The Lodge being open'd, and the Candidates, or the New Mafter and Wardens being yet among the Fellow Crafts, the G. Mafter fhall afk his Deputy, if he has examin'd them, and finds the Candidate Mafter well fkill'd in the Noble Science and the Royal Art, and duly instructed in our Mysteries? &c. The Deputy anfwering in the Affirmative, fhall (by the G. Mafter's Order) take the Candidate from among his Fellows and prefent him to the G. Mafter, faying, Right Worshipful GRAND MASTER, the Brethren bere defire to be form'd into a Lodge; and I prefent my worthy Brother A. B. to be their Mafter, whom I know to be of good Morals and great Skill, true and trusty, and a Lover of the whole Fraternity wherefoever difpers'd over the Face of the Earth. Then the and after placing the Candidate on his Left Hand, having afk'd and obtain'd the unanimous Confent of the Brethren, fhall fay, I conftitute and form thefe good Brethren into a New Lodge, and appoint you Brother A. B. the Master of it, not doubting of your Capacity and Care to preferve the Cement of the Lodge, &c. with fome other Expreffions that are proper and ufual on that Occafion, but not proper to be written. Upon this the Deputy fhall rehearse the Charges of a Master; and the and after fhall ask the Candidate, faying, Do you fubmit to thefe Charges, as Mafters have done in all Ages? And the New Mafter fignifying his Cordial Submiffion thereunto, The Grand Maffer fhall by certain fignificant Ceremonies and antient Ufages, inftal him and present him with the Book of Conftitutions, the Lodge-Book and the Inftruments of his Office; not altogether, but one after another; and after each of 'em the G. Mafter or his Deputy fhall rehearse the short and pithy Charge that is fuitable to the Thing prefented. Next, the Members of this NEW LODGE, bowing all together to the G. Mafter, fhall return his Worship their Thanks; and fhall immediately do Homage to their New Master, and fignify their Promise of Subjection and Obedience to him by the ufual Congratulation. The The Deputy and G. Wardens and any other Brethren prefent that are not Members of this New Lodge, fhall next congratulate the NEW MASTER, and he fhall return his becoming Acknowledgments to the G. Mafter firft, and to the Reft in their Order. Then the and after orders the New Mafter to enter immediately upon the Exercise of his Office, viz. in chufing his Wardens: And calling forth two Fellow-Crafts (Mafter-Mafons) presents them to the G. Mafter for his Approbation, and to the New Lodge for their Confent. Upon which The Senior or Junior G. Warden, or fome Brother for him, fhall rehearse the Charges of each Warden of a private Lodge: And they fignifying their cordial Submiffion thereunto, The NEW MASTER fhall prefent them fingly with the feveral Instruments of their Office, and in due Form inftal them in their proper Places: And the Brethren of this New Lodge fhall fignify their Obedience to those NEW WARDENS by the ufual Congratulation. Then the G. Mafter gives all the Brethren Joy of their New Mafter and Wardens, and recommends Harmony; hoping their only Contention will be a laudable Emulation in cultivating the Royal Art and the Social Virtues. Upon which all the New Lodge bow together in returning Thanks for the Honour of this CONSTITUTION. The Grand after alfo orders the Secretary to register this New Lodge in the Grand Lodge Book, and to notify the fame to the other particular Lodges; and after the Master's Song he orders the G. Warden to clofe the Lodge. This is the Sum, but not the whole Ceremonial by far; which the Grand Officers can extend or abridge at Pleasure, explaining Things that are not fit to be written tho' none but Thofe that have acted as Grand Officers can accurately go through all the feveral Parts and Ufages of a new Conftitution in the juft Solemnity. THE The General REGULATIONS OF THE FREE and Accepted MASON S. Compiled first by Brother GEORGE PAYNE, Efq; when Grand Mafter, A. D. 1720. and approv'd by the General Affembly at Stationers-Hall on 24 June 1721. Next by Order of the Duke of MONTAGU when Grand Mafter, the Author James Anderson compared them with the antient Records of the Fraternity, and digested them into this Method with proper Additions and Explications from the faid Records; and the Grand Lodge having revis'd and approv'd them, order'd 'em to be printed in the Book of Conftitutions on 25 March 1722. To which are now added, in a diftinct oppofite Column, The few REGULATIONS, or the Alterations, Improvements and Explications of the Dit, made by feveral Grand Lodges, fince the first Edition. DID REGULATIONS. Hand; and to order his Grand Wardens to attend him, who are not to act as Wardens of particular Lodges but in his Prefence and at his Command: For the G. Mafter, while in a particular Lodge, may command the Wardens of that Lodge, or any Other Mafter-Mafons, to act there as his Wardens pro New REGULATIONS. Lodge with the Grand Master, they must act as WARDENS there. On 17 March 1739. The Grand Lodge, to cure fome Irregularities, order'd, that None but the G. Mafter, his Deputy and Wardens (who are the only Grand Officers) fhall wear their Jewels in Gold pendant to Blue Ribbons about their Necks, and White Leather Aprons with Blue Silk; which Sort of Aprons may be alfo worn by former G. Officers. II. On 25 Nov. 1723. II. The MASTER of a particular Lodge has the Right and Authority of congregating theif a Master of a par- lected to be Members of his Lodge into a ticular Lodge is de-recorded. Chapter upon any Emergency pofed or demits, the Senior or Occurrence; as well as to Warden fhall forthwith fill the appoint the Time and Place of the Mafter's Chair till the next their ufual Forming: And in Time of chufing; and ever Cafe of Death or Sicknefs, or fince, in the Master's Absence, he neceffary Absence of the Mafter, fills the Chair, even tho' a the SENIOR WARDEN fhall former Mafter be prefent. act as Mafter pro tempore, if no Brother is prefent who has been Mafter of that Lodge before: For the Abfent Master's Authority reverts to the last Mafter prefent, tho' he cannot act till the Senior Warden has congregated the Lodge. III. The On 17 March 1731. Mafters and Wardens of particular Lodges may line their white Leather Aprons with white Silk, and may hang their Jewels at white Ribbons about their Necks. DID REGULATIONS. III. The Master of each particular Lodge, or one of the Wardens, or fome Other Brother by Appointment of the Mafter, fhall keep a Book containing their By-Laws, the Names of their Mem. bers, and a Lift of all the Lodges in Town; with the ufual Times and Places of their forming: And alfo all the Tranfactions of their own Lodge that are proper to be written. New REGULATIONS. III. In the Mastership of DALKEITH, a If a particular Lodge remove to a New The Precedency of Lodges is grounded on Every New Lodge, for the Future, shall pay two Guineas for their Conftitution to the General Charity. IV. No Lodge fhall make IV. On 19 Feb. 1721. No Bromore than Five New Bro-ther fhall belong to more than thers at one and the fame one Lodge within the Bills of Mor Time without an urgent Ne- tality (tho he may visit them ceffity; nor any Man under all) except the Members of a fothe Age of 25 Years (who reign Lodge. must be alfo his own Master) unless by a Difpenfation from the G. Master. But this Regulation is neglected for feveral Reasons, and now ob folete. V. No Man can be accepted a Member of a particular Lodge without previous Notice one Month before given to the Lodge; in order to make due Enquiry into the Reputation and Capacity of the Candidate, unless by a Difpenfation. VI. But V. The Secretary can direct the Petitioners in the Form for a Difpenfation, if wanted. But if they know the Candidate, they don't require a Dif penfation. VI. On |