The Festive Board

After leaving the Temple the Brethren may well have a few minutes "refreshment" before the Director of Ceremonies calls them to take their places at the Festive Board. The announcement "To order, Brethren, to receive your Worshipful Master." prompts the Brethren to applaud - hopefully in an enthusiastic and spontaneous manner, rather than the "funereal" slow clap. It must be noted, that traditions and practices of individual Lodges should always be observed and respected above the observations made here and further on in this article. - Differences in Lodge practices are one of the aspects that make Freemasonry so interesting

Most of the early Lodges, here in England as well as across the waters, held their meetings in taverns; probably for the convenience of centrality and also securing refreshments. This resulted in by-laws dealing with excess and insobriety. Fines for inebriation, indecent language (probably the result of excess liquor), for quarrelling and dispute, or for disturbing a Lodge meeting were rather severe.

Another by-law of many earlier Lodges was that part of the initiation fee was to be for food and liquor; or the initiate may even have had to furnish a banquet at his own expense. The marriage of a Brother, or the birth to him of a son also often required him to furnish a banquet. In a few instances refreshments even followed the funeral of a Brother.

The by-laws of many old Lodges contained the provision that the Lodge should open at 7:00 pm, should be called to refreshment at 9:00 pm, should return to labour at 10:00 pm and should close in good harmony at 11:00 pm or at similar hours. Often, however, the Brethren did not seperate until High Twelve (the noon of night), and then with prayer. A record of one old Lodge shows that the Brethren sat eighteen hours at table, so we see refreshments were a serious business with our ancient Brethren. They must have been served at several points throughout the meeting and ceremony.

Numerous entries in the minutes of old Lodges indicate that liquor was served while the Lodge was at labour. There was a purpose of the liquor, apart from mere refreshment. Pre 1814 instruction was by catechetical lecture, worked around the table during the meeting. The lectures were divided into sections, at the end of each a loyal or Masonic toast would be honoured (after a charge) and the E.A. sign 3 times, seated.

A by-law of St. John's Lodge of Boston (in 1733) reads as follows : "No Brother shall set at victuals in the Lodge room while the Lodge is open without the leave of the Master or Wardens. Nor call for any liquor or tobacco without leave as aforesaid." - It would be interesting to observe what happened in a case where the Wardens gave permission which the Master would have denied!

The painting, by Stewart Watson, of the inauguration of Robert Burns as Poet Laureate of Canongate Kilwinning Lodge shows a toddy bottle in the foreground, whilst, at the other end of the room a Brother presides at a punch bowl. All this while the inauguration ceremony is going on.

It must be remembered that in these olden days many trades had social or fraternal groups, and that there were a great many tavern and coffee house clubs. There were also many fraternities like the Gormasons, Jerusalem Souls, Gregorians, Oddfellows etc. Masonic membership meant a great deal, since a Lodge was a social gathering place for Brethren, amongst whom were numbered the highest of the citizenship, and that the use of liquor with meals, not always in moderation, was a common custom. The earliest Masonic catechisms and exposures make it clear that the Brethren enjoyed the use of bottle and glass, but are curiously silent on the subject of drinking customs and toasting routines. It is generally believed by those who have made a study of Freemasonry of the early days, that despite the common use of liquor at Lodge meetings, Freemasonry exercised a salutory moral, social and educational influence. In this connection it should be noted that the by-laws of the old Lodges provided fines for the Master and office bearers who chanced to be late for a meeting. In fact, there can be no doubt that our ancient Brethren placed a high importance upon courtesies at table.

Grace

When the Master arrives at his chair, he sounds his gavel (answered by the Wardens) and calls on the Chaplain to say Grace. (In Cornwallis workings the Master says Grace.) This can be done in a hundred different ways, although many Lodges use the old "school" Grace :-

** - Note the use of "NEEDS" and not "wants".

After the meal "Laudi Spirituali", a Grace whose origin can be traced as far back as 1336 (and is probably much older than that) is often sung :-

During and after the gastronomic part of the evening, it is customary in many Lodges, to observe mutual wine takings or greetings. This practice was properly introduced to replace "cross toasting" which, although it had several 'rules', appeared to add little to the dignity of the Festive Board. Wine taking should, generally, be under control of the Master to keep it within a structure and not allow it to be overdone. The Master must be allowed to enjoy his meal as well as all the other Brethren.

There is an important difference between wine taking and formal toasts. When the Master takes wine with an individual or group of Brethren, all the participants stand, unless, as is well known, this would bring too many people to their feet, so they are requested to remain seated. The essential symbolism of the taking of wine is that each party stands and pledges the other - in other words, it is an exchange of mutual esteem and goodwill.

