3929. A certain spirit came to me after being punished, to whom it was granted me to speak at length, saying that such malignities and deceptions are punished in this way, and their imagining themselves to be the holy spirit, and princes and popes, makes it all the worse, considering their character, whether they are these, or others. It was also granted me to speak out against their dignity, while angels overhead tempered the speaking, which, because it was against their dignity, and they spoke crudely at my right ear, such as crude mental images - thus no longer subtly - they were chastised, and urged not to do those things, so they were thus spoken to for the sake of their amendment. For I did not feel in myself any inclination to punish or to chastise, but only to converse with them. I sensed as if from outside of myself that they took this seriously.
3929. A certain spirit, after punishment, came to me, to whom it was given to speak at length [and to say], that such malignities and deceits are thus punished, and that they think themselves the Holy Spirit, and princes and popes; and that their being such, whether the one or the other, made the matter so much the worse. It was also given to speak in derogation of their dignity, the angels above the head [meantime] moderating the speech, which as it was in opposition to dignity, and they spoke grossly at the left ear, as their ideas were gross, and then not subtle, occasioned them chastisement and thence dissuasion from persisting in such things, thus with a view to [their] amendment; for I did not perceive with myself a disposition to punish or chastise, but to speak with them; yet I had, as it were, an external perception 1that even this was grievous to them.
Footnotes:
1. The original phrase here is "extra me percepi," but the Editor intimates in a note that the manuscript leaves it doubtful whether the author wrote "extra" or "intra." I have on the whole concluded to abide by the reading of the text. -Tr.
3929. Venit quidam ad me post punitionem, cum quo dicere datum, plura, quod malitiae et doli tales ita puniantur, et quod putent se spiritum sanctum esse, et principes ac papas, hoc eo pejus est, cum tales, sive haec sive alia [sint] ; loqui datum contra dignitatem eorum, angelis supra caput moderantibus loquelam, quod quia contra dignitatem, et ii ad aurem dextram loquuti crasse, sicut crassae ideae, tunc non subtiliter, iis erat castigatio, et exhortatio inde ne talia facerent, sic emendationis causa, nam apud me non sensi animum puniendi aut castigandi, sed loquendi cum iis, quasi extra me percepi, quod hoc iis grave esset.