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I present you with
this lambskin or white leather apron, which is an emblem of
innocence and the badge of a Mason, more ancient than the Golden
Fleece1
or Roman Eagle; 2
more honorable
than the Star and Garter,3
or any other order
that could be conferred upon you, at
this or any other future period, by king, prince, or potentate
or any other person, except he were a Mason and in the body of a
Lodge, and which, I trust, you will wear with equal pleaser to
yourself and honor to the fraternity.
1
The
Order of The Golden Fleece was an order of knighthood instituted
in 1429, by Philip, Duke of Burgundy.
2
There is no such Order as the Knights of the
Roman Eagle. The expression (which is an unhappy one)
probably refers to the fact that the Eagle was the standard of the
ancient Roman Empire.
3
The Order of the Garter, the most noble of the
British orders of knighthood, was instituted in 1344, by Edward
III. The Star and the Garter are the insignia bestowed
upon and worn by a knight. |
