Lyons. Pasqually's Temple at Lyons founded sometime after 1770.
25 March. Saint-Martin to Willermoz: he was "convinced concerning the thing before having received the most efficacious of our ordinations." Evidently a series of preparatory stages was a part of the plan of the work, and then the Magical ceremony, performed in private, in which the Unknown Agent would manifest, and communicate with the operator. This is what is referred to in re the failure of Willermoz to attain the result. This will be more interesting later, when we find Willermoz' Chevaliers Bienfaisants de la Saint Cité at Lyons exerting a control over the Loge Theodore du Bon Conseil at Munich.
23 April. Paris. The Paris Lodge of the Amis Reunis was constituted, and shortly afterwards directed a commission of its members to draw up a plan of operations to assist them in ascertaining the truth about the multiplicity and confusion of rites and systems in France.
The founder of this lodge was Savalette de Langes, Keeper of the Royal Treasury, Grand Officer of the Grand Orient, and a high initiate of Masonry -- 'versed in all mysteries, in all the lodges, and all the plots.' In order to unite all the masonic groups he made his lodge a mixture of all sophistic, Martiniste, and masonic systems, 'and as a bait to the aristocracy organized balls and concerts at which the adepts, male and female, danced and feasted, or sang of the beauties of their liberty and equality, little knowing that above them was a secret committee which was arranging to extend this equality beyond the lodge to rank and fortune, to castles and to cottages, to marquesses and bourgeois' alike. (Webster, quoting Barruel.)
A "Jutland" "merchant" named "Kölmer", who had spent many years in Egypt, returned to Europe in search of converts to a secret doctrine founded on 'Manichaeism' that he had learned in the East. On his way to France, he stopped at Malta, where he met Cagliostro (Joseph Balsamo) and nearly brought about an insurrection amongst the people. "Kölmer" was therefore driven out of the island by the Knights of Malta, and betook himself to Avignon and Lyons. Here he made a few disciples amonst the Illuminés and in the same year went on to Germany, where he encountered Adam Weishaupt, and initiated him into all the mysteries of his secret doctrine.
Hamburg. It is said that Gotthold Ephraim Lessing was initiated into Freemasonry at this time.
Cavaillon. The Bedarrides were a prominent Jewish family in the town of Cavaillon. The Jewish community of Cavaillon practised a form of Cabalism and were enthusiastic followers of the messianic movements of the time. (At this time, we are still dealing with the history of the Frankists, and survivors of the Shabbeteans)... The schools of this area not only taught traditional sacred texts such as the Torah, Talmud and Zohar, but also more esoteric themes of the Kabbalah. This means the Frankist Kabbalah. It was in this atmosphere that Marc Bedarride and his brothers were raised. Gad Bedarride was initiated into Masonry in 1771 by an initiated of the Israelite Elects( is this Pasqually's Elected Cohens???) named Carosse. ...
Mackey's says that Cagliostro, after being kicked out of Sicily, repaired to Messina, where he met Altotas, who pretended to be a great chemist. Together, they proceeded to Alexandria in Egypt, where, by means of certain chemical, or perhaps financial, operations, they succeeded in collecting a considerable amount of money.
A Swedish botanist accompanying Captain James Cook on his first voyage to the Hawaiian Islands described Kava-Kava and the natives' ceremonial use of this substance.
Lecouteulx de Cantelou is of the opinion that Kölmer and Altotas were identical. Altotas is called a 'universal genius, almost divine, of whom Cagliostro has spoken to us with so much respect and admiration.' He is described as an Armenian, who derived his system from those of Egypt, Syria, and Persia. This Altotas was the mystical name of "Lascaris," an alchemist, who passed as an Archimandrite of the Orient, who had been charged to collect alms for a Greek Convent. About the middle of the 18th Century, some have said that he was identical with the Compte de St. Germain, but, according to Mackenzie, this is not so. Lascaris represented the school of naturalists attached to the Hermetic Doctrine. From 1771-1776, Weishaupt spent five years thinking out his system. Cagliostro's system would not appear until c. 1777.
The Duc de Chartres, later known as Philippe-Egalité, becomes Grand Master of the Grand Orient and tries to unify all the Lodges. The Scottish Rite(Pre 1801) resists.
Encyclopaedia Britannica first assembled in London.
(According to the Trufax Chronology. However, the First Edition came out in
Edinburgh, in 1768.)
August. Czestochowa. When Czestochowa was captured by the Russians in August 1772, after the first partition of Poland, Frank was freed by the commander in chief and left the town early the next year, going with his daughter to Warsaw.
Leipzig. Schrepfer holds a Scots Lodge at his house, basing it on the R+C Degrees. The Minerva Lodge of Leipzig regarded it with extreme suspicion, and Prince Karl, Duke of Courland, caused Schrepfer to be humiliated. Later, both Karl and his friend Bischofswerder became converts (1773). Schrepfer's forte was "calling the spirits from the vasty deep," and they came. Their appearance was most realistic, so much so, that shortly previous to Mrs. Schrepfer becoming a mother, the materialized spirit was observed to be in a decidedly interesting condition. Schrepfer, in his arrogance, insulted the Minerva Lodge of Leipzig. Prince Karl, Duke of Courland, was a member of the Minerva Lodge, and a highly placed military officer. He caused Schrepfer to be conducted to the guard-house and soundly cudgelled, taking a stamped receipt for the punishment, which was printed in the newspapers.
In reference to Schroepfer, Franz Hartmann has this to say:
"To gain full power over his dupes, he deposited in a bank at Frankfurt a sealed package, to be returned to him whenever he desired it; this package was said to contain several millions in bank-notes, but which, as might have been supposed, contained nothing but brown paper. On the strength of that supposed deposit, which "could not then be touched," he borrowed large sums of money. He even gained the confidence of the uke of Cairland, in whose presence he caused the apparition of the Chevalier de Saxe to appear in the palace. This scene is described by an eye-witness as follows: 'The large room wherein the ghost was to appear had the form of a theatre, and had formerly been used for the purpose of giving private plays and operas. The spectators were sitting in a half-circle, and they received strict orders not to leave their seats under any circumstances, nor to touch nor examine any of the apparatus for the conjuring process, else the most dread consequences would follow. They had, furthermore, to swear that they would not reveal afterwards what they had seen. The Duke and his Minister, von Wurmb, and other dignitaries were present. Schroepfer appeared, nodded to the assembly, and walked in a haughty manner up to the platform. The Duke had desired to see the apparition of the Chevalier de Saxe, and Schroepfer consented. Suddenly all the candles in the room went out at once, and every one present felt a feeling of horror creeping over him. At the same time a stupefying smoke of some incense which Schroepfer was burning filled the room. Gradually the platform grew more light, while the place for the spectators remained in darkness. A kind of bluish light shone upon the faces of the latter, which gave to every one of them a ghostly appearance. Gradually a cloud became visible in the background of the stage. At first it was only like a thin mist, but slowly it grew more solid. Gradually it assumed the outlines of a human form. The details of the figure became clearer, the face could be seen and recognised; there was the living image of the Chevalier de Saxe.
