Ahiman Rezon
“...In the preface or address to the reader, Dermott pokes fun at the history of Freemasonry as written by Doctor Anderson and others, and wittily explains the reason why he has not published a history of Freemasonry….”
Source: Mackey's Encyclopedia of Freemasonry
“THE EDITOR TO THE READER
IT has been the general Custom of all my worthy Brethren, who have honoured the Craft with their Books of Constitutions, or Pocket-Companions for Free-Masons, to give us a long and pleasing history of Masonry from the Creation to the Time of their writing and publishing such Accounts, viz, from Adam to Noah, from Noah to Nimrod, from Nimrod to Solomon, from Solomon to Cyrus, from Cyrus to Seleucus Nicator, from Seleucus Nicator to Augustus Caesar, from Augustus Caesar to the Havock of the Goths, and so on until the Revival of the Augustan Steyle, &c., &c., &c. Wherein they give us an Account of the drawing, scheming, planning, [vi] designing, erecting, and building of Temples, Towers, Cities, Castles, Palaces, Theatres, Pyramids, Monuments, Bridges, Walls, Pillars, Courts, Halls, Fortifications, and Labyrinths, with the famous Light-house of Pharos and the colossus at Rhodes, and many other wonderful Works performed by the ARCHITECTS, to the great Satisfaction of the Readers and Edification of Free-Masons.1 HAVING called to Mind the old Proverb, Better out of the World than out of Fashion, I was fully determined to publish a History of Masonry, whereby I did expect to give the World an uncommon Satisfaction; and in order to enable myself to execute this great Design, I purchased all or most of the Histories, Constitutions, Pocket-Companions, and other Pieces (on that Subject) now extent in the English Tongue. My next Step was to furnish myself with a sufficient Quantity of Pens, Ink, and Paper;
This being done, I immediately fancied myself an Historian, and intended to trace Masonry not only to Adam in his sylvan Lodge in Paradise, but to give some Account of the Craft even before the Creation; and (as a Foundation) I placed the following Works round about me, so as to be convenient to have Recourse to them as Occasion should require, viz. Doctor Anderson and Mr [a 2-vii] Spratt directly before me, Doctor D'Assigny and Mr Smith on my Right-hand, Doctor Desagulier and Mr Pennell on my Left-hand, and Mr Scott and Mr Lyon behind me; A Copy of (that often called) the Original Constitutions (said to be in the Possession of Mr John Clark, in Paris), and another Copy of the same Magnitude handed about in England, together with the Pamphlet printed at Frankfort in Germany. I tied up in the Public Advertiser of Friday, October 19, 1753, and threw them under the Table. HAVING tried my Pen, and wrote a Line not unlike the Beginning of a Chapter in the Alcoran2 , I began to flourish away in a most admirable Manner, and in a few Days wrote the first Volume of the History of masonry, wherein was a full Account of the Transactions of the first Grand Lodge, particularly the excluding of the unruly Members as related by Mr Milton3. By this Time I imagined myself superior to Josephus, Stackhouse, or any other Historian whom the Reader shall please to think on. And as I intended to give the [viii] World a History of Masonry for several Years before the Creation, I made no manner of Doubt but my Work should live (as least) two Thousand years after the general Conflagration. PERHAPS some of my Readers (I mean those that are best acquainted with my Capacity) Will say, he has more Vanity than Wit; and as to Learning, it is as great a Stranger to him, as Free-Masonry is to Women; yet he has the Folly to think himself an Historian and expects to become a great Man, &c. WHETHER such an Opinion be true, or false, it matters nought to me; for the World must allow, that (tho' no Man has yet found out the perpetual Motion) all Men ever had, has now, and ever will have, a perpetual Notion; And furthermore, we read that the following Person, so much fam'd in History, were not only poor Men, but many of them of a very mean Extraction. The wise Philosopher Socrates, was the Son of a poor Stone-Carver; the tragic Poet Euripides, was the Son of poor Parents; as was Demosthenes, the Honour of Greek Eloquence; Virgil, the famous Latin Poet, was the Son of a poor Mantuan labouring Potter; Horace, the incomparable Lyric, was the son of Trumpeter in the Wars; Tanquinian Priscus, King of the Romans, was begotten on a Woman-slave; Septimius Severus, is said to come of [ix] a very base Degree; Agathocles, King of Sicilly, was a Potter's Son; Ælius Pertinas was a poor Artificer, or some say a simple Seller of Wood; the Parents of Venadius Bassius, are said to be very miserable poor People; and Arsaces, King of the Parthians, was of so mean and obscure Parentage that no Man's Memory could make a Report of his Father or Mother; Ptolomy: King of Egypt, was the Son of a Squire in Alexander's Army; the Emperor Diocletian, was the Son of a Scrivener; the Emperor Valentinian, was the Son of a Rope-maker; the Emperor Probus, was the Son of a Gardener; and the parents of Aurelius, were so obscure that Writers have not agreed who they were; Maximinus was the Son of a Smith, or as some say a Waggon-Wright; Marcus Julius Licinius, was the Son of a Herdsman; Bonosus, was the
Son of a poor stipendiary Schoolmaster; Mauritus Justimus, Predecessor to Justinian, and likewise Galerus, were both Shepherds; Pope John, the Twenty-second of that Name, was the Son of a Shoe-maker; Pope Nicholas the Fifth, was the Son of a Man who sold Eggs and Butter about the Streets; and Pope Sixtus the Fourth, was a Mariner's Son; Lamusius, King of the Lombards, was the Son of a common Strumpet, who (when he was an infant) threw him into a Ditch, but was taken out by King Agelmond; Primislaus, King of Bohemia, was the Son of a country Peasant; Tamerlane the Great, was a Herdsman; Casius Marius, seven Times Consul of Rome, was [x] born of poor Parents in the Village of Arpinum; and Marcus Tullius Cicero, Consul of Rome and Pro-Consul in Asia, was from the poor Tuguriole of Arpinum, the meanest Parentage that could be; Ventidus, Field-Marshal and Consul of Rome, was the Son of a Muleteer; and Theophrastus was the Son of a Botcher, i.e. a Mender of Garments, &c. I have heard of many others of later Date (not so far distant as Fequin) that have preferr'd to Places or Offices of great Trust, and dignified with Titles of Honour, without having the least Claim to Courage, Wit, Learning, or Honesty; therefore if such Occurrences be duly considered, I humbly conceive it will not deem'd as a capital Offence, that I should entertain my own perpetual Notion, while I do not endeavour to disinherit any Man of his Properties. I DOUBT I have tir'd the Reader's Patience; and if so, I humbly beg his Pardon for this long Digression. But to return: While my Mind was wholly taken up with my fancied Superiority as an Historian, &c. I insensibly fell into a Slumber, when me-thought four Men entered my Room; their Habits appeared to be of very ancient Fashion, and their Language also I imagined to be either Hebrew, Arabic, or Chaldean, in which they addressed me, and I immediately answered [xi] them after the Pantomine Fashion; After some formal Ceremonies, I desired to know their names and from whence they came; to which one of them answered me (in English) We are four Brothers, and came from the holy City of Jerusalem; our Names are Shallum, Ahiman, Akhub, and Talmon. Hearing they were Sojourners from Jerusalem, I asked them whether they would give any Account of SOLOMON'S temple; to which Shallum(the chief of them) made Answer and said, The wise King SOLOMON, GRAND-MASTER of Israel, appointed up head Porters at the Temple, in the thirty-second Year of his Age, the twelfth of his Reign, and about the Year of the World 2942; and therefore we can give a full and particular Description of that wonderful Fabrick, and likewise of the ingenious Artists who perform'd it. I was glad to meet with such Brethren, from whom I did expect a great deal of Knowledge; which the many Ages they had lived in must have taught them, if their memories did not fail; Upon this Consideration I told them, that I was writing a History of Masonry, and beg'd their Assistance, &c. A HISTORY of Masonry! (says Ahiman) from the Day of the Dedication of the Holy Temple to this present Time, I have not seen a History of Masonry, [xii] though some have pretended (not only) to describe the Length, Breadth, Heighth, Weight, Colour, Shape, Form, and Substance of every Thing within and about the Temple; but also to tell the spiritual45 6 meaning of them, as if they knew the Mind of him who gave Orders for that Building, or seen it finished; But I can assure you, that such Surveyors have never seen the Temple, nay never have been within a thousand Miles of Jerusalem: Indeed (continued he) there was one Flavius (I think he was a Soldier) took a great deal of Notice of the Temple, and other Matters about it; as did another Man, called Jerry; There were two others whose Names I have forgot, but remember one of them as an excellent Dreamer, and the other was very handy in collecting all Manner of good Writing after the Captivity. Those were the only Men that have wrote most and best upon that Subject, and yet all their Works together would not be sufficient for a Preface to the History of Masonry; but for your further Instruction, you shall hear an eminent Brother who can inform you in every Particular that is necessary to your present Undertaking. The Words were scarce ended, when there appeared a [xiii] grave old Gentleman, with a long Beard; he was dressed in an embroidered Vest, and wore a Breast-Plate of God, set with twelve precious Stones, which formed an oblong Square; I was informed that the Names of the Stones were Sardine, Emerald, Ligure, Beryl, Topas, Saphire, Agate, Onyx, Carbuncle, Diamond, Amethyst, and Jasper; Upon these Stones were engraved the Names of the twelve Tribes, viz. Reuben, Judah, Gad, Zebulun, Simeon, Dan, Asher, Joseph, Levi, Naphthali, Issacher, and Benjamin. UPON his entrance, the four Sojourners did him the Homage due to a Superior; and as to me, the Lustre of his Breast-Plate dazzled my Sight, in such a Manner that I could scarce look at him. But Ahiman give ing[sic] him to understand that the People of this Country were weak-sighted, he immediately covered his Breast-Plate; which not only gave me an Opportunity of perceiving him more distinct, but also of paying him my Respects in the best Manner I was capable of; and making a very low Bow, I presented him with the first Volume of the History of Masonry, hoped he would do me the honour of perusing it, and beg'd his Advice for my further proceedings. He kindly received it and read it over, whilst I impatiently waited to hear his Opinion; which at last (to my Mortification) amounted to no more than an old Hebrew Proverb (which Ahiman translated thus: Thou has div'd deep [xiv] into the Water, and hast brought up a Potsherd); Nevertheless he took me by the Hand, and said789 10 : My Son, if thou wilt thou shalt be taught, and if thou wilt apply thy Mind thou shalt be witty; if thou love to hear thou shalt receive (Doctrine); and if thou delight in hearing thou shalt be wise; And although your History of Masonry is not worth Notice, yet you may write many other Things of great Service to the Fraternity. CERTAIN it is (continued he) that Free-Masonry has been from the Creation (though not under that Name); that it was a divine Gift from GOD; that Cain and the Builders of this City were Strangers to the secret Mystery of Masonry; that there were but four Masons in the World when the Deluge happened; that one of the four, even the second Son of Noah, was not Master of the Art; that Nimrod, nor any of his Bricklayers, knew any Thing of the Matter; and that there were but a very few Masters of the Art (even) at Solomon's Temple; Whereby it plainly appears, that the whole Mystery was communicated to a very few at that Time; that at Solomon's Temple (and not before) it received the name of Free-Masonry, because the Masons at Jerusalem and Tyre were the greatest Cabalists then in the World; that the Mystery has been, for the [xv] most Part, practiced amongst Builders since Solomon's Time; that there were some hundreds mentioned (in Histories of
Masonry) under the Titles of Grand-Masters, &c. for no other Reason that that of giving Orders for the building of a House, Tower, Castle, or some other Edifice (or perhaps for suffering the Masons to erect such in their Territories, &c.) while the Memories of as many Thousands of the faithful Crafts are buried in Oblivion; From whence he gave me to understand, that such Histories were of no use to the Society at present; and further added, that the Manner of constituting new Lodges, the old and new Regulations, &c. were the only and most useful Things (concerning Free-Masonry) that could be wrote; To which I beg'd to be informed, whether Songs were to be introduced: His answer was:
11If thou be made the Master, lift not thyself upl but be among them as one of the rest; Take diligent Care for them, and so sit down. And when thous has done all thy Duty, sit down, that thou mayst be merry with them; and receive a Crown for thy good Behaviour. Speak thou art the elder; for it becometh thee; but with sound Judgment; and hinder not Music. And all Times let thy Garments be White.12
WHILE he was speaking these last Words, I was awakened by a young puppy that (got into the Room [xvi] while I slept, and, seizing my Papers, eat a great Part of the, and) was then (between my Legs( shaking and tearing the last Sheet of what I had wrote. I HAVE not Words to express the Sorrow, Grief, Trouble, and Vexation was in, upon seeing the Catastrophe of a Work which I expected would outlast the Teeth of Time. Like one distracted (as in Truth I was) I ran to the Owner of the Dog, and demanded immediate Satisfaction; He told me he would hang the Cur; but at the same Time he imagined I should be under more Obligation to him for so doing, then he was to me for what happened. IN short, I looked upon it as a bad Omen; and my late dream had made so great an Impression on my Mind, that Superstition got the better of me, and caused me to deviate from the general Custom of my worthy Predecessors; otherwise I would have published a History of Masonry; and as this is rather an accidental than a designed Fault, I hope the Reader will look over it with a favourable Eye. IN the following Sheets I have inserted nothing but what are undeniable Truths, which will be found (if observed) to be of great Use to the Fraternity, and likewise to Numbers that are not of the Society; to the [xvii] latter, because it will (in some Measure) show them their Folly in ridiculing a Society founded upon Religion, Morality, Brotherly-Love, and good Fellowship; and those of a more gentle and better polished Nature, give them an Opportunity of examining themselves, and judging how much they are endued with the necessary Qualifications of a Free-Mason, before they apply to be Members of the Society. HOW far I may succeed in this Design, I know not; but as my Intent is good, I hope my Brethren and others will accept the Will for the Deed, and receive this as the Widow's Mite was received; which will amply reward the Trouble taken by him who is,
With all due Respect, The Reader's Most obliged Humble Servant
L. D.”
Source: Ahiman Rezon 1756