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TESTIMONY OF CAPTAIN DE STAHLHAMMER. 123
her brother. Eight days afterwards, and not four-and
twenty hours, nor yet a particular audience, Swedenborg
came again to court, but so early that the queen had not
left her apartment called the white room, where she was
conversing with her maids of honour and other ladies of
the court. Swedenborg did not wait for the queen’s
coming out, but entered directly into her apartment, and
whispered in her ear. The queen, struck with astonish
ment, was taken ill, and did not recover herself for some
time. After she was come to herself, she said to those
about her, ’ There is only God and my brother who can
know what he has just told me.’ She owned that he
had spoken of her last correspondence with the prince,
the subject of which was known to themselves alone.
" I cannot explain how Swedenborg came to the know
ledge of this secret ; but this I can assert, upon my
honour, that neither Count Hôpken, as the author of the
letter falsely states, nor any other person, had intercepted
the queen’s letters ; the senate then permitting her to
write to her brother without the least interruption, re
garding her correspondence with him as a thing quite
indifferent to the state.
"" It is evident that the author of the above-mentioned
letter is utterly ignorant of the character of Count
Hôpken. This respectable nobleman, who has rendered
.
the most important services to his country, possesses
greatness of mind and goodness of heart, and his ad
vanced age has in nowise impaired these valuable endow
ments. During the whole of his administration, he
united the most enlightened policy with the most scru
pulous integrity, and was a declared enemy to secret
intrigue and underhand devices, which he looked upon as
means unworthy of accomplishing his purposes.
"The author is no better acquainted with Assessor
Swedenborg. The only weakness of this truly honest
man was his belief in the apparition of spirits ; but I
knew him for many years, and I can confidently affirm,
that he was as fully persuaded that he conversed with
spirits, as I am that I am writing at this moment. As a
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