at he might be instructed; and lo! an angel appeared at his right
hand, and having raised him, said, "You have prayed to be instructed
concerning heaven and hell; INQUIRE AND LEARN WHAT DELIGHT IS, AND YOU
WILL KNOW;" and having said this, the angel was taken up. Then the
novitiate spirit said within himself, "_What does this mean, Inquire and
learn what delight is, and you will know the nature and quality of
heaven and hell?_" And leaving that place, he wandered about, and
accosting those he met, said, "Tell me, if you please, what delight is?"
Some said, "What a strange question! Who does not know what delight is?
Is it not joy and gladness? Wherefore delight is delight; one delight is
like another; we know no distinction." Others said, that delight was the
laughter of the mind; for when the mind laughs, the countenance is
cheerful, the discourse is jocular, the behaviour sportive, and the
whole man is in delight. But some said, "Delight consists in nothing but
feasting, and delicate eating and drinking, and in getting intoxicated
with generous wine, and then in conversing on various subjects,
especially on the sports of Venus and Cupid." On hearing these
relations, the novitiate spirit being indignant, said to himself; "These
are the answers of clowns, and not of well-bred men: these delights are
neither heaven nor hell; I wish I could meet with the wise." He then
took his leave of them, and inquired where he might find the wise? At
that instant he was seen by a certain angelic spirit, who said, "I
perceive that you have a strong desire to know what is the universal of
heaven and of hell; and since this is DELIGHT, I will conduct you up a
hill, where there is every day an assembly of those who scrutinize
effects, of those who investigate causes, and of those who explore ends.
There are three companies; those who scrutinize effects are called
spirits of knowledges, and abstractedly knowledges; those who
investigate causes are called spirits of intelligence, and abstractedly
intelligences; and those who explore ends are called spirits of wisdom,
and abstractedly wisdoms. Directly above them in heaven are angels, who
from ends see causes, and from causes effects; from these angels those
three companies are enlightened." The angelic spirit then taking the
novitiate spirit by the hand, led him up the hill to the company which
consisted of those who explore ends, and are called wisdoms. To these
the novitiate spirit said, "P