OQUE E COWANS? OQUE E GOTEIRAS (COWANS)?* Sergio RobertoCavalcanteThe Oxford England Dictionary definition is: `Onewho builds dry stone walls (i.e., without mortar); a drystonediker; appliedderogatorily to one who does the work of a mason, but who has not beenregularly apprenticed or bred to the trade'.A definicao do Dicionario Ingles Oxford e: alguem que constroimuros de pedras (i. e, sem cimento); construtor de barreira de pedras; aplicadocom desprezo a alguem que, apesar de exercer trabalho de um macom, nao passouregularmente pelo aprendizado ou nao foi educado para o comercio.Cowan is an essentially Scottish trade term, and itbelongs to the time when lodges, as tradecontrolling bodies, put restrictionsagainst the employment of cowans, in order to protect the fullytrained men ofthe Craft from competition by unskilled labour. The earliest official banagainst cowans appeared in the William Schaw Statutes in 1598: Goteira, essencialmente, e um termo escoces empregado em negocios,da epoca quando a Lojas, como corpos de controle de comercio colocavamrestricoes ao emprego de cowans, no intuito e proteger os homens treinados parao Oficio de competirem contra mao-de-obra nao especializada (qualificada). Amais antiga proscricao oficial contra os cowans se encontra nos Estatutos deWilliam Schaw, de 1598.... that no master or fellow of craft receive anycowans to work in his society or company nor send any of his servants to workwith cowans, under the penalty of twenty pounds so often any person offendshereunder.... que nenhum mestre ou companheiro do oficio receba qualquer goteirapara trabalhar em sua sociedade ou companhia e nem enviem seus servos paratrabalhar com cowans, sob a penalidade de vinte pounds, aplicada a qualquer pessoa que ofenda ao que aqui estaescrito.The first record of a breach of this rule is theoldest surviving minute of the Lodge of Edinburgh (Mary's Chapel) dated 31 July1599; [word for word, in modern spelling: O primeiro registro que quebra esse regulamento e a mais antigaata remanescente da Loja de Edimburgo, em Marys Chapel, datada de 31 de julhode 1599 {transcrita infra, na forma moderna}:George Patoun, mason, granted and confessed that hehad offended against the Deacon and Masters for placing of a cowan to work at achimneyhead for two days and a half... George Patoun, macom, garantiu e confessou ter ofendido o Diaconoe os Mestres, por colocar um goteira para trabalhar em uma chamine ao longo dedois dias e meio...He made `humble submission' offering to paywhatever fine might be imposed. Having regard to `his estait' the offence waspardoned, but with a strict warning to all future offenders. The minutessuggest that the Edinburgh masons were very well behaved in this respect,perhaps because of the limited and clearlydefined area under the control ofthe Lodge. At Kilwinning, where the Lodge had jurisdiction over a very wideterritory, with consequent difficulties of proper supervision, a large numberof breaches were recorded and substantial fines were paid in each case. Cowansalso appear regularly in the minutes of several other old Scottish Lodges.Assim, ele se pos em humilde submissao, oferecendo-se para pagar oquanto lhe fosse imposto de multa. Tendo reparado sua situacao, a ofensa foiperdoada, porem, seguida de uma advertencia estrita a todos os que futuramentedesrespeitassem a lei. As