2646. An earthly human and a spirit can do nothing of good from themselves, yet seem to themselves entirely able to do so
Last night from time to time, while in a state midway between waking and sleeping, now and then in a kind of wakeful state, I saw that certain upright spirits at the region of the heel of the left foot were very zealously trying to fashion for themselves a candlestick with its stems and lamps in honor of the Lord, and I watched for one or two hours how they labored and were indeed convinced that they were doing this from themselves, and thus devising one stem after the other and creating a wonderful candlestick. I myself in the vision plainly observed that they could devise absolutely nothing from themselves, while they were convinced that they did so entirely on their own, for what was theirs I plainly observed to be nothing, and this they did not realize.
2646. THAT MEN AND SPIRITS ARE NOT ABLE TO DO ANYTHING AT ALL WHICH IS GOOD OF THEMSELVES, BUT SEEM TO THEMSELVES QUITE [ABLE] TO DO [SO] OF THEMSELVES.
(This night, sometimes in a state midway between waking and sleep, sometimes in a state of a kind of wakefulness, I perceived that certain righteous [spirits] in the region of the heel of the left foot desired very earnestly [summo studia] to form for themselves a candlestick with their canes [wands[ [cannis] and lamps to honor the Lord, and I apperceived from hour to hour [per unam alteramque horam] how much they labored and indeed supposed that (they acted of themselves, and thus contrived [invenirent] one cane after another and so produced a splendid candlestick. I plainly apperceived in vision that they could never invent anything of themselves, and that they supposed [they acted] wholly of themselves, for what was of them I plainly apperceived to be nothing, and they did not know it.
2646. Quod homo et spiritus nihil prorsus boni ex semet possint agere, sed quod prorsus videantur sibi agere
Hac nocte passim in statu medio inter vigiliam et somnum, passim in vigiliae cujusdam statu, percipiebam quod quidam probi, ad regionem calcanei sinistri pedis, summo studio formare sibi vellent candelabrum cum suis cannis et lucernis, in honorem Domini, et appercipiebam 1
ego, per unam alteramque horam, quantum laborabant, et quidem opinantes, quod ex semet, et quod sic invenirent unam cannam post alteram, et sic magnificum candelabrum efficerent. Ego in visione, manifeste
(2647.) appercipiebam, quod nihil usquam invenire possent ex semet, et quod ii opinati sint quod prorsus ex semet, nam quod eorum erat, manifeste appercipiebam quod nihil esset, et hoc ii non sciebant: tandem post 2 vel 3 vel 4 horas, dicebant quod nunc candelabrum suum formaverint quod obscure mihi visum, erat elegans, cum suis lucernis et floribus, et tunc 2
loquutus cum iis, et dicebam, quod nihil usquam ex semet invenerint, nec formaverint, sed quod Dominus pro iis formaverit, quod vix credere primum potuerunt, quia adhuc in ea opinione erant, quod ii suomet studio performaverint, at tandem cum iis idea spirituali repraesentaretur, quod tale apperceperim, et quod sic illud pro certo confirmare possem, tunc fassi, quod opinati se omne effecisse, sed fassi, dein, quod Dominus omnia et singula.
Footnotes:
1. The Manuscript has apperciebam
2. in J.F.I. Tafel's edition tum