Johann Joachim Christoph Bode JOURNAL OF A TRIP FROM WEIMAR TO FRANCE. IN THE YEAR 1787. Edited with an introduction, notes, a register and a documentary appendix provided by Hermann Schüttler ars una 1994 The accession of French Masons to Illuminati Officially the meeting of the 29th session had ended on the 26th of May. They wanted to continue negotiations in November, and had to use in the mean time an interim commission, who should take over the handling of incoming memoirs, correspondence and the regulation of procedural issues. What had happened in the last five sessions reports Bode On July 30th I held a conference with de Langes in my room . . . He told me that the convention would probably convene at the end of November, but he would not continue the search for the occult sciences, because my memoir had dissuaded him, but would instead discuss the reform of fragmented Freemasonry. When I asked him about the five sessions of the Convention, he told me that the protocols are not edited well enough; and that my memoir – the one that had the same reading twice – had brought the case to the Convention. Likewise the Assembly of Notables would cause as a consequence with most members present, a lot of inconvenience. But Brother dAubermesnil and I had – which would affect the reform plans in the future, the full confidence of the Assembly.287 After this statement, Bode obviously had no need to wait for the editor of the Convention protocols. With dAubermesnil it was agreed to, because as early as July 3rd he had written on the occasion of a meeting in his journal: We have dissuaded correspondence; particularly about Illuminati ideas ... From superstition to occult science and the sublime are these ... brothers easily returned, and quite prepared to accept the ideas of pure reason. In the same vein, he wrote a week later • Christian von Darmstadt These three Brothers (dAubermesnil, de Bondy, Savalette; -the author) have strayed from their previous views and are now with me on this.288 These were not just opinions, as the meeting with Savalette on July 30th shows: 1) We later decided that the letters we can not refuse out of politeness, to mark with a cross. As a cipher we will take the Masonic Cipher, the ninth and the keyword St. from an almanac, by agreement. 2) That he would give me the levels and convention of classes of Amis Réunis to read, and that I will first make use of the eleventh and in a few months make a copy of the twelfth. 3) That for France to take the name Philadelphes instead of the name Illuminati, and instead of Masonic Class you could say preparatory class of candidates. The reason for the first name is: they already have the name ‘Philalethés for their highest degree; and the name Philanthropes, to again win those people for charity, to not depend on mysterious societies and from which one can expect something for the public good.. –It does not seem to be bad.289 This agreement now had personal consequences: two days later on August 1st, Bode received Savalette’s oath and the usual Illuminati table of individual circumstances. Savalette on August 1st, 1787 became a member of the Illuminati. On the fourth of August followed de Bondy and Roettiers de Monteleau. Bode commented: We all four solemnly promise, to work for the good of humanity. Amen!290 Next the travel diary shows Bode‘s permanent working contacts with dAubermesnil, so that these people can be counted among the Illuminati. The fifth new Illuminati member was LeSage, Savalette’s secretary291 Thus Bode was in the French capital winning some of the border Freemasons for the Illuminati. It is remarkable that the Convention, which in the literature was said to have a bottomless enthusiasm and a tendency towards mysticism, just the work from this, shelved the occult direction not further defined as noteworthy – and not the essay by Bode, 292 as Kloss had written; but rather that they worked on the accession of these men to lead the Illuminati. In a continuation of his thesis already drawn up for the Wilhelmsbad Convention, Bode presented England and specifically the founding of the Grand Lodge in 1717 as the true origin of Freemasonry. Since the late forties, but especially the fifties the ‘Jesuits‘would then have crept into the Order, to secretly promote Catholicism in Protestant countries. This hypothesis of a Jesuit infiltration was not represented by Bode alone, such as the press campaign of the Berlin Enlightenment against Johann August Starck showed: Jesuit or Crypto Catholic was in the eighties, the most popular swear word to denounce an ideological and political rival. Freemasonry for the formation of this thesis by Bode now meant nothing more than the vehement warning against all enlightened tendencies, as they were seen primarily in the various high-degree Templar style and the mystical occult oriented Lodges.293 In the Philalethés this approach was successful. If –which at this early stage (Summer 1787) is accepted, but cannot be documented – Bode had given Amis Réunis knowledge regarding the higher grades of the Illuminati, so could the strict rationality of Weishaupt’s System make their contribution to dissuade the Philalethés from seeking higher and hidden sciences. The treatment of the Memoirs of dAubermesnil, Chefdebien, Lezay-Marnesia, Beulwitz, Christian von Darmstadt and finally Beyerle by the Convention in any