The last account we have of the cathedral builders or operative guilds of the Middle Ages is in connection with the erection of St. Paul's cathedral in London, in the Seventeenth Century, under Sir Christopher Wren. Just how many of these guilds or lodges were in existence at this time or to what extent their influence reached is not known. Whatever records may have been kept were simply carried on loose sheets with the result that they easily became lost, and finally destroyed. It is, therefore, impossible to arrive at any definite conclusion as to what may have been the status of these operative societies. It is beyond doubt that there existed among them nothing in the way of a central organization. Each guild was a trades union complete in itself, establishing its own rules, admitting whom it pleased, and exercising its functions independent of all other similar societies.

One of the myths concerning Freemasonry relates to the affiliation of the distinguished architect Sir Christopher Wren with the fraternity. The alleged connection can be traced directly to Dr. James Anderson's new book of Constitutions, the edition of 1738, wherein reference is made to neglect of the fraternity by Sir Christopher Wren. William Preston, in the publication of his Illustrations of Masonry, in 1772, makes even greater claims concerning Wren's connection with the society and credits him with having been a Grand Master of the Craft. However, a careful analysis of all existing evidence tending to show that Wren was a Freemason leads to but one conclusion, and that is, that he had no relationship whatsoever with the Craft and any claim as to his having been a Grand Master is purely imaginative for the reason that the office did not originate until the formation of the Grand Lodge of England in 1717. It is true that Sir Christopher Wren was the architect who was in charge of the erection of St. Paul's Cathedral in London, England, the last edifice to have been constructed by the organized Freemasons or craft guilds of the Middle Ages, and whatever relation he sustained to the fraternity at that time was purely operative in character. His son, Christopher Wren was a Mason and a mem
ber of the Lodge of Antiquity, being made about the year 1721.

When Martin Luther nailed his theses on the church door at Wittenburg, he struck a severe blow at a power which had been unscrupulous in its method of levying taxes for the construction of great religious edifices. As a result the mad passion for erecting magnificent cathedrals, which were nothing more or less than monuments to the temporal power of the Popes, was tamed. In consequence of great agitation in the secular world and the evolving of new conceptions of religious duty and action, building operations commenced to decline and continued to do so until the reign of Oueen Anne at which time the various guilds or associations of operative workmen were reduced to such extremes that their very existence was jeopardized.

The demand for the services of the masonic societies, architects, and builders had practically ceased. Whatever constructive work was in operation was shared by those outside of the craft guilds. Other causes had likewise contributed to the decline of the guilds. Between the end of
Fourteenth Century and the beginning of the Eighteenth, many important changes took place in the religious, legal, social, and industrial condition of the peoples of Europe and these undoubtedly had a marked effect upon the Masonic guilds. In the year 1536, Henry VIII suppressed the monasteries and confiscated their property and thenceforth for more than one hundred years, no more ecclesiastical buildings except churches were erected. Following the Lutheran reformation the Roman Catholic clergy no longer interested themselves in the building trades and these organizations were not patronized by the clergy of the reformed church. During the reign of Queen Elizabeth, that monarch manifested great unfriendliness to all secret societies. As a result of her attitude, the statutes of laborers were repealed and masons in particular were prosecuted for frequenting unlawful assemblies. After the death of James II, Masonry fell more and more into decline. What lodges there were, met but occasionally and it was with extreme difficulty that a sufficient number could be secured to organize a meeting. In 1646, when Elias Ashmole was initiated, there were but seven present to participate in the ceremonies.

Following the great London fire, the rebuilding of St. Paul's cathedral and other civil and religious edifices gave some new life to operative Masonry, but it was not sufficient to revive these old societies and restore them to their former glory. At the beginning of the Eighteenth Century there was no general or ganization of Masonry, whatever building may have been in progress caused workmen to come together, form a temporary lodge, complete the work, and disband.

