,£r " ' * ^ jj —-*- *; D'vf«io« ■ ■" ■ tZIZABETH-TOfrN: Printed by Shepard Kollock for Cornelius Davjs, No. g& Water-Street, Ntiv-Vork % 1799- OBSERVATIONS On feme articles publijhed in the Monthly Review, relative to the " Memoirs on Jacobinism." THERE are Reviewers of vvhofe approbation I ffiall ever be proud, becaufe I know the propagation of good princi- ples to be the objecl of their labors. There are others, how- ever, whofe applauie would always be hateful to me, becaufe, under the mafk of fcience, they diffeminate the principles of Impiety and Rebellion. To which of theie daffies' the Monthly Review may belong, 1 mall not pretend to determine, as I am not in the habit of reading it ; but fliould be forry to ground my judgment on the account which Dr. Griffiths, or his aiTo- ciates, have given of the Memoirs ofjacohinifm. In the ap- pendix to his twenty-fifth Volume, he has loaded me with im- putations which I ihouid leave to the good fenfe of my Read- er, were I engaged in a mere literary difpute ; but I have de- nounced the moll: formidable confpuacy that ever was con- trived againft Religion and Society. I owe it, therefore, to my caufe, and to myfelf, to prove which of us is molt open to the charge of unfairnefs, of dexterity, or of treacherous ingenuity. Fortunately the talk is not difficult. Dr. Griffiths is pleafed to pals a favorable fentence on my firft Volume, treating of the Con/piracy of the SophiJIers againft the Altar; but he fays, that the Con/piracy " or the Sophiiters " of Rebellion againft the Throne is fb imperfectly fupported " in the fécond Volume, that he muft fti!! afcribe the extinction *' of Royalty in France much more to the comfe of local e- ** vents in Pans, than to the previous concert and deliberate *' wifli of the leaders of the Revolution.'' — Certainly the Ja- cobins would not be forrow to fee fuch an opinion become pie- valent, for they alfo claim the right of faying to Kings, if we attack your thrones you may thank yourfelves ; it was your perfidy and defpotifm, much more than the eitorts of a BrifTot or a Syeyes, that dethroned Lewis XVI ; it was more owing to vou than to Petion or Robefpiene that He was led ro the fcafFold ; and, above all, it was the tyranny of Lewis XVI. that engraved in our hearts that wifh to exterminate every King on earth. Dr. Griffiths a!fo finds it more convenient per»; torily to pronounce on the validity of the proofs which I ad- duce, than to fubmit any of them to his readers, left they mould draw a very different conclusion. Not a word does he men- tion of the Letters, of the Syftems, of Holbach's Club, of the Central Committee, of the EmifTaties of the Grand Orient, of the Declamations and formal its Le Roi, Condorcet, Dudin, and bis fellow-re >f the Mercure. All this muft lead us to helie.ve, that Dr. Griffiths is difficult of conviclion when hepleafes to be fo ; ar.d that he can with- ÎV OBSERVATIONS, &C- #fiold proofs when he is not in a humour to refute therh. Sd many perfons will take the word of their teachers for grant- ed, that it is unnecefTary for him to condefcend to give his rea- fons. We fhall fee whether he will deign to notice Sir Horace Walpole, who fo long fince denounced the Confpiracy of the Sophifters of Rebellion. If Dr. Griffiths be determined to be blind, I cannot pretend to make him fee. adly, Dr. Griffiths alfo declares, that my pofittan "is whol- ly erroneous," when I fay, that Equality and Liberty form the effential and perpetual Creed of the Freemafons. Heue I was tempted to recognize a brother dupe, but he had his reafonS for appearing to be better informed than I was. He then fpeaks of a communication opened between the Grand Lodges of London and Berlin 1776; and Berlin, he fays, was at that ara the very f ecus of convergence for every ray of modern Pbilofo- phy ; and then he afks, were thefe embaffies mere child* s play i or ivere there Timoleons concealed in the Latomies ( Lodges ) ? I candidly confefs, that had I known of theie communications with the very center of Sophiftry, fo far ffiould I have been from retracing my proofs of the Confpiracy of the Freema- fons, that I mould have given them a ftronger turn. I can alfo affure him, that 1 would not have generalized to fuch an ex- tent my exception in favor cf the Mafonry of the Grand Lodge of London, had I been informed that it could poffibly have contained members fo inimical to Kings as that Timoleon who afiaflinated his brother Timophane, for that fame caufe of hat- red to Royalty in which the Elder Brutus became the execu- tioner of his Children, and the Younger Brutus the murderer ofCcfar his benrfaclor. Let Englifh Mafons defend them- felvts againft. the imputations of Dr Griffiths ; but every read- er will perceive, that the method he has adopted to prove that my poftion the o?i,y independent men.'" I here law a great er- ror in ftating our men of learning as thofe who have xhçjèfveji OBSERVATIONS, &C. Wants, or as the freeft, or as the moft independent of Socie^ ty. i'o enable them to attend folely to their ftudies, they Hand, in need of a fufficieot fortune to relieve them from attention to temporal concerns. They Hand in need of the labor of others to cloath, lodge, and noai ilh them. They are above ail others dependent on fociety for that ftate of peace and tranquillity fo necelTary to the progrefs of fcience. They mud, therefore, be monfters of ingratitude if they do not tecognize that public au- thority, without which fciencesmuftbanilh. Futthemoitlearned member of the Royal Society into a defert or a foreft, and in another part put a country clown, and fee which of the two will tare beft, or ftand moftin need of the help of others. But this is not all; Weifhaupt pofuively alTerts.that flavery is the offspring of the fciences ; and can it follow from fuch a pofition, that the moft fbientific are the freeft and moft in- dependent of men ? As from a variety of other paffages I knew that, according to the modern Spartacus, no men were really cnlig^cned, unlefs it were the favages, or thofe who wifhed to carry us back to the favage ftate; I tranflated it thus : *' Hence few wants is the firjl fiep towards Liberty. — // it " for this reafon, that ire favages are the vwfi enlightened of *' men, and perhaps they alone are free'," but 1 took the pre- caution to add the German text, (" Darum find wilde, und *' in hocftken grad aufgeklârte, vielleicht die einzige freye V menfchen") that each reader might give the fenfehe chofe to the original. Dr. Griffiths has done more, he has quoted tha' other text, in which Weifhaupt literally declares flavery to be the offspring of the fciences ; he neverthelefs makes Weifhaupt fay, that favages and the fully enlightened are per •- baps the only free men. '1 his certainly approaches nearer to a literal tranuation, and the fentence taken in-the abftract may be more correct ; my tranflation, however, is conformable to the fenfe of the difcourfe ; but I have no objt&ion to fubftitute that given by Dr. Griffiths, provided a N.B. be added, to warn the reader of the nonfenfe of it, and the grofs contradiction it contains. 4th!y, Dr. Griffiths, or the writer he employs, next pro- ceeds to the French. " The text of Weifhaupt exprefly " fa^s, out of our pre fat imperfeel for?ns of civil union nvè ** jhaU pafs into new and better chofe n ; but the Abbé, in "order to attribute to hint the per verle project of perpetu- " ating anarchy, unfairly renders the paflage as if we were to *' pafs back into the favage ftate." Then, as if he had it in his power to quote numberlefs examples of my unfair tranflations, he adds, " On the topic of Property, fimilar freedoms have *' been ufed, with a not lefs treacherous ingenuity." Upon my word Dr. Griffiths here fathers, with great facili-» ty, his own failing upon others. Sir, notwithstanding the bafe and calumr.icus accufations which you chofe to vent againft me, 1 wrote to yen as to a Reviewer upright in his intentions, yet liable to miftake, but who. after fuch violent imputations, would condtilend at le^ft to infert in a future number of his Review the explanation which I had fent him. You denitd me V1 OBSERVATIONS, &C, this means of defence; I then told you, that I Ihouîd not leave the public in that error into which your Review might lead them, as in the prefent citcumilances the confequences might be too dangerous. I requefted a meeting in order to lay before you the Original Writings, and therein to point out evident proofs that your imputations were unjuft. You refufed thefe means of rectifying your miftake. What, then, entitles you to better treatment than you have given to a man who was molt certainly actuated by no other fentiment than that of the pub- lic good, and whom you chooie to calumniate in defiance of conviction ? It pleafes Dr, Griffiths alfo to reprefent my letter (in which I informed him, that 1 would not leave the public in an error) as a rifible threat of denouncing him as an Illuminée (June 1798). He adds, that I am " at full liberty to accufe or com- *' pHment him by fuch a iefcriptUn" You may, Sir, take what I am going to fay as a reproach or as a compliment; but^vith- out pretending to fay whether you are initiated in the iRrets of Iliuminifm or not, this much i can affert, that no Illuminée could have mown lefs candor than has the author