Book of Constitutions.

This is the general name applied to any book or even a MS., containing the fundamental law, regulations, or constitutions of a Masonic body or system of bodies. Sometimes such books are named Book of Constitutions, but the name is often applied generally to books of that character which actually bear other names. The Constitutions of 1723 may be called the Book of Constitutions of the premier Grand Lodge, though that name does not appear in it. The term came into use sometime between 1723 and 1751 for, in the latter year, the Book of Constitutions of the Grand Lodge of Ireland appeared under that name. See CONSTITUTIONS OF 1723; CONSTITUTIONS OF 1738.

The oldest documents of the kind are the MSS. containing the Legends and Charges of the operative Freemasons, dating all the way from the latter part of the 14th century to the 18th and called, for want of a better name, Gothic Constitutions (q.v.). Though often in scrolls and not named Books of Constitutions, they answer that general designation. They are sometimes called Charges or Ancient Charges but that term is inadequate, since they contain also the Legends, which are quite important. The Cooke MS. mentions ”other chargys mo that ben wryten in the Boke of Chargys.” But such is not repeated in any later MS., nor has any separate Book of Charges been found. Therefore, these MSS. must have been considered to answer that description.

In Scotland, except for such copies of the English Gothic Constitutions as migrated there, we find no reference to any Book of Constitutions until the term was imported from England long after 1717. The first speculative Book of Constitutions, that is, the Constitutions of 1723, was quite generally copied by all later English-speaking Grand Lodges for at least a century, particularly Ireland, Scotland, the Ancient Grand Lodge, and other smaller ones. In Ireland, the Grand Lodge in 1730 issued The Constitutions of the Freemasons, Containing the History, Charges, Regulations, etc. of the Most Ancient and Right Worshipful Fraternity. For the Use of the Lodges, which was largely a copy or paraphrase of Anderson’s Constitutions of 1723. A second edition appeared in 1744. The Irish Book of Constitutions of 1751 followed Anderson’s Constitutions of 1738.

In England, the edition of 1738 was never satisfactory though a second edition of that work was issued in 1746, being nothing more than the 1738 edition with a new title page. Therefore, the Book of Constitutions issued by the Modern Grand Lodge of England in 1754 is usually called the third book of that description. This abandoned most of Anderson’s errors and extravagances of 1738, and the odd fact is that it required 16 years for the Grand Lodge to accomplish that purpose. Subsequent Books of Constitutions issued by the Modern Grand, Lodge of England were: 1767, 4th edition; 1769, an unauthorized edition by G. Kearsley of London, with appendix to 1769, which was also unofficially published at Dublin in 1769; 1776, an authorized supplement to the edition of 1767; 1784, 5th edition by John Noorthouck; 1815, 6th edition by the United Grand Lodge and edited by William Williams, Provincial Grand Master of Dorsetshire; 1819, 7th edition; 1827, 8th edition; 1841, 9th edition; and numerous editions since. The Book of Constitutions of the Ancients was called Ahiman Rezon (q.v.). In the United States, some Grand Lodges published Constitutions and others Books of Constitutions.

As a Symbol.

In the symbolism of the Third Degree is the following explanation: ”The Book of Constitutions guarded by the Tyler’s Sword reminds us that we should be ever watchful and guarded in our thoughts, words, and actions, particularly, when before the *nemies of Freemasonry; ever bearing in remembrance those truly Masonic virtues, silence and circumspection.” This explanation, which does not add anything to the significance of the symbol, is said to have been inserted by Webb but, as Webb has been charged with other things that could not be traced to him, we may consider that one as doubtful. It certainly does not appear that the Constitution Guarded by the Tyler’s Sword has anything to do with secrecy, silence or circumspection, but is rather related to enforcement of law and regulations, and to lawful conduct and Masonic regularity. The Tyler would seem to have no duty and usually no qualifications for protecting the constitution of a Grand Lodge, and, if he did have, it is not evident how he could do it with a sword. The outer door of the lodge guarded by the Tyler’s sword would be logical and relevant and the Constitution guarded by the Master would be meaningful, but the present mixture is incongruent. The following would be a suitable revision:

The Constitution and the Tyler’s Sword remind us of the organic and basic law of our Grand Lodge and the rules and regulations made pursuant thereto, which should be ever preserved and strictly enforced by all Masons, that the course of Freemasonry may run true and perfect and, thus, aided by the Tyler’s Sword, with which that important officer of the Lodge repels and rejects cowans and pretenders, the integrity of Freemasonry will be safeguarded from within and from without.