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Doc. 2.) 7
SWEDENBORG’S AUTOBIOGRAPHY.
degrees in the University, the public offices you filled, your
friends and relations, the honours which, I am told, have been
conferred upon you, and anything else that might be useful
in establishing your good character, so that ill-conceived pre
judices may be removed; for it is our duty to use all lawful
means, lest the cause of truth should suffer injury.” After
reflecting on this, I have been led to yield to your friendly
advice, and will now communicate to you some particulars of
my life, which are briefly as follows.
I was born at Stockholm, on the 29th of January in the
year 1689. My father’s name was Jesper Swedberg ; * who was
Bishop of West-Gothland, and a man of celebrity in his time.
He was also elected and enrolled as a member of the English
Society for the Propagation of the Gospel in Foreign Parts; for
he had been appointed by King Charles XII Bishop over the
Swedish churches in Pennsylvania, and also over the church
in London. In the year 1710 I went abroad. I proceeded first
to England, and afterwards to Holland, France, and Germany,
and returned home in the year 1714. In the year 1716, and also
afterwards, I had many conversations with Charles XII,3
King of Sweden, who greatly favoured me, and the same year
offered me an assessorship in the College of Mines, which
office I filled until the year 1747, when I resigned it, retain
ing, however, the official salary during my life. My sole
object in tendering my resignation was, that I might have
more leisure to devote to the new office to which the Lord
had called me. A higher post of honour was then offered me,
which I positively declined, lest my heart should be inspired
with pride. In the year 1719, I was ennobled by Queen Ulrica
Eleanora,’ and named Swedenborg; and from that time I have
taken my seat among the nobles of the rank of knighthood, in
the triennial Diet of the Realm . I am a Fellow and Member,
by invitation, of the Royal Academy of Sciences in Stockholm ;
but I have never sought admission into any literary society
in any other place, because I am in an angelic society, where
such things as relate to heaven and the soul are the only
• A more detailed account of Bishop Jesper Swedberg will be found
in Documents 9A and 10.
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