off your own garments, and put on those of
political ministers, and believe yourselves to be such." They did so;
and in this case they at the same time thought from their interior self,
and spoke from arguments which they had inwardly cherished in favor of
man's own intelligence. At that instant there appeared a tree near the
path; and it was said to them, "It is the tree of the knowledge of good
and evil; take heed to yourselves lest ye eat of it." Nevertheless all
the three, infatuated by their own intelligence, burned with a desire to
eat of it, and said to each other, "Why should not we? Is not the fruit
good?" And they went to it and eat of it. Immediately all the three, as
they were in a like faith, became bosom friends; and they entered
together into the way of self-intelligence, which led into hell:
nevertheless I saw them return thence, because they were not yet
prepared.

355. THE SECOND MEMORABLE RELATION. On a time as I was looking into the
spiritual world, I saw in a certain green field some men, whose garments
were like those worn by men of this world; from which circumstance I
knew that they were lately deceased. I approached them and stood near
them, that I might hear what they were conversing about. Their
conversation was about heaven; and one of them who knew something
respecting it, said, "In heaven there are wonderful things, such as no
one can believe unless he has seen them: there are paradisiacal gardens,
magnificent palaces constructed according to the rules of architecture,
because the work of the art itself, resplendent with gold; in the front
of which are columns of silver; and on the columns heavenly forms made
of precious stones; also houses of jasper and sapphire, in the front of
which are stately porticos, through which the angels enter; and within
the houses handsome furniture, which no art or words can describe. The
angels themselves are of both sexes: there are youths and husbands, also
maidens and wives: maids so beautiful, that nothing in the world bears
any resemblance to their beauty; and wives still more beautiful, who are
genuine images of celestial love, and their husbands images of celestial
wisdom; and all these are ever approaching the full bloom of youth; and
what is more, they know no other love of the sex than conjugial love;
and, what you will be surprised to hear, the husbands there have a
perpetual faculty of enjoyment." When the novitiate spirits heard that
no other lo