"'The Duke, seeing his dead relative standing before him, broke out in an exclamation of horror. The apparition lifted its arm. Every one was terrified; none dared to speak. There were deep sighs.
"'Then the ghost began to speak in a hollow voice, complaining that he had been disturbed in his sleep in the grave.
"'The Duke appeared to be near fainting; but being a courageous man, he rose with an effort, and it seemed for a moment that his reason was to be victorious over superstition.
"'Laying his hand on his sword, he exclaimed, "Illusion of hell! Go back to the place from whence you came!"
"'At that moment, the sword dropped from his hand, as if he had been suddenly paralyzed. The apparition was gone and the room was dark. Suddenly, as quickly as they had been extinguished, the candles began to burn again, and we all saw the conjuror in his long habit of black velvet, looking still paler than usual, the sweat standing upon his forehead, resembling a man who has just escaped some great danger. Having recovered, he turned to the Duke and reproached him.
" "Your Excellency," said Schroepfer, "may congratulate yourself that we have not all been killed. Only the most powerful conjurations on my part could prevent the apparition from murdering us. It was the most terrible hour of my life." "'The Duke excused himself, and finally begged pardon, promising to be more obedient at some future occasion.'" - Pronaos, pp. 61 - 62.
According to Eco, it is at this time that Pasqually leaves for Santo Domingo; and Willermoz and Saint-Martin establish Tribunal Souverain, which becomes Grand Loge Ecossaise.
London. Cagliostro arrives. Imprisoned for borrowing money. Goes to France. Possibly initiated at Chapter of Clermont. (Even though the Chapter of Clermont ceased to exist by this time and was replaced by the Emperors of the East and West.) See April 1776.
Paris. The Grand Lodge of France resumed work under the supreme authority of the Duc de Chartres, at the same time Grand Master of the Emperors, a commission was given to four members of the Council, among them Labady, their Grand Secretary, to again propose a fusion of the two systems in the next general meeting of the Grand Lodge, which fusion was finally effected on 9 August. But about this time two Grand Bodies were formed in France out of the members of the Grand Lodge: the Grand Orient and the Grand Lodge. The latter maintained that it was the original authority. The Emperors sided with it, and as far as can be ascertained worked their supplementary degrees under its authority.
Ingolstadt. In 1772 and 1775 Weishaupt was appointed to important chairs in the university in place of his former teachers, and this fact, together with his well-known disapproval of their doctrines, earned him the implacable enmity of the followers of Loyola, to whose intrigues he was incessantly exposed. He then conceived the idea of combating his foes with their own weapons, and forming a society of young men, enthusiastic in the cause of humanity, who should gradually be trained to work as one man to one end -- the destruction of evil and the enhancement of good in this world.
Zurich. Lodge of Discretion, which had been formed in 1771, embraced the Strict Observance, and became Sub-Priory of the 5th Province.
Sir Joseph Priestly, produced Nitrous Oxide (N2O).
March. Warsaw. From Warsaw, Frank and 18 of his associates disguised as the servants of a wealthy merchant to Bruenn (Brno) in Moravia, to the home of his cousin Schoendel Dobruschka, the wife of a rich and influential Jew. Frank remained in Bruenn until 1786, obtaining the protection of the authorities, both as a respected man of means with many connections, and also as a man pledged to work for the propagation of Christianity among his numerous associates in the communities of Moravia. He established a semi-military regime in his retinue, where the men wore military uniform and went through a set training. Frank's court attracted many Shabbeteans in Moravia, whose families preserved for generations the swords that they wore while arriving at his court.
Early September. Lyons. Saint Martin repaired to Lyons and was domiciled in that town for nearly a year, during part of which he was apparently the guest of his rich Masonic brother (Willermoz). His own resources were small, and there are indications that he was not on the best terms with his father.
We have seen that there was a Temple of the Elect Priesthood at Lyons, which was also an historically important centre of Freemasonry in France, and Willermoz was an active member and officer of all the Rites. Saint-Martin, on the other hand, cared little or less than nothing for cereminial procedure, for Ritual which he found empty and for the hollow pomp of titles. By his own evidence, the offices of Ceremonial Magic were only less distasteful, notwithstanding his high opinion of the influences at work among them in the circle to which he belonged.
He affirms that he hat no 'virtuality' in activities of that kind, that he had 'little' talent for its operations; that he 'experienced at all times so strong an inclination to the intimate secret way that this external one never seduced me further, even in my youth'; and that he exclaimed more than once to his Master: 'Can all this be needed to find God?'
Such being the case, there need be no cause for surprise that Saint-Martin put on record long after has opinion that the 'first sojourn at Lyons in 1773' was not much more 'profitable' than others which he made later and especially in 1785. It was important in another way, for it marked the beginning of his literary career.
"It was at Lyons," he states, "that I wrote the book Des Erreurs et de la Verite, partly by way of occupation and because I was indignant with the philosophers so called, having read in Boulanger that the origin of religions was to be sought in the terror occasioned by the catastrophes of Nature I wrote some thirty pages at first, which I showed to a circle that I was instructing at the house of M. Willermoz, and they pledged me to continue. It was composed toward the end of 1773 and at the beginning of 1774, in the space of four months and by the kitchen fire, for there was no other at which I could warm myself."
He was not therefore in residence during those months with his Masonic friend: he was probably en pension somewhere, and not too well situated because of his means. The task was executed with great expedition... his application must have been unremitting... the result comprising nearly five hundred pages.
Paris. In the Loge des Amis Reunis, Savalette de Langes, Keeper of the Royal Treasury, founds the Rite of the Philalethes. Also on hand are the Vicomte de Tavannes, Court de Gebelin, DuTroussel d'Hericourt, Prince Friedrich Ludwig of Hesse-Darmstadt, Baron Gleichen, Abbé Rozier, M. de Sainte-James.
Savalette de Langes, Keeper of the Royal Treasury, and Court de Gebelin, founded the Rite of Philalethes or Searchers after Truth. Its aim was the perfection of man, and his union with divinity.... Its constitution was identical with the Rite of Primitive Philalethes of Narbonne. Bischoffswerder's Initiation into the RC is said to have taken place prior to 1773. The Golden RC takes root in Silesia.
A further development of the Amis Réunis was the Rite of the Philalčthes, compounded by Savalette de Langes in 1773 out of Swedenborgian, Martiniste, and Rosicrucian mysteries, into which the higher initiates of the Amis Réunis -- Court de Gebelin, the Prince de Hesse, The Baron Gleichen, Count Stroganoff, Tassen de l'Etang, Condorcet, the Vicomte de Tavannes, Willermoz, and others -- were initiated. The system was divided into 12 classes. The 12th was styled Master of all Grades. The brethren refused to recognize the nine higher classes as degrees, they were merely societies for the study of all known Masonic degrees and their object was to establish Freemasonry on a clear and sound basis. The higher classes "became tinged" with a touch of alchemy, theosophy, Martinism, and Swedenborgianism.
Scots Directory, 5th Province, Burgundy, closed by authorities.
Leipzig. C. N. von Schröder joins the Gold R+C. He took the Rite to Russia and Poland. Prince Karl and Bischofswerder became converts to Schrepfer's system, and the Duke and the Seer were in the habit of promenading the open places arm in arm.
