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598 REFUTATION OF FALSE REPORTS. [Doc. 270.
"It seems by the account of Mr. Shearsmith, that the Baron
had visited England three or four different times. He had
lodged in Cold Bath Fields ; and upon his return to England
came to the same place : but the people had removed, and
he was recommended to Mr. Shearsmith’s, where he lodged
about two years. Then he left England, and went to Amster
dam in Holland, at which place ..... he staid some time, and
then returned to England, and came to the same place to lodge
with Mr. Shearsmith, and remained at his house till his death."
According to Mr. Peckitt’s statement, Swedenborg removed
to Shearsmith not from Fetter Lane, but from Cold Bath
Fields. As Peckitt took his testimony from Shearsmith before
Hindmarsh and Mrs. Shaw, the probability lies in favour of
his account ; yet as several statements which Mr. Peckitt in
no. 2, of Document 264 attributes to Mr. Shearsmith are
erroneous, viz. that when he first removed to his house, he
stayed there for two years, when yet he stopped there at the
utmost but two months ; and that when he left England in
1769, he went to Holland, when the fact is that he returned
then to Sweden; it is quite possible that there is an error also
in his other statement, namely, where he states that Sweden
borg removed to Shearsmith’s house from Cold Bath Fields.
In this particular, therefore, we oppose to Mr. Peckitt’s testi
mony that of Messrs. Hindmarsh and Noble, and of Mrs. Shaw,
and on the authority of these witnesses we believe that when
Swedenborg left Mr. Brockmer’s house in Fetter Lane, he
removed to Mr. Shearsmith’s in Great Bath Street, Cold
Bath Fields.
In accepting this statement we are, however, obliged to
assume that Swedenborg lodged twice at the house of Mr.
Brockmer, once in 1744, and again in 1769, when he removed
thence to Mr. Shearsmith’s. Excepting Mr. Peckitt’s state
ment, which we have analyzed above, there is no other testi
mony which conflicts with this assumption, or renders it
impossible. The fact, however, being assumed that Sweden
borg removed from Brockmer’s house to Shearsmith’s, that
removal could have taken place only in 1769 and not in 1744,
as is clearly proved by Mr. Noble in what follows (Preface
to "Heaven and Hell, " p. xxviii) :
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