Page:Swedenborg, Harbinger of the New Age of the Christian Church.djvu/279

 but that nevertheless it may happen that one who understands correspondences may derive advantage from his dreams—just as a person that is awake may examine his own state by comparing his own will with God's commandments. . ..

"Whatever Swedenborg wrote was printed from his own manuscript, and he never needed the help of an amanuensis. His handwriting was difficult to read when he became older; but he said to me, 'The Dutch printers read my handwriting as easily as the English do.' There is one thing to be observed with regard to most of his spiritual writings, that the proof-sheets were corrected very badly, so that errata occur very often; the cause of this, he said, was that the printer had undertaken the proof-reading, as well as the printing.

"As Swedenborg in his younger days did not think of the work which was to occupy him in his more advanced years, it can easily be imagined that in his time he was not only a learned man, but also a polished gentleman; for a man of such extensive learning, who by his books, his travels, and his knowledge of languages had acquired distinction both at home and abroad, could not fail