Old Charges of Freemasonry: From the Original Manuscripts

This is a compilation of some of the more important of the Old Charges of Freemasonry. These documents witness to the growth and evolution of the Craft from its earliest historical memories. Yet they are not histories; rather, the stuff of Masonic myth and legend, often recalling memories more ancient still. As such, they tell us more about the nature of the Craft than about its objective history. The older the Old Charge, the more this is true. They are presented here in the original English, often quite archaic sounding to modern ears. But this is in keeping with their legendary nature, which would be distorted by presenting the seeming objectivity of modern language. Those who are not well versed in Chaucerian English need not despair, for even occasionally recognized words or phrases will give dramatic insight into old Masonic thought. The Halliwell Manuscript, however, is provided also in updated language.The range of Masonic literature includes documents of greater or lesser importance, of more or less reliability. This volume contains eight of the more important Old Charges out of scores of known documents. This collection of several of the more important Old Charges of Freemasonry, compiled as the Worshipful Master's gift for 2012 at Springfield-Hanby Lodge No. 767 in Springfield, Pennsylvania, and is now offered for general sale.