e
the understanding is the internal sight, and the sight of things
immaterial, nos. 2701, 4410, 4526, 9051, 10569. The sight of the left
eye corresponds to truths, consequently to intelligence; and the sight
of the right eye corresponds to the goods of truth, consequently to
wisdom, no. 4410.]

23. There was a spirit from another earth, who was well qualified to
converse with them, being a prompt and rapid speaker, but who affected
elegance in his discourse. They instantly formed their judgment
concerning whatever he spoke, saying of one thing that it was too
elegantly, of another that it was too learnedly expressed; so that the
only thing they attended to was, whether they heard from him anything
which was not known to them before, rejecting thereby such things as
obscured the subject, which are chiefly affectations of elegance in
expression and of erudition; for these hide the things themselves and
in their place substitute expressions, which are the material forms
of things; on these the speaker keeps his mind (_animus_) fixed, and
wants to draw attention to his expressions rather than their meaning,
by which the ears of his auditors are more affected than their minds
(_mens_).

24. The spirits of the earth Mercury do not tarry in one place, or
among assemblies of the spirits of one system, but wander through
the universe. The reason is that they have reference to the memory
of things, which requires to be continually enriched; therefore it is
granted them to wander about, and everywhere acquire knowledges.
If, while travelling in this manner, they meet with spirits who love
material, that is, corporeal and terrestrial things, they shun them,
and betake themselves to where they do not hear such things. From this
it may appear that their mind (_animus_) is elevated above sensual
things, and thus that they are in interior light (_lumen_). This it
was also given me actually to perceive when they were near me and were
speaking with me. I observed then that I was withdrawn from sensual
things to such a degree, that the light (_lumen_) of my eyes began to
grow dull and dim.

25. The spirits of that earth go about by companies and phalanxes, and
when assembled together they form as it were a globe. They are joined
together in this manner by the Lord in order that they may act as a
one, and that the knowledges of each may be communicated to all, and
the knowledges of all to each, as is the case in heaven[l]. That they
w