2851.
From this I was able to learn how evil spirits, each according to their own state of mind and their own nature, extracted from the mental images of my memory everything whatever in the scope of that composite mental image that was agreeable to them. Some took remote elements, in fact, very remote, which were far to the side of the image, brought there from some object of thought, of hearing, or of sight. For the mental images of the memory are such that very many elements can be associated to them one after another, and indeed, even alien elements, and the mental images are like a field of many subjects put together and thus associated from objects of the senses and of the thinking. They are like groups of very many, and depending on how the simpler images are joined together and associated, and what they are like, such is the person in respect to that mental image. And when the person after the death of the
2851. Hence may be known, how from the ideas of my memory, evil spirits, each according to his state and nature have taken the things, whatever in the composite idea was such as accorded with them [suited]. Some [took] remote, some, more remote things, which were far to the side of the idea; also from every object of thought, hearing, or sight, were brought [such things] thither [to them]. For it is thus with the ideas of memory, that very many things, and even dissimilars [aliena] may be successively associated; and ideas, like a field of many things, are compounded from objects of the senses and thought, thus are associated; they are, as it were, companionships of very many things, and in whatever manner the simpler ideas are consociated and associated, and whatever their quality, such is man, as regards that idea, and when men after the death of the body are amongst such spirits,
2851. Exinde scire potui, quomodo spiritus mali ex ideis memoriae merae, quisque secundum suum statum et suam naturam exemerint ea, quae usquam in idea composita tale fuerunt 1
, quod eis congruit, quidam remota, imo remotiora, quae longe a latere ideae fuerunt 2
, ex quodam objecto cogitationis, auditus, vel visus, illuc quoque allata 3
; nam ideae memoriae ita se habent, ut iis 4
adsocientur successive permulta, et quidem etiam aliena, suntque ideae sicut campus multarum rerum, ex objectis sensuum et cogitationis compositae, sic adsociatae, sunt quasi consortia perplurium, et quomodo consociatae sunt et associatae ideae simpliciores, et quales sunt, talis est homo quoad 5
ideam istam; cumque
(2852.) homo post mortem corporis inter spiritus tales est 6
, tunc quisque secundum suam naturam eximit quae suae indolis sunt, ita laceratur homo, patitur, angitur, et subit plura genera doloris, angustiae, cruciatus, molestiae, verbo spiritus mali apud me, ex ideis compositis meis, extulerunt ea, quae longe dissita erant a centro ideae, et hoc perpluries, quod quandoque multum miratus; res tamen se non aliter habet, ac id quod allatum est de objectis [2843], quod immundi spiritus viderint quae non vidi oculos meos sordes, ubicunque essent juxta pedes, latera, longe inde [auferrent] [id] quod non potui non prorsus ignorare, nisi tales id nossent, sentirent sic viderent. 1748, 18 Aug. Causa est, quia removent omnia, sic ut non videant quidem abhorrent, quae non congruunt immundis eorum jucunditatibus, quare quae non conveniunt, ut munda bona, ii rejiciunt latera, sic ut non solum iis sint umbrae, sed caligo frigus, quasi mors.
Footnotes:
1. This is how it appears in J.F.I. Tafel's edition; the Manuscript has fuit
2. This is how it appears in J.F.I. Tafel's edition; the Manuscript has fuit
3. This is how it appears in J.F.I. Tafel's edition; the Manuscript has allatum
4. The Manuscript has se
5. The Manuscript has quoad
6. The Manuscript has sunt