The Kevan
Manuscript
The Form of Giving the Mason Word
Webmaster Note: Document
left as found.
Discovered 1954 among a collection of
old legal documents by Bro. P. D. Kevan and presented to the Grand Lodge of
Scotland. Believed to be
circa 1714-1720
The Person qo is to geet ye
word is put upon his knees, & after a grate many Serimonys to frighten him they
make him take up the Bible & Laying his right hand upon it, they Conjure him by
Severall thretings yt if he shall brake his Oath; The Sun in ye
Firmament & all ye Company there present will be witnesses agt
him qh will be ye occasione of his Damnatione & yt
Likewise they’l be sure to Murder him : Then after he has sworne
secrsie they wille give him the Oath as Follows /
By :
God himselfe & as you shall answer to God qh you shall Stand naked
befor him a ye grate day of Judgment /
you shall
not reveall any poynt of what you shall see or hear at this time neither by word
or writing at any time or /
draw it wt
ye poynt of a Sword or any other instrument upon ye Snow,
or Sand, Nor shall you Speake of it but wt /
an Entered
Measone . . So hele me God /
After he has
taken the oath he is removed out of ye Company wt ye
yowngast Masone, where after he is Suffieintly frightn / ed wt a
thousand Grimasses & posturs He is to Learn from ye Sd Mason ye
manner of Making [the due guard] which is the Signs and Posturs (Signs Postures
and words] of / his [entry] qh are a follow Here come I ye
youngast & Last Entered prentise, as I am sworne by God & St. John by ye
Square & Campass / & common Judge to attend my Mrs : service at ye
Honourable Lodge from Munday Morning till Setturdays night to keep ye
Keys thereof under no Less paine then to have my tounge cut out under my Chinn &
to be buryed wtin ye flood marke wher / no man shall know
/
Then he
makes ye Signe again qh is by Drawing his hand under his
Chin alonge his throate qh denotes it is to be Cut in case he broke
his worde Then all yy Masons present whisper the word amongst
emselves beginning [at the youngest] till it / come to ye Mr
Masone, qo gives ye worde to the entered Prentise /
Now it is to
be Marked yt all ye Signs & words as yet spoken off are
only qt belongs to Entered prentises but to [be] a Mr : /
Masone or fellow craft [there is more to be done as after follows] : First all ye
Prentices are to be removed out of the Company & none Suffered to stay by only /
Mrs : Then [he] qo is to be admitted a member of
fellowship is put again to his knees & geets ye oath administered to
him anew / Afterward he most go out of the Company wt ye
youngast Mr to Learne the word & Signs of fellowship yn
comming / inn again he makes ye Mr Signs of fellowship &
says the same words of entry [as the apprentice did] only keeping out ye
Coming [Common] Judge ( i.e. a gauge or template used as a guide in cutting
stones; in Jamieson’s Scottish Dictionary, a Jedge is a gauge or
standard.) yn ye Mrs / whisper the word among
emselves beginning at ye youngest as befor, Afterwards ye younge
masone advancess & puts him selfe in a posture wherein he is to receive ye
word & says to them : The Honourable company ye worthy Masons
& / honourable company yt I come from Greet you well, Greet you well,
Greete you well /
[Then the
master {Mason} gives him the word and gripes his hand after the masons way {and
afterwards, all the Masons - Chetwode Crawley MS.} which is all that is to be
done to make him a perfect mason. - Edinburgh Register House MS.]
Some Questions that Masons use to put
to these who profess to have ye Mason word befor they wille
Acknowlagde them /
| 1.
Are you a
Masone, |
Answer Yes endeed I
am /
|
| 2.
How shall I
know that |
Anr : In
time and place convenient Not[e] : This answer isonly
to be made when there / are company present qo are not masons,
Bot if there be no such company by you you should answer, by Signs & /
tokens & other poynts of Entry /
|
| 3. What is the
first poynt of Entry ? |
anr
: tell me the first & I’l tell thee the seacond : The first is tohear
& Conseal / The Second under no Hell [less] pain (Drawing the right Hand
from the Left ear to the right) yn Cutting yr Throat,
[for you must make that sign when you say that] /
|
| 4.
