Book Five: 1806-07 - Chapter IV

by Leo Tolstoy

　　Soon after this there came into the dark chamber to fetch Pierre,not the Rhetor but Pierre's sponsor, Willarski, whom he recognizedby his voice. To fresh questions as to the firmness of hisresolution Pierre replied: "Yes, yes, I agree," and with a beaming,childlike smile, his fat chest uncovered, stepping unevenly andtimidly in one slippered and one booted foot, he advanced, whileWillarski held a sword to his bare chest. He was conducted from thatroom along passages that turned backwards and forwards and was at lastbrought to the doors of the Lodge. Willarski coughed, he wasanswered by the Masonic knock with mallets, the doors opened beforethem. A bass voice (Pierre was still blindfold) questioned him as towho he was, when and where he was born, and so on. Then he was againled somewhere still blindfold, and as they went along he was toldallegories of the toils of his pilgrimage, of holy friendship, ofthe Eternal Architect of the universe, and of the courage with whichhe should endure toils and dangers. During these wanderings, Pierrenoticed that he was spoken of now as the "Seeker," now as the"Sufferer," and now as the "Postulant," to the accompaniment ofvarious knockings with mallets and swords. As he was being led up tosome object he noticed a hesitation and uncertainty among hisconductors. He heard those around him disputing in whispers and one ofthem insisting that he should be led along a certain carpet. Afterthat they took his right hand, placed it on something, and told him tohold a pair of compasses to his left breast with the other hand and torepeat after someone who read aloud an oath of fidelity to the laws ofthe Order. The candles were then extinguished and some spirit lighted,as Pierre knew by the smell, and he was told that he would now see thelesser light. The bandage was taken off his eyes and, by the faintlight of the burning spirit, Pierre, as in a dream, saw several menstanding before him, wearing aprons like the Rhetor's and holdingswords in their hands pointed at his breast. Among them stood a manwhose white shirt was stained with blood. On seeing this, Pierre movedforward with his breast toward the swords, meaning them to pierceit. But the swords were drawn back from him and he was at onceblindfolded again.

　　"Now thou hast seen the lesser light," uttered a voice. Then thecandles were relit and he was told that he would see the full light;the bandage was again removed and more than ten voices saidtogether: "Sic transit gloria mundi."

　　Pierre gradually began to recover himself and looked about at theroom and at the people in it. Round a long table covered with blacksat some twelve men in garments like those he had already seen. Someof them Pierre had met in Petersburg society. In the President's chairsat a young man he did not know, with a peculiar cross hanging fromhis neck. On his right sat the Italian abbe whom Pierre had met atAnna Pavlovna's two years before. There were also present a verydistinguished dignitary and a Swiss who had formerly been tutor at theKuragins'. All maintained a solemn silence, listening to the wordsof the President, who held a mallet in his hand. Let into the wall wasa star-shaped light. At one side of the table was a small carpetwith various figures worked upon it, at the other was somethingresembling an altar on which lay a Testament and a skull. Round itstood seven large candlesticks like those used in churches. Two of thebrothers led Pierre up to the altar, placed his feet at rightangles, and bade him lie down, saying that he must prostrate himselfat the Gates of the Temple.

　　"He must first receive the trowel," whispered one of the brothers.

　　"Oh, hush, please!" said another.

　　Pierre, perplexed, looked round with his shortsighted eyes withoutobeying, and suddenly doubts arose in his mind. "Where am I? What am Idoing? Aren't they laughing at me? Shan't I be ashamed to rememberthis?" But these doubts only lasted a moment. Pierre glanced at theserious faces of those around, remembered all he had already gonethrough, and realized that he could not stop halfway. He was aghast athis hesitation and, trying to arouse his former devotional feeling,prostrated himself before the Gates of the Temple. And really, thefeeling of devotion returned to him even more strongly than before.When he had lain there some time, he was told to get up, and a whiteleather apron, such as the others wore, was put on him: he was given atrowel and three pairs of gloves, and then the Grand Masteraddressed him. He told him that he should try to do nothing to stainthe whiteness of that apron, which symbolized strength and purity;then of the unexplained trowel, he told him to toil with it to cleansehis own heart from vice, and indulgently to smooth with it the heartof his neighbor. As to the first pair of gloves, a man's, he said thatPierre could not know their meaning but must keep them. The secondpair of man's gloves he was to wear at the meetings, and finally ofthe third, a pair of women's gloves, he said: "Dear brother, thesewoman's gloves are intended for you too. Give them to the woman whomyou shall honor most of all. This gift will be a pledge of your purityof heart to her whom you select to be your worthy helpmeet inMasonry." And after a pause, he added: "But beware, dear brother, thatthese gloves do not deck hands that are unclean." While the GrandMaster said these last words it seemed to Pierre that he grewembarrassed. Pierre himself grew still more confused, blushed like achild till tears came to his eyes, began looking about him uneasily,and an awkward pause followed.

　　This silence was broken by one of the brethren, who led Pierre up tothe rug and began reading to him from a manuscript book an explanationof all the figures on it: the sun, the moon, a hammer, a plumb line, atrowel, a rough stone and a squared stone, a pillar, three windows,and so on. Then a place was assigned to Pierre, he was shown the signsof the Lodge, told the password, and at last was permitted to sitdown. The Grand Master began reading the statutes. They were verylong, and Pierre, from joy, agitation, and embarrassment, was not in astate to understand what was being read. He managed to follow only thelast words of the statutes and these remained in his mind.

　　"In our temples we recognize no other distinctions," read theGrand Master, "but those between virtue and vice. Beware of making anydistinctions which may infringe equality. Fly to a brother's aidwhoever he may be, exhort him who goeth astray, raise him thatfalleth, never bear malice or enmity toward thy brother. Be kindly andcourteous. Kindle in all hearts the flame of virtue. Share thyhappiness with thy neighbor, and may envy never dim the purity of thatbliss. Forgive thy enemy, do not avenge thyself except by doing himgood. Thus fulfilling the highest law thou shalt regain traces ofthe ancient dignity which thou hast lost."

　　He finished and, getting up, embraced and kissed Pierre, who, withtears of joy in his eyes, looked round him, not knowing how toanswer the congratulations and greetings from acquaintances that methim on all sides. He acknowledged no acquaintances but saw in allthese men only brothers, and burned with impatience to set to workwith them.

　　The Grand Master rapped with his mallet. All the Masons sat downin their places, and one of them read an exhortation on thenecessity of humility.

　　The Grand Master proposed that the last duty should be performed,and the distinguished dignitary who bore the title of "Collector ofAlms" went round to all the brothers. Pierre would have liked tosubscribe all he had, but fearing that it might look like pridesubscribed the same amount as the others.

　　The meeting was at an end, and on reaching home Pierre felt as if hehad returned from a long journey on which he had spent dozens ofyears, had become completely changed, and had quite left behind hisformer habits and way of life.