Posted February, 1998
A talk given to the Cornwalli= s Lodge by W.Bro. W.J.Bourne, December 1997
The Festive Board is as important a part of any Masonic meeting as is=
the
work done in the
The Festive Board
After leaving the
Most of the early Lodges, here in
Another by-law of many earlier Lodges was that part of the initiation fee was to be for food and liquor; or the initiate may even have had to furnish= a banquet at his own expense. The marriage of a Brother, or the birth to him = of a son also often required him to furnish a banquet. In a few instances refreshments even followed the funeral of a Brother.
The by-laws of many old Lodges contained the provision that the Lodge sh= ould open at 7:00 pm, should be called to refreshment at 9:00 pm, should return = to labour at 10:00 pm and should close in good harmony at 11:00 pm or at simil= ar hours. Often, however, the Brethren did not seperate until High Twelve (the noon of night), and then with prayer. A record of one old Lodge shows that = the Brethren sat eighteen hours at table, so we see refreshments were a serious business with our ancient Brethren. They must have been served at several points throughout the meeting and ceremony.
Numerous entries in the minutes of old Lodges indicate that liquor was served while the Lodge was at labour. There was a purpose of the liquor, ap= art from mere refreshment. Pre 1814 instruction was by catechetical lecture, wo= rked around the table during the meeting. The lectures were divided into section= s, at the end of each a loyal or Masonic toast would be honoured (after a char= ge) and the E.A. sign 3 times, seated.
A by-law of St. John's Lodge of Boston (in 1733) reads as follows : &quo= t;No Brother shall set at victuals in the Lodge room while the Lodge is open wit= hout the leave of the Master or Wardens. Nor call for any liquor or tobacco with= out leave as aforesaid." - It would be interesting to observe what happene= d in a case where the Wardens gave permission which the Master would have denied= !
The painting, by Stewart Watson, of the inauguration of Robert Burns as = Poet Laureate of Canongate Kilwinning Lodge shows a toddy bottle in the foregrou= nd, whilst, at the other end of the room a Brother presides at a punch bowl. All this while the inauguration ceremony is going on.
It must be remembered that in these olden days many trades had social or fraternal groups, and that there were a great many tavern and coffee house clubs. There were also many fraternities like the Gormasons, Jerusalem Soul= s, Gregorians, Oddfellows etc. Masonic membership meant a great deal, since a Lodge was a social gathering place for Brethren, amongst whom were numbered= the highest of the citizenship, and that the use of liquor with meals, not alwa= ys in moderation, was a common custom. The earliest Masonic catechisms and exposures make it clear that the Brethren enjoyed the use of bottle and gla= ss, but are curiously silent on the subject of drinking customs and toasting routines. It is generally believed by those who have made a study of Freemasonry of the early days, that despite the common use of liquor at Lod= ge meetings, Freemasonry exercised a salutory moral, social and educational influence. In this connection it should be noted that the by-laws of the old Lodges provided fines for the Master and office bearers who chanced to be l= ate for a meeting. In fact, there can be no doubt that our ancient Brethren pla= ced a high importance upon courtesies at table.
Grace
When the Master arrives at his chair, he sounds his gavel (answered by t= he Wardens) and calls on the Chaplain to say Grace. (In Cornwallis workings the Master says Grace.) This can be done in a hundred different ways, although = many Lodges use the old "school" Grace :-
For what we are about to receive, may the G.A.O.T.U. (Lord) make us
truly thankful and ever mindful of the **needs** of others.
** - Note the use of "NEEDS" and not "wants".
After the meal "Laudi Spirituali", a Grace whose origin= can be traced as far back as 1336 (and is probably much older than that)= is often sung :-
For t=
hese and
all Thy mercies given,
We bless and praise Thy Name, oh Lord.
May we receive them, with thanksgiving,
Ever trusting in Thy Word.
To Thee alone be honour and glory,
Now and henceforth, for evermore.
Amen
Wine Takings & Toasts
During and after the gastronomic part of the evening, it is customary in many Lodges, to observe mutual wine takings or greetings. This practice was properly introduced to replace "cross toasting" which, although it had several 'rules', appeared to add little to the dignity of the Festive Board. Wine taking should, generally, be under control of the Master to kee= p it within a structure and not allow it to be overdone. The Master must be allo= wed to enjoy his meal as well as all the other Brethren.
