Transcription Notes:

This Internet file is not an exact copy of the book. Certain liberties have been taken. Ahiman Rezon was intended as a Masonic monitor or handbook, but included an extensive songbook as an appendix. It is only this songbook portion (and a little of the front-matter) which we have endeavored to reproduce here.

It is presented here as a collection of poetry, rather than as songs to be sung. Some of the conventions helpful for singing, such as breaking words into syllables and heavy use of apostrophes for elided 'e's and 'v's, were felt unnecessary and distracting, so some of the 'v's and practically all of the vowels that were apostrophized out have been replaced. Numbering of individual verses has been eliminated. While choruses are noted (except nonsense ones like "derry down, fa la la..."), repeating lines have otherwise been left out. A number of spellings have been modernized (including Free-Mason to Freemason), and typographic errors corrected. Capitalization has been modernized, except that Masonic terms (Freemason, Square, Compass, Plumb, Gauge, Lodge, etc.) and personified traits (Honesty, Virtue, Brotherly-Love, etc.) have been left capitalized, and for consistency, in a few cases even changed to capitalized if they weren't before. This edition used the long-ƒ for s (which is strange, we have seen a reproduction of the 1764 second edition at Pietre Stones (monitor half only, no songbook) and it used the normal modern s throughout). We have endeavored to replace them all with normal 's's, but do let us know if we missed any which remain as 'f's.

The first edition of this book came out in 1756, but this file has been copied from the seventh edition of this book, dated 1803, and contains material written between those dates. Only songs 1-60, the 5 prologues, first 4 epilogues, and the oratorio were in the first edition.

If a more precise rendition is required, a photocopy of the book is available online at Google Books: http://books.google.com/books?id=_k0BAAAAQAAJ&pg=71. The songbook portion covers pages 73-192. The .pdf version page numbers add 7 to Roman numeralled pages, 31 to Arabic numbered pages.

An edited version of the songbook portion of an earlier edition (possibly the 1756 first edition) is available in .pdf format from the RGLE. There are a few minor differences, and it lacks the songs added to later editions; it includes 1-60 plus the 5 Prologues, 5 Epilogues, and the Oratorio.

This book had no artwork nor music scores. The book had a Table of Contents, partially sequential but mostly alphabetized, partially by title but mostly by first line; but no other indexes. Hotlinked MPS indexes of first lines have been compiled at the end of this file. The songbook section contained one verse play, one prose prayer, two collections of toasts, with additional toasts at the end of each of the first 39 songs, and 90 songs, the first 69 numbered sequentially, the remainder unnumbered or in small groups. Most were titled only "Song", but a few had titles or subtitles, and we have compiled a separate index of those.

okl.

AHIMAN REZON:

OR,

A HELP TO A BROTHER.

A NEW EDITION.

Addressed to the

BELFAST ORANGE LODGE,
No. 257,
BY A BROTHER.

To this Edition are added,

A PROLOGUE

And several

MASONS SONGS, &c.

NEVER BEFORE PUBLISHED.

Together with

A LIST OF THE MEMBERS OF
LODGE No. 257,

Also,

A LIST OF THE LODGES IN
BELFAST.

Ahiman Rezon:

OR, A

HELP TO A BROTHER.

SHEWING

The Excellency of Secrecy, and the first Cause of the Institution of FREE-MASONRY; the Principles of the CRAFT, and the Benefits arising from a strict Observance thereof; the Sort of Men that ought to be Initiated into the MYSTERY, and the Kind of MASONS that are fit to govern Lodges, with their proper Behaviour in and out of the Lodge.

The ancient manner of Constituting New LODGES, with all the CHARGES, &c.
Likewise,
The Prayers used in Jewish and Christian Lodges.
Also,
The Old and New REGULATIONS,
The manner of Choosing and Installing GRAND-MASTER AND OFFICERS, &c.
To which is added,
A large collection of Masons Songs, entertaining Prologues and Epilogues,
And SOLOMON'S TEMPLE; An Oratorio.

---

BY BROTHER LAURENCE DERMOTT, SEC.

---

THE SEVENTH EDITION, WITH ADDITIONS.

BELFAST:

PRINTED BY W. MAGEE, M,DCCC,III.

Mousing over asterisks ^[*] will reveal footnotes from the original text, words in red will reveal notes by the transcriber.

THE EDITOR

TO

THE READER

It has been the general custom of all my worthy brethren, who have honoured the Craft with their Books of Constitutions, or Pocket Companions for Free-Masons, to give us a long and pleasing History of Masonry from the Creation to the time of their writing and publishing such accounts, viz. from Adam to Noah, from Noah to Nimrod, from Nimrod to Solomon, from Solomon to Cyrus, from Cyrus to Seleucus Nicator, from Seleucus Nicator to Augustus Cæsar, from Augustus Cæsar to the havock of the Goths, and so on until the revival of the Augustan Style, &c. &c. &c. Wherein they give us an account of the Drawing, Scheming, Planning, Designing, Erecting, and Building of the Temples, Towers, Cities, Castles, Palaces, Theatres, Pyramids, Monuments, Bridges, Walls, Pillars, Courts, Halls, Fortifications, and Labyrinths, with the famous Light-house of Pharos and Colossus at Rhodes, and many other wonderful works performed by the architects to the great satisfaction of the readers, and edification of Freemasons.^[*]

Having called to mind the old proverb, Better out of the world than out of the fashion, I was fully determined to publish a History of Masonry, whereby I did expect to give the world an uncommon satisfaction; and in order to enable myself to execute this great design, I purchased all, or most, of the Histories, Constitutions, Pocket Companions, and other pieces (on that subject) now extent in the English tongue.

My next step was to furnish myself with a sufficient quantity of pens, ink and paper; this being done, I immediately fancied myself an historian, and intended to trace Masonry not only to Adam, in his sylvan Lodge in Paradise, but to give some account of the Craft even before the Creation: And (as a foundation) I placed the following works round about me, so as to be convenient to have recourse to them as occasion should require, viz. Doctor Anderson and Mr. Spratt directly before me, Doctor d'Assigny and Mr. Smith on my right-hand, Doctor Desagulier and Mr. Pennel on my left-hand, and Mr. Scott and Lyon behind me. A copy of (that often called) the original constitution, (said to be in possession of Mr. John Clark, in Paris) and another copy of the same magnitude handed about in England, together with the pamphlet printed at Frankfort, in Germany, I tied up in the Public Advertiser of Friday, October 19, 1753, and threw them under the table.

Having tried my pen, and written a line, not unlike the beginning of a chapter in the Alcoran,^{[* *]} I began to flourish away in the most admirable manner, and in a few days wrote the first volume of the History of Masonry, wherein was a full account of the transactions of the first Grand Lodge, particularly the excluding of the unruly members, as related by Mr. Milton.^[*]

By this time I imagined myself superior to Josephus, Stackhouse, or any other historian whom the reader will please to think on. And as I intended to give the world a History of Masonry for several years before the Creation, I had no manner of doubt but that my work should live (at least) two thousand years after the general Conflagration.

Perhaps some of my readers (I mean those that are best acquainted with my capacity) will say, he has more vanity than wit; and as to learning, it is as great a stranger to him, as Freemasonry is to women; yet he has the folly to think himself an historian, and expects to become a great man, &c.

Whether such an opinion be true or false, it matters nought to me; for the world must allow, that (though no man has yet found out the perpetual motion) all men ever had, have now, and ever will have a perpetual notion: and furthermore, we read that the following persons, so much famed in history, were not only poor men, but many of them of a very mean extraction: the wise philosopher Socrates was the son of a poor stone-carver; the tragic poet Euripides was the son of poor parents; as was Demosthenes, the honour of Greek eloquence; Virgil, the famous Latin poet, was the son of a poor Mantuan labouring potter; Horace, the incomparable Lyric, was the son of a trumpeter in the wars; Tarquinus Priscus, King of the Romans, was the son of a merchant; and Servius Tullius, another King of the Romans, was begotten on a woman-slave; Septimus Severus is said to come of a very base degree; Agathocles, King of Sicily, was a potter's son; Ælius Pertinax was a poor artificer, or as some say a simple seller of wood; the parents of Ventidius Bassus are said to have been very miserably poor people; and Arsaces, King of the Parthians, was of so mean and obscure parentage, that no man's memory could make a report of his father or mother; Ptolomy, King of Egypt, was the son of a squire in Alexander's army; the Emperor Diocletian was the son of a scrivener; the Emperor Valentian was the son of a rope-maker; the Emperor Probus was the son of a gardener; and the parents of Aurelius were so obscure, that writers have not agreed who they were; Maximinius was the son of a smith, or as some say a wagon-wright; Marcus Julius Lincinius was the son of a herdsman; Bonosus was the son of a poor stipendary school-master; Mauritus Justinus, predecessor to Justinian, and likewise Galerus, were both shepherds; Pope John, the twenty-second of that name, was the son of a shoe maker; Pope Nicholas the Fifth was the son of a man that sold eggs and butter about the streets; and Pope Sixtus the Fourth was a mariner's son; Lamusius, King of the Lombards, was the son of a common strumpet, who (when he was an infant) threw him into a diich, but was taken out by King Agelmond; Primislaus King of Bohemia, was the son of a country peasant; Tamerlane the Great was a herdsman; Caius Marius, seven times Consul of Rome, was born of low parents in the village of Arpinum; and Marcus Tullius Cicero, Consul of Rome, and Pro-Consul in Asia, was from the poor Tuguriole of Arpinum, the meanest parentage that could be; Ventidius, Field-Marshal and Consul of Rome, was the son of a muleteer; and Theophrastus was the son of a botcher; i.e. a mender of garments, &c.

I have heard of many others of later date (not so far distant as Pekin^[*]) that have been preferred to places or offices of great trust, and dignified with titles of honour, without having the least claim to courage, wit, learning, or honesty; therefore if such occurrences be duly considered, I humbly conceive it will not be deemed as a capital offence, that I should entertain my own perpetual notion, while I do not endeavour to disinherit any man of his properties.

I doubt I have tired the reader's patience; and if so, I humbly beg his pardon for this long digression. But to return: while my mind was wholly taken up with my fancied superiority as an historian, &c., I insensibly fell into a slumber, when methought four men entered my room; their habits appeared to be of very ancient fashion, and their language also I imagined to be either Hebrew, Arabic, or Chaldean, in which they addressed me, and I immediately answered them after the pantomine fashion. After some formal ceremonies, I desired to know their names and from whence they came? to which one of them answered me (in English) "We are four Brothers, and came from the holy city of Jerusalem; our names are Shallum, Ahiman, Akhub, and Talmon." ^[*] Hearing they were sojourners from Jerusalem, I asked them whether they could give any account of Solomon's Temple? to which Shallum (the Chief of them) made answer and said "the wise King Solomon, Grand Master of Israel, appointed us head-porters at the Temple, in the thirty-second year of his age, the twelfth of his reign, and about the year of the world 2942; and therefore we can give a full and particular description of that wonderful fabric, and likewise of the ingenious artists who performed it.

I was glad to meet with such brethren, from whom I did expect a great deal of knowledge; which the many ages they have lived in must have taught them if their memories did not fail. Upon this consideration, I told them that I was writing a History of Masonry, and begged their assistance, &c.

"A History of Masonry!" (says Ahiman) "From the day of the dedication of the Holy Temple to this present time, I have not seen a History of Masonry, though some have pretended not only to describe the length, breadth, height, weight, colour, shape, form, and substance of every thing within and about the Temple; but also to tell the spiritual^[*] meaning of them, as if they knew the mind of him who gave orders for that building, or saw it finished. But I can assure you that such surveyors have never seen the Temple, they never have been within a thousand miles of Jerusalem:^[*] indeed," continued he, "there was one Flavius (I think he was a soldier) took a great deal of notice of the Temple, and other matters about it; as did another man called Jery. There were two others whose names I have forgotten but remember one of them was an excellent dreamer,^[*] and the other was very handy in collecting all manner of good writings ^[*] after the Captivity.

