4545. About the hells
Evil spirits are sometimes let down into the hells and led around, and in this way what they are like is shown to the angels. The spirits are taken around in accord with their desires which come from the life they had lived while in the world. I have witnessed this twice. Two were known to me in bodily life and were at the time esteemed men. By this I was also instructed concerning the location of the hells. The hells are under the earth.
[2] Beneath and in front of the left foot are adulterers, and the deeper down one goes, the more malicious and foul the adulterers are. Beneath the right foot are cruel adulterers.
[3] A little toward the front are robbers and criminals, and the deeper down they are, the more criminal they are. They dwell quite a long way off in sooty caverns filled with excrement.
Toward the front, also at a rather great distance, are the profane, especially toward the right where there is a murky cloud into which they are plunged.
4545. CONCERNING THE HELLS.
Sometimes evil spirits are let down into the hells and led about, and thence are shown, as to their quality, to the angels. At first, they are led according to their cupidities [derived] from the natural life in the world. I saw this on two occasions: the two [spirits led about] were known by me, in the life of the body, and were then held in respect. Thence I was also instructed, what is the situation of the hells. The hells are under the earth, 1beneath the left foot: in front of this foot are the adulterers; and the deeper you descend, the more wicked and abominable the adulterers are. Under the right foot are cruel adulterers. A little in front, are robbers and flagitious spirits; and the deeper you go the more flagitious they are. They dwell there in dusky and excrementitious caverns. This [region] extends for quite a considerable distance. Still more in front, for a great distance, are profane spirits, especially towards the right there, where there is a dark cloud in which they are enveloped.
Footnotes:
1. The earth here mentioned is not the natural earth, on which we live, but the earth of the spiritual world, which constitutes the lower part of the world of spirits - that is, the part of the world of spirits nearest to, and most closely associated with, hell.
4545. De Infernis
Quandoque mali spiritus demittuntur in inferna, et circumducuntur, et exinde angelis monstrantur quales sunt, perducuntur secundum cupiditates suas ex vita actuali in mundo, hoc bis vidi, fuerunt bini in vita corporis mihi noti, et tunc aestimati, exinde etiam instructus, quem situm habent inferna, inferna sunt sub terra. Sub pede sinistro, et ante pedem hunc sunt adulteri, et quo profundius itur sunt adulteri maligniores et tetriores; sub pede dextro sunt adulteri crudeles. Antrorsum paulo sunt latrones et facinorosi, et quo profundius eo facinorosiores, habitant ibi in antris furvis et excrementitiis, hoc ad multam satis distantiam. Antrorsum ad magnam satis distantiam sunt prophani, imprimis versus dextrum ibi, ubi est caliginosus nimbus in quem immerguntur.