Masonic Archaeology.

tell almost at a glance whether the MS . was written in the 8 th , or 9 th , or 12 th , or 15 th , or 17 th century , as the case may he . But , in their case , a long study of the handwriting of the past has made

them observant of pecularities which would escape a less competent judge of older handwriting , and the turn of a letter , the character of some particular portion of the MS . itself , the very abbreviations and contractions

employed , which are practically Hebrew to the unexpert student , are to them indisputable witnesses of the age of the entire MS . Hence the study of our Masonic MSS . requires a good deal of caution

and of care . It is idle , and worse than idle , for writers to do , as they so often do , in respect of manuscripts , non-Masonic as well as Masonic , to affect to decide upon the age of MSS . by printed extracts of MSS . which they have not

themselves seen . No manuscript ' s true age can be arrived at possibly in this way with anything like reliability . To realize the bearing of minute differences of handwriting , as they

affect the question of successive generations , you must carefully peruse , in a judicial frame of mind , the manuscript itself , with no pet theory , and no preconceived opinion . You must compare it with other manuscripts of the same

age as is supposed , and with MSS . later and earlier . You must note not only the contractions and abbreviations , hut you must carefully observe the archaisms , and well-known forms of expression which are found in like documents .

Manuscripts in vellum , as a general rule , do not afford us much , if any clue to their age , by the material on which they are written , though " experts " can even find certain "indiche" of age , even on manuscript or vellum or

parchment , as we generally term it . There are no doubt some appearances of vellum which seem to betoken either a great antiquity , or even a special

epoch . But they are not altogether to be relied upon , and , as a general rule , the " expert" prefers to trust to his knowledge of the characters thereon traced by some long defunct scribe . In MSS . on paper we have the

water mark to go by , which , as we shall see later , sometimes helps us a little in the investigation of age and date . The oldest Masonic manuscript , so far known , is what is termed the " Masonic Poem" in the British Museumand

, , which is now being re-published in the Magazine in a modernized garb . This is , as many of us well know , a long poem , probably written by a priest or monk , and not later at any rate , than the middle of the 15 th century .

Some writers however place it earlier , as Mr . Halliwell , who gives it the date of 1390 , and in this date Mr . Wallhran agreed . Casley apparently regarded it as a 14 th century MS ., but Mr . E . A . Bond ,

the present keeper of the MS ., British Museum , is of opinion that the MS . belongs to the middle of the 15 th century . In a letter he wrote to me , dated July 29 th , this year , he repeats that opinion , "the first half of the 15 th century . "

In my opinion the approximate date is not worth contesting , though I confess I see no reason to dissent from the opinion I have before expressed , despite Mr . Bond ' s admittedly high authority , that the poem may be considered as a

14 th century poem . This poem , not later confessedly , under any circumstances , than the first half of the 15 th century , is composed of two if not three portions . It has , in my opinion , two distinct

" ordiuaciones , " probably writen by the transcriber or compiler from the MS . lie had seen " aforetime wryten . " The first ordinacio ends with the Articles and the "Poynts , " and then commences "Alia Ordinacio" which

, , though very short , is certainly different from the preceding , and has in it that important passage to which Mr . Sims asked my special attention , which