l-carnal by irritations, and then they take possession of
them at pleasure; and when they have attained this end, they rejoice in
heart, and make a mock of those whom they have violated.

514. The lot of these seducers after death is sad, since such seduction
is not only impiety, but also malignity. After they have passed through
their first period in the spiritual world, which is in externals,
wherein they excel many others in the elegance of their manners and the
courteousness of their speech, they are reduced to another period of
their life, which is in internals, wherein their lust is set at liberty,
and commences its sport; and then they are first conveyed to women who
had made vows of chastity, and with these they are examined as to the
quality of their malignant concupiscence, to the intent that they may
not be judged except on conviction: when they are made sensible of the
chastity of those women, their deceit begins to act, and to attempt its
crafty arts; but as this is to no purpose, they depart from them. They
are afterwards introduced to women of genuine innocence; and when they
attempt to deceive these in like manner, by virtue of a power given to
those women, they are heavily fined; for they occasion in their hands
and feet a grievous numbness; likewise in their necks, and at length
make them feel as it were a swoon; and when they have inflicted this
punishment, they run away and escape from the sufferers. After this
there is a way opened to them to a certain company of courtezans, who
have been versed in the art of cunningly feigning innocence: and these
first expose them to laughter among themselves, and at length after
various engagements suffer themselves to be violated. After some such
scenes, a third period takes place, which is that of judgement; and in
this case, being convicted, they sink down, and are gathered to their
like in the hell which is in the northern quarter, and there they appear
at a distance like weasels; but if they have allured by deceit, they are
conveyed down from this hell to that of the deceitful, which is in the
western quarter at a depth to the back; in this hell they appear at a
distance like serpents of various kinds; and the most deceitful like
vipers: but in the hell into which I was permitted to look, they
appeared to me as if they were ghastly pale, with faces of chalk: and as
they are mere concupiscences, they do not like to speak: and if they do
speak, they only mutter