Preface

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THE
FREE MASON EXAMIN'D;
0 R. T H E *
World brought out of Darkness
Into LIGHT.
B E I X G
An Authentick Account of all the Secrets of
the Antient Society of Free-Mason s whicli have been handed down b3' Oral Tradition onlj', from the Institution, to the present Time.
IX WHICH Isparticularly described, the Whole Ceremony used
at making Mason's as it has been hitherto practised in all the Lodges round the Globe ; by which any Person, who was never made, may introduce himself into a Lodge.
WITH
Notes, Explanatory, Historical, and Critical.
To which are added, The Author's Reasons for the Publication hereof, and some Remakks on the Conduct of the Author of a Paniphlrt call'd M A S 0 X R Y DISSECTED
WITH
A Xew and Correct List of all the Regulak Lodges, under the English Constitution, according to their late Removals, and Additions.
By ALEXANDER SLADE,
iMte Master of three Itegular Constituted Lodges, In the City of X^ouwrcH.
The Fifth Edition, with additional Xotes.
LONDON:
Printed for R. GuiKKirns. in Pater-noster-Row.
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TO THE
READER
AS Free-Mason ly is to be tlie Subject of the fol- lowinpj Sheets, I snp]>ose the Keader would gladly Ite informed by what Means I obtained this mighty Secret, vvliich has beeti actually kei)t from all Ranks of People, (excej)t those who have been regu- larly initiated) ever since the Institution ; which, ac- cording to oral Tradition, was at the Building of ^a- beVs Toiver : The Bulls of the Pope, nor the Tortures of that Infernal Place the Inquisition, could never extort the Secret from any faithful Brother, neither wa.s the Secrets of this Craft (for so it is called) ever ex])0sed 'till now, though many have pretended to it, as well in France as in Enfiland. A Pamplilet, called Masonky Disskctkd, was puljlish'd here several Years ago, by one Scnmiel Fritchard, who, for a Contirma- tion of the Truth of what he had written, annexed an Affidavit to it, which he had sworn before an Alderman of London, that what he was going to pub- lish was a true and perfect Copy in every Particular ; notwithstanding he has, in the same Pamphlet, in- serted an Oath, or Obligation, (which he says he took when he was made a Mason) l)y which he was solemnly bound not to reveal, or cause to be revealed,
A 2 any
SoSoS'r^D
( iv. ) any of the Secrets of Free-Masonry ; therefore an impartial Person will be greatly puzzled to determine which of these Oaths he may with any Certainty be- lieve.
It may likewise be a Matter of great Wonder, how the Magistrate could be guilty of so gross an Error, as to administer an Oath to this Anatomist, after he had taken (as he said) so solemn an Obligation, which certainly the Magistrate could by no means contradict ; for which Reason he must appear to him at^tually for- sworn, unless the Alderman thought the former Oath was of no Force, because it was admin ister'd by a Person who had not the same Authority with himself.
Now as some of my Readers may possibly be of the same Opinion, tho' it is certainly a very weak one, I shall introduce the Opinion of Bishop Sanderson, the greatest Casuist that ever treated upon the Subject of Oaths ; who says, " When a Thing is not by any "Precept or Interdict, Divine or Human, so deter- *' min'd but every Man, pro fiic 4' nunc, may at "his own Choice do or not do, as he sees expedient; " Let him do what he will, he sinneth riot, 1 Cor. vii. " 36. As if Caius should swear to sell his Land to " Titius, or to lend him an hundred Crowns : The " Answer is brief, an Oath in this Case is both lawful " and binding."
Now this judicious Author mentions nothing con- cerning the Authority of those who are to administer Oaths, but positively affirms, that if one Man swears to another, that he Avill sell him his Land, or lend him an hundred Crowns, &g. that he is bound to fulfil Ins Oath.
Therefore if a Man binds himself by an Oath, in a Matter of the least Moment, whether before a Magi- strate or not, he should still remember that he is before the Supreme Judge, and is therefore obliged to per- form it, otherwise he is certainly guilty of the horri- ble Sin of Perjury.
If therefore this sham Dissector of Free-Masonrtf had ever taken so solemn an Obligation, (which ho
swore
( V. )
swore he did) when he was made a Mason, he was certainly forsworn by making the Secret publick ; and as he really never did, as every impartial Reader will believe, he nevertheless was perjur'd for making Oath that he had; therefore what Man in his Senses would ever give Credit to a AVretch that had been guilty of BO detestible a Crime * I
The Reader will wonder then by what means I obtain'd the Secrets, having never been initiated ; and for my own Part, I am surpriz'd they were never made publick before, having pass'd for so many ('enturies, through 80 many Countries, Ijanguages. Sects, and Parties ; But however, as they never were, I shall no longer suspend the Reader's Curiosity, who will now have a fair Opportunity of being as good a Mason as the best, by Time, Patience, and his own Industry ; for without a close Application, he cannot be suffi- ciently expert, to pass an Examination before his Ad- mission into a Lodge.