"Those were the only men that have written most and best upon that subject, and yet all their works together would not be sufficient for a preface to the History of Masonry; but for your further instruction, you shall hear an eminent Brother who can inform you in every particular that is necessary to your present undertaking." The words were scarce ended, when there appeared a grave old gentleman, with a long beard; he was dressed in an embroidered vest, and wore a breastplate of gold, set with twelve precious stones, which formed an oblong square; I was informed that the names of the stones were Sardine, Emerald, Ligure, Beryl, Topaz, Sapphire, Agate, Onyx, Carbuncle, Diamond, Amethyst, and Jasper. Upon these stones were engraved the names of the twelve tribes, viz. Rueben, Judah, Gad, Zebulen, Simeon, Dan, Asher, Joseph, Levi, Naphtali, Issachar, and Benjamin.

Upon his entrance, the four sojourners did him the homage due to a superior; and, as to me, the lustre of his breast-plate dazzled my sight, in such a manner that I could scarce look at him. But Ahiman giving him to understand that the people of this country were weak-sighted, he immediately covered his breast-plate, which not only gave me an opportunity of perceiving him more distinctly, but also of paying him my respects, in the best manner I was capable of; and making a very low bow I presented him with the first volume of the History of Masonry, hoped he would do me the honour of perusing it, and begged his advice for my further proceedings. He kindly received it, and read it over, whilst I impatiently waited to hear his opinion; which at last, to my mortification, amounted to no more than an old Hebrew Proverb, (which Ahiman translated thus: — Thou hast dived deep into the waters and hast brought up a potsherd.) Nevertheless he took me by the hand and said; ^[*] "My son, if thou wilt thou shalt be taught, and if thou wilt apply thy mind thou shalt be witty; if thou lovest to hear thou shalt receive (doctrine;) and if thou delightest in hearing thou shalt be wise. And although your History of Masonry is not worth notice, yet you may write many other things of great service to the Fraternity."

"Certainly it is," continued he, "that Freemasonry has been from the Creation (though not under that name); that it was a divine gift from God; that Cain and the builders of his city were strangers to the secret mystery of Masonry; that there were but four Masons in the world when the Deluge happened; that one of the four, even the second son of Noah, was not Master of the Art; that Nimrod, nor any of his bricklayers knew any thing of the matter; and that there were but very few Masters of the Art, even, at Solomon's Temple. Whereby it plainly appears that the whole mystery was communicated to very few at that time; that at Solomon's Temple (and not before) it received the name of Freemasonry, because the Masons at Jerusalem and Tyre were the greatest Cabalists^[*] then in the world; that the mystery has been, for the most part, practised amongst builders since Solomon's time, that there were some hundreds mentioned, in Histories of Masonry, under the titles of Grand Masters, &c. for no other reason than that of giving orders for the building of a house, tower, castle, or some other edifice (or perhaps for suffering the Masons to erect such in their Territories, &c.) while the memories of as many thousands of the faithful Crafts are buried in oblivion." From whence he gave me to understand, that such Histories were of no use to the Society at present; and further added, that the manner of constituting Lodges, the old and new regulations, &c. were the only and most useful things (concerning Freemasonry) that could be written: To which I begged to be informed whether songs were to be introduced? His answer was:^[*] "If thou be the Master, lift not thyself up; but be among them as one of the rest; take diligent care for them, and so sit down.

"And when thou hast done all thy duty, sit down that thou mayest be merry with them; and receive a crown for tby good behaviour.

"Speak, thou that art the elder, for it becometh thee, but with sound judgment; and hinder not music.

^[*]"And at all Times let thy Garments be White."

While he was yet speaking these last words, I was awaked by a young puppy that got into the room while I slept, and seizing my papers, ate a great part of them, and was then between my legs shaking and tearing the last sheet of what I had written.

I have not words to express the sorrow, grief, trouble and vexation I was in, upon seeing the catastrophe of a work which I expected would outlast the teeth of time.

Like one distracted (as in truth I was) I ran to the owner of the dog, and demanded immediate satisfaction. He told me he would hang the cur; but at the the same time he imagined I should be under more obligations to him for so doing, than he was to me for what had happened.

In short, I looked upon it as a bad omen; and my late dream had made so great an impression on my mind, that superstition got the better of me, and caused me to deviate from the general custom of my worthy predecessors; otherwise I would have published a History of Masonry. And as this is rather an accidental than designed fault, I hope the reader will look over it with a favourable eye.

In the following sheets I have inserted nothing but what are undeniable Truths, which will be found (if observed) to be of great use to the Fraternity, and likewise to numbers that are not of the Society; to the latter; because it will (in some measure) shew them their folly in ridiculing a Society founded upon Religion, Morality, Brotherly-Love and Good-Fellowship; and to those of a more gentle and better polished nature, give them an opportunity of examining themselves, and judging how much they are endued with the necessary qualifications of a Freemason, before they apply to be made members of the Society.

How far I may succeed in this design, I know not; but as my intention is good, I hope my Brethren and others will accept the will for the deed, and receive this as the widow's mite was received; which wilt amply reward the trouble taken by him who is,

With all due Respect,
      The Reader's most obliged,
            Humble Servant,
                  LAU. DERMOTT.

TOASTS

Originally given in the Orange Lodge of Belfast, No.257.

1. May Wisdom, Strength and Beauty be ever the supporters of Masonry.
2. May every Mason who stands in need of friendship, be able to say EUREKA — I have found it.
3. May the Tuscan Order support us; the Ionic guide us, and the Corinthian reward us.
4. May Virtue be the Abutment, and Wisdom the Key-Stone of this Lodge.
5. May each Mason revere
   The Book, Compass and Square.
6. May the disinterested Friendship shewn by Freemasons to each other, be universalty diffused.
7. May Beauty and Merit be the Reward of Virtue and Secrecy.
8. The Memory of old Cymon ———
9. The Royal Arch ——— that ———
10. To every beauteous, charming She,
    Who loves the Craft and Masonry.
11. May she who'd Masonry revile,
    Ne'er meet a Mason's gracious Smile;
    On Earth be a neglected Belle,
    And when from this ——— lead Apes in Hell.
12. All Knights Templars round the Globe.
13. All Royal Arch Excellent Freemasons.
14. May none ever be admitied Members of this Lodge, but such as shall be found worthy of the Mark.
15. All Mark Masons round the Globe.
16. All Royal Masters who become Pillars to each other.
17. May the gallant Volunteers of Ireland invariably unite in Brotherly Ties, and be as faithful to each other as Freemasons have ever been found to be.
18. The Memories of our first three Grand-Masters.
19. May we never be unmindful of Judas' fate.
20. May the virtuous Resolutions of Ireland be imitated by Great-Britian; and may the two Nations ever go Hand in Hand, united in patriotic Pursuits and liberal Sentiments, to the Glory of our Brother the King, the Exaltation of our Country, and the certain Overthrow of our combined Foes.
21. The Memory of our Sister, Allworth, of New-Market.

Transcriber's note: The full table of contents consisted of a sequential index of the monitorial half of this book, followed by a table of contents of the songs, in mixed sequential and alphabetical orders, and mixed first lines and titles. Only the latter is included here. More coherent hyperlinked indexes of first lines in sequential and alphabetic order, and titles in sequential and alphabetic order, have been compiled by the transcriber at the end of this file.
okl.

CONTENTS.

Masons Songs, Viz.
	The Master's	73
	The Warden's	74
	The Fellow-Craft's	74
	The Enter'd 'Prentice's	76
	The Deputy Grand-Master's	77
	The Grand Warden's	78
	The Treasurer's	79
	The Secretary's	80
A.	As I at Wheeler's Lodge one Night	83
	Adam the first of all	154
	A Mason's Daughter fair and young	87
	A health to our Sisters let's drink	88
	As Masons once on Shinar's Plain	113
	Arise and sound thy Trumpet	145
	Attend loving Brethren and to me give Ear	122
	Attend, attend the Strains	124
B.	By Mason's Art th' aspiring Domes	82
	Bless'd be the Day that gave to me	126
C.	Come are you prepared	90
	Come, come, my Brethren dear	96
	Come follow, follow me	97
	Come, Boys, let's more Liquor get	105
	Come fill up a Bumper and let it go round	130
	Come ye Elves that be	142
E.	Excuse my weak untutored Muse	144
F.	From the Depths let us raise	117
G.	Glorious Craft which fires the Mind	95
	Guardian Genius of our Art divine	106
	Genius of Masonry descend	107
	Grant us kind Heaven	162
H.	Hail sacred Art, by Heaven designed	89
	How blest are we from Ignorance freed	127
	Hail sacred Art, by Heaven designed	134
	Hail Masonry divine	134
	How happy a Mason whose Bosom still flows	137
I.	If Unity be good in every Degree	136
K.	King Solomon that wise Projector	100
	Knights Templars	149
L.	Let malicious People censure	95
	Let Masons be merry each Night, &c.	135
	Let worthy Brethren all combine	138
	Let Masonry from Pole to Pole	152
O.	On you who Masonry despise	81
	Of all Institutions to form well the Mind	101
	Once I was blind and could not see	120
	The same, a new Way	147
P.	Pray lend me your Ears, my dear, &c.	109
S.	Some Folks have with curious, &c.	83
	Sing to the Honour of those	88
	See in the East the Master plac'd	124
T.	The Curious Vulgar could never devise	91
	To the Science that Virtue and Art, &c.	102
	'Tis Masonry unites Mankind	119
	To Masonry your Voices raise	125
	Toasts	xix, 181
U.	Urania sing the Art divine	130
	Unite, unite your Voices	153
W.	We have no idle Prating	86
	We Brethren Freemasons let's mark	92
	What though they call us Mason Fools	93
	With Plumb, Level and Square, to work, &c.	98
	When Earth's Foundation first was laid	104
	With Harmony and flowing Wine	115
	Wake the Lute and quivering Strings	133
	When Masonry by Heaven's Design	137
	With cordial Hearts let's drink a Health	139
	Whoever warns Wisdom must, &c.	141
	When the Sun from the East	146
	When a Lodge of Freemasons	150
Y.	You People who laugh at Masons, draw near	85
	Ye ancient Sons of Tyre	115
	PROLOGUES	from 164 to 169
	EPILOGUES	from 169 to 174
	Solomon's Temple	from 175 to 181

---

AN ADDITIONAL PROLOGUE,

AND A FEW

MASONS SONGS, &c.

NEVER BEFORE PUBLISHED

FOR THE NEW EDITION OF

AHIMAN REZON.

A.	PROLGUE spoken before a Play, &c.	182
	A Freemason Anthem	191
G.	God caus'd great Lights to shine	190
H.	Hence sorrow avaunt, you have no Business here	184
	How Bennett was made (a Pedlar to Trade)	186
	Hail, immortal glorious Science	191
I.	In the social amusements of life let us live	188
L.	Lesbia despairing of success	190
T.	There is a Lodge in Skibbereen	185
Y.	Ye Sons of fair Science, impatient to learn	189

A CHOICE

COLLECTION

OF

MASONS SONGS.

With several ingenious

PROLOGUES AND EPILOGUES.

TO WHICH IS ADDED

SOLOMON'S TEMPLE,

AN

ORATORIO:

As it was Performed at the

PHILHARMONIC-ROOM,

IN FISHAMBLE-STREET,

DUBLIN,

For the Benefit of Sick and Distressed

FREE-MASONS.

---

A CHOICE

COLLECTION

OF

MASONS SONGS.

---

In the old Book of Constitutions, the Master's Song was of too great a length to be sung at one time, therefore the Brethren never sung more than the following verse and chorus.

I.— THE MASTER'S SONG.

Thus mighty eastern kings, and some
Of Abra'm's race, and monarchs good
Of Egypt, Syria, Greece and Rome,
True Architecture understood:
No wonder then if Masons join,
To celebrate those Mason Kings,
With solemn note and flowing wine,
Whilst every Brother jointly sings.

Chorus

Who can unfold the Royal Art,
Or shew its secrets in a song?
They're safely kept in Mason's heart,
And to the ancient Lodge belong.

Toast

To the King and the Craft as Master-Masons.

In the old Book this song was thought too long, therefore the following last verse and chorus is thought sufficient.

II.— THE WARDEN'S SONG.

From henceforth ever sing
The Craftsman and the King;
With poetry and music sweet,
Resound their harmony complete;
And with geometry in skilful hand,
Due homage pay,
Without delay,
To the King, and to our Master grand;
He rules the free-born Sons of Art,
By love and friendship, hand and heart.