There is an important difference between wine taking and formal toasts. = When the Master takes wine with an individual or group of Brethren, all t= he participants stand, unless, as is well known, this would bring too many peo= ple to their feet, so they are requested to remain seated. The essential symbol= ism of the taking of wine is that each party stands and pledges the other - in other words, it is an exchange of mutual esteem and goodwill.
When we come to the formal toast list, which follows the conclusion of t= he meal, there is an important distinction in that a toast is to the he= alth of the individual or group to whom it is directed. It is drunk by others in= a one way communication of respect, esteem and goodwill, and is directed by t= hose drinking the toast to the subject(s). The subject(s) of the toast, be it on= e or more persons, therefore remain seated. This is the whole point - The subjec= t, himself, does not drink, for it is surely questionable form to drink= to one's own health (at least, publicly).
On the subject of toasts, it is doubtful if anyone can assign the precise origin of toasting or the drinking of health, or even how the word "toast" came to be connected with the practice of health drinking. But it was customary, in the 17th Century, for a cup or bowl of wine, ale or mead to be filled to the brim and a piece of toasted bread to be floated on top, which was said to improve the taste. By the beginning of the 18th Cent= ury health drinking had become a very serious business indeed in England and ha= s, more or less, continued ever since.
The Gavel
It may be appropriate, here, to make a couple of observations regarding =
the
use of the Gavel. As is stated in the Installation Ceremony, the gavel is t=
he
Master's emblem of power and authority, and should, therefore, remain with =
him
throughout the proceedings. (I must here refer any readers to the first
paragraph of this article, as in the Cornwallis Lodge the I.P.M. has ALW=
AYS
sounded the gavel for wine takings; the Master controls it at all other tim=
es.)
It is surely the case that the attention the Master receives after sounding=
the
gavel does not depend on the level of noise he makes. The Brethren should
immediately be silent out of respect for the Master, not his gavel, and the
master who makes the china jump and bounce every time he uses his emblem of
power is not only deafening his friends and neighbours, but also showing a
distinct lack of confidence. I appreciate that it is traditional in many Lo=
dges
and indeed some Provinces, for the I.P.M. or D.C. to sound the gavel, bu=
t it
is still under the control of the Master.
"The Queen and the Craft"
The first toast of the evening is usually stated as "The Queen and = the Craft" - but why not "The Queen", followed by the next toast= to "The Craft"?
On every possible occasion English Freemasons, when meeting as a body, t= ake pride in asserting their loyalty to the Crown by honouring the Loyal toast = and, if accompaniment is forthcoming, by singing the National Anthem. I must poi= nt out here that it is not usual to sing the National Anthem twice during the course of the meeting, so if it has already been sung in the Temple after closing the Lodge, it is not sung again at the Festive Board. If it has not been sung in the Temple, however, then this is the appropriate time.
Although this toast may be traced back to the "Old Charges", w= hich enjoined all Masons to be "true men to God and true lieges to the King", it does not form part of the Ritual. Doctor Anderson, in the Bo= ok of Constitutions (1738, page 38) relates that the King, with Grand Master I= nigo Jones and his Grand Wardens (the Earl of Pembroke and Nicholas Stone, the sculptor), attended by many Brethren in due form and many eminent persons, walked to Whitehall Gates for the laying of the foundation stone of the new banqueting hall in 1607 and levelled the footstone "with 3 great knock= s, and a purse of broad pieces of gold was laid upon the stone for Masons to d= rink to :-"
"The King and the
Craft",
the King being James I of England. In 1719, at the Festival of Grand Lod= ge, Dr. John Desagalier was installed as the 3rd Grand Master. After being duly installed, congratulated and honoured, he received the peculiar toasts and healths of Freemasons. These were said to be to: "The King and the Cra= ft" - representing the principle of loyalty; to "The Freemason's Health&qu= ot; - for the Fraternity; and : "The Tyler's Toast" - for relief. Two more toasts were added at the Festivals at a later date : The Grand Master = and The Grand Stewards. By the close of the 18th Century the total list averaged around 9.
Dr. Anderson instances a public profession of loyalty of Masons to the C= rown in his reference to the laying of the foundation stone of St. Martin in the Field, London, when he tells us that in this occasion in 1721, in the reign= of George I "When the trumpets sounded, all joined in joyful acclamati= ons and the Craftsmen went to the tavern to drink to the King and the Craft&quo= t;. King George I was not a Freemason, and it was, therefore, particularly important to link the King and the Craft during his reign and that of Georg= e II to show the Craft's loyalty to the Throne. It was also important in order to counter suggestions of Freemasonry being involved in the Stuart cause. The toast of the Sovereign with Freemasonry has, therefore, always been entirely independent of whether the then reigning monarch is or is not a member of t= he Fraternity.
