----中文待译----
1201. Who did corrupt the earth with her whoredom.- That this signifies by whom all the truths of the Word are falsified, and all its goods adulterated, is evident from the signification of the earth, as denoting the church; and from the signification of corrupting it with whoredom, as denoting to falsify all its truths, and to adulterate all its goods, concerning which see above (n. 141, 161, 1083, 1130). That truths are falsified by them is evident from this fact, that they make light of the Word, and hatch new statutes, judgments, and precepts from their proprium, most of which look to dominion over heaven and the church as an end, all being truths falsified. That the goods of the church are also adulterated is evident from this, that they declare everything given to monasteries and to their idols, and also to the papal chair, to be holy, and they call them good works; and yet by that means they spoil houses, and deprive widows and orphans of their goods; and they do this although they live in treasure houses, and their wealth abounds. They moreover make such works meritorious, not to mention many other similar things.
[2] Continuation [concerning the Life of Animals].- Having premised these things, we shall now explain what the soul of beasts is. The soul of beasts, considered in itself, is spiritual; for affection, of whatever kind it is, whether good or evil, is spiritual, for it is a derivation from some love, and derives its origin from the light and heat which proceed from the Lord as the Sun, and whatever proceeds therefrom is spiritual. That evil affections, called concupiscences, are also from a spiritual source, is evident from what has been said above on the subject of the evil loves and insane lusts of infernal genii and spirits.
[3] Beasts and wild beasts, whose souls are similar evil affections, such as mice, poisonous serpents, crocodiles, basilisks, vipers, and others of a similar kind, with the various noxious insects, were not created at the beginning, but originated with hell, in ponds, marshes, putrid and foul waters, and wherever there were putrid, filthy, and urinous effluvia, with which the malignant loves of the infernal societies communicate. I have been permitted to know by experience that communication with such things does exist. There is also in everything spiritual a plastic force, and also a propagative force, wherever homogeneous exhalations are present in nature, for it forms not only the organs of sense and motion, but also organs of prolification, by means of wombs or eggs. But at the beginning, useful and clean beasts alone were created, whose souls are good affections.
[4] It must, however, be observed, that the souls of beasts are not spiritual in the degree in which the souls of men are, but they are spiritual in a lower degree; for there are degrees of spiritual things. The affections, also, of the lower degree, although spiritual viewed in regard to their origin, must still be spoken of as natural, for the reason that they are similar to the affections of the natural man. There are in man three degrees of the natural affections, and the same also in beasts. In the lowest degree are insects of various kinds; in the higher degree are the fowls of heaven, and in the degree still higher are the beasts of the earth, which were created from the beginning.
1201. That corrupted the earth with her whoredom, signifies those by whom all the truths of the Word have been falsified and its goods adulterated. This is evident from the signification of "the earth," as being the church; also from the signification of "corrupting it with whoredom," as being to falsify all its truths and to adulterate all its goods (n. 141, 161, 1083, 1130). That such have falsified the truths of the Word is evident from this, that they have little regard for the Word; but from what is their own [proprium] they devise new statutes, judgments, and commandments, most of which have regard to dominion over the church and heaven as an end, and these are all falsified truths. That the goods of the church are also adulterated is evident from this, that they call holy all things given to their monasteries and idols, and also to the papal chair, and call such gifts good works, and yet they thereby despoil homes, and deprive widows and orphans of their goods; and this they do notwithstanding they dwell amid treasures and possess superabundant revenues. Moreover, they make such works meritorious, and do many other like things.
(Continuation)
[2] These things being premised, what the soul of beasts is shall be told. The soul of beasts, regarded in itself, is spiritual; for affection of whatever kind, whether good or evil, is spiritual, for it is a derivation from some love, and has its origin in the heat and light that proceed from the Lord as a sun; and whatever proceeds from that is spiritual. That the evil affections that are called lusts are from the same source is evident from what has been already said about the evil loves and insane cupidities therefrom of infernal genii and spirits.
