5569. The other sort, which dwells nearer to the north in the western quarters, possess interior cunning, and are more cunning [than the former]; they do all things, however, so that the spirit and man may be unaware. They speak sincerely, and piously too; but they do not so much display sanctity as sincerity, - inwardly, however, they are like the others. These, through their arts, seek to approach to man and spirit, not so much at the hinder part and sway the thoughts there, but they go about the left ear and occupy that province, which takes place by various and secret methods and arts, all of which I am not able to describe. Thus, they turn away therefrom all the influx out of heaven; for heaven inflows from every direction; and when they have possession of that province, then they possess the spirit and the man, for the whole power of apperception comes through that way; and thither enters the whole of that which affords the man delight from his ruling love - in a word, the entire delight of the interior thought. The influx of heaven has its axis around the ear; so that the axis of influx is there, for the reason that the ear receives such things, and those which enter there come to a man's perception. When they have occupied that province, then they immediately perceive a spirit's thoughts and affections - not before - and, then, in various ways, the spirit being unaware, they introduce many things which belong to the love, and which are contrary to the love, and seek out what it is, which, when he does it, brings him into sadness, or into joy, or occasions him delight, or unpleasantness; and, when they discover this, they insinuate such things as drive him to desperation, either about his salvation, or about Providence, or about the Divine, or something else, until, at length, the spirit is so that he is scarcely in his right mind. And so they possess him; and either thrust him out of his possession so that he flees to another [place], and thus strip him of all things that belong to him; or else attach him to themselves and have him among them as a slave, so that he may surrender to them all he has. After this, also, they search for the influx: out of heaven to that part, from all sides, and even as far as to the loins on both sides; and, when the influx is known to them, they then possess the whole of him and subject him to themselves, a vile slave. Some doubted of such wickedness, and it was permitted those [wretches] to operate into them; and, at length, they confessed that the others were able, if they wished, to thrust them down into hell of their own accord: for they induce such a state. In a word, it is a nefarious crew.