310、⑴什么是人自己的谨慎，什么是非人自己的谨慎。当人们确信表象，并视之为真理，尤其确信这一表象：人自己的谨慎就是一切，圣治除了是某种普遍之物外，什么都不是时，他们就专注于自己的谨慎；但这种普遍之物若非由具体细节构成，是不可能的，如前所示（201节）。这些人还陷入幻觉，因为被确认为真理的一切表象都会变成幻觉；并且他们照着通过幻觉确认的程度而变成唯物主义者，甚至到了这种地步：他们只相信通过某种身体感官，尤其通过视觉感知到的东西，因为视觉尤其与思维行如一体。这种人最终会变得感官化；他们若确认支持自然反对神，就会关闭其心智的内层，可以说蒙上一层面纱。从那时起，他们就在这面纱之下思考，就好像它上面什么东西也没有一样。古人称这些感官人为“知识树的蛇”；在灵界，他们说，像这样的人因固执己见，故关闭了其心智的内层，甚至一直关闭到鼻子。因为“鼻子”表示对真理的感知，这意味着他们没有这种感知。我需要描述一下这种人是什么样子。
他们比其他人更精明、狡猾，是巧辩家；他们称精明和狡猾为聪明和智慧，他们也不知道别的。凡和他们不一样的人，尤其那些敬拜神并承认圣治的人，他们一律视其为简单和愚蠢。他们对其心智的内部原理知之甚少，就像那些被称为马基雅维利主义者的人，就是那些视杀人，奸淫，偷盗，作假见证本身为无足轻重的人。即便他们反驳这些罪行，那也只是为了小心谨慎，不让他们的本性暴露出来。
论到人在世上的生命，他们只认为它就像动物的生命；论到人死后的生命，则认为它就像从尸体或坟墓中冒上来，然后又沉回去，从而死亡的活雾。这种疯狂带来以下观念：灵人和天使是由空气做的。在这些唯物主义者当中，凡被迫相信永生的人都认为灵魂就具有这种性质，因而不能看、听或说，故又瞎又聋又哑，只能在自己那点空气中思考。他们说，灵魂怎会是别的东西呢？外在感官不是随着肉体一起死亡了吗？灵魂在与肉体重新结合之前，如何能再次获得它们？他们之所以执着于这些观念，是因为他们只能以这种感官方式，不能从属灵的角度来理解死后灵魂的状态。没有这种物质概念，他们就会丧失永生的信念。他们尤其将自我之爱证实，称其为生命之火，认为它对国家的各种功用有激励作用。这使得他们成为自己的偶像；他们的思维因是幻觉并基于幻觉，故是虚假的形像。他们因赞成欲望的快乐，故是撒旦和魔鬼。那些确认恶欲，或将其证实的人被称为撒旦，那些把这些恶欲行出来的人被称为魔鬼。
我被恩准知道最狡猾的感官人是什么样子。他们的地狱在后面的深处，他们不想叫人发现。因此，他们在那里看上去就像幽灵（就是他们的幻觉）那样到处飞。他们被称为魔鬼。他们当中有些人曾被放出地狱，好叫我知道他们是什么样子。他们立刻附到我的脖子上，就在我的后枕骨下面，从那里进入我的情感。他们不想进入我的思维，而是巧妙地避开它们。他们接连改变我的情感，不知不觉地把我的心情转到对立面，也就是转到恶欲；他们并不触及我的思维，所以若不是主阻止，他们会在我毫不知情的情况下扭曲并反转我的情感。
那些在世时不相信圣治的存在，只寻找他人身上的情欲和渴望，从而迷惑他们，直到彻底掌控他们的人就会变成这个样子。由于他们暗中做起这种事来如此巧妙、狡猾，以致其他人毫无察觉，还由于他们死后仍保持这种性质，所以一进入灵界，他们就被扔进这个地狱。在天堂之光下，他们看上去似乎没有鼻子；奇怪的是，他们虽如此狡诈，却比其他人更感官化。正因古人将感官人称为蛇，还因这种人在推理辩论方面比其他人更精明、狡猾和灵巧，所以经上说：
蛇比田野一切的野兽更狡猾。（创世记3:1）
主说：
所以你们要谨慎如蛇，单纯如鸽子。（马太福音10:16）
经上（启示录20:2）如此描述被称为古蛇、魔鬼和撒旦的龙：
“七头”表示狡猾，“十角”表示通过谬论或扭曲而说服的能力，“七个冠冕”表示遭到亵渎的圣言和教会的圣物。
310. (1) What one's own prudence is, and prudence not one's own. People caught up in their own prudence are those who inwardly affirm appearances and regard them as truths - especially the appearance that their own prudence is everything, and Divine providence nothing, unless it is some universal entity, which nevertheless is not possible without consisting of specifics, as we have already shown.
