Free Thoughts on God, the Universe, Man, Freemasons, Rosicrucians, and the Philosopher's Stone

—to persuade him to squander the most considerable sums, as he is accused of doing, and to free his people from oppressive burdens? Would it not be more "Jesuitical" to impose an even harsher yoke upon the people, to make them despondent, to suck out their strength for action Original: "Thatenmark" — literally "the marrow of deeds" or the vital energy required to act., to hoard treasures, and to establish an operational fund for the execution of a secret plan?

The Senior Court Chaplain, Dr. Stark Johann August von Starck (1741–1816), a prominent theologian often accused of being a secret Catholic or Jesuit because of his mystical interests within Freemasonry. in Darmstadt, in his defense pamphlet Vertheidigungsschrift: A formal written defense or apology, in this case responding to attacks from the Enlightenment-aligned "Berlin Monthly" (Berliner Monatsschrift). which only recently appeared against the accusations of the Berlin monthly writers, has convincingly presented the childishness and impropriety regarding the anxieties over the introduction of Jesuitism, Catholicism, etc. He has impressively shown what the purpose of such set-up bugbears Original: "Popanze" — scarecrows or phantom threats used to frighten the public. can be; therefore, I will not dwell on it further. Be calm, by the way, dear public, and do not let yourself be alarmed by the pseudo-clever afterwizigen: From "Afterwitz," meaning a false or mock-wisdom; someone who thinks they are clever but is actually foolish. antics and the comical political "watchmen" Original: "Schaarwächtern" — sentinels or guards; used here mockingly for those who claim to be protecting society from secret plots. who raise such a ghastly outcry against Freemasonry. The genuine Freemasons are peaceful, quiet, good people, and the salt of a land, but fake Freemasons will never soar so high as to become dangerous to states and capable of overturning entire constitutions: their corps are far too insignificant, and