Chorus

Who can rehearse the praise,
In soft poetic lays,
Or solid prose, of Masons true,
Whose Art transcends the common view;
Their secrets ne'er to strangers yet expos'd,
Resolved shall be,
By Masons free,
And only to the ancient Lodge disclosed;
Because they're kept in Mason's heart,
By Brethren of the Royal Art.

Toast

To all the Kings, Princes, and Potentates, tbat ever propogated the Royal excellent Art.

III.— THE FELLOW CRAFT'S SONG.

Hail Masonry! thou Craft divine!
Glory of Earth! from Heaven revealed!
Which doth with jewels precious shine,
From all but Masons eyes concealed.
Thy praises due who can rehearse,
In nervous prose or flowing verse?

As Men from brutes distinguished are,
A Mason other men excels;
For what's in Knowledge choice and rare,
Within his breast securely dwells.
His silent breast and faithful heart,
Preserve the secrets of the Art.

From scorching heat and piercing cold,
From beasts whose roar the forest rends;
From the assaults of warriors bold,
The Masons' Art mankind defends,
Be to this Art due honour paid,
From which mankind receives such aid.

Ensigns of state that feed our pride,
Distinctions troublesome and vain;
By Masons true are laid aside,
Art's free-born sons such toys disdain,
Ennobled by the name they bear,
Distinguished by the badge they wear.

Sweet fellowship from envy free,
Friendly converse of brotherhood;
The Lodges' lasting cement be,
Which has for ages firmly stood.
A Lodge thus built for ages past
Has lasted, and shall ever last.

Then in our songs be justice done,
To those who have enriched the Art;
From Adam down until this time,
And let each Brother bear a part.
Let noble Masons' healths go round.
Their praise in lofty Lodge resound.

Toast

To his Imperial Majesty (our Brother) Francis, Emperor of Germany.

IV.— THE ENTERED 'PRENTICE'S SONG.

Come let us prepare,
We Brothers that are
Assembled on merry occasion;
Let's drink, laugh and sing,
Our wine has a spring,
Here's a health to an Accepted Mason.

The world is in pain,
Our secrets to gain,
And still let them wonder and gaze on;
Till they're brought to the Light,
They'll ne'er know the right
Word or sign of an Accepted Mason.

'Tis this and 'tis that,
They cannot tell what,
Why so many great men of the nation,
Should aprons put on,
To make themselves one,
With a Free and an Accepted Mason.

Great Kings, Dukes and Lords,
Have laid by their swords,
Our mystery to put a good grace on;
And thought themselves famed,
To hear themselves named
With a Free and an Accepted Mason.

Antiquity's pride,
We have on our Side,
Which maketh men just in their station;
There's nought but what's good,
To be understood,
By a Free and an Accepted Mason.

We're true and sincere,
And just to the fair,
They'll trust us on any occasion;
No mortal can more
The ladies adore,
Than a Free and an Accepted Mason.

Then join hand in hand,
By each Brother firm stand,
Let's be merry and put a bright face on;
What mortal can boast,
So noble a toast,
As a Free and an Accepted Mason.

[Thrice repeated in due Form.]

Toast

To all the Fraternity round the Globe.

V.— THE DEPUTY GRAND MASTER'S SONG.

On, my dear Brethren, pursue your great lecture,
And refine on the rules of old architecture;
High honour to Masons the Craft daily brings,
To those brothers of princes, and fellows of kings.

We've drove the rude Vandals and Goths off the stage,
Reviving the arts of Augustus' famed age;
Vespasian destroyed the vast Temple in vain,
Since so many now rise in great George's mild reign.

Of Wren and of Angelo mark the great names,
Immortal they live as the Tiber and Thames;
To Heaven and themselves they've such monuments raised,
Recorded like saints, and like saints they are praised.

The five noble orders composed with such art,
Will amaze the fixed eye and engage the whole heart;
Proportion's dumb harmony gracing the whole,
Gives our work, like the glorious Creation, a soul.

Then Master and Brethren preserve your great name,
This Lodge so majestic will purchase you fame;
Revered it shall stand till all Nature expire,
And its glories ne'er fade till the world is on fire.

See, see, behold here what rewards all our toil,
Enlivens our genius and bids Labour smile;
To our noble Grand Master let a bumper be crowned,
To all Masons a bumper, so let it go round.

Again, my loved Brethren, again let it pass,
Our ancient firm union cements with a glass;
And all the contentions 'mongst Masons shall be,
Who better can work, or who best can agree.

Toast

To the Right Worshipful the Grand Master.

VI.— THE GRAND WARDEN'S SONG.

Let Masonry be now my theme,
Throughout the globe to spread its fame,
And eternize each worthy Brother's name;
Your praise shall to the skies resound,
In lasting happiness abound,
And with sweet union all your noble deeds be crowned.

Chorus

We've crowned with joy this happy, happy day.

Toast

To all the Noble Lords, and Right Worshipful Brethren that have heen Grand Masters.

VII.— THE TREASURER'S SONG.

Tune: Near some cool Shade.
[This is nearly the same as LXX.]

Grant me, kind Heaven, what I request,
In Masonry let me be blest;
Direct me to that happy place,
Where friendship smiles in every face;
Where freedom and sweet innocence,
Enlarge the mind and cheers the sense.

Where sceptered Reason from her throne,
Surveys the Lodge that makes us one;
And Harmony's delightful sway
For ever sheds ambrosial day,
Where we blest Eden's pleasures taste,
While balmy joys are our repast.

Our Lodge the social virtues grace,
And Wisdom's rules we fondly trace;
While Nature open to our view,
Points out the paths we should pursue;
Let us subsist in lasting peace,
And may our happiness increase.

No prying eye can view us here,
No fool or knave disturb our cheer;
Our well-formed laws set mankind free,
And give relief to misery;
The poor, oppressed with woe and grief,
Gain from our bounteous hands, relief.

Toast

To all well-disposed charitable Masons.

VIII. — THE SECRETARY'S SONG.

Ye Brethren of the ancient Craft,
Ye favorite sons of fame:
Let bumpers chearfully be quaffed,
To each good Mason's name;
Happy, long happy may he be,
Who loves and honours Masonry.

In vain would D'Anvers with his wit ^{[* * *]},
Our slow resentment raise;
What he and all mankind have writ,
But celebrates our praise;
His wit this only truth imparts,
That Masons have firm faithful hearts.

Ye British fair, for beauty famed,
Your slaves we wish to be;
Let none for charms like yours be named,
That loves not Masonry;
This maxim D'Anvers proves full well,
That Masons never kiss and tell.

Freemasons! no offences give,
Let fame your worth declare;
Within your Compass wisely live,
And act upon the Square;
May peace and friendship ever abound,
And every Mason's health go round;

Toast

To the Deputy Grand Master.

IX.— SONG.

To the foregoing tune.

On you who Masonry despise,
This counsel I bestow;
Don't ridicule, if you are wise,
A secret you don't know:
Yourselves you banter, but not it,
You show your spleen, but not your wit.

Inspiring virtue by our rules,
And in ourselves secure;
We have compassion for those fools,
Who think our acts impure:
We know from ignorance proceeds,
Such mean opinion of our deeds.

If union and sincerity,
Have a pretence to please;
We Brothers of Free Masonry,
Lay justly, claim to these:
To state disputes, we ne'er give birth,
Our motto, friendship is and mirth.

Some of our rules we will impart,
But must conceal the rest;
They're safely lodged in Masons' hearts,
Within each honest breast:
We love our Country and our King,
We toast the ladies, laugh and sing.

Toast

To the Worshipful Grand Wardens.

X.— SONG.

By Masons' Art, the aspiring domes,
In stately columns shall arise;
All climates are their native homes,
Their well-judged actions reach the skies;
Heroes and kings revere their name,
While poets sing their lasting fame.

Great, noble, generous, good, and brave,
Are titles they most justly claim;
Their deeds shall live beyond the grave,
Which those unborn shall loud proclaim;
Time shall their glorious acts enroll,
While love and friendship charm the soul.

Toast

To the perpetual honour of Freemasons.

XI.— SONG.

As I at Wheeler's Lodge one night,
Kept Bacchus company;
(For Bacchus is a Mason bright;
And of all Lodges free.)

Said I, "great Bacchus is a-dry,
Pray give the god some wine;"
Jove in a fury did reply,
"October's as divine."

It makes us Masons more complete,
Adds to our fancy wings;
Makes us as happy and as great
As mighty lords and kings.

Toast

To the Masters and Wardens of all Regular Lodges.

XII.— SONG.

Some folks have with curious impertinence strove,
From Freemasons bosoms their secrets to move,
I'll tell them in vain their endeavours must prove,
Which nobody can deny!

Chorus

Which nobody can deny, &c.

Of that happy secret when we are possessed,
Our tongues can't explain what is lodged in our breasts,
For the blessing's so great it can ne'er be expressed,
Which nobody can deny!

By friendship's strict ties we Brothers are joined,
With mirth in each heart, and content in each mind,
And this is a difficult secret to find,
Which nobody can deny!

But you who would fain our grand secret expose,
One thing best concealed to the world you disclose.
Much folly in blaming what none of you knows,
Which nobody can deny!

Truth, Charity, Justice, our principles are,
What one doth possess, the other may share,
All these in the world are secrets most rare,
Which nobody can deny!

While then we are met the world's wonder and boast,
And all do enjoy what pleases each most,
I'll give you the best and most glorious toast,
Which nobody can deny!

Here's a health to the generous, brave and the good,
To all those who think and act as they should,
In all this the Freemason's health's understood,
Which nobody can deny!

Toast

To all true and faithful Brethren, &c.

XIII.— SONG.

Tune: Oh Polly, you might have toyed and kissed.

You people who laugh at Masons, draw near,
Give ear to my song without any sneer;
And if you'll have patience you soon shall see,
What a noble Art is Masonry.

There's none but an atheist can ever deny,
But that this great Art came first from on high;
The Almighty God here I'll prove for to be,
The first great Master of Masonry.

He took up His Compass with masterly hand,
He stretched out his Rule and he measured the land;
He laid the foundation of Earth and the Sea,
By his known Rules of Masonry.

Our first Father Adam, deny it who can,
A Mason was made as soon as a Man;
And a fig-leaf Apron at first wore he,
In token of's love to Masonry,

The Principal Law our Lodge does approve,
Is that we should live in Brotherly-Love;
Thus Cain was banished by Heaven's decree,
For breaking the Rules of Masonry.

The Temple that wise King Solomon raised,
For beauty, for order, for elegance praised;
To what did it owe its elegancy?
To the just formed Rules of Masonry.

But should I pretend in this humble verse,
The merits of Freemasons' Arts to rehearse;
Years yet to come too little would be,
To sing the praises of Masonry.

Then hoping I've not detained you too long,
I here shall take leave to finish my song;
With a health to the Master and those that are free,
That live to the Rules of Masonry.

Toast

To all the Free-born Sons of the Ancient and Honorable Craft.

XIV.— SONG.

We have no idle prating,

Of either Whig or Tory;

But each agrees,

To live at ease,

And sing or tell a story.

Chorus

Fill to him,

To the brim,

Let it round the table roll;

The Divine

Tells you, wine

Cheers the body and the soul.

We're always men of pleasure,

Despising pride and party;

While knaves and fools

Prescribe us rules,

We are sincere and hearty.

If an Accepted Mason

Should talk of high or low church;

We'll let him down

A shallow crown,

And understand him no church.

The world is all in darkness,

About us they conjecture;

But little think,

A song and drink,

Succeed the Masons lecture.

The landlord bring a hogshead,

And in the corner place it;

Till it rebound,

With hollow sound,

Each Mason here will face it.

Toast

To the Memory of him that first planted a Vine.

XV.— SONG.

Tune: Young Damon once the happy Swain.

A Mason's daughter, fair and young,

The pride of all the virgin throng,

Thus to her lover said;

Though Damon, I your flame approve,

Your actions praise, your person love,

Yet still I'll live a maid.

None shall untie my virgin zone,

But one to whom the secret's known,

Of famed Freemasonry;

In which the great and good combine,

To raise with generous design,

Man to felicity.