Ingolstadt. Weishaupt attended the schools in Ingolstadt, which were directed by the Jesuits -- and was expelled in 1773. Instead of becoming their disciple he acquired a bitter hatred of the Order and of its aims. This is the official story, as given by Gould and others.
According to Waite, this was the year in which Willermoz was appointed Provincial Grand Prior of Auvergne for the government of the Strict Observance in that province.
Early. Lyons. Saint-Martin finished his writing effort, early in 1774. In the autumn, he paid a short visit to Italy, in the company of Willermoz. They returned to Lyons. Saint-Martin saw his work through the printing phase.
19 June. London. This date is of importance in the history of Stuart Masonry, having to do with the displacement of Charles Edward by the Duke of Cumberland as G. M. of the High Grades, although the Duke did not become the Grand Master of the Craft until 1782. The record reads as follows:
"The year of our Lord the 19 June 1774 at high noon. The Wise and Sovereign Chapter of the Knights of the Eagle Rose Croix assembled have decided to recognise His Royal Highness Henry Frederick Duke of Cumberland, initiated the 9 February 1767, for Grand Master, Grand Commander, Conservator, Guardian of the Pact and Sacred Vow of the Christian Princes, in the place of Charles Edward [erasure here] at present [erasure] for the reasons alleged in the present Chapter, and particularly that they will give no recognition to any constitution in the name of the said Charles Edward, in the three kingdoms of Great Britain, as contrary to our lives for the prosperity of the House of Brunswick, that it will be so represented at the most convenient time to the said Duke of Cumberland, and that at each Chapter he will be saluted as such. Glory to God and to His Royal Highness Henry Frederick Duke of Cumberland for having Knights of the Eagle Rose Croix. This was deliberated the said day and year above written, by the numbers 70. - P. Lambert de Lintot."
8 September. Initiation of Friedrich Ludwig Schroeder in the Lodge Emmanuel. By the influence of his intimate friend Bode, he was initiated into Freemasonry in 1774, in the Lodge Emanuel zur Maien-blume (May blossom), and he soon after established a Lodge of his own working in the Rite of Zinnendorf, which did not last very long. He went to Vienna to pursue his profession, and remained there until 1785, when he returned to Hamburg, and was elected master of the Emanuel Lodge, continuing in that office until 1799. In 1794, he was elected Deputy Grand Master of the English Provincial Grand Lodge of Lower Saxony, and in 1814, Grand Master. In 1774 he opened a clandestine Lodge in Hamburg, "Eliza of the Warm Heart," which lasted until 1777.
20 September. Port-au-Prince. Martines de Pasqually dies. He nominates Caignet de Lestere as his successor, he also being resident in the West Indies. The Temples of the Elect Priesthood were left to their own devices, and the mighty pageant of the Strict Observance drew several under that obedience. Willermoz became Grand Prior of Auvergne, and having profited nothing in attempting to follow Pasqually's instructions concerning Ceremonial Magic, he was presumably more and more immersed in Masonry, especially in High Grade Masonry. Whatever sympathy may have existed between Willermoz and Saint Martin during the period of their correspondence had evaporated, and they went in separate directions.
Le Grande Loge Ecossaise du Contat Venaisson is raided and papers confiscated by order of the Pope.
8 October. Leipzig. Schrepfer allegedly blows his brains out in a small wood, near his coffee house in Leipzig, during a dinner party he was hosting, apparently because he was out of money. But, he was in conflict with the prominent Masons of Leipzig and with the Strict Observance, and was probably murdered, in order to put his Order out of existence. His R+C was legitimate, a successor to the original R+C, in fact a part of it. He was also alleged to have been St. Germain's preceptor.
According to George Oliver,
"Scroepfer[sic] came to an untimely end. He was impolitic enough to open one of his occult Lodges at Leipsic, his native town, forgetting that a prophet has no honour in his own country; and he had previously moved in a very inferior sphere of life. His performances were stigmatized as heretical, and his allegations discredited. He acted a prominent part, under an assumed name, in the different countries of Europe; but being at length exposed, he returned to Leipsic, and resumed his cabalistic labors. He made the most magnificent promises to his dupes; and when hardly pressed for the performance of them, he invited his disciples to accompany him into a wood, under the pretext of showing them something wonderful, and here he deliberately blew out his brains in their presence. Stark was a pupil of Scroepfer[sic], and soon exceeded his master in charlatanerie. He was a clever and talented impostor, who disputed the palm of superiority with Cagliostro. Even Hunde would have fallen a victim to his arts, if Schubard had not stepped in and saved him."
8 October. Leipzig. Schrepfer shot himself. He was 35 years of age. He is said to have confessed that he was in the employ of the Jesuits...but this may not be so. According to Franz Hartmann, the period surrounding Schrepfer's death goes something like this:
"There were a great many people of whom Schroepfer had borrowed money, sometimes even large sums, and they all grew impatient, and wanted to be paid. Schroepfer was forced to produce the package from the bank, and it was found to be worthless. But even that was not sufficient to destroy the confidence of his dupes. They persuaded themselves that he was a high Rosicrucian Adept, who was only testing their faith. 'Can we, in our ignorance,' they said, 'read the Master's heart and know his intentions? Perhaps he is going to take away our earthly Mammon, and give us for it the imperishable philosopher's stone.'
"At last, however, the measure was full, the creditors refused to be fed any longer on idle promises; they wanted their money. So they selected a deputation from their midst, and sent them to Leipzig, where Schroepfer had gone to escape their importunity. When they entered his room he bade them welcome in a kind manner and full of assurance.
"'I have already been informed of your coming," he said, "and have been waiting for you.'
"'Then,' they answered, 'you will also know that we have come for the purpose of obtaining a settlement of our financial affairs.'
"'What!' exclaimed Schroepfer, appearing to be astonished, 'do you doubt me?'
"'Not I,' answered the one addressed; 'but some of my friends do.' 'And you, sir?' asked Schroepfer, turning to another one and fixing his eyes on him.
"The person addressed trembled, and began to stammer an excuse; but Schroepfer, whose face assumed a triumphant smile, continued:
"'Oh, you of little faith! ye are worse than the doubting Thomas, more obstinate than Peter, who thrice denied his Master. I have opened before you the portals of the spirit world and made you see its inhabitants, and you still doubt my power. I wanted to lead you into the innermost sanctuary, and to make you richer than all the kings of this earth; but you have not stood the test imposed upon you. Shame upon you! Without faith and confidence no miracle can be performed. Doubt is the greatest sin of the world.'
"Mercy, great master!' exclaimed one; 'do not punish the innocent with the guilty. I did not doubt.'
"'I know it,' answered Schroepfer; 'and for the sake of one just man, I will forgive the sins of all. The mammon after which your sinful heart hankers, you shall receive; what I promised will be done; but it would have been better for you if you had chosen the hidden wisdom instead of possessions which perish.' "They then begged his pardon, and at last he became less stern and forgave them their doubts. He promised not only to unveil to them all the secrets of the true Rosicrucians, but he also appointed a certain day for the payment of his debt.