of the article to which I am about to reply. So far was I from attributing any other intention to Wei- fhaupt, than that which he really had, when he wrote thefe words, Aus den jlaaten tretten nvir in ?ieue kl tiger geivdhlte t which I have tranflated, de cesfociêtés nous pajfons a des vœux a ten choix plusfage (from thefe focieties we proceed to further wi.'hes, and to a wifer choice); and as this fentence, taken ab- ftractly, has no lignification either in German or French, I, in a note, called the attention of the reader to the fentence that immediately followed, as explaining the nature of the K-.rfcr choice (Fr. Vol. III.) The Englifh tranfiator has o> muted this note, which, in reality was only added through an excefs of precaution. But had he inferted it what would it have proved ? Nothing but an efpeciai care on my fide not to attribute to Weifhaupt any meaning that did not entirely co- incide with the text. Am I to blame, if what precedes and what follows that fentence evidently demonftrate that this So- phifter was endeavoring to lead us back to thefavage frate? — I fhould fpare the Reviewer too much, or mould rather hold him out as an Ignoramus, were I to fay that he could have been jrjiftaken as to the meaning of that fentence. Here it is, with what precedes and follows it: " Nature drew men from the *' favage ftate, and re-united them in civil focieties ; from " thefe focieties wes, the 'Jlçnejplit or broken, and the po- lifted Jlone of ' Mafonry. — And after this Dr. Griffiths and his co-operators will come and accufe us of unfairnefs, dexterity, and treacherous ingenuity, becaufe we unfold the abfurdity of his favorite Illuminifm ! Let our readers aflïgn thofe epithets to whom in their opinion they belong. 5thly. What can the Reviewer mean by that great zeal which he (hows for the characters of Weifhaupt and Jvnigge, thofe two prototypes of Illuminifm ? ïn order tojuftify them, he comes and talks to us of the theifm and of the opinions which they affected in their public writings, and acts the brother dupe, grounding his opinion on Weifhaupt's giving the wri- tings of the Socinian Bajfedottt to his novices. What does all this prove to a man who is fpeaking of the fecret opinions of Koigge and Weifhaupt, and who lias demonftrated the whole doctrine of their confpiring myfteries; to a man who proves to you, by the very letters of Weifhaupt and Knigge, that after the perufal of the writings of the Socinian Baffedow, thefe two atheilts recommend and give to their adepts the writings of looked upon the remainder of the note as per feclly ufelefs, and o- viitted it ; for nvho could have dreamt that any perfon could have cavilled atfo clear a fntence ? I only tranferihe the note in this pi ace, that every reader may judge of Dr. Griffiths' s candour.—* Tranflator. Viii OBSERVATIONS, & man ivork called the Veil torn from Mafonry, page 318, &c. OBSERVATIONS, &£. $£ formation be better able to judge of the partthat he is a&ing, and of the fervices that he is rendering Illuminifm. This difpatch is dated June 9, 1791, that is, juft about the time when the coalition of the crowned heads feemed to me» nace Jacobinifm with immediate deftruclion. The adepts are much occupied with inventing a plan for remodelling Illumin- ifm, that it might acquire new vigor. Jn this plan a cloak is fought, which, hiding the grand machine, leaves its inflruments at liberty to ad without being feen, and 10 attain the object of the Sect without being fufpected of meddling with Illuminifm. The cloak that was thus to favor the views of the brethren, •was an Academy of Sciences formed of two clafles of men, the one of men remarkable for their zeal in the caufe of religion, the other of profound Illuminées. Honorary members were to be elected as protectors; and if '(fays the author of the plan) Dalbert ■once gets to his government (that is, if the Suffragan becomes Elector of Mentz) be of ail ether princes would be the moji proper for our objecl. We may perhaps unfold the txthpls of our pian to him, and make Mentz the central point of our academy. — To do away every idea of the hidden myjleries of this academy y it ivou/d be right that each member Jheuld ivear on his breajl a medal bearing the infer iption lit: Li Gi ON 1 etScientiis (to religion and fciences}. — The better to conceal our fecret ob- jecl, *we mufi be careful to engage ail the learned jcfuits,fucb as Sattler, Sailer, Mutschelle, and other learned re- ligious, that are perfeûly orthodox, fuel) as Gerbert, and Schwartzueber. — It would even be right if it could be bro't about, that the eftablift>me?it of this academy Jhould be announced to the public by a Jefuit, and not by one of us. Pray, Dr. Griffiths, has this plan come to your knowledge? Now liften to what the adept author of the plan fays : " But if *' people cry out againft hidden jfefuitifm and again ft the pro- 81 grefs oj ' Catholicifn, it will be ib much the better. That " would the better do away all fufpicion oi a fecret aflbciation ; *' one might (and this is worthy of Dr. Griffiths s obfervation) ** one's felf help to fpread this falfe alarm." 1 here add the text, for the benefit of a tranllation from Dr. Griffiths, which if he gives, I hope he will alfo add the text, that the public may pronounce on the treacherous ingenuity: " Wurde iiber *' heimlichen Jefuitifm, oder iiber grofei.e au&reitunjg des *' Katholicifm gefchrien, delto btffiïr; dadurch wiirde aller ** verdacht einer geheimen verbindung nur um fo mehr be- *' feitiget. Man konte fogar diefen blinden lïrmTelbftichlagen *' belfen." When, tvir, you ffiail have dnly meditated on this plan of the adepts, 1 mould like to know what you could have done more to favor their views than you did in giving an ac- count of Mr. Robilbn's work, of my work, and of the mifera- ble produi'licn calling ni'eif A firjl Letter of a Free msfon to the Abbe Barrutl. You will, doubtlefs, remark, that the date of this plan is June, T792; fo you cannot refer your readers to the ///?w»wwBoéticer to make them believe, that fmcethe year 1790 there fus been no farther queition of Illuminifm itt Germany. B X OBSERVATIONS, SiCt t flatter myfelf that you now coincide in opinion with méi fend that you think it might have been better — ift, To have ei- ther fpoken of the above works with more candor and polite- nefs, or not to have mentioned them at all. — zdly, To have ac- cepted the invitation that I lent you. that I might lay the ori- ginal texts before you. — .idly, To hare publifhed the letter that I requefted you would infert in your Review. — And 4thly» Not to have pretended that 1 had threatened to denounce you as an Illuminée. For reaily, Sir, 1 never felt the {lighted in- ducement to pronounce whether the Illuminées had ever ini- tiated yourfelf or your co-operators in their laft myfteries.— ■ You begin with granting that the conspiracy of the Sophifters againft the altar really exifls ; and when you come to the Illuminées you tell us, " that however extravagant may bet hi " opinions offome leading men amongrhe ÎUuminees,the ave? *' rage ivif/of the party, the collecled pnrfuit of the confederated il Lodges* appears rather to have had socinianism and re- " publicanism than Aikcifm and Anarchy fir its objetts''—* (June, 1798, p. 240.) — This is avowing at leaitthat there ex- ills in thele Lodges a confpiracy againft the God of the Gos- pel, and againfl the thrones of all fovereigns. This is alfo abandoning the chiefs or foundets of the confederacy of the Illuminées. When you go lb far youilL-lf, Sir, as to grant all this, am I not entitled to afk what could induce you to accufe me of io much treacherous ingenuity, when you confefs your* felf that I might be in the right ; for you mult have l'een that £ diftinguifhed the degrees; I have fhewn by the very code ol the illuminées how in their fir ft fchools they only infufed hatred for kings, and that fpecies of Socinianilm which borders fo clofely on rank Deifm. This, I think, was fufficientjy proving a confpiracy whofe tendency well deferved the attention of the public. When I accufe the Sedt of aiming at the wildeft an- archy, I iliow that this myllery was reierved to the profound adepts and chiefs, though their iecret at prêtent frequently es- capes them before a public audience. Generally, Sir, they make the fame avowals as you do. They are pleafed to hear it faid that Voltaire, and thofe men whom they denominates?*?^ />/•;'- lofophers, confpired againft Chriflianity 5 and that other i'elf- created philofophers of the Lodges confpired againft kings.