R O S 



It O S 



furgcons, in fome cafes, make ufe of for the dilatation of 

 wounds. 



Rostrum Leporinum, in Surgery, the piece of flefh fitu- 

 attd betwixt the margins of a hare-lip. 



Rostkum Semin'u, in Botany, the beak of the feed, is an 

 elongation of the apex of a naked feed, originating either 

 in the bafe of the llyle itfelf, remaining in a hardened Hate 

 (fee Dichkomena) ; or it confifls of an appendage to the 

 whole fruit, compofed of two naked feeds ; as in Scatulix. 

 The fame term applies to a limilar elongation of certain 

 feed-veflels ; as in Geranium and its allies, whofe beaks bear 

 a itrong analogy to thofe of Scandix ; and in Helleborus, 

 Delphinium, and abundance of other genera, where they ori- 

 ginate from the indurated lly lcs. 



ROSWEIDE, Hekibekt, in Biography, a learned 

 Dutch Jcfuit, and writer in ecelefiaitical antiquities, was 

 born at Utrecht in the year 1569. He entered among the 

 difciples of Loyola, at Doway in Flanders, when he was 

 20 years of age, and foon difcovered the fubje&s of ftudy 

 peculiarly adapted to his genius, by fpending the time which 

 he was allowed to devote to exercife and recreation, in exa- 

 mining the libraries of the monalleries in that city, and 

 refcuing the ancient manufcripts contained in them from 

 dull and oblivion. Having completed his courfe of acade- 

 mical ftudies, he filled fucccffively the chairs of philofophy 

 and divinity, firft at Doway and afterwards at Antwerp, 

 with great reputation for feveral years. After this he de- 

 voted his time to the compoiition and publication of his 

 various works. He died in 1629, at the age of 60. He 

 publifhed, in 1607, " Falti Sanctorum quorum Vitae in Bel- 

 gicis Bibliothecis Manufcriptx aflervantur," which he in- 

 tended as a Ipecimen of a larger work, and which was the 

 prototype of the immenie collection by Bollandus and 

 others, under the titk of Adta Sanctorum. He was author 

 of many other works, among which is " An Account of 

 the Hermits of Egypt and Paleftine," " An Ecelefiaitical 

 Hiltory from the Time of Chritt to Pope Urban VIII." 

 in two vols, folio ; and " The Hiltory of the Belgic 

 Church." 



ROSWALD, in Geography, a town of Moravia, in the 

 circle of Prerau, infulated in Silefia ; 6 miles N. of Ja- 

 gendorf. 



ROSWICK, a town of Sweden, in Well Bothnia; 10 

 miles N. of Pitea. 



ROSYCRUSIANS, Rosicrtjcians, Rofacrucians, or 

 Brothers of the Rofy-crofs, a name aflumcd by a feet or cabal 

 of hermctical philofophers, or of 'J'hiojhphijls ; who arofe, 

 as it has been faid, or at lealt became iiril taken notice of, 

 in Germany, in the beginning of the 14th century. 



They bound themfelves together by a folemn lecret, 

 which they all fwore inviolably to preferve ; and obliged 

 themfelves, at their admiffion into the order, to a tlrict ob- 

 icrvance of certain eflablilhed ruh s. 



They pretended to know all lciences, and chiefly medi- 

 cine ; of which they publifhed themfelves the rellorers. 

 They pretended to be matters of abundance of important 

 fecrcts ; and, among others, that of the philofophcr's Hone ; 

 all which they have affirmed to have received by tradition 

 from the ancient Egyptians, Chaldeans, the Magi, and 

 Gymnofophilts. 



Their chief was a German gentleman, called Chriilian 

 Rofencruz, educated in a monallery, where he learnt the 

 languages. About the clofe of the 14th century he went 

 to the Holy Land, and vifited the holy fepulchre ; and hilling 

 fick at Damafcus, he conlultcd the Arabs, and other cittern 

 philofophers, by whom he wa* fuppofed to be initiated into 

 this wonderful art. At Ins return into Germany, he formed 



a fociety, to whom he communicated the fecrcts he had 

 brought with him out of the Eaft, under an inviolable oath 

 of fecreey, and finally died in 1484. 