To prevent the total extinction of these old operative societies and to preserve them because of their historical associations and their value as social recreative centers, a proclamation was issued somewhere between the years 1707 and 1717, admitting men of all professions provided they were regularly approved and initiated into the society. Thus these old societies ceased to be operative in character, but retained a semi-professional relationship to the communities wherein they existed. The term "Freemason" which was first used to designate a worker in free stone, commenced to assume a new significance - that of "free of the guilds." And, as the number of operative Masons decreased and the number of speculatives increased, the society in due time became known as Free and Accepted.

This change from an operative to a fraternal or social society, is frequently called the revival of Freemasonry, for the reason that the admission of new material and the widening of the scope of the guilds brought new life and activity. Then followed a most natural thing, that of the formation of a governing center or Grand Lodge, which was accomplished on une 24, 1717, upon the express conditions that the old traditions and customs of the operative society should be perpetuated. Thus was marked the beginning of a fraternity or brotherhood of men destined to become a potent factor in social and moral uplift.

The Masonic world is indebted to Anderson's Constitutions, published in 1738, for the account of the formation of the Grand Lodge of England. Although this book was published in 1738, just twenty-one years after the date of the revival, yet diligent effort has been made to check the correctness of the statements made by Anderson and the accepted verdict has been that no more authentic account of the beginnings of our present system of Freemasonry will ever be forthcoming. The record of Anderson is as follows: "And after the Rebellion was over, A. D. 1716, the few lodges at London, finding themselves neglected by Sir Christopher Wren, thought fit to cement under a grand master, as the center of union and harmony, viz., the lodges that met -

1. At the Goose and Gridiron Ale-house in St. Paul's Churchyard.

2. At the Crown Ale-house in Parker Lane near Drury Lane.

3. At the Apple Tree Tavern in Charles Street, Covent Garden.

4. At the Rummer and Grapes Tavern in Channel Row, Westminster.

"They and some old brothers met at the said Apple Tree, and having put into the chair the oldest Master Mason (now the master of a lodge), they constituted a GRAND LODGE pro tempore in due form, and forthwith revived the quarterly communication of the officers of lodges (call'd the grand lodge), resolved to hold the annual ASSEMBLY and feast, and then to choose a GRAND MASTER from among themselves till they should have the honour of a no ble brother at their head.

ACCORDINGLY
on St. John Baptist Day, in the third year of King George the 1st, A. D. 1717, THE ASSEMBLY and feast of the Free and Accepted Masons was held at the foresaid Goose and Gridiron Ale-house.

94 EVOLUTION OF FREEMASONRY
"Before dinner, the oldest Master Mason (now the master of a lodge) in the chair, proposed a list of proper candidates: and the brethren by a majority of hands elected.

Mr. ANTHONY SAYER, gentleman, grand master of Masons, who being forthwith invested with the . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . | MR. JACOB LAMBALL, | Grand
badges of office and } CARPENTER, . . . . . . . . . . } Wardens.
power by the said oldest | CAPT. JOSEPH ELLIOT, |
master and install'd was duly congratulated by the assembly who pay'd him the homage."

The story, as told by Anderson, is practically the only known account connected with the early organization of Freemasonry for there is no existing record of the transactions or activities of the newly formed Grand Lodge between the year 1717 and 1723, when Anderson's publications were issued. Little is known of the activities of the new Grand Lodge during the first few years of its existence. It appears, however, that from 1717 to 1721 such communications as were held took the nature of mass meetings, attended by all the Craft. In 1717, but four lodges attended the meeting of the Grand Lodge. Four years later, twelve lodges were represented, the number gradually increasing until 1723 when thirty lodges acknowledged allegiance to the newly formed Grand Lodge. The first reference made to any sort of an official organization is by Anderson in 1721, when he speaks of the Grand Lodge being composed of the Grand Master with his wardens, and the masters and wardens of the twelve lodges. From such evidence as is possible to gather, it appears that the Grand Lodge held but seven meetings during the first four years of its existence. Nothing seems to have been done either tending to establish or to popularize the Craft.

