L. Engel: Geschichte des Illuminatenordens. Berlin, 1906.

Historische-politische Blatter for 1889, p. 926: article by M. Ling, Zur Geschichte des Illuminatenordens, and for 1901, pp. 94-114: article by J. Bach on Weishaupt’s controversy with the philosopher Kant,
40 & SECRET SOCIETIES
(4) The Rosicrucians
High ideals and a certain poetic charm—Originated through a satirical romance being taken seriously—Great power in Prussia (1786-1797)— Revival in 1885.
Many secret societies, founded with lofty, philanthropic ideals, soon drifted into the cesspools of subversive conspiracy. — But the Rosicrucians never departed from their aspirations to higher religious, spiritual and scientific knowledge, working fantastically according to the spirit of their age, and owing their long survival toa certain poeticcharm. At the same time, they did ally themselves with freemasonry and exercise an in- fluence over public affairs in Prussia.
Their origin seems to have been due to a work of fiction published at Cassel in 1614. All western Europe was then swarming with astrologers, alchemists, fortune-tellers and inter- preters of dreams. Everyone sought the philosopher’s stone in the hope of inaugurating a golden age, and a satire appeared, entitled ‘“‘ The General and Universal Reformation of the Whole Wide World: Attitude of the Fama Fraternitas or Brotherhood of the Most Worthy Order of the R.C. (Rosycross) towards the Rulers, Classes and Learned Men of Europe: Printed at Cassel by Wilhelm Wessel.” It professed to be the mystical biography of a German named Rosenkreuz (Rosycross), who had become acquainted with secret mysteries in the East during the four- teenth century, and on his return to Germany had founded a society called the Brotherhood of the Rosicrucians, for the purpose of disseminating his knowledge. The Brotherhood had kept this knowledge profoundly secret for a hundred years and had then ceased to exist, leaving, however, an enormous number of documents, which were now revealed for the first time.
This satire was eagerly accepted by the public as a true chronicle ; other derisive romances followed, including “ The Chemical Marriage of Christian Rosycross,” by John Valentine Andrea, a Protestant divine, and they were welcomed as gospel with equal credulity. Societies were founded, but the
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enthusiasm soon died out, and the Rosicrucians sank into ob- scurity for a hundred years.
In the eighteenth century, however, early discoveries in chemistry and physics stimulated young mystics, who regarded the doctrine of the immortality of the soul as a symbolical promise of long life upon earth. The fictions of 1614 were recalled from dusty shelves, a new Order of Rosicrucians arose, offering honours, riches, health, eternal youth and length of days to all its adherents ; the organisation spread everywhere, attracting many charlatans, who profited by the superstition of the vulgar.
John George Schrepfer, a Nuremberg innkeeper, founded a Rosicrucian Lodge at Leipzig and attracted so much atten- tion that, in 1774, Duke Charles of Courland sent J. R. von Bischofswerder, a freemason, to investigate the movement. Meanwhile, Schrepfer had come into conflict with the autho- rities owing to his debts and frauds, and he presently com- mitted suicide. Still, von Bischofswerder’s zeal was not quenched; he joined the Order himself and recruited J. C. Woellner, a Protestant Court Chaplain, who became head of the Rosicrucians and enrolled Crown Prince Frederick William of Prussia and many of the most important per- sonages in Germany. Frederick William succeeded to the throne in 1786, ennobled Woellner and made him Minister of Religion two yearslater. _ .
In 1791, Woellner and Bischofswerder were so powerful that they accompanied the King to Pillnitz for his conference with the Emperor Leopold II, and dictated Prussian policy with regard to Eastern affairs and French revolutionary disturbances, causing France to declare war against Austria. The Rosicrucians were now a power in the State, all pro- motion depended on their support, all officials deemed it prudent to enrol themselves as members of the Order. Cagliostro, Saint Germain and other shrewd charlatans took advantage of their membership to enrich themselves, and scandals were rife. It was not, however, till the King’s death and his succession by Frederick William III, in 1797 that Woellner was dismissed and the rule of the Rosicrucians ended.
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An effort was made to revive them in 1885, but without much success, certainly with no publicity. All that can be said of them is that they made practical application of the psychological arcana of medizval mysticism and left behind them a wide field for research by untrammelled philosophers of the future.
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