Samuel Prichard

“ N.B.—If any working Masons are at work, and you have a desire to distinguish Accepted Masons from the rest, take a piece of stone, and ask him what it smells of? He will immediately reply, Neither of brass, iron, nor steel, but of a Mason. Then ask him how old he is? ”

“ The first sort being introduced at a very great expence, the second sort at a moderate rate, and the latter sort at the expence of six or seven shillings; for which they receive the Word, as they term it; which is more ancient and honourable than the order of the Star and Garter; which antiquity is accounted, according to the Rules of Masonry, as delivered by their tradition, ever since Adam, which I leave the candid reader to determine. ”

“ It's a serious matter when females, who have been genteelly brought up, forget themselves.—poor Lady Pea! she could never regain her standing in the barn-yard, for every wide-mouthed drouthy rascal of a duck, even when sweltering in a gutter, expected her to be his boon companion.—In short, that morning there was neither beast nor body about Loganhouso that kent what they were doing, except the horses, and they were all as sober as judges ”

“ Now, you know, a man may as weel try to haud a young naig without a tether, as haud new'rs-day without drink; so I told one of the men to go to Kilmarnock for a cask; and what does the drunken idiot do, but takes in the sour-milk barrel, and brings it hame fu' to the bung, that's to say, as fu's himsel;—for he kent so little about what he was doing, that he filled a water-stoup wi' the drink, and left it in the kitchen; as for the rest o't, every one that liked went to the barrel wi' his dish, and helped himsel'. The consequence was, that the men got a' fu', and they filled the women fu'. ”

“ John's, is, because he was the fore-runner of our Saviour, and laid the first parallel line of the gospel. Others do assert, that our Saviour himself was accepted a Free Mason while he was in the flesh: but how ridiculous and profane it seems, I leave to the judicious readers to consider. ”

“ Q. What metal is it made of?
A. No manner of metal at all, but a tongue of good report behind a brother's back, or before his face.
N.B.—The key is the tongue, the bone-box the teeth, the tow line the root of the mouth.
Q. How many Principles are there in Masonry?
A. Four.
Q. What are they?
A. Point, Line, Superficials and Solid.
Q. Explain them?
A. Point, the centre line, round which the Master cannot err: Length, without breadth.— Superficials, length and breadth. Solid comprehends the whole. ”

“ A. As the Sun sets in the West, to close the day; so the Wardens stand in the West, with their right hands upon their left breasts, being a sign, and the Level and Plumb-rule about their necks, to close the Lodge, and dismiss the men from their labour, paying their wages. ”

“ The most free and grand Society, is that of the Grand Koihebar, which consists of a select company of responsible people, whose discourse is concerning trade and business, and promote friendship without compulsion or restriction. ”

“ A. One that is greater than you.
Q. Who is greater than I, that am a Free and Accepted Mason, the Master of a Lodge?
A. The Grand Architect and contriver of the Universe, or he that was taken up to the pinacle of the Holy Temple. ”

“ The original institution of Masonry is laid on the foundation of the liberal Arts and Sciences; but more especially on the fifth, namely, Geometry: For ou the building of the Tower of Babel, the art of Masonry was first introduced ”

“ Resp. They carried him up to the brow of a hill, where they made a decent grave, and buried him.
Ex. When was he missed?
Resp. The same day.
Ex. When was he found?
Resp. Fifteen days afterwards.
Ex. Who found him?
Fifteen loving brothers, by order of King Solomon, went out of the door of the Temple, and divided themselves from right to left, within call of each other; and they agreed, that if they did not find the Word in him, or about him, the first word should be the Master's word. ”

“ A. A trazel-board, for the Master to draw his designs upon; rough-ashler, for the fellow craft to try their jewels upon; and the broached-thurnal for the Entered Prentice to learn to work upon.
Q. Have you any lights in the Lodge? ”

“ A. A Bible, compass, and Square.
Q. Who do they properly belong to?
A. The Bible to God, the compass to the Master, and square to the Fellow-craft.
Q. Have you any jewels in the Lodge?
A. Yes.
Q. How many?
A. Six, three moveable, and three immoveable.
Q. What are the moveable jewels?
A. The Square, Level, and Plumb-rule.
Q. What are their uses?
A. The square, to lay down true and right lines; a level, to try all horizontals; And the plumb-rule, to try all uprights.
Q. What are the immoveable jewels?
A. The trazel-board, rough-ashler, and broached thurnal. ”

“ A. In a just and perfect Lodge.
Q. What makes a just and perfect Lodge?
A. Seven or more.
Q. What do they consist of?
A. One Master, two Fellow-crafts, and two Entered Prentices.
Q. What makes a lodge?
A. Five.
Q. What do they consist of?
A. One Master, two Wardens, one Fellow-craft and one Entered Prentice.
Q. Who brought you to the Lodge?
A. An Entered Prentice.
Q. How did he bring you?
A. Neither clothed nor naked, bare footed nor shod, deprived of all metal, and in a right moving posture. ”