ODE X

[Set to Music by Dr. ARNOLD]

ASSIST me, ye fair tuneful Nine,
Euphrosyne, grant me thy aid,
While the honours I sing of the Trine,
Preside o'er my number, blithe maid!

Cease Clamour and Faction, oh cease,
Fly hence all ye cynical train;
Disturb not, disturb not the lodge's sweet peace,
Where Silence and Secrecy reign.

Religion untainted here dwells,
Here the morals of Athens are taught;
Great Hiram's tradition here tells,
How the world out of chaos was brought.

With fervency, freedom, and zeal,
Our master's commands we obey;
No lowen, no lowen our secrets can steal,
No babbler our myst'ries betray.

Here Wisdom her standard displays,
Here nobly the Sciences shine;
Here the temple's vast column we raise,
And finish a work that's divine.

Illum'd from the East with pure light,
Here Arts do their blessings bestow;
And all perfect, all perfect, unfold to the fight,
What none but a Mason can know.

If on earth any praise can be found,
Any virtue unnam'd in my song;
Any grace in the universe round,
May these to a Mason belong!

May each brother his passion subdue,
Proclaim charity, concord, and love;
And be hail'd, and be hail'd by the thrice happy few,
Who preside in the Grand Lodge above!

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