dored him. On my asking why he did
so, he said, "He is the God of heaven and earth, and is omnipotent." I
then asked the other, "What do you say to this?" he replied, "What shall
I say? I have all power over heaven and hell; the lot of all souls is in
my hand." Again I enquired, "How can he, who is emperor of emperors, so
submit himself, and how can you receive adoration?" he answered, "He is
still my servant; what is an emperor before God? the thunder of
excommunication is in my right hand." I then said to him, "How can you
be so insane? In the world you were only a canon; and because you were
infected with the phantasy that you also had the keys of heaven, and
thence the power of binding and loosing, you have inflamed your spirit
to such a degree of madness, that you now believe yourself to be very
God." Upon this he swore with indignation that it was so, and said, "The
Lord has not any power in heaven, because he has transferred it all to
us. We have only to give the word of command, and heaven and hell
reverently obey us. If we send any one to hell, the devils immediately
receive him; and so do the angels receive those whom we send to heaven."
I asked further, "How many are there in your society?" he said, "Three
hundred; and we are all gods there; but I am god of gods." After this
the earth opened beneath the feet of each, and they sank down into their
respective hells; and I saw that beneath their hells were workhouses,
into which those who injure others would fall; for every one in hell is
left to his phantasy, and is also permitted to glory in it; but he is
not allowed to injure another. The reason why such are there, is,
because a man is then in his spirit; and the spirit, after it is
separated from the body, comes into the full liberty of acting according
to its affections and consequent thoughts. I was afterwards permitted to
look into their hells: that which contained the emperors of emperors and
kings of kings, was full of all uncleanness; and the inhabitants
appeared like various kinds of wild beasts, with fierce eyes; and so it
was in the other, which contained the gods and the god of gods: in it
there appeared the direful birds of night, which are called _ochim_ and
_ijim_, flying about them. The images of their phantasies were presented
to me under this appearance. From these circumstances it was manifest,
what is the nature and quality of political and ecclesiastical
self-love; that the latter would make