[3] Beasts and wild beasts, as mice, poisonous serpents, crocodiles, basilisks, vipers, and the like, with the various noxious insects, the souls of which are like evil affections, were not created from the beginning, but they originated with hell in stagnant lakes, marshes, rank and fetid waters, and in the effluvia from dead bodies, dung, and urine, with which the malignant loves of infernal societies have communication. That such communication exists has been granted me to know from much experience. Moreover, in everything spiritual there is a plastic force wherever homogeneous exhalations are present in nature; and in everything spiritual there is also a propagative force, for the spiritual gives form by means of wombs or eggs not only to the organs of sense and motion, but also to the organs of prolification. But from the beginning useful and clean beasts only were created, the souls of which are good affections.
[4] It must be known, however, that the souls of beasts are not spiritual in the same degree in which the souls of men are spiritual, but in a lower degree. For there are degrees in things spiritual; and although affections of a lower degree, regarded in their origin, are spiritual, they must be termed natural. They must be so called because they are like the affections of the natural man. In man there are three degrees of natural affections, and the same is true of beasts. In the lowest degree are insects of various kinds, in a higher degree are the flying things of heaven, and in a still higher degree are the beasts of the earth which were created from the beginning.
1201. "Quae corrupit terram scortatione sua." - Quod significet a quibus falsificata sunt omnia vera 1
Verbi et adulterata omnia bona ejus, constat ex significatione "terrae", quod sit ecclesia; et ex significatione "corrumpere illam scortatione", quod sit falsificare omnia vera ejus, et adulterare omnia bona ejus (de qua [supra] , n. 141, 161, 1083, 1130): quod vera falsificata sint, patet ex eo, quod Verbum floccipendant, ac nova statuta, judicia et praecepta ex proprio excludant, quorum pleraque spectant dominationem super ecclesiam et caelum ut finem, quae omnia sunt falsificata vera; quod bona ecclesiae etiam adulterata sint, patet ex eo, quod omnia illa quae dant monasteriis et eorum idolis, et quoque papali solio, dicant sancta, et appellent bona opera; et per id tamen spoliant domos, ac deprivant viduas et pupillos suis facultatibus, et haec faciunt tametsi in thesauris habitant, et illis reditus in superabuntia sunt: praeterea quod talia opera faciant meritoria, et plura similia.
[2] (Continuatio [de Vita Animalium] .)
His praemissis dicetur quid Anima Bestiarum. Anima bestiarum in se spectata est spiritualis; affectio enim, qualiscunque sit, bona aut mala, est spiritualis; est enim derivatio alicujus amoris, ac originem trahit ex luce et calore quae procedunt a Domino ut Sole; et quicquid inde procedit, est spirituale. Quod malae affectiones, quae concupiscentiae vocantur, etiam inde sint, patet ex illis quae de malis amoribus et inde insanis cupiditatibus geniorum et spirituum infernalium prius dicta sunt.
[3] Bestiae et ferae quarum animae similes affectiones malae sunt, non sunt ex principio creatae; sicut mures, serpentes venenati, crocodili, basilisci, viperae, et similes, cum insectis variis noxiis; sed ortae sunt cum inferno, in stagnis, paludibus, aquis putidis et fetidis, et ubi sunt effluvia cadaverosa, stercorea et urinosa, cum quibus maligni amores societatum infernalium communicant: quod communicatio cum talibus sit, ab experientia mihi scire datum est. Inest etiam omni spirituali vis plastica, ubi exhalationes homogeneae in Natura adsunt, et quoque inest omni spirituali vis propagatrix; format enim non modo organa sensuum et motuum, sed etiam organa prolificationis per uteros vel per ova. Sed a principio solum creatae sunt bestiae utiles et mundae, quarum animae sunt affectiones bonae.
[4] At sciendum est quod animae bestiarum non sint spirituales in eo gradu in quo sunt animae hominum, sed sunt spirituales in gradu inferiore: dantur enim gradus spiritualium; et affectiones gradus inferioris, tametsi ex origine sua spectatae sunt spirituales, usque dicendae sunt naturales; ita dicendae, quia sunt similes affectionibus hominis naturalis. Sunt in homine tres gradus affectionum naturalium, similiter in bestiis; in infimo gradu sunt insecta varii generis, in superiori sunt volatilia caeli, et in adhuc superiori sunt bestiae terrae quae a principio creatae sunt.
Footnotes:
1. The editors made a correction or note here.