3585. They attempted there, through their strong persuasive principle, and assisted by the evil genii, to infuse their deadly influence into me, but in vain; I even spoke with them there, though the tenor of the conversation has escaped me. But in the night while asleep, I suddenly seemed to myself to be suffocated; but from being asleep I knew not whence it was, though the angels that were with me knew. Wherefore I besought help of the Lord, and there appeared a man with me in the bed, upon which I was immediately delivered, and delivered too by the Lord. It was thence given to know what is the quality of their persuasive principle, that by means of it alone they can strangle or suffocate others, yea whomsoever - that even - as if awake, when in the state - there was exhibited a kind of representative breastplate, which cannot be described, as such an idea is not expressible by words.* The breast-plate however signified that it [the thing in question] was of no value, that it was scarcely an argument, and yet that such a thing had been so strong a persuasive, that if anyone would not have believed it they would have sought to kill him. They induced a persuasion also that a small man was lying with me, nor could I, in that state of sleep, as if awake, think otherwise than that such was the fact; I also heard him speaking. Hence it may appear how strong had been their persuasive principle. * From the broken manner in which the paragraph is given, the reader would naturally infer, what Dr. Tafel, the editor, says is the fact, that the MS. is here somewhat defective, the paper having been torn. I have concluded to let it stand as it appears in the original. -Tr.