— This might contribute to make nations believe that it is notfo very criminal a thing to engage in fuch confpiracies. But it is a more difficult thing to invent a plaufible pretext for con- fpiring againft all property and civil fociety ; and for that rea- fon more care is taken to conceal the ultimate views of their plots. Meanwhile, however, they cry down every author that dares to unmafk thefe hideous confpirators. Was it under an illufion, or wittingly, that you followed lb neatly the fame method in reviewing the works of Mr. Robifon and myfelf? Do not expect a decidon from me. My objed is, that the pub- lic fhould not bemiflead to believe that 1 have exaggerated the myfteries of the Illuminées. I leave to that fame public to judge Whether any of the Reviewers are dupes or accomplices. OBSERVATIONS, &C, '\[ N. B. In fupport of the account given by the Monthly Re- view, I am threatened with an anfwer from Spartacus WEISHAUP r. My rejoinder is ready for this perfonage alfo. Let him meet me at the archives of Munich, where his letters are preferved. But as that might expofe him to the peril of the gallows, I confent that he mould acî by attorney. Let him prove then that thefe letters are fpurious ; and that the Court and Magiftrates of Bavaria impofed upon the world, when they puWilhed thole letters, and invited perfons of every country to come and verify the originals ; for all other apology on his fide muil be ufelefs, and any anfwer on minefuperfluous. A com- plete anfwer to all his publications, as well as to his firft apolo- gy, is already publimed in the code and hiftory of his Illumin- ifm , and all that I can poffibly fay with reference to his vyri? fings may be reduced to three words, read and verify* PRELIMINARY DISCOURSE. Object and Plan of this Volume. (CONCEIVED but a fhort time before the French _^ Revolution, by a man whofe ambition feemed con- fined within the narrow compafs of the town oflngol- ftadt and to the dully folios of his fchools, by whatftrange means did Illuminifm in lefs than fifteen years, become that formidable Sect which, under the name of "Jacobin* rides triumphant over ruined altars, fhivcred fceptres, and Scattered crowns; over the wrecks of nations and their conftitutions ; over the bodies of potentates fallen beneath their poifons or their poignards, while they drag others in their train, craving a (ervitude termed peace, or branding themfelves with the infamy of what they call an alliance? Under this name of Jacobin abforbing all the myfte- ries, plots, and combinations of every feclary againlt eve- ry religion, government, and fociety, by what artifice; could Illuminifm acquire that dominion of terror which forbids any foVereign within the aftonifhed univerfe to fay, To-morrow I ihall continue leated on my throne ; which forbids nations and citizens to fay, that their laws and religion, their houfes and property, will not be torn from them; which forbids the peaceful inhabitant to lie down to reft with any aflurance that he will not rife in the morning beneath the fhade of that fy mbol of blood called the Tree of Liberty, and threatened by the axe of the de- vouring guillotine ? How is it poffible, that the fecret adepts of the modern Spartacus mould be the invifible and exclufive movers of that long chain of crimes and calam- ities, that difaftrous torrent of ferocity and rapine, which is called the revolution ? How do they continue to direct thofe machinations which are to confummate the diiTolu- tion and mifery of human fociety ? In dedicating this Fourth Volume to the inveftigation Object of of thefe queft ions, I do not flatter myfelf with the hopes ^is vo- of iiluftrating them with all that precifion, and of point- lutne * ing out thofe particularities, which other men might have done who have had it in their power to follow the Seel of Illuminées into their dark abodes, without ever lofing iight of the adepts or their teachers, The monfter has 14 PRELIMINARY DISCOURSE. taken its courfe through wilderneiTes, and darknefs has more than once obfcured its progrefs. "Weimaupt had adopted the bird of night for his emblem, becaufe he courted darknefs; but the fcreechings of this ominous bird, rending the air in fpite of him, difcover his fecret re- treat. The venemous reptile is often uncovered- by the ftench of its poifon; the beaten and blood-ftained track leads to the difcovery of the cavern inhabited by brigands; and, riotwithftanding all the efforts of the wicked, an all- powerful God will fometimes in his mercy permit a ray of light to mine on their tenebrous recelTes, which may fufficeto develope their plots. Many horrid particulars, no doubt, have been loft under the veil of darknefs ; but in claflirig thofcr which have come to my knowledge, I find abundance of proofs to trace the Seel; wherever crime has pointed out its fatal influence. In vain does the black- cloud hover round thefummit of the volcano, the bitumin- ous and fulphurous vapors which it exhales, bear teitimo- nyof the interior combullions, till at length the eruption denotes the abyfs where fo great a convulfion was gene- rated. Hence, without flattering myfelf with the hopes of lei- zing every link of that horrid chain of iniquity which mufc blacken the page of hiflory when treating of the Seel, or of decyphering the alTumed names of all its adepts, I (hall proceed to lay before my readers what has already come to light. AtTerting nothing but will bear the flriifteir. fcrutiny,I {hall {till find matter Sufficient to trace the pro- grefs of the Sect from its origin to that congrefs to which, at the prefent moment, it calls the vanquifhed fovereigns, not fo much to quell the horrors of the field of battle, as to enjoy that dominion of terror which it defpotically {ways without, and to prepare within new refources to extend its triumphs; not fo much to reltore to nations the tottering remnants of their laws and religion, as to invent means of obliterating the very traces of either that may yet remain. I {hall here attempt to lead the hiftoriati through thefe mazy windings left he fnould lofe himfelf when in purfuit of the Se£t. The reader has already leerj (in our remarks on the Code) its oaths and threats againi^ every religion, all fociety, and property. Now, when reading of what the Sec"t has done, of the plots and ma- chinations it has fuccefsfully undertaken and executed, may nations and their rulers acquire new ardor, and be TRELIMINARY DISCOURSE. t$ Simulated to oppofe the^r. future projets with all the courage ana ail thé means' they ate matters of. It is to tri- umph over Jacobinilm, colt what it may, that nations are to ftudy the records of this Seel, and not to link meanly into defpair. I know I am but mortal, and that ere long I Iliall defcend into the grave; and I calmly wait mydis- folution i but fhouid that confederation prevent iny weep- ing over the general diilblution which threatens fociety, after I have awakened my readers to the dangers which threaten them, only to fee them finking once more into that apathy which portends ruin, under pretence that it is too !af'., that it is ufelefs to refill the fate which the Se£t has decreed for all nations ? God forbid that I mould hold fuch langu ^ge! Cannot the good be fired with that zeal which confumes the breaft of the mifcreant heaving for wickednefs. Let the rulers of nations will it, let nations wity to fave their religion, their laws, their property, as this infernal Sect wills the deftruclion of them all, and jfuccefs muff, infallibly crown their endeavors» It is only in hopes of contributing to their luccefs, that I once mors confent to fully my pen with the names of IVeifiaupt, of Illuminée^ and of face-bin. and to. wade through their dis- gull: ing annais. The order to be obferved in treating of the hiilory of Plan of the Sect fhali be regulated according to its moll remarks- f !ns v0 '* ble epochs. lume * The firfffhal! fhew Weifhaupt laying the foundations of his Illuminifm, preparing and initiating his firit adepts, founding his firft Lodges, trying his firft apoftles, and pre- > paring every thing for great conqueffs. The fécond fhail treat of that fatal intrunon which em- bodied thoufands and thoufands of adepts under Wei- fhaupt's banners; and this epoch will be called the Illu- nunvzation of Free-mafonry. Very few years fuifice to extend thefe tenebrous and myfterious conqueiis^ but the thunderbolts of heaven warn mankind of their danger. The 5e<5tand its confpi- racies are difcovered in Bavaria, and it fpeaks of this dis- covery under the appellation of its perfections i nations and their rulers have been led to believe that it was the death-blow and extinction of the Seal. Shrinking back, however, into its dark recelTes, with unabating ardor, it crawls from den to den until it attains thofe of Philip of Qrleans, who, joining the Sect with all î6 PRELIMINARY DISCOURSE. the adepts of his occult Lodgesygives it fovcreigti (way over the whole of French Malonry. From this monftrous aflbciation fprungthe Jacobins» with all the crimes and horrors of the Revolution. This conftitutes the fourth epoch of Illuminifm; for as the lion, feeling his ftrength fufficient, fallies from his den, roars loudly, and victims muft be facrificed to him ; fo the Jacobins, or Illumini- zed Mafom, quit their lurking places, and with horrid yell announce to nations and their rulers that they may tremble, for the day of revolution is come. This is the epoch at which the Seel: begins the execution of its plots. He only knows how low the earth is condemned to bend beneath their yoke, who in his vengeance permits the plague and other fcourges to devaftate empires until he has been avenged of an impious generation. I neither pretend to be a prophet nor defcendant of a prophet; but in treating of the numerous crimes already committed by the Seel:, it will be but too eafy to point out thole that it has frill to commit, and that it will commit, if princes and their people difregard the leffons of that fame God, teach- ing them the conducl they fhould hold, in order to avert the impending fcourge. CONTENTS. Page. Pr EL IMINA RT DIS COURSE 13 Chap. I. Firft Epoch of Illuminifm l 7 Chap. JI. Of the principal Adepts during the fis ft Epoch of Illuminifm - -34 Chap. III. Second Epoch of Illuminifm. — The II- luminizationofFreemafonry. — Wei- fhaupt's attempts on the Mafonic Lodges. Aequifition of Knigge, and his firft Services - "63 Chap. IV. Gongrefl ; of the Freemafonsat Willems- baden. — Of their divers Se&s, and particularly of that oftheTheofophi- cal Illuminées - 78 Chap. V. Knigge's Intrigues and SucccrTes at the Congrefs. — Ofricial Reports of the Superiors of the Order. — Multitude of Mafons Iiluminized at this Period 101 ChAp. VI. New means practifed, and new con- quers made by Knigge and Wei- lhaupt on Mafo'.'