487. CONCERNING THE DRAGON WHO HAS TAKEN FOR HIMSELF A SEAT IN THE VERTEX OR IN THE ZENITH OF HEAVEN He who, from his phantasy, sits on high above the head, in the zenith [n. 461], is sometimes admonished that he should not accuse the faithful nor persecute them, but he still has persisted for many ages past, and has perverted countless numbers. He is such that when he is in a state of terror he humbles himself, and promises repentance, and submits himself; but still it does not last. He is very deceitful from the heart, and because he has practiced his deceits for such a long time, he can by no means desist whatever grace is offered him. The punishments and torments of others are shown him, and just so often he is horrified and flees to his formulas and expressions [of repentance], and supplicates for grace; but he later returns to himself, so that there is no hope for him. I know three punishments that were demonstrated to him, namely, that for a moment he suffered a pain as of one in child-birth, or an intestinal pain by which he was most grievously afflicted, and he wanted to turn this into merit to himself. He was afterwards sent to the lake, as it is called, to be immersed there, and he was kept there for hours; but he was thence liberated. Today he was sent into a certain place of the damned, that he might behold with his own eyes what he deserved above those who are there. He was exceedingly horrified, and for scarcely the fourth part of a minute suffered cruel blows. Having been thence liberated, he is now filled with horror, and again supplicates [for grace]; but he who supplicates from terror cannot be heard, only he who does so from the heart. 1748, Jan. 17. Volumes would not suffice to enumerate his machinations and deceits.