real nature of Illuminism. In order to judge of this it is only necessary to consult the writings of the Illuminati themselves, which are contained in the following works:
- Einige Originalschriften des Illuminatenordens (Munich, 1787).
- Nachtrag von weitern Originalschriften, etc. (Munich, 1787).
- Die neuesten Arbeiten des Spartacus und Philo in dem Illuminaten-Orden (Munich, 1794).
All these consist in the correspondence and papers of the Order which were seized by the Bavarian Government at the houses of two of the members, Zwack and Bassus, and published by order of the Elector. The authenticity of these documents has never been denied even by the Illuminati themselves; Weishaupt, in his published defence, endeavoured only to explain away the most incriminating passages. The publishers, moreover, were careful to state at the beginning of