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introduction
MASONIC TREATISE with
an ELUCIDATION
on
the RELIGIOUS
AND MORAL BEAUTIES
of
FREEMASONRY
W. Finch,
Canterbury
Finch
seems to have fallen from favor and is accused of having
financial motives for his 'Treatise.' Nonetheless his Treatise is
interesting as one of the early masonic catechisms. There were many
'degree peddlars' and expositors in the earlier days of the Craft, to
whom, with a certain degree of 'Thanks' we owe our knowledge of some of
the catechismal Work, of which we would not otherwise have knowledge.
I
believe that AQC has written about Finch and his 'Treatise' [e.g. vol.
LV].
Albert
G. Mackey discusses him in his Encyclopaedia of Freemasonry, in
such glowing terms as:
"Finch,
William.
A Masonic charlatan, who flourished at the end of the last and the
beginning of the present century [sic]. FInch was a tailor in Canterbury,
who, having been expelled for misconduct by the Grand Lodge, commenced a
system of practical Masonry on his own account, and opened a Lodge in his
house, where he undertook to initiate candidates and to give instructions
in Masonry. He published a great number of pamphlets, many of them in
cipher of his own, which he pretended were for the instruction of the
Fraternity.
Finch
found many dupes, and made a great deal of money. But having on one
occasion been sued by an engraver named Smith, for money due for printing
his plates, Finch pleaded an offset of money due by Smith for initiation
and instruction in Masonry. Smith brought the Grand Secretary and other
distinguished Masons into court, who testified that Finch was an imposter.
In consequence of this exposure, Finch lost credit with the community,
and, sinking into obscurity, died sometime after, in abject
poverty."
R.
W. Bro. Gary L. Heinmiller
Notes
The Following remarks on the transliteration of the Finch Ritual
may be of interest:
1. The Codes used by Finch in his cipher Ritual have been given by
Bro. F. M. Rickard in his Paper on "William Finch," in Ars Quatuor
Coronatorum, Vol. LV. p. 241, and less completely in Mackey's
Encyclopedia of Freemasonry, art. "Finch". They are completely
inadequate, however, when it comes to words that are indicated by initial
letters only, or by dots or dashes. I have therefore filled in these
blanks by reference to the corresponding passages in Browne's
Master-Key (2nd Ed. 1802), the current Emulation Lectures
(A. Lewis, 1919), and an almost identical Ritual Working -- the
Vancouver MS. -- now in the possession of Western Gate Lodge,
B.C.R., Vancouver, B. C.
Examples:
|
Finch
|
Transliteration
|
| 3 S 7 hrwsaeew you first p . . . . . . . to be . . . . . 2, |
Bro. S.W. where was you first p. .p. .d to be made a
Mason, |
| What are the emblems of F----- F----- and Z, |
What are the emblems of Freedom, Fervency and Zeal |
| Why ayuosw l . . r . . . . the 4 in so conspicuous a manner, |
Why was you led round the L. in so conspicuous a
manner, |
2. The incompleted transliteration, indicated by dots and initials
in the second column above, is explained by the practise carried out in
the Emulation Lectures, where certain significant words are so
treated, to "hele and conceal" where required. Similar initials and blank
spaces have been preserved throughout this transliteration, wherever the
same words appear in Emulation so treated. They should present no
difficulty to the "industrious craftsman".
3. Uncertain passages as well as interpolations are indicated by
double parentheses ((like this)) or by square brackets [like this]. In
some instances, the source of the suggested equivalent is given.
Examples:
| Finch |
Transliteration
|
| By this I presume y . . ar . a M----, |
By this I presume you are a Mason, |
| So take, etc. |
So taken [ and accepted among Brother and
Fellows.Emulation |
| On what, |
On what, |
| . .t . . .p---- of a . . . . . or some s---- i---- etc. |
On the P. of [ a sword ] or some S. I. [ extended to my n. l. b.
-- Browne ]. |
| Consisting of how many S . . . . , . . . , . . . . . ,. . . . .
. . , or . . . . . . . . . . . |
Consisting of how many S . . . s, [ Three, five, sevenor eleven.
-- Vancouver ]. |
4. Single parentheses are as in the original (like this), except in
the case of obvious explanatory interpolations or corrections. Omitted
letters or words have been filled in, and are indicated by square brackets
in the customary manner. Typographical errors, however, or errors in
spelling, have been preserved as in the original.
Alexander Horne
San Francisco, 1956.
This reset edition varies from the dittoed copy used as the source
for this edition because:
1. The ditto ink was
too faded and blurred to be reproduced by other than resetting the type,
also the paper was very aged and mottled with ditto ink.
2. The format has been
streamlined with more legible text, justified margins, section headings
and such other 'computer age' enhancements as would assist the reader
and/or researcher.
The original MS. has been faithfully reproduced to include
grammatical, punctuation and spelling errors. Long passages have been
broken at such points as colons and semicolons to assist the reader in
comprehending the material. The Masonic world abounds in variations of the
Ritual, each one helps to shed a little light on the overall theme of the
allegory concealed within. Masonry is more than a social or beneficent
organization. Deeply concealed within the 'Ritual' are ageless Teachings
and Truth, awaiting the those dedicated few who would, with a True Heart,
Knock.
This Ritual is said to represent a working used by Wm. Finch, and
to some extent by others, around the turn of the century (ca 1802). Among the many elements within
this work are three entire ‘Sections’ comprising no less than 69 Questions
and Answers given over to a very minute analysis and description of the
Temple (KST), its location, its architectural features, and its
appurtenances. (King Solomon’s Temple in the Masonic Tradition,
pgs. 139 & 140, by Alex
Horne [the ‘transliterator’ of this Ritual], The Aquarian Press, 1972.)
G. L. H.
Liverpool, New York
December
1995
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