1761. About sores and false growths that spring up on the pleura and pericardium-who they are that constitute them
There are some in the world who carry on their lives indulging in intrigues and lies, that is, who, in order to obtain their aims, make use of lies that result in evils. Consequently, they seek their goals by evil means, such as some that have been shown to me by an actual experience: they use innocent people to do them the service of convincing [others] regarding the goals they are trying to reach. Also, lying to persons who know nothing about a matter, they induce them to affirm it, and when the lies are spread around, enmities and aversions result. For they behave deviously, holding back and taking care in various ways to keep those persons from finding out [the truth].
All this I was shown by an actual experience, where they used someone as their agent who was not at all their kind, just so as to convince by means of a blameless person. Then by persuasion and imitation, they brought to bear tactics familiar in the world of spirits, but which this is not yet quite the place to describe, so that I would be convinced, and so that there would be no suspicion that this came from them. In short they use evil means to arrive at any goal whatever-deceptions, lies and schemes causing all manner of evils to break forth. They plot these evils out of the arrogance of self-love, and people of this character practice them in their every least endeavor.
1761. CONCERNING SORES, AND FOUL TUBERCLES WHICH ARE NATURALLY PRODUCED UPON THE PLEURA AND PERICARDIUM, OR WHAT KIND OF SPIRITS CONSTITUTE THEM.
(There are some in the world who pass their lives in a course of mere artifices and lies; that is to say, that in order to attain the objects at which they aim they make use of falsehoods, from which originate evil; consequently they seek their ends through evil means. Thus it was shown to me by a living experience that they employ the services of the innocent for the purpose of persuading concerning those things which they intend and desire to obtain; as also that by lying in various modes they induce persons who are ignorant of their ends to say so and so, from whence arise enmities and aversions, for they act covertly and take various precautionary measures that those who serve them as tools should not understand their scope. This was shown to me by a living experience. They took for a subject a certain one who was of a genius unlike their own, in order that they might thus effect persuasion through an innocent medium; they then by means of mental induction and imitation brought into play things that are familiar in the world of spirits, but which this is not the place to describe; and all this in order that I might be persuaded concerning the objects at which they aimed. In order that there might be no suspicion as to the true source [of their machinations], I may say, in a word, that they make use of evil means that they may attain to whatever ends they propose. These means are deceits, falsehoods, and artifices, from which very many evils spring forth. Self-love or pride are the prompting causes of these machinations, and those of this quality exercise similar arts in every single thing which they intend.
1761. De vulneribus, et spuriis tuberculis, quae innascuntur pleurae, et pericardio, seu quinam ea constituunt
Sunt quidam in mundo, qui per mera artificia, ac mendacia vitam agunt, nempe, quodcunque intendunt, ut obtineant utuntur mendaciis, ex quibus mala, proinde quaerunt fines, per media mala; sicut, quae mihi per vivam experientiam, ostensa sunt, innocuos adhibent pro ministeriis persuadendi de iis, quae obtinere intendunt et cupiunt; tum quod mentiantur, variis modis, ac inducunt personas, qui 1
nihil tale sciunt, quod ita dixerint {a}, inde cum vulgantur [mendacia], inimicitiae, et aversationes, nam agunt clanculum, et prohibent, caventque variis modis, ne ii id sciant; haec mihi per vivam experientiam ostensa sunt, pro subjecto usi sunt quodam, qui talis non erat, nempe ut sic per innocuum persuadeant; tunc adhibuerunt, per inductionem ac imitamen, quae familiaria sunt in spirituum mundo, quaeque nonnita describere locus adhuc est, ut 2
sic persuaderer de iis, quae intendebant, sic ut nulla suspicio esset, quod ab iis, verbo, malis mediis utuntur, ad finem quemcunque perveniendi, media sunt dolosa, mendacia, et artificiosa, ex quibus perplura mala erumpunt: sui amoris seu fastus causa talia machinantur, quique tales sunt, in singulis, quae intendunt, similia exercent.
Footnotes:
1. The Manuscript has qui
2. The Manuscript has est; ut