292. (21) There are hellish marriages in the world in which the partners are inwardly bitter enemies and yet outwardly seem like the closest of friends. Actually, I am forbidden by wives of this sort in the spiritual world to bring the existence of such marriages to public notice; for they are afraid that their art of acquiring power over men will be exposed at the same time, which they for their part are extremely eager to keep concealed. However, being spurred by men in the same world to make known the reasons for their internal hatred and virtual rage, injected into their hearts against their wives in consequence of those secret arts of theirs, I would like simply to present here the following reports. According to the men, they unconsciously contracted a terrific fear of their wives. As a result they could not help but slavishly obey their wives' wishes and do their bidding more submissively than the humblest of servants, so that they became practically spiritless weaklings. Moreover, they said, those who became such in relation to their wives included not only men without any standing or position, but also men in high standing and great position, even strong and distinguished leaders. They said, too, that after contracting this terror they could not work up any courage to speak with their wives in other than a friendly way, or to do for them anything but what met their fancy, even though they harbored a deadly hatred towards their wives in their hearts. And yet their wives continued to speak and behave with them in courteous fashion, they said, and to listen dutifully to some of their requests. [2] Now because these men wondered themselves why there arose in them such animosity inwardly and such apparent amiability outwardly, they sought the reasons from women who knew the secret art that caused it; and from what those women told them, they said, they learned that women deeply conceal a knowledge within them by which they know how to skillfully tame men, if they wish, and make them subject to their command. They learned further that, on the part of ill-bred wives, this is accomplished by scoldings and periodic commendations; in some cases by continually hard and unpleasant looks, and in similar cases by other tactics. On the part of well-bred wives, however, it is accomplished by persistent and incessant pressings of requests, and by stubbornly resisting and opposing their husbands if they suffer hardships on their account, insisting on their right of equality by law and making themselves brazenly obstinate because of it. Even if they were to be expelled from the house, they say, they would return at will and continue to pursue the same demands. For they know that the nature of men makes it altogether impossible for them to withstand the persistent efforts of their wives, and that once men have yielded they then submit themselves to their wives' wishes. At that point, said the men, once the wives have them under their control, they then show their husbands courteous and amiable treatment. (The real reason wives are able to gain control by such guile is that a man acts in accord with his intellect and a woman in accord with her will; and the will can be stubborn, but not the intellect. I have been told that the worst of this lot are inwardly consumed with a desire to rule and can doggedly stick to their persistent endeavors even to the last breath of life.) [3] I have also heard justifications from the aforementioned women in the spiritual world as to why they entered into the practice of this art. They said they would not have entered into it except that they foresaw the supreme contempt, future rejection and thus utter ruin that lay ahead for them if they were to be beaten down by their husbands. Thus, they said, out of necessity they had taken up these weapons of theirs. To this they added the following warning for men, to leave to their wives their rights, and when they experience periodic states of coldness, not to regard their wives as inferior and treat them worse than they would servants. They said as well that many of their sex are not prepared to practice this art owing to an innate timidity (though I put in, owing to an innate modesty.) This now is sufficient to make known what we mean by hellish marriages in the world, in which the partners are inwardly bitter enemies and yet outwardly seem like the closest of friends.