ly he has been deceived.
In 1758, shortly after the death of the Prince of Prussia
Swedenborg came to court, where he was in the habit of attending
regularly. He had scarcely entered the queen's presence before she
said to him: "Well, Mr. Assessor, have you seen my brother?"
Swedenborg answered no, and the queen rejoined: "If you do see
him, greet him for me." In saying this she meant no more than a
pleasant jest, and had no thought whatever of asking him for
information about her brother. Eight days later (not twenty-four
as stated, nor was the audience a private one), Swedenborg again
came to court, but so early that the queen had not left her
apartment called the White Room, where she was conversing with her
maids-of-honor and other ladies attached to the court. Swedenborg
did not wait until she came forth, but entered the said room and
whispered something in her ear. The queen, overcome with
amazement, was taken ill, and it was some time before she
recovered herself. When she did so she said to those about her:
"Only God and my brother knew the thing that he has just spoken
of." She admitted that it related to her last correspondence with
the prince on a subject which was known to them alone. I cannot
explain how Swedenborg came to know the contents of that letter,
but I can affirm on my honor, that neither Count H---- (as the
writer of the article states) nor any other person intercepted, or
read, the queen's letters. The senate allowed her to write to her
brother in perfect security, considering the correspondence as of
no interest to the State. It is evident that the author of the
said article is ignorant of the character of Count H----. This
honored gentleman, who has done many important services to his
country, unites the qualities of a noble heart to gifts of mind,
and his great age has not yet weakened these precious possessions.
During his whole administration he added the weight of scrupulous
integrity to his enlightened policy and openly declared himself
the enemy of all secret intrigues and underhand dealings, which he
regarded as unworthy means to attain an end. Neither did the
writer of that article understand the Assessor Swedenborg. The
only weakness of that essentially honest man was a belief in the
apparition of spirits; but I knew him for many years, and I can
affirm that he was as fully convinced that he met and talked wit
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