173、除了其它事外，这个星球的灵人还提到，他们的来访者，就是前面所说的修道士，还竭力劝服他们住在一个社群里，而不是分开单独居住。因为灵人和天使如在世时那样居住并形成社群。在来世，那些在世时住在社群里的人仍住在社群里；而那些分成家庭和家族的人则仍分开居住。这些灵人在自己的星球作为世人生活时，就分成家庭与家庭、家族与家族，因而分成民族与民族单独居住。所以，他们不知道什么叫住在一个社群里。当他们被告知，这些来访者企图劝他们住在社群里，是为了统治并控制他们，因为这是来访者能使他们臣服并将其沦为奴隶的唯一方式时，他们回答说，他们完全不知道统治和控制是什么意思。他们一想到统治和控制，就会逃跑，这一点从以下事实向我显明：他们当中的一个在陪我们返回时，我向他展示我所居住的城市，谁知他一看见就逃跑了，再也没有出现过。
173. One of the other things the spirits of that planet said was that those visitors, the monastic spirits just mentioned, tried their best to persuade them to live together in a large community, not by themselves.
Spirits and angels live and dwell together after death the same way they had in the world. The ones who lived in large communities in the world live in large communities in the other life too, and the ones who lived in separate individual households or in extended families by themselves live that way there as well.
When these spirits were living on their planet they lived separately, household by household, extended family by extended family, and group by group; they did not even know what it would be like to live all together in one community. So we told them that the reason their visitors were persuading them to do this was in order to rule and dominate them and that this was the only way they could make them their subjects and slaves. Their reply was that they have no idea what “ruling and dominating” even means. When I showed the city where I lived to one of the spirits who had come back with us, I discovered that those spirits would run away at the mere notion of being ruled over and dominated. The moment he saw the place he fled, and I never saw him again.
173. Amongst other things the spirits of that world said that their visitors, the monks already mentioned, had tried their hardest to persuade them to live together in a community instead of separately and alone. For spirits and angels live and form groups in the same way as in the world. Those who lived in groups in the world, go on living in groups in the next life; those who were split up into households and families go on living separately. When these spirits had lived as people in their own world, they had been split up into groups by households, families and so clans. Consequently they were ignorant of what it was like to live together in a community. So when they were told that those visitors tried to persuade them to do this in order to rule and control them, since this was the only way they could make them their subjects and slaves, they replied that they had no idea what rule and control meant. I observed their aversion to rule and control when one of them, who accompanied us on our return journey, ran away as soon as I showed him the city where I was living, and was not seen again.
173. The spirits of that earth mentioned also, among other things, that those strangers, who, as has been said, were monkish spirits, used all their endeavors to persuade them to live together in society, and not separate and solitary; for spirits and angels dwell and associate in like manner as in the world; they who have dwelt in communities in the world, dwell also in a similar state in the other life; and they who have dwelt in a separate state, divided into houses and families, dwell also in a separate state in another life. These spirits on their earth, while they lived there as men, had dwelt in a separate state, house and house, families and families, and thus nation and nation apart, and hence they knew not what it was to dwell together in society. Wherefore when it was told them that those strangers wished to persuade them to dwell in society, to the intent that they might rule and have dominion over them, and that they could not otherwise subject them to themselves and make them slaves, they replied that they were totally ignorant what was meant by ruling and domineering. That they flee away at the very idea of rule and dominion, was made manifest to me from this, that one of them, who accompanied us back again, when I showed him the city in which I dwelt, at the first sight of it fled away, and was no more seen.
173. Spiritus illius Telluris inter alia quoque dicebant, quod advenae illi qui, ut dictum est, erant spiritus Monachi, omni studio persuaserint ut in societate simul viverent, et non separati et solitarii: spiritus enim et Angeli habitant et cohabitant similiter ut in mundo; qui congregati habitaverunt in mundo, etiam congregati in altera vita habitant, et qui separati in domos et familias, etiam separati ibi habitant; hi Spiritus in tellure sua, cum ibi vixerunt homines, habitaverunt separati, domus et domus, familiae et familiae, et sic gentes et gentes, et inde nesciverunt quid esset habitare in societate simul: quare cum dicebatur illis, quod advenae illi ita persuaderent ob causam ut imperarent seu dominarentur super illos, et quod non aliter possent subjicere illos sibi et facere illos servos, respondebant quod prorsus nesciant quid sit imperare et dominari; quod fugiant ad solam ideam imperii et dominatus, animadvertebam ex eo, quod unus ex illis, qui nos comitabatur retro, cum ostenderem illi urbem, in qua habitabam, ad primum aspectum ejus aufugeret, et amplius non visus.