Brethren -- While some may consider the following posts an "advertisement" for the York Rite, it is not. I wanted to pass this article along since it relates to part of our Masonic Hertitage. In the Ancient Charges it states that, "Craft Masonry consists of the Entered Apprentice, Fellowcraft, Master Mason, and Holy Royal Arch, and no more." I felt that this article helps to explain that statement. S&F, Ron Blaisdell, PM Capital of Strict Observance No. 66 ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

We are all familiar with the words addressed to the newly exalted companion: "You may perhaps imagine you have this day taken a fourth degree in Freemasonry, such, however, is not the case, it is the Master Mason's completed." But how do we reconcile that statement with this extract from the 1807 Laws and Regulations of the Antients Grand Lodge? "ANCIENT MASONRY consists of four Degrees - the three first of which are, that of Apprentice, the Fellow Craft, and the sublime degree of Master; and a brother being well versed in these degrees, and otherwise qualified, as hereafter will be expressed, is eligible to be admitted to the fourth degree, the Holy Royal Arch. This degree is certainly more august, sublime, and important than those which precede it, and is the summit and perfection of Ancient Masonry." The answer is compromise, for at a special convocation of the Grand Chapter of the Moderns on November 30, 1813 the following report was given: ". . . The Grand Lodge of England under H.R.H. The Duke of Sussex had entered into preliminary Articles with the Grand Lodge now under H.R.H. The Duke of Kent for an Union of the two Grand Lodges under one Grand Master. That by those Articles the Royal Arch was acknowledged as the perfection of the Masters Degree. . . ." The Oxford English Dictionary equates perfection with completion, the words are synonymous, and, as the Articles of Union declared: ". . . that pure Antient Masonry consists of three degrees and no more, viz., those of Entered Apprentice, the Fellow Craft, and the Master Mason, including the Supreme Order of the Holy Royal Arch." The expression "Master Mason's completed," to the newly exalted companion can be well justified even though the administration and exercise of the Royal Arch is under a separate organization. The Union of the two Grand Lodges was effected in December 1813 but it was nearly four years before the situation of the Royal Arch was cleared. In 1817, after the Union of the Grand Chapters, the new Laws and Regulations included the following statement: "That to this Order none ought to be admitted but men . . . who have passed through the probationary degrees of Masonry, have presided as Masters, been duly proposed, recommended by two or more companions of the Order, balloted for and approved.... No Mason shall be exalted to this sublime degree unless he has been a Master Mason for 12 calendar months...." PROBATIONARY DEGREES The reference to "probationary degrees of Masonry," however, stems from as far back as 1744 and was used by Dr. Fifield D'Assigny in his Serious and Impartial Enquiry . . ." referring to the Royal Arch in the following manner: "Now as the land marks of the constitution of Free-Masonry are universally the same throughout all kingdoms, and are so well fixt that they will not admit of removal, how comes it to pass that some have been led away with ridiculous innovations, an example, of which, I shall prove by a certain propagator of a false system some few years ago in this city, who imposed upon several very worthy men under a pretence of being Master of the Royal Arch, which he asserted he had brought with him from the city of York; and that the beauties of the Craft did principally consist in the knowledge of this valuable piece of Masonry. However he carried on his scheme for several months, and many of the learned and wise were his followers, till at length his fallacious art was discovered by a Brother of probity and wisdom, who had some small space before attained that excellent part of Masonry in London and plainly proved that his doctrine was false; whereupon the Brethren justly despised him and ordered him to be excluded from all benefits of the Craft, and although some of the fraternity have expressed an uneasiness at this matter being kept a secret from them (since they had already passed through the usual degrees of probation). I cannot help being of opinion that they have no right to any such benefit until they make a proper application, and are received with due formality, and as it is an organised body of men who have passed the chair, and given undeniable proofs of their skill in Architecture, it cannot be treated with too much reverence, and more especially since the characters of the present members of that particular Lodge are untainted, and their behaviour judicious and unexceptionable; so that there cannot be the least hinge to hang a doubt on, but that they are most excellent Masons." This book has long been viewed as the earliest reference to the Royal Arch, but certain documents relating to Inquisitorial trials in Lisbon in August 1738 - held three months after the issue of the Papal Bull forbidding all Roman Catholics from Freemasonry - have now been translated by Masonic students in that field, giving us much earlier indications of a grade above Master. Part of that evidence is as follows: "He said further, that all those of the said society, not only of this Court, but from any other part of the world, should they come here, would know each other by the handclasp and in the movements they make with the right hand, those of the first class, or apprentice, bringing it up to the throat, those of the second to the breast, and he cannot explain their name in our tongue, but they are the next to becoming Masters, and those of the third bring the hand to the waist, and those who are Masters have a trowel, and there are two which they call Excellent Masons, and Grand Mason, which are above all others and superior to that which he, the witness, exercised. "He said further, that unless they were skilled and informed in those arts of ruling and architecture, and in all else made known to them in the said society, no one of the said society can aspire to any of those superior degrees nor have knowledge of their origins, because this is forbidden to him." I need hardly point out the similarity between this evidence and parts of what we read in Doctor D'Assigny's book published nearly six years later. Even though Craft installations were held every six months, i.e. St. John the Baptist Day, June 24 and on St. John the Evangelist Day, December 27, the desire to enter the Royal Arch for many would have been unfulfilled and it became commonplace for lodges to confer the status of Past Master for this purpose. This caused the following to be minuted by the Antients Grand Lodge on December 4, 1771: "The Rt. Worship. Deputy Grand Master informed the Grand Lodge of the Proceedings of the Royal Arch meetings, Viz. on the 2nd October and 6th November last and expatiated a long time on the scandalous method pursued by most of the Lodges (on St. John's Days) in passing a Number of Brethren through the chair on purpose to obtain the sacred Mysterys of the Royal Arch, and proved in a concise manner that those proceedings were unjustifiable; therefore Moved for a Regulation to be made in order to Suppress them for the future."