Where way you
Entred ? |
Anr : Att
Honowrable Lodge /
|
| 5.
What makes a
true & perfect Lodge ? |
ar : 7 : Mrs :
5 Prenices & a days Jurny from a Burrowghs toun wtout / barke of
Doge or crow of Cocke /
|
| 6.
Doeth no less
make a true & Perfet lodge ? |
ar
: 4 Mrs 3 entered Prentices & ye rest as befor [the
Edingurgh text says : “. . . five masons and three entered apprentices
&c.”] /
|
| 7.
Dose no Less ? |
Ar : The
Mo the Mirryer & ye fewer the better Chear /
|
| 8.
What is the
name of your Lodge |
Ar : The
Lodge of Killewinning /
|
| 9.
How Stands you
Lodge ? |
Anr :
Easte & west as the Temple of Jerusalem /
|
| 10.
Where was the
first Lodge ? |
Ar : In
the Porch of Sollomons Temple /
|
| 11.
Are there Lights
in your Lodge ? |
Anr :
Three, ye North East, Southwest, & Easters [Eastern] passages ye
first / denots the Mr Masone, the Second the word {Words -
Chetwode] [warden - Edinburgh] the third the fellowcraft [ffellow-Craft -
Chetwode] {setter croft - Edinburgh] /
|
| 12. Are there
any Jewells in you Lodge ? |
Anr
: Three, a Perpendester [Perpend-ashlar] a Square
Pavement & a covered Kinall [broked-mall
- Chetwode - probably correct; i.e. a heavy maul for striking the chisel
when the face of a stone in ‘broached’ i.e. indented or furrowed] [Broad
ovall - Edinburgh] /
|
| 13. Where Shall
I find the Key of you Lodge? |
Anr
: Three foot & an Half from the Lodge door under a / Perpendaster [Perpend-ashlar]
[and a] Green Divot /
|
| 14. What do you
mean by a Perpendester & green Divot ? |
Anr
: I mean not noly under a Perpendester I green / Divot, but under the Lape
of my Liver where all Secrets of my Hart Lie [Edinburgh makes one question
of nos. 13 and 14.] /
|
| 15. Which is the
Key of you Lodge ? |
Anr : A
well Hunge tounge /
|
| 16. Where Lys yt
Key ? |
anr : In
The Bone Box /
|
|
After
The Masons have Examened You by all or Some of these Questions & yt
/ you Have answered em Exactly [and made the sign(s)] ; they will
acknowladge you as a Prenticer /
But not as a Mason or Fellow Craft /
|
17.
So they will say
We see you have been in the Kitchin but know not yt you have been
in ye Hall
|
Anr : I
have / been in the Hall as well as in the Kitchin / |
| 18.
Are you a Fellow
Craft |
Anr : Yes
/
|
| 19.
How many Poynts of
Fellowship are there |
Anr : 5 : Viz: Foot to
Foot, Knee to Knee, Harte to / Harte, Hand to Hand, & Ear to Eare, qh
make the Signs of Fellowship ; & shake hands, & / You wille be Acknowladged
to be a true Masone / The Worde is in I : Kings 7 : 21 : & in 2d
: Chron 3d : Last Varse the wholl / Varse but especially the
words Jachin & Boaz. |
Transcribed by R\W\
Gary L. Heinmiller, Area 11 Historian, Grand Lodge of the State of New York, Feb
1998.
Ref:
Knoop and
Jones, The Early Masonic Catechisms, Manchester University Press, 1963;
also AQC
(Photographic Reproduction) Vol. 47, page 139. 1954, with notes by Bro. G. S.
Draffen.
See also
the “Edinburgh Register House MS,” 1696, discovered in 1930 by Bro. Charles T.
McInnes in the Old Register House Historical Dept., Edinburgh, among a number of
old documents transferred in 1808 from the Court of Session.
and the
“Chetwode Crawley MS,” ca. 1700, purchased ca. 1900 from a second-hand collector
& found in one of the volumes of a lot purchase.
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