2896. About finer thought, its mental images
I spoke with him who had said he now knew that inward thought exists, and that its mental images filled up the simple ideas of others [2892]. When he thought that no ideas more simple than his could exist (for they do not think that more simple ones exist than their finest), then I was inspired to portray to him what his mental images are like that he imagined to be the finest, than which finer ones could not possibly exist: namely, that if he would look at any one of them through a microscope (which pleased him greatly, because he was like that), he would see one larger than the horse that appeared [2895], and after that larger than the whole planet with its forests and scenery, and that his simplest mental image was its crust, containing worms, and snakes, not seen by him.
At this he was amazed, and this for the reason that it was being portrayed to him by a spiritual mental image, holding his thought to the objects of the microscope, by means of which things most simple to the sight, the least things that do not appear,
2896. CONCERNING SUBTLER THOUGHT [AND] THE IDEAS THEREOF.
I spoke with him, who said that he now knows that interior thought is given, whose ideas filled up the simple ideas of others, since he supposed that simpler ideas than his could not be given; for they suppose that there are not given ideas more simple than those which are there most subtle [ideas]. But it was given to represent to him, of what quality are his ideas, which he considered to be most subtle, and that subtler [ones] are not given, to wit, that if he should see anyone of them with a microscope (this then pleased him greatly, because [he was] of such a character), he would see one idea [to be] larger than the horse that was seen, and afterwards, larger than the whole earth, with its woods and varieties; and that his simplest idea was that crust [shell], wherein were worms and serpents [things] not seen by him. He was amazed thereat; and [this] because it was represented in spiritual idea, by holding the idea on [in] the objects of the microscope, whereby those things, which to sight are the simplest,
2896. De subtiliori cogitatione, ejus ideis
Loquutus sum cum eo, qui dixit se nunc scire quod detur cogitatio interior, cujus ideae adimplebant simplices ideas aliorum [2892], is cum putaret, quod non dari possent simpliciores, quam ejus ideae--nam 1
non putant dari simpliciores, quam quae subtilissimae sunt eorum--tunc 2
dabatur ei repraesentare, quales ideae ejus sunt, quas putabat subtilissimas esse, nec dari posse subtiliores, nempe quod si aliquam earum videret (sicut ei tunc placebat valde, quia talis) microscopio, quod videret unam majorem equo viso [2895] postea, majorem tota tellure, cum ejus sylvis varietatibus quod ejus simplicissima idea esset crusta ista, in qua vermes serpentes, quae nec ab eo visuntur; ita obstupefactus [hoc] quia idea spirituali id repraesentabatur, tenendo ideam in objectis microscopiorum, per quae (2897.) ea quae visui sunt simplicissima, minima, non apparentia, usque patent in iis tam varia, sicut in insectis eorum viscera, vasa innumera, quae non crederet homo, nisi qui viderat. 1748, 23 Aug. Cum repraesentabatur ei, repraesentatione subitili, quod minimum ejus esset crustaceum modo, in qua crusta essent vermes anguiculi, qui quasi reptarent ederent sic causarentur titillationem jucunditatem, sicut solet, tunc is jucunda sua coepit persentiscere, cum tali jucunditate ex titillatione ut diceret, quod nusquam talem jucunditatem in suamet vita perceperit, nec credere potuisset, quod dabilis, 1748, 23 Aug.; sed 3
nunc fatetur, quod quoque perceperit noxium 4
quid.
Footnotes:
1. The Manuscript has ideae, nam
2. The Manuscript has eorum; sed (sic!)
3. The Manuscript has Aug: sed
4. in J.F.I. Tafel's edition anxium sed vide indicem ad Cogitare, Dolus, Jucunditas et Serpens