.ry — Difputes be- tween thefe two Chiefs of Illumin- ifm — Their defigns on the German Muions confummated before Knigge's retreat - - - 122 Chap. VII. Third Epoch of Illuminifm. — Difcove- ry of the Seel - - 141 Chap. VIII. Continuation of the Difcoveries made in Bavaria as to the Illuminées. — Proceedings of the Court with res- pect to the Chiefs of the Seel:. — A few Remarks on, and a Lilt of the principal Adepts - - 163 Chap. IX. New Chiefs and New Means of the Il- luminées. — Device of the JefuitsMa- fonry and Succefs of that Impofture 17S Chap. X. The Germanic Union — Its principal CONTENTS. Page. Attors, and the Conquefb it prepa- red for the Illuminées - - 190 Chap. XI. Fourth Epoch of Illuminifm. — The Deputation from Weifhaupt's Illu- minées to the Freemafons of Paris.— . State of French Mafonry at that pe- riod. — Labors and SuccelTes of the Deputies — Coalition of the Confpi- ring Sophillers, Mafons, and Illumi- nées, generating the Jacobins - 209 Chap. XII. Application of the three Confpiracies to the French Revolution - %^i Chap. XIII. Univerfality of the Succefs of the Seel: explained by the univerfality of its Plots - 282 Conclusion - « - - 335 THE ANTISOCIAL CONSPIRACY; HISTORICAL PART. CHAP. I. Fir/} Epoch of Illuminifm. FOR many years paft, and particularly fince Free- mafonry had acquired fuch repute throughout Eu- rope, a multitude of petty fecret focieties had been form- ed in the Proteftant univerfities of Germany, each hav- ing its lodge, its mailer, its myfteries, all modelled on thole founded by mafons coming from England and Scot- land. Hence fprung thofe various Orders of Hope ■, of Harmony^ the ConjUvitiJis, the Black Brethren^ and the like. The difputes and quarrels, nay, the diforderly be- havior of thefe young brethren attracted, more than once, the attention or the mag ill rates; fame few attempts were made to crufh thefe meetings, but being made without e- nergv they were of courfe uielefs. Governments had not fufficiently confidered, that the mo ft dangerous abufe of thefe focieties was not fo much the quarrels and the boy- ifh battles which enfued, as the tafte which they inculcat- ed for focieties impervious to the eye of the magiftrate, and under the cover of which their iecrets were fo eafilv transformed into the myfteries of impiety and the plots of rebellion.* C * The fophifticated mafons of France were not ftrangers to thefe boyilh Lodges. A few years before the deftrudtion of the Jefuits, one of thefe lodges was fet on foot in their college of Tulle, ftiling its members the Chevaliers de la Pure Vérité» (Knights of the Pure Truth.) The Jefuits foon perceived, whither this doctrine of" pure truth and its fecret meetings would lead. Before any other method for putting a ftop to this new eftablilhment was propofed, they refolved to try the pow- er of ridicule which was almofl: infallible in France. Accord- ingly one of the mailers undertook to compofe a mod f areas - tic fong on our young Knights, and copies were fecretly dis» ï8 ANTISOCIAL CONSPIRACY! ît would, however, be difEcult I believe to prove, that any fyftems or opinions militating againft religion or go- vernments had as yet been introduced into thefe puerile aiîbciations. Many were even known to profefs princi- ples conducive to good manners and morality. The re- medy may be found in the very (burce whence fprung the evil, that is to fay, from the conftitutioaof thofe univer- fities, which, on the one fide» 'leaves the choice of the dif- ferent profeftbts in each branch to their fcholar9, and on the other does not fufficiently provide for an honeft teach- er to place him beyond the powers of want or the temp- tations of avarice and vanity. Hence it followed, that mailers, little delicate as to the means of obtaining a no- minati«n,and nearly deftitute of talents, had onlytofhow great zeal for one of thefe little focieties, or invent fome new myftery more enticing than the reft, and his Lodges immediately filled j the fcholars formed parties for him; in a fhort time h;s fchools were as much flocked to as his Lodges, and contributions in his favor kept pace with his growing reputation. The fear of pafling- for a feducer of youth was a bar againft his making ute of thefe focieties for inftiUiag bad principles into his young fol- lowers, however much he might have wifhed itj and on the other fide, the authority which he had acquired in the fchools gave him a fufSicent power in the Lodges to thwart any perverfe intentions in the young adepts j and thefe oppofite reaibr.s proved in general a fufEcient guard againft the introduction of great abufes.* The time was not yet come, however» when proofs were to be acquired of the ufe to which the great con- fpirators were to turn thefe myfterious nurièries. When public report fpread the news in Germany of a new order of Illuminées having been founded in the uni- verfity of Ingolftadt by Weifhaupt, many people (impos- ed it to be one of thofe little college Lodges» which could no longer intereft the adepts, when omcc they had fuiim- ed their ftudies. Many even thought that Weifhaupt, tributed to all the young men who <à\à not belong to the lodge. Scarcely could one of the Juvenile Knights make his appear» ance without hearing fome ridiculous line of this fong bum- med in his ears; and in a Ihort time fquares, compaffès, Lodge and all difappeared, * See the Memoirs of a Proteitant Minifter on the Illumi- nées. HISTORICAt PART. X? who was at that time a fworn enemy to the Jefuits, had only founded this Lodge with a view to form- a party for himfelf againft thofe fathers who, after the destruction of their order, had been continued in their offices of public teachers at theuniveifity of Ingolftadt.* The Illuminées fuccefsfully availed themfelves of this opinion on an oc- cafion which we (hall hereafter fee to have been decifive as to their future exiftence in Germany. Had not the na- ture of their code and of their myfteries demonstrated views of far other importance both for nations and their governments, to have been the grand object of the foun- der, the Archives of the Sect would ihow beyond all doubt that from its firft institution Weifhaupt had coh- ceived the hopes, and determined on means for extend- ing the plots of the Sect to the utmoft boundaries of Em- pires. It was on the ift of May, 1776, that Weifhaupt laid the firft foundations of his Illuminifm. The lift of adepts feised among their Archives fhows his name inferibed on that day at the head of the Regifter; on the fame day ^'tf.v-Maiienhaufen and 'Tiber ius-Mexz were declared Areopagites.f It is true that he /'elected thefe two firft adepts from ameng his pupils who were ftudying the law under him at the univerfity of Ingolftadt; thefe were ge- nerally young men from eighteen to twenty, a moft dan- gerous age, when the paflions eafily lay open the un- guarded mind to the feduction of Sophiftry. Weifhaupt could not overlook fo fair an opportunity of forming a- poftles, who, returning home when they had fihifhed their ftudies, might, under his direction, continue the fame ca- reer of feduclion which he himfelf carried on at Ingol- ftadt. Atrocioufly impious, we fee him in the firft year of his Illuminifm aping the God oî Chriftianity, and or- dering ^"flx-Mallenhaufen in the following terms to pro- pagate the doctrines of his new gofpel: " Did no: ChrifL *' fend his Apoftles to preach his Gofpel to the univerfe? " You that are my Peter, why fhould you remain idle ac K home, go then and preach. "| * See the Memoirs of a Proteftant Minister on the Illumi- nées. f Original Writings, Seel. IV. X Hat doch Chriftus audi feine apoitel in die welt gefchickt, und warum foil te ich meinen Pen as zu haafe laflenl Ifretpre- Jkate, — Original Writipgs> Letters te Jjax, 19th Sept. 177*. ÎO ANTISOCIAL CONSPIRACY; The modem Cephas had not waited for the orders of his mafter to give him proofs of his zeal. .In the enthu- fiafm of his fir ft fervor, and during the very month of his inftallation, he had acted the part of Infinuator to Xave- rius Zwack.