The Final Fate of the Masonic Order

...undermines the foundation of all good feelings, rests upon the most shameful maxims, and sets one person up as a spy against the other! That a virtuous society should serve as a nursery original: Pflanzschule; a metaphor for a training ground or breeding environment. for a vicious one—what an undertaking!

Initially, ignorance of our Order's organization delayed the full execution of the plan. But they soon came upon the right man, who exceeded all expectations. This man was Baron Knigge, currently the Chief Captain of Electoral Hanover original: Churhannövrischer Oberhauptmann. in the Duchy of Bremen. He belonged to the malcontents of the Strict Observance A prestigious but controversial branch of Freemasonry that claimed direct descent from the medieval Knights Templar. or the Templar system, which some believe gave birth to Illuminatism (*). Dissatisfied with Masonry because the gates of its secrets would not open to him, and seeing no hope for prebends Financial stipends or ecclesiastical incomes; here referring to the lost wealth of the ancient Templars which some Masons hoped to recover. from the Templar Order—which was nearing its second demise—and having also failed in an attempt at alchemy, he eagerly stretched out his hands toward something new. This was the man who could develop within the Illuminati that which Weishaupt was too inexperienced or too short-sighted to achieve. He had many connections among the Freemasons across all parties. His sentiments regarding religion and princes were already evident in several of his writings. Full of talent, he possessed the most vivid activity, cunning, and powers of persuasion, and a facility for saying whatever he wished, along with the art of representation in

(*) Rose, Free Remarks on the Political Constitution of Freemasonry. p. 124.