the six enneads-第11章

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that　does　not　rise　from　movement　and　is　not　a　thing　of　process；　for　all　that　is　good　is　immediately　present　to　the　Sage　and　the　Sage　is　present　to　himself：　his　pleasure；　his　contentment；　stands；　immovable。　　　　　Thus　he　is　ever　cheerful；　the　order　of　his　life　ever　untroubled：　his　state　is　fixedly　happy　and　nothing　whatever　of　all　that　is　known　as　evil　can　set　it　awry…　given　only　that　he　is　and　remains　a　Sage。　　　　　If　anyone　seeks　for　some　other　kind　of　pleasure　in　the　life　of　the　Sage；　it　is　not　the　life　of　the　Sage　he　is　looking　for。　　　　　13。　The　characteristic　activities　are　not　hindered　by　outer　events　but　merely　adapt　themselves；　remaining　always　fine；　and　perhaps　all　the　finer　for　dealing　with　the　actual。　When　he　has　to　handle　particular　cases　and　things；　he　may　not　be　able　to　put　his　vision　into　act　without　searching　and　thinking；　but　the　one　greatest　principle　is　ever　present　to　him；　like　a　part　of　his　being…　most　of　all　present；　should　he　be　even　a　victim　in　the　much…talked…of　Bull　of　Phalaris。　No　doubt；　despite　all　that　has　been　said；　it　is　idle　to　pretend　that　this　is　an　agreeable　lodging；　but　what　cries　in　the　Bull　is　the　thing　that　feels　the　torture；　in　the　Sage　there　is　something　else　as　well；　The　Self…Gathered　which；　as　long　as　it　holds　itself　by　main　force　within　itself；　can　never　be　robbed　of　the　vision　of　the　All…Good。　　　　　14。　For　man；　and　especially　the　Sage；　is　not　the　Couplement　of　soul　and　body：　the　proof　is　that　man　can　be　disengaged　from　the　body　and　disdain　its　nominal　goods。　　　　　It　would　be　absurd　to　think　that　happiness　begins　and　ends　with　the　living…body：　happiness　is　the　possession　of　the　good　of　life：　it　is　centred　therefore　in　Soul；　is　an　Act　of　the　Soul…　and　not　of　all　the　Soul　at　that：　for　it　certainly　is　not　characteristic　of　the　vegetative　soul；　the　soul　of　growth；　that　would　at　once　connect　it　with　the　body。　　　　　A　powerful　frame；　a　healthy　constitution；　even　a　happy　balance　of　temperament；　these　surely　do　not　make　felicity；　in　the　excess　of　these　advantages　there　is；　even；　the　danger　that　the　man　be　crushed　down　and　forced　more　and　more　within　their　power。　There　must　be　a　sort　of　counter…pressure　in　the　other　direction；　towards　the　noblest：　the　body　must　be　lessened；　reduced；　that　the　veritable　man　may　show　forth；　the　man　behind　the　appearances。　　　　　Let　the　earth…bound　man　be　handsome　and　powerful　and　rich；　and　so　apt　to　this　world　that　he　may　rule　the　entire　human　race：　still　there　can　be　no　envying　him；　the　fool　of　such　lures。　Perhaps　such　splendours　could　not；　from　the　beginning　even；　have　gathered　to　the　Sage；　but　if　it　should　happen　so；　he　of　his　own　action　will　lower　his　state；　if　he　has　any　care　for　his　true　life；　the　tyranny　of　the　body　he　will　work　down　or　wear　away　by　inattention　to　its　claims；　the　rulership　he　will　lay　aside。　While　he　will　safeguard　his　bodily　health；　he　will　not　wish　to　be　wholly　untried　in　sickness；　still　less　never　to　feel　pain：　if　such　troubles　should　not　come　to　him　of　themselves；　he　will　wish　to　know　them；　during　youth　at　least：　in　old　age；　it　is　true；　he　will　desire　neither　pains　nor　pleasures　to　hamper　him；　he　will　desire　nothing　of　this　world；　pleasant　or　painful；　his　one　desire　will　be　to　know　nothing　of　the　body。　If　he　should　meet　with　pain　he　will　pit　against　it　the　powers　he　holds　to　meet　it；　but　pleasure　and　health　and　ease　of　life　will　not　mean　any　increase　of　happiness　to　him　nor　will　their　contraries　destroy　or　lessen　it。　　　　　When　in　the　one　subject；　a　positive　can　add　nothing；　how　can　the　negative　take　away？　　　　　15。　But　suppose　two　wise　men；　one　of　them　possessing　all　that　is　supposed　to　be　naturally　welcome；　while　the　other　meets　only　with　the　very　reverse：　do　we　assert　that　they　have　an　equal　happiness？　　　　　We　do；　if　they　are　equally　wise。　　　　　What　though　the　one　be　favoured　in　body　and　in　all　else　that　does　not　help　towards　wisdom；　still　less　towards　virtue；　towards　the　vision　of　the　noblest；　towards　being　the　highest；　what　does　all　that　amount　to？　The　man　commanding　all　such　practical　advantages　cannot　flatter　himself　that　he　is　more　truly　happy　than　the　man　without　them：　the　utmost　profusion　of　such　boons　would　not　help　even　to　make　a　flute…player。　　　　　