Such people are also caught up in misconceptions, for every appearance affirmed as truth becomes a misconception. And to the extent that they employ misconceptions to confirm themselves, to the same extent they become naturalists and do not believe anything that they cannot at the same time apprehend with some bodily sense, primarily the sense of sight, because this especially is united with thought. They eventually become sensual; and if they confirm themselves on the side of nature in opposition to God, they close up the interiors of their minds and interpose a kind of veil, and afterward think below the veil and of nothing that exists above it.
In ancient times such sensual people were called serpents of the tree of knowledge. It is said of them in the spiritual world that as they confirm themselves, they in the same measure close the interiors of their mind, "at length even to the nose." For the nose symbolizes the perception of truth, and this saying means that they do not have any.
[2] We will now describe their character. They are more cunning and guileful than others, and clever reasoners. They call cunning and guile intelligence and wisdom, nor do they know any different. They regard people who are not of such a character as simple and stupid, especially those who are worshipers of God and proponents of Divine providence. As for the interior principles of their minds, of which they themselves are little aware, they are like those people called Machiavellian, who regard murder, adultery, theft and false witness, viewed in themselves, as inconsequential. And if they argue against these, it is owing simply to their prudence, that they may not appear to be of that character.
[3] Of a person's life in the world they think no otherwise than that it is like the life of an animal; and of a person's life after death, that it is a kind of living vapor, which, rising from the corpse or tomb, sinks back again and so dies.
From this madness comes the notion that spirits and angels are puffs of air, and, among people who are enjoined to believe in eternal life, that people's souls are of a like nature, and therefore that they do not see, hear or speak, being consequently blind, deaf and mute, and conscious only within their bit of air. They say, "How can the soul be anything else? Did not the outward senses die with the body? How can people recover them before the soul is reunited with the body?"
And because they could comprehend the state of the soul after death only sensually and not spiritually, they postulated this state. Otherwise they would have lost their belief in eternal life.
Especially do they confirm in themselves their love of self, calling it the fire of life and their inducement to various useful endeavors in the kingdom. Moreover, as that is their character, they make idols of themselves, and because their thoughts are misconceptions and the products of misconceptions, their thoughts are images of falsity. Further, because they indulge the delights of their lusts, they are satanic spirits and devils. Satanic spirits are what those are called who justify the lusts for evil in them, and devils those who live those lusts.
[4] The character of the most guileful sensual people is also something I have been granted to know. Their hell is deep down behind, and they wish to be inconspicuous. Therefore they appear there flying about like ghosts, which is how they fantasize themselves, and they are called genii.
Once some spirits were let out of that hell in order that I might learn what they are like. They immediately applied themselves to the back of my neck, beneath the occiput, and thus entered into my affections, not wanting to enter my thoughts, which they skillfully avoided; and they began to vary my affections, one after another, with the intention of bending them imperceptibly into their opposites, namely into lusts for evil. Moreover, because they did not disturb my thoughts at all, they would have bent them and turned them around without my knowledge, had the Lord not prevented it.
[5] People who become of such a character are those who in the world did not believe in anything of Divine providence, and who explore in others only the others' lusts and desires and thus lead them along until they rule over them. And because they do this so secretly and so cunningly that the other person is unaware of it, and after death become such as they were, therefore as soon as they come into the spiritual world they are cast into that hell. When seen in the light of heaven they appear to have no nose; and what is surprising, although they are so clever, they are nevertheless more sensual than others.
Since people in ancient times called a sensual person a serpent, and since a person of that kind is more cunning and guileful than others and a cleverer reasoner, therefore it is said in Genesis that "the serpent became more cunning than any beast of the field" (Genesis 3:1). And the Lord says, "Be as shrewd as serpents and as guileless as doves" (Matthew 10:16). Moreover the dragon called also the serpent of old, the devil and satan, is described as having "seven heads and ten horns, and seven jewels 1on his heads" (Revelation 12:3, 9). By seven heads is symbolically meant guile. By ten horns is symbolically meant the power of persuading with fallacies. And by seven jewels are symbolically meant the sanctities of the Word and church profaned.
Footnotes:
1. The Latin word here, as also the Greek one in Revelation, is diademata, which normally has the meaning of "crowns," but which the writer, from his usage of the term elsewhere, clearly took to mean jewels, gems, or precious stones.
