If you are looking for a history of the Illuminati
this is a good place to start
written in 1802
very informative
https://archive.org/details/1802ProofsOfIlluminismPayson
1802 – written in old english (using f for s)
laments on how good people can result in barbarism like french revolution
Men would join the Mason lodges for the sense of mystery and friendship.
Traveling speakers would make their way to each lodge
and it was all exciting with codes and secrets etc
This set the lodges us to be used as a platform for insurrection against established governments.
Politics was supposed to not be discussed, but was.
Then, in France, Voltaire broke all social mores' and promoted a philosophy of "freedom" which included his hatred for Jesus. Not just hate for bad church policies – no – he hated Jesus personally and spoke about it openly.
Weishopff in Germany, began working within the Masonic lodges to advance the ideas of over-throwing all religion and all governments.
Gradually, lodges voted to adopt these "Illuminism ideas."
Most of France's lodges adopted them.
Members slowly began to be trained in barbarism, forced by their oaths of secrecy to witness murders of traitors, etc. and then to commit those murders themselves.
The French Revolution was manipulated by the Illumined lodges, and was the bloodiest scene of carnage the earth had ever witnessed. They constantly invented new horrific ways of killing the "traitors" and/or priests and goodly men who objected to barbarism.
Not all Masonic lodges adopted Illuminism.
Albert Pike advanced Illuminism to a new level, which made the circuit back in Europe and came back again.
This author – in 1802– predicts the American Civil War – because the southern lodges considered the northern lodges the "bougeouise" – and were constantly admonishing the north.
There we have some of the story.