419. 'Anyone can convince himself in favour of the divine by observing nature, when he studies what is known about bees. They know how to collect wax from grasses and flowers, and to suck up honey; how to build cells as little houses, and arrange them so as to make a city with streets through which they can come and go. They can smell at a distance the flowers and grasses from which they collect wax for building and honey for food, and laden with these fly back on the right heading for their hive. Thus they provide themselves with food and dwelling for the coming winter, as if they knew this and could foresee it. They set over themselves a mistress or queen, from whom their offspring are propagated; and they construct for her a sort of court up above, with attendants around it. When it is time to give birth, she goes accompanied by her attendants from one cell to another, laying eggs which the crowd of followers seals in to prevent them being harmed by the air. This is how their new generation is produced. Then later, when this reaches the adult stage so as to be able to do likewise, it is thrown out of the hive. The swarm thrown out first of all gathers together, and then in a squadron to avoid losing touch with one another, flies off to find itself another home. About autumn time the useless drones are brought out, and deprived of their wings, to prevent them returning and eating up food which they have done nothing to provide. And there are many more facts, from which it can be established that they have, on account of their usefulness to the human race, as a result of influence coming from the spiritual world the same kind of government as human beings on earth, or rather of angels in heaven.