310. 1. What our own prudence is and what the prudence is that is not our own. People are devoted to their own prudence when they convince themselves that the way things seem is the way they really are, and particularly when they accept as truth the appearance that their own prudence is everything and that divine providence is nothing but a generality; though as already explained [201], no such generality could exist without being made up of specifics. They are then caught up in illusions as well, since any appearance that we take to be truth becomes an illusion. Further, to the extent that they justify themselves with illusions, they become materialists to the point that eventually they believe only what they can apprehend with one of their physical senses. They rely primarily on sight because it especially interacts with our thinking. Ultimately they become sense-centered; and if they come down decisively in favor of the material world and against God, they close off the inner levels of their minds and put a kind of veil in the way. From then on, they think underneath this veil, as though nothing above it existed. The ancients called sense-centered people like this "serpents of the tree of knowledge." In the spiritual world they say that as they become fixed in their opinions, people like this close the deeper levels of their minds all the way to the nose. The nose means our sense of what is true, and that sense is lacking.
Now I need to describe what these people are like.
[2] They are exceptionally adroit and shrewd, ingenious debaters. They call their ingenuity and shrewdness intelligence and wisdom and see no evidence to the contrary. They look on people who differ from them as simple and stupid, especially if those people revere God and acknowledge divine providence. In the deeper principles of their minds--which they themselves know very little about--they are like the people called Machiavellians, people who trivialize murder, adultery, theft, and perjury as such. If they do argue against such crimes, it is only to be careful that their actual nature does not become obvious.
[3] As far as our life in this world is concerned, the thought that it might be different from that of animals never crosses their minds. They think of our life after death as a kind of living mist that rises up out of the corpse or the tomb and then sinks back down and dies. This insanity leads to the belief that spirits and angels are made of air. Any of these materialists who are obliged to believe in eternal life believe that this is what our souls are like. This means that our souls do not see, hear, or speak, that they are blind, deaf, and mute. All they do is think in their own bit of air. "How could the soul be anything more?" materialists ask. "Aren't the outer senses dead along with the body? We won't get them back until our souls are reunited with our bodies." They cling to these conclusions because they can think about the state of the soul after death only in physical terms, not in spiritual terms. Without their physical concepts they would have lost their belief in eternal life.
They particularly justify their own self-love, calling it the fire of life and the spur to the various useful activities in the state. This makes them their own idols; and their thoughts, being illusions based on illusions, are false images. Since they approve of the pleasures of their obsessions, they are satans and devils. We call them satans because they inwardly justify their obsessions with evil, and devils because they act them out.
[4] I have also been shown what the shrewdest sense-centered people are like. Their hell is deep down at the back, and they want to be unnoticed. So it looks as though they are flying around like ghosts (which are their hallucinations). They are called demons. Once some of them were let out of hell so that I could find out what they are like. They promptly attached themselves to my neck just below the base of my skull and from there moved into my feelings. They did not want to enter my thoughts, and adroitly evaded them. They altered my feelings one at a time, shifting my mood imperceptibly to its opposite, into obsessions with evil; and since they were not touching my thoughts at all, they would have distorted and inverted them without my noticing it if the Lord had not prevented it.
[5] That is what becomes of people who in this world do not believe there is any divine providence, and who pay close attention to others only to find out what their urges and desires are and in this way influence them until they have complete control over them. Since they do this so subtly and shrewdly that others are not aware of it, and since they keep the same nature after death, as soon as they arrive in the spiritual world they are dismissed into this hell. In heaven's light they seem to have no noses, and strange as it may seem, even though they are so shrewd, they are still more sense-centered and superficial than anyone else.
It is because the ancients called sense-centered people "serpents" and because people like this are more deft, shrewd, and clever at debating than others that it says, "The serpent was made shrewd beyond every beast of the field" (Genesis 3:1) and, "The Lord said, 'Be prudent as serpents and simple as doves'" (Matthew 10:16). So too the dragon, who is also called the old serpent, the devil, and satan [Revelation 20:2], is described as "having seven heads and ten crowns, and on the heads seven diadems" (Revelation 12:3, 9). The seven heads mean shrewdness, the ten horns the power of persuasion by distortions, and the seven diadems the holy values of the Word and the Church profaned.
