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216 HISTORY OF THE ROSICRUC1ANS.
and which Kenealy himself would disown. Doubtless these,
things are connected in the mind of Mr Hargrave Jennings
with his mysterious and ubiquitous Brotherhood, for his
diseased imagination perceives Kosicrucianism everywhere,
" as those who believe in witchcraft see sorcery and en-
chantment everywhere." This connection, however, he
nowhere attempts to establish, and it is incredible to sup-
pose that the shallow pretence has ever imposed on anyone.
The few statements which he makes concerning the Fra-
ternity must be rejected as worthless ; for example,
he tells
us that the alchemists were a physical branch of the Rosi-
crucians, whereas the Rosicrucians were a theosophical sect
among
the alchemists.
I have deemed it unnecessary to consider the alleged
connection between the Templars and the Brethren of the
Rose-Cross, for this hypothesis depends upon another, now
generally set aside, namely, the connection of the Freemasons
with the foregoing orders. It is sufficient to say
that the Templars were not alchemists, that they had no
scientific pretensions, and that their secret, so far as can be
ascertained, was a religious secret of an anti-Christian kind.
The Rosicrucians, on the other hand, were pre-eminently a
learned society, and they were also a Christian sect.