Page:The Life and Mission of Emanuel Swedenborg.djvu/31

 young man, and after two years took him into his own house as tutor to his son. "In Brunner's house," says Swedberg, "I learned much that was good, both in respect to manners and to literary acquirements; but especially I learned how to lead a pious, honorable, and serious life; for he himself was spiritually-minded, both in his conversation and in his intercourse with others, in his dress and in his whole being."

After a full course of study and several years' practice in preaching in the parish of his preceptor, who died in 1679, Swedberg received in 1682 his degree of Magister. In the following year he was married; and in 1684, with the aid of his wife's fortune, he travelled in England, where he was deeply impressed with the sanctity with which Sunday was observed; and in France, where he was struck with the Catholic care of the poor and needy, in seeing "how the wealthier members of the community went out in the evening into the streets and lanes, to look after the poor, the sick, and those without shelter; how distinguished ladies and countesses, dressed in common garments, sought the sick and the helpless, and exhibited towards them as much mercy as they would towards their own blood relations." In Belgium, Holland, and Germany he visited, as was customary, men distinguished for piety and erudition. At Strasburg he became the guest of Professor Bebel, and formed a valued intimacy with him and with Professor Sebastian Schmidt, then doubtless at work on his Latin translation of the Bible, which became the text of Swedenborg's exposition. These learned men Swedberg thereafter called his "two spiritual fathers." At Frankfort he had a desire to visit Spener, the originator of the Pietistic movement, but was prevented by Spener's illness. Meeting there Ludolphus, and blushing at hearing from him that no Swedish grammar had ever been published in Sweden, he made it a point later in life to write a grammar, and in other ways to make zealous efforts for the purity of the language. At Hamburg he lived some time with the learned