* "We fhall foon fee him outwitted by his pupil ; but fo great a conqueft covered a multitude of fins of which he was afterwards guilty. By the name of Cato we fee Zwack pafs under the direction of Weifhaupt him- felf, and he foon became his favorite difciple. He may be faid to have robbed his Infinuator of the honor of hav- ing founded the Lodges at Munich 5 and it was through the means of this new apoftle that the Sect made that ra- pid progrefs which Weifhaupt boafts of in his letter to Tiberius-WLerz., 13th May, 1778: <; It is with great pleafure that I can inform you of the tc happy progrefs my Order is making: knowing how " anxious you are for its welfare, and that you have pro- *' mifed to contribute to its fuccefs by all the means in , 14th of November, 1778. Wennfiefo fortfabren, tuitjèit àniger zeitfogebort in k&rzcF bat unjer vater land uns. T ibid. Let. 39, X Ibid. Let. 36. HISTORICAL PART. 2q as they were real. He gives us a fmall fketch of his acti- vity when he writes to Cato, propofmg himiclf as a model : " Do as I do, avoid large companies. But do not think lc of remaining idle if you wifh to acquire any influence " in this world. Wait a while; the hour is coming, and u it will come foon, when you will have a great deal to do. •* Remember Sejanus, who lb well aflumed the charter " of an idle man, and who tranfacted fo much bufmefs " without appearing to tranfact any; erat autcm Sejanus 11 otiofo fimillïmuî-tnlhil agendo mulia ogens ;"* neverhad a confpirator better laid down the precept or given the ex- ample than Weifhaupt. Apparently tranquil at Ingolflradt, Weifhaupt had a far better cloak for his confpiracies than Sejanus's idle— nefs. A fecming affiduity in his duty, a great fhow of zeal and erudition in his expounding of the laws, eafily mifled people to believe that his whole time and talents were engrailed with the itudy of them; and, if we are to credit his own account, Ingolltadt had never witnefled a profeflor fo well calculated to add new luftre to its uni- verfity. The public functions of profeflor of the laws, and the fecret arts of feducer in private, had not made him forget that he was alfo the founder of Illuminifrn, and that in this latter quality he had to form a code of laws, which were at once to annihilate every other law, all religion, and all property, At the time when he initiated his fuir; adepts, he was far from having perfected that code of ini- quity; and perhaps in the ltrict ienfe of the word Wei- fhaupt had deviated from the common rules of prudence, in giving way to fuch ardor for the propagation of the Or- der, fending his apoitles and initiating his difciples before he had completed the code of laws which was to regulate their conduct. But fuch an impetuoiity cannot be conli- dered in this prototype of rébellion as a want of forefight, or as an excefs 01 confidence. He knew that years and experience were neceiTary to perfect: that gradual fyitem of initiations and of trials which his Novices were to un- dergo ; and artfully to prepare thole impious and fophifri- cated difcouries to be pronounced by his Hierophants; in a word, to complete that concatenation of artifice which was to regulate the conduct of his Regents, Directors, and Areopagitps, He could not endure the idea of Sacrificing * Let. i, to Cato. 36 ANTISOCIAL CONSPIRACY; fd many years to mere theoretic projets. He would, in his firit efTays, make conquefb that were to enfure him ftill greater ones on a future day, which he had already calculated. He knew his own talents too well to enter- tain the leaft doubt-of fuccefs ; he forefaw how far he could perfect thofe fyftems which he had as yet only conceived, and he wifhed to have ready at hand a numerous clan of diiciples difpofed to receive his new gofpel, and apoftles who mould need only to be initiated in his laft myfteries, when his code, completed, was to be fent to the tenebrous recefles of his different colonies. Such were his views, and fuch the confidence he had in the tranfcendency of his own genius for wickednefs, when he wrote at different times to his firft adepts, " Do not " trouble yourfelf about future degrees. The day will *' come when you mall view with aitonifhment what I *' have done on that fcore. In the mean time, be it your " care to enlijl men for ?ne, prepare knights for me, iujtrucl u then:-, difpofe them, arnufe them, and leave the reji to ms. " The whole of your bufinefs conflits in adding to the *' numbers. Allow yourfelves to be directed, and obey " for a year or two longer, and give me time to lay my " foundations, for that is the efj'ential point; and nobody u under Jlands that part better than 1 do. If thefe foun- " dations are once laid, you may then do what you pleafej u and though you were to try, I would defy you to over- " tbroiv ?ny edifice."* This defperate method of proceeding mult have given rife to many difficulties ; but Weiîhaupt overcame them all. By provisional regulations and private instructions he Supplied the deficiency of this incomplete code, and he was equal to the tafk. The greatell obltacles he met with came from thefe very Areopagites from whom he had ex- pected the greateft Support. Villains will difagree even in their viilainy; and, impatient of the laws of the State, they become impatient of the laws of their own leaders'. Weifhaupt wifhed to take advantage of their views, but had no intention of imparting his to them; he knew his own fuperiority in the black arts too well, he wiflied for agents and not counfdlors and co-icgiilators. Jealoufies and interline broils rofe to fuch a height, that any other * Extras from Let. 8, to Ajax, from Letters to Cato, and to the Artopagues particularly from Let. 59, Vol. 1. HISTORICAL PART. 31 but Weifhaupt would have thought that his infant aflb- ciation muft have been crufhed in its very cradle ; but he found means of weathering the ftorm; now negociating, then defpotically commanding; fuppliant like, he enters into agreements, and ends by dictating conditions; pray- ers, excufes, all are means with him to command fubmis- fion; he even fhowed himfelf difpofed to facrince all the fruits of his paft labors; he threatened to abandon bis re- bellious brethren to themfelves, and to undertake the di- rection of a new fociety more powerful and ftronger full, in as much as he would render it more fubmilîive.* In the midfl of all thefe broils, he alone «ontinued and per- fected that code which would have required the talents of twenty Alachiavels. Storms indeed appeared only to fti- mulate his ardor and activity; and he fays himfelf, when writing to his dear Cato, " I am once more at open war " with all our people ; that does no harm, it enlivens the *' machine % but if I underftand the part I have to a£t, I " can neither praife nor wink at faults committed. Mean " while our affairs go on very well; and provided they " follow my directions the general fyftem will have loft *' nothing."^ Night and day, in the midit of thefe broils, as h& fays, meditating, writings and co?nbining, all that could perfect, ltrengthen, or propagate his Illuminifm ei- ther in the whole or part, he neverthelcfs held his profefs- orfnip with appiaufe, he ovei looked his fecret fchool, he formed new adepts, and from his fanctuary washed and overlooked his miffionaries in their provinces and new co- lonies. By means of the £hdbus Licet' s he would defcend into the minuteit particulars of their conduct, direct them in their undertakings, point out to them what might be done, and reprimand them for what they had not done to promote his views. Voltaire's correfpondence under this head is immenfe ; but it is not to be compared to Wei- fhaupt's; not a letter of all thofe feized by the arm of the law but bears the itamp of the comfummate confpirator; not a letter that does not allude to the myfteries or to fome new artifice; that does not point out the candidates to be enticed, the adepts to be advanced, animated, reprciTed, or reprimanded; in fhort, the enemies who are to be guard- ed againit and the protectors to be courted. His apoitlçs * Vol. r, Let. a.?, 37, Sec. Sec. t Vol, 2, Lut. 19. ANTISOCIAL CONSPIRACY; are on the fpot in their different millions, while he, from his head-quarters, appears to be better acquainted with thofe who ilirrounded thetn than they are themfelves. He goes fo far as to inform them of the rank, political or ci- vil ftation, and even of the private characters of thofe whom they are to recruit j he gives them the means, men- tions the peifons who are to fécond them, and what com- panies they ought to frequent, in order to fucceed in their undertakings ; in fine, he animates, threatens, and repri- mands his adepts, juft as if they wereftill boarding with him, though perhaps at many hundred miles diftance.— Scarcely have they made any new conqueft when he di- rects them in the fame manner, and at once governs the main fpring and every fubfervient power throughout the whole Order. His correfpondence will fhow him on the fame day writing of the laws necefTary for the further erhblifhment of his Order, of treaties to be made,of plans of commerce, and of the moft impious commerce, to en- rich his Iliuminifm. At length, with all the hypocrify of a man who aflumes the character of an idler, or at leaft of one only fulfilling that which his public duty exa&s from him, he aims at the fupremacy over every confpiring Sect. He gets himfelf received a Free-mafon, he dives into the fecrets of the occult lodges of the Roficrucians, and blends their confpiring arts with his own.* He next forms an alliance, and from the bottom of Bavaria correfponds with thofe federations which the free-mafons of Poland were preparing; and left any of thefe revolutionary arts mould be loft, he makes large collections, which might be called the grand arfenal for the feduction of nations; and thefe are to become the foundations of fecret libraries for the ufe of the adepts. He never lofes fight of thofe profits which accrue from the fecret prefles, which were perpe- tually difgorging poifon into the minds of the people.