the six enneads-第166章

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of　its　Act　we　catch　a　glimpse　of　Magnitude　at　Rest。　Then；　with　one；　two　and　three　in　Intellect；　Magnitude　appears　as　of　three　dimensions；　with　Quantity　entire。　Quantity　thus　given　and　Quality；　both　merging　into　one　and；　we　may　almost　say；　becoming　one；　there　is　at　once　shape。　Difference　slips　in　to　divide　both　Quantity　and　Quality；　and　so　we　have　variations　in　shape　and　differences　of　Quality。　Identity；　coming　in　with　Difference；　creates　equality；　Difference　meanwhile　introducing　into　Quantity　inequality；　whether　in　number　or　in　magnitude：　thus　are　produced　circles　and　squares；　and　irregular　figures；　with　number　like　and　unlike；　odd　and　even。　　　　　The　life　of　Intellect　is　intelligent；　and　its　activity　＇Act＇　has　no　failing…point：　hence　it　excludes　none　of　the　constituents　we　have　discovered　within　it；　each　one　of　which　we　now　see　as　an　intellectual　function；　and　all　of　them　possessed　by　virtue　of　its　distinctive　power　and　in　the　mode　appropriate　to　Intellect。　　　　　But　though　Intellect　possesses　them　all　by　way　of　thought；　this　is　not　discursive　thought：　nothing　it　lacks　that　is　capable　of　serving　as　Reason…Principle；　while　it　may　itself　be　regarded　as　one　great　and　perfect　Reason…Principle；　holding　all　the　Principles　as　one　and　proceeding　from　its　own　Primaries；　or　rather　having　eternally　proceeded；　so　that　〃proceeding〃　is　never　true　of　it。　It　is　a　universal　rule　that　whatever　reasoning　discovers　to　exist　in　Nature　is　to　be　found　in　Intellect　apart　from　all　ratiocination：　we　conclude　that　Being　has　so　created　Intellect　that　its　reasoning　is　after　a　mode　similar　to　that　of　the　Principles　which　produce　living　beings；　for　the　Reason…Principles；　prior　to　reasoning　though　they　are；　act　invariably　in　the　manner　which　the　most　careful　reasoning　would　adopt　in　order　to　attain　the　best　results。　　　　　What　conditions；　then；　are　we　to　think　of　as　existing　in　that　realm　which　is　prior　to　Nature　and　transcends　the　Principles　of　Nature？　In　a　sphere　in　which　Substance　is　not　distinct　from　Intellect；　and　neither　Being　nor　Intellect　is　of　alien　origin；　it　is　obvious　that　Being　is　best　served　by　the　domination　of　Intellect；　so　that　Being　is　what　Intellect　wills　and　is：　thus　alone　can　it　be　authentic　and　primary　Being；　for　if　Being　is　to　be　in　any　sense　derived；　its　derivation　must　be　from　Intellect。　　　　　Being；　thus；　exhibits　every　shape　and　every　quality；　it　is　not　seen　as　a　thing　determined　by　some　one　particular　quality；　there　could　not　be　one　only；　since　the　principle　of　Difference　is　there；　and　since　Identity　is　equally　there；　it　must　be　simultaneously　one　and　many。　And　so　Being　is；　such　it　always　was：　unity…with…plurality　appears　in　all　its　species；　as　witness　all　the　variations　of　magnitude；　shape　and　quality。　Clearly　nothing　may　legitimately　be　excluded　＇from　Being＇；　for　the　whole　must　be　complete　in　the　higher　sphere　which；　otherwise；　would　not　be　the　whole。　　　　　Life；　too；　burst　upon　Being；　or　rather　was　inseparably　bound　up　with　it；　and　thus　it　was　that　all　living　things　of　necessity　came　to　be。　Body　too　was　there；　since　Matter　and　Quality　were　present。　　　　　Everything　exists　forever；　unfailing；　involved　by　very　existence　in　eternity。　Individuals　have　their　separate　entities；　but　are　at　one　in　the　＇total＇　unity。　The　complex；　so　to　speak；　of　them　all；　thus　combined；　is　Intellect；　and　Intellect；　holding　all　existence　within　itself；　is　a　complete　living　being；　and　the　essential　Idea　of　Living　Being。　In　so　far　as　Intellect　submits　to　contemplation　by　its　derivative；　becoming　an　Intelligible；　it　gives　that　derivative　the　right　also　to　be　called　〃living　being。〃　　　　　22。　We　may　here　adduce　the　pregnant　words　of　Plato：　〃Inasmuch　as　Intellect　perceives　the　variety　and　plurality　of　the　Forms　present　in　the　complete　Living　Being。。。。〃　The　words　apply　equally　to　Soul；　Soul　is　subsequent　to　Intellect；　yet　by　its　very　nature　it　involves　Intellect　in　itself　and　perceives　more　clearly　in　that　prior。　There　is　Intellect　in　our　intellect　also；　which　again　perceives　more　clearly　in　its　prior；　for　while　of　itself　it　merely　perceives；　in　the　prior　it　also　perceives　its　own　perception。　　　　　