case was more than clear, that the Philalethés even before their acquaintance with Bode’s variation were in this way. Further insights into previously lost or subsequent contacts and the nature or subject of the ongoing cooperation between Bode and the Gotha Illuminati leadership with the Philalethés can be obtained from the sources already processed with extreme difficulty. The traditional papers in Bode’s correspondence after 1787 indeed shows those relationships, but the content is much too sparse to draw any conclusions based on them. Amis Réunis responded anyway shortly thereafter with a transformation of their organizational structure: a year after Bode’s visit a chapter was established, to which only one-fifth of the total membership belonged. Among 76 members of that body eleven proven members were found, Bode was not there.294 The establishment of this chapter was not an isolated event. The Grand Orient of France in the spring of 1782 had established a ‘Chamber of Degrees’, which was to reform the rituals the country worked. The driving force behind this was Roettiers de Montaleau. The negotiations between the various lodges and systems had dragged on for years until 1786, several lodges came together as the Grand Chapître General or Souverain Chapitre Métropolitain. One of these lodges was Amis Réunis, and on December 25, 1787 presented the application for accession, and on the January 9, 1788 were members of this new umbrella organization. The twelfth level of Amis Réunis who were ‘the elect of the elect’ to caricature this circle, was not found in this new association but stayed in the same functions as before. The group of 76 members was thus further increased by one level: Members of the final stage of the system, indeed belonging to the chapter, but not through the Grand Chapître General were organized and operated beside them. Several of the men now to be specified had held this rank for some time, before during and after the two conventions were of the innermost leadership circle: besides the already mentioned several times leaders of the system dAubermesnil, LeSage, Roettiers de Montaleau, Savalette de Langes und Taillepied de Bondy and the German Illuminati Ludwig von Hessen-Darmstadt, Friedeich Rudolf Salzmann und Friedrich Tiemann;295 in addition was the alleged Illuminist von Gleichen, and additionally by far the most significant and most important member outside France or the empire, the Russian ambassador Stoganov. Otherwise found in this Lodge in a Lodge in a Lodge the Brother von Chefdebien along with Brother Tassin, respected and influential Parisian Bankers, who lost their lives under the guillotine.296According to the evaluated lists this ‘Secondary Lodge’ whose existence is demonstrated to 1792, had just 22 members. On the nature of their meetings and work is unknown. But since it is about those individuals concerned, who had achieved as only one of at least 359 members the twelfth level of the system, the status of ‘master of all grades’, is close to the conclusion that both of these teams, the lodge itself and the chapters established in 1788 were directed. As Bode had found entrance to the highest level of the Philalethés, he got access to all the internals of this connection.297 A more accurate picture of the activities of these men is speculative. It can be safely assumed that at least the narrower group of people had accurate knowledge of the German Illuminati, and are probably due to the unofficial members of the association – which is not a direct evidence for membership. Freemasons and Illuminati at the start of the Revolution For the propaganda of the enemies of the French Revolution, as Barruel,298 Robison299 and Starck themselves were Freemasons or Grolmann300 and Hoffmann301 themselves belonging to the Illuminati, the case was clear in their simplistic way of looking at the obvious: Bode had exported Illuminism to Paris, the illuminated of such French lodges then inflamed the revolution in July 1789. In the minds of counter-revolutionaries went the equation that Freemasonry = Illuminism = Jacobinism without problems, through the extravagant claim that the Strict Observance had decided at the Wilhelmsbad Convention in 1782, the abolition of the monarchy in France and the murder of the king. Nothing can prove it from previously known sources: French historian Ligou reported although clearly directed against the Jacobins as well as against Bonaprtism the Society of Philadelphes, which according to his account the Girondists were composed of attached Parisian Freemasons, but offers not a single witness to this claim. Also in the files of Bode’s papers there is no reference to the existence of an organization of this name, although it must be said that the documents of Bode’s papers in the ‘Schwedenkiste’ pretty much stop at the end of 1787. Since other sources of Bode’s other Masonic-Illuminati activity is reconstructed in broad terms, it seems likely that either he or his heir Duke Ernst had deliberately destroyed or concealed materials.302 The involvement of leading French Masons in revolutionary activities since the 14th of July 1789 was however at no time a secret and several members of Amis Réunis were found in the National assembly or in the Girondists. Participation in radical i.e. Jacobin activities may be demonstrated by people within the circle of the Illuminati