“For all his individuality, [Fabre d’Olivet] belongs to a definite type: what the French call an illuminé. He is one of those to whom something has been shown-- this much one cannot doubt-- something that convinces him that he is the chosen vessel for a revelation to humankind... Some illuminates, perhaps the wiser and certainly the humbler ones, keep their knowledge distinct from their personalities. In the same period one could cite Louis-Cladue de Saint-Martin as the preeminent example of this type. In others the conviction of their personal mission is too strong for detachment, and then we find the Cagliostros and Mesmers, the Ballanches and Fouriers-- and Fabre d’Olivet. Here the sense of self is strong, the sense of persecution nearby, and its materialization in personal disaster frequent.” Joscelyn Godwin The Secret Lore of Music (1987)