A ROSICRUCIAN MANUSCRIPT

OF MICHAEL MAlER
Adam McLean Q
It i s q u i t e amazing t h a t , even today, o r i g i n a l documents r e l a t i n g
t o t h e e a r l y h i s t o r y of t h e Rosicrucian movement i n t h e e a r l y seven-
t e e n t h century, some 350 odd years ago, can s t i l l come t o l i g h t .
However, I have i n t h e l a s t few months located an important document,
which I believe supports and strengthens t h e h i s t o r i c a l perspective
on e a r l y Rosicrucian h i s t o r y put foruard by Francis Yates i n recent
years. This arrticle i s merely a provisional report on t h e manuscript,
much work remains t o be done i n t r a n s l a t i o n and analysis, and I may
i n time publish a more d e t a i l e d study i n a booklet format.
The document is a manuscript on parchment by Michael biaier (one of
t h e e a r l y Rosicrucian apologists), addressed t o King James V I and I,
and i s i n t h e form of an elaborate greetings card. Indeed it has been
c a l l e d "King James* Christmas Card". The parchment i s nou i n t h e care
of t h e S c o t t i s h Record Office i n Edinburgh, and was acquired by them
among t h e various papers i n t h e collection of an old lawyer.
It i s strange t o t h i n k t h a t we must t u r n t o Scotland f o r i n f o r n r
a t i o n on t h e Rosicrucian a c t i v i t i e s of Maier.
The parchment, 33" by 24" ,
was o r i g i n a l l y folded, and has a
short address t o t h e King on t h e outside fold, t h e inside ~ o n s i s t sof
an elaborate formal address t o King James V I and I, i n which Maier
introduces himself under t h e t i t l e "Count Palatine, Doctor of Medicine
and Philosophy". Two long poems together with two pieces of music, a
fugue and a canon, flax& t h e centrepiece of t h e manuscript, a l a r g e Rose
of eight p e t a l s i n red ink, upon which i s superimposed a cross composed
of l e t t e r s of gold. The r e d ink i s now q u i t e faded, though can s t i l l be
read upon c a r e f u l examination, but the golden l e t t e r s a r e q u i t e d i s t i n c t .
The importance of this manuscript l i e s i n i t s date
two years before t h e publication of t h e f i r s t Rosicrucian Manifesto,
- 1612 - some

t h e Fama F r a t e r n i t a t i s , i n 1614. Thus t h i s document i n d i c a t e s t h a t

before t h e Rosicrucian movement had made i t s e l f public, EIaier waa work-
i n g u i t h t h e symbols Rose and Cross, and in p a r t i c u l a r was t r y i n g t o
e s t a b l i s h l i n k s with t h e highest p o l i t i c d a u t h o r i t y i n B r i t a i n , King
James, using these symbols.
F i r s t l y , l e t us examine some d e t a i l s of t h e t e r t of t h e manuscript.
The parchment i s headed with an intoductory greeting, which indic-
a t e s that i t mst have been presented a t Christmas 1611.
"A greeting on t h e birthday of t h e Sacred King, t o t h e most worship-
ful and energetic lord and most eminent James, King of Great
B r i t a i n and Ireland, and Defender of t h e t r u e f a i t h , with a gesture
of joyful celebration of the Birthday of t h e Lord, i n most joy and
f c r t i a e , we enter i n t o the new zuspiciour, year 1612. Dedicated and
consecrated with humble service and submission, from Michael Maier,
German, Count Palatine, Doctor of Medicine and Philosophy : Knight r
and Poet Laureate.
Tbs ~ e n t r a Rose
l i s supported on a pedestal formed from t h e words.
"The Sceptre of Joy, which I pray i s given t o you. Luck i n a l l
eight i s wished t o t h e Kingdom, t h e King aad t h e Court. "
The eight r e f e r s t o t h e eight p e t a l s of t h e Rose around which t h e
following eight g i f t s a r e wished t o t h e King.
1 The blessing of heaven 5 Victory against enemies
2 The health of t h e body 6 A long l i f e
3 A time of peace 7 Fervent p i e t y
4 The rewards of work 8 Love of learning
The p e t a l s of t h e Rose bear short verses which expand these sentiments.
For example, t h e second p e t a l , corresponding t o SANITATXM CORPORIS,
"!iith a l l hap7iness and enterprise, t h e Divine Reward i s t o l i v e i n
h e a l t h and t o be strong.I1
These short t e x t s on t h e p e t a l s ( i n red ink) a r e cleverly constructed
so t h a t the words begin with t h e l e t t e r s of t h e Cross (gold on t h e
parchment), of eight times eight l e t t e r s , which beginning a t t h e top
read VIVE IACOB3 D I U R2X I~UGXEBRITANNICE SALVE TZGI4INE QUO VBE
SIT ROSA wA TUO,
"Farewell, James, Divine King of Great Britain, Hail, May t h e
s e c r e t s of the Rose t r u l y be a joy t o you. I'
The Rose i s flanked by two longish poems, on t h e l e f t being e n t i t l e d
"The Chorus of t h e Arrgels Gabriel, Raphael, Uriel, I.lichael", t h a t on
t h e r i g h t llklenalezs and T h i r s i s j the celebration of t h e Shepherds1',
obviously r e f e r r i n g t o t h e Gospel s t o r y of t h e b i r t h of Jesus. These
however, a r e elaborate poems f u l l of c l a s s i c a l mythological allegory.

