2j6 OF THE PROLONGATION' 



•dervife of BrulTa; Unce he is certainly the greateft 

 rarity in his whole book. 



If I am not much deceived., from what I have faid of 

 the character of Paul Lucas may be gathered the anfwer 

 to the queftion : What motive could the dervife have 

 to cram him with fo much nonfenfical Huff? — With- 

 out wilhing to dictate to any one what judgement he 

 fhould pafs on this extraordinary perfon, I conlider the 

 dervife that has been fo often mentioned, to fpeak ho- 

 neftly, as a man of the fame clafs and brotherhood with 

 a St. Germain ? a Schroepfer, a Dr. Graeme, a Cagli- 

 euro, or, which is the fame thing to me, the Armenian 

 in Schiller's fpirit-feer, fome of the perfonages in Glan- 

 ville on witches, and the wife Mifphragmutofiris in the 

 philofopher's ftone, a tale of my own compormg, which 

 is to be found in the firft part of the Dfhinniftan, 

 whereof I here with all humility confefs myfelf the 

 author. Thefe gentlemen (whofe aim, as is well known, 

 is folely directed to the ennobling of human nature as 

 well as Hones and metals, and which has already been 

 declared by the Rofencreutzians of the laft century to 

 be the acceleration of the golden age) have formed, as 

 it appears, for fome centuries pall, a kind of invinble 

 church or republic ; and though we are not exactly 

 bound to take in the literal fenfe, what the dervife 

 boafts about their longevity : yet I believe from my 

 heart, that one may venture to affirm that their fociety 

 never "dies ; fince they, as well as the monks, take very 

 go^d care, that no place become vacant fhall remain 

 unfilled. Accordingly, it is felf-evident, that they are 

 ever ready to gain profelytes, believers and promoters 

 to their order, as often as they Humble on perfons in 

 4 • whom 



