[2] Under the angel's guidance they saw a huge throng of men, both old and young, of boys, and of women and girls. There were groups upon groups of three or ten, sitting among the rose-beds weaving garlands to adorn the heads of the old men, the arms of the young men and to wrap around the chests of the boys. Other women were picking fruits from the trees and carrying them in baskets to their companions. Others were pressing juice into goblets out of grapes, cherries and berries, and drinking it with pleasure. Others were sniffing the fragrance given off and spread around by flowers, fruits and aromatic foliage. Others were singing sweet songs to charm the ears of those present. Others were sitting by springs, and diverting the gushing water to make channels of various shapes. Others were walking about conversing and joking together. Others were running, playing, dancing, at one place to make patterns, at another in rings. Others were going into summer-houses to lie down on couches; and there were many other garden delights.

[3] When they had seen this, the angel led his companions through paths that wound hither and thither; and at last they came to a group who were sitting in a most beautiful rose-garden, surrounded by olive, orange and lemon trees. They were rocking to and fro, with their heads in their hands, grieving and weeping. The angel's companions addressed them and said: 'Why are you sitting like that?' 'It is seven days now,' they replied, 'since we came into this garden. When we came in our minds seemed to soar to heaven and to be plunged into the inmost bliss of its joys. But after three days the bliss began to wear off, to fade from our minds, becoming impossible to feel and so nothing. When the joys we had imagined died away, we were afraid of losing all the pleasure in our lives; and we started to feel doubtful whether there was such a thing as everlasting happiness. After this we wandered through the paths and beds, looking for the gate by which we had come in. But we wandered round and round in circles, asking anyone we met. Some of these told us that the gate was not to be found, because this paradise of a garden is a vast maze, so arranged that anyone who wants to get out penetrates deeper into it. "So you have no option but to stay here for ever," they said. "You are in the middle of it, where all its delights are concentrated."'

The people they had encountered went on to tell the angel's companions: 'We have been sitting here now for a day and a half, and since we have lost all hope of finding the way out, we sat down by this rose-bed. We can see masses of olives, grapes, oranges and citrus-fruit around us, but the more we look at them, the more our eyes get tired of seeing them, our noses of smelling them, our tongues of tasting them. That is why you see us now sad, grieving and weeping.'

[4] On hearing this the angel with the group said to them: 'This garden-maze is in fact an entrance to heaven. I know the way and will take you out.' When he said this, those who were sitting down sprang up and embraced the angel, and they followed him together with his group. On the way the angel taught them what heavenly joy and everlasting happiness are. He told them that there is no outward delight in gardens, unless this is accompanied by inward delight in gardens. The outward delights of gardens are only delights of the bodily senses, but inward delights are delights of the affections of the soul. Unless these are within the outward ones, there is no heavenly life, because there is no soul, in them. Every delight without its corresponding soul becomes feeble and dull by continuance, and wearies the mind more than work. There are paradise-gardens everywhere in the heavens, and the angels find great joy in them, and the more delight of the soul there is in them, the more they feel those joys as joys.'

[5] On hearing this they all asked: 'What is the delight of the soul, and where does it come from?' 'The delight of the soul,' the angel answered, 'comes from love and wisdom under the Lord's guidance. Since love is an effective agent and achieves its effect through wisdom, so both of these are present in the effect, and the effect is service. The Lord pours this delight into the soul, and it passes down through the higher and lower levels of the mind into all the bodily senses, where it reaches its fulfilment. That is what makes joy joy, and it becomes everlasting by the action of Him who is its everlasting source. You have seen the gardens, and I assure you, there is nothing in them, not so much as a tiny leaf, which is not the product of the marriage of love and wisdom realised in service. So if anyone enjoys this, he is in the heavenly garden, and so in heaven.' * The Latin word paradisus translated here 'garden' meant originally a walled garden, but came to mean also what we understand by 'paradise'.