The Wilson Manuscript Constitution.

woulde not droAvne in any water . Our intent is to tell you truly IIOAV and in y' maner theis stones Avere found where in theis Sciences were written . The greate Hermarines that Avas Cubies sonne the which Cube Avas Sem ' s sonne that Avas fSToe ' s sonne . Thies same

Hermarines Avas afterwards called Hermes the Father of wisdome hee found one of the Pillers of Stone and founde the sciences Avritten therein , and he taught it to other men . And att the makeing of the tower of Babilon there Avas Masonrie made much of . And the King of Babilon y' light Nemrod Avas a mason himselfe as it is said Avith

maisters of histories . And Avhen the Cittie of Ninivie and other Citties of the East shoulde bee made Nemrod the Kinge of Babilon sente thither masons at the request of the Kinge of Nynivie his cozen . And when he sent

them forth he gave them a charge in this manner . That they shoulde bee true one to another . And that they shoulde love trulie togeather . And that they should serve the lord truly for their paye soe that y M may have Avorshipp and all that longe to him . And otherrnoe charges he gave them , and this Avas the first time that ever

any mason had any charge of his Crafte . Moreover Avhen Abraham and Sara his wife Avent into Egipt and there taught the seaven sciences to the E gyptions he had a Avoorthy Schollar that night Euclide and he learned right

well and Avas a maister of the vii . Sciences And in his daies it befell that the Lords and the Estates of the Realme had so many sonnes that they had gotten some by their wives and some by other ladies of the realme for that

land is a hot land and plenteous of generation And they had noe competeiiteHvelihodeto finde their children wherefore they tooke mutch care And then the kinge of the lande made a peate counsel ! and a parliam to Avitt

how they maight finde their children honestl y as gentlemen and they coulde hnde noe good maner of Avaie And then ud they proclairne throghe all the

realeme , that if there Avere any man that coulde enforme them that he shoulde come unto them and he shoulde bee soe reAvarded for his travell that hee shoulde hold him Avell pleased . After that this crye Avas made then came

this Avoorthy clarke Euclide and said to the Kinge and to all his greate Lords . If ye will take mee your children to governe I Avill teache them one of the seaven sciences Avherewith they may live honestly as gentlemen shoulde

under a condicon that yee Avoulde graunt me them that I may have power to rule them after the maner that the science ought to bee ruled And that the kinge and all his counsell graunted anon and sealed the commission And then this

Avoorthy clerke tooke to him theis lords sonnes and taught them the science of Geometrie in practicke for to Avoorke in stones allmanner of woorthie woorkers that belongeth to buildinge churches O O temples , castles Towers and mamcors

and all other buildings , and he gave them a charge in this maner . The first is that they should be true

to the Kinge and to the Lorde that they serve and that they shoulde love Avell together and bee true eache to other Arui they should call eache other his felloAve or else his brother and not his servante nor lis knave nor none other

foAvle name , and that they should trulie deserve their pay of the Lorde or the Maister of the Avoorke that they serve and that they should orclaine the Avisest of them to bee maister of the Avoorke and neyther for loA e nor lyuage riches

or favour to sett another that hath little cunninge to be maister of the Lorde ' s Avoorke Avhereby the Lord should bee evil served and thei ashamed , And also that they should call the gouvernor of the Avoorke maister in the time that

they Avoorke Avith him And other manie moe charges which are to longe to tell . And to all theis charges he made them SAvere a greate oath that men used in that time and ordained for them reason ; able paye Avhereby they might live honestly . And also that they should come and assemble together every yeare 2 E 2