310. I. WHAT ONE'S OWN PRUDENCE IS, AND WHAT PRUDENCE NOT ONE'S OWN IS. They are in their own prudence who confirm appearances in themselves and make them truths, especially the appearance that one's own prudence is everything and the Divine Providence nothing, unless it is something universal; and yet this is impossible without the individual things of which it must consist, as was shown above. They are, moreover, in fallacies, for every appearance confirmed as a truth becomes a fallacy; and so far as they confirm themselves by fallacies they become materialists; and to that extent they believe nothing but what they can at the same time perceive by one of the bodily senses, principally by the sense of sight, for this especially acts as one with thought. Such persons finally become sensual; and if they confirm themselves in favour of nature against God, they close the interiors of their mind and interpose as it were a veil, and make the object of their thought what is under the veil but not what is above it. The ancients called such men serpents of the tree of knowledge; and of them in the spiritual world it is said that as they confirm themselves they close the interiors of their minds, at length even to the nose; for the nose signifies perception of truth, and this means that they have no such perception.
[2] What their character is will now be described. They are more cunning and crafty than others, and are more ingenious reasoners; and cunning and craftiness they call intelligence and wisdom, nor do they know otherwise. Those who are not of this nature they regard as simple and stupid, especially those who worship God and acknowledge the Divine Providence. With respect to the interior principles of their minds, of which they themselves know very little, they resemble those called Machiavellians, who regard murder, adultery, theft and false witness, viewed in themselves, as of no account; and if they reason against these, it is only from prudence that they may not appear to be of this nature.
[3] Concerning man's life in this world they think it is like the life of a beast; and concerning his life after death, that it is like a vital vapour which, rising from the body or from the grave, sinks back again and so dies. From this arises the foolish idea that spirits and angels are formed of air, and in the case of those who have been enjoined to believe in life everlasting, that the souls of men are the same, and therefore that they do not see, hear or speak, and thus are blind, deaf and dumb, and that they merely think in their own small portion of air. They say, How can the soul be anything else? Did not the external senses die together with the body? These cannot be resumed until the soul is reunited with the body; and because they could have only a sensual and not a spiritual idea of the state of the soul after death they confirmed this state; otherwise belief in eternal life would have perished. Especially do they confirm themselves in the love of self, calling it the fire of life and the incentive to various uses in the state. As this is their nature they are the idols of themselves, and since their thoughts are fallacies formed from fallacies, these are images of falsity. Moreover, as they indulge the delights of lusts they are satans and devils, those being called satans who confirm in themselves the lusts of evil, and those devils who live according to them.
[4] It has also been granted me to know the nature of the most crafty sensual men. Their hell is deep down, and behind, and they do not desire to be conspicuous. Therefore, they appear hovering about there like spectres, which are their fantasies; and they are called genii. Some of them were once sent out from that hell that I might know their character. They at once directed their influence to my neck beneath the occiput and from there they entered my affections, not wishing to enter my thoughts, which they dexterously avoided. They then kept changing my affections one after another with the design of bending them imperceptibly into their opposites, which are lusts of evil; and as they did not in the least touch my thoughts they would have bent and inverted my affections without my knowledge had not the Lord prevented this.
[5] Such do those become who in the world do not believe there is a Divine Providence, and who search out in others nothing but their cupidities and desires, and so lead them on till they acquire an ascendency over them. As they do this so secretly and craftily that others do not know it, and as these after death become like themselves, therefore immediately after their arrival in the spiritual world they are sent down into that hell. When seen in the light of heaven they appear without any nose; and what is wonderful, although they are so crafty yet they are more sensual than the rest.
[6] As the ancients called a sensual man a serpent, and as such a man is more cunning and crafty and is a more ingenious reasoner than others, therefore it is said,
The serpent was more subtle than any beast of the field. Genesis 3:1;
and the Lord says:
Be ye therefore wise as serpents, and harmless as doves. Matthew 10:16;
and also the dragon, which is likewise called the old serpent, the devil and satan, is described as
Having seven heads and ten horns, and seven crowns upon his heads. Rev. xii. 3, 9.
By the seven heads is signified craftiness, by the ten horns the power of persuading by means of fallacies, and by the seven crowns the holy things of the Word and of the Church when these are profaned.