The Lodge excludes the fop and fool,

The plodding knave and party tool,

That liberty would sell;

The noble, faithful and the brave,

No golden charms can e'er deceive

In slavery to dwell.

This said, he bowed and went away,

Applied, was made, without delay,

Returned to her again;

The fair one granted his request,

Connubial joys their days have blest,

And may they e'er remain.

Toast

To Masons and to Masons' Bairns,
And those that lie in Masons' Arms

XVI.— SONG.

A health to our sisters let us drink;

For why should not they

Be remembered, I pray,

When of us they so often do think.

'Tis they give the chiefest delight;

Though wine cheers the mind,

And Masonry's kind,

These keep us in transport all night.

Toast

To all the Female Friends of Freemasons.

XVII.— SONG.

Tune: The merry toned Horn.

Sing to the honour of those

Who baseness and error oppose,

Who from sages and magi of old,

Have got secrets which none can unfold;

Whilst through life's swift career,

With mirth and good cheer,

We're revelling,

And levelling

The monarch, till he

Says our joys far transcend

What on thrones do attend,

And thinks it a glory, like us to be free.

The wisest of Kings paved the way,

And his precepts we keep to this day;

The most glorious of Temples gave name

To Freemasons, who still keep the fame;

Though no prince did arise,

So great and so wise;

Yet in falling,

Our calling,

Still bore high applause,

And though darkness o'er run

The face of the sun,

We, diamond-like, blazed to illumine the cause.

Toast

To him that first the Work began, &c.

XVIII.— SONG.

Hail secret Art! by Heaven designed
To cultivate and cheer the mind;
Thy secrets are to all unknown,
But Masons just and true alone.

Chorus

Then let us all their praises sing.
Fellows to peasant, prince, or king,

From east to west we take our way,
To meet the bright approaching day,
That we to work may go in time,
And up the secret ladder climb.

Bright rays of glory did inspire,
Our Master great who came from Tyre;
Still sacred history keeps his name,
Who did the glorious Temple frame.

The noble Art divinely reared,
Uprightly built upon the Square;
Encompassed by the powers divine,
Shall stand until the end of time.

No human eye thy beauties see,
But Masons truly just and free;
Inspired by each heavenly spark,
Whilst cowans labour in the dark.

Toast

To the Memory of the Tyrian Artist, &c.

XIX.— SONG.

Tune: The Entered 'Prentice.

Come, are you prepared,

Your scaffold well reared?

Bring morter and temper it purely;

'Tis all safe I hope,

Well braced with each rope,

Your ledgers and putlocks securely.

Then next your bricks bring,

It is time to begin,

For the sun with its rays is adorning;

The day's fair and clear,

No rain you need fear,

'Tis a charming and lovely fine morning.

Pray where are your tools,

Your line and plumb-rules,

Each man to his work let him stand, boys;

Work solid and sure

Upright and secure,

And your building be sure will be strong, boys;

Pray make no mistake,

But true your joints break,

And take care that you follow your leaders;

Work, rake, back, and tueth,

And make your work smooth,

And be sure that you fill up your headers.

Toast

To the Memory of Virtruvius, Angelo, Wren, and other noble Artists, &c.

XX.— SONG.

Tune: On, on, my dear Brethren.

The curious vulgar could never devise
What social Freemasons so highly do prize;
No human conjecture, no study in schools,
Such fruitless attempts are the action of fools.

Sublime are our maxims, our plan from above,
Old as the creation, cemented with love;
To promote all the virtues adorning man's life,
Subduing our passions, preventing all strife.

Pursue, my dear Brethren, embrace with great care,
A system adapted our actions to square;
Whose origin clearly appeareth divine,
Observe how its precepts to virtue incline.

The secrets of nature King Solomon knew,
The names of all trees in the forest that grew;
Architecture his study, Freemasons sole guide,
Thus finished his Temple, antiquity's pride.

True ancient Freemasons our Arts did conceal,
Their hearts were sincere, and not prone to reveal;
Here's the Widow's Son's memory, that mighty great sage,
Who skillfully handled plumb, level and gauge.

Toast next our Grand Master of noble repute,
No Brother presuming his laws to dispute;
No discord, no faction, our Lodge shall divide;
Here truth, love, and friendship must always abide;

Cease, cease, ye vain rebels, your country's disgrace;
To ravage like Vandals, our Arts to deface;
Learn, learn to grow loyal, our King to defend,
And live like Freemasons, your lives to amend.

Toast

To the Ancient Sons of Peace.

XXI.— SONG.

To the foregoing tune.

We Brethren Freemasons, let's mark the great name,
Most ancient and loyal, recorded by fame;
In unity met, let us merrily sing;
The life of a Mason's like that of a king.

No discord, no envy, amongst us shall be,
No confusion of tongues, but let's all agree;
Not like building of Babel, confound one another,
But fill up your glasses and drink to each other.

A tower they wanted to lead them to bliss,
I hope there's no Brother but knows what it is;
Three principal steps in our ladder there be,
A mystery to all but those that are free.

Let the strength of our reason keep the square of our heart,
And virtue adorn every man in his part;
The name of a cowan we'll not ridicule,
But pity his folly and count him a fool.

Let's lead a good life whilst power we have,
And when that our bodies are laid in the grave;
We hope with good conscience to Heaven to climb,
And give Peter the password, the token, and sign.

Saint Peter he opens, and so we pass in,
To a place that's prepared for all those free from sin;
To that heavenly Lodge which is tyled most secure,
A place that's prepared for all Masons who're pure.

Toast

To all pure and upright Masons.

XXII.— SONG.

Tune: What though they call me Country Lass.

What though they call us Masons, fools,

We prove, by Geometry, our rules

Surpass the Arts they teach in schools,

They charge us falsly then:

We make it plainly to appear,

By our behaviour everywhere,

That when you meet with Masons, there

You meet with gentlemen.

'Tis true we once have chargéd been,

With disobedience to our Queen,

But after monarchs plain have seen,

The secrets she had sought:

We hatch no plots against the state,

Nor 'gainst great men in power prate,

But all that's noble, good and great,

Is daily by us taught.

These noble structures which we see,

Raised by our famed Society,

Surprise the world; then shall not we

Give praise to Masonry?

Let those who despise the Art,

Live in a cave or some desart,

To herd with beasts, from men apart,

For their stupidity.

But view those savage nations where

Freemasonry did ne'er appear,

What strange unpolished brutes they are!

Then think on Masonry:

It makes us courteous men alway,

Generous, hospitable and gay,

What other Art the like can say?

Then a health to Masons Free.

Toast

Prosperity to the most ancient and most honourable Craft.

XXIII.— SONG.

Glorious Craft which fires the mind,
With sweet harmony and love;
Surely thou wert first designed
A foretaste of the joys above.

Pleasures always on thee wait,
Thou reformest Adam's race;
Strength and beauty in thee meet,
Wisdom's radiant in thy face.

Arts and virtue now combine,
Friendship raises cheerful mirth;
All united to refine
Men from grosser parts of Earth.

Stately Temples now arise,
And on lofty columns stand;
Mighty domes attempt the skies,
To adorn this happy land.

Toast

To the Secret and Silent.

XXIV.— SONG.

Let malicious people censure,

They're not worth a Mason's answer;

While we drink and sing,

With no conscience to sting,

Let their evil genius plague 'em,

And for Mollies Devil take 'em,

We'll be free and merry,

Drink port and sherry;

Till the stars at midnight shine,

And our eyes with them combine;

The dark night to banish,

Thus we will replenish

Nature, whilst that the glass

Does with the bottle pass:

Brother Mason Free,

Here's to thee, to thee:

And let it run the table round,

While envy does the Masons' foes confound.

Toast

To all Masons who walk the line, &c.

XXV.— SONG.

Come, come, my Brethren dear,
Now we're assembled here,
Exalt your voices clear,
With harmony;
Here none shall be admitted in.
Were he a lord, a duke, or king,
He's counted but an empty thing,
Except he's free.

Chorus

Let every man take glass in hand,
Drink bumpers to our Master Grand,
As long as he can sit or stand
With decency.

By our Arts we prove
Emblems of truth and love,
Types given from above,
To those that are free;
There's ne'er a king that fills a throne,
Will ever be ashamed to own,
Those secrets to the world unknown,
But such as we.

Now Ladies try your arts,
To gain us men of parts,
Who best can please your hearts,
Because we're free;
Take us, try us and you'll find
We're true, loving, just and kind,
And taught to please a lady's mind,
By Masonry.

GRAND CHORUS

God bless King George, long may he reign
To curb the pride of foes who're vain,
And with his conquering sword maintain
Free Masonry;

Toast

To the King's good Health;
The Nation's Wealth;
The Prince God bless;
The Fleet Success;
The Lodge no less.

XXVI.— SONG.

Tune: Fairy Elves.

Come follow, follow me,
Ye jovial Masons free;
Come follow all the rules,
By Solomon, that Mason King,
Who honour to the Craft did bring.

He's justly called the wise,
His fame doth reach the skies;
He stood upon the square,
And did the Temple rear;
With true level, plumb and gauge,
He proved the wonder of the age.

The mighty Mason lords,
Stood firmly to their words;
They had it in esteem,
For which they're wise men deemed;
Why should not their example prove,
Our present Craft to live in love.

The Royal Art and word,
Are kept upon record;
In upright hearts and pure,
While sun and moon endure;
Not written, but indented on
The heart of every Arch-Mason.

And as for Hiram's Art,
We need not to impart;
The scripture plainly shows,
From whence his knowledge flows;
His genius was so much refined,
His peer he has not left behind.

Then let not any one
Forget the Widow's Son;
But toast his memory;
In glasses charged full high;
And when our proper time is come,
Like Brethren part, and so go home.

Toast

To him that did the Temple rear, &c.

XXVII.— SONG.

With Plumb, Level and Square,

To work let's prepare,

And join in sweet harmony;

Let's fill up each glass,

And around let it pass

To all honest men that are free.

Chorus

Then a fig for all those

Who are Freemasons' foes,

Our secrets we'll never impart;

But in unity

We'll always agree,

And chorus it, prosper our Art.

When we were properly clothed,

The Master disclosed

The secrets that lodged in his breast;

Thus we stand by the cause

That deserves great applause,

In which we are happily blest.

The Bible's our guide,

And by that we'll abide,

Which shews that our actions are pure;

The Compass and Square

Are emblems most rare,

Of justice our cause to insure,

The cowan may strive,

May plot and contrive,

To find out, our great mystery;

The inquisitive wife

May in vain spend her life,

For still we'll be honest and free,

True Brotherly-Love, we always approve,

Which makes us all mortals excel;

If a knave should by chance,

to this Grandeur advance,

That villain we'll straightway expel.

Our Lodge, that's so pure,

To the end will endure,

In virtue and true secrecy;

Then let's toast a good health,

With honour and wealth,

To attend the blest hands made us free,

Toast

To each true and faithful heart,
That still preserves the secret Art.

XXVIII.— SONG.

Tune: Jerry Fitzgerald.

King Solomon, that wise projector,
In Masonry took great delight;
And Hiram, that great Architector,
Whose actions shall ever shine bright:
From the heart of a true honest Mason,
There's none can the secret move;
Our maxims are Justice, Morality,
Friendship, and Brotherly-Love.

We meet like true friends on the Square,
And part on a Level that's fair;
Alike we respect king and beggar,
Provided they're just and sincere:
We scorn an ungenerous action,
None can with Freemasons compare;
We love for to live within Compass,
By rules that are honest and fair.

Success to all Accepted Masons,
There's none can their honour pull down;
For ever since the glorious Creation,
These brave men were held in renown.
When Adam was king of all nations,
He formed a plan with all speed;
And soon made a sweet habitation,
For him and his companion Eve.

We exclude all talkative fellows,
That will babble and prate past their wit;
They ne'er shall come into our secret,
For they're neither worthy nor fit:
But the persons who're well recommended,
And we find them honest and true;
When our Lodge is well tyled, we'll prepare 'em,
And like Masons our work we'll pursue.

There are some foolish people reject us,
For which they are highly to blame;
They cannot show any objection
Or reason for doing the same:
The Art's a divine inspiration,
As all honest men will declare;
So here's to all true hearted Brothers,
That live within Compass and Square.

