The debate on his doctrines dragged its slow length along. His enemies, full of spite, were yet full of fear, and seemed to dread the result of an open attack upon Swedenborg. Still the petty persecution continued, until, at last, May 10th, 1770, Swedenborg took up his pen and addressed himself directly to the king. In this letter, he complains that he had met with usage the like of which had been offered to none since the establishment of Christianity in Sweden, and much less since there had existed liberty of conscience. He recapitulated his grievances. He said that he had been attacked, calumniated, and menaced, without the opportunity of defending himself; though truth itself had answered for him. He reminded his Majesty of their former interview. With great simplicity, he says: “I have already informed your Majesty, and beseech you to call it to mind, that the Lord our Saviour manifested himself to me in a sensible personal appearance; that he has commanded me to write what has been already written, and what I have still to write; that He was afterwards graciously pleased to endow me with the privilege of conversing with angels and spirits, and of being in fellowship with them. I have already declared this more than once to your Majesty in the presence of all the royal family, when they were graciously pleased to invite me to their table, with five senators, and several other persons; this was the only subject discoursed of during the repast. Of this I also spoke afterwards to several other senators; and more openly to their Excellencies Count de Tessin, Count Bonde, and Count Hopken, who are still alive, and were satisfied with the truth of it. I have declared the same in England, Holland, Germany, Denmark, and at Paris, to kings, princes, and other particular persons, as well as to those in this kingdom. If the common report is to be believed, the Chancellor has declared that what I have been reciting are untruths, although the very truth. To say that they cannot believe and give credit to such things, therein will I excuse them; for it is not in my power to place others in the same state in which God has placed me, so as to be able to convince them, by their own eyes and ears of the truth of those deeds and things I publicly have made known. I have no ability to capacitate them to converse with angels and spirits, neither to work miracles to dispose or force their understandings to comprehend what I say. When my writings are read with attention and cool reflection, (in which many things are to be met with, heretofore unknown,) it is easy enough to conclude, that I could not come to such a knowledge but by a real vision, and by conversing with those who are in the spiritual world. This knowledge is given to me from our Saviour, not for any private merit of mine, but for the great concern of all Christians’ salvation and happiness; and as such, how can any one venture to assert that it is false? That these