RITE OF THE REVOLUTION
CHAPTER XXXFRANKLINThe fog hung low though it was late in the morning. Benjamin had spent the night at aninn in Lyon. He awoke early and set out for L’Arbes, for the Temple, before daybreak.Both Madame Helvetius and Wilkes had suggested he attend this fair of occultcuriosities. It seemed that many of the Continental lodges were as much for harboringridiculous esoteric pursuits as they were for good old-fashioned freemasonry. And thisfair, from what he’d heard, would be rife with examples of that. He packed his trustyarmonica along and hoped to attract the legendary Spartacus with its sweet sounds.The armonica was something he’d invented himself. It was a blown glass, beehive-shaped instrument that lay on a spindle on its side. He had attached a foot treadle to it sothat it could be turned at various speeds, and while in motion, he would wet his fingersand run them over the harmonically tuned parts of the thing, and it would emit a soundlike no other. It always made for quite a conversation piece.Now if Spartacus were to be found anywhere, he would be at the Grand Temple Fair.His letters to Adams had been inspirational to the colonists’ cause and Spartacus byreputation was a nexus of Europe’s highest order of social strata. He knew kings, princes,dukes, lords, counts, all the moneyed. If Franklin could get the audience of this Spartacus person, perhaps his worries about money would be over.It was said that Spartacus was an alchemist, a vocation of which Benjamin thought verylittle, unless he really did have the Philosopher’s Stone, then that might be another matter. But it was highly doubtful that such a thing existed. Spartacus was a cabalist, a practice Franklin had little knowledge of, an astrologer, and a magician. None of thesetitles impressed Franklin overmuch in themselves, but he was willing to give him a try if he had money. Benjamin, though a stout naturalist, knew that any system employed could be made to bear fruit if done with devotion and precision, except perhaps for alchemy.And if Spartacus did have the philosopher’s stone, then funding the war in Americawould be no problem for him.Since arriving in Passy, Benjamin had been reading the Illuminati Perfectibilis circular letters that Dr. Bancroft had cleverly gathered. The group seemed so full of itself, hintingat having secret knowledge, secret power, secret weapons, but not enough informationwas given about the nature of these secrets that Franklin wondered if he didn’t alreadyknow the information himself. The mysteries, they swore would one day be revealed tothose who deserved to know. Today, Benjamin would have the opportunity to meet theauthors of these circulars and see just what, if anything, they did know.Benjamin’s carriage was stopped at the iron gate by three uniformed men who lookedlike Huns. Hair grew long out of the tops of their collars and it seemed that every black pore on their faces – though shaven - was one that bore a hair. Their hands were covered by gloves and their posture was markedly stooped. Benjamin wondered about their nationality as they inspected his carriage and invitation, and spoke in a language he hadnever heard before.“Dr. Franklin,” one of them said in an Eastern European accent and smiled. The othersopened the gate and waved him through.
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