Of the eleven English sovereigns who have graced the Throne since Grand Lodge came into existence in 1717, six have been Masons; yet the toast has always been given with full Masonic honours. Some say it is a landmark of t= he Order.
One can imagine, when Queen Victoria came to the Throne in 1837, there c= ould well have been some considerable confusion amongst Freemasons as to the pro= per form and scope of the loyal toast. (The term Queen and Craft had never befo= re been heard or spoken, and there was definitely no chance of this sovereign being a member of the Craft.) But the need to preserve the ancient custom d= oes not seem to have been in doubt. For the long period of 63 years - fr= om 1837 to 1900 - the toast was "The Queen and the Craft"; to be followed by another 51 years in the original form of "The King and the Craft"; reverting again in 1952, on the accession of Queen Elizabeth I= I, to our present "The Queen and the Craft". An important point to n= ote is that the Grand Secretary of the "Antients", Laurence Dermott, = set out in the minutes of his Grand Lodge on two occasions the correct toast to= be given.
United Grand Lodge has insisted, in 1908 and again in 1935, that the toa= st takes priority, as loyalty to the Crown is an essential principle of Freemasonry. King Edward VII was a Past Grand Master and had the title of <= b>Protector of the Craft; he was succeeded by George V, who was not a Freemason. Ge= orge VI, who was a very active Mason, came to the throne when Edward VIII, who w= as also a Freemason, gave up his Throne for Mrs. Simpson.
Toast to The Worshipful Master
This is another toast dating back to time immemorial, and if a Master is lucky enough to be given the 'Master's Song' it will be impressed on his mi= nd forever.
1. The Master's Song consists of three verses. =
2. The singer and the two Wardens usually
"clink" their glasses three times - top, bottom and centre -
3. The singer and Wardens form a triangle around the Master at the culmination of the song.
A version of the song appeared in Anderson's Constitutions, dated 1723; = it consists of 28 verses, with a chorus between each, and it traces the histor= y of Masonry from the Garden of Eden up to 1723. The present Master's Song "Here's to his health..." is of mid-Victorian origin. It was first published under the title 'The man who is kind to another'. The composer of= the music was Dr. John Morgan Bentley of Alexander Lodge No.993, and he dedicat= ed it to the Masonic Brethren of his Lodge. :-
This =
life is so
hard and so stony,
That if a man is to get through
He need have the courage of Nelson
And plenty of Job's patience too.
But a man who is kind to another,
And cheerfully helps him along,
God bless such a man and a Brother,
And here's to his health in a song.
And h=
ere's to
his health - here's to his health,
And here's to his health in a song.
This life is as cheerless as winter
To those who are cold in the heart,
But the man who is warm in his nature
Bids winter forever depart.
The ground that he treads on will blossom
Till beauties around him will throng,
God bless such a man and a Brother,
And here's to his health in a song.
As cl=
ouds that
in summer are open
And silvered by light passing through,
So men who are generous in spirit
Are blessed by the good deeds they do.
There's nothing like helping another,
For getting one's own self along;
Who does this is truly a Brother,
And here's to his health in a song.
A derivative of the Master's Song is now frequently sung at Ladies' Festivals - called 'The Ladies' Song - and can be found at the end of this article.
Toast to the Initiate
This, of course, is one of the most important Masonic toasts of all, welcoming and celebrating the entrance of a new member into Masonry. It sho= uld be delivered with a great deal of thought - it is often given by a senior L= odge member. Some Lodges have a tradition that the initiate's proposer delivers = it; in any case this is not a toast to be bumbled through and "got = over with".
It is sometimes followed by the 'Entered Apprentice's Song', if sufficie= nt singers are available. In fact, this song, depending on the number of Breth= ren present, can be turned into a great deal of fun, with different sections of= the Brethren singing different verses - Grand officers one verse, Provincial officers another and other types of Brethren (perhaps if a number of a particular trade are present) yet another verse, and so on. With a little pre-organisation and thought, this can be a highlight of the evening and wi= ll certainly be remembered by the Initiate for the rest of his life.
