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480 TESTIMONY OF CONTEMPORARIES. [Doc. 256.
hitherto published his works anonymously, and has put his name
only before his recent works, published last year and during the
present one ; yet his name and official character are given in
full in his philosophical and mineralogical works printed in
1734 ; besides, his name is sufficiently well-known in the learned
world, so that to be ignorant of it is not particularly flattering
to a critic of philosophy and metaphysics. You may read,
however, two-thirds of the work before you find Swedenborg’s
name mentioned, and meanwhile the author makes sport of
metaphysics and the learned generally. His style is lively and
readable.
6. "From the way the writer introduces the three stories re
specting Mr. Swedenborg, you might, unless you had read the
whole treatise, suppose that he is more in favour of than in op
position to the seer. At all events he surpasses the seer in
this respect, that he tells the stories, while the seer himself
keeps silence. I am sorry that I did not know anything about
the Gottenburg story, or else I should have asked Mr. Sweden
borg about it, as I did concerning the story about the Prince
of Prussia which I have mentioned above, and concerning that
respecting the lost receipt. The truth of both of these stories
he affirmed; but he did not dwell long upon them, remarking
that there were hundreds of similar stories ; but he did not
think it worth while to waste many words upon them. He
said that they were trifles, which made people forget the great
object of his mission ...
7. "The author of the above treatise is certainly right in
’refraining from meddling with the fantastic explanation of
the first two books of Moses,’ but I am truly obliged to him
for having informed me that Dr. Ernesti’s38 Theologische
Bibliothek’ does take notice of those treatises [Swedenborg’s
Arcana Calestia]. I recollect having heard Mr. Swedenborg
say as much; though as far as I can recollect of his con
versation, he did not know in what manner he had been judged
there; neither does he seem to trouble himself very much about
it. He goes on writing and writing ; and if any one is not
willing to believe him, he may leave his writings aside, although
he sends them everywhere with the expectation, no doubt, of
having them read ...
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