Book excerpt: This book is a collection of two noteworthy Rosicrucian documents. The first, Fama Fraternitatis, which translates to "The Story of the Brotherhood," is an anonymous work which dates to 1614 and which entreats the educated men of Europe to work towards the reformation of current knowledge in a more spiritual vein. In it, the author speaks of the brotherhood of the Rosicrucians. This is the first known historical reference to this organization. The document also tells the story of Christian Rosencreutz, the founder of the order. The second document, Confession of the Rosicrucian Fraternity, was published in 1615 and is a completion of Fama Fraternitatis. Arthur Edward Waite's translation is an adaptation and revision of that of Thomas Vaughan (Eugenius Philalethes), who translated both documents into English in 1652.