484. In 1604 the Brethren who then constituted the inner circle of the
Order discovered a door on which was written in large letters

Post 120 Annos Patebo.

On opening the door a vault was disclosed to view, where beneath a brass
tablet the body of Christian Rosenkreutz was found, "whole and
unconsumed," with all his "ornaments and attires," and holding in his
hand the parchment "I" which "next unto the Bible is our greatest
treasure," whilst beside him lay a number of books, amongst others the
_Vocabulario_ of Paracelsus, who, however, the _Fama_ observes, earlier
"was none of our Fraternity."[248]

The Brethren now knew that after a time there would be "a general
reformation both of divine and human things." While declaring their
belief in the Christian faith, the _Fama_ goes on to explain that:

Our Philosophy is not a new invention, but as Adam after his fall
hath received it and as Moses and Solomon used it, ... wherein
Plato, Aristotle, Pythagoras, and others did hit the mark and
wherein Enoch, Abraham, Moses, Solomon, did excel, but especially
wherewith that wonderful Book the Bible agreeth.

It will be seen that, according to this Manifesto, Rosicrucianism was a
combination of the ancient secret tradition handed down from the
patriarchs through the philosophers of Greece and of the first Cabala of
the Jews.

The "Grand Legend" of Rosicrucianism rests, however, on no historical
evidence; there is, in fact, not the least reason to suppose that any
such person as Christian Rosenkreutz ever existed. The Illuminatus von
Knigge in the eighteenth century asserted that:

It is now recognized amongst enlightened men that no real
Rosicrucians have existed, but that the whole of what is contained
in the _Fama_ and the _Universal Reformation of the World_ [another
Rosicrucian pamphlet which appeared in the same year] was only a
subtle allegory of Valentine Andrea, of which afterwards partly
deceivers (such as the Jesuits) and partly visionaries made use in
order to realize this dream.[249]

What, then, was the origin of the name Rose-Cross? According to one
Rosicrucian tradition, the word "Rose" does not derive from the flower
depicted on the Rosicrucian cross, but from the Latin word _ros_,
signifying "dew," which was supposed to be the most powerful solvent of
gold, whilst _crux_, the cross, was the chemical hieroglyphic for
"light."[250] It is sai