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222 HISTORY OF THE ROS1CRUCIANS.
which was written by Martinus Fogelitis
in 1658. It con-
tains, however, some account of his attempt to found a philo-
sophical society, but the Leges Societatis Ereuneticce which are
to be found at the end of the pamphlet, sufficiently distin-
guish
it from the Eosicrucian Brotherhood. The theoso-
phist, ^Egidius Gutmann,
is claimed as the true author of
the anonymous manifestoes by others on what grounds I
have not been able to ascertain ; but, according to Buhle,
this opinion is " supported by no other argument than that
he was a distinguished mystic in that age of mysticism."
All these views have manifestly little to recommend them,
but that which attributes the composition of the Kosicrucian
manifestoes to Johann Valentin Andreas is supported by an
extraordinary mass of evidence, which calls for very careful
and impartial consideration. This interesting and singular
personage, who is described by Brucker 1 as very learned
and of a very elegant genius, whom the " Bibliotheque IJni-
verselle " 2 considers one of the most useful men which Ger-
many produced in the seventeenth century,
and whom all
authorities unite in admiring for his talents and virtues,
was a renowned theologian of Wirtemberg, and a multi-
farious litterateur not uncelebrated, even at this day, in
his own country, as a poet and a satirist. He was born at
Herrenberg, a town in the duchy of Wirtemberg, on the
17th of August 1586. He was the grandson of Jacob
Andreas, also a celebrated theologian. His father was the
mone retulit, adversus Rosese Crucis Fratres calami quoque telum
strinxit, cujus quidem Sectce auctoremfuisseJungium, Mathematicam
Hamburgi profession, eumque librum, cui titulus est Fama Frabium
Eosece, Crucis cudisse, pariter ex ore Secretarii, rei illius conscii, con-
firmavit.
1 " Brukeri Historia Grit. Philosophise," tome ii. , p. 740.
2 Tome ii., p. 126.