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Bacon's most intimate friends, and correspondents seem to have been all either Rosicrucians, Freemasons or Illuminati, as, in Italy and parts of Germany, they were some times called. Their names continually appear in connection with the works produced under the auspices of these societies; their portraits often include the recognised marks of distinction; their very graves comply with the rules of the section of the society to which they belonged. It is not concluded, from the evidence which has been collected, that Bacon originated secret societies, or that there were no religious fraternities or trade guilds, before his time, possessing secrets which they kept for mutual help and protection. On the contrary, all evidence goes to show that such institutions did exist, in a rude and inefficient condition; that in all probability Sir Nicolas Bacon and others had conceived a thought of attempting to consolidate or erect some such society, for the purpose of reviving learning, and of promoting unity in religion. But it remained for the genius, energy, and untiring devotion of Francis Bacon to accomplish these things, and he seems to have been peculiarly educated for the purpose. The Rosicrucians and the Freemasons speak in their books of the necessity for a "univesal language''. This language is to be partly by sings, but also largely by symbols or emblems. It is the language of the "Renaissance''. A collation of passages shows that all the metaphors, similes, and emblems of the Rosicrucians and Masons, and all of the works which we connect with them, are included in the works of Bacon. The greater contains the less, and the language is his. No one has since improved upon it, although many have paraphrased and diluted his words, as well as his original thoughts.

Excerpt from Francis Bacon and His Secret Society: An Attempt to Collect and Unite the Lost Links of a Long and Strong Chain Supreme Magus. Ros. Cru. In Anglia, that the Rosicrucian and Masonic Orders are parts Of One and the Same Society The Rosicrucians, a Secret Society - the Freemasons, a Society with Secrets. This statement after some Objection from the Lodge, was accepted as an incontrovertible fact. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.