The Regius Poem
I found a copy of "The Regius Poem" , the original manuscript possibly dates as far back as the early 14th c. or as late as the mid 15th c. It is a rhymed verse and is a poem of Moral Duties applied to the Freemasons. It deals with the taking of stone mason apprentices and the fifteen articles the mason's sought. The articles are:
1. Know the trade, and hire and pay the staff for their abilities, and take no bribes
2. Master Masons must attend assembly
3. The master will take no prentice unless he can assume responsibility of the prentice for seven years.
4. Masters will not court or take on another masters prentice.
5. No prentice should be deformed, they should have all their limbs whole
6. Prentice's should be humble and courteous
7. No master shall steal, harbour a thief, murderer, feeble name (maybe a bastard or lowborn peon?)
8. The master may dismiss any man in his craft to take one more "perfect"
9. The master will take no work unless he can complete it to the Lords profit.
10. No master shall supplant another.
11. No mason shall work by night
12. Masons will be honest with eachother and no deprave his fellows of work.
13. Masters will acknowledge prentices so all know them as such.
14. ((I dont understand this article at all. The translation reads:
The fourteenth article by good reason,
sheweth the master how he shall do;
He shall no 'prentice to him take,
Unless diver cares he have to make,
That he may within his term,
Of him divers points may learn.
15. The master is a friend, and teacher. He will utter no false oaths or turn the craft to shame.
Interesting and worth pondering..... Sadly I can't use them much for my current project, although they do add an understanding and flavour to the master/apprentice relationship.
Honestly, I do know I am supposed to be writing my indenture document and finding appropriate wordings for it. Not researching all this other apprenticeship stuff (like the quality of life of an apprentice and the public views of apprenices as portrayed in literature of 16th Century) but its NEAT! I am hoping to have my first draft of my words done tomorrow.
1. Know the trade, and hire and pay the staff for their abilities, and take no bribes
2. Master Masons must attend assembly
3. The master will take no prentice unless he can assume responsibility of the prentice for seven years.
4. Masters will not court or take on another masters prentice.
5. No prentice should be deformed, they should have all their limbs whole
6. Prentice's should be humble and courteous
7. No master shall steal, harbour a thief, murderer, feeble name (maybe a bastard or lowborn peon?)
8. The master may dismiss any man in his craft to take one more "perfect"
9. The master will take no work unless he can complete it to the Lords profit.
10. No master shall supplant another.
11. No mason shall work by night
12. Masons will be honest with eachother and no deprave his fellows of work.
13. Masters will acknowledge prentices so all know them as such.
14. ((I dont understand this article at all. The translation reads:
The fourteenth article by good reason,
sheweth the master how he shall do;
He shall no 'prentice to him take,
Unless diver cares he have to make,
That he may within his term,
Of him divers points may learn.
15. The master is a friend, and teacher. He will utter no false oaths or turn the craft to shame.
Interesting and worth pondering..... Sadly I can't use them much for my current project, although they do add an understanding and flavour to the master/apprentice relationship.
Honestly, I do know I am supposed to be writing my indenture document and finding appropriate wordings for it. Not researching all this other apprenticeship stuff (like the quality of life of an apprentice and the public views of apprenices as portrayed in literature of 16th Century) but its NEAT! I am hoping to have my first draft of my words done tomorrow.