27. [26] MELANCTHON. I have spoken with Melancthon and with others concerning him. After he came into the spiritual world, Melancthon confirmed himself in faith alone more than before, so that he was scarcely willing to hear of charity, and of its good: and as he could not persuade any others but those who had led a life scarcely Christian, he therefore procured to himself a persuasive power; which is such that the speech flows into the thought of another, and thus binds it; so that the man is deprived of the power of thinking anything but what is said, though it be false. It fascinates the mind; on which account it is forbidden there; for it extinguishes all light of the understanding; and those whom he could not convince by reasonings, he looked into their eyes, and infused such a persuasion into their minds, that they could not see the falsities nor the sophistries, thus could not answer; on which account they complained about him. This he also tried with me, but with a fruitless effort. Leeks and the smell of them or garlic correspond to this persuasive power; which smell, by its pungency, hurts the left eye. I spoke with him concerning the power of persuasion, and concerning the Nephilim who were in it; who could almost kill a man by their persuasion; concerning which see in the Arcana Coelestia.