"The revelations about the secrets never came; but the day appointed for the payment of the debt arrived. In the evening preceding that eventful day, Schroepfer invited all his creditors to his house. The supper which was served was excellent, the wine of the first quality. Schroepfer was in high spirits, more talkative than usual, and amused his guests by some clever sleight-of-hand tricks, attributing it, of course, all to the spirits. Midnight passed, and the guests prepared themselves to depart for their residences, but the host objected.
"'I shall not let you go,' he said, 'you may all sleep here, and in the morning, even before sunrise, I will show you something entirely new. Heretofore I have shown you dead people whom I have called back into life; but this morning I will show you a living man whom you will believe to be dead.' He then took up his glass filled with wine, and caused it to jingle by bringing it in contact with the glasses held by the others, with each one successively. As he approached the last one, his glass broke into pieces.
"'What does this mean?' asked one.
"'The fate of mankind,' answered Schroepfer. 'The wine of life has escaped, the vessel broke to pieces; I am fatigued enough to die.'
"He fell asleep, and the guests followed his example, sleeping in armchairs and on lounges as well as they could manage it. Early in the morning Schroepfer called to them to awake; telling them that it was time to go. They all went together out of the town to an almost solitary place called the 'Rosenthal.' Schroepfer was silent, and appeared to be very serious. Having arrived at the place of destination, he ordered his companions to remain where he posted them.
"'Do not move,' he said, 'until I call you to help me to raise the buried treasure. I am now going into that grove, where you will soon see a wonderful apparition.'
"With a satirical smile on his pale face he turned away and disappeared in the bushes. Soon a sound as of a pistol-shot sounded from there. They thought that it was perhaps fired by some hunter, and paid no further attention to it. They waited. One quarter of an hour after another passed away, and nothing happened. They did not dare to leave their places, fearing to rouse the anger of the magician by their disobedience. The mist of the morning had turned into a fine rain, which made their position very uncomfortable. They grew impatient, and consulted with each other what was to be done. While they were discussing the subject, some proposing to follow Schroepfer into the bushes, and others objecting, saying that by doing so they might interrupt his incantations, or at least give him a welcome excuse for not obtaining the treasure, a stranger approached. His appearance was so sudden that it almost appeared miraculous.
"'You lie!' exclaimed one of the company, being very indignant about this intrusion.
"Instead of answering, the stranger gave a certain secret sign which proved him to be one of the superiors of a high masonic order. All present bowed respectfully.
"'Follow me,' he said, 'and you will see that I told you the truth.'
"They followed him into the ticket [sic], and there they found the magician dead upon the sod. He held a pistol in his hand; the ball had penetrated his heart." - Pronaos, pp. 62 - 64.
The Hague. The Comte de Saint-Germain at the Hague, after the death of Louis XV, and proceeded thence to Schwalbach, where he carried on alchemical experiments with the Markgraf.
Saint-Martin retires (from Tribunal Souverain/Grand Loge Ecossaise), to become Philosophe Inconnu, and as delegate of Templar Strict Observance goes to negotiate with Willermoz. A Scottish Directory of the Province of Auvergne is born. From this will be born the Rectified Scottish Rite(???) (According to Eco).
First Continental Congress convened, Sept 5, 1774.
Scheele discovers Chlorine gas.
3 February. Avignon. The Inquisitor, P. Mabille, himself a Freemason (so it is said), surprised the Mother Lodge of the Comtat Venaissin with an armed following and forced its dissolution.
March. Vienna. Frank went with his daughter to Vienna and was received in audience by the Empress and her son, later Joseph II. Some say that Frank promised the empress the assistance of his followers in a campaign to conquer parts of Turkey, and over a period of time several Frankist emissaries were sent to Turkey, working with the Doenmeh, and perhaps as political agents or spies in the service of the Austrian government. During this period Frank spoke a great deal about a general revolution which would overthrow kingdoms, and the Catholic Church, in particular, and he also dreamed of the conquest of some territory in the wars at the end of time which would be the Frankist dominion. For this, military training would be a deliberate preparation. Where Frank obtained the money for the upkeep of his court was a constant source of wonder and speculation and the matter was never resolved. Stories circulated about barrels of gold sent, some said, by his followers, while others claimed it was from his foreign employers. At one period there were in Bruenn, several hundred sectarians who followed no profession or trade and whose sole and absolute master was Frank, who ruled with a rod of iron..
30 July 1775. Paris. Saint Martin to Willermoz. Saint Martin tries to dissuade Willermoz from supposing that he was seeking the latter's conversion to his own views or was presuming to pronounce judgment upon him. At the same time certain matters, the nature of which does not emerge in the letter, made it necessary for the peace of both that he should no longer be a guest of his friend, though for the sake of the Order and its members he must return to Lyons and remain there for a given time. It does not appear that there was estrangement... they continued their correspondence, though, and remained friends.
Lyons. Saint-Martin's Des Erreurs et la Verité appears. It is published under the pseudonym of "the Unknown Philosopher," and bears the imprint "Edinburgh," which is supposed to mean "Lyons." He was in Paris at the end of July, in Lyons again in the autumn, and at Tours on a visit.
Martinist Order created, by St. Martin. He reformed the Elus Cohens. Mackey says that Lodges opened in Paris, Marseilles, Bordeaux, Toulouse. The Devotees of Martinez Paschalis, the founder, were called Martinistes. Partly Hermetic, partly Sweden-borgian; based partly on Qabalah and Hermetica. Nine Degree System. St Martin's first published work also appears this year. Des Erreurs et de la verité which is used by the Philalethes and recommended by the Initiated Knights and Brothers of Asia.
This is probably the "Hidden Rite" which Waite speaks of in Emblematic Freemasonry, pages 150 et. seq, but Waite refers to it as something altogether separate.
Philosophic Scottish Rite founded in the Lodge of the Social Contract, by M. Boileau, a disciple of Pernetty.
The Plan devised by the Amis Reunis was ready; from which date the Lodge took the title of Philalethes, or searchers for truth. OccTheoc says 28 Apr 1773.
A Lodge of the Eclectic System was established at Munich, in Bavaria, The Lodge Theodore of Good Council, which held a patent from the Lodge Royal York at Berlin; but had a system of its own, by instructions from the Lodge at Lyons. Of this Lodge at Munich, Dr. Adam Weishaupt was a member. He was also of the Order of the Strict Observance, and a Rosicrucian.
King George issues his Proclamation of Rebellion.
Continental Congress authorizes respective states to issue paper currency in defiance of Britain. The British respond by printing counterfeit money and flooding the US with it.
The Philosophical Scottish Rite was a revival in 1776 of Pernetty's, with modifications, and taught Pythagorean or Egyptian doctrines. (Hist A&P)
Wolfenbuttel. Lessing marries Eva König of Hamburg, but loses her a year later in childbirth, the child also dying on Christmas Day, 1777, before the mother.
A student of the more bizarre offshoots of Freemasonry, Cosway was one of the earliest members of the Universal Society, organized by Messiter and other devotées of Swedenborg in l776. While Blake served his apprenticeship, he had access to these Masonic developments, often centered at Freemasons' Hall and Tavern, which faced Basire's studio on Great Queen Street.
Leipzig. In 1776 it is certain that Saint-Germain was at Leipzig.
