Preface

The Principles of Masonic Law: A Treatise on the Constitutional Laws, Usages And Landmarks of Freemasonry, By Albert G. Mackey, M.D., Author of "The Lexicon of Freemasonry," "The Mystic Tie," "Legends and Traditions of Freemasonry," Etc., Etc., Grand Lecturer and Grand Secretary of The Grand Lodge of South Carolina; Secretary General of the Supreme Council of the Ancient and Accepted Rite for the Southern Jurisdiction of the United States, Etc., Etc., Etc. "Est enim unum jus, quo devincta est hominum societas, quod lex constituit una; quæ lex est recta ratio imperandi atque prohibendi, quam qui ignorat is est injustus." Cicero de Legibus. c. XV. New York: Jno. W. Leonard & Co., Masonic Publishers, 383 Broadway. 1856. Entered, according to Act of Congress, in the year 1855, by Jno. W. Leonard & Co., In the Clerk's Office of the District Court of the United States for the Southern District of New York. To Brother J.J.J. Gourgas, Sovereign Grand Inspector General in the Supreme Council for the Northern Jurisdiction of the United States, I Dedicate This Work, As a Slight Testimonial of My Friendship and Esteem for Him As a Man, And of My Profound Veneration for His Character As a Mason; Whose Long and Useful Life Has Been Well Spent in the Laborious Prosecution of the Science, And the Unremitting Conservation of the Principles of Our Sublime Institution. Table of Contents Preface Introduction Book First. The Law of Grand Lodges.