We　discuss　the　happy　man　after　our　own　feebleness；　we　count　alarming　and　grave　what　his　felicity　takes　lightly：　he　would　be　neither　wise　nor　in　the　state　of　happiness　if　he　had　not　quitted　all　trifling　with　such　things　and　become　as　it　were　another　being；　having　confidence　in　his　own　nature；　faith　that　evil　can　never　touch　him。　In　such　a　spirit　he　can　be　fearless　through　and　through；　where　there　is　dread；　there　is　not　perfect　virtue；　the　man　is　some　sort　of　a　half…thing。　　　　　As　for　any　involuntary　fear　rising　in　him　and　taking　the　judgement　by　surprise；　while　his　thoughts　perhaps　are　elsewhere；　the　Sage　will　attack　it　and　drive　it　out；　he　will；　so　to　speak；　calm　the　refractory　child　within　him；　whether　by　reason　or　by　menace；　but　without　passion；　as　an　infant　might　feel　itself　rebuked　by　a　glance　of　severity。　　　　　This　does　not　make　the　Sage　unfriendly　or　harsh：　it　is　to　himself　and　in　his　own　great　concern　that　he　is　the　Sage：　giving　freely　to　his　intimates　of　all　he　has　to　give；　he　will　be　the　best　of　friends　by　his　very　union　with　the　Intellectual…Principle。　　　　　16。　Those　that　refuse　to　place　the　Sage　aloft　in　the　Intellectual　Realm　but　drag　him　down　to　the　accidental；　dreading　accident　for　him；　have　substituted　for　the　Sage　we　have　in　mind　another　person　altogether；　they　offer　us　a　tolerable　sort　of　man　and　they　assign　to　him　a　life　of　mingled　good　and　ill；　a　case；　after　all；　not　easy　to　conceive。　But　admitting　the　possibility　of　such　a　mixed　state；　it　could　not　be　deserved　to　be　called　a　life　of　happiness；　it　misses　the　Great；　both　in　the　dignity　of　Wisdom　and　in　the　integrity　of　Good。　The　life　of　true　happiness　is　not　a　thing　of　mixture。　And　Plato　rightly　taught　that　he　who　is　to　be　wise　and　to　possess　happiness　draws　his　good　from　the　Supreme；　fixing　his　gaze　on　That；　becoming　like　to　That；　living　by　That。　　　　　He　can　care　for　no　other　Term　than　That：　all　else　he　will　attend　to　only　as　he　might　change　his　residence；　not　in　expectation　of　any　increase　to　his　settled　felicity；　but　simply　in　a　reasonable　attention　to　the　differing　conditions　surrounding　him　as　he　lives　here　or　there。　　　　　He　will　give　to　the　body　all　that　he　sees　to　be　useful　and　possible；　but　he　himself　remains　a　member　of　another　order；　not　prevented　from　abandoning　the　body；　necessarily　leaving　it　at　nature's　hour；　he　himself　always　the　master　to　decide　in　its　regard。　　　　　Thus　some　part　of　his　life　considers　exclusively　the　Soul's　satisfaction；　the　rest　is　not　immediately　for　the　Term's　sake　and　not　for　his　own　sake；　but　for　the　thing　bound　up　with　him；　the　thing　which　he　tends　and　bears　with　as　the　musician　cares　for　his　lyre；　as　long　as　it　can　serve　him：　when　the　lyre　fails　him；　he　will　change　it；　or　will　give　up　lyre　and　lyring；　as　having　another　craft　now；　one　that　needs　no　lyre；　and　then　he　will　let　it　rest　unregarded　at　his　side　while　he　sings　on　without　an　instrument。　But　it　was　not　idly　that　the　instrument　was　given　him　in　the　beginning：　he　has　found　it　useful　until　now；　many　a　time。　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　FIFTH　TRACTATE。

　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　HAPPINESS　AND　EXTENSION　OF　TIME。

　　　　1。　Is　it　possible　to　think　that　Happiness　increases　with　Time；　Happiness　which　is　always　taken　as　a　present　thing？　　　　　The　memory　of　former　felicity　may　surely　be　ruled　out　of　count；　for　Happiness　is　not　a　thing　of　words；　but　a　definite　condition　which　must　be　actually　present　like　the　very　fact　and　act　of　life。　　　　　2。　It　may　be　objected　that　our　will　towards　living　and　towards　expressive　activity　is　constant；　and　that　each　attainment　of　such　expression　is　an　increase　in　Happiness。　　　　　But　in　the　first　place；　by　this　reckoning　every　to…morrow's　well…being　will　be　greater　than　to…day's；　every　later　instalment　successively　larger　that　an　earlier；　at　once　time　supplants　moral　excellence　as　the　measure　of　felicity。　　　　　Then　again　the　Gods　to…day　must　be　happier　than　of　old：　and　their　bliss；　too；　is　not　perfect；　will　never　be　perfect。　Further；　when　the　will　attains　what　it　was　seeking；　it　attains　something　present：　the　quest　is　always　for　something　to　be