This fociety remained concealed till the beginning of the 

 17th century, when two books were publifhed; the one 

 entitled " Famri Fraternitatis laudabilis Ordinis Rofaecrufis," 

 The Report of the laudable Fraternity of Roficrucians; 

 the other, " Confeffio Fraternitatis," The Confeflion of the 

 Fraternity. In thefe works the world was informed, that 

 the fraternity was enabled, by divine revelation, to explain 

 the mod important fecrets both of nature and grace ; that 

 they were appointed to correct the errors of the learned 

 world, particularly in philofophy and medicine ; that they 

 were poflefled of the philofopher's flone, and underflood 

 both the art of traufmuting metals and of prolonging hu- 

 man life ; and in fine, that by their means the golden age 

 would return. As foon as thefe grand fecrets were di- 

 vulged, the whole tribe of the Paracelfifls, Theofophills, 

 and chemiits, flocked to the Roficrucian ftandard, and every 

 new and unheard-of myilery was referred to this fraternity. 

 Various were the opinions that were formed of this fociety ; 

 but though its laws and flatutes had appeared, no one could 

 tell where the fociety itfelf was to be found, or who really 

 belonged to it. It was imagined by fome fagacious ob- 

 fervers, that a certain important meaning was concealed 

 under the llory of the Roficrucian fraternity, though they 

 were wholly unable to fay what it was. One conjectured 

 that fome chemical myflery lay hid behind the allegorical 

 tale ; another fuppofed that it foretold fome great ecelefi- 

 aitical revolution. At lafl Michael Brele, in the year 

 1620, had the courage publicly to declare, that he certainly 

 knew the whole flory to have been the contrivance of fome 

 ingenious perfons, who chofe to amufe themfelves by im- 

 posing upon the public credulity. This declaration railed 

 a fufpicion againft the whole flory ; and as no one under- 

 took to contradict it, this wonderful fociety daily vanifhed, 

 and the rumours which had been fpread concerning it ceafed. 

 The whole was probably a contrivance to ridicule the pre- 

 tenders to fecrct wifdom and wonderful power, particularly 

 the chemiits, who boafled that they pofleffed the philo- 

 fopher's flone. It has been conjectured, fays Brucker, and 

 the fatirical turn of his writings, and feveral particular 

 paflages in his works, favour the conjecture, that this farce 

 was invented and performed, in part at lealt, by John Va- 

 lentine Andrea, a divine of Wartenburg. 



We fhall here fubjoin fome further particulars concerning 

 the Roficrucians. 



They have been diftinguifhed by feveral names, accom- 

 modated to the feveral branches of their doclrine. 



Becaufe they pretend to protract the period of human 

 life, by means of certain noflrums, and even to reltore 

 youth, they were called immortates. 



As they pretended to know all things, they havi b 

 called illuminati ; and becaufe they have made no appearance 

 for feveral years, but have kept altogether incognito, they 

 have hern called the invijible brothers. 



Their fociety is frequently figned by the letters F. R. C, 

 which fome among them interpret jratrei roris cofli ; it being 

 pretended, that the matter of the philofopher'e (tone 1 - dew 

 concocted, exalted, &C. 



Some, who arc no friends to free-mafonry, make the piv- 

 fent flourifhing fociety of free-mafona a branch of Rofi- 

 crucians ; or rather the Roficrucians themfelves, under a 

 new name or relation ; viz. as retainers to building. And 

 it is certain, there are fome frec-mafons who have all the 

 characters of Roficrucians ; but how the era and original of 

 mafonry, ae traced by Mr. Anderfon, and that of Rofi- 



crucianifni, 



