166. * A DEMONSTRATION OF THE EFFECT OF ENVY WITH THE EVIL, THUS OF THE ENVY OF THE INFERNAL CREW WHEN THEY PERCEIVE THE HAPPINESS OF THE BLESSED About the time of first awakening after a troubled sleep, a most lovely vision was represented, with garlands as it were of green laurels joined in most beautiful order, in a long and double series with a distance between them, and at the same time, intertwined and mobile. The vision cannot adequately be described on account of its beauty, and on account of the affection of blessedness flowing forth thence from the harmony. This was in some measure apparent even to evil spirits. Afterwards there followed another vision still more beautiful and, as it is permitted to conjecture, most lovely, joined with heavenly felicity; but it was only somewhat obscurely visible. There were infants engaged in ineffable heavenly sports, which affected the mind in the highest degree; these things could not be clearly seen and perceived except by the angels in the inmost heavens. These things [were seen] in wakefulness. Afterwards I spoke with the spirits about those visions. They confessed that, like me, they saw the first vision clearly, but not the second, and they were most eager to see this also. Hence there arose indignation amongst them, and afterwards, by degrees, envy which I was given sensibly to perceive, so that nothing escaped me so far as it would be conducive to my instruction. Their envy was such that it not only caused them the utmost annoyance, but also a quite interior pain, solely for the reason that they had not seen this second vision clearly like the first. They were afterwards led by varieties of envy, even to grief of heart as it is called. While they were in that state I said various things about their envy: that they could be content because they had seen the first vision, and that they would have been able to see the second also, if only they had been of an upright disposition; from this also there was indignation, by which the envy increased even to such a degree that they could not afterwards bear even the recollection of the vision, without being affected with grief. I am unable to describe the varieties which followed in their order, so that the envy, and the grief thence arising, such as awaits the wicked, might be effectively demonstrated. Only the torments arising therefrom cannot be described, for I felt the envy not as mine, but as theirs. I spoke with the spirits, whom I could in no way console at the time, about the stages of the progression of the varieties of envy. Hence it can be known to some extent, in regard to envy alone, what the future state of the impious will be when they see the blessedness of the pious. Many things happened which I could not remember, nor were these spirits willing that they should be revealed, as for the most part they have been; wherefore, also, they were permitted to snatch away the remembrance of certain things. 1747, July 25-26.** * Two daggers appear at this point in the text. For the significance of them, see the Preface, p. viii. ** This vision occurred during Swedenborg's journey from Stockholm to Amsterdam commenced on 24 July, 1747. It is recorded here a month later, and seems to be added from memory.