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Ramsay's
Oration: the Epernay and Grand Lodge Versions
Cyril N. Batham, 33°
AUTHOR'S NOTE: The text reproduced here generally
represents transla-tions of both versions of the Oration, i.e. the
Epernay manuscript copy of the speech given by Ramsay at a Lodge
in Paris on December 26, 1736 and the revised version prepared for
the Grand Lodge meeting on (?) March 24, 1737.
If there
are substantial differences between the two, they are reproduced
in par-al-lel columns. In those cases where particular passages
appear in one ver-sion only, they are shown in italics and are headed
either (EPERNAY) or (GRAND LODGE).
The noble
ardor that you show to enter into the ancient and very illustrious
Order of Freemasons, is a certain proof that you already possess
all the qualities neces-sary to become members. These qualities
are philanthropy, inviolable secrecy and a taste for the fine arts.
Lycurgus, Solon,
Numa and all the other political legislators have failed to make
their republics lasting. However wise their laws may have been,
they have not been able to extend through all countries and through
all ages. As they were founded on victories and conquests, on military
violence and the elevation of one people above another, they were
not able to become universal nor to make them-selves acceptable
to the taste, spirit and interest of all nations. Philanthropy was
not their basis. Patriotism badly understood and pushed to excess
by men who inhabited a small portion of the Universe, destroyed
in all these warrior republics the love of humanity in general.
Mankind is not essentially distin-guished by the tongues spoken,
the clothes worn nor by the corners of this busy world that they
occupy. The whole world is nothing but a huge republic, of which
each nation is a family and each individual a child. It was, gentlemen,
for the purpose of reviving and spreading these ancient maxims borrowed
from the nature of man, that our Society was established.
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(EPERNAY)
We wish
to unite all men of good taste and agreeable manners, by a
love of the fine arts, whence ambition becomes a virtue, whence
the inter-ests of the Brotherhood are those of mankind as
a whole, whence all the dif-fer-ent Nations can draw valuable
infor-mation and whence the subjects of all the different
Nations can con-spire together without arousing jeal-ousy
and live without discord in order to cherish one another without
re-nounc--ing their principles and exclude from our Laws all
disputes that might affect the general tran-quility, the pur-ity
of our principles, the tender feel-ings, the undoubted plea-sure
and that perfect harmony that exist only when all unworthy
excesses and all dis-cor-dant passions have been subjugated.
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(GRAND
LODGE)
We desire
to unite all men of enlightened minds, gentle manners and
agreeable wit, not only by a love for the fine arts, but much
more by the grand principles of virtue, science and religion,
where the interests of the Fraternity shall become those of
the whole human race, whence all nations shall be enabled
to draw useful knowledge and where the sub-jects of all Kingdoms
shall learn to cherish one another without renoun-cing their
own country.
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(GRAND LODGE)
Our ancestors, the Crusaders, gathered together from all parts of
Christen-dom in the Holy Land, desired thus to reunite into one
sole Fraternity the indi-vi-duals of all nations. What obligations
do we not owe to these superior men who, without gross selfish interests,
without even listening to the inborn tendency to dominate, imagined
such an institution, the sole aim of which is to unite minds and
hearts in order to make them better, and form in the course of ages
spiri-tual empire where, without derogating from the various duties
which different States exact, a new people shall be created, which
composed of many nations, shall in some sort cement them all into
one by the tie of virtue and science.
The second
requisite of our Society is sound morals. The religious orders were
established to make perfect Christians, military orders to inspire
a love of true glory, and the Order of Freemasons, to make men lovable
men, good citizens, good subjects, inviolable in their promises,
faithful adorers of the God of love, lovers of virtue rather than
of reward.
Polliciti
servare fidem, sanctumque vereri
Nomen amicitiae, mores non munera amare.
[Having made a promise, to keep faith, to respect the sacred
name of friendship, to prefer a good character to wealth.]
Nevertheless,
we do not confine ourselves to purely civic virtues. We have amongst
us three kinds of brothers: Novices or Apprentices, Fellows or Professed
Brothers, Masters or Perfected Brothers.
To the first
are explained the moral virtues; to the second the heroic virtues;
to the last the Christian virtues; so that our institution embraces
the whole philosophy of sentiment and the complete theology of the
heart. This is why one of our worshipful brothers has said:-
Freemason,
illustrious Grand Master,
Receive my first transports
In my heart the Order has given them birth,
Happy I, if noble efforts
Cause me to merit your esteem
By elevating me to the sublime,
The primeval Truth,
To the Essence pure and divine
The celestial Origin of the soul,
The source of life and love.
Because
a sad, savage and misanthropic philosophy disgusts virtuous men,
our ancestors, the Crusaders, wished to render it lovable by the
attractions of innocent pleasures, agreeable music, pure joy and
moderate gaiety. Our festivals are not what the profane world and
the ignorant vulgar imagine. All the vices of heart and soul are
banished there and irreligion, libertinage, incredulity and debauch
are prescribed. Our banquets resemble those virtuous symposia of
Horace, where the conversation only touched what could enlighten
the soul, discipline the heart and inspire a task for the true,
the good and the beautiful.
O noctes
coenaeque Deum . . .
Sermo oritur, non de regnis domibusve alienis
. . . sed quod magis ad nos
Pertinet, et nescire malum est, agitamus uitrumne
Divitiis homines, an sint virtute beati
Quidve ad amicitias usus rectumve trahat nos
[O nights and suppers of gods . . . The talk begins, not about
other
men's king-doms or houses . . . but what concerns us more, and
it is
ill not to know, we dis-cuss: whether men are happy from riches
or
virtue; or what draws us into friend-ships-utility? or rectitude?,
and
what is the nature of good, and what its highest point.]
Thus the obligations
imposed upon you by the Order are to protect your brothers by your
authority, to enlighten them by your knowledge to edify them by
your virtues, to succor them in their necessities, to sacrifice
all personal resent--ment and to strive after all that may contribute
to the peace and unity of society.
*
* *
This excerpt is from Heredom, the
transactions of the Scottish Rite Research Society
Volume I, Year 1992
©1992-2002, Scottish Rite Research Society
All Rights Reserved
Scottish Rite Research Society
1733 16th St., N.W., Washington, DC 20009-3103
202-232-3579 voice, 202-383-1847 fax
srrs@srmason-sj.org, www.srmason-sj.org
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