Toast

To all those who live within Compass and Square.

XXIX.— SONG.

Tune: By Jove I'll be free.

Of all institutions to form well the mind,
And make us to every virtue inclined;
None can with the Craft of Freemasons compare,
Nor teach us so truly our actions to square;
For it was ordained by our founder's decree,
That we should be loyal, be loving and free.

Chorus

Be loving and free, &c.

We in harmony, friendship, and unity meet,
And every Brother most lovingly greet;
And, when we see one in distress, still impart
Some comfort to cheer and enliven his heart;
Thus we always live and for ever agree,
Resolved to be loyal, most loving and free.

By Points of good fellowship we stiil do accord,
Observing each Brother's true sign, grip, and word;
Which from our great Architect was handed down,
And ne'er will to any but Masons be known;
Then here's to our Brethren of every degree,
Who always are loyal, are loving and free,

Thus we interchangeably hold one another,
To let mankind see how we're linked to each Brother;
No monarch that secret not e'er can untie,
Nor can prying mortals the reason know why;
For our hearts, like our hands, united shall be,
Still secret, still loyal. still loving and free,

Toast

To all Free Social Masons, &c.

XXX.— SONG.

To the foregoing Tune.

Magna est Veritas et prevalebit.

To the science that virtue and art do maintain,
Let the muse pay her tribute in soft gliding strain;
Those mystic perfections so fond to display,
As far as allowed to poetical lay;
Each profession and class of mankind must agree,
That Masons alone are the men who are free,

Chorus

The Men who are free, &c.

Their origin they with great honour can trace,
From the sons of religion and singular grace;
Great Hiram and Solomon, virtue to prove,
Made this the grand secret of friendship and love;
Each profeslion and class of mankind must agree,
That Masons, of all Men, are certainly free.

The smart and the beau, the coquette and the prude,
The dull and the comic, the heavy and rude,
In vain may enquire; then fret and despise
An Art that's still secret, against all they devise;
Each profession and class of mankind must agree,
That Masons, tbough secret, are loyal and free.

Commit it to thousands of different mind,
And this golden precept you'll certainly find,
Nor interest, nor terror can make them reveal,
Without just admittance, what they should conceal;
Each profession and class of mankind must agree,
That Masons alone are both secret and free,

Fair virtue and friendship, religion and love,
The cement of this noble science still prove;
'Tis the lock and the key of the most godly rules,
And not to be trusted to knaves or to fools;
Each profession and class of mankind must agree,
That ancient Freemasons are steady and free.

The Israelites distinguislied their friends from their foes,
By signs and by characters; then why should those
Of vice and unbelief, be permitted to pry
Into secrets that Masons alone should descry?
Each profession and class of mankind must agree,
That Masons, of all men, are secret and free,

The dunce he imagines, that science and art
Depend on some compact or magical part;
Thus men are so stupid, to think that the cause
Of our constitution's against divine laws;
Each profession and class of mankind must agree,
That Masons are jovial, religious and free,

Push about the brisk bowl, and let it circling pass,
Let each chosen Brother lay hold on a glass,
And drink to the heart that will always conceal,
And the tongue that our secrets will never reveal;
Each profession and class of mankind must agree,
That the sons of old Hiram are certainly free,

Toast

To the innocent and faithful Crafts.

XXXI.— SONG.

Tune: Rule Britannia.

When earth's foundation first was laid,
By the Almighty Artist's hand;
'Twas then our perfect laws were made,
Established by His strict command.

Chorus

Hail! mysterious, hail glorious Masonry,
That makes us ever great and free.

As Man throughout for shelter sought,
In vain from place to place did roam;
Until from Heaven he was taught
To plan, to build, and fix his home.

Hence illustrious rose our Art,
And now in beauteous piles appear;
Which shall to endless time impart,
How worthy and how great we are.

Nor we less famed for every tie,
By which the human thought is bound;
Love, truth and friendship socially,
Unite our hearts and hands around.

Our actions still by virtue blest,
And to our precepts ever true;
The world admiring, shall request
To learn, and our bright paths pursue.

Toast

To all true Masons and upright,
Who saw the East where rose the Light.

XXXII. - SONG.

Come, boys, let us more liquor get,

Since jovially, we are all met,

Here none will disagree;

Let's drink and sing, and all combine,

In songs to praise that Art divine,

That's called Freemasonry.

True knowledge seated in the head,

Instructs us Masons how to tread,

The paths we ought to go:

By which we ever friends create,

Drown care and strife and all debate,

Count none but fools our foe.

Here sorrow knows not how to weep,

And watchful grief is lulled asleep,

In our Lodge we know no care;

Join hand in hand before we part,

Each Brother takes his glass with heart,

And toasts some charming Fair.

Hear me, ye gods, and whilst I live,

Good Masons and good liquor give,

Then always happy me;

Like wise a gentle She I crave,

Until I'm summoned to my grave,

But when I'm summoned to my grave,

Adieu my Lodge and She.

Toast

To each charming Fair and faithful She,
That loves the Craft of Masonry.

XXXIII.— SONG.

Guardian genius of our Art divine,
Unto Thy faithful sons appear;
Cease now o'er ruins of the east to pine,
And smile in blooming beauties here.

Egypt, Syria, and proud Babylon,
No more thy blissful presence claim;
In England fix Thy ever-during throne,
Where myriads do confess Thy name.

The sciences from eastern regions brought,
Which, after shown in Greece and Rome,
Are here in several stately Lodges taught;
To which remotest Brethren come.

Behold what strength our rising domes uprears,
Till mixing with the azure skies;
Behold what beauty through the whole appears,
So wisely built they must surprise.

Nor are we only to these arts confined,
Nor we the paths of virtue trace;
By us man's rugged nature is refined
And polished into love and peace.

Toast

To the Increase of perpetual Friendship, and Peace amongst the Ancient Craft.

XXXIV.— AN ODE ON MASONRY.

Genius of Masonry descend,

In mystic numbers while we sing;

Enlarge our souls, the Craft defend,

And hither all thy influence bring;

With social thoughts our bosoms fill,

And give thy turn to every will.

While yet Batavia's wealthy powers,

Neglect thy beauties to explore;

And winding Seine adorned with towers,

Laments thee wandering from his shore;

Here spread thy wings and glad these Isles,

Where arts reside and freedom smiles.

Behold the Lodge rise into view,

The work of industry and art;

'Tis grand, and regular, and true,

For so is each good Mason's heart;

Friendship cements it from the ground,

And secrecy shall fence it round.

A slately dome overlooks our east,

Like orient Phœbus in the morn;

And two tall pillars in the west,

At once support us and adorn;

Upholden thus the structure stands,

Untouched by sacrilegious hands.

By concord formed, our souls agree,

Nor fate this union shall destroy;

Our toils and sports alike are free,

And all is harmony and joy;

So Salem's Temple rose by rule,

Without the noise of noxious tool.

As when Amphion tuned his song,

Even rugged rocks the music knew;

Smooth into form they glide along,

And to a Thebes the desert grew;

So at the sound of Hiram's voice,

We rise, we join, and we rejoice.

Then may our vows to virtue move,

To Virtue owned in all her parts;

Come, candour, innocence, and love,

Come and possess our faithful hearts;

Mercy, who feeds the hungry poor,

And Silence, guardian of the door.

As thou Astrea, though from earth,

When men on men began to prey;

Thou fledst to claim celestial birth,

Down from Olympus winged thy way;

And mindful of thy ancient seat,

Be present still where Masons meet.

Immortal Science too, be near,

We own thy empire o'er the mind;.

Dressed in thy radiant robes appear,

With all thy beauteous train behind;

Invention young and blooming there,

Here Geometry with Rule and Square.

In Egypt's fabric learning dwelt,

And Roman breasts could virtue hide;

But Vulcan's rage the building felt,

And Brutus, last of Romans died;

Since when, dispersed the sisters rove,

Or fill paternal thrones above.

But lost to half of human race,

With us the Virtues shall revive;

And driven no more from place to place,

Here Science shall be kept alive;

And manly talk, the child of sense,

Shall banish vice and dulness hence.

United thus, and for these ends,

Let scorn deride and envy rail;

From age to age the Craft descends,

And what we build shall never fail;

Nor shall the world our works survey,

But every Brother keeps the key.

Toast

To each faithful Brother, both ancient and young;
That governs his passions, and bridles his tongue.

XXXV.— THE PROGRESS OF MASONRY.

Pray lend me your ears my dear Brethren a while,
Full sober my sense, though joking my style;
I sing of such wonders unknown to all those,
Who flutter in verse, or who hobble in prose.

As all in confusion the chaos yet lay;
Ere evening and morning had made the first day;
The unformed materials lay tumbling together.
Like so many Dutchmen in thick foggy weather.

When to this confusion no end thsre appeared.
The sovereign Mason's Word sudden was heard;
Then teemed Mother Chaos with maternal throes,
By which this great Lodge of the world then arose.

Then Earth and the Heavens with jubilee rung,
And all the Creation of Masonry sung;
When lo, to complete and adorn the gay ball,
Old Adam was made the Grand Master of all.

But Satan met Eve as she was a-gadding,
And set her (as since, all her daughters) a-madding;
To find out the secrets of Freemasonry,
She ate of the fruit of the forbidden tree.

Then as she was filled with high flowing fancies,
As ever was fond girl who deals in romances;
She thought her with knowledge sufficiently crammed.
And said to her spouse, "My dear, eat and be damned."

But Adam astonished like one struck with thunder,
Beheld her from head to foot over with wonder;
"Now you have done this thing, Madam," said he,
"For your sake no women Freemasons shall be."

Now as she bewailed her in sorrowful ditty,
The good man beheld her, and on her took pity;
Freemasons are tender, so for the sad dame,
He made her an Apron to cover her shame.

Then did they solace in mutual joys,
Till in process of time they had two chopping boys;
The priest of the parish, as gossips devised,
By names Cain and Abel, the youths circumcised.

Old Father Seth next mounts on the stage,
In manners severe, but in Masonry sage;
He built up two pillars that were tall and thick,
One was made of stone, and the other of brick.

On them he engraved, with wonderful skill,
Each liberal science with adamant quill;
Proportion and rule he formed by the Square,
And directed the use of all Masonry there.

But soon did mankind behave past enduring,
In drinking, in swearing, in fighting, and whoring;
Then Jove arose, and fierce in his anger,
Said, "That he would suffer such miscreants no longer."

Then from their high windows the heavens did pour,
Forty days and nights one continual shower;
Till nought could be seen but the waters around,
And in this great Deluge most mortals were drowned.

Sure never was beheld so dreadful a sight,
As the old World in such a very odd plight!
For there was to be seen all animals swimming,
Men, monkeys, priests, lawyers, cats, lapdogs, and women.

There floated a debtor away from his duns,
And next Father Greybeard stark-naked midst nuns;
Likewise a poor husband not minding his life,
Contented in drowning to shake off his wife.

A king and a cobler next mingled to view,
And spendthrift young heirs there were not a few;
A Whale and a Dutchman came down with the tide,
And reverend old bishop by a young wench's side.

But Noah being wisest, faithful and upright,
He built him an ark so stout and so tight;
Though heaven and earth seemed to come together;
He was safe in his Lodge, and feared not the weather.

Then after the flood, like a Brother so true,
Who still had the good of the Craft in his view;
He delved the ground and he planted the vine,
He formed a Lodge, aye, and gave his Lodge wine.

Let statesmen toss, tumble, and jumble the ball,
We sit safe in our Lodge and we laugh at them all;
Let bishops wear lawn-sleeves, and kings have their ointment,
Freemasonry sure is by Heaven's appointment.

Now charge my dear Brethren, and chorus with me,
A health to all Masons both honest and free;
Nor be less our duty unto our great King.
So God bless great George let each Brother sing.

Toast

To the King and the Craft (as the Master's Song.)

XXXVI.— SONG.

Tune: Mutual Love.

As Masons once on Shinar's Plain,

Met to revive their arts again,

Did mutually agree,

So now we meet in Britain's Isle,

And make the royal Craft to smile

In ancient Masonry.