Now l e t us t r y t o put this parchment i n t o i t s h i s t o r i c a l context.

Here we w i l l f i n d t h a t Francis Yatesl The Rosicrucian Enlightenment,
provides a perspective which makes t h e composition by I.Iaier of t h i s
elaborate greetings card i n t e l l i g i b l e .
On 16th October 1612, Frederick, t h e Elector P a l a t i m , arrived i n
B r i t a i n , t o play court t o King James* daughter Elizabeth. P o l i t i c a l l y ,
an a l l i a n c e .as being mede, through t h e union of Frederick and Zliz-
abeth, between the strongly protestant Britain, and t h e protestant
P a l a t i n a t e (now southern ~ermany), which held t h e p o l i t i c a l centre of
m o p e . 3kancis Yates argues i n her book t h a t t h e g'RosicruCiansgg
emerged a s p a r t of an impulse t o c r e a t e i n t h e centre of Europe, a
s t a t e r u l e d by zn e s o t e r i o wisdom, which could only l i v e f r e e l y i n a
country stongly p r o t e s t a n t i n s p i r i t . I n Bohemia, during t h e r u l e of
& p e r o r Rudolf, e s o t e r i c studies, i n p a r t i c u l a r alchemical i n v e s t i g a t -
ions, were a c t i v e l y encouraged and patronised, and when he died i n
1612, t h i s g r e a t centre of learning and freedom of thought i n Europe
was endangered by a possible c a t h o l i c SUCCeSSQr t o Rudolf. It seems
t h a t F'rederick, t h e Elector P a l a t i n e , was chosen by a group of wise
men a s t h e vehicle f o r t h e continuance of t h i s renaissance of f r e e

Rose Cross -
thinking, and a s e c r e t f r ~ t e r n i t ywas formed - t h e Brotherhood of t h e
p a r t of whose outer task(and this o u t e r t a s k i s a l l we
a r e considering i n this a r t i c l e ) was t o a i d Frederick and e s t a b l i s h
h i m as 3mperor of Bohemia, over which he had a v a l i d claim. The
Rosicrucians d i d not declare themselves publicly . u n t i l 1614, through
t h e publication of t h e f i r s t of t h e i r manifestos - t h e Fama Frater-
n i t a t i s . It was wished t o involve B r i t a i n i n this venture, znd t h i s
could b e s t be achieved t h o u g h t h e marriage between Frederick and
Elizabeth, daughter of James.
It seems from t h e evidence of t h i s parchment, that Michael Maier,
physician and adviser t o Rudolf of Bohemia, was sent an a mission t o
B r i t a i n i n 1611, one aspect of which was t o prepare t h e ground f o r
t h i s p o l i t i c a l a l l i a n c e and t h e maxriage. Certainly Maier met many of
t h e important i n t e l l e c t u a l and c u l t u r a l f i g u r e s of t h e day, including
Robert Fludd, l a t e r t o become,through h i s voluminous writings publish-
ed i n t h e P a l a t i n a t e , t h e other great Rosicrucian apologist. In Jamesg
Court t h e r e were a few important people with alchemical and hermetic
interests - f o r example, t h e Scotsman, S i r George Firskine, one of
James' Privy Councillors, whose alchemical notebooks a r e s t i l l extant,
and of course Francis Bacon.
Frederick came t o B r i t a i n i n t h e autumn of t h e following year,
and t h e engagement t o Xlioabeth was formally announced a t Christmas
1612, e a c t l y one year a f t e r 14Iaier had presented h i s parchment t o
James.
This parchment, which I hope w i l l now be recognisei1 a s an import-
ant document i n t h e h i s t o r y of Rosicrucianism, thus r e v e a l s t h a t
Michael Maier acted i n 1611 as an ambassador f o r Frederick Elector
Palatine. It i s of great import, t h a t in following through t h i s
mission, 1-laier f e l t it necessary t o use the symbols of t h e Rose and
t h e Cross a8 t h e centrepiece of h i s submission t o James. It has been
known from other h i s t o r i c a l sources t h a t FSaier w z s i n B r i t a i n a t t h i s
time, although nothing i s recorded of h i s a c t i v i t i e s , but with t h e
d i s c o v e r y o f t h i s manuscript, we have new evidence t h a t he was involved
i n a venture t h a t outwardly was concerned with t h e grand p o l i t i c s of
m p e , and inwardly with t h e establishment of t h e foundation of t h e
public manifestation of t h e Brotherhood of t h e Rose Cross.