s own thought, and from
the same source produced his philosophical system, so that the terms
which he invented, and applied to subjects of thought, were forms of
expression by which he described interior things; also that he was
excited to such pursuits by a delight of the affection, and by a
desire of knowing the things that belonged to the thought and the
understanding; and that he followed obediently whatever his spirit
had dictated. This was the reason he applied himself to the right ear,
differently from his followers, who are called Schoolmen, and who do
not proceed from thought to terms, but from terms to thoughts, thus by
a contrary way; and many of them do not even proceed to thoughts, but
stick fast entirely in terms, their application of which, when they
make any, being to confirm whatever they want to, and to invest
falsities with an appearance of truth, according to their eagerness
to persuade. Consequently for them philosophy is rather a means of
becoming foolish than a means of becoming wise; and therefore they
have darkness instead of light. Afterwards, I conversed with him
on analytical science, saying that a little child, in half an hour,
speaks more philosophically, analytically, and logically, than he
could describe in a volume, because all things of human thought and
consequently of human speech are analytical, and the laws thereof are
from the spiritual world; and that he who wants to think artificially
from terms is not unlike a dancer who wants to learn to dance from
a knowledge of the motory fibres and muscles; if he were to keep
his mind (_animus_) fixed on that knowledge whilst dancing, he would
hardly be able to move a foot, and yet, without that knowledge, he
sets in action all the motory fibres that are scattered throughout the
whole of his body, and, in due measure, the lungs, diaphragm, sides,
arms, neck, and all the other parts, to describe all which volumes
would not suffice; and that the case is just like this with those who
want to think from terms. He approved of these observations, and
said, that if one learns to think in that way one proceeds in inverted
order: adding, that if any one wants to be foolish, he has only to
proceed in that way; and that one should constantly think of use, and
from what is interior. He next showed me what idea he had had of the
Supreme Deity. He had represented Him to himself as having a human
face, and encompassed about the head with a radiant circle; b