The Masons in this happy land,

Have now revived the ancient grand,

And the strong Tuscan laid,

Each faithful Brother by a sign,

Like Salem's sons each other join,

And soon each other made.

Thrice happy blest Fraternity,

Whose basis is sweet unity,

And makes us all agree,

Kings, dukes and lords, to us they're kind,

As we to beggars, when we find

Them skilled in Masonry.

How happy are the ancient brave,

Who no false cowan can deceive,

And may they so remain,

No modern Craftsmen e'er did know

What signs our Master to us show,

Though long they strove in vain,

The horned Buck and Gallican ^[*],

As the monkey imitates the man,

Their clubs do Lodges call,

While ancient Masons know full well,

No fools like those, amongst them dwell,

No, no, nor never shall.

My Brethren all take glass in hand,

And toast our noble Master Grand,

And in full chorus sing,

A health to ancient Masons free,

Throughout the globe wherever they be,

And so God save the King.

Toast

To all ancient Masons wheresoever dispersed or oppressed, round the globe, &c.

^[*]A certain club who call themselves Antigallic Masons, are here meant, and not the laudable association of Antigallicans, whom I esteem as an honourable and useful Society, and worthy of imitation.

XXXVII.— SONG

Tune: Greedy Midas.

With harmony and flowing wine,
My Brethren all come with me join;
To celebrate this happy day,
And to our Master homage pay.

Hail! happy, happy, sacred place,
Where friendship smiles in every face;
And Royal Art doth fill the chair,
Adorned with his noble Square.

Next sing, my Muse, our Warden's praise,
With chorus loud in tuneful lays;
Oh! may these columns ne'er decay,
Until the world dissolves away.

My Brethren all come join with me,
To sing the praise of Masonry;
The noble, faithful and the brave,
Whose Arts shall live beyond the grave.

Let envy hide her shameful face;
Before us ancient sons of peace;
Whose golden precepts stiil remain,
Free from envy, pride or stain.

Toast

To Salem's sons, &c.

XXXVIII.— SONG.

Tune: Ye Mortals that love Drinking.

Ye ancient sons of Tyre,
In chorus join with me;
And imitate your sire,
Who was famed for Masonry;
His ancient dictates follow,
And from them never part;
Let each sing like Apollo,
And praise the Royal Art.

Like Salem's second story,
We raise the Craft again;
Which still retains its glory,
The secret here remains;
Amongst true ancient Masons,
Who always did disdain
These new invented fashions,
Which we know all are vain.

Our Temple now rebuilding,
You see Grand Columns^[*] rise;
The Magi then resembling,
They are both good and wise;
Each seem as firm as Atlas,
Who on his shoulders bore
The starry frames of heaven;
What mortals can do more?

Come now, my loving Brethren,
In chorus join all round;
With flowing wine, full bumpers,
Let Masons healths be crowned;
And let each envious cowan,
By our good actions see,
That we're made free and loving
By Art of Mansonry.

Toast

To the Memory of P. H. Z. L. and J. A.

XXXIX.- SONG.

Tune: The Entered 'Prentice.

From the depths let us raise
Our voices and praise
The works of the glorious creation;
And extol the great fame
Of our Maker's great name,
And His love to an Accepted Mason.

In primitive times,
When men, by high crimes,
Had caused a great devestation;
When the floods did abound,
And all mankind were drowned,
Save the Free and Accepted Mason.

There were architects four,
Where billows did roar,
Were saved from that great inundation;
Whose Father from on high,
Taught Geometry,
That honoured science of a Mason.

In an Ark that was good,
Made of gopher wood,
And was built by divine ordination;
And the first in his time,
That planted a vine,
Was a Free and an Accepted Mason.

Then Nimrod the Great,
Did next undertake
To build him to Heaven a station;
But tongues of all kind,
Prevented his mind,
For he was no excellent Mason.

When Pharaoh, the King
Of Egypt did bring,
To bondage our whole generation,
That King got a fall,
And his magicians all,
By a princely and learned wise Mason.

Then through the Red Sea,
Heaven guided their way,
By two pillars of divine ordination;
And Pharaoh's great train
Were lost in the main,
For pursuing an army of Masons.

When Amalek's King,
Great forces did bring,
Likewise the great Midianite nation;
Those kings got a fall,
And their great armies all,
And their wealth fell a spoil to those Masons.

In the Plains they did rear
A pavilion fair.
The beauty of all the creation;
Each part in its square,
Which none could compare,
Save a Free and an Accepted Mason.

King Solomon, he
Was known to be free,
Built a holy Grand Lodge for his nation;
Each beautiful part
Was due to the Art
Of Hiram, the great learned Mason.

They to Jordan did go,
And met their proud foe,
And fought the great Canaanite nation;
Whose gigantic strain
Could never sustain
The force of an army of Masons

Then let each Mason that's free,
Toast his memory,
Join hands without dissimulation;
Let cowans think on,
We know they are wrong,
Drink an health to an Accepted Mason.

But if any so mean,
Through avarice or stain,
Should debase himself in this high station;
That person so mean,
For such cursed gain,
Should be slain by the hand of a Mason.

Toast

To all just and faithful Masons.

XL.— SONG.

'Tis Masonry unites mankind,
To generous actions forms the soul;
In friendly converse all conjoined,
One spirit animates the whole.

Wherever aspiring domes arise,
Wherever sacred altars stand;
Those altars blaze unto the skies,
Those domes proclaim the Mason's hand.

As passions rough, the soul disguise,
Till science cultivates the mind;
So the rude stone unshapen lies,
Till by the Mason's Art refined.

Though still our chief concern and care,
Be to deserve a Brother's name;
Yet ever mindful of the Fair,
Their kindest influence we claim.

Let wretches at our manhood rail;
But they who once our Order prove,
Will own that we who build so well,
With equal energy can love.

Sing Brethren then the Craft divine,
(Blest band of social joy and mirth)
With choral sound and cheerful wine,
Proclaim its virtues o'er the earth.

XLI.— SONG.

[Alternate version of song LXIV.]

Once I was blind and could not see,

And all was dark around!

But Providence did pity me,

And soon a friend I found;

Through secret paths my friend me led;

Such paths as babblers never tread.

All stumbling blocks he took away,

That I might walk secure;

And brought me long ere break of Day,

To wisdom's temple-door;

When there we both admittance found,

To mystic paths on hallowed ground.

Though haughty in my bold attempt,

Blest thoughts did me alarm;

Which hinted I was not exempt

(If rash) from double harm;

Which quickly stopped my rising pride,

And made me trust more to my Guide.

By solemn pace I was led up,

And passed through the bright dome;

But soon I was obliged to stop,

Till I myself made known;

Then round in ancient form was brought,

For to obtain that which I sought.

With humble heart, in proper form,

I listened with good-will;

And found instead of noise and storm,

That all was hushed and still;

And soon a heavenly sound did hear,

That quite dispelled all doubt and fear.

The guardian of this mystic charm,

In shining jewels dressed;

Said, that I need to fear no harm,

If faithful was my Breast;

For though to rogues he was severe,

No harm an honest man need fear.

Bright Wisdom, from his awful throne,

Bid darkness to withdraw;

No sooner said but it was done,

And then ——— great things I saw;

What what were they? ——— I now won't tell,

They safely in my breast shall dwell.

Then round and round me did he tie

An ancient noble charm;

Which future darkness will defy,

And ward of cowans harm;

With instruments, in number, three,

To learn the Art of Geometry.

XLII.— SONG.

Attend, loving Brethren, and to me give ear,
Our work being ended, let's lay aside care;
Let mirth and good humour our senses regale,
And mind that our secrets we never reveal.

With leave of his Worship that here fills the Chair,
Who governs our actions by Compass and Square;
We'll sing a few verses in Masonry's praise,
Not fond of ambition, we look for no bays,

Our ancient Grand Master inspired by the Lord,
On holy Moriah, as in Scripture declared;
The stupendous structure began for to frame,
In the month called Ziff, and fourth year of his reign.

With Level and Square the foundation begun,
In length sixty cubits, breadth nineteen and one;
Here Masonry shone above all other arts,
So sublime the great secret the artist imparts.

Old Hiram of Tyre, King David's great friend,
Did fir, pine, and cedar, from Lebanon send,
To build the Sanctorum by Masonry-skill,
Subsequent unto the great Architect's will.

One hundred and fifty-three thousand, six hundred
Employed for the Temple, we find they were numbered;
With Crafts many thousands, and bearers of loads,
And Masters six hundred the Scripture records.

Who formed themselves into Lodges, they say,
Some east and some west, some north and south way;
In love, truth and justice go successfully on,
In all well ruled realms that were under the sun.

Now let the brisk bumper go merrily round,
May our worthy Master in honour abound;
May his instructive precepts to virtue us move,
To live like true Brethren in friendship and love.

Let Moderns and critics with impious rage,
Amuse the vain town and against us engage;
Let Prichard and his followers, apostates profane,
With false tenets puzzle each lethargic brain.

All health to our Brethren of every degree,
Dispersed round the globe, or by land or by sea;
Freserve them, ye Powers, their virtues improve,
When we part on the Level we may meet all above.

XLIII.—SONG.

See in the East the Master placed,

How graceful unto us the sight;

His Wardens just he doth intrust,

His noble orders to set right;

Wherever he list, his Deacons straightway run,

To see the Lodge well tyled, and work begun,

Like Tyre's sons, we then pursue

The noble science we profess,

Each Mason to his calling true

Down to the lowest from the best;

Square, Plumb and Level, we do all maintain,

Emblems of justice are, and shall remain.

King Solomon, the great Mason,

Honour unto the Craft did raise,

The Tyrian Prince and Widow's Son,

Let every Brother jointly praise;

The memory of these three shall never die;

We'll toast their names in glasses charged full high.

XLIV.— SONG.

Tune: Rule Britannia.

Attend, attend to the strains,

Ye Masons Free, whilst I,

To celebrate your fame,

Your virtues found on high;

Accepted Masons free and bold,

Will never live the dupes of gold.

Great Solomon the King,

Great Architect of fame;

Of whom all coasts did ring,

Revered a Mason's name:

Like him accepted free and bold

True Wisdom we prefer to gold.

Since him, the great and wise

Of every age and clime,

With fame that never dies,

Pursued the Art sublime;

Inspired by Heaven, just and free,

Have honoured much our Masonry.

The glorious paths of those,

With Heaven-born wisdom crowned,

We every day disclose,

And tread on sacred ground;

A Mason, righteous, just and free,

Or else not worthy Masonry.

XLV.— SONG.

Tune: Bonny Broom.

To Masonry your voices raise,
Ye Brethren of the Craft;
To that and your great Master's Praise,
Let bumpers now be quaffed:
True friendship, love and concord join,
Possess a Mason's heart:
Those virtues beautify the mind,
And still adorn the Art.

Chorus

Hail, all hail, my Brethren dear;
All hail to ye alway;
Regard the Art while ye have life,
Revere it every day.

Whilst thus in unity we join,
Our hearts still good and true;
Inspired by the grace divine,
And no base ends in view:
We friendly meet, ourselves employ,
To improve the fruitful mind;
With blessings which can never cloy,
But dignify mankind.

No flinty hearts amongst us are,
We're generous and kind;
The needy man our fortune shares,
If him we worthy find:
Our charity from east to west,
To each worthy object we
Defuse, as is the great behest,
To every man that's free.

Thus blessed and blessing well we know,
Our joys can never end;
For long as vital spirits flow,
A Mason finds a friend:
Then join your hearts and tongues with mine,
Our glorious Arts to praise;
Discreetiy take the generous wine,
Let reason rule your ways.

XLVI.— AN ODE.

Recitative

Blessed be the day that gave to me
The secrets of Freemasonry;
In that my sole ambition's placed,
In that alone let me be graced,
No greater title let me bear.
Than what's pertaining to the Square.

Air

Though envious mortals vainly try
On us to call absurdity,
We laugh at all their spleen;
The levelled man, the upright heart,
Shall still adorn the glorious Art,
Nor mind their vile chagrin:
The ermined robe, and reverend crozier too,
Have proved us noble, honest, just and true.

Chorus

In vain then let prejudiced mortals declare
Their hate of us Masons, we're truly sincere;
If for that they despise us, their folly they prove,
For a Mason's grand maxim is brotherly-love;
But yet, after all, if they'd fain be thought wise,
Let 'em enter the Lodge, and we'll open their eyes.

