I was in a printing-house in Hell, and saw the method in whichknowledge is transmitted from generation to generation.
In the first chamber was a dragon-man, clearing away the rubbish from acave's mouth; within, a number of dragons were hollowing the cave.
In the second chamber was a viper folding round the rock and the cave,and others adorning it with gold, silver, and precious stones.
In the third chamber was an eagle with wings and feathers of air; hecaused the inside of the cave to be infinite; around were numbers ofeagle-like men, who built palaces in the immense cliffs.
In the fourth chamber were lions of flaming fire raging around andmelting the metals into living fluids.
In the fifth chamber were unnamed forms, which cast the metals into theexpanse.
There they were received by men who occupied the sixth chamber, andtook the forms of books, and were arranged in libraries.
The Giants who formed this world into its sensual existence and nowseem to live in it in chains are in truth the causes of its life andthe sources of all activity, but the chains are the cunning of weakand tame minds, which have power to resist energy, according to theproverb, "The weak in courage is strong in cunning."
Thus one portion of being is the Prolific, the other the Devouring. Tothe devourer it seems as if the producer was in his chains; but it isnot so, he only takes portions of existence, and fancies that the whole.
But the Prolific would cease to be prolific unless the Devourer as asea received the excess of his delights.
Some will say, "Is not God alone the Prolific?" I answer: "God onlyacts and is in existing beings or men."
These two classes of men are always upon earth, and they should beenemies: whoever tries to reconcile them seeks to destroy existence.
Religion is an endeavour to reconcile the two.
Note.—Jesus Christ did not wish to unite but to separate them, asin the parable of sheep and goats; and He says: "I came not to sendpeace, but a sword."
Messiah, or Satan, or Tempter, was formerly thought to be one of theantediluvians who are our Energies.