Mysteries of the Rosie Cross

Literature-Rom

osicrucian leaders and teachers, and to call attention to the

of Greece, together with M. Cato and Seneca, and a secretary named Mazzonius, are summoned to Delphi by Apollo, at the desire of the Emperor Justinian, and there deliberate, on the best mode of redressing human misery. All sorts of strange schemes are proposed. Thales advised to cut a hole in every man's breast, and place a little window in it, by which means it would become possible to look into the heart, to detect hypocrisy and vice, and thus to extinguish it. Solon proposes an equal partition of all possessions and wealth. Chilo's opinion is that the readiest way to the end in view would be to banish out of the world the two infamous and rascally metals gold and silver. Kleolinlus steps forward as the apologist of gold and silver, but thinks that iron ought to be prohibited, because in that case no more wars could be carried on amongst men. Pittacus insists upon more rigorous laws, which should make virtue and merit the sole passports to honour; to which, however, Periander objects that there had never been any scarcity of such laws, nor of princes to execute them, but scarcity enough of subjects conformable to good laws. The conceit of Bias, is that nations should be kept apart from each other,

for a hundred years. Christian Rosycross died at the age of a hundred years. His death was known to the Society, but not his grave; for it was a maxim of the first Rosicrucians to conceal their burial places even from each other. New masters were continually elected into the House of the Holy Ghost, and the Society had now lasted 120 years. At the end of this period, a door was discovered in the house, and upon the opening of this door a sepulchral vault. Upon the door was this inscription: One hundred and twenty years hence I shall open (Post CXX. annos patebo). The vault was a heptagon. Every side was five feet broad and eight feet high. It was illuminated by an artificial sun. In the centre was placed, instead of a grave-stone, a circular altar with a little plate of brass, whereon these words were inscribed: This grave, an abstract of the whole world, I made for myself while yet living (A. C. R. C. Hoc Universi compendium vivus mihi sepulchrum feci). About the margin was-To me Jesus is all in all (Jesus mihi omnia). In the centre were four figures enclosed in a circle by the revolving legend: Nequaquam vacuum legis jugum. Libertas Evangelii. Dei gloria intacta. (The empty yoke of the law is made void. The liberty of the gospel. The unsullied glory of God). Each of the seven sides of the vault had a door opening

ome further accounts of the burial place of the founder of this party, which, though in some respects

ove him, he resumed his descent. He went, he supposed a hundred feet underground, when he came upon a square landing-place with a niche in the wall, then he came to another long staircase, still descending into darkness. Once more he paused, and looked up at the now very little bit of sky visible over head. Seeing nothing to cause any fear, and hopeful of soon being able to unravel the mystery, he stretched out his hands, and by cautiously feeling the walls, and with equal caution placing his feet slowly and firmly upon each step, he boldly went forward and counted in his descent two hundred and twenty steps. He found himself able to breathe pretty freely, but noticed an aromatic smell like that of burning incense, which he thought Egyptian. This he noticed rolling up now and then from beneath, as if from another world, and it occurred to him that it was from the world of mining gnomes, and that he was breaking in upon their secrets. Still he went on, in spite of all his fears, until he was momentarily stopped by a wall in front; turning sharply to the right, however, he found the way open to him, and discovered a still deeper staircase, at the foot of which was a steady though pale light. His alarm at discovering light so far down in the earth's interior was naturally great, but not great enough to overcome his curiosity and cause him to retrace his steps, and he once more commenced descending the mouldering old steps which looked as if they had not been trodden for ages. Then he thought he heard mysterious rumblings over head, like the sound of heavy waggons and horses, then all was still again. Many times he paused and thought he would return, thinking he might have accidently stumbled upon either the haunt of robbers or the abode of evil spirits; he stood still for awhile, fairly paralysed with fear. Then he began to recall where he had been working, he thought of the field above, the surrounding woods and his native hamlet only a

, and it is said the arrangement of the lamp had been made by some Rosicrucian, to shew that he had discovered t

is left arm. He held a truncheon in his right hand, and had a lamp burning before him. The man had no sooner set one foot within the vault, than the statue erecting itself from its leaning posture, stood bolt upright; and upon the fellow's advancing another step, lifted up his truncheon in its right hand. The man still ventured a third step, when the statue, with a furious blow, broke the lamp into a thousand pieces, and left his guest in a sudden darkness. Upon the report of this adventure, the country p

istian Rosencrutz. I have met with several versions of it, varying more or less. In one a man with a bow and arrow extinguishes the lamp. There are many accounts of these miraculous lamps discovered burning in tombs hundreds of years after interment, but having omitted to make notes of them, I am unable to give references just now.... In Albesterio a place that hyghte Mutatorium Cesaris were made whyte stoles for Emperours. Also there was a candlestyke, made of a stone that hyght Albestone whan it was ones steynd and sette a fire and I sette without thee coude no manne quenche it with no crafte that men coude devyse, In this maner it myght be that the Geant Pallas about the yere of oure Lord

will close this p

then died, and according to the Fama the place of his burial remained a secret to all except the two brothers who were with him, and they, according to the agreement to which they had bound themselves, carried the mystery with them to the grave. The society still continued to exist, unknown to the world, and always consisting of eight members, till another one hundred and twenty years had elapsed, when, according to a tradition among them the grave of Rosenkrutz was to be discovered, and the brotherhood to be no longer a mystery to the worl

X Annos

when they found themselves in a seven sided vault, each side five feet wide, and eight feet high. It was lighted by an artificial sun in the centre of t

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es; each enclosed in a circle

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y side was divided into ten squares with figures and sentences, to be explained to the newly initiated. Each of these again, had a door opening upon a closet, wherein were stored up sundry rare articles, such as secret books of the order, the vocabulary of Paracelsus, and other things of the same nature, which it was allowable to impart even to the profane. In one, they discovered the life and itin

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it, in two separate circles, were the names of eight brethren who had assisted at their founder's interment. Next to the Bible, the Rosicrucians valued this book be