XLVII.— SONG.

How blest are we from ignorance freed,

And the base notions of mankind,

Here every virtuous moral deed,

Instructs and fortifies the mind!

Hail! ancient, hallowed, solemn ground,

Where Light and Masoary I found.

Hence vile detractors, from us fly,

Far to the gloomy shades of night,

Like owls that hate the mid-day sky,

And shrink with envy from the light;

With them over graves and ruins rot,

For hating knowledge you know not.

When we assemble on a hill,

Or in due form upon the plain;

Our Master doth with learned skill,

The sacred plan and work explain:

No busy eye nor cowan ear,

Can our grand mystery see or hear.

Our table decked with shining truth,

Sweet emblems that elate the heart;

While each attentive listening youth,

Burns to perform his worthy part;

Resolving with religious care,

To live by Compass, Rule and Square.

Our Master watching in the East,

The golden streaks of rising sun,

To see his men at labour placed,

Who all like willing Crafts do run:

Oh! may his wisdom ever be,

Honour to us and Masonry.

Not far from him, as gnomon true,

Beauty stands with watchful eye,

Whose cheerful voice our spirits renew,

And each his labour doth lay by:

His kind refreshing office still,

Inspires each Craft in Mason's Skill.

See in the West our oblong's length,

The brave Corinthian Pillar stands,

The Lodge's friend, and greatest strength,

Rewarding Crafts with liberal hands:

Pure this our Lodge must lasting be,

Supported by these columns three.

As bees from flowers, honey bring,

Sweet treasure to their muster stores;

So Masons do each sacred thing,

And wonders from the distant shores:

To enrich the Lodge with wisdom's light,

Where babbling folly's lost in night.

Each Roman chief did proudly view

That Temple's rising to the sky,

And as they nations did subdue,

They raised triumphal arches high;

Which got us Masons such a name,

As vies with mighty Cæsars fame.

The kings who raised Diana's Columns ^[*]

With Royal Art, by skillful hands;

As priests recorded in their volumes,

And poets sing to distant lands:

The adorning world that did them see,

Forgot the enshrined Deity.

Such is our boast, my Brethren dear,

Fellows to kings, and princes too;

The Master's gift — was proud to wear,

As now the great and noble do:

The great, the noble and the sage,

Masons revered from age to age.

Chorus

Then to each Brother in distress,

Throughout the nations, parts or climes,

Charge Brethren to his quick redress,

As Masons did in ancient times;

From want and hardships, set them free,

Blessed with health and Masonry.

Nor once forget the lovely Fair,

Divinely made of Adam's bone;

Whose heavenly looks can banish care,

And ease the sighing lover's moan;

To them whose soft enjoyment brings

Us heroes, architects and kings.

XLVIII.— SONG.

Come fill up a bumper and let it go round,
Let mirth and good fellowship always abound;
And let the world see,
That Freemasonry
Doth teach honest souls to be jovial and free.

Our Lodge now composed of honest free hearts,
Our Master most freely his secrets imparts;
And so we improve,
In knowledge and love,
By help from our mighty Grand Master above.

Let honour and friendship eternally reign,
Let each Brother Mason the truth so maintain;
That all may agree,
That Freemasonry,
Doth teach honest souls to be jovial and free.

In mirth and good fellowlhip we will agree,
For none are more blest or more happy than we;
And thus we'll endure.
While our actions are pure,
Kind Heaven those blessings to us doth insure.

XLIX.— SONG.

Tune: Rule Britannia.

Urania sing the Art divine,
Beauty, Strength and Wisdom, grace each line;
Soar higher than Jove's famed bird can go,
Though out of sight, his flight's too low;
Boast Ubiquarians from this your pedigree,
But we from Jove take Masonry.

When the great Architect designed,
Brooding nature's plan, and made mankind;
Then He ordained the Mason's orders fair,
For Masonry was all His care;
By omniscience and Freemasonry,
The jarring elements He made agree.

The Almighty, by Masonry, did scheme
His holy dwelling-house, and Heaven did name;
Made many mansions, which He supplied with light,
Proceeding from His essence bright,
With shining stars adorned the vaulted skies;
To raise our wonder and surprise.

By Masonry, this stupendous ball,
He poised in Geometry, and measured all
With line East and West; also from North to South:
This spacious Lodge He measured out;
And adorned with precious jewels three,
As useful Light to Masonry.

To rule the day the Almighty made the sun,
To rule night He also made the moon;
And godlike Adam, a Master Mason free,
To rule and teach posterity;
Sanctity of reason, and majesty of thought,
Amongst Freemasons should be sought.

In the Deluge where mortals lost their lives,
God saved four worthy Masons and their wives;
And in the Ark great Noah a Lodge did hold,
Shem and Japheth his Wardens we are told;
And Ham as Tyler, was ordered to secure,
From all their wives, the secret door ^[*].

When Israel's sons were held in slavery,
God sent His word and sign to set them free;
Nightly by fire, and in a cloud by day,
He paved His loved Freemasons way:
Through the Red Sea, with wondrous mystery,
From Pharaohs yoke He set them free.

On Horeb's Mount great Moses did stand,
With Wardens twain, and rod of God in hand;
Devoutly prayed by word and sign to Heaven,
Whilst to his Deputy, conquest was given;
When on Mount Nebo, he saw the land and died,
Jehovah did his time provide.

The world's great wonders, mankind agree, -
Their beauties owe to the Art of Masonry;
Ephesus Temple, the Walls of Babylon,
And Labyrinth's wonderous works unknown;
The Pyramids, Mausoleum, and famed Colossus high,
And Olympus greeting the azure sky.

By God's command and Freemasonry,
The Teinple had most exact symmetry;
In order raised by Hiram's mighty Art,
From nature's rude materials start;
The world's wonders before were deemed but seven,
Till this grand fabric made them even.

Come charge, charge your glasses speedily,
To all true Brothers skilied in Masonry;
Likewise the King, long happy may he reign,
Old England's glory to maintain;
In order stand, you know the ancient charge,
Pay due respect to mighty George.

^[*]And so soon as ever the day began to break, Noah stood up towards the body of Adam; and before the Lord, he and his sons, Shem, Ham and Japheth, and Noah prayed, &c. And the women answered, from another part of the Ark, Amen, Lord. — See Caten. Arab. C. xxv. Fol. B.

L.— AN ODE.

Wake the lute and quivering strings,
Mystic truths Urania brings;
Friendly visitant, to thee
We owe the depths or Masonry;
Fairest of the virgin choir,
Warbling to the golden lyre;
Welcome here, thy art prevail,
Hail, divine Urania, hail.

Here, in friendship's sacred bower,
Thy downy winged and smiling hour,
Mirth invites, and social song,
Nameless mysteries among:
Crown the bowl, and fill the glass
To every virtue, every grace;
To the Brotherhood resound
Health, and let it twice go round.

We restore the times of old,
The blooming glorious age of gold;
As the new creation free,
Blest with gay Euphrosyne:
We with godlike Science talk,
And with fair Astrea walk;
Innocence adorn the day,
Brighter than the smiles of May.

Pour the rosy wine again,
Wake a louder, louder strain;
Rapid zephyrs, as ye fly,
Waft our voices to the sky;
While we celebrate the nine,
And the wonders of the Trine.
While the angels sing above,
As we below, of peace and love.

LI.— SONG.

Hail! sacred Art, by Heaven designed.
A gracious blessing for mankind;
Peace, joy, and love thou dost bestow,
On us thy votaries below.

Bright Wisdom's footsteps here we trace,
From Solomon that prince of peace;
Whose glorious maxims still we hold,
More precious than rich Ophir's gold.

His heavenly proverbs to us tell
How we on earth should ever dwell;
In harmony and social Love,
To emulate the blest above.

Now having wisdom for our guide,
By its sweet precepts we'll abide;
Envy and hatred we'll dispel,
No wrathful fool with us shall dwell.

Vain, empty grandeur, shall not find
It's dwelling in a Mason's mind;
A Mason who is true and wise,
It's glittering pomp will always despise.

Humility, love, joy, and peace,
Within his mind shall find their place;
Virtue and wisdom thus combined,
Shall decorate the Mason's mind.

LII.— SONG.

Tune: God save the King.

Hail! Masonry divine,

Glory of Ages shine,

Long mayest thou hold;

Wherever thy Lodges stand,

May they have great command,

And always grace the land,

Thou Art divine.

Great fabrics still arise,

And touch the azure skies,

Great are thy schemes;

Thy noble orders are

Matchless beyond compare,

No art with thee can share,

Thou Art divine.

Hiram the Architect,

Did all the Craft direct,

How they should build;

Solomon great Israel's king,

Did mighty blessings bring,

And left us room to sing

Hail! Royal Art.

LIII.— SONG.

Let Masons be merry each night when they meet,
And always each other most lovingly greet,
Let envy and discord be sunk in the deep,
By such as are able great secrets to keep;
Let all the world gaze on our Art with surprise,
They're all in the dark till we open their eyes.

Whoever is known to act on the square,
And likewise well skilled in our secrets rare,
Are always respected whether wealthy or poor,
And never yet was careless of things that are pure.
Their actions are bright and their lives spent in love,
At length will be happy in the Grand Lodge above.

We are brothers to princes, and fellows to kings,
Our fame through the world continually rings;
As we lovingly meet so we lovingly part,
No Mason did ever bear malice at heart,
The fool that's conceited we'll never despise,
Let him come to the Lodge and we'll make him more wise.

The Sanctum Sanctorum by Masons is framed,
And all the fine works which the Temple contained,
By Hiram's contrivance, the pride of my song,
The noise of a tool was not heard all along;
And the number of Masons that round it did move,
By him were directed, inspired from above.

LIV.— SONG.

If unity be good in every degree,
What can be compared to that of Masonry?
In unity we meet, in unity we part;
Let every Mason chorus, Hail! mighty Art.

The vulgar often murmur at our noble Art,
Because the great arcanum we don't to them impart;
In ignorance let them live, and in ignorance let them die,
Be silent and secret let every Mason cry.

Let a bumper be crowned unto the Art of Masonry,
And to each jovial Brother that is a Mason free;
We act upon the Square, on the Level we'll depart,
Let every Mason sing, Hail! glorious Art.

LV.— SONG.

Tune: The Miller of Mansfield.

How happy a Mason whose bosom still flows
With friendship, and ever most cheerfully goes,
The effects of the mysteries lodged in his breast,
Mysteries revered and by princes possessed!
Our friends and our bottle we best can enjoy,
No rancour or envy our quiet annoy,
Our Plumb, Line and Compass, our Square and our Tools
Direct all our actions in virtue's fair rules.

To Mars and Venus we're equally true,
Our hearts can enliven, our arms can subdue;
Let the enemy tell, and the ladies declare,
No class or profession with Masons compare;
To give a fond lustre we never need a crest,
Since honour and virtue remain in our breast,
We'll charm the rude world when we clap, laugh and sing,
If so happy a Mason! say, who'd be a king?

LVI.— SONG.

Tune: Rule Britannia.

When Masonry, by Heaven's design,
Did enter first great Hiram's brain,
A cioir of angels did rejoice,
And this chorus sung with united voice:

Chorus

Hail! you happy, happy sons that be
Bothers of Freemasonry.

Great Hiram he did then repair,
And went to work with Rule and Square,
With Plumb and Level to his eternal fame,
He did the glorious Temple frame:

When Solomon beheld the same,
He then set forth great Hiram's fame;
Oh! excellent Mason! he in surprise did say,
Above all arts you bear the sway:

Now to great Hiram's memory
Let's fill a glass most cheerfully,
St. John (including) who the light did bring,
And likewise George our gracious King:

Next charge unto our Master Grand,
And to each lovely fair one round the land,
Ourselvcs including, so let the health go round
With a clap, to make the Lodge resound:

LVII.— SONG.

Tune: Hail! Masonry, &c.

Let worthy Brethren all, combine
For to adorn our mystic Art,
So as the Craft may ever shine,
And cheer each faithful Brother's heart:

Chorus

Then Brethren all in chorus sing,
Prosper the Craft and bless the King.

