1517. When spirits of our earth irritate them and try to lead them astray from their belief, uprightness and humility, then they want to die. They seem to have little knives in their hands, and try to plunge them into their chests. When asked why they did this, they replied that they would rather die than be drawn away from their worship, uprightness and humility. So they very often did this when spirits of our earth afflicted them with such interrogations, attempting thereby to lead them astray. They said they know very well that they are not killing themselves, and that this was only fantasy. For a spirit cannot be killed with a knife or dagger, but this is only their anger, meaning that they would rather die than be led astray.
1517. When spirits from our earth irritate them, and wish to lead them away from their faith, their uprightness and humility, they then want to die. They have little knives, as it were, in their hands, and want to strike them into their breasts. When asked why they would do this, they replied that they would rather die than be withdrawn from their worship, uprightness and humility, for which reason they did this very often when the spirits of our earth infested them with such questions, endeavoring to seduce them. They say that they well know that they do not kill themselves, and that this was only a phantasy, for a spirit cannot be killed by a knife or a dagger; this is simply their vexation, signifying that they would like to die rather than be led astray. 1
Footnotes:
1. Crossed out: "This signifies they would not be led astray from the true worship and adoration of the Lord. When they hear that it is not allowable to do this, because it also signifies that they want to destroy themselves, they say that if this be evil they would desist; but they know that it is a phantasy and they do not die. They say they would rather act in this way than speak, and by speech ..."
1517. Quando eos irritant, et seducere volunt, a sua fide, probitate et humilitate, tunc mori volunt, habentes quasi parvos cultros in manibus, et in pectora sua volunt percutere, cumque diceretur iis, cur id facerent, respondebant, quod potius mori vellent, quam abstrahi a cultu suo, et probitate ac humilitate, quare saepius hoc faciebant, cum spiritus nostrae telluris talibus interrogationibus infestarent, quibus eos seducere conarentur; dicentes quod probe sciant, quod non se interimant, et quod hoc modo phantasia esset, nam spiritus cultro seu pugione non potest interimi, sed hoc solum est eorum iracundia, significans id quod amarent potius mori, quam seduci.