Solemn Historical Dissertation on the Rosicrucians

is the author of this scene, their singular friendship seems to demand and suggest that it was known to Arndt, especially if we believe that which Arnold wishes to persuade us of: that in a certain letter, Arndt signified to a friend—with Arnoldian faith, indeed—that Johann Valentin Andreae had revealed to him under the rose a Latin idiom for "in secret" or "confidentially" that he was the principal author of this Fraternity. And so, the very man whom Arnold so much wishes to be excluded from this Society, he includes himself, which is what all those who side with Arnold also do, whatever they may protest, while they hawk I. V. Andreae as the author of this Fraternity; and they strive to gather from the singular friendship by which they were connected to each other that this scene was known to Arndt and did not altogether displease him. Which opinion, indeed, since it rests on no certain foundations and manifestly opposes the testimonies and judgments of men who have rendered the best service to the Church, and since it harms the reputation of an eminent theologian not a little, is certainly unworthy of being defended by any sound-minded theologian.

VII. Third, Arnold observes that Theophrastus Paracelsus von Hohenheim, otherwise called Bombastus, is falsely and in vain hawked about as the founder of this Fraternity. Although I do not wish to pronounce too audaciously that Paracelsus is the author of these little brothers, yet since, as attested by the Celebrated Buddeus, History of Philosophy, Chapter IV, § XX, the Rosicrucians themselves venerate Paracelsus as the greatest author of their sect, and Paschius, in the place cited, Chapter VI, § VII, says notably, "The spirit of Paracelsus whispered many things into the ears of the Rosicrucians," and a little later, "the more recent R. C. Brothers learned their magico-chemical dogmas from the Master Paracelsus," and the greatest physician once in this Academy, Dan. Sennert, in his book On the Consensus and Dissensus of the Chemists with the Aristotelians and Galenists, fearlessly asserts in the Preface that Weigel, Croll, and indeed those very enthusiasts who attempted to disturb the Christian religion in Thuringia, drew their dogmas from Paracelsus as from a fountain, along with many others from among those who wished to appear as either members or clients of the R. C. Fraternity—nevertheless, since I showed above, § IV, that the origin of these brothers can be traced to the 16th century, and the aforementioned Theophrastus flourished just before the middle of it, it will not be alien to the truth