3585. They attempted there by their strong persuasiveness to inject their deadly influence into me, aided by evil demons, but it was in vain, and I spoke with them there, but do not yet remember what I spoke about with them. But in the night, when I was asleep, I suddenly seemed to myself to be suffocated, but being asleep I did not know where this came from, the angels with me knew, so they prayed for the Lord's aid, and a person appeared with me in the bed, and at once I was freed. So I had been freed by the Lord.
In this way it was granted me to find out what their persuasive faculty was like in having been able to strangle or suffocate others just by persuasion - in fact, anyone whatsoever, whether [absent or present]. Something that was also portrayed to me in a state almost of wakefulness, yet somewhat in sleep, was a kind of symbolic breast-plate, indescribable, because such a mental image cannot be expressed in words. This symbolic breast-plate signified that although [the idea] was of no value and scarcely worth arguing, they nevertheless considered it so strongly convincing that anyone who did not want to believe it, they would try to suffocate.
They also brought on the persuasive delusion that a little person was lying next to me, and I was unable in that state of sleep resembling one of wakefulness, to think other than that he was lying next to me, for I also heard him speaking. This shows again how strong their persuasive faculty was.
3585. They attempted there, through their strong persuasive principle, and assisted by the evil genii, to infuse their deadly influence into me, but in vain; I even spoke with them there, though the tenor of the conversation has escaped me. But in the night while asleep, I suddenly seemed to myself to be suffocated; but from being asleep I knew not whence it was, though the angels that were with me knew. Wherefore I besought help of the Lord, and there appeared a man with me in the bed, upon which I was immediately delivered, and delivered too by the Lord. It was thence given to know what is the quality of their persuasive principle, that by means of it alone they can strangle or suffocate others, yea whomsoever - that even - as if awake, when in the state - there was exhibited a kind of representative breastplate, which cannot be described, as such an idea is not expressible by words. 1The breast-plate however signified that it [the thing in question] was of no value, that it was scarcely an argument, and yet that such a thing had been so strong a persuasive, that if anyone would not have believed it they would have sought to kill him. They induced a persuasion also that a small man was lying with me, nor could I, in that state of sleep, as if awake, think otherwise than that such was the fact; I also heard him speaking. Hence it may appear how strong had been their persuasive principle.
Footnotes:
1. From the broken manner in which the paragraph is given, the reader would naturally infer, what Dr. Tafel, the editor, says is the fact, that the MS. is here somewhat defective, the paper having been torn. I have concluded to let it stand as it appears in the original. -Tr.
3585. Tentabant ibi per suum forte persuasivum mihi infundere lethale, adjuti a geniis malis, sed incassum, et loquutum ibi cum iis, sed nondum memini quid cum iis loquutus: at in nocte cum essem in somno, subito videbar mihi sicut suffocatus, sed quia in somno, nesciebam unde, sed angeli apud me sciebant, quare opem Domini precati, et apparebat homo apud me in lecto, et illico eram liberatus, ita a Domino liberatus. Inde scire datum quale eorum persuasivum quod potuissent strangulare seu suffocare alios solum ex persuasivo, imo quoscunque, sive ab[essent, sive proximi;] quod etiam [factum] quasi in vigilia, cum [tamen] erat in statu quodam somni, [inde mihi] repraesentabatur aliquid repraesentativum pectorale, quod describi nequit, quia talis idea non exprimi verbis potest, quod repraesentativum pectorale significabat quod nullius pretii esset, sic ut vix ratiocinium, et tamen quod tale apud eos fuerit tam forte persuasivum, ut si quis non credere voluisset, quod eum vellent suffocare. Inducebant etiam persuasionem quod aliquis parvus homo jaceret apud me, nec aliter potui in statu isto somni, sicut vigiliae, quam putare quod jaceret apud me, et audivi quoque loquentem. Inde quoque quam forte fuerat eorum persuasivum constare potuit.