Concerning Anthony Sayer, the first Grand Master, very little is known. It has been learned, however, that in his declining years he found himself distressed from poverty and received assistance from the Grand Lodge over which he had presided. In the year 1730 he was brought before the Grand Lodge, charged with taking part in the proceedings of unconstitutional lodges. He was acquitted after due trial and warned to do nothing irregular in the future. The record of his burial, as given by the London Evening Post, of January i6, 1792, is as follows: "A few days since died, aged about 70 years, Mr. Anthony Sayer, who was Grand Master of the most Ancient and Honourable Society of Free and Accepted Masons in 1717. His corpse was followed by a great number of Gentlemen of that Honorable Society of the best Quality, from the Shakespears Head Tavern in the Piazza in Covent Garden and decently interr'd in Covent-Garden church."

Masonry appears to have been in a very chaotic condition in June 1718, when George Payne was proclaimed Grand Master. He invited the brethren to bring to the Grand Lodge any old writings and records concerning Masons and Masonry in order to show the usages of ancient times. It was in 1720 that Payne undertook the first compilation of the general rdgulations commonly known as the Ancient Chargee In the change and incidents connected with the early and formulative period of the society, two eminent men came into prominence. They were James Anderson, of the University of Aberdeen, and John T. Desagulliers of the University of Oxford, and to their sagacity and attainments is largely due the present system of Freemasonry, if, in fact, they did not save it from utter failure and disintegration. It was James Anderson who gathered together such fragmentary knowledge of the old operative guilds as it was possible for him to discover and to arrange what are known in the Masonic world as Anderson's Constitutions, and which at this late day form the basis of Masonic government throughout the world.

John T. Desagulliers became the third Grand Master of the Grand Lodge of England and was without doubt the most interesting and unique character in the early days of the fraternity. He was a man of unusual literary attainments and upon his admission into the society of Freemasons he immediately contributed his talent and ability. He has been described by Gould as "devoid of all personal charm, being short and thick set, his figure ill-shaped, his features irregular, and extremely nearsighted." This description of him, however, does not comport with the accepted likeness now before the fraternity. His lectures on Freemasonry were features of the early lodge meetings and wherever he appeared he was hailed with great acclaim.

Desagulliers, upon his admission into the fraternity, was noted for his abstemiousness, but in later years was charged with overindulgence - a habit probably acquired through association with his convivial brethren of the mystic tie. Dr. Anderson died in 1739. A description of his funeral, which was printed in the London Evening Post, of June 2, that year, is quite interesting:

"Last night, was interr'd in Bunhill-Fields the Corpse of Dr. Anderson, a dissenting Teacher, in a very remarkable deep grave. His Pall was supported by five Dissenting Teachers, and the Rev. Dr. Desagulliers: It was follow'd by about a Dozen of Free-Masons, who encircled the Grave; and after Dr. Earle had harangued on the Uncertainty of Life, et., without one word of the Deceased, the Brethren in a most solemn dismal Posture, lifted tip their Hdns, sigh'd, and struck their Aprons three Times in Honour of the Deceased."

The death of Dr. Desagulliers occurred five years later. His last days were spent in most reduced circumstances and with the passing of Anderson and Desagulliers is closed the first chapter of the history of the Grand Lodge of England. It is to James Anderson and John Theopilus Desagulliers, that we are indebted for the present system of Freemasonry.

These men gathered such fragmentary and obscure knowledge of the early operative guilds as it was possible to discover and wove the threads into a magnificent fabric which today commands the admiration and devotion of men. With the revival of the society of Freemasons, in 1717, a great wave of religious toleration and broad humanity that had been gathering strength for many years was launched and which a century later culminated in complete personal liberty and religious freedom. The foundation of the present system of Freemasonry was laid by Anderson in 1733, when he composed his book of compilations based upon the old charges and regulations of the masons of the Middle Ages, and thus was born a cosmopolitan craft, tolerant, God fearing, law-abiding, peaceloving, knowing no distinction of race, sect, or country. The doctrines adopted in the revival of Freemasonry in 1717, two hundreds years later found expression in the philanthropy, humanity, and fraternity of the Twentieth Century.

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