language to each class. They won over the
ignorant vulgar by feats of legerdemain which passed for miracles,
or excited their curiosity by enigmatical discourse. In the
presence of the devout they assumed the mask of virtue and piety.
With mystics they were mystical, and unfolded the inner meanings of
phenomena, or explained allegories and the figurative sense of the
allegories themselves....

By means such as these the extraordinary result was brought about
that a multitude of men of diverse beliefs were all working
together for an object known only to a few of them....[128]

I quote this passage at length because it is of immense importance in
throwing a light on the organization of modern secret societies. It does
not matter what the end may be, whether political, social, or religious,
the system remains the same--the setting in motion of a vast number of
people and making them work in a cause unknown to them. That this was
the method adopted by Weishaupt in organizing the Illuminati and that it
came to him from the East will be shown later on. We shall now see how
the system of the philosopher Abdullah paved the way for bloodshed by
the most terrible sect the world had ever seen.

The Karmathites

The first open acts of violence resulting from the doctrines of Abdullah
were carried out by the Karmathites, a new development of the Ismailis.
Amongst the many Dais sent out by the leader--which included his son
Ahmed and Ahmed's son--was the Dai Hosein Ahwazi, Abdullah's envoy to
Irak in Persia, who initiated a certain Hamdan surnamed Karmath into the
secrets of the sect. Karmath, who was a born intriguer and believed in
nothing, became the leader of the Karmathites in Arabia, where a number
of Arabs were soon enlisted in the society. With extraordinary skill he
succeeded in persuading these dupes to make over all their money to him,
first by means of small contributions, later by larger sums, until at
last he convinced them of the advantages of abolishing all private
property and establishing the system of the community of goods and
wives. This principle was enforced by the passage of the Koran:
"Remember the grace of God in that whilst you were enemies, He has
united your hearts, so that by His grace you have become brothers...."
De Sacy thus trans-scribes the methods employed as given by the
historian Nowairi:

When Karmath had succeeded in establishing all