Part 7 (1/2)
Q. After your obligation, what was said to you? A. What do you most desire.
Q. Your answer? A. More light. [The bandage around the head is now dropped over the eyes.]
Q. Did you receive light? A. I did.
Q. On being brought to light on this degree, what did you first discover? A. Three great lights in Masonry, by the a.s.sistance of three less, and both points of the Compa.s.s elevated above the Square, which denoted to me that I had received, or was about to receive, all the light that could be conferred on me in a Master's Lodge.
Q. What did you next discover? A. The Wors.h.i.+pful Master approaching me from the East, under the sign and due-guard of a Master Mason, who presented me with his right hand in token of brotherly love and confidence, and proceeded to give me the pa.s.s-grip and word of a Master Mason [the word is the name of the pa.s.s-grip], and bid me rise and salute the Junior and Senior Wardens, and convince them that I was an obligated Master Mason, and had the sign, pa.s.s-grip, and word (TUBAL CAIN).
Q. What did you next discover? A. The Wors.h.i.+pful Master approaching me a second time from the East, who presented me with a lamb-skin, or white ap.r.o.n, which, he said, he hoped I would continue to wear with honor to myself, and satisfaction and advantage to the brethren.
Q. What were you next presented with? A. The working tools of a Master Mason.
Q. What are they? A. All the implements of Masonry indiscriminately, but more especially the Trowel.
Q. How explained? A. The Trowel is an instrument made use of by operative Masons to spread the cement which unites a building into one common ma.s.s; but we, as Free and Accepted Masons, are taught to make use of it for the more n.o.ble and glorious purposes of spreading the cement of brotherly love and affection; that cement which unites us into one sacred band, or society of brothers, among whom no contention should ever exist, but that n.o.ble emulation of who can best work, or best agree.
Q. What were you next presented with? A. Three precious jewels.
Q. What are they? A. Humanity, Friends.h.i.+p, and Brotherly Love.
Q. How were you then disposed of? A. I was conducted out of the Lodge, and invested of what I had been divested, and returned again in due season.
SECOND SECTION.
Question--Did you ever return to the SANCTUM SANCTORUM, or HOLY OF HOLIES, of King Solomon's Temple? Answer--I did.
Q. Was there anything in particular took place on your return? A.
There was, viz., I was accosted by three ruffians, who demanded of me the Master Mason's word.
Q. Did you ever give it to them? A. I did not, but bid them wait, with time and patience, till the Grand Lodge a.s.sembled at Jerusalem, and then, if they were found worthy, they should receive it, otherwise they could not.
Q. In what manner was you accosted? A. In attempting to retire at the South gate, I was accosted by one of them, who demanded of me the Master Mason's word, and, on my refusing to comply with his request, he gave me a blow with the twenty-four-inch gauge across my breast, on which I fled to the West gate, where I was accosted by the second with more violence, and, on my refusing to comply with his request, he gave me a severe blow with the Square across my breast; on which I attempted to make my escape at the East gate, where I was accosted by the third with still more violence, and, on my refusing to comply with his request, he gave me a violent blow with the common gavel on the forehead, and brought me to the floor.
Q. Whom did you represent at that time? A. Our Grand Master, Hiram Abiff, who was slain at the building of King Solomon's Temple.
Q. Was his death premeditated? A. It was--by fifteen Fellow Crafts, who conspired to extort from him the Master Mason's word; twelve of whom recanted, but the other three were base enough to carry their atrocious designs into execution.
Q. What did they do with the body? A. They carried it out at the West gate of the Temple, and buried it till low twelve at night, when they three met agreeably to appointment, and carried it a westerly course from the Temple, and buried it under the brow of a hill, in a grave six feet, due East and West, six feet perpendicular, and made their escape.
Q. What time was he slain? A. At high twelve at noon, when the crafts were from labor to refreshment.
Q. How came he to be alone at that time? A. Because it was the usual custom of our Grand Master, Hiram Abiff, every day at high twelve, when the crafts were from labor to refreshment, to enter into the SANCTUM SANCTORUM, or HOLY OF HOLIES, and offer up his adorations to the ever-living G.o.d, and draw out his plans and designs on his Tressle-Board, for the crafts to pursue their labor.
Q. At what time was he missing? A. At low six in the morning, when King Solomon came up to the Temple, as usual, to view the work, and found the crafts all in confusion; and, on inquiring the cause, he was informed that their Grand Master, Hiram Abiff, was missing, and no plans or designs were laid down on the Tressle-Board for the crafts to pursue their labor.
Q. What observations did King Solomon make at that time? A. He observed that our Grand Master, Hiram Abiff, had always been very punctual in attending, and feared that he was indisposed, and ordered search to be made in and about the Temple, to see if he could be found.