficiary, together with the brother who
suggests an individual in need of the assistance
.
Box-Master . In the Lodges of Scotland
the Treasurer was formerly sometimes so
called . Thus, in the minutes of the Lodge of
Journeymen Masons of Edinburgh, it was resolved,
on December 27, 1726, that the Warden
be instructed "to uplift and receive for the use
of the society all such sum or sums of money
which are due and indebted to them or their
former Box-masters or his predecessors in
office ."
Boys' School . The Royal Masonic Institution
for Boys is a charity of the Masons
of England . It was founded in the year 1798,
for clothing and educating the sons of indigent
and deceased Brethren, according to the situation
in life they are most probably destined to
occupy, and inculcating such religious instruction
as may be conformable to the tenets of
their parents and ultimately apprenticing
them to suitZle trades . It is still existing in
a flourishing condition . Similar schools have
been established by the Masons of France
and Germany .
Brahmanism . The religious system practised
by the Hindus . It presents a profound
.and spiritual philosophy, strangely blended
with the basest superstitions. The Veda is
the Brahmanical Book of the Law, although
the older hymns springing out of the primitive
Aryan religion have a date far anterior to that