The Corporative Masonry of Great Britain 195The Masons' ObligationsAfter the conclusion of the legendary history, the ancient charters listed
the obligations imposed upon the brothers, indicating that they had
been agreed upon by several assemblies of masters and journeymen.
These rules consisted of a varying number of general charges followed
by a series of special obligations.
Concerning these obligations, it helps to examine first the require-
ments that were of a religious nature. All of these documents stress the
profoundly Catholic nature of the fraternity: "The mason's first duty is
to be faithful to God and the Holy Church, and to flee from heresy and
error"; "Whosoever exercises the art of masonry should honor God
and his Church. Whosoever wishes to learn this art, must first and
foremost love God, the Holy Church, and all the saints"; "Each of its
members humbly beseeches All-powerful God and his mother, the gen-
tle Virgin, for the grace of being faithful to his duties." The statutes also
require that the feasts ordained by the Church be sanctified. They also
stress that in order for each worker to behave decently, all must observe
certain rules, which are described in meticulous detail.
Following the obligations, the ancient charters provide a clue con-
cerning the oath of the "new men who have not yet been received," by
which are likely meant the masons who have recently completed their
apprenticeships and become qualified workers. The Harleian Docu-
ment (circa 1650) provides a detailed formulation of an oath that could
be equally appropriate for a speculative Mason. This is also true for the
text of the statutes published by the Masonic Assembly of December 8,
- This is the text of article 7 of these statutes:
That no p'son shall be accepted a Free Mason, or know the secrets
of the said society, until he hath first taken the oath of secrecy here-
after following: —I, A. B., doe in the presence of Almighty God
and my fellows and brethren here present, promise and declare
that I will not at any time hereafter, by any act or circumstance
whatsoever, directly or indirectly, publish, discover, reveale, or
make knowne, any of the secrets, priviledges, or counsells, of the
fraternity or fellowship of Free Masons, (559) which at this time,