1704. Everything a person on earth, or a spirit or angel hears, is bent toward what is dominant in their minds
It is a common thing, and may therefore be familiar to everyone, that when any thought, feeling, or desire prevails in a person's mind, then everything that is done by others, and everything the person hears, bends around in that direction. Hence those who are promiscuous, spoken of earlier [1663-1665, 1694-1698], turn whatever they hear into lewd pictures in their minds, and these into lewd utterances. It is the same in other cases.
1704. WHATEVER REIGNS PREDOMINANT IN THE MIND OF A MAN, OF A SPIRIT, OR OF AN ANGEL, TO IT IS BENT WHATEVER SUCH AN ONE MAY CHANCE TO HEAR.
(This is a common fact, and thus maybe known to everyone, that when any thought, affection, or cupidity has the ascendancy in the mind, then everything which is done by others, and which is heard [by the party in question], is determined thereto; so that they, for instance, who are lascivious, such as we have spoken of above, turn everything that they hear into lascivious images, and thus into lascivious expressions. So also in other things.)
1704. Quae regnant in mente hominis, aut spiritus, aut angeli, eo flectuntur omnia quae audiunt
Hoc commune est, ettsic unicuique notum esse potest, quod dum aliqua cogitatio, affectio aut cupiditas regnat in mente, tunc omnia quae fiunt ab aliis, ac [quae] audiunt, eo flectant, proinde ii qui lascivi sunt, de quibus prius [1663-1665, 1694-1698], quicquid audiunt, in lascivas apud eos visiones, et ita in lascivas expressiones: ita in caeteris.