11th Degree Cordon

A broad black watered cordon, worn from right to left. Over the flaming heart on the cordon are embroidered the words Sincere aut Mori; literally, “Death rather than Dishonor.”

The flaming heart upon the apron and the cordon are symbols of that zeal and devotedness that ought to animate all Masons and of those noble and heroic souls that have in all ages suffered and sacrificed themselves for their fellows or their country. The motto is a solemn pledge that one would rather die than betray the cause of the people or be overcome through his own fault.