4659. About the state of those who are in hell compared to those who are in heaven
When I had observed over a long period of time, [I saw] that the evil spirits, who were from hell, were extremely cunning, so they appeared to be cleverer than others. For they were able to devise tricks with which they led others astray and convinced them of falsities, along with well-reasoned arguments. They were also able to defend evils and falsities with such cleverness that I at first supposed that they were more intelligent than the upright. But the reason I believed this is that I presumed that to be able to cleverly deceive, convince, and mislead was intelligence, as it does appear to be. However, I later observed that their state is entirely different, for they allow themselves to be misled by fantasies to the point that they believe that the things that come into existence through fantasies are entirely real. This was shown in a thousand ways. Moreover, they are carried along entirely by their nature, like wild beasts, and act from it. Thus they cannot see whether something is useful to them or not. So they are without reflection, without shame, without fear. Nevertheless, they are worse than beasts, for in developing that nature they have abused the faculty of understanding. From this it is plain that they are anything but intelligentحalice is not intelligence, but that they are like those who are insane. The reason is that they are let back into their own evil and from this into falsity, and that their intellectual ability to dissemble and to behave otherwise than their nature dictates is taken away from them. If this were not the case, they would always become worse and would completely lose all traces of humanity itself.
But with the upright it is different because they have truths and goodness, and from these they have heavenly light, therefore they are intelligent and wise. Their wisdom cannot be described. The reason for this is that wisdom is to know truths and to do good deeds, in these there is what is Divine, but insanity is to will and do evils and from this to think and speak falsities. Because the latter have an opposite nature and absolutely no heavenly light from what is true and what is good, they are therefore insane and scarcely differ from the wild beasts except in being worse than the beasts.
4659. CONCERNING THE STATE OF THOSE WHO ARE IN HELL, IN RESPECT TO THOSE WHO ARE IN HEAVEN.
When I had observed, for a considerable time, that the evil who are from the hells were most cunning, so that they appeared cleverer than others (for they could devise arts, whereby they might seduce others and persuade to falses, together with arguments, and could defend evils and falses with such ingenuity that, at first, I supposed that they were more intelligent than the upright; yet, that I believed this, is because I considered it to be intelligence to ingeniously persuade to falses, and mislead; as, also, it appears); but, still, I observed afterwards, that their state was wholly different; for they suffer, themselves to be misled by phantasies, so that those things which come to pass by means of phantasies, they believe to be wholly real. This was shown in a thousand ways. Moreover, they are completely borne away by their nature, just like beasts. They act therefrom; thus, are not able to see whether anything is advantageous for them, or not; thus, they are without reflection, without shame, without fear, but still are more malignant than beasts, for they have abused the intellectual faculty to forming that nature. Hence, it was evident, that they are anything else than intelligent - malice is not intelligence - but that they are, as it were, insane. The reason is, because they are remitted into their evil and the false thence; and the intellectual faculty of feigning and doing anything save as their nature impels them, is taken away from them. Were it otherwise, they would then continually become worse, and would wholly lose the remaining human itself. But it is otherwise with the upright: these, because they are in truths and goods, and hence in heavenly light, are, therefore, intelligent and wise. Their wisdom cannot be described; the reason is because wisdom is to know truths and to do goods: in these, is the Divine. But insanity is to will and do evils, and thence think and speak falses. Because these are in the opposite condition, and not at all in any light of heaven from truth and good, therefore, they are insane, and hardly differ from beasts, save in the circumstance, that they are more malignant than beasts are.
4659. De statu illorum qui in inferno respective ad illos qui in coelo
Cum per multum tempus observaverim, quod mali qui ex infernis astutissimi essent, ut apparuerint ingeniosi prae aliis - potuerunt enim machinari artes quibus seducerent alios, et persuaderent ad falsa, una cum ratiociniis, potuerunt etiam patrocinari malis et falsis tali ingenio, ut putarem primum quod intelligentiores essent probis, sed quod hoc crediderim, est quia intelligentiam autumarem esse ingeniose fallere, persuadere, et seducere, sicut etiam apparet - usque postea observavi, quod prorsus alius illis status esset, nam seduci se patiuntur phantasiis, adeo, ut illa quae per phantasias fiunt, credant prorsus realia esse, quod mille modis ostensum est; praeterea feruntur prorsus a natura sua, sicut bestiae, ex illa agunt, sic nec videre possunt num aliquid conducat illis vel non, sic absque reflexione, absque pudore, absque timore [sunt], sed usque sunt bestiis maligniores, nam abusi fuerunt facultate intellectuali ad formandam naturam illam; inde patuit quod nihil minus quam intelligentes, malitia non est intelligentia, sed quod sint sicut insani, causa est, quia remittuntur in suum malum, et inde falsum, et aufertur illis intellectuale simulandi et faciendi aliud quam sicut fert natura, sin aliter tunc pejores semper fierent, et ipsum humanum residuum prorsus amitterent. At probi aliter illi quia in veris et bono sunt, et inde in luce coelesti, ideo intelligentes sunt et sapientes, illorum sapientia non describi potest, causa est quia sapientia est scire vera et facere bona, in his Divinum est; at insania est velle et facere mala et inde cogitare et loqui falsa, quia hi in opposito sunt, et prorsus non in aliqua luce coeli ex vero et bono, ideo insani sunt, et vix differunt a bestiis, solum in eo quod iis maligniores sint.