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1288 NOTES TO VOLUME II.
Mr. White in 1856.
crowning grace and glory of the
true philosopher. He simply lays
down what he believes to be the
truth and with the most charming
modesty trusts for its acceptance
among men to its agreement with
reason and faith .... Often we
shall have to observe with what
independence, yet with what
humility and simplicity, he re
corded the truths which it was
his mission to reveal" (pp. 23, 2).
"Ofthe gentle and earnest piety
of his soul we have a striking
proof in his ’Rules of Life.’ More
need not be said on head,
than that he kept these vows ....
At no time did Swedenborg insult
his Maker with upbraidings that
his fate was to live in an evil
world and with a wicked gene
ration. He received life with
thankfulness, partook temperately
of all its lawful pleasures, did his
duty, and took care while living
with the world to keep himself
unspotted from its evil .... He
lived a life of utmost purity ....
That he was no harsh despiser
of the sex, we know well from
Mr. White in 1867.
vices of his mind was an impa
tience ofuncertainty, and to attain
a fully rounded doctrine he was
far too ready to cover the un
known with theory, evolved from
very imperfect data of the
known . . . . He was afflicted
with the itch of simplicity . ...
The fact is, that the truths he
saw he was as unable to set forth
in fair logical, as in fair rhetorical
trim. He tumbled out his ideas,
instead of setting them out; or
more correctly, he tried to set
them out, but with a success little
greater than if he had tumbled
them. Something of this disorder
and incompleteness maybe charged
against his self-satisfaction and his
solitary life. He was content to
test his work by his own eye
alone, and neither sought nor
cared to have the verdict of
others" (I, p. 182, 107, 109, 184).
"After the custom of unmarried
men in the upper ranks of life in
Sweden, and especially Stock
holm, he kept a Mistress ; and
she, assisted by his absorption in
business and study, may have con
spired to hold him unwedded."
In referring to the statement
ascribed to Gen. Tuxen [see
Note 27] Mr. White says, "It
may have been that Swedenborg
was misunderstood by General
Tuxen, and that ’Italy’ was sup
plied by his imagination. Yet
there is fair cause for belief in
both Mistresses. The confession
to Tuxen was not exhaustive, and
Robsahm did not know everything.
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