QUESTIONS OF KING HENRY VI. This curious docu ment, which has been printed in many works on Masonry, has elicited a vast amount of discussion among Masonic writers as to its genuineness. It first appeared in the " Gen tlemen's Magazine" for 1753, where it purports to be a reprint of a pamphlet of 12 pp., published in 1748, in Frankfort, Germany. It is entitled "Certayne questyons, with answeres to the same, concernynge the mystery of Masonrye; writtene by the hande of Kynge Henrye the Sixthe of the name, and faythfullye copyed by me, Johan Leylande, Antiquarius, by the commande of his Highnesse." The magazine above referred to states that this document was copied by one John Collins, from a MS. in the Bodleian library, and to have been enclosed in a letter from John Locke, the celebrated meta physician, to Thomas, Earl of Pembroke, dated May 6, 169G. For the still further preservation of this singular paper, it is here repeated, together with the explanatory notes of Mr. Locke: Ques. Windt mote ytt be ?* Ans. Ytt beeth the skylle of Na ture, the understonclynge of the myghte that ys hereynne, and its sondrye werkynges; sonderlyche, the skylle of reckenyngs, of waightes and metynges, and the true manere of laeonnynge al thyngs for manues use; headlye, dwellinges, and buyldynges of alle kincles, and all other thyuges that make gudde to manna.
Ques. Where dyd ytt begynne ? Ans. Ytt dydd begynue with the ffyrste menne yn the este, t which were before the ffyrste menue of the weste; and comyiuge westlye, ytt Lathe broughte herwyth elle corn forte., to the wylde and comfortlesse.
Ques. Who dyd brynge ytt westlye? *What mote ytt be ?) That is, what may this mystery of Masonry be ? The answer imports. That it consists in natural, mathematical, and mechanical knowledge. Some part of which (as ap pears by what follows) the Masons pretend to have taught the rest of mankind, and some part they still conceal.
t Ffyrste menne yn the este, Pc.] It should seem by this, that Masons belie”e there were Jaen iu the east before Adm. , who is called the "ffyrste manne of the weste;" and that arts and sciences began in the east. Some authors of great note for learning have been of the same opinion; and it is certain that Europe and Africa, (which, in respect to Asia, may be called western couutrieso were wild and savage, :ong alter arts and politeness of manners were in great perfection in China and the tidies.
Ans. The Venetians,* whoo be ynge grate merchaundes, corned ffyrste ffromme the este ynn Vene tia, for the commodyte of mer chaundysynge beithe este and weste bey the redde and myddlonde sees Ques. Howe comede ytt yn Eng elonde ? Ans. Peter Gower,t a Grecian journeyedde ffor kunnynge yn Egypte, and in Syria, and yu *The Venetians, Se.] In the times of monkish ignorance it is no wonder that the PlICPIlleiall8 should be mistaken for the Venetians. Or, perhaps, if the peoplo were not taken one for the other, simili tude of sound might deceive the clerk who first took down the examination, The Phoenicians were the greatest voyagers among the ancients, and were in Europe thought to be the inventors of letters, which, perhaps, they brought from the east with other arts.
t Peter Gower.) This must be another mistake of the writer. I was puzzled at first to guess who Peter Cower should be, the name being perfectly English; or how a Greek should wine by such a name. But as soon as I thought of Pythagoras, I could scarce forbear smiling, to find that philosopher had undergone a metemp sychosis he never dreamt of. We need only consider the French pronunciation of his name, Pythagore, that is, Petagore, to conceive how easily such a mistake may be made by an unlearn hi clerk. That Pythagoras travelled for knowledge into Egypt, :(c., is known to all the learned; full that he was initiated into several dif ferent Orders of priests, who in those days kept all their learning secret from the vulgar, as is well known. Pythagoras also made every geometrical theorem a secret, and admitted only such 'o the everyche Londe, whereas the Vene tians hadde plaunted maconrye, and wynnynge entraunce yn al lodges of maconnes, he lerned Innate, and retouruedde, and waned yn Grecia Magna,• wacksynge and becom mynge a myghtye wyseacre,t and gratelyche renowned, and her he framed a grate lodge at Grotona and maked manye Maconnes, some whereoffe dyde journeye yu Fraunce and maked mauye Maconnes; where fromme, yn processe of tyme, the Arts passed in Engelonde.