The Wilson Manuscript Constitution.

THE WILSON MANUSCRIPT CONSTITUTION .

THE BOOKE OF CONSTITUTIONS . THE might of the Father of Heaven and the wisdome of the glorious sone , through the grace & goodnesjof the holy ghost y bene three sons and one God be AV UI us at our beginiiwe and

give us grace soe to govern us hcerein our livinge that wee may come to his blisse that never shall have endinge Amen . Good Brethren , and fellowes our purpose is to tell you ho Ave and in

what mauer Avyse this Avorthy craft of Masonrye Avas begoon And afterwardes how it was kept by worthy Kings and Princes and by many other Avoorshipfull men And also to those that bee heere Avee Avill charge by the charges , that

Iongeth to every free mason to keepe . Eor in good faith and they take good heede to it , it is Avoorthy to be Avell kepte , for it is a Avoorthy craft and a curious science For theie by seaven Liberall Sciences of Avhich seaven it is one of them And the names of the

seaven sciences be theis—The first is Grammar and that teacheth a man to speake trulie and to Avrite truelie . The second is llhretorick and that teacheth a man to speake faire in softe termes . The therde is Dialectick or Logique

and that teacheth a man for to deserne or knoAve truth from falshood . And the forth is Arithmetick Avhich teacheth a man to recon and to counte all manner of number . The fifth is Geometrie and that teacheth a man the mete and

measure of earth and of all other things the A \' (; l 1 science is called Masonrie . And the sixt science is called Musicke and that teacheth a man the craft of songe and voice of tongue and organ harpe and trumpet . And the viith Science is

called Astronomy and that teacheth a man to knoAve the course of the sonne of the moone and of the starres . These bee the seaven liborall sciences The Av seaven bee all found by one science that is to say Geometrie And this may a man prove that all the science of the

Avorld is founde by Geometrie for Geometrie teacheth a man measure Ponderation and AA aight of all manner of things on earth . For their is noe man thatworketh any craft buthe workethb y some mete or measure nor noe man

buyeth or selleth but by some measure or some Avaight . And all this is Geometrie , And theise marchaunts Craftsmen and all other of the vii . Sciences and especially the ploAvman and the tillers of all manner of graine and seedes vine

planters and setters of other fruites are hereby directed for by Grammar nor ["" ToSffiSST *] nor Astronomy ne by any other of all the vii . sciences noe man fmdeth mett or measure AAdthout Geometrie Avherefore me thinketh that

the science of Geometrie is most worth y y' findeth all other . HOAV this worthy science Avas first begoone I shall tell you , Before Noes flovule there was a man . that was called Lameth as it is Avritten in the Bible in

the iiiiChapiter of Genesis . And this Lameth had two Avives the one Avyfe bight Ada and the other Sella . By his first AA-yfe Ada he gote tAvoe sons the one Light Jabell the other Juball and by the other Avyfe Sella hee gatt a sonne and a daughter and theis foAver children found the beginninge of all the Crafts in the Avorld . And the

elder sonne Jabell found the craft of Geometry and he flockes of sheepe and land in the fielde and fursfc Avrought a houses of stone and tree as as it is noted in the Chapter above said and his brother Juball found the Crafte

of Musick , Song of Tonge , harpe , and organ . And the thirde brother Tuballcayn , found Smith's crafte of gould , silver , copper , Yron , and Steele . And the daghter found the crafte of AveaAdng . And theis children kneAV Avell that God

Avoulde doe vengeance for sinne eyther by fyer or Avater . Wherefore they Avrott their sciences that they hadd found in tAA'o pillers of stone that they might be found after Noe ' s Flou . de . And the one AA'as marble for that AVonI . de not burne Avith anie fire . And the other stone Avas called Laternes for that