310. (1) What one's own prudence is, and what prudence not one's own is. Those are in their own prudence who corroborate appearances in themselves and make them truths, especially the appearance that one's own prudence is everything, and the Divine providence nothing unless something universal; and this is impossible without the particulars that constitute it, as has been shown above. Such are in fallacies also, for every appearance confirmed as a truth becomes a fallacy; and as far as they confirm themselves by fallacies they become naturalists, and to that extent they believe nothing but what they are able also to perceive by some bodily sense, especially by the sense of sight, because that sense especially acts as one with thought. Such at last become sensual. When such confirm themselves in favor of nature against God, they close up the interiors of their minds, interposing a veil, as it were, and afterwards they think below the veil, but not of any thing that is above it. The ancients called such sensual men serpents of the tree of knowledge; and in the spiritual world it is said of them that as they confirm themselves they close up the interiors of their minds, at length even to the nose; for the "nose" signifies perception of truth, and this means that they have no perception. What such are shall now be told.
[2] They are above others shrewd and cunning, and ingenious reasoners; and they call shrewdness and cunning intelligence and wisdom, nor do they know otherwise. Those not like themselves they regard as simple and stupid, especially those who worship God and acknowledge the Divine providence. In respect to the interior principles of their minds, about which they have little knowledge, they are like those called Machiavelians, who regard murder, adultery, theft, and false witness, viewed in themselves, as of no account; and if they reason against them it is merely from prudence, lest they should appear such themselves.
[3] Of man's life in the world they think only that it is like the life of a beast; and of man's life after death that it is like a living vapor that after rising out of the corpse or the grave settles back again and thus dies. From this madness arises the idea that spirits and angels are made of air, and with such as have been trained to believe in eternal life, that the souls of men are of the same nature, and thus cannot see, hear, or speak, and therefore are blind, deaf, and dumb, and can merely think in some part of their air. They say, How can the soul be any thing else? Did not the external senses die with the body; and how can the soul again resume them until it is reunited with the body? And this belief has been maintained because they have been able to comprehend the state of the soul after death only in this sensual way and not spiritually; and except for this the belief in an eternal life would have perished. Such have especially confirmed in themselves the love of self, calling it the fire of life and the incentive to the various uses in the kingdom. And being such they are idols of self; and as their thoughts are fallacies and from fallacies they are images of falsity; and as they favor the delights of lusts they are satans and devils. Those who confirm in themselves the lusts of evil are called satans, and those who live those lusts are called devils.
[4] What the most cunning sensual men are it has been granted me to know. Their hell is deep down behind, and they wish to be invisible; therefore they appear there flying about like specters, which are their fantasies. They are called genii. Some of them were once let out of that hell that I might know their character. They immediately applied themselves to my neck, beneath the occiput, and thus entered into my affections, not wishing to enter my thoughts-these they skilfully voided; and they varied my affections one after another for the purpose of bending them insensibly into their opposites, which are lusts of evil; and as they did not touch my thoughts they would have bent and inverted the affections without my knowledge if the Lord had not prevented it.
[5] Such do those become who in the world do not believe that there is any such thing as Divine providence, and who seek out in others nothing but their cupidities and desires, thus leading them on until they rule over them. And as they do this so secretly and cunningly that the other does not know it, and as after death they become like themselves, as soon as they enter the spiritual world they are cast down into that hell. Such when seen in the light of heaven appear without noses, and what is wonderful, although they are so crafty they are nevertheless more sensual than others. As the ancients called a sensual man a serpent, and as such a man is shrewd, crafty, and an ingenious reasoner above others, therefore it is said that,
The serpent was made more crafty than any wild beast of the field (Genesis 3:1);
and the Lord says:-
Be ye therefore prudent as serpents and simple as doves (Matthew 10:16);
and also the dragon, which is likewise called "the old serpent," "the devil," and "satan," is described as,
Having seven heads and ten horns, and seven crowns upon his heads (Apoc. Matthew 12:3, 9);
"seven heads" signifying craftiness; "the ten horns" the power of persuading by fallacies; and "the seven crowns" the holy things of the Word and of the church profaned.
310. I. Quid Prudentia propria, et quid Prudentia non propria. In Prudentia propria sunt, qui apparentias apud se confirmant, et illas faciunt veritates, imprimis illam apparentiam, quod propria prudentia sit omne, et Divina Providentia non aliquid, nisi aliquod universale, quod tamen non dabile est absque singularibus ex quibus, ut supra ostensum est: illi etiam sunt in fallaciis, nam omnis apparentia confirmata ut veritas fit fallacia; et quantum se confirmant ex fallaciis, tantum fiunt naturalistae, et tantum non credunt aliud, quam quod aliquo sensu corporis simul possunt percipere, imprimis sensu visus, quia hic praecipue unum agit cum cogitatione; hi denique fiunt sensuales; et si se confirmant pro natura contra Deum, claudunt interiora mentis suae, ac interponunt sicut velum, ac postea sub velo cogitant, nec aliquid quod supra illud est: hi sensuales ab antiquis dicti fuerunt serpentes arboris scientiae: de his dicitur in mundo spirituali, quod sicut se confirmant, ita mentis suae interiora occludant, usque tandem ad nasum, nasus enim significat perceptionem veri, et id non aliquam.
