Publisher's Synopsis
From the INTRODUCTION.
The contents of the manuscript may be described briefly as follows:
1. A meager account of Swedenborg's fifth foreign journey, -- leaving Stockholm on July 21st, 1743, arriving at Stralsund, Aug. 6th, passing on through Wismar, Hamburg, Bremen and Groningen, to Harlingen in Holland, where he arrived on Aug. 20th, on his way to The Hague. Here the itinerary abruptly ends, -- for two leaves have been torn out of the MS., and these are followed by 16 blank pages.
2. Then come two written pages containing eleven numbered annotations, briefly recording some undated dreams, with observations as to the mental state of the writer after his arrival at The Hague.
3. The body of the Journal itself, dated from March 24th to October 27th, 1744, covering eighty-nine pages of the written MS. From these we learn that Swedenborg remained at The Hague until April 22d. On April 23d he was in Leyden, on April 24th in Amsterdam, returning to The Hague the next day. On May 4th he arrived at Harwick, England, and was in London on May 5th.
4. After an interval of sixteen blank pages there follow, on p. l01, a few additional notes concerning some dreams, and then again two blank pages.
5. Some memoranda concerning transactions with his bankers in Holland and England, on p. 104, the latest date recorded being Dec. 21st, 1744. This, again, is followed by two blank pages.
6. Finally, on p. 108, an undated Latin note concerning Verities being represented by virtuous ladies, and concerning himself as their humble servant.
The style of the writing, both as to chirography and orthography, is that of a man getting out of his bed at almost any hour of the night in order to jot down his dreams, immediately upon becoming awake or half-awake. A man in such a state would naturally pay no attention, whatsoever, to finish of style, correct spelling, or punctuation, but no one can blame the writer, under the conditions, and inasmuch as he did not write for the benefit of anyone but himself.