— For the further replenifhment of his coffers, he fets all the talents of his adepts to work ; fome are to contribute pamphlets, profe or verfe, or journals, while others are to col i eel all the impious doctrines and calumnies of anti-^ quity, or to compofe libels on fubjecls which he gives them; and, for his own part, he undertakes to burleique the Prophets and the Lamentations, and to convert the hiftory of the church into a romance replete with calum- * Let. 6, to JjaXf and Let. $i» to Cat«. HISTORICAL PART. ny.* The facred writings mention a Devil that was na- med Légion^ from the innumerable evils he brought upon mankind; were we to confider the fatal activity of Wei- ihaupt in every impious and rebellious art, we mould be tempted to believe that he had been polTefled by this evil fpirit, and that it was to that devil he owed all his fuccefs. As yet the very exiftence of the Order had not been fufpe&ed at Ingolftadt, though there were already in Ba- varia alone, five Lodges at Munich ; other Lodges and Colonies at Freynnguen, at Lanfberg, at Burghaufen, and at Straubing. Weifhaupt was on the eve of founding others at Ratifbon and Vienna; many had been eftabliih- ed in Suabia, Franconia, and Tyrol. His apoftles were working at the fame time in Holland and at Milan. His Illuminifm had not been founded three years, when he writes to Cato that he has more than a thoufand adepts, -p He was much indebted to his own zeal and activity for fuch a rapid progrefs. I cannot flatter the hiftorian with the hopes of an accurate account of the whole Legion; but I can falisfy his curiofity, I think, with refpeft to thofe who the moft actively feconded Weifhaupt, and who af- ter their founder appear the moft confpicuous on the re- cords of the Seel. * Vol. i, Let. 6,to djax, to Cato, 36, &c. To Philip-Stroz» Stf, Let. %, fr paflim» Vol. a, Let. %i, et paffim. f Orig. Writ. Vol. 1, fee Let. * 5, to Cato, 13th Abenraeh^ x .148, that ia to fay, 13th Nov. 1778. 24 ANTISOCIAL CONSPIRACY! CHAP, II. Of the 'principal Adepts during the firfl Epoch of IUu- minifm. * Ci./y-Hà' f~\F tms kg 1 ' 011 °f ConfpiratOrs, which, as early as the verius V_y third year of Illuminifm, Weifhaupt computes at Zwack. more than a tbcufand,* Xaverius Zwack is certain- ly the moft confpicuous among the adepts. He is ftiled the incomparable ; and the greater part of the letters print- ed in the Original JVritlngs are written to him, particu- larly thofe which comprehend the cleareft account of the myfteries; in fliorr, his favor was fuch, that the founder cf the Sect apoiîropdiifes him faying, " Now you are in a " poll where nobody can be above you butyourfelf; you ft are exalted above all the Brethren; an irnmenfe field " opens itfelf for you to exert your power and your influ- " ence, fhould we fucceed m propagating our fyftetns."f Such a diftin&ion and fuch favor naturally fuppofe great merit. Happily, ah incontrovertible monument exifts which will direct the Hiftorian in his judgment, and ren- der unneceflary any further refearch. It is to be found at the end of the firft Volume of the Original Writing?, under the title of Tablets relating to Danaus, written by Ajax y ^iji December, IJj6. Danaus is the flirt characteriftie name that was given to Zwack when only a candidate. The fadfc is evident, as in the firft column of the Tablets we find the brother Danaus defcribed by his own name: Ajax, that is, Maflenhaufen, acls the part of Scrutator. ■ — Should this ftate nient not be very flattering, we may at leaft conclude that the failings and vices of the adept are not exaggerated, fince the Scrutator declares, that it is by the extreme intimacy and friendfhip in which he liv- ed with the Candidate that he has been enabled to make this conqueft, and terminates the tablet by ftating the Candidate to be one of thofe Sages who has all the ne- celfary qualifications to be admitted into the Order.— * Original Writings, Let. 25, to Cat$ x <[• Ibid. Vol. 1, Let. 37. HISTORICAL PART» $$ Thefe tablets are alfo a lafting monument of the rapid progrefs Weifhaupt had made, even in thofe early days of Jlluminiun, in the fcrutinizing arts; nor will they prove an unfaithful ftandard by which the Hiftorian may judge of the merits of thofe confpirators, whom the founder fe- le£ts as worthy of his moft intimate correfpondence. Let us begin by fuppreffing that difguft which naturally drives the honeft heart from dwelling on fuch defpicable en- gines of rebellion, remarkable only for their vices, and proceed from thefe tablets to depict the features which are in future to ftand as the model for all thpfe who are to recruit Candidates for the Seel. Let nations and the people at large learn what a miferable banditti of thieves and libertines pretend to regenerate them, and how bafe- ly they are duped by them who ftirred up the Revolu- tion. , The Tablets, whence Weifhaupt is to learn the me- ~ ç ., , rits and demerits of the future Cato of his Order, are di- j n t!ie t£ ^. vided into feventeen columns, each relating to a different Jets of his head. The name, the age, the civil dignity, the defcrip- Infinuator. tion of his perfon, the civil and moral character of the candidate, are all treated of feparately. Then follow the ftudies he is addidted to, the fervices the Order may ex- pect from him, the progrefs he has made, the decrees con- ferred on him, the fecret manuscripts or books left to him, the contributions he has paid; his friends, his protectors, his enemies, and the perlons with whom he correippnds, are each feparately treated ol". Under thefe columns is to be found a frcond table alfo fubdivided, and containing obfervations on the family, and particularly of the father and mother of the candidat \ made by the fame Scrutator. Combining thefe two ta- , bles we find, « That Francis Xaverius Zwack was fori Coluran - * c of Philip Zwack, commiflary of the Chamber des Cornp~ u tes, and was born at Ratifbon: That at the time of his " initiation (29th May, 1776) he was twenty years of " age, and had rinifhed his college education." " The description of his pel Jon. He was then about H. I£ five feet high. His perfon emaciated by debauchery; his Column. " conftitutioa bordering on melancholy;* his eyes of a " dirty grey, weak and languijhincr\ — his complexion pale * Der ganze bau feines durch débauche mager gewordene» korper inclioiert nun zum melancoliichen temperament. 36 ANTISOCIAL CONSPIRACY; " and fallow;— Wis health weak, and much hurt by fre- " queiat diforders; — his nofe long, crooked, and hooked, " — Hair light brown; — gait precipitate; — bis eyes al- rcferved,ejr/r^;//« , /)'y^cr^/) — often fpeaking u advantageoufly of himfelf, — envious of other people's u perfections — voluptuous, endeavoring to improve him- " felf — little calculated for numerous aflèmblies — choleric tl and violent, but eafily appeafed — willingly giving his " private opinions, when one has the precaution to praife " him, though contradiSling him — a lover of novelties—- ** on religion and confcience widely differing from the re- " ceived ideas; and thinking precifely as he ought, to be- " come a good member of the Order* K His favorite Jludies, and the fervices he can render 1 " to the Order. Moft particularly addicted to philofophy " — having fome knowledge ofthe laws— fpeaking French « and Italian very correctly — at prefent attempting to get " himfelf placed in the foreign department — a perfeft " majler in the arts of diffmulaîion; a proper pcrfon ta " be received into the Order, as applying himfelf particu- u larly to the fludy ofthe human heart." Friends, correfpondence, company. — Here the Infinua- _ , tor names five or fix perlons, friends to the candidate. — - Among them we find a certain Sauer and a Berger, both of whom loon after appear on the registers of the Seel. vr. vn. Thefe three columns contain the name of Ajax as In- VHI. fmuator — The day when the candidate was infinuated — - Columns. an( j u Jien received. TV " Ofthe means of gaining and leading the Candidate, Column. " an ^ whether he is acquainted with any other fee ret fo- " dettes. — Here it appears that Zwack was already con- " nected with other iecret focieties, which made the con- a quell rather more difficult.— The intimacy of our friend- " Jhip, (fays the Infinuator) and particularly the care which u i took to allume a myfterious tone and appearance, lev - " elled many difficulties. — At prefent he exprtffes a great " ardor and zeal for the Order. X. " Predominant paj/ions — Pride, love of glory, probity, Column. " eafily provoked— -an extraordinary propenlity for mys- HISTORICAL PART. 37 ** teries — a perpetual cuftom of fpeaking of himfelf and *' of his own perfections." In the eleventh column vie are informed, that the can- XÏ, didate had received a penfum to fill up, or a difcourfe to Column, make, and that it was to be finilhed on the 29th April, 1778. The twelfth mentions the fortune and revenue of the XII. candidate; but the Editor has left the figures in blank. Column. The two next mow, that the day on which Z wack en- XIII. gaged to pay his contribution for J 777 was the 29th of X{ V. May, but for 1778 was the lit of April. That on the Columns. 