We Levelled, Plummed and Squared aright,
The five noble orders upright stand,
Wisdom and strength with beauty's height,
The wonder of the world command:

Ye fools and cowans all who plot
For to obtain our mystery,
Ye strive in vain, attempt it not,
Such creatures never shall be free:

The wise, the noble, good and great,
Can only be accepted here;
The knave or fool, though decked in state,
Shall never approach the Master's Chair:

Now fill your glasses, charge them high,
Let our Grand Master's health go round,
And let each heart o'erflow with joy,
And love and unity abound:

LVIII.— SONG.

Tune: The First of August.

With cordial hearts let's drink a health
To every faithful Brother;
Whose candid hearts, secure while breath,
Are faithful to each other:
Whose precious jewels are so rare,
Likewise their hearts so framed are,
And Levelled wiih the truest Square
That nature can discover.

As great a man as in this land,
Or any other nation;
Would take a Brother by the hand,
And greet him in his station:
Neither king nor prince, though ever so great,
Or any emperor of state,
But with great candour would relate,
To every faithful Brother.

The world shall remain in pain,
And at our secrets wonder;
No Cowan shall it ever obtain,
Though all their lives they ponder:
Still aiming at the chiefest white,
In which Freemasons take delight,
They never can obtain the Light,
Though they spend their lives in wonder.

King Solomon the great and wise,
He was a faithful Brother;
Ffeemasonry would not despise,
No secrets he'd discover:
But he was always frank and free,
Professing such sincerity,
To all of that Fraternity,
He loved them 'bove all other.

Come let us build on firm ground,.
Still aiding of each other;
And lay foundation that's most sound,
That no arts-man can discover;
Nor ever shall revealed be,
But to bright men in Masonry,
Here is to them where'er they be,
I am their faithful Brother.

Come let us join our hearts and hands,
In this most glorious manner;
And to each other firmly stand,
Under King George's banner:
That God may bless him still I pray,
And o'er his enemies, give the sway,
May he for ever win the day,
And crown his years with honour.

LIX.— SONG.

Whoever wants wisdom, must with some delight,
Read, ponder and pore, noon, morning and night;
Must turn over volumes of gigantic size,
Enlighten his mind though he puts out his eyes.

If a general would know how to muster his men,
By thousands, by hundreds, by fifties, by ten;
Or level his seige on high castle or town,
He must borrow his precepts from men of renown.

Would a wry faced physician or parson excel,
In preaching or giving a sanctified spell;
He first must read Galen and Tillotson through,
Ere he gets credentials or business to do.

But these are all follies, Freemasons can prove,
In the Lodge they find knowledge, fair virtue, and love;
Without deafening their ears, without binding their eyes,
They find the compendious way to be wise.

LX.— SONG.

Come, come, ye Elves that be,
Come follow, follow me;
All you that guards have been
Without, and served within;
Sing, let joy through us resound,
For all this Lodge is sacred ground.

Guides, too, that Fairies are,
Come five by five prepare;
Come bring fresh oil with speed,
Your dying lamps to feed:
All trimmed in new and glittering light,
To welcome garments that are white.

Come Seraphs, too that be
Bright rulers, three by three;
Attend on me your queen,
Two handmaids led between:
Whilst all around this health I name.
Shall make the hollow sounds proclaim.

Whilst Sylvans and sylvan loves,
Over mountains and in groves;
With brighter gems and sprightly dames
Of fountains and of flames:
With joyful noise of hands and feet,
Shall echo and the sound repeat.

Whilst we who sing and love,
And live in springs above;
Descend, descend, do we,
With Masons to be free:
Where springs of wine revive each face,
And streams of milk flow round the place;

Whilst Cherubs guard the door,
With flaming sword before;
We through the keyhole creep,
And there unseen we peep:
O'er all the jewels skip and leap,
And trip it, trip it, step by step.

Or as upon the green,
We Fairies turn unseen;
So here we make a ring,
While merry Masons sing:
Around their crowns we whirl apace.
And not one single hair misplace.

And down from thence we jump,
All with a silent thump;
None hear our feet rebound,
Round, round the table round:
Nor see us whilst we nimbly pass
Thrice round the rim of every glass.

But if any crumbs withal,
Down from their table fall;
With greedy mirth we eat,
No honey is so sweet:
And when they drop it from their thumb,
We catch it supernaculum.

Now as for Masonry,
Although we are not free;
In Lodges we have been,
And all their signs have seen:
Yet such love to the Craft we bear,
Their secrets we will ne'er declare.

Supernaculum: Good liquor, of which not enough is left to wet one's nail; The custom was, after a cup is emptied, to turn it upside down and let the last drop fall upon the thumb-nail. If the drop is so big that it rolls off, the drinker is obliged to fill and drink again.

LXI.— SONG.

Excuse my weak untutored Muse,
Who thus presumes to climb;
For who to sing, could ever refuse,
Of Masonry sublime;
Sure errors gross or dangerous flaws
Could never taint a Brother;
Fast to the solemn olden laws
Of loving one another.

Such godlike reason still at hand,
No clouds o'er us are seen;
By moral rectitude we stand,
We work, we act like men:
How oft by our august retreat
Are bounteous succours given!
O this is mercy's darling seat,
The attributes of Heaven.

Astræa, as the poets feign,
On earth can never rest;
They lie, for o'er our Lodge she reigns,
And in each Mason's breast;
Where truth and peace fits on each face,
And friendship smiles around;
No biting envy e'er takes place,
But social joy abounds.

So let our union ever subsist,
And never know decay;
For since the Creation it did exist,
And will till the final day:
We'll fill the sparkling flowing bowl,
And toast his memory,
Who lived with a firm unshaken soul,
And died for Masonry.

LXII.— SONG.

Tune: Attic Fire.

Arise and sound thy trumpet, Fame,

Freemasonry aloud proclaim,

To realms, and worlds unknown,

Tell them 'twas this great David's son,

The wise, the matchless Solomon,

Prized far above his throne.

The solemn Temple's cloud-capped towers,

And stately domes are works of ours,

By us those piles were raised;

Then bid mankind with songs advance,

And through the ethereal vast expanse,

Let Masonry be praised.

We help the poor in time of need,

The naked clothe, the hungry feed,

'Tis our foundation stone;

We build upon the noblest plan,

While friendship rivets man to man,

And makes us all as one.

Thy trumpet, Fame, yet louder blow,

And let the distant regions know,

Freemasonry is this;

Almighty wisdom gave it birth,

While Heaven fixed it here on earth,

A type of future bliss.

LXIII.— THE HOD-CARRIER'S SONG.

Tune: Balance a Straw.

When the sun from the East first salutes mortal eyes,
And the skylark melodiously bids us arise;
With our hearts full of joy we the summons obey,
Straight repair to our work, and to moisten our clay.

On the trestle our Master draws angles and lines,
There with freedom and fervency forms his designs;
Not a picture on earth is so lively to view,
All his lines are so perfect, his angles so true.

In the West see the Wardens submissively stand,
The Master to aid and obey his command;
The intent of his signals we perfectly know,
And we ne'er take offence when he gives us a blow.

In the Lodge, sloth and dullness we always avoid,
Fellowcrafts and Apprentices all are employed;
Perfect Ashlers some finish, some make the rough plain,
All are pleased with their work, and are pleased with their gain.

When my Master I've served seven years, perhaps more,
Some secrets he'll tell me I never knew before;
In my bosom I'll keep them as long as I live,
And pursue the directions his wisdom shall give.

I'll attend to his call both by night and by day,
It is his to command, and 'tis mine to obey;
Whensoever we're met, I'll attend to his nod,
And I'll work till high twelve, then I'll lay down my hod.

LXIV.- SONG.

[Alternate version of song XLI.]

Once I was blind and could not see,

For all was dark around;

But providence did pity me,

As I a friend soon found;

Through hidden paths he hath me led,

Such Paths as Babblers ne'er should tread.

All stumbling blocks he took away,

That I might walk secure;

And brought me ere the break of day,

To Sol's great Temple door;

Where there we both admittance found,

Without help of magic spell or sound.

But the curber of my bold attempt,

Did soon my breast alarm,

By hinting I was not exempt

(If rash) from future harm;

Which put a stop to rising pride.

And made me trust more to my guide,

Round and round I then was brought,

To mighty Sol's great throne,

Where I was obliged to stop

Till I myself made known:

Then with great noise I round was brought

For to obtain ——— that which I sought.

In humble posture and due form,

I listened with good-will;

Instead of any noise or storm,

All was quite hushed and still.

Such charming sounds I then did hear,

As quite dispelled all doubt and fear.

The mighty monarch from his throne,

Bid darkness to withdraw;

No sooner said than it was done,

And I three great things saw:

But what they were I will not tell,

Yet such they are they here shall dwell.

Then round and round me, he did tie

A noble ancient charm;

All future darkness to defy,

And guard from cowan's harm;

Then sent me back from whence I came,

Not what I was but what I am.

And now I'm made an upright man,

And Levelled with the best;

I'll Square my acts the best I can,

Within an honest breast;

I'll toast my friend both day and night,

And those blest hands brought me to light.

LXV.— SONG.

KNIGHTS TEMPLARS.

Tune: God save great George.

God bless the royal band

Who grace this happy land

With valiant knights:

May the united three

Of the blest Trinity

Cement the unity

Of all great Light.

Twelve once were highly loved,

But one a Judas proved,

Put out his fire:

May Simon haunt all fools

Who vary from our rules,

May the heads of such tools

Rest high on spires.

'Gainst Turks and Jews we fight,

And in religion's right

We'll breathe our last;

Poor pilgrims begging we

Will our Jerusalem fee,

All steps, Sir Knights, have ye

Gloriously passed.

Entered, Past, Raised and Arched,

And then like princes marched

Through rugged ways;

At length great lights we saw,

And poor old Simon too,

Also the word and law,

Glory and praise.

God in his rainbow gave

Colours which now we have,

Black, red and blue;

These colours emblems are

Of royal love most rare,

We are in soul sincere,

Just, good and true.

Sir Knights clasp hand in hand,

None but Knights Templars stand

In circle round;

May we all live in love,

And every comfort prove,

May manna from above

Fall on this ground.

LXVI.— SONG.

When a Lodge of Freemasons

Are clothed in their Aprons, In order to make a new Brother;

With firm hearts and clean hands,

They repair to their stands.

And justly support one another.

Trusty Brother take care,

Of eavesdroppers beware,

'Tis a just and a solenm occasion;

Give the word and the blow,

That workmen may know,

There's one asks to be made a Freemason.

The Master stands due,

And his officers too,

While the Craftsmen are plying their station;

The Apprentices stand,

Right for the command

Of a Free and an Accepted Mason.

Now traverse your ground,

As in duty you're bound,

And revere the authentic oration,

That leads to the way,

And proves the first ray

Of the Light of an Accepted Mason.

Here's words, and here's signs,

And here's problems and lines,

And here's room too for deep speculation;

Here virtue and truth

Are taught to the youth,

When first he's called up to a Mason.

Hieroglyphics shine bright,

And here Light reverts Light

On the rules and the tools of vocation;

We work and we sing

The Craft and the King,

'Tis both duty and choice in a Mason.

What is said or is done,

Is here truly laid down,

In this form of our high installation;

Yet I challenge all men

To know what I mean,

Unless he's an Accepted Mason.

The ladies claim right

To come into our Light,

Since the Apron, they say, is their bearing;

Can they subject their will?

Can they keep their tongues still?

And let talking be changed into hearing?

This difficult task

Is the least we can ask,

To secure us on sundry occasions;

When with this they comply,

Our utmost we'll try

To raise Lodges for Lady Freemasons.

Till this can be done,

Must each Brother be mum,

Though the fair one should wheedle or tease on;

Be just, true and kind,

But still bear in mind,

At all times that you are a Freemason.

LXVII.— SONG.

Tune: In Infancy, &c.

Let Masonry from pole to pole,
Her sacred laws expand,
Far as the mighty waters roll,
To wash remotest land:
That virtue has not left mankind,
Her social maxims prove,
For stamped upon the Mason's mind,
Are unity and love.

Ascending to her native sky,
Let Masonry increase;
A glorious pillar raised on high,
integrity its base: