An Epistle to the Rosicrucian Fraternity
--
To the most perfectly united, most eminent, most wise, and true
philosophers and brothers, R. C., Theodosius Verax, and Theophilus
Caelnatus, with health and peace.
--
We have no small comfort in beholding those things of which the
possession itself would be unlawful. Ambition does oftentimes proceed
by impulse where we ourselves would be afraid to go. We seek now to 
exalt ourselves, supported both by piety and your candour, as it were
with wings, above sordid envy and ignorances. Whatsoever judgment ye
may form concerning us must be to our profit. If favourable, we shall
shortly enjoy an easy boon, but if harsh, the greater our necessities
the better will be the opportunity of benevolence. While we are
seriously considering that philosophy has been corrupted by the
schools, and daily produces more dread monsters than Africa herself,
we begin to feel terrified. Aristotle and others of his school bave
compelled our philosophy to become a mere servant of its own glory,
recognising no truth but their own inventions. We do not deplore the
loss of so many secret writings which having perished in the fire did
only at their destruction show signs of brilliancy.  Truth is naked,
it wears not any mask, and incapable of deceit itself uncovers false
persons. Those who pursue truth not only reach the goal but leave a
track behind which may be followed by others. For our own part, unless
we receive assistance, old age will overtake us, aud yet we shall be
no further than the threshold.  Nevertheless, we prefer to die seeking
the goal rather than to yield to shameful idleness. We will
accordingly,0 most prudent men, continue in earnest desire, looking
towards you in whom our help lies! We are sufficiently conscious of
our feebleness, and therefore we seek a remedy. The gentle ray of your
humanity has animated our sterile hopes and encouraged the vintage
song. Where others finished have ye begun. Pardon us, most excellent
men, if we speak of those things whereof we are still ignorant!
Whatsoever is brought forth into the light under your auspices is
deserving of praise. We believe that your book is so much what we need
that it might have been written for us alone; we recognise that no
ordinary providence has taken us from cimmerian darkness and placed us
in a twilight which will shortly be flooded by the rising day. We are
not of those conceited Peripatetics who swear by Aristotle, while their
books swarm with stupidities. Your philosophy, 0 most learned men, is
not full of kindred absurdities! It displays the greatest secrets in
light, and the darkness which blinds most men has sharpened your own
eyesight. Furthermore, it is modest and truly learned, and, having
fallen from heaven, derives its origin from the Holy Scriptures,
wherein nothing is suspicious or erring. Whoever studies these
writings will arrive at the knowledge of that matter from which all
that lives has been derived. Those who persistently deny that there
are men whom God has elected to the knowledge of the intimate
mysteries, suspect the solicitude of the Creator, who withholds
nothing useful or necessary. He who fabricated the whole machine of
the universe for the human race, willed, both for his own glory and
our benefit, that His works should be understood. There is, however,
no profit in mere study without light from God.  Therefore as God,
thrice excellent and most great, created the light, wherein all
creatures flourish, so a light has kindled over the chaos of letters,
a great cosmos has been produced, heaven has descended to earth, and
the superficies being removed the centre itself comes into view, while
if we spoke of even greater things there are some from whom the
meaning would not be hidden. For we have good reason to believe that
there is a true Society, your own, unto which God has revealed the
oracles.  It is much more probable that God would reveal such
mysteries to his church than to the heathen, and those who possess
divine truth are not likely to be ignorant of Nature's secrets.  Ye
also are few and wise, while the multitude is rude and hurtful, and
wise Nature has deeply hidden her treasures that they may not become
common. In like manner, art also hath its penetralia; its gems are to
be sought, its gold is to be dug up, and the divine operation is an
assistant in the investigation of both. Your Fama, translated into the
English tongue, has come into our hands, being edited with a preface
by the illustrious gentleman E. P.  Therein ye have invited worthy
persons to join ydur Society, but hence ye profane! Meanwhile a bitter
strife has risen up amongst us, because we are well aware that we
deserved not so great a blessing, and yet our weakness gave way before
your favour, and we rejoiced at being thus overcome. Another
difficulty, notwithstanding, presently appeared, concerning where or
to whom we should apply, and we were again plunged into sadness. There
was no comfort in the conviction of your wisdom and benevolence if we
could not reach you. But in the silence which followed, a sacred voice
assured us that the Fraternity we desired so anxiously we should at
length find by the grace of God. We have, therefore, cast away fear
and again breathe hopefully.  Mere gold-seekers have doubtless
inquired after you, and so, also, have the votaries of pleasure, whose
brains have turned into a belly, while they apply arts to their
orgies. But we have followed on the path of Mercury. There are also
many given over to much writing, who discourse of the elixir and the
panacea in an enigmatic manner, purposing deception, while others
coming after them have pretended to find therein what the writers
themselves did not know.  Let us not be considered thoughtless who
have scorned the promises of pseudo-philosophers that we might give
ourselves to truth. Those versed in Nature's secrets are taciturn;
they do not write much or attractively. Hence little can be gained
from books, which are less means of instruction than mental confusion.
We therefore ask you to take pity on us; we are still young men and
novices, as our nervous epistle indicates, but perhaps an aged mind
has been infused into us.  As regards religion, we believe in God the
Creator and recognise Him in His works. We smile at all which you have
said concerning the pope; that religion, if so it can be called, will
be involved in the same ruin as other sects and heresies. We trust
that there are no other obstacles which separate us from your Soeiety;
we ask much, but it is within your power. Pardon us, most loving
brethren, if with open arms we seem to force ourselves upon you, and
if our desire in itself be pleasing to you, may there be no difficulty
from the length of our epistle.

---
Scanned from the periodical "The Unknown World", volume two, number
three; April 15, 1895. Formatted and corrected by hand.