Proofs of a Conspiracy against all the Religions and Governments of Europe: carried on in the secret meetings of Free Masons, Illuminati, and reading societies.Robison, John
History
Proofs of a Conspiracy against all the Religions and Governments of Europe: carried on in the secret meetings of Free Masons, Illuminati, and reading societies.
Robison, John
Freemasonry -- Early works to 1800; Illuminati -- Early works to 1800
In such a cause as this, we may be certain that no ordinary
person would be sent. One of the deputies was Amelius, the next
person in the order to Spartacus and Philo. His worldly name was
Johann. J. C. Bode, at Weimar, privy-counsellor to the Prince of
Hesse-Darmstadt. (See _Fragmente der Biographie des verstorbenes
Freyherr Bode in Weimar, mit zuverlassigen Urkunder, 8vo. Riom._
1795. See also _Endliche Shickfall der Freymaurerey_, 1794; also
_Wiener Zeitschrift fur 1793_.)--This person has played a principal
part in the whole scheme of Illumination. He was a person of
considerable and showy talents as a writer. He had great talents
for conversation, and had kept good company. With respect to his
mystical character, his experience was great. He was one of the
Templar Masons, and among them was _Eques a Liliis Convallium_. He
had speculated much about the origin and history of Masonry, and
when at the Willemsbad convention, was converted to Illuminatism.
He was the great instigator of Nicholai, Gedicke, and Biester, to
the hunt after Jesuits which so much occupied them, and suggested
to Nicholai his journey through Germany. Leuchtsenring whom I
mentioned before, was only the letter-carrier between Bode and these
three authors. He was just such a man as Weishaupt wished for; his
head filled with Masonic fanaticism, attaching infinite importance
to the frivolities of Masonry, and engaged in an enthusiastic and
fruitless research after its origin and history. He had collected,
however, such a number of archives (as they were called) of Free
Masonry, that he sold his manuscript to the Duke of Saxe Gotha,
(into whose service Weishaupt engaged himself when he was driven
from Bavaria), for 150 dahlers. This little anecdote shows the
high importance attributed to those matters by persons of whom we
should expect better things. Bode was also a most determined and
violent materialist. Besides all these qualities, so acceptable
to the Illuminati, he was a discontented Templar Mason, having
been repeatedly disappointed of the preferment which he thought
himself entitled to. When he learned that the first operations
of the Illuminati were to be the obtaining the sole direction of
the Mason Lodges, and of the whole Fraternity, his hopes revived
of rising to some of the Commanderies, which his enthusiasm, or
rather fanaticism, had made him hope to see one day regained by
the Order:--but when he found that the next and favourite object
was to root out the _Strict Observanz_ altogether, he started
back. But Philo saw that the understanding (shall we call it?)
that can be dazzled with one whim, may be dazzled with another,
and he now attached him to Illuminatism, by a magnificent display
of a world ruled by the Order, and conducted to happiness by means
of Liberty and Equality. This did the business, as we see by the
private correspondence, where Philo informs Spartacus of his first
difficulties with Amelius. Amelius was gained over in August 1782,
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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