This　intellect；　then；　to　which　we　ascribe　perception；　though　not　divorced　from　the　prior　in　which　it　originates；　evolves　plurality　out　of　unity　and　has　bound　up　with　it　the　principle　of　Difference：　it　therefore　takes　the　form　of　a　plurality…in…unity。　A　plurality…in…unity；　it　produces　the　many　intellects　by　the　dictate　of　its　very　nature。　　　　　It　is　certainly　no　numerical　unity；　no　individual　thing；　for　whatever　you　find　in　that　sphere　is　a　species；　since　it　is　divorced　from　Matter。　This　may　be　the　import　of　the　difficult　words　of　Plato；　that　Substance　is　broken　up　into　an　infinity　of　parts。　So　long　as　the　division　proceeds　from　genus　to　species；　infinity　is　not　reached；　a　limit　is　set　by　the　species　generated：　the　lowest　species；　however…　that　which　is　not　divided　into　further　species…　may　be　more　accurately　regarded　as　infinite。　And　this　is　the　meaning　of　the　words：　〃to　relegate　them　once　and　for　all　to　infinity　and　there　abandon　them。〃　As　for　particulars；　they　are；　considered　in　themselves；　infinite；　but　come　under　number　by　being　embraced　by　the　＇total＇　unity。　　　　　Now　Soul　has　Intellect　for　its　prior；　is　therefore　circumscribed　by　number　down　to　its　ultimate　extremity；　at　that　point　infinity　is　reached。　The　particular　intellect；　though　all…embracing；　is　a　partial　thing；　and　the　collective　Intellect　and　its　various　manifestations　＇all　the　particular　intellects＇　are　in　actuality　parts　of　that　part。　Soul　too　is　a　part　of　a　part；　though　in　the　sense　of　being　an　Act　＇actuality＇　derived　from　it。　When　the　Act　of　Intellect　is　directed　upon　itself；　the　result　is　the　manifold　＇particular＇　intellects；　when　it　looks　outwards；　Soul　is　produced。　　　　　If　Soul　acts　as　a　genus　or　a　species；　the　various　＇particular＇　souls　must　act　as　species。　Their　activities　＇Acts＇　will　be　twofold：　the　activity　upward　is　Intellect；　that　which　looks　downward　constitutes　the　other　powers　imposed　by　the　particular　Reason…Principle　＇the　Reason…Principle　of　the　being　ensouled＇；　the　lowest　activity　of　Soul　is　in　its　contact　with　Matter　to　which　it　brings　Form。　　　　　This　lower　part　of　Soul　does　not　prevent　the　rest　from　being　entirely　in　the　higher　sphere：　indeed　what　we　call　the　lower　part　is　but　an　image　of　Soul：　not　that　it　is　cut　off　from　Soul；　it　is　like　the　reflection　in　the　mirror；　depending　upon　the　original　which　stands　outside　of　it。　　　　　But　we　must　keep　in　mind　what　this　〃outside〃　means。　Up　to　the　production　of　the　image；　the　Intellectual　realm　is　wholly　and　exclusively　composed　of　Intellectual　Beings：　in　the　same　way　the　Sensible　world；　representing　that　in　so　far　as　it　is　able　to　retain　the　likeness　of　a　living　being；　is　itself　a　living　being：　the　relation　is　like　that　of　a　portrait　or　reflection　to　the　original　which　is　regarded　as　prior　to　the　water　or　the　painting　reproducing　it。　　　　　The　representation；　notice；　in　the　portrait　or　on　the　water　is　not　of　the　dual　being；　but　of　the　one　element　＇Matter＇　as　formed　by　the　other　＇Soul＇。　Similarly；　this　likeness　of　the　Intellectual　realm　carries　images；　not　of　the　creative　element；　but　of　the　entities　contained　in　that　creator；　including　Man　with　every　other　living　being：　creator　and　created　are　alike　living　beings；　though　of　a　different　life；　and　both　coexist　in　the　Intellectual　realm。　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　THIRD　TRACTATE。

　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　ON　THE　KINDS　OF　BEING　（3）。

　　　　1。　We　have　now　explained　our　conception　of　Reality　＇True　Being＇　and　considered　how　far　it　agrees　with　the　teaching　of　Plato。　We　have　still　to　investigate　the　opposed　principle　＇the　principle　of　Becoming＇。　　　　　There　is　the　possibility　that　the　genera　posited　for　the　Intellectual　sphere　will　suffice　for　the　lower　also；　possibly　with　these　genera　others　will　be　required；　again；　the　two　series　may　differ　entirely；　or　perhaps　some　of　the　sensible　genera　will　be　identical　with　their　intellectual　prototypes；　and　others　different…　〃identical；〃　however；　being　understood　to　mean　only　analogous　and　in　possession　of　a　common　name；　as　our　results　will　make　dear。　　　　　We　must　begin　on　these　lines：　　　　　The　subject　of　our　discussion　is　the　Sensible　realm：　Sensible　Existence　is　entirely　embraced　by　what　we　kno