I spoke with some around me in the other life who were reflecting on the condition of spirits, especially of evil ones, and in a spiritual mental image it was seen quite clearly that evil spirits are like brute animals, comparable to hornets and bees, since from their natural character they think and do nothing but evil; and that they are worse than brutes in this respect, that they act from the faculty of reasoning, which they abuse to think and do evil. Therefore they act worse than brutes, and from that faculty they strive against spiritual and heavenly things, or those pertaining to belief, which brute animals, being devoid of that faculty, are unable to do. 1748, 2 July.