161.  The spirit, who had been a prelate and a preacher in the world, entirely disbelieved that any other earths existed besides our own, because he had thought in the world that the Lord was born on this Earth alone, and that without the Lord none could be saved; wherefore he was reduced into a state similar to that into which spirits are reduced when they appear on their own earth as men (which state has been treated of just above); and thus he was let into that earth, so that he not only saw it, but also conversed with the inhabitants there.  This done, a communication was by this means granted me also, so that I likewise saw the inhabitants, and also some objects on that earth (see above, no. 135).  There appeared then four kinds of men, but one after the other in succession; the first I saw were clothed; the second were naked, of a human flesh colour; the next were naked, but with flame-coloured bodies; and the last were black.

162.  While the spirit who had been a prelate and a preacher was with those who were clothed, a woman with a very pretty face appeared.  She was simply attired; her robe hung gracefully behind her, and was also drawn over her arms, and she wore a beautiful head-dress, in the form of a chaplet of flowers.  That spirit was greatly delighted at the sight of this virgin; he spoke to her, and also took her by the hand; but, apperceiving that he was a spirit, and not of that earth, she hurried hastily away from him.  Afterwards there appeared to him on the right several other women, who had the care of sheep and lambs, which they were then leading to a watering-trough, into which water was led by means of a trench from some lake.  They were similarly clothed, and had shepherds’ crooks in their hands, by which they led the sheep and lambs to drink; they said the sheep went whichever way they pointed with their crooks:  the sheep which we saw were large, with woolly tails, broad and long.  The faces of the women, when seen nearer, were full and beautiful.  Some men were also seen; their faces were of a human flesh colour, like that of the men of our Earth, but with this difference, that the lower part of the face, instead of being bearded, was black, and the nose more of a snowy-white than of a flesh colour.  Afterwards the spirit who, as already mentioned, had been a preacher in the world, was led further on, but reluctantly, because he was still thinking about that woman with whom he had been delighted, as was evident from the circumstance that there still appeared something of his shadow in the former place.  He then came to those who were naked.  They were seen walking together by twos, husband and wife, girt with a girdle about the loins, and some sort of covering around the head.  That spirit, when he was with them, was led into the state in which he had been in the world when he was disposed to preach, and then he said he would preach before them the Lord crucified; but they said they would not hear such a thing, because they did not know what