The Old Charges Of The British Freemasons.

description of the " Seven Sciences , " though unusual , is not out of place when addressed to professed Christians as the Charge undoubtedly was in 1581 , and so also in 1674 . The " Apprentice Charge , " after the ordinary laws , is not in the " Kilwinning MS . as in the Melrose , neither is it in the " Aberdeen " and "Aitcheson Haven" MSS . The rehearsal of the "Covenant" is another peculiarity of the " Melrose . " To conclude , we desire to thank Bro . Vernon

for his discovery on behalf of the Craft Universal .

WITH ye might of ye father of Heaven with ye wisdome of Ye glorious sone , ancl through ye Goodness of ye holy Ghost that be thrie persons in one Godhead , be with us at our beginning ancl give us grace as to Instruct us heir in our beginning that we may come to his bless that never shall have an end Amen . All Brethren and folloues our purpose is to teach you and what maid ye sience of Masonvie to begin and after found out by wortbie King PRIAMTJS and by many other Worshipfnll men , also to these that be heir present we will

Declare ye charge for every treu mason to Keip in faith which is worthie to be keipit in masonrie for a worthie sience . For there is VII . Liberall siences , of ye which ye names of them be these , Te first is GRAMMAR ancl that teacheth a man to speake trnely ancl write truely . Te second is RHETORICK and that teacheth a man to speake fair in some terms . Te third is LOGICK and that teacheth a man to deserne truth from falsehood . Te fourth is ARITHMETICS and that teacheth a man to reckon all kind of numbers . Te fifth is GEOMETRIE

that teacheth a man to mette the height breadth lenth and thickness of all things . The sixth is MUSICK that teacheth any man the sience of sound of voice Tongue , Organ , Harp ancl Trumpett . The seventh , ASTRONOMIE that teaches a man to know , ye course of ye sun ye moon and starrs . These be ye sevin liberall sciences the which seven be all found by ye science that is Geonieetrie , and a man may prove that all ye sciences in ye world was found ont be Geometrie for Geometric teaches a man to mett rnisur pounds raliat

[ ponderation ] ancl weight of all things in ye earth for there is no man that worketh any science , but he worketh by some weight or measure and no man that buyeth or selleth but by some weight and measure and all this is GEOMETRIE , these merchants and all other Chrystian men and all other ye 7 sciences , and especialie plowmen and tillers of ye ground for all manner of grains seeds ancl vines and for all setterssowers and lanters of other fruits

, p , for by Grammer , neither Astronomic nor none of the Seven Liberall sciences can no man find , met , or misure wt out GEOMETRIE therefore ye science was first begun before Noah ' s flood . Ther w as a man called LAMECH as it is written in the fourth Chapter of Genesies verse 19 th Lamech took unto him two wyffes ,

ye name of ye one was ADAH and ye name of ye other was Zillah verse 20 th aud Adah bare Jaball , he was the father of such as dwell in tents ancl of such as have cattell , verse 21 st and his brother ' s name was Tuball , he was the father of such as handle ye Harpe and Organe , verse 22 nd and Zillah shee also bare TUBALL CAIN ancl Instructor of every artificer in Brasse ancl Iron ancl ye sister of Tuball Cain was -Naaniah , and these four children found found ye beginning of all science in ye world , ancl ye elder son Jaball found out Geometrie and he

parted , Hooks of sheijD ancl lands in ye fields and first wrought houses of stone and it is noted in ye chapter forsaid that his brother TUBALL found ye science of musick , toung , song , organe and harpe . The third brother TUBALL CAIN found the science of Gold and Silver , Copper , Iron and Steill ancl ye Daughter NAAMAH found the science of weiving , and these children knew weill that God wold take vengeance for sine either b y fyre or water , therefore they wrot Te Sciences they hacl , in two pillers of stone that they might be found after Noah's flood , ye one stone was MARIHIE , for it would not burne with fyre , ye other is called Latterns for it wold sinke in no waiter .