spirit of every one from which his body has its human form, and which, consequently, is principally the man, and in a similar form, but invisible to the eyes of the body, yet visible to the eyes of spirits. Hence also, when the sight of a man's spirit is opened, which is effected by the removal of the bodily sight, angels appear as men: in this manner angels appeared to the ancients, as recorded in the Word. I have also sometimes spoken with spirits, with whom I had been acquainted when they lived as men in the world, and I have asked them whether they had any inclination to be clothed again with their earthly bodies, as they used to think would be the case. But they fled far away at the very idea of such a conjunction, being smitten with amazement that, while in the world, they should have thought in this manner under the influence of so blind a belief, devoid of all understanding. 166. Moreover, on that earth I saw the dwellings of the inhabitants: they were lowly houses, extended in length, with windows at the sides, according to the number of the rooms or chambers into which they were divided. The roof was arched, and there was a door on each side at the end. They told me that they were built of earth, and covered with turf; and that the windows were formed of filaments of grass woven together in such a manner that the light shone through. I also saw little children; and the inhabitants told me that their neighbours come to them, especially for the sake of the little children, that they may be in company with other children in the presence and under the direction of their parents. There also appeared fields becoming white with standing crops that were at that time nearly ripe for harvest. The seeds or grains of that corn were shown me, and they were like grains of Chinese wheat: I was also shown some bread made from it, which was in small square loaves. There also appeared plains of grass adorned with flowers; also trees laden with fruit like pomegranates; also shrubs, which were not vines, but still produced berries from which they prepare wine. 167. The sun of that earth, which is to us a star, appears there flaming, in size almost a fourth part of our sun. Their year is about two hundred days, and each day fifteen hours, relatively to the length of days on our Earth. The earth itself is one of the least in the starry heaven, being scarcely five hundred German miles in circumference. The angels stated these particulars from a comparison made with things of the like kind on our Earth, which they saw in me, or in my memory. Their conclusions were formed by angelic ideas, whereby are instantly known the measures of spaces and times, in a just proportion relatively to spaces and times elsewhere. Angelic ideas, which are spiritual, in such calculations immensely surpass human ideas, which are natural. THE FIFTH EARTH IN THE STARRY HEAVEN, AND ITS SPIRITS AND INHABITANTS.