3580. I spoke with them while they were down below and in fact deep down under the buttocks. I spoke with them, although from afar and at a depth, entirely as if they were present, for distance means nothing. I supposed that they had so intensely confirmed themselves, by such an abundance of arguments and reasonings, against the truths of faith, that they had completely passed over into what is contrary to faith by the force of their reasonings. However, it was given me to observe that it was not so much the abundance of their arguments as their conviction about what they were thinking that made whatever they thought so persuasive - about which matter more will be said below.
3580. I spoke with them when they were below, and indeed very deep beneath the posteriors, conversing with them thus remotely and profoundly distant altogether as if present, for distance [in the other life] is of no account. I supposed that they had thus confirmed themselves by arguments and reasonings against the truths of faith, and, some, of them, so fully as, by the force of reasonings, to go entirely contrary of faith. But it was given to observe, that this was not so much from their abundance of arguments, as from their persuasion, or the things which they thought, for whatever they thought was persuasive [with them], of which more below.
3580. Loquutus cum iis, cum infra essent, et quidem profunde sub clunibus, loquutus cum iis, quamvis remote et profunde prorsus sicut praesentes, nam distantia nihil facit, putavi quod ita confirmaverint se argumentis et ratiociniis contra veritates fidei, et quidam tanta copia eorum, ut prorsus in contrarium abiverint vi ratiociniorum contra fidem, sed observare datum, quod non esse copia argumentorum, sed esset persuasio eorum, quae cogitabant, sic ut quicquid cogitarint, ita persuasivum esset, de quo infra magis.