The Secret History of Freemasonry

The Corporative Masonry of Great Britain 183

Christian sense is perhaps discernable in John Pennel's book, The
Constitution of the Free-Masons, published in Dublin in 1730. For the
reception of a journeyman, we find in the invocation that opens the
lodge the following characteristic phrases: "We beseech your blessing, O
Lord, on our present enterprise... Grace [our new brother] with your
divine wisdom so that he may be capable of comprehending, by means
of the secrets of Masonry, the mysteries of piety and Christianity."

Organization of the English Guilds

Each profession had its guild or mystery in every large city of fourteenth
century England. These groups were also known as companies and fra-
ternities. (The word corporation was not used during the Middle Ages.)
Each guild established ordinances to regulate working hours and the
details governing admission into the organization. Some obliged mem-
bers to make periodic contributions to a common fund and to take part
in certain religious ceremonies or feasts and celebrations, such as the
public stagings of mysteries.
The Christian spirit of the guilds can be seen in the clauses con-
cerning the reciprocal assistance that members owed each other. All
risks and accidents that might occur in life, all cases where aid might be
necessary—even those that might befall a departure on a pilgrimage—
were anticipated by the statutes.
A solemn oath preceded acceptance into a guild, each of which had
a rule calling upon its craftsmen to refrain from revealing the affairs of
the organization. Guild members frequently wore special dress and
referred to each other as brother and sister. They had the right to estab-
lish their statutes with no need of a charter or any other form of per-
mission from the authorities, but they nevertheless had to obtain a
license of mainmort when they sought to take possession of lands,
which was often the case. In 1389 all guilds filed their ordinances, cus-
toms, and deeds and as a result, a great many of these can be found
today in the London Public Archives.
The principal officer of the guild was the master, but there were also
wardens and sometimes assistants or a committee made up of former
officers. Guild members were divided into apprentices, day laborers,