Saint-Germain, under the name Count Welldone, presents chemical plans to Frederick II.
(Eco) The Society of the Philalethes is born, to unite all hermeticists.
(Eco) Lodge of the Nine Muses has as members Guillotin and Cabanis, Voltaire and Franklin.
The Princes Karl of Hesse and Ferdinand of Brunswick found the Lodge Ferdinand Caroline in Hamburg, the fourth Lodge of the Hamburg system.
The Scots Directory for the Strict Observance, 5th Province, Burgundy, re-opened.
A Chapter of "True and Ancient Rose-Croix Masons" founded by Schroeder. (Webster)
Starck and Baron von Knigge introduce schisms. Masonry filled with Clergymen, Professors, Men of Letters, persons holding offices in Law Courts.
April. London. Cagliostro reappears in London, becomes acquainted with Freemasonry. He receives degrees at Esperance Lodge No. 289, at King's Head Tavern.
2 April. Paris. The Lodge of St. Lazarus constituted itself the "Mother Lodge of the Scots Philosophic Rite in France," changing its title to "Social Contract." Sometime in 1776, the Academy of Sages was established for the interpretation and propagation of the high degrees, by the Ecossais Mother Lodge of the Philosophical Rite. According to Mackenzie's account of it, it had existed in Sweden at a previous time, and was attributed to a society formed in London by Elias Ashmole. Afterwards it had a brief existence at Mohilow, near Moscow. According to Oliver,
"In 1776 another claimant to the honor of a governing body made its appearance, and adopted the style of Le Mere Loge Ecossais de France, and conferred twelve new degrees; which were termed philosophical. [These philosophical degrees were many of them deistical, and the system was carried out about this time by M. St. Martin, which was hence styled Martinism. His degrees were few, and he only admitted those relating to the Templars. He omitted the Rose ; but between the degrees of Prince of Jerusalem and Kadosh, he inserted one called the Chevalier de Palestine. Here the Master represents Godfrey de Bouillon. It is related here that eighty-one Masons came to Europe about 1150 under the care of Garimont, Patriarch of Jerusalem, and went to Sweden to the Archbishop of Upsal, where they inclosed all their Masonic information in a marble tomb, placed in a subterranean vault. This tomb was subsequently discovered, &c., &c.; and, according to St. Martin, these eighty-one Masons established Freemasonry in Europe, and nine of them the Order of the Temple. The philosophical degrees were, the Knight of the Black Eagle or Rose de Heredom, in three parts; 4., Knight of the Phoenix; 5, Knight of the Sun; 6, Knight of the Rainbow; 7, The True Mason; 8, Knight of the Argonauts; 9, Knight of the Golden Fleece; 10, Grand Inspector of Perfect Initiations; 11, Grand Inspector of the Scotch Degrees; 12, Sublime Master of the Luminous Ring.] They became popular, and for many years sustained their rank, having the Marquis de la Rochefoucault Bayers for their Grand Master. [This Grand Lodge established a philosophical society for the discussion of Masonic questions, at which all Masons, under whatever system, were invited to be present.]"
1 MAY. INGOLSTADT, BAVARIA. Dr. Adam Weishaupt, professor of Canon Law, establishes the Order of Illuminati, or Perfectibilists, under the inspiration of a bitter hatred of the Jesuits. It is called an organization based upon the principles of Republican Freethought. Among the prominent members were Baron von Knigge, Baron Bassus, Zwack, Nicolai, the Marquis Costanza, Bahrdt, Mirabeau, the Duke of Orleans. The principles of morality and of civil and religious liberty were expounded; but in the higher degrees it was taught that all religion was dogmatic. That is, falsehood. Similar to Isma'ili Religious and Moral thought.
According to Mirabeau's Memoires, penned in 1776, "The Lodge Theodore de Bon Conseil at Munich, where there were a few men with brains and hearts, was tired of being tossed about by the vain promises and quarrels of Masonry. The heads resolved to graft on to their branch another secret association to which they gave the name of the Order of the Illuminés. They modelled it on the Society of Jesus, whilst proposing to themselves views diametrically opposed."
Also:
"The slavery of the peasants, the servitude of men to the soil, the rights of main morte and all the customs and privileges which abase humanity, the corvées under the condition of an equitable equivalent, all the corporations, all the maitrises, all the burdens imposed on industry and commerce by customs, excise duties, and taxes...to procure a universal toleration for all religious opinions...to take away all the arms of superstition, to favour the liberty of the press, etc." According to Webster: "From all this we see then that Mirabeau did not become an Illuminatus in 1786 as I had supposed before this document was known to me, but had been in the Order from the beginning apparently as one of its founders, first under the "Illuminated" name of Arcesilas and later under that of Leonidas. The Memoir found at his house was thus no other than the programme of the Illuminati evolved by him in collaboration with an inner ring of Freemasons belonging to the Lodge Theodore. The correspondence of the Illuminati in fact contains several references to an inner ring under the name of 'the secret chapter of the Lodge of St. Theodore,' which, after his initiation into Masonry, Weishaupt indicates the necessity of bringing entirely under the control of Illuminism."
5 May. Paris. The Lodge Social Contract (Mother Lodge of the Scots Philosophic Rite in France), was installed as such by commissioners from the Scots Mother Lodge du Comtat Venaissin.
4 JULY. PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA. Thirteen Colonies declare their Independence from Britain. These Colonies call themselves the United States of America.
18 August. Avignon/Paris. The Mother Lodge du Comtat Venaissin amalgamated with the Contrat Social; thus the Mother Lodge, broken up at Avignon, revived in the bosom of a Paris Lodge, founded by the Grand Lodge of France, and since 1772 owing allegiance to the Grand Orient. The Social Contract apprised the Grand Orient of its new departure, but for years the latter refused to recognize it as a Mother Lodge, i.e., a Lodge with the power to constitute others, and erased it from the roll. The history of the negotiations belongs to that of the Grand Orient, and it will be sufficient to state here, that in 1781 a Concordat was agreed to, which reinstated the Social Contract as a daughter of the Grand Orient in regard to the three degrees proper of Freemasonry, but which left its sole control over the Scots Hermetic grades. It was prohibited from warranting Lodges within the jurisdiction of the Grand Orient, but permitted to do so elsewhere, and to affiliate to itself French Lodges already in existence, and to endow them with Chapters, Tribunals, etc. This was practically a victory for the Philosophic Rite.
27 December. The Scots Philosophic Rite elected as Grand Master the Marquis de la Rochefoucault-Bayers; Baron Bromer being chosen Deputy Grand Master.
Rennes. In 1776, the rite Elu de La Verité was established in the Lodge of Perfect Union at Rennes, by M. de Mangourit, who established the female Order of Mount Tabor. According to Oliver, he promulgated the fiction that the former took its rise in 1745. A few years afterwards a grade arose in Berlin, called Des freres inities de l'Asie, whose object was to afford greater facilities for the explanation of the Masonic signs and symbols.
Roughly 85% of citizens in the United States have independent livelihoods.
Adam Smith writes The Wealth of Nations, setting forth British policy to maintain the American colonies as backward raw material producers and the mandate to expand the opium trade.