19th July 1776, he fent a Dutch Ducat, and fome time after two books on Chymiftry. The column in which the Infinuator notes the progrefs XV, of his candidate (hows, that the fecret books which had Column, been given him to read were thole numbered 1, 2, 4, and 9 — the orders which he had received are only numbered, as alfo the leave given to recruit other Brethren. As this column is made ufe of to note the fuccefiive progrefs of the candidate, the Brother Infinuator at length arrives at that period when Zwack has received all the information neceifary to his ad million into the Order. He then de- clares, that it is time to impart more eflêntial fecrets to him and to promote him to higher degrees. ' The fixteenth column enumerates his enemies, and the XVT. reafon of their enmities. In the lafl we find the names of XV if. his friends and proteclors. Columns. I fhould not have infilled fo much on thefe Tablets, had I not thought it neceifary to give one fpecimen at iealf. of thefe inquifitorial inllrumentsj in which Illumi- nifn grounds the choice of its adepts, and the future fuc- cefs of its confpiracies.* * Many readers may he curious to know what is contained in the fécond table, fubjoined to that which defcrihes the can- didate, it is in ten columns, comprehending the names and rank of Zwack's relations, an account of their children, their fortune, their alliances, friends, and enemies; the company they keep, pariiculariv the education they have received, and their moral character, which is called their Jlrong or their ineak fide. The Editor has thought proper to omit fome articles in uns table— The two which appear to be the mod perfect are on the jlrong 'and nveak Ji 'de of Zwack's parents, who, accord- ing to the Indinuator, have received an antiquated education ndt •worth much. The father is défcribed as " jealous of his honoi , 44 honeft, zealous in the dhcharge of his duty — apparently 3$ ANTISOCIAL CONSPIRACY} When we re fled on the leading features of thefe ta- blets, what idea are we to form of Zwack's chara&er? Inordinate debauchery, extreme fatuity, jealoufy, diflimu- lation, and a fullen melancholy. — Such features are more than fufficient to banifh him from all good company. — < He alfo thinks on matters relating to religion and confci-. encc as the adepts do; or, m other words, is a downright Atheift. With an infatiable thirft after novelties, he has all that admiration for fecrecy which the revolutionift can oeifiré. He, moreover, profeffes univerfal philanthropy for all mankind, that he may the better fucceed in his plots againff. every focial law ; and this could fufnce to oblite- rate all other failings in Xavcrius Zwack, and conftitute him the favorite adept. Meanwhile the leflbns of the Infinuator, together with that black melancholy which reigned in his heart, had nearly deprived Illuminifm of the important amftance of this beloved adept. To defpife death was one of the im- portant leifons that we have feen given to the novices; and to die by their own hands rather than difclofe the fe- Crets of their teachers, was particularly inftilled into them. Weiflïâupt had conceived this maxim in two words, Pa- tet Ex'itus (the exit is free) or dejtroy himfelf ivbo willy particularly if he finds himfelf unhappy in this life. It is apart of that convenient maxim after wards decreed by the Jacobins, That death was only an eternal jleep. Full of this principle, and weary of his exiftence, our new candidate had permaded himfelf, that mould he die by his own hand he would die the death of a fage. He compos- ed his work 3 entitled, Thoughts on Suicide. They are tire '■ bar fh to his inferiors, but really loving them to excefs— - " fpeaking to every body with a tone of authority and inape- " dântic ftyle — In his habits and fpeech impoliticly frank — fe- " cret, and lparing even to the want of necerTanes when he can " fe.rve his Prince, zealoufly ferving him without diftinclion of " pcrfons, to the rifk even of Jofing all iiis employments — 4< feeling, humane, myfterious, officious, and proud of his ex- " pesiencfc — carefully attentive to the whole of his affairs." As to the mother, " /he is a good boujekeeper— abforbed in her " dear child Xaveriiu Ztvack, and fo forth." Many other things have been fuppreffed in this latter table. But there ifili remains h.iore than iuiucierit to give all relations of illuminées an idea of the methods ufed by the fcrutinizins Brethren to pry into their moft fecret conduclj and to deicrioe their moit private ioterefts to t^e Order, HISTORICAL PART. 39 fentiments of an Atheift worn out with debauchery, and almoft mad with impiety.* He made his will, and Wirote the following letter to Brother Ajax. " Munich, the 30th Oct. 1777. — Friend, I am on my " departure. It is the beft ftep 1 can take, Fare thee well; " doubt not of my probity, and let it not be doubted of by "others. Confirm the Sages in the judgment they are u going to form on my death, and look on thole who blame " it with pity. Be thou an honeit man; think fometimes " on me, and do not let me be forgotten by the fmall num- " ber of our friends. Beware of pitying me, Z\VACK." In a poftfeript he bequeaths a ring as a kéepfaké to Brother Ajax, and begs him to forward a fécond letter to the whole brotherhood of Illuminifm; it is as follows: « And you alio, Brethren, I falute you for the laft time; « I thank you for your good intentions towards me. I de- » clare to you, that I was worthy of them — I declare it " upon my honor, which is my only worth, andvihicb " alone I held/acred. Let my alhes be honored by your " remembrance; bhjs tbem, while fuperjlition JJo that Baader read public le&ures on medicine at Munich, and therefore had an opportuni- ty of feducing his young pupils, after the example of his mafter, who had i'o efficaciouily and fatally made ufe of his influence to feduce the young (ludents of the law at the Univerfity of ïngolftadt. IV # A fimilar reafon had made him ardently wifh to initi- Scipio- ate Berger who alfo read public lectures at Munich, Berger. though I do not find on what fcience* His characteriitic is Scipioy and he was infcribed on the lift of Areopagites on the 28th July 1778. A Freemafon before he became an Illuminée, he was fome time before he could overcome his predilection for his former lodges, in fo much even that he afked for his difmiflal. Spartacui was furious at fuch a preference. Without mowing his defire of retain- ing the difcontented Brother, and not having him fufH- ciently in his power to make ufeof threats, he commands Zwaclc to declare to the Candidate in the name of the Order, that he was at full liberty to follow his predilec- tion; but the fame letter contains all that is to be hinted underhand to the discontented adept, all that was to be thrown out on the pre-eminence and advantages of Illu- minifm over Mafonry. The Profcffor Berger was {o per- fectly convinced of this pre-eminence, that Weifhaupt, t* give him the preference over all the ether AreopagitiS % onlv required of him a Utile more aclivity.% * Ibid. Vol.1. Let 33, nth Dec. 1778. f Vol. II. Let. 13, from Spart acus to Ce ; fiit. X Vol. I. Let. 46 and 58. HISTORICAL PART, 47 The want of activity was not a fault with which Illu- V. fninifm could ever upbraid its adept Corialanus. He was Cortolanut a merchant of the name of Troponero retired from p Hamburgh to Munich. At the time of his initiation he did not employ his talents in that line which Weifhaupt îudged to be lb ufeful for the propagation of his hireling doctrines. Zwack bethought himfeif of letting up this Troponero for a public lecturer on finance, and made the propofition to Spartacus-> who immediately anfwered, u It is a very good plan both for him and for us, to make u Coriolanus read lectures on finance; only, do you fpare * c no pains to get him fcholars. It is a hue occafton for re- * c cruiting young men\ nor would it be a bad plan if you ** became one of his pupils yourfelf, in order to entice il others."