890. So that these facts might be portrayed to me in a living manner, a spirit of the kind who can be persuaded of anything whatever came to me; for there are very many such spirits. They themselves know absolutely no otherwise than that they are the very ones [whom they impersonate]. Therefore, different persons can be produced through them, almost as in real life. Consequently, lest anyone with whom spirits speak be misled, let it be known that this phenomenon is most common and familiar in the realm of spirits. The spirit in question was examined by many, so that they might find out who of my acquaintances he had been during his bodily life. Finally, there was a certain person - whether he had died I do not know, about a half a year ago he was alive - whom they took him to be, because his personality could be put on so precisely. So he came into the company of spirits who could find out from me what that acquaintance was like, since, as just said, they are gifted with a cognition of inward properties. So that very person was portrayed as vividly as if it were he himself, in most respects. They are still convinced that it is he, and this, to them, amounts to the same thing as if this [persuasion] were being induced on me, as I said before. Nevertheless, I kept saying it could be that he is that person, but that I did not feel convinced, since such phenomena do occur. 1748, 20 February.