20 February. The Grand Chapter of the Scots Philosophic Rite prohibited all affiliated Lodges from working the Templar degrees.
April. Cagliostro is said to have "invented his scheme" of Egyptian Masonry. It would be known as The Egyptian Rite of Freemasonry. Claims he discovered a mysterious document in a London bookstall, written by a "George Cofton." Begins travelling between England and the Continent over next ten years. It is possible that Cagliostro was in contact with the Rabbi Falk, for Falk held court in London at this time.
Cagliostro's introduction to Freemasonry, so goes the story, came in Gerrard Street in London's Soho. It is said that after his Initiation into a Strict Observance Lodge in London, in 1777, Esperance No. 369), Cagliostro developed his own system that incorporated alchemical and other ideas that he had learned from German occult groups.
26 December. The Scottish Philosophic Rite convened its first Philosophic Convent. At these assemblies, Masons of all rites were allowed to be present, and to take part in the discussions. The subjects ranged through the whole field of Masonic and archaeological research -- art, science, alchemy, and social economy, etc., -- and are acknowledged by all writers to have done very much to raise the tone of Freemasonry in France. Papers were read and discussed by the first men of the age, and many of the most celebrated names in the literature of the Craft may be recognized amongst those of the contributors to the proceedings. For example, and quoting almost at random, Count de Gebelin, Dr. Boileau, C. A. Thory, and Alex. Lenoir -- not to mention other eminent literary characters -- were members of this Rite. Convents were held in 1778, 1779, 1780, 1782, 1784, 1785, 1786, 1788, 1789, 1812.
31 December, to 1778, 14 January. Wolfenbuttel. Lessing's five letters sent to his friend Professor Joachim Eschenburg in Brunswick, show his heart-rending grief and shock as well as his despair and resignation.
Munich. Adam Weishaupt initiated into a Strict Observance Lodge in Munich -- Lodge of Caution -- and he afterwards destined the Craft to play a very subordinate role in his system.
Berlin. The Gold Rosicrucians obtained a footing in Prussia. Bischofswerder was a companion in arms of Crown Prince Frederick William. This is the year that the New and Gold Rosicrucians was founded, according to various sources, and which includes the Nine Degrees which were developed and used in the SRIA and Golden Dawn. According to George Oliver, II Landmarks: 34:
"Two sections split off from this Society (German RC) in 1777 and 1780, the former calling themselves The Brothers of the Rose Croix of Gold, and the latter, The Initiated Brothers of Asia.
The nine degrees of the German Rosicrucians professing to date from the original order of Rosy Cross were now well known. Brun the Chief of the Rite died in the middle of the Century, and out of the Rite was formed in 1777 the Brothers of the Golden Rosy Cross... - Hist. A&P Rite.
Dresden. The Comte Saint-Germain offered an important post, by Graf Marcolini. Also, according to a letter by Baron von Wormb, written on 19 May 1777, the Count was at that date between 60 and 70 years of age. There is extant a communication in his own hand which shows that he was acquainted with Baron de Bischoffswerder, as we know, an active member of the RC and involved with the Illuminati.
At the time of the Reformed Order of the Golden RC, it becomes active in Berlin, and soon after, at Potsdam, which became its headquarters. The members claimed a direct derivation from the old Order, and the inheritance of all its secrets, including the only solution of Masonic symbols.
Nathan Rothschild born. Weishaupt joins the Munich Masonic Lodge, and within two years would be in control of the lodge of Theodore of Good Counsel.(According to the Trufax Chrono.)
23 August. Wolsztyn, Poland. Birth of Józef Maria Hoëne-Wronski, Polish Mathematician and philosopher. He was born Josef Hoëne, but he adopted the name Wronski around 1810 just after he married.
October. Portsmouth. The term Companion is used, and Dunckerley gives the Chapter permission to make Knights Templars.
25 November to 27 December. Lyons. The Convent des Gaules -- under the Strict Observance-- held at Lyons. This was a congress of the three major provinces of the Order, and it is usually known as the Convent des Gaules. It was decided, "out of consideration for their fellow French subjects," to drop the name of Templars altogether, to alter the ritual and its whole significance, and in future to make the last degree a purely moral one under the title of Beneficent Knights of the Holy City. It became known as The System of Lyons. The reformed ritual and regulations adopted by the Loge Chevaliers bienfaisants de la Sainte Cité, at the Convent des Gaules, under the presidency of Brother Villermoz. This is also known as the Regime Ecossais; Regime Ecossais Ancient and Rectified. Templar Strict Observance and Grand Orient agree to accept the Rectified Scottish Rite.
It is said that the person who was instrumental in creating the Chevaliers Bienfaisants grade in the Rectified Scottish Rite was Jean-Marie Alexandre Hautpoul.
Zurich. As a result of the Scots Directory of the Strict Observance adopting the Rectified Scottish Rite, probably at the Convent of Lyons(q.v.), the Sub-Priory at Zurich also adopted the Rectified Scottish Rite, and became the Scots Directory.
Yorkshire. Yorkshire is notably rich in the old Charges, as besides those which formerly belonged to the York Grand Lodge, and are in possession of a modern Lodge there, there are others in private hands, and in the West Yorkshire, Masonic Library. It is stated in a Manifesto of the Lodge of Antiquity (1778) that there was one old MS. in the hands of Mr. Wilson, of Broomhead, near Sheffield, written in the reign of Henry VIII., which is now missing, and there appears to have been one dated 1560. The Lodge of Hope, Bradford, has a copy of circa 1680.
Saint-Martin formed a new system of Scottish Masonry, the Reformed Scottish Rite, and this was united to the French branch of the Strict Observance at the Convent of Lyons, a gathering of Scottish Rite masons that also included representatives of Swiss Freemasonry. The main driving force behind the Lyons meeting was Jean-Baptiste Willermoz (1730-1824), who was also a member of the Elect Cohens. At the meeting, vonHund's Strict Observance and Saint-Martin's Reformed Scottish Rite were united under the name of the Rectified Scottish Rite.
Saint Germain, in Berlin, meets Dom Pernetty.
There are 12 Lodges of the Illuminati in Catholic Bavaria, Franconia, and the Tyrol. Distinguished men, like Börn, and Sonnenfels in Vienna entered the Order. When von Knigge applied his knowledge of Freemasonry to it, the Lodges of Masons became its instruments, to prepare and furnish candidates.
Rennes. The Lodge of Perfect Union at Rennes promulgated a new degree, called Le rite des Elu de la Verite, which was cabalistic [This rite contained fourteen degrees, divided into three classes. First Class: 1, E.A.P.; 2, F.C.; 3, M.M; 4. Perfect Master. -- Second Class: 5, Elect of Nine; 6, Elect of Fifteen; 7, Elect Master; 8, Petit Architect; 9, Second Architect; 10, Grand Architect; 11, Knight of the East; 12, Rose Croix. -- Third Class: 13, Knight Adept; 14, Elect of the Truth.]...
