Difficulty Of Ascertaining The Age Of Undated Old Masonic Mss.

Here is a specimen of Robert of Gloucester ' srhyming chronicle . Helived during the time of Edward the 1 st . This therefore , Avas the English in Gloucestershire at the close of the 13 th century : —

" Engelond ys a vrcl god fond , ich wene of echo loud best , Y-set in tlio ende of tlie world , as al in the west The see goth liym al about , lie stont as an yle Here fon lies durra the lasso donte , but liit be throw gyle , Of folc of tho selve he ys long eight hondred myle . "

Here is an extract from the Fabric Bolls of York Minster , 1370 : "Itte es ordayned by ye Ohapitre of ye Kirk of Saint Petyr of York yat all ye masounes yt sail wyrke till ye Averkes of ye same Kirk Saynte Petyr , sail

fra Mighelmesse day untill the firste Sonday of Lentyn . " ( Notice the different spelling of Saint )

The last specimen comes up to the style of our Masonic poem . But to SIIOAV that the modernization of our language did not advance spontaneously throughout the kingdom , Ave copy the folloAving from Disraeli ' s Amenities of

Literature , Avritten by a Kentish monk for the instruction or edification of the humbler classes in 1340 :

" Nou ich wills that ye ywite hou hitt is ywent Thet this Boe is ywrite mid Englis ' of Kent , This Boc is ymade vor lewede men Vor Vader and for Moder and vor otlier Ken . " The following brief epitaph upon the death of Caxton 1491 will ive an idea

, , g of the English at the close of the 15 th century : " Moder of Mere ! shyld him from thorrbul fynd Anil bring hym to ly if eternal that neuerhath yiuV And here are the titles of a Bible and

of a NCAV Testament of 1537 : "The Byble which is all the Holy Scripture , in Avhych are contayned the Okie and Kewe Testament truly and purely translated into Englysli . "— - " Hearcken to ye heavens and thou earth geaue eare , For the Lorde speaketh . "— " The Newe Testament of our Sauyor Jesu Christ ,

newly and dylygently translated into Englyshe , with annotacions in the mergent . To help the reader to the viiderstaiidyng of the text" ( notice here again the spelling of Englysli , and Englyshe . Oirthe title page of a Bible of 1539 , it is spelt Englyshe , and Englysshe ) .

We have already shown that the English language , inits development , Avas not uniform throughout the kindgom ; that in Kent in the 14 th century , it AA'as a century behind to what it Avas in York . Disraeli quotes Caxton , that in

his time ( the close of the 15 th century ) , " The English spoken in the Weald of Kent Avas as broad and rude English as is spoken in any place in the kingdom . " Therefore in examining undated MSS ., Avhere we have to rely wholly on the

evidence Aidiich its idiom affords , we should at least avoid expressing with certainty the precise age of such MS ., unless Ave knoAv the plac e of its birth . Thus , if ive kneAv that our Masonic poem Avas Avritten in LondonAve might fix its

, age to about the close of the 14 th century . But on the other hand , if it Avas a Kentish production , then it might have been Avritten one hundred years later . There are , hoAvever , other evidences connected with our MSS .,

about AAdiich Ave may express ourselves Avith more certainty . First , the purely Roman Catholic tone of the older MS . demonstrates clearly that it Avas written before the Reformation . And second , the total absence of all allusions to

Roman Catholicism and its peculiar dogmas , is in our opinion sufficient eAddence that the Mattheiv Cooke MS . Avas not compiled until after the Reformation .

Once more Ave beg most respectfully to remind our brethren , Avhen Avriting for the Masonic press upon any doubtful or disputed question , not to content themselves Avith merely saying , ' I have no doubt it is so , " but to furnish for our information , full reason for the faith that is in them .