es of their time?" And he added, "Access to these also can
only be obtained by the Lord's favor and protection." I was in the
spirit as before, and accompanied my conductor. We first came to a hill
on the confines between the east and the south; and while we were
ascending it, he shewed me a great extent of country: we saw at a
distance an eminence like a mountain, between which and the hill on
which we stood was a valley, and behind the valley a plain, and from the
plain a rising ground of easy ascent. We descended the hill intending to
pass through the valley, and we saw here and there on each side pieces
of wood and stone, carved into the figures of men, and of various
beasts, birds, and fishes; and I asked the angel what they meant, and
whether they were idols? He replied, "By no means: they are
representative forms of various moral virtues and spiritual truths. The
people of that age were acquainted with the science of correspondences;
and as every man, beast, bird, and fish, corresponds to some quality,
therefore each particular carved figure represents partially some virtue
or truth, and several together represent virtue itself, or truth, in a
common extended form. These are what in Egypt were called
hieroglyphics." We proceeded through the valley, and as we entered the
plain, lo! we saw horses and chariots; horses variously harnessed and
caparisoned, and chariots of different forms; some carved in the shape
of eagles, some like whales, and some like stags with horns, and like
unicorns; and likewise beyond them some carts, and stables round about
at the sides; and as we approached, both horses and chariots
disappeared, and instead thereof we saw men (_homines_), in pairs,
walking, talking, and reasoning. And the angel said to me, "The
different species of horses, chariots, and stables, seen at a distance,
are appearances of the rational intelligence of the men of that period;
for a horse, by correspondence, signifies the understanding of truth, a
chariot, its doctrine, and stables, instructions: you know that in this
world all things appear according to correspondences." But we passed by
these things, and ascended by a long acclivity, and at length saw a
city, which we entered; and in walking through the streets and places of
public resort, we viewed the houses: they were so many palaces built of
marble, having steps of alabaster in front, and at the sides of the
steps pillars of jasper: we saw also temples of prec