When we come to the formal toast list, which follows the conclusion of the meal, there is an important distinction in that a toast is to the health of the individual or group to whom it is directed. It is drunk by others in a one way communication of respect, esteem and goodwill, and is directed by those drinking the toast to the subject(s). The subject(s) of the toast, be it one or more persons, therefore remain seated. This is the whole point - The subject, himself, does not drink, for it is surely questionable form to drink to one's own health (at least, publicly).

On the subject of toasts, it is doubtful if anyone can assign the precise origin of toasting or the drinking of health, or even how the word "toast" came to be connected with the practice of health drinking. But it was customary, in the 17th Century, for a cup or bowl of wine, ale or mead to be filled to the brim and a piece of toasted bread to be floated on top, which was said to improve the taste. By the beginning of the 18th Century health drinking had become a very serious business indeed in England and has, more or less, continued ever since.

It may be appropriate, here, to make a couple of observations regarding the use of the Gavel. As is stated in the Installation Ceremony, the gavel is the Master's emblem of power and authority, and should, therefore, remain with him throughout the proceedings. (I must here refer any readers to the first paragraph of this article, as in the Cornwallis Lodge the I.P.M. has ALWAYS sounded the gavel for wine takings; the Master controls it at all other times.) It is surely the case that the attention the Master receives after sounding the gavel does not depend on the level of noise he makes. The Brethren should immediately be silent out of respect for the Master, not his gavel, and the master who makes the china jump and bounce every time he uses his emblem of power is not only deafening his friends and neighbours, but also showing a distinct lack of confidence. I appreciate that it is traditional in many Lodges and indeed some Provinces, for the I.P.M. or D.C. to sound the gavel, but it is still under the control of the Master.

The first toast of the evening is usually stated as "The Queen and the Craft" - but why not "The Queen", followed by the next toast to "The Craft"?

On every possible occasion English Freemasons, when meeting as a body, take pride in asserting their loyalty to the Crown by honouring the Loyal toast and, if accompaniment is forthcoming, by singing the National Anthem. I must point out here that it is not usual to sing the National Anthem twice during the course of the meeting, so if it has already been sung in the Temple after closing the Lodge, it is not sung again at the Festive Board. If it has not been sung in the Temple, however, then this is the appropriate time.

Although this toast may be traced back to the "Old Charges", which enjoined all Masons to be "true men to God and true lieges to the King", it does not form part of the Ritual. Doctor Anderson, in the Book of Constitutions (1738, page 38) relates that the King, with Grand Master Inigo Jones and his Grand Wardens (the Earl of Pembroke and Nicholas Stone, the sculptor), attended by many Brethren in due form and many eminent persons, walked to Whitehall Gates for the laying of the foundation stone of the new banqueting hall in 1607 and levelled the footstone "with 3 great knocks, and a purse of broad pieces of gold was laid upon the stone for Masons to drink to :-"

the King being James I of England. In 1719, at the Festival of Grand Lodge, Dr. John Desagalier was installed as the 3rd Grand Master. After being duly installed, congratulated and honoured, he received the peculiar toasts and healths of Freemasons. These were said to be to: "The King and the Craft" - representing the principle of loyalty; to "The Freemason's Health" - for the Fraternity; and : "The Tyler's Toast" - for relief. Two more toasts were added at the Festivals at a later date : The Grand Master and The Grand Stewards. By the close of the 18th Century the total list averaged around 9.

Dr. Anderson instances a public profession of loyalty of Masons to the Crown in his reference to the laying of the foundation stone of St. Martin in the Field, London, when he tells us that in this occasion in 1721, in the reign of George I "When the trumpets sounded, all joined in joyful acclamations and the Craftsmen went to the tavern to drink to the King and the Craft". King George I was not a Freemason, and it was, therefore, particularly important to link the King and the Craft during his reign and that of George II to show the Craft's loyalty to the Throne. It was also important in order to counter suggestions of Freemasonry being involved in the Stuart cause. The toast of the Sovereign with Freemasonry has, therefore, always been entirely independent of whether the then reigning monarch is or is not a member of the Fraternity.

Of the eleven English sovereigns who have graced the Throne since Grand Lodge came into existence in 1717, six have been Masons; yet the toast has always been given with full Masonic honours. Some say it is a landmark of the Order.

One can imagine, when Queen Victoria came to the Throne in 1837, there could well have been some considerable confusion amongst Freemasons as to the proper form and scope of the loyal toast. (The term Queen and Craft had never before been heard or spoken, and there was definitely no chance of this sovereign being a member of the Craft.) But the need to preserve the ancient custom does not seem to have been in doubt. For the long period of 63 years - from 1837 to 1900 - the toast was "The Queen and the Craft"; to be followed by another 51 years in the original form of "The King and the Craft"; reverting again in 1952, on the accession of Queen Elizabeth II, to our present "The Queen and the Craft". An important point to note is that the Grand Secretary of the "Antients", Laurence Dermott, set out in the minutes of his Grand Lodge on two occasions the correct toast to be given.