The Illuminati of Avignon transformed into Academy of True Masons in Four Degrees. Mackey's says 6 Degrees. Moved to Montpellier. Afterward, changed its name to Rosso-Swedish Academy. Boileau said to have done this. Mackenzie says that Pernetty's Hermetic Rite of Montpellier was transferred from Avignon to Montpellier in 1778. Also, Mackenzie's says that the Academie des Vraies Maçons or Academy of True Masons, was a French Chapter of the High Degrees, having alchymistical tendencies, founded at Montpellier in 1778, by Boileau, the pupil of Pernetti (Pernetty). The Rite had six degrees beyond those of Ancient Craft Masonry, which, though essential for admission, were not practiced. These were: 1. The True Mason; 2. The True Mason in the True Way; 3. Knight of the Golden Key; 4. Knight of the Rainbow; 5. Knight of the Argonauts; 6. Knight of the Golden Fleece.
Hamburg. In 1778 Bode was W.M. of Absalom, and Dresser of St. George. This latter not being acceptable to the brethren, who under the Strict Observance rules were powerless to remove him, the Hamburg fraternity seized the occasion of Karl's presence in Altona -- then a town of Denmark, although apparently a suburb of Hamburg -- to offer him the presidency of all four Lodges. This he accepted -- March 28, 1778 -- but disappointed the brethren in his choice of a deputy; so the ruse having failed, the Chapter was induced to influence him to resign the office in 1780, accepting the title of Protector, and allowing the Lodges, pro hac vice, to choose their own Masters.
Lessing publishes his famous Masonic drama, Nathan der Weise, as well as five dialogues on Freemasonry which he dedicated to the Duke of Brunswick, Grand Master of all the German Lodges, and which he entitled "Ernst und Falk: Gespräche fur Freimaurer."
Also, in this year, Saint-Germain was at Hamburg and afterwards on a visit to Prince Karl of Hesse, with whom he engaged in experiments, presumably on various herbs...
William Henry White born.
Danish physicians move to open two major vaccination houses in Denmark, by order of the King.
In Italy, infants were inoculated by Neapolitan nurses without the knowledge of parents.
Act of Congress prohibits importation of slaves into US.
In l779-80 and l783-86, the Universal Society was visited by Augustus Nordenskjöld, a Swedish Mason and son of Moravian parents, who was an eager student of Kabbala and a practicing alchemist. During his first visit, Nordenskjöld met Dr. Messiter and then moved into the home of the latter's friend, Dr. Gumpertz Levison, a Jewish physician and alchemist. Levison had been a youthful protégé of Rabbi Jonathan Eybeschüetz, a crypto-Shabbetean, who perhaps informed him about the Kabbalistic and Masonic activities of Falk and Swedenborg in London.
20 January. London. Pierre Lambert de Lintot joins the Lodge St. George de l'Observance, becomes its S. W., and then Master for five years successively. He also became Master of Perfect Observance No. 1 South of the Trent, and was the principal mover in promoting the higher degrees in London. At verious dates in the records he is variously described as Administrator, Grand Conservator, Grand Administrator General, Deputy Grand Master K. D. S., and Grand Maitre particulier des Chevaliers Kados. The system of High Degrees which he promoted seems to have been chiefly chivalric; the Templar series were combined with the Kadosh, and about 1790, when Dunckerley first appears as chief of the Templars in England, a sevarance between them appears to have taken place.
19 June. Paris. A building and a plot of land in the Rue Coqueron was purchased by the Scots Philosophic Rite.
16 August. Paris. The Scots Philosophic Rite affiliated, on this date, the "notorious" Paul Jones.
Mitau, Latvia. In a lecture delivered in Mitau, Cagliostro declared that "three chapters in the Bible are missing and exist only in the hands of the magicians," on whom the possession of these chapters confers enormous powers. This location is in the Zemgale province (Mitau more recently has been referred to as Yelgava.) The Kurzeme and Zemgale provinces of Latvia were once what constituted Courland, where Cagliostro derived a lot of his support and endorsement. Courland at the time was in the control of the Teutonic Knights. This was to change by 1795.
We learn that while he was Master of No. 53, St. George de l'Observance, Lambert lived at No. 5, Cobham Row, Cold Bath Fields, but at the time he joined the Lodge in 1779 he was residing at No. 5, Coy's Gardens, off Tottenham Court Road, with two other members of the Lodge, one of them being Nicholas Joseph Gregoire, his S. Warden, described in the Grand Lodge Register as an artist. To Gregoire's hand may be attributed some of the alterations to the engraved plates.
The suggestion has been made with some measure of probability that De Lintot brought the plates with him from France and made alterations, or had them made, as occasion demanded.
The Rite of Cagliostro was Egyptian for both male and female and founded at this time. (Hist A&P) In 1779 the Primitive Rite of Philadelphians of Narbonne was established...
American recalls its currency to counteract the effect of undermining by Britain.
The name William Blake appeared frequently in the l780's and '90's in surviving lodge registers but, unfortunately, no further identification is given. Both Cosway and Blake would have applauded the efforts of the radical Swedish Masons to publish Latin editions and English translations of Swedenborg's most erotic and occultist writings.
From the early l780's, Blake's drawings and writings reflected his interests in Swedenborg and other occultists, such as Paracelsus and Boehme.
We are told that in the 1780s a person named Parenti was the founder of the Egyptian Rite. This person was an Initiate of the Primitive Scottish Rite, the Ancient and Accepted Rite, and the Rectified Scottish Rite. Parenti himself was initiated on Zanté,(Zakyntho), one of the islands near Corfu.
Knights and Brothers of Asia founded, a schismatic offshoot from the Gülden ünd Rosenkreuzer of 1777. It was established in either Berlin or Vienna. (Note: If Moses Dobruschka was one of the founding members, then it is likely that the place was Vienna, since the families that were closest to Jakob Frank were in Bruenn from 1773. The sect travelled to Offenbach in 1787, but the Dobruschka family was in Austria at the time the Asiatic Brethren would have schismed. It is also likely that prior to his involvement with the Asiatic Brethren, he had been involved, at least partly, with the Gold RC, but more likely, with the Illuminati. Furthermore, he probably became involved as a Jacobin during its main period of activity.) It was Rosicrucian and Hermetic in character, had Six degrees above the Craft. The Fifth was known as Royal Priests, or True Brothers of the Rose Croix.
France. Academy of Sublime Masters of the Luminous Ring, founded by Baron Grant of Blairfindy, one of the Grand Officers of the Philosophic Scottish Rite. This is also known as the Rite of Negotiates (also spelled Negociates). It is said to have been based upon Pythagorean philosophy.
In l780 Levison accompanied Nordenskjöld to Stockholm, where the "illuminist" king, Gustav III, employed him as court alchemist and physician.
Blake was probably aware of Martin Madan's treatise Thelyphthora (1780), in which the philo-Semitic Methodist preacher advocated polygamy and concubinage as a preventative against adultery and prostitution. Like Swedenborg and Nordenskjöld, Madan drew on Jewish and Kabbalistic sources for his argument.
Sociéte Philantropique : Louis Claude de Saint-Martin, Girard, Savalette de Langes- Tavannes, Jeanroi, Blin de Sainmore
Besancon. Birth of Charles Nodier. His father, on the outbreak of the Revolution was appointed mayor of Besancon.
