1508. On many occasions I have been given to observe that those who in the world had been endowed with high rank bad inevitably acquired to themselves a sphere of authority, and therefore in the next life could neither conceal nor get rid of that sphere. With those of them who have been endowed with faith and charity the sphere of authority is joined wonderfully to a sphere of goodness, so that it is not troublesome to anyone. Indeed a kind of corresponding deference is paid to them by well-minded spirits. But with them it is not a sphere of ruling, merely a natural sphere that exists because they were born such and which they get rid of eventually after a period of time because they are good and strive to get rid of it.