Luigi Visentin
Registered User
I'm sorry of not having participated much to the forum's life, but I have passed a lot of free time in these last months to work on my researches also because I have found many interesting information about ancient Masons. However as a sort of "Christmas Gift" I have decided to write a short paper about the origin of Freemasonry according to the Legend of the Craft. This paper does not includes all findings that I have reserved for the book I'm writing (in Italian), but I think that it has enough information to be of interests for you and to allow personal researches about.
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Who were ancient Mason? It can be seen as incredibly simple, but who were ancient Mason is told us by the Regius Manuscript:
Pray we now to God almight, (almighty)
And to his mother Mary bright,
That we may keep these articles here,
And these points well all y-fere, (together)
As did these holy martyrs four,
That in this craft were of great honour;
They were as good masons as on earth shall go,
Gravers and image-makers they were also.
For they were workmen of the best,
The emperor had to them great luste; (liking)
He willed of them an image to make
That might be worshipped for his sake;
Such monuments he had in his dawe, (day)
To turn the people from Christ’s law.
But they were steadfast in Christ’s lay, (law)
And to their craft without nay; (doubt)
They loved well God and all his lore,
And were in his service ever more.
True men they were in that dawe, (day)
And lived well in God’s law;
They thought no monuments for to make,
For no good that they might take,
To believe on that monument for their God,
They would not do so, though he were wod; (furious)
For they would not forsake their true fay, (faith)
And believe on his false lay, (law)
The emperor let take them soon anon,
And put them in a deep prison;
The more sorely he punished them in that place,
The more joy was to them of Christ’s grace,
Then when he saw no other one,
To death he let them then gon; (go)
Whose will of their life yet more know
By the book he might it show
In the legend of scanctorum (holy ones)
The names of the quatuor coronatorum.
The text cited in the last two lines is a mispelling of "Legenda Sanctorum", better known as Golden Legend, of Jacobus de Voragine, an Italian bishop, which tells the "story" of the Four Crowned Martyrs. This is the translation of Caxton, dated 1483 (and adapted to modern language), of the Legenda Sanctorum:
Here followeth of the Four Crowned Martyrs.
The four crowned martyrs were Severus, Severianus, Carpoforus, and Victorinus, which by the commandment of Diocletian were beaten with plummets of lead unto the death. The names of whom could not be found, but after long time they were showed by divine revelation, and it was established that their memory should be worshipped under the names of five other martyrs, that is to wit Claudian, Castor, Symphorian, Nicostratus, and Simplician, which were martyred two years after the four crowned martyrs. And these martyrs knew all the craft of sculpture or of carving, and Diocletian would have constrained them to carve an idol, but they would not entail ne carve it, ne consent to do sacrifice to the idols. And then by the commandment of Dioc]etian they were put into tuns of lead all living, and cast into the sea about the year of our Lord two hundred four score and seven. And Melchiades, the pope, ordained these four saints to be honoured and to be called the four crowned martyrs before that their names were found. And though their names were afterward found and known, yet for the usage they be always called the four crowned martyrs.
Please note that the "Four Crowned" are only the first four martyrs and their profession is not specified, but we know from other sources that they were roman soldier, that is milites. The Regius confuses however the reason why they have been martyrized as the reason cited is the one which caused the death of the other five. The reason of this confusion is in the Golden Legend itself as it tells, for the first four martyrs, that they "were beaten with plummets of lead" "by the commandment of Diocletian", but not why Diocletian ordered this.
The confusion is also in the origins as there are two legends, one for the soldiers and one for the sculptors, however the Four Crowned have been called in this way as their names were unknown while the names of the sculptors were known already from the beginning. The mix of the stories of the first four soldier and of the five scultors was decided by the catholic church their relics were moved to the "Basilica dei Quattro Coronati" in Rome.
The Regius however indicates that the ability of carving was an extra capability of masons:
They were as good masons as on earth shall go,
Gravers and image-makers they were also.
and specifies also that the martyrs were four and not nine, practically ignoring the five carvers. The Golden Legend has been written taking the information about the Quatuor Coronati from the Passio of Saint Sebastian, first wrongly attributed to S. Ambrosius of Milan and dated in the V century. In this work, which is however mostly a novel, the Four Crowned are specified to be soldiers of the guard of Diocletian. As told above, as their names were initially unknown the pope gave them the name of "Four Crowned".