'Tis now upwards of ten Years since this grand Secret fell into my Hands, which was in the follow- ing Manner :
My Father was made a Free- Mason about the Year 1708, when Sir Chvii^topher Wren was Grand- Master, at the oldest Lodge in London^ then held at the Goose and Gridiron Alehouse in St. PauVs-Clntrch' Yard ; at that Time many Persons of Distinction were admitted, and he being known to understand Masonry well, has often been sent for by Noblemen, and other eminent Persons, to instruct them in the Art: He continued a Member of that Lodge about 34 Years, which was as long as he lived ; and at his Death, I became Master of all his Effects, with a small Free- hold Estate.
As I was one Day looking over some Papers in my Father's Bureau, I found one folded up, and laid Ju a private Drawer by itself, upon which I hastily open'd it; thinking it was something very extraordi- nary, arid so it was ; for this was the Title, A Fhee-
M A son's
* See The Whole Duly of Man, Chap. 4, on the Subject of OathR.
( vi. ) Mason's Instruction. I thought this extremely vahi- able, knowing ray Father had been a Mason many- Years, and therefore T made not the least Doubt but the Account was aiithentick. I immediately applied myself to the Study of Masonry, and shortly became Master of the whole Art.
My Affaii-s, soon after this, required me to settle in Norivich, in which City are sevei-al Eegular Lodges, and I WHS determined to pay a Visit to some of them the first Opportunity. The Day after I came there, I sent to a particular Acquaintance, a very eminent Attorney, to ask him to dine and spend the Evening with me, he accordingly came, and spent the whole Afternoon, but he declin'd staying the Evening, saying, " He " was particularly engaged with some Gentlemen, " whom he must meet precisely at 7 o'Clock, and " wish'd I was qualified to make one of the Com- " pany." I then desir'd he would explain himself, which he accordingly did, and said, " I am at pre- " sent Master of a Free-Mason's Lodge, and am to " meet two Gentlemen whom I have pi-opos'd to be " made this Night ; and if you have an Inclination that *' Way, you may make the third." Upon this, I thought that I had now a good opportunity to put my before-mention'd Design in Execution, and im- mediately salutes him with a * Sign, he directly an- swered it, by filling his Glass, and drank [Success to the again ; upon which T answered it, by filling my Glass, and drank [to the aforesaid Health.] He was extremely well pleased, to think he had found a Brother so un- expectedly, and said, " Pray, Mr. Slade, how long " have you been a Mason, and where was you made ? " " You may remember, said I, about five Years ago, "I went to Antu/iia with my Uncle Slmle, who you " know was a Mason ; and, at his Recjuest, I was " made at Parhavi Lodge, as soon as we arrived." This I exprest with so grave a Countenance, that he believed what I said to be a Fact, and said, *• Sir. I " have no Reason to doubt what you tell me, but " praj'^ answer me two or throe questions;" wbich I did, so jnuch to his Satisfaction, tliat he t took me by
the
* See this Sign explained, Page 19. t See this explained, Page 19.
( vii. ) the Hand, and said, *• Brotlinr Slade, I am so far convinced that yon are a Mason, that yon shall go with me, and see these Gentlemen made." I ac- cordingly went, and saw the whole Ceremony, which fully convinced me that the Instructions I had found in the Bureau were genuine. My friend asked me to become a Member of the Lodge, which I agreed to, and was accordingly accepted, and in two Years I was installed Master. Some time after this I entered myself a Member of two other Lodges, in both which, I had the Honour of serving that Office ; but as some unforeseen Misfortunes occasioned me to leave Norwich, (a Recital of which would be needless and tedious to the Reader) I came to London, where I was advised by some of my Friends, who are not Masons, to publish this Account of Free - Masonry for a small Support in my necessitous Circumstances.
Therefore those Ladies who have hitherto censured the Free-Masons so hard, as to think them guilty of the worst of Crimes, and those Gentlemen who have long neglected to be made, thinking the Secret too dear a Purchase, have at length an Opportunity, for a Trifle, of knowing the whole Mystery, which now ab- solutely remains no longer a Secret.
THE
THE
FREE MASON Examin'd.