5835. SENSUAL MEN: THEY APPEAR LEARNED AND INTELLIGENT, EVEN IN THE OTHER LIFE. I spoke with some about a certain one who appeared to them intelligent because he was able to reason from the memory, and from a somewhat interior natural memory: hence, his discourse appeared as if it proceeded from intelligence, when yet there was nothing at all from any intelligence, but only from such memory. His intelligence inwardly resembled as it were some ebony thing, round which those things flowed according to the order of speaking in the world; and yet it derived nothing from intelligence, because it was of such a character. (It was Peter Ribbing.) They were told that it appeared to others like intelligence, because the intelligent imbibe these things in their intelligence, and so they believe that it also proceeds from these in like manner, when yet nothing is farther from the fact. Thus they [i.e. sensual men] are able to deceive others, even the intelligent, and to snatch a name for being intelligent, especially in the natural world; but those in the spiritual world who have interior perception, are able to perceive that nothing of life underlies it, but that they are tinkling sounds affecting the ear: [they are able] also [to deceive] those who interiorly receive those things in intelligence. The former [i.e. the sensual] do not know what intelligence is: they believe it is intelligence to be able to speak and reason in that way. Such are all who are in the love of self and self-intelligence; and they are inspired by that fire to speak according to the manner of the intelligent.