378. (3) The will corresponds to the heart. This cannot be seen as clearly in itself as from examining the will in its effects, as we said above.* In itself it can be seen from the fact that all affections which are matters of one's love induce in the heart alterations in its motions, as manifested by the throbbing of the arteries, which pulsate synchronously with the heart. The heart's alterations and motions in accordance with the love's affections are numberless. Those felt with the finger reveal only that the heart is beating slowly or rapidly, profoundly or shallowly, softly or strongly, evenly or unevenly, and so on, thus differently in a happy state than in a sad one, differently in a tranquil state of mind than in an angry one, differently in a fearless state than in a fearful one, differently in feverish states than in chilled ones, and so on. [2] Since the motions of the heart, called its systole and diastole, thus alter and vary in accordance with everyone's love's affections, therefore many people in ancient times, and following them some people today, have ascribed affections to the heart, and have also assigned to it their abode. It has accordingly come into common speech to speak of a brave heart and a timid one, of a happy heart and a sorrowful one, of a soft heart and a hard one, of a big heart and a petty one, of a whole heart and a broken one, of a heart of flesh and a heart of stone, of someone's being stout-hearted, soft-hearted, or tender-hearted, of putting one's heart into accomplishing something, of giving a single-hearted effort, of having a change of heart, of harboring in the heart, of taking to heart, of not treasuring something in one's heart, of hardening one's heart, and of having a friend after one's own heart. So we speak of a unity of hearts, a disunity of hearts, madness of heart, and many other like things which have to do with love and its affections. The Word employs similar expressions, because the Word was written in terms of things that correspond. Whether you speak of love or the will, it amounts to the same thing, since the recipient vessel of love is the will, as we have already said above. * No. 375.