and also with some German members, but none of them were in contact with the Philalethés. Thus the Mainz Jacobins around Böhmer303 and Forster,304 later went to Paris, and Bode repeatedly mentioned Leuchsenring and the Swiss Illuminist Schweizer.305 Personal connections of individual Illuminati and Philalethés to the revolutionaries of 1789.., there were just enough, only these alone will not be sufficient, to be able to speak of a conspiracy. The members of Amis Réunis would have been capable of such actions, based on their extraordinarily high social and political status. Here lies the explosiveness of Bode’s records: the transplanting of Weishaupt’s system to Paris actually took place, the participation of Illuminati or Philalethés in the revolutionary actions at the very beginning is beyond question. From these relationships everything can be read, even Weishaupt, Knigge, and Bode like the leaders of the German Strict Observance had long premeditated the conspiracy to establish the Republic in France. Nothing is provable according to the current sources: the question of whether the German Illuminati had prepared and planned the French Revolution must remain open. Against such an assumption on the one hand, is the fact that Bode entered not a single word in his writings on the political situation in France, secondly, following the extant sources after returning the Illuminati were asleep and turned again to the reform of Freemasonry – but now with significant political implications. In addition it is one thing to receive French Freemasons into the Illuminati, but quite another what these individuals do after such an affiliation: the construction of such direct casual relationships, that from Illuminism directly followed the revolution, will not do justice to such a complex event. As one aspect among many, Bode wins many successful promotional campaigns however very probably under their own weight: was responsible for the Convention of 1787 and the founding of the Illuminati branch in Paris, that he turned Amis Réunis one of the main Parisian Lodges to the ideas of the radical enlightenment is rationally justified. And such ideas were to lead to the 14th of July 1789, and driving it some of their representative members were Freemasons and Illuminati. What had been the main reason for Bodes trip can not be unambiguously reconstructed. As for the claim by the representatives of the conspiracy theory by Barruel, the journey happened at the request of Mirabeau to introduce Illuminism in Paris, there is no evidence. If this thesis were true, one would have expected, that the two had agreed to a course of action, which Bode would certainly find worthy of a relevant entry in his journal or his other records. It is certain that Bode had planned to visit the Convention of 1787 for some time, because he had been extremely dissatisfied with the results of the first meeting.306 The visit of Prince Christian von Hessen in March 1787 to the convention was clearly the main theme, and on April 25 when his companion Bussche307 had arrived in Weimar, Bode noted briefly: Brother von dem Bussche came here, and it is decided that I should go with him to Paris.308 Which other individuals beside Bode himself, Bussche and Christian were involved in this decision, cannot be found. Mauvillon corrected the French text of Bode’s essay knew about it at least, and the same was true about the Gotha Illuminati. It is noteworthy in this context that in all the places he visited with Bussche before their arrival in Paris, he made contact with the local Illuminati. Unfortunately there is very little information in his journal about the meetings with these individuals, the convention as well as Illuminati affairs were the main topic of conversation. In any event Bussche played, as the journal amply demonstrates in Bode’s negotiations and work with the men around Savalette only a minor role, as he was in the Masonic as well as Illuminati hierarchy at too low a level, to have a decisive say here. Maybe that’s the reason next to his undoubted conceit of nobility, he so heckled Bode during the whole trip.309 Nevertheless the establishment of the Parisian branch of the Illuminati was Bode’s own; however unofficial accession of the Philalethés was not a lonely decision, as events showed on his return to Weimar. As early as September 9th, he reported extensively to Münter the results of his trip adding, he now had in France an additional field, to act after the actual spirit of the union.310 Shortly after, he went on a visit to Gotha and Duke Ernst handed over copies of the convention and other materials of the Philalethés. And then on the 27th of September, both decided to keep Weishaupt in the future of all the activities of the Order.311 Mauvillon was also informed and received the job in October, to translate Illuminati documents into French, a clear indication that the planned cooperation of Amis Réunis with the Illuminati should now be addressed.312 At the same time began Bode - not Weishaupt – the revision or rewriting of the grades and instructions of the Order as well as the development of a reform plan. On the 17th and 18th of November he moved with Reinhold and Gottlieb Hufeland to Jena zu Rate: both pledged their full support to these plans.
Posted on: Tue, 15 Jul 2014 13:59:05 +0000
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