[2] Quales sunt nunc dicetur; sunt prae aliis callidi et astuti, ac ratiocinatores ingeniosi, ac calliditatem 1et astutiam vocant intelligentiam et sapientiam, nec sciunt aliter: illos, qui non tales sunt, spectant ut simplices et stupidos, imprimis cultores Dei, et confessores Divinae Providentiae: quoad principia interiora mentis eorum, de quibus ipsi parum sciunt, sunt sicut illi qui vocantur Machiavelistae, qui homicidia, adulteria, furta et falsa testimonia in se spectata, nihili faciunt, et si ratiocinantur contra illa, est solum ex prudentia ne appareant tales.
[3] De vita hominis in mundo non aliter cogitant, quam quod illa sit similis vitae bestiae; et de vita hominis post mortem, quod sit sicut vapor vitalis, qui exsurgens e cadavere seu sepulchro relabitur, et sic moritur: ex hac vesania est, quod spiritus et angeli sint aeres, et apud illos quibus injunctum est credere vitam aeternam, quod animae hominum similiter, et sic quod non videant, audiant et loquantur, proinde quod caeci, surdi et muti sint, et quod solum in particula aeris sui cogitent; dicunt, quomodo potest anima esse aliud; nonne sensus externi una cum corpore mortui sunt, et quod illos non possint recipere priusquam anima reunitur cum corpore; et quia non aliter quam sensualiter et non spiritualiter comprehendere potuerunt statum animae post mortem, illum constabiliverunt; alioquin periisset fides de vita aeterna. Imprimis confirmant apud se amorem sui, illum vocantes vitae ignem, et excitamentum ad varios in Regno usus: et quia tales sunt, etiam sunt idola sui, ac cogitationes illorum, quia sunt fallaciae et ex fallaciis, sunt imagines falsi: et quia jucundis concupiscentiarum favent, sunt illi satanae et diaboli; satanae dicuntur, qui concupis centias mali apud se confirmant, et diaboli qui illas vivunt.
[4] Quales sunt sensuales homines astutissimi, etiam datum est scire; infernum eorum est profunde a tergo, et volunt inconspicui esse, quare apparent ibi volantes sicut larvae, quae sunt phantasiae eorum, et vocantur Genii: quondam ex illo inferno aliqui emissi sunt, ut scirem quales sunt; illi statim applicabant se cervici meae sub occipitio, et inde intrabant in meas affectiones, non volentes in cogitationes, quas dextre evitabant, et affectiones meas variabant unam post alteram, animo flectendi illas insensibiliter in oppositas, quae sunt concupiscentiae mali, et quia nihil tangebant cogitationes, inflexissent et in vertissent illas, me nesciente, nisi Dominus avertisset.
[5] Fiunt tales, qui in mundo non credunt dari aliquid Divinae Providentiae, et non aliud explorant apud alios, quam eorum cupiditates et desideria; et sic ducunt illos usque dum dominantur super illos; et quia id tam clandestine et astute faciunt, ut alter non sciat, et sibi similes fiunt post mortem, ideo statim, dum in mundum spiritualem veniunt, in illud infernum dejiciuntur; visi in luce coeli apparent absque naso, et quod mirum est, quod, tametsi ita astuti sunt, usque sint sensuales prae reliquis. Quoniam Antiqui sensualem hominem vocaverunt serpentem, et talis homo callidus, astutus et ratiocinator ingeniosus est prae aliis, ideo dicitur, "Quod serpens factus sit astutus prae omni fera agri," Genesis 3:1 : et dicit Dominus, "Estote 2prudentes ut serpentes, et simplices ut columbae," Matthaeus 10:16; et quoque Draco, qui etiam vocatur serpens antiquus, diabolus et satanas, 3describitur, quod haberet capita septem, et cornua decem, et super capitibus diademata septem," Apocalypsis 12:3, 9; per capita septem significatur astutia, per cornua decem significatur potentia persuadendi per fallacias, et per diademata septem significantur sancta Verbi et Ecclesiae prophanata.
Footnotes:
1 Prima editio: callidatem
2 dicit Dominus, "Estote ubi in prima editione " dicit Dominus, Estote
3 Prima editio: sanatas,