The most important point however is this: they were soldiers and exactly "milites" (or "miles" at singular). This is the exact profession of the ancient Operative Masons. It can seem very strange but it is necessary to consider that the Roman Army was the biggest building enterprise of the antiquity. Most of the roman streets, fortress and public buildings have been built by roman soldiers, not by civil workers. Many of them are still existing and some are still in use in Italy and also abroad. The main tool of the legionar was the "dolabra" a sort of pickaxe that can be used to cut trees, work stone (and also to crash helmets if necessary as they were, in any case, soldiers). It is the same tool used by middle ages masons to cut and work stones, only with a longer grip. A Roman general Gneo Domizio Corbulone, once said that the "victory had to be gained using the dolabra". And for the Romans this tool was common as the glaudio or the pilum. The use of this instrument and the ability in the work of erecting buildings is clearly shown on the Trajan's Column that is a must-see monument in Rome and is cited in the Inigo Jones Manuscript too (not by chanche).
A confirmation of this origin comes from the Inigo Jones Manuscript, which dating is pretty difficult but it is likely one the richest information source about ancient Freemasonry. This manuscript is very precise and says that:
IN the Year XLIII, after the birth of CHRIST, MASONS came into England,
In 43 a.C. Romans invaded Britannia (Britain) and many masonic authors have giustified this information saying that the Collegia followed the army, but this is totally wrong. Roman army did not use civilian workers and the conquest of Britannia was long and difficult. They took four years to estabilish a firm base and another four to consolidate it. In that period only the army was operating in Britannia and this went on for about twenty years after the landing of the troops. The same manuscript give other indications, specifying:
and built a Anno Christi XLIII goodly Monastry Near unto Glassenbury, with many CASTLE S and TOWERS.
This part is referred to a legend on the foundation of the Glastonbury Abbey (Glassenbury in French) made Joseph of Arimathea (that according to another legend died in Britain). According to the christian iconography of Middle Age, Joseph was a knight who, together with other five milites was at the service of Pilatus. Basically Joseph was the legendary founder of the christian chivalry and during the Middle Age the word most used to indicate a knight was miles (sometime was used also equites, while "knight" and the other versions like "Ritter" (german) or "Cavaliere" (Italian) becomes common around the twelfth century).
Also S.Alban that it is cited in almost all versions of the Legend of the Craft, is declared as Mason and king's Steward, was a roman soldier, that is a miles, according to christian's agiography.
Therefore the ancient question has a simple answer: ancient Operative Mason were Roman soldiers, that is milites. The Legend simply tells shortly what happened to operative Masons from the last period of the West Roman Empire till the tenth century. Clearly the story is in a coded form but it is pretty easy to show that every biblical reference has some errors that are repeated in the various versions of the Legend itself and analyzing these errors is possible to understand something of what is hidden in the text.
The Legend tells much more than this, but now you have a good hint to find out who were masonic "David" and "Solomon" who lived much later the fall of the West Roman Empire.
An important precisation: I can not say with certainty if the story told by the Legend of the Craft is true or invented. However this is simply what the Legend tells.
Many season's greetings!
****
Who were ancient Mason? It can be seen as incredibly simple, but who were ancient Mason is told us by the Regius Manuscript:
Pray we now to God almight, (almighty)
And to his mother Mary bright,
That we may keep these articles here,
And these points well all y-fere, (together)
As did these holy martyrs four,
That in this craft were of great honour;
They were as good masons as on earth shall go,
Gravers and image-makers they were also.
For they were workmen of the best,
The emperor had to them great luste; (liking)
He willed of them an image to make
That might be worshipped for his sake;
Such monuments he had in his dawe, (day)
To turn the people from Christ’s law.
But they were steadfast in Christ’s lay, (law)
And to their craft without nay; (doubt)
They loved well God and all his lore,
And were in his service ever more.
True men they were in that dawe, (day)
And lived well in God’s law;
They thought no monuments for to make,
For no good that they might take,
To believe on that monument for their God,
They would not do so, though he were wod; (furious)
For they would not forsake their true fay, (faith)
And believe on his false lay, (law)
The emperor let take them soon anon,
And put them in a deep prison;
The more sorely he punished them in that place,
The more joy was to them of Christ’s grace,
Then when he saw no other one,
To death he let them then gon; (go)
Whose will of their life yet more know
By the book he might it show
In the legend of scanctorum (holy ones)
The names of the quatuor coronatorum.
The text cited in the last two lines is a mispelling of "Legenda Sanctorum", better known as Golden Legend, of Jacobus de Voragine, an Italian bishop, which tells the "story" of the Four Crowned Martyrs. This is the translation of Caxton, dated 1483 (and adapted to modern language), of the Legenda Sanctorum:
Here followeth of the Four Crowned Martyrs.
The four crowned martyrs were Severus, Severianus, Carpoforus, and Victorinus, which by the commandment of Diocletian were beaten with plummets of lead unto the death. The names of whom could not be found, but after long time they were showed by divine revelation, and it was established that their memory should be worshipped under the names of five other martyrs, that is to wit Claudian, Castor, Symphorian, Nicostratus, and Simplician, which were martyred two years after the four crowned martyrs. And these martyrs knew all the craft of sculpture or of carving, and Diocletian would have constrained them to carve an idol, but they would not entail ne carve it, ne consent to do sacrifice to the idols. And then by the commandment of Dioc]etian they were put into tuns of lead all living, and cast into the sea about the year of our Lord two hundred four score and seven. And Melchiades, the pope, ordained these four saints to be honoured and to be called the four crowned martyrs before that their names were found. And though their names were afterward found and known, yet for the usage they be always called the four crowned martyrs.