* It does not appear whether Zwack relifhed defcending from the bench of the Areopagites to attend the fchools of the new lecturer; but certain it is that the Archives of Illuminifm bear teftimony of the sreat fervi- ces rendered by this Coriolanus ; and Weifhaupt frequent- ly extols his merits. He was particularly ufeful at all the receptions, alfuming that air of ceremonious gravity fo be- coming in the Grand Matter of a Lodge; and fo well did he impofe on the young adepts, that they had not the leaft fufpicion of the Occult Myfteries of the Roiicrucians, much lefs of thole of Illuminifm. About the fame time we meet with the names of the „ , , two firft Illuminized Noblemen whom Weifhaupt had ^ B' ar J n initiated into his laft mytteries-— the one Hanibal, the Ba- BafTus. ron Bassus ; the other Diomedcs, the Marquis of Con- VIII. stanza. Illuminized Barons and .Vlarquifies, certainly, Diaviedes % are a fort of phenomena not eafily to be conceived. That • ^ r " men who are never called by their names without being Conftanza» reminded of the great ftake they have to lofe, fhould pro- perty and the focial order be overthrown, that fuch men Ihould plunge themfelves into the moft horrid confpiracy ever framed againff. both, can only be believed by thofe who have attended to theamazitig, cunning of Weifhaupt's Code and the artifice with which it is put in execution » In fhort the Archives of Illuminifm, the letters, nav the apologies of thefe titled Illuminées, bear too ftrong proofs of the fact, and mutt quafh all objections. The Baron Battus, in his pretended j unification, owns that he was the * Ibid. Let. j, to Cat», 4$ ANTISOCIAL CONSPIRACY? perfon known under the chara&eriftic of Hanibal\* and the letters of this Hanlbal not only ihovv that he was an Illuminée himfelf, but alfo an apoftle of Illuminization, giving an account to the Brethren, of his fuccefTes atBoU zen in Tyrol, and boaftingof the important conqueftshe had made in that town, having en 1 ited and imbued the Prejident, the Vice-Prefidcnt, the principal Counfellort of the Government, and the Grand Àlajîer of the Pojh; with the moft enthuuaftic admiration for Uluminifm. j— •. A little farther, the letters of this fame Hanlbal bear tes- timony of his having gone into Italy, and of his having initiateJ at Milan his Excellency the Count W . . Impe- rial Mini/ier. Then, meditating new conquefts, he pro- ceeds to Pavia, in hopes of eniilting lèverai of the Pro- fefiors of that Univeriity, and fmifhes by requcfting that Une geography of the Order may be enlarged, that he may have a greater fcope for his illuminizing talents.;}; With refpeâ to Diomedes, or our illuminized Mar-? quis, his letters alfo bear testimony of his enthufiaftic zeal in the fervice of Weilhaupt. He held this Arch-Confpi- rator in fuch great veneration, that, with the exception of tome few infignifcant weaknefjes, he looked upon „Wei- ihaupt as the mojl perfeft, the mofl profound, and the mofl extraordinary mortal on earth. The hours be had the happinefs of fpending in his company were too fhort in his opinion, but unhappily long enough to fire him with all mat zeal which fends him frantic to Deux Pouts, then to Nauplis or Straubingen, and at laft to Munich, replete with all that hireling cunning with which the young can- didates are to hj io completely duped, that they are not even tofurmife that their credulity is to le impofed upon. So deeply are the true principles of the Se£r. rooted in his breaft, that to revenge the Order on fome Brother who, probably difç^ufted with the abominable tendency of thele myfteries, had made fome difcovery of them to the Ma- gistrates, he writes to one of the brethren, " Oh the ras- ct cal ! might not a perfon, or to be more correct:, would " it be a crime to fend fuch a Devil as this into the other World?" % * Page 6. f Original Writings, Vol. I. Sedt. XLV. X Ibid. Vol. II. Sed. IV. Let. t and a. § Oder Schuikl! Konnte man nicht, oder urn befier zu fa- gen, w'àie es nicht erlaubt, io einen Teufel in die andere wel A HISTORICAL PART. 49 Neither do the Original Writings nor my private cor- IX. refpondence inform me of the real tides of the Areopagite ~î.7 So/on-MiCHT. He does not appear to have a&ed any c * very confpicuous part in the hiftory of the Order. He is only flated to have worn the ecclefiaftical habit at Freyfin- guen; happy for him if it is to this drefs that he is indebt- ed for his apparent nullity in Weifiiaupt's plots. Next appears Hoheniecher under the title of Aki- X. Hades, who, though i'eated in the confpirins; l'enate of the dlcibiader Illuminées, does not blulli to hold a feat in the i'enate of ™ onensi - Freyfinguen as counfellor. The Eleventh of the Areopagites is Mahomet the Ba- -.?'" ron ScRoCKENSTfilN. We mail foon behold him prefi- „ ab ' jV: J i- 11 • i r \ • r, tu • -r -Karon tie ding over whole provinces that are iubject to illuminum. Scrocken- A few days after his initiation we meet with another Are- ftein. opagite characterized Gennanicus. Not having been able ^j T to difcover his real name, I will not give way to conjee- Germain ' ture.* At this fame period we find a numerous lift of eus* perfons of confequence initiated in the lower degrees. — Such, for example, were the magi Urate of Aichifcadt, Tamerlane-LAUG, and the private fecretary Geiser.— The characleriitic of this adept docs not appear ; but Weifiiaupt's letter on the great acquisition he had made in this adept fufficiently demonilrates the importance he attached to conquefts of this nature, and how far he could turn them to the advantage of his Order, This letter is of the 'iotb Chardad, 1148 (luth June, 1778) ; and it is worthy of remark, that it is the firft let- ter which we find in the Original Writings dated accord- ing to the Perfian ./Era. It is to his dear Lata that Wei? fhaupt writes: — « The acqwifition we have made of the G ZB fchicken— Original Writings, Vol. I. Sèff. XLIV. Letters t and z. * In order to difcover the real name of an adept, it will often fufrke to combine their letters, ami particularly thole in which Weilhanpt declares the characleriftics to be given to candi- dates, with what is afterwards faid of them under their new names. '1 he German Journais, and divers other writings in that language, my own private correfponder.ee with, and me- morials that J hnve received from men who, living on the fpor, have been enabled to procure more accurate documents with relbect to thefe different perfonages, have furniihed me with the means of difcovering many omers oa whom no Ihadow or doubt can beeûtwtainea. 5 d ANTISOCIAL CONSPIRACY; « private fecretary (fecretaire intime) Geifef is an event « of fuclj conference to us, that our affairs will foon as- £c fume quite a different afpect. It obliterates that ap- * pearance {much too confpieuous) of novelty. It is for * ; this reafon that we ought to mutually congratulate each *' other and the whole Order. We may now expect to do K fotnething great. By enticing men among us of his itamp u and or" his confequence, we add great weight to our ob- v :zti, and they are ui'eful in keeping our young Iters with- v/e-re of the lame age ; an age fought after by Weifhaupt, as he could the more * Vol. I. Let. 28. . f Vol. I. Let. 3a, 30th Jan. 1778. Î See particularly L°t. 24, Vol. I. § Ibid. Let. 40. HISTORICAL PART» 55 eafiîy twine the young adept to vice. This docility was far from being the leading feature of his other adepts j they were not all enthunalUcally wedded to his plots at this dawn of Uiuminifm; nor could he make them the paifive — inftruments of his confpiracy. He defcribes the profelytes he had made among the ariftocracy u as rich, therefore u given to all the vices of their ftate ; ai ignorant, proud t " cowardly, arid lazy in the fuperlative degree ; as only K feeking their advancement in the myfteries, in order to *' gratify their curiolity, or even to feoff at the ceremonial *' of the different degrees ;"* and we wifhed to find men who would be ilruck with awe, and be fired with enthû- fiafm at the fight of thefe ceremonies. The ftyie of re-. proach in which he writes to many other of the adepts clearly depicts a let of men deftitute of all morals, and hav- ing no other views in the Order than to gratify their pas- lions and their avarice; feeking none but their own inté- rêts, and often, through their diffolute and immoral con- duct, expofing the founder of the Order to be looked up- on as a corrupter of youth. f He was willing to have none but followers that could, like himfelf, gratify the moft in- famous pallions in private, and who, under the mail: of virtue, moderation, and wiidom, impofing on the public, would accredit his Uluminifm. With reipect to the foun- der, we have feen him already defcribing the turpitude of his morals, and the atrocious means to which he had re- farted to preferve the mafk of his pretended virtue ; let us now hear him upbraiding his firft adepts with the public depravity of their morals as being prejudicial to his Illu- miniiin: w I have received," fays he, "the moll fatal in» ** telligence from Thebes (Freylinguen). They have giv- * en a public fcandal to the whole town, -by admitting « ( into the Lodges that vile Propertius, a libertine loaded «* with i debts, and a mofi detejiable being. In that fame *' town is to be found the Brother D , who is nothing tc more than a wicked fellow; our Socrates, who could be " of the greateft ufe to us is always drunk ; our Augujlus il has acquired the worft of reputations ; the Brother AU " cibiades is perpetually lighing and pining away at the * 4 feet of his landlady; Tiberius attempted to lay violent 41 hands on Diomedes's lifter, and Fuffered himfelf to be li caught by the hufband ; heavens ! what men have I * Vol. II. Let, i. f ibid. Let. 1 1. 56 ANTISOCIAL conspiracy; lt theft for Areopagltes! What ! we facrinceour health, « our fortune, our reputation, to the good of the Order; " and tbefe gently give themfelves up entirely to their $ àofàîutely founded^ as he faid, on religion and the hifiory of the church. Cato-'Zwzck (hews us, by the eagernefs with which he announces his difcovery to Spartacus- /Vcifhaupt, how much this explication coincided with the plots of his impiety.* No fooner has Weilhaupt (who on his Tide was making all pofiible enquiries) re- ceived the news cf this interview, though no particulars were mentioned, than he immediately anfwers, " I doubc tc much whether you are acquainted with the real object tc of Mafonry; but I have acquired fome information on " that fubjedf, which I mean to make ufe of in my plan,