.

P R EF A CE .

ENE A TH the br o ad tide o f human histo ry th er e fl ow

the st e althy u n d ercurr ents of the s ecr et s o ci et i e s ,

w hich fr e qu ently d e termi n e in the d e pths the cha ng e s t hat

take plac e up o n the surfac e Th e s e s o ci e ti e s hav e e xist e d
in all ag e s an d am o ng all n a t i o ns and traditi o n has i nv ari
,

ably ascrib e d to th em the p o ss e ssi on o f imp or t a nt k no w

l edge i n the r e ligi o us sci en tific or p olitical o rd er acc o rdi ng
to the v ar i Ous charact e r o f th eir pr e t e n si o n s The myst ery .

which en c o mpass e s th e m has i n v e s te d th em with a magical

glam our and charm that to s om e e xt en t will acc ou n t for
the ex travaga n t gr o wth o f l eg en d ab o ut the A n ci en t

Mys te ri e s the Te mplars the F re emasons and the Ro si

, , ,
.

crucia n s ab o v e all w ho w er e the m o s t si ngular i n the

, ,

nat ur e o f th eir o st e nsibl e claims and in t he unc ertainty

which e nv el o pes t h em .

“A hal o of p o e tic spl n d o ur says H eck e thorn 1 “ sur

e , ,

r o u n ds the Or de r o f the Ro sicr u cia n s ; the magic lights o f

fan cy play r oun d th eir grac eful day-dr e ams whil e the ,

myst ery i n which th ey shr o ud e d th ems elv e s l en ds additi on al

at tracti o n to th eir hist o ry Bu t th e ir brillian cy w as that
.

o f a m e te o r . It j ust flash e d acr o ss the r ealms o f im agi n a

ti o n and i n t e ll ec t an d va nish e d for e v er ; n ot h o w ev er
, , ,

with ou t l eavi ng b ehi n d s o m e p ermanen t and l o v e ly tr ac e s

o f i t s hasty pas sag e P o etry and roman c e are d e eply
.

1
S e c re t S o ci e ti e s o f all A ge s an d C o un tr i e s .

A
 HIST OR Y OF TH E R O SICRUC IA NS .

li lium . Le t the K N OW L ED G E o r TH E A R CA NA be the k ey

to th e e I g i v e th ee the
. Lo , A rcan um ! d w mml zii w . . . .

s qqhk a x O p en if th o u can s t Is n o t this t he h o o f

g . . .

o f the R ed Li o n o r th e dr o ps o f the H ipp o cr en e fo u n tai n ?

B eneath t his barbar ous j arg on w e disc er n h o w e v er an , ,

anal ogy with the Ro s e symb o lism C lassical traditi o n i n .

forms u s t hat the R ed R o s e sprang fr om the bl o o d o f

A d o nis bu t P egasus was a wi ng e d h o rs e which spra ng
,

fro m the bl o o d o f M e dusa and the fo u nt ain o f H ipp o cr ene

,

was pr o duc ed by a s tr o k e of the h oo f o f P e gasus .

I n Engl an d the ps e ud o nym o u s auth o r o f the S u mmuf n

”
B on um w ho is supp o s e d to be R ob ert F ludd giv e s a pur ely
, ,

r eligi o us e xpla n ati o n o f the Ro s e Cr o ss symb ol ass erti ng ,

“
it t o m ea n the Cr o ss sprinkl e d with the r o sy bl o o d o f
” 1
C hris t The g ene ral c o n ce n su s o f o pi ni o n is pr efe rabl e
.

t o fa n ciful i n t e rpr e tati o n s and w e may th er efo r e safe ly

,

tak e the w o rds R osa an d Crane as e xplan at o ry o f the n am e

R o sicrucia n an d by F ra tres R C we may u n d e rsta n d
,
.
’
.

F ratr es Rosece Cruci s d e spit e the sil e n c e o f the ma n ife st o s

,

an d t he pr o t e s t s o f i n dividual alch e mists .

The n ext q u e sti o n which o cc u rs is the significanc e o f this

c u ri o us embl em - a R ed R o s e affi x e d to a re d or acc o rdi n g , ,

t o s o m e auth o rs a g o ld e n cr o ss ,
This q ue sti o n cann o t .

be d efi n it ely a n s w e r e d The c haract eristic sign o f a s e cr e t

.

s o ci e ty will be n at u rally as myst e rio us as its elf i n the sp ecial

m ean in g which the s o cie ty may attach to it bu t s om e i ntelli ,

ge nc e c o nc er nin g it c an p erhaps be gl ea n e d fr o m its an aly

sis with u ni v e rsal symb olism N o w the R o s e an d the .
,

C r o ss i n th e ir s eparat e sign ifica n c e ar e e mbl ems o f the

, ,

m o s t palmary im po rtan c e an d the high e s t a ntiq u ity .

1
E ls ewh er e h e i nt er pr et s t he l ett er s F B C t o mean F aith . .
,

R e li gi o n , an d C h a r i t y Co n fe r e n c e s P u b liqu e s v
”
. S e e R e n an do t , , .
,

p . 5 09 .
 FA MA F R A TE R N I TA TIS .

I n the m o rn i ng fo ll o w i ng w e o p en e d the d oo r and th ere ,

app e are d t o o u r sight a vau lt o f s e v en sid e s and s e v e n

c o rn ers e v e ry sid e fi v e fo o t bro ad an d the h e ight o f e ight
, ,

fo o t
. A lth o ugh the sun n e v e r shi ne d i n this va u lt n ev e r ,

theless it was e n light en e d w ith a n o th e r su n which had

, ,

l e ar n e d this fro m the s u n and w as S it u at e d i n the upp er ,

part i n the c e n t e r o f the S i eli ng I n t he mi dst i n st ead o f .

,

a t o mb-st o n e w as a r o u n d alta r c o v e re d with a plat e o f

, ,

brass an d th er e o n this e ngrav e n

,

A C R C . H oe universi c omp endium u nius mihi

. . .

sep u lchru m feci .

Ro un d ab o ut the first circl e or brim st oo d ,

Jesu s mi hi omnia .

I n t he
middl e w e r e fo ur figu r e s i n cl o s ed ,
in circl e s ,
wh o s e
circumscripti on w as ,

1 . N eguagua m Va cuum .

2 Legi s Jugum
. .

3 Li bertas E v a ngeli i
. .

4 . Dei G lor ia I n ta cta .

This is all cl e ar an d bright as als o t he s e v en th sid e an d t he ,

tw o h e p tag o n s S o w e kn eel e d d o w n alt o g e th er an d gav e

.
,

than ks to th e s o l e w is e s ol e mighty an d s ol e e t e r n al G o d
, , ,

w ho hath ta u gh t us m o r e tha n all m e n s w its c o uld hav e

’

fou n d o ut prais e d be H i s h o ly n am e This va ult we parte d

,
.

i n thr ee parts t he u pp e r part o r si eli ng the w all or sid e

, , ,

the gro u nd o r fl o o r O f the upp e r part y o u shall u n d er

.

sta n d n o m or e at this tim e but tha t it w as divid ed acc o rd

i ng to the s e v en sid e s i n t he trian gl e which was i n t he bright
c en te r 5 bu t what th e r ein is c o n tai n e d yo u (that ar e d esir o us
o f o u r S o ci e ty G
) shall o d w i lli n g b e h o l d th e sam
,
e w ith ,

y ou r o wn e y e s E v ery sid e o r wall is part e d i n t o t en

.

squar e s e v e ry o n e with th e ir s e v eral fig ur e s and s en t en c e s

, ,