United Grand Lodge has insisted, in 1908 and again in 1935, that the toast takes priority, as loyalty to the Crown is an essential principle of Freemasonry. King Edward VII was a Past Grand Master and had the title of Protector of the Craft; he was succeeded by George V, who was not a Freemason. George VI, who was a very active Mason, came to the throne when Edward VIII, who was also a Freemason, gave up his Throne for Mrs. Simpson.

This is another toast dating back to time immemorial, and if a Master is lucky enough to be given the 'Master's Song' it will be impressed on his mind forever.

A version of the song appeared in Anderson's Constitutions, dated 1723; it consists of 28 verses, with a chorus between each, and it traces the history of Masonry from the Garden of Eden up to 1723. The present Master's Song "Here's to his health..." is of mid-Victorian origin. It was first published under the title 'The man who is kind to another'. The composer of the music was Dr. John Morgan Bentley of Alexander Lodge No.993, and he dedicated it to the Masonic Brethren of his Lodge. :-

A derivative of the Master's Song is now frequently sung at Ladies' Festivals - called 'The Ladies' Song - and can be found at the end of this article.

This, of course, is one of the most important Masonic toasts of all, welcoming and celebrating the entrance of a new member into Masonry. It should be delivered with a great deal of thought - it is often given by a senior Lodge member. Some Lodges have a tradition that the initiate's proposer delivers it; in any case this is not a toast to be bumbled through and "got over with".

It is sometimes followed by the 'Entered Apprentice's Song', if sufficient singers are available. In fact, this song, depending on the number of Brethren present, can be turned into a great deal of fun, with different sections of the Brethren singing different verses - Grand officers one verse, Provincial officers another and other types of Brethren (perhaps if a number of a particular trade are present) yet another verse, and so on. With a little pre-organisation and thought, this can be a highlight of the evening and will certainly be remembered by the Initiate for the rest of his life.

This is one of the earliest known Masonic songs; it appeared in Anderson's Book of Constitutions, 1723. The author was an actor/comedian, Matthew Birkhead, who was given a Masonic funeral on the 12th of January 1723. It is sung to an old Irish tune. There is an engraved sheet of 1730 with the words and music printed thereon :-

This would be sung in the old days around the table with great gusto and plenty of liquid refreshment. In fact, the whole ceremony would have been held around the table prior to the union in 1813.

An old custom, which seems to have almost died out, is that immediately after the newly initiated Brother's health has been proposed - i.e. by singing the Entered Apprentice's Song - the Loving Cup was circulated.

A very old custom, which seems to have almost died out, at least in Craft Masonry, was the passing round of the Loving Cup after the E.A song had been sung. This is a ceremony handed down through the ages and need not be limited to initiations.

The procedure was for three Brethren to stand, two would unsheath their swords and the third (middle) one to hold up the cup by the two handles and to drink whilst the two others defended his back. Having taken his draught, the drinker then wipes the cup with a napkin and hands it to his neighbour, draws his word and protects his neighbour's back whilst he drinks.

A later variation of the Loving Cup for toasting is the large two handled wassail bowl or cup, usually pewter or silver and sometimes bearing the Lodge badge or crest. At the festive Board it is passed round from Brother to Brother around the table. The word "wassail" comes from the old English "Waes Hail", meaning "Be thou whole and of good health". The custom of the protection of the drinker's back is said to date back to Saxon times, when a man might be treacherously stabbed whilst drinking - hence a friend or two to defend him with drawn swords. This may be borne out by the murder, in A.D. 979 of King Edward (later known as Edward the Martyr), when he was so stabbed on the orders of his stepmother, Elfrida, so that her own son, Ethelred could become King instead. He was stabbed at the feast while drinking mead from a two handled loving cup by a paid assassin.

This process of sharing, coupled with protection, helps to reinforce the ancient Masonic bond.

The Mason's Chain or Fraternal Chain is another old part of the Festive board which seems to have all but disappeared, although it is still practiced in some of the "Side Degrees". The Brethren form a continuous chain by linking hands around the tables in order to impress upon the initiate that he is being welcomed with open arms into Freemasonry - into his Mother Lodge - and into the circle of the Brethrens' hearts. The chain is a double chain, indicating the strength of Masonry and the fact that if a link were to be broken, perhaps by a call to the Grand Lodge above, the chain would remain strong; in fact, its strength would increase with the addition of every new link.

This article was delivered as a talk by W.Bro. W.J.(Jack) Bourne to the Cornwallis Lodge No.1107 at their December meeting in 1997. W.Bro. Jack wishes to acknowledge W.Bro. Jonathon C. Mead for assistance in its compilation.