Lyons. Another order, based on the Golden Rosicrucians, established here at this time, calling itself the Initiated Brothers of Asia. (Hist A&P)
Clavel says that a last schism in the Order (Gold RC) produced the Initiated Brothers of Asia in Austria and Italy, but coincidently therewith or proceeding immediately therefrom was an association of Fratres Lucis, otherwise Knights of Light.
Vienna. According to Cooper-Oakley, the Fratres-Lucis were incorporated originally at Berlin, but were first made public as an Order at Vienna in 1780.
We notice that several Jews are associated with the foundation of this Order. Scholem refers to Dobruschka, Oliver and others refer to Professor Spangenberg, Waite and Cooper-Oakley refer to a Jew named Hirschmann, who supplied information of the Kabbalah and Talmud, including instructions on the Four Worlds.
Paris. The last we hear of the Emperors consists of some circulars issued in 1780 inveighing against all degrees not included in their own system. They had meanwhile changed their title to Sovereign Council Mother-Lodge of Excellent Masons, formerly called Scottish Mother-Lodge of the French Grand Globe. The French Revolution, no doubt, put an end to them, as it practically did to the Grand Lodge itself, of which they formed part. They were, however, soon succeeded by their Americanized offspring, the Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite.
Naples, Italy. Sir William Hamilton, the British Ambassador to the Bourbon Kingdom of Naples, sends a letter to Sir Joseph Banks, President of the Royal Society, about matters concerning the survival of the Rites of Priapus, which Hamilton was witness to in the hilly village of Isernia, in the mountains north of Naples. This letter would gain the attention of Richard Payne Knight, a Member of Parliament, an associate of Charles James Fox, the owner of a sizeable fortune, the author of An Analytical Essay on the Greek Alphabet, and a collector of classical coins, medals and bronzes.
Knigge converted to Illuminati by Marquis Costanza, and procured many members for the Order. From his exertions among the Masons in Protestant Countries, the Eclectic System was introduced extensively before he became an Illuminatus. From Lodge to Lodge, and house to house, to unite the Masons, and afterwards did the same to promote the Eclectic System; and to get the Lodges under the direction of the Illuminati., by their choice of Masters and Wardens. Costanza and Saviola travelled to Northern Germany to gain recruits among the Freemasons, for the Lodges of the Illuminati, whom they represented as a sect of Freemasons. Knigge received them favorably and became the friend of and co-operator "fellow-traveller" with, Adam Weishaupt.
In this year, a schismatic rite, introduced in Vienna or Berlin, by some members of the German Rose-Croix. Its symbolism was drawn from Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, Rosicrucian and Hermetic Science, the Philosopher's Stone was one of the objects of research. The Governing Body was the Sanhedrin, consisting of 72 members. There were Six Degrees, beyond the Three Craft Degrees:
The Order was headed by J. C. von Ecker, the founder, and his brother, J. H. von Ecker. J. C. von Ecker was also Chancellor of the Order of St. Joachim. The Order is said to have died out in 1790, but most likely continued in Germany as a "learned" society, like the Scientific Masons of 1803 onwards.
According to Oliver, "In 1780 the Order of Freres inities de l'Asia was instituted by the Baron Ecker d'Eckhoffer, Professor Spangenberg, and the Count Webna, in Austria. The members were a section of the German Rose Croix. [They prosecuted the study of all the cabalistic sciences, except alchymy, which was expressly prohibited. Their Grand Sanhedrim was at Vienna.]"
Spangenberg was a Marburg professor, and was known as Marcus Ben-Bina. His office was that of Ockev-Harim, or Grand Architect, and he devoted himself to the Kabbalah and the explanation of dreams. Vienna in this Rite was called Thessalonica. There is also a Rite known as the Perfect Initiates of Asia, which is said to have been instituted at Lyons, consisting of seven degrees.
What if...department... Perhaps the two groups, the French and the Austrian, are related. Also, perhaps the Initiates of Asia(or Asiatic Brethren) were part of the German Rose Croix, and the German Rose Croix, part of or derived from, the French Rose Croix...
19 April. Narbonne. The Primitive Rite (Philadelphes) of Narbonne founded by the pretended 'Superiors of the Order of Free and Accepted Masons'; attached to the Lodge of Philadelphes, under the title of first Lodge of St. John, united to the Primitive Rite, for the country of France. A modified form of the Philalethes, according to Webster. The Philadelphes was one of the front organizations for SION. Some sources give 1740 for the date of founding. "Philadelphians, Lodge and Chapter of the Primitive Rite." It was established by a Chevalier Pen, "Grand Officer de l'Orient des free and accepted Masons," in the name of the "Superieurs generaux majeurs et mineurs de l'ordre des free and accepted Masons." Who Pen was, whence he obtained his wonderful title and authority, are unknown; but from the use of English words in the above designation, it is reasonable to conclude that he represented his authority as derived from some supposed English body. They were unattached to any Grand Orient and founded no subordinate or daughter lodges.
(Webster): A modified form of this rite (Philalethes) was instituted at Narbonne in 1780 under the name of "Free and Accepted Masons du Rit Primitif,: the English nomenclature being adopted in order to make it appear that the rite emanated from England. In reality its founder, the Marquis de Chefdebien d'Armisson, a member of the Grand Orient and of the Amis Reunis, drew his inspiration from certain German Freemasons with whom he maintained throughout close relations and who were presumably members of the Stricte Observance, since Chefdebien was a member of this Order, in which he bore the title of "Eques a Capite Galeato." The correspondence that passed between Chefdebien and Savalette de Langes, recently discovered and published in France, is one of the most illuminating records of the masonic ramifications in existence before the Revolution ever brought to light. To judge by the tone of these letters, the leaders of the Rit Primitif would appear to have been law-abiding and loyal gentlemen devoted to the Catholic religion, yet in their passion for new forms of Masonry and thirst for occult lore ready to associate themselves with every kind of adventurer and charlatan who might be able to initiate them into further mysteries. In the curious notes drawn up by Savalette de Langes for the guidance of the Marquis de Chefdebien we catch a glimpse of the power behind the philosophers of the salons and the aristocratic adepts of the lodges -- the professional magicians and men of mystery; and behind these again the concealed directors of the secret societies, the real initiates. -- Secret Societies
4 October. Paris. M. de Montausier was granted a patent to establish the Philosophic Rite in St. Domingo and the French Islands.
United States has two interest bearing banks.
Eclectic Alliance used until 1784 to covert masonic lodges to Illuminism.(Trufax)
Adam Weishaupt's Order of the Illuminati at the University of Ingolstadt has 60 members in five German cities by 1780, but the impact of his ideas extends much farther in society. Weishaupt and others desired to attach themselves to Masonic lodges in Europe and America. In 1780, Weishaupt recruits Adolf Franscis (Baron Knigge), which allowed the hierarchical structure of the Order to expand to completion. Weishaupt sought absolute obedience to him and other influential members of the order, and worked for the overthrow of church and state authorities who were seen as blocks to Illuminati progress. Knigge completes the system of initiation, and membership swells to 300. Competation arises between Weishaupt and Knigge.(Trufax)
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All Original Material (i.e., arrangement and interpretation),Copyright 1998-2001 e.v., Jonathan Sellers. All Rights Reserved.