En: The Halliwell Manuscript, or Regius Poem
The Halliwell Manuscript, or Regius Poem
Source: Wikipedia The Halliwell Manuscript, also known as the Regius Poem, is the first known Masonic text. It consists of 64 written pages in poetic form. The poem begins by describing how Euclid "counterfeited geometry" and called it masonry, for the employment of the children of the nobility in ancient Egypt and then spread of the art of geometry in "divers lands." This is followed by fifteen articles for the master concerning both moral behaviour (do not harbour thieves, do not take bribes, attend church regularly, etc.) and the operation of work on a building site (do not make your masons labour at night, teach apprentices properly, do not take on jobs that you cannot do etc.). There are then fifteen points for craftsmen which follow a similar pattern.[1] "Fyftene artyculus þey þer sow3ton, and fyftene poyntys þer þey wro3ton." (Fifteen articles they there sought and fifteen points there they wrought.) —Regius MS, ca. 1390.
In his commentary on the poem, Halliwell notes 'the recent use of the term freemason to those who practice the actual trade. In the year 1506, John Hylmer and William Vertue, freemasons were engaged to "vault or doo or bee vawlted with free-stone the roof of the quere of the College Roiall of our Lady and Saint George, within the castell of Wyndsore"'.[2]
The general consensus on the age of the document dates its writing to between the late 14th century and the middle of the 15th century, and from internal evidence its author appears to have been a West of England clergyman. The manuscript was recorded in various personal inventories as it changed hands until it came into possession of the Royal Library, which was donated to the British Museum in 1757 by King George II to form the nucleus of the present British Library.[citation needed]
During this time, the document was generally described as a poem of moral duties; according to the 1911 Encyclopædia Britannica, this followed the cataloguing it was assigned by David Casley.[3] The significance of the document as relating to Freemasonry was not realized until it was featured in an article on Freemasonry by James Halliwell in 1840.
The text of the document states that Freemasonry was brought to England during the reign of King Athelstan from 924 to 939.
The manuscript is presently held by the British Library in the Royal Manuscript Collection, catalogue reference 17 A. I.
