898. Those souls or spirits, however discerning they may be in other matters, and receptive of understanding, nevertheless cling so hard to these ideas that they do not doubt them, but deny [any other life]. The reason for this is, as said, that when their own or proper self is taken away, then they think there is nothing left but something they reject. And I told them that the difference of life between those who do not have this inner sight and conviction [and those who do], is like that between something very faint - so faint as to be nothing - and heaven, or such as the difference between darkness and light, or indeed between what comes forth from man's lowest parts or rectum, and what descends from the universal heaven. In fact, a kind of vat was portrayed to me, almost like the infernal one [285], thus it is just like the difference between this tub - where hellish spirits imagine that they possess the whole heaven (for they think that the vat or tub is the universe, under their sway) - and the universal heaven with its flames and light.
898. However perspicacious and capable of perceiving in other respects, these souls or spirits still so stick in such ideas that they do not doubt, but deny, and this, as was said, because when the proprium or self is taken away they suppose that nothing would remain except what they reject. I then said to them that the difference of life between those who do not so perceive and those who are so persuaded, is as that between something very obscure - being so obscure as to be nothing - and heaven; or that between darkness and light; yea, as that which comes forth from the lowest parts of man, that is, from the rectum, and that which descends from the whole heaven. Indeed, a tun was represented to me, almost like the infernal tun, so that the difference was as that between that tun, where the infernal suppose that they possess the whole heaven, supposing that tun to be the universe subject to themselves, and the whole heaven as to its flames and light.
898. Animae istae seu spiritus, utcunque perspicaces in aliis, et susceptibiles 1
percipiendi, usque in his ita haerent, ut non dubitent, sed negent, ex causa, ut dictum, quia dum proprium et suum aufertur, tunc nihil superesse putant, quam tale quod rejiciunt; et dicebam 2
iis, quod talis vitae differentia sit inter eos, qui non percipiunt ita, et persuadentur ita, ac est [inter] 3
obscurissimum quoddam, quod ita obscurum est, ut nullum sit, ac inter coelum, seu qualis inter tenebras et lucem, imo qualis est inter tale quod surgit ab hominis infimis seu intestino recto, ac quod descendit ab universo coelo--imo 4
repraesentata mihi est quaedam tonna, paene sicut infernalis--ita 5
sicut inter tonnam hanc, ubi infernales putant totum coelum possidere, nam tonnam putant universum sibi subjectum, ac inter universum coelum, quoad flammas et lucem.
Footnotes:
1. The Manuscript has susceptiles
2. The Manuscript has cum dicerem
3. sic in J.F.I. Tafel's edition
4. The Manuscript has coelo, imo
5. The Manuscript has infernalis, ita