3550. About the lowest of the common people
For quite a long time I felt a fairly intense chill from my foot - sole right through my foot to my knee, even to my loins - first in the right foot, then in the left - showing clearly that there were spirits that were cold, or rather, icy, and upon wondering who they were I was told that those rising up through the right foot were the kind who had lived in absolute ignorance and contrary to true love outwardly, drinking, and whipping each other, and so on like the lowest of the common people, who spend their time in the forests, hardly different from wild beasts - which they would be, had they not been endowed with the faculty of thinking that alone distinguishes them from wild animals.
Those, however, who ascended so coldly through the left foot, were likewise from among the lowest common people, who utterly denied a life after death, believing that like the wild beasts, they would die. So those holding such principles were lifted up through the province of the left foot.
3550. CONCERNING THE LOWEST OF THE COMMON PEOPLE.
I perceived for some time a cold considerably severe from the sole of the foot upwards through the foot itself to the knee, and even to the loins, first in the right foot, then in the left. It clearly appeared that they were spirits thus cold; or rather cool, and wondering who they were, I was informed that those which ascended through the right foot were such as had lived in absolute ignorance, and were contrary to my love as to externals, [indulging] in drinking, whipping each other, etc., characters such as are found in the lowest of the populace, who live in woods, differing little from the wild beasts, and who would be beasts but from possessing the faculty of thought, by which alone they are to be distinguished from them. Those that ascended so coldly through the left foot were in like manner from the dregs of the people, who utterly denied a life after death, and believed that they would die like the beasts. Those therefore who were in such principles were raised through the province of the left foot.
3550. De infima plebe
Percepi aliquamdiu frigus satis magnum a planta pedis, usque per pedem ad genu, etiam ad lumbum, primum in dextro pede, dein in sinistro, constabat manifeste quod essent spiritus ita frigidi seu potius gelidi, et miranti quinam essent, mihi dicebatur quod ii qui per dextrum pedem assurgunt, essent tales qui in absoluta ignorantia vixerunt, et contrarii fuerunt amori vero, quoad externa, bibendo, flagellando, et sic porro quales in infima plebe, qui in sylvis degunt, et vix alii ac ferae bestiae, et forent bestiae, si non facultate cogitandi praediti, qua solum distinguuntur a feris. Qui autem per sinistrum pedem ita frigide ascenderunt, erant qui similiter ex infima tali plebe, prorsus negarunt vitam post mortem, sed se fore ut bestiae, ita morituros, crediderunt, quare qui in principiis talibus fuerunt, per sinistri pedis provinciam elevati.