Now when the Soul broke its will off thus from God, and brought it into
the fiery Will (which is the Root of Life and Power), there presently
arose in it a lust to eat of the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil; and
the Soul did eat thereof. Which as soon as it had done, instantly was
kindled the fiery Wheel of its Essence, and thereupon all the properties
of Nature awoke in the Soul, and exercised each its own desire.
First arose the lust of Pride; a desire to be great, mighty, and
powerful; to bring all things in subjection to it, and to be Lord itself
without control, despising all humility and equality, as esteeming
itself the only prudent, witty and cunning one, and accounting
everything folly that is not according to its own humour and liking.
Secondly, arose the lust of Covetousness, a desire of getting, which
would draw all things to itself, into its own possession. For when the
lust of Pride had turned away the Will from God, then the Life of the
Soul would not trust God any further, but would take care for itself;
and therefore brought its desire into the Creatures, viz., into the
earth, metals, trees, and other Creatures. Thus the kindled fiery Life
became hungry and covetous, when it had broken itself off from the
Unity, Love, and Meekness of God, and attracted to itself the four
Elements and New Essence, and brought itself into the Condition of the
beasts, and so the Life became dark, empty, and wrathful; and the
heavenly Virtues and Colours went out, like a candle extinguished.
Thirdly, there awoke in this fiery Life the stinging thorny lust of
Envy: a hellish poison, and a torment which makes the Life a mere enmity
to God and to all Creatures. Which Envy raged furiously in the sting of
Covetousness, as a venomous sting doth in the body. Envy cannot endure,
but hateth and would hurt or destroy that which Covetousness cannot
draw to itself by which hellish passion the Noble Love of the Soul is
smothered.
Fourthly, there awoke in this fiery Life a torment like fire, viz.,
Anger; which would murder and remove out of the way all who would not be
subject to Pride. Thus the Ground and Foundation of Hell, which is
called the Anger of God, was wholly manifested in this Soul. Whereby it
lost the fair Paradise of God and the Kingdom of Heaven, and became such
a worm as the fiery Serpent was, which the Devil presented to it in his
own image and likeness. And so the Soul began to rule on earth in a
bestial manner, and did all things according to the Will of the Devil,
living in mere Pride, Covetousness, Envy, and Anger, having no longer
any true love towards God. But there arose in the stead thereof an evil
bestial love of Wantonness and Vanity, and there was no purity left in
the heart, for the Soul had forsaken Paradise, and taken the Earth into
its possession. Its mind was wholly bent upon cunning knowledge,
subtility, and getting together a multitude of earthly things. No
righteousness nor virtue remained in it at all; but whatsoever evil and
wrong it committed, it covered all cunningly under the cloak of its
power and authority by law, and called it by the name of Right and
Justice, and accounted it good.