This is one of the earliest known Masonic songs; it appeared in Anderson= 's Book of Constitutions, 1723. The author was an actor/comedian, Matthew Birkhead, who was given a Masonic funeral on the 12th of January 1723. It is sung to an old Irish tune. There is an engraved sheet of 1730 with the words and music printed thereon :-
1. Come, let us prepar=
e
We Brothers that are
Assembled on merry occasion
Our??????????????
Here's health to an accepted Mason
2. The world is in pai=
n,
Our secrets to gain,
And still let them wonder and gaze in
Till they're shown the light
They'll n'ere know the right
Word or sign of an accepted Mason.
3. 'Tis this and 'tis =
that,
They cannot tell what,
Why so many great men of the Nation
Should apron put on
To make themselves one
With a free and accepted Mason.
4. Great Kings, Dukes =
and
Lords
Have laid by their swords,
Our mysteries to put Grace on;
And n'ere been ashamed
???????????????????????
With a free and accepted Mason.
5. Antiquity's pride
And it maketh men just in their station.
There's nought but what's good
To be understood
by a free and accepted Mason.
6. We're true and sinc=
ere
And just to the fair.
They'll trust us on any occasion.
No mortal can more
The ladies adore
Than a free and accepted Mason.
7. Then join hand in h=
and,
By each Brother stand,
Let's be merry and put a bright face on.
What mortal can boast
So noble a toast
As a free and accepted Mason?
(Repeat) : What mortal can boast
So noble a toast
As a free and accepted Mason?
This would be sung in the old days around the table with great gusto and plenty of liquid refreshment. In fact, the whole ceremony would have been h= eld around the table prior to the union in 1813.
Editor's Note :- I have actually been p=
resent
at an Initiate's festive board where this song was sung (at the White Horse=
of
Kent Lodge) and I can testify to the enjoyment of it by one and all.
An old custom, which seems to have almost died out, is that immediately after the newly initiated Brother's health has been proposed - i.e. by sing= ing the Entered Apprentice's Song - the Loving Cup was circulated.
The Loving Cup
A very old custom, which seems to have almost died out, at least in Craft Masonry, was the passing round of the Loving Cup after the E.A song had been sung. This is a ceremony handed down through the ages and need not be limit= ed to initiations.
The procedure was for three Brethren to stand, two would unsheath their swords and the third (middle) one to hold up the cup by the two handles and= to drink whilst the two others defended his back. Having taken his draught, the drinker then wipes the cup with a napkin and hands it to his neighbour, dra= ws his word and protects his neighbour's back whilst he drinks.
A later variation of the Loving Cup for toasting is the large two handled wassail bowl or cup, usually pewter or silver and sometimes bearing the Lod= ge badge or crest. At the festive Board it is passed round from Brother to Bro= ther around the table. The word "wassail" comes from the old English "Waes Hail", meaning "Be thou whole and of good he= alth". The custom of the protection of the drinker's back is said to date back to Saxon times, when a man might be treacherously stabbed whilst drinking - he= nce a friend or two to defend him with drawn swords. This may be borne out by t= he murder, in A.D. 979 of King Edward (later known as Edward the Martyr), when= he was so stabbed on the orders of his stepmother, Elfrida, so that her own so= n, Ethelred could become King instead. He was stabbed at the feast while drink= ing mead from a two handled loving cup by a paid assassin.
This process of sharing, coupled with protection, helps to reinforce the ancient Masonic bond.
The Mason's Chain
The Mason's Chain or Fraternal Chain is another old part of the Festive board which seems to have all but disappeared, although it is still practic= ed in some of the "Side Degrees". The Brethren form a continuous cha= in by linking hands around the tables in order to impress upon the initiate th= at he is being welcomed with open arms into Freemasonry - into his Mother Lodg= e - and into the circle of the Brethrens' hearts. The chain is a double chain, indicating the strength of Masonry and the fact that if a link were = to be broken, perhaps by a call to the Grand Lodge above, the chain would rema= in strong; in fact, its strength would increase with the addition of every new link.
This article was delivered as a talk by W.Bro. W.J.(Jack) Bourne to the Cornwallis Lodge No.1107 at their December meeting in 1997. W.Bro. Jack wis= hes to acknowledge W.Bro. Jonathon C. Mead for assistance in its compilation.
Editor's Note :- This article originate=
d from
W.Bro. Jack's other Lodge - Anderida Lodge, in Eastbourne,