1468. People such as these have their own chastening punishments. They seem to themselves to be let into atmosphere-like waters, so rare that they hardly appear as waters and may therefore be called atmosphere-like waters. Into these they seem to themselves to have been immersed, and those who had hatched false theories, convincing themselves of them by confirmatory material, suffer hardships in those waters, being carried around, now deeper down, now higher up, longing to emerge from them. It is a hardship somewhat like that of the veil [434-5, 1373, 1386].
But there is great variety; for no annoyance is suffered by those who confirm truths, and not for their own glory, but from a love of truth. There were some who had been let in there who said they had felt no annoyance, while others experienced something most troubling, who also said they are now being freed of their burden, that the annoyance was lessening. So this takes place according to their various dispositions.
1468. They have their own punishments of vastation. They seem to themselves to be immersed in waters which are like atmospheres, for they are so tenuous that they scarcely appear as water, for which reason they may be called atmospheric waters. They who have hatched hypothetical theories or falsities, and who persuade themselves concerning them by confirmations, seem to themselves to be immersed in such waters. In these tenuous waters they suffer grievous things, and are carried about sometimes at a greater and sometimes at a lesser depth, for they desire to emerge. The suffering is in some respects like that of the veil. But there is a great variety, for those who confirm verities, not from a love of their own glory but from a love of truth, do not suffer grievous things. Some have been sent there who said that they felt nothing grievous, while others perceived the utmost grief; the latter also said that they were now being freed from it, and that it had diminished. Thus this takes place according to their minds [animus].
1468. Illi 1
suas vastationis poenas habent, nempe quod videantur sibi immissi in aquas quasi atmosphaericas, ita enim tenues sunt, ut vix sicut aquae appareant, quare eas aquas atmosphaericas licet vocare, iis immersi sibi videntur, et qui excluserunt hypothetica, seu falsa, et ea confirmantibus persuadent sibi, ii in aquis istis tenuibus molestias patiuntur et circumferuntur, nunc profundius nunc altius, nam inde cupiunt emergere, est molestia quodammodo sicut veli [434-35, 1373, 1[386]. Sed multa est varietas, qui enim veritates confirmant, nec sui gloria sed veritatis amore, ii nihil molesti patiuntur; fuerunt aliqui illuc immissi, qui nihil molesti se sentisse {a} dicebant, alii vero molestissimum quid percipiebant, qui quoque dicebant se molestia nunc liberari, et molestiam diminui, quare hoc se habet secundum eorum animos.
Footnotes:
1. The Manuscript has Ille