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Article SONGS OF THE CEAFT. ← Page 7 of 14 →
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Songs Of The Ceaft.
"In a note it is added , — < A certain club , who call themselves AntigalUc Masons , are heretaeant , and not the laudable association of Aniigallicans ^ whom the author esteems as an hohourable and useful society , and worthy of imitation . ' Qu . What was the history of this institution ?
" Another son of Masonry writes : "' The Grigs , Antigallies , and others , they say , Have set up their lodges , and mimic our way ; But frogs claim a curse when they croak from the fen , And monkeys a kick when they imitate men . In vain , shallow mortals , ye rivals Would he To the man who is own'd for a Mason , and free /
"I have a copy of A'New Buck ' s Song ( published 1756 ) , humbly addressed to the Gentlemen of that Noble Order , by a Brother . ' A plate is prefixed , representing their club-room , decorated with a buck ' s head and antlers , and the members drinking , smoking , & c , with bottles , bowls , and glasses , but not distinguished by any peculiarity of dress , as the Freemasons are in their lodges . In this song the Grand Master of the Order is noticed , and the origin of the Order is traced from the scripture history
of Nimrod ; mention is made of the Buck's Lodges at the Bell , the Platter , the Vine , the Ship , and the Rose ; candour , sociability , freeness , honesty , are celebrated as the accomplisliments of the fraternity , though from the contextj it might be inferred , their regulations were equally favourable to tlie celebration of the Bacchanalian rites / and solemnizing of the nrysteries of Venus . Another Buck ' s song ( which from its classical allusions , and peculiar versification , I suspect to have been the production of George Alexander Stevens ) , deduces the title of Buck from Bacchus :
" * From Bacchus our name is , though some say from Jove , For he was the first ( like a Buck ) who made love ; To a bull , for the sake of Europa / he turns , And bequeathed , to the man she should marry , his horns . ' " The author traces the progress of the order from the time of the Trojan war :
" * When for glory the Greeks round the world us d to roam , Each wife a true Buck clubb'd her hero , at home , —' " And observes , if Achilles , instead of being dipped in Styx , had been plunged over head in a wine hogshead , a Q He'd have matched among mortals secure from all evil ; For a Buck , when lie ' s drunk , is a match for the devil . '
u I should like to be favoured with some account of what became of the Gonuogons , Gregorians , Antigallic Masons , and other institutions , erected in imitation of the Freemasons' communities , with any anecdotes relative to their origin , peculiar ceremonies , and history ; as also , the design and history of the Antigalliean Society , and the meaning of the
choice spirits from Comus ' s court , mentioned by Jerry Sneak in Foote ' s 4 Mayor of Garrat . ' I have not been able to obtain the etymology of the term ' Cowan , nor can I find the word in any dictionary I have consulted ; it comprehends all persons not Free-Masons , and I conceive , is peculiar to that Fraternity . " If you approve of these observations , and think them worthy of insertion in your entertaining Magazine , I may probably induced to send you
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
Songs Of The Ceaft.
"In a note it is added , — < A certain club , who call themselves AntigalUc Masons , are heretaeant , and not the laudable association of Aniigallicans ^ whom the author esteems as an hohourable and useful society , and worthy of imitation . ' Qu . What was the history of this institution ?
" Another son of Masonry writes : "' The Grigs , Antigallies , and others , they say , Have set up their lodges , and mimic our way ; But frogs claim a curse when they croak from the fen , And monkeys a kick when they imitate men . In vain , shallow mortals , ye rivals Would he To the man who is own'd for a Mason , and free /
"I have a copy of A'New Buck ' s Song ( published 1756 ) , humbly addressed to the Gentlemen of that Noble Order , by a Brother . ' A plate is prefixed , representing their club-room , decorated with a buck ' s head and antlers , and the members drinking , smoking , & c , with bottles , bowls , and glasses , but not distinguished by any peculiarity of dress , as the Freemasons are in their lodges . In this song the Grand Master of the Order is noticed , and the origin of the Order is traced from the scripture history
of Nimrod ; mention is made of the Buck's Lodges at the Bell , the Platter , the Vine , the Ship , and the Rose ; candour , sociability , freeness , honesty , are celebrated as the accomplisliments of the fraternity , though from the contextj it might be inferred , their regulations were equally favourable to tlie celebration of the Bacchanalian rites / and solemnizing of the nrysteries of Venus . Another Buck ' s song ( which from its classical allusions , and peculiar versification , I suspect to have been the production of George Alexander Stevens ) , deduces the title of Buck from Bacchus :
" * From Bacchus our name is , though some say from Jove , For he was the first ( like a Buck ) who made love ; To a bull , for the sake of Europa / he turns , And bequeathed , to the man she should marry , his horns . ' " The author traces the progress of the order from the time of the Trojan war :
" * When for glory the Greeks round the world us d to roam , Each wife a true Buck clubb'd her hero , at home , —' " And observes , if Achilles , instead of being dipped in Styx , had been plunged over head in a wine hogshead , a Q He'd have matched among mortals secure from all evil ; For a Buck , when lie ' s drunk , is a match for the devil . '
u I should like to be favoured with some account of what became of the Gonuogons , Gregorians , Antigallic Masons , and other institutions , erected in imitation of the Freemasons' communities , with any anecdotes relative to their origin , peculiar ceremonies , and history ; as also , the design and history of the Antigalliean Society , and the meaning of the
choice spirits from Comus ' s court , mentioned by Jerry Sneak in Foote ' s 4 Mayor of Garrat . ' I have not been able to obtain the etymology of the term ' Cowan , nor can I find the word in any dictionary I have consulted ; it comprehends all persons not Free-Masons , and I conceive , is peculiar to that Fraternity . " If you approve of these observations , and think them worthy of insertion in your entertaining Magazine , I may probably induced to send you