Please note that the "Four Crowned" are only the first four martyrs and their profession is not specified, but we know from other sources that they were roman soldier, that is milites. The Regius confuses however the reason why they have been martyrized as the reason cited is the one which caused the death of the other five. The reason of this confusion is in the Golden Legend itself as it tells, for the first four martyrs, that they "were beaten with plummets of lead" "by the commandment of Diocletian", but not why Diocletian ordered this.
The confusion is also in the origins as there are two legends, one for the soldiers and one for the sculptors, however the Four Crowned have been called in this way as their names were unknown while the names of the sculptors were known already from the beginning. The mix of the stories of the first four soldier and of the five scultors was decided by the catholic church their relics were moved to the "Basilica dei Quattro Coronati" in Rome.
The Regius however indicates that the ability of carving was an extra capability of masons:
They were as good masons as on earth shall go,
Gravers and image-makers they were also.
and specifies also that the martyrs were four and not nine, practically ignoring the five carvers. The Golden Legend has been written taking the information about the Quatuor Coronati from the Passio of Saint Sebastian, first wrongly attributed to S. Ambrosius of Milan and dated in the V century. In this work, which is however mostly a novel, the Four Crowned are specified to be soldiers of the guard of Diocletian. As told above, as their names were initially unknown the pope gave them the name of "Four Crowned".
The most important point however is this: they were soldiers and exactly "milites" (or "miles" at singular). This is the exact profession of the ancient Operative Masons. It can seem very strange but it is necessary to consider that the Roman Army was the biggest building enterprise of the antiquity. Most of the roman streets, fortress and public buildings have been built by roman soldiers, not by civil workers. Many of them are still existing and some are still in use in Italy and also abroad. The main tool of the legionar was the "dolabra" a sort of pickaxe that can be used to cut trees, work stone (and also to crash helmets if necessary as they were, in any case, soldiers). It is the same tool used by middle ages masons to cut and work stones, only with a longer grip. A Roman general Gneo Domizio Corbulone, once said that the "victory had to be gained using the dolabra". And for the Romans this tool was common as the glaudio or the pilum. The use of this instrument and the ability in the work of erecting buildings is clearly shown on the Trajan's Column that is a must-see monument in Rome and is cited in the Inigo Jones Manuscript too (not by chanche).
A confirmation of this origin comes from the Inigo Jones Manuscript, which dating is pretty difficult but it is likely one the richest information source about ancient Freemasonry. This manuscript is very precise and says that:
IN the Year XLIII, after the birth of CHRIST, MASONS came into England,
In 43 a.C. Romans invaded Britannia (Britain) and many masonic authors have giustified this information saying that the Collegia followed the army, but this is totally wrong. Roman army did not use civilian workers and the conquest of Britannia was long and difficult. They took four years to estabilish a firm base and another four to consolidate it. In that period only the army was operating in Britannia and this went on for about twenty years after the landing of the troops. The same manuscript give other indications, specifying:
and built a Anno Christi XLIII goodly Monastry Near unto Glassenbury, with many CASTLE S and TOWERS.
This part is referred to a legend on the foundation of the Glastonbury Abbey (Glassenbury in French) made Joseph of Arimathea (that according to another legend died in Britain). According to the christian iconography of Middle Age, Joseph was a knight who, together with other five milites was at the service of Pilatus. Basically Joseph was the legendary founder of the christian chivalry and during the Middle Age the word most used to indicate a knight was miles (sometime was used also equites, while "knight" and the other versions like "Ritter" (german) or "Cavaliere" (Italian) becomes common around the twelfth century).
Also S.Alban that it is cited in almost all versions of the Legend of the Craft, is declared as Mason and king's Steward, was a roman soldier, that is a miles, according to christian's agiography.
Therefore the ancient question has a simple answer: ancient Operative Mason were Roman soldiers, that is milites. The Legend simply tells shortly what happened to operative Masons from the last period of the West Roman Empire till the tenth century. Clearly the story is in a coded form but it is pretty easy to show that every biblical reference has some errors that are repeated in the various versions of the Legend itself and analyzing these errors is possible to understand something of what is hidden in the text.
The Legend tells much more than this, but now you have a good hint to find out who were masonic "David" and "Solomon" who lived much later the fall of the West Roman Empire.
An important precisation: I can not say with certainty if the story told by the Legend of the Craft is true or invented. However this is simply what the Legend tells.
Many season's greetings!
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