the six enneads-第203章

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her　would　be　acquired；　the　shifting　knowledge　of　the　instable。　Even　in　knowing　the　stable　he　would　be　manifold；　for　it　is　not　possible　that；　while　in　the　act　of　knowing　the　laters　possess　themselves　of　their　object；　the　Supreme　should　know　only　in　some　unpossessing　observation。　　　　　As　regards　Providence；　that　is　sufficiently　saved　by　the　fact　that　This　is　the　source　from　which　all　proceeds；　the　dependent　he　cannot　know　when　he　has　no　knowledge　of　himself　but　keeps　that　august　repose。　Plato　dealing　with　essential　Being　allows　it　intellection　but　not　this　august　repose：　intellection　then　belongs　to　Essential　Being；　this　august　repose　to　the　Principle　in　which　there　is　no　intellection。　Repose；　of　course；　is　used　here　for　want　of　a　fitter　word；　we　are　to　understand　that　the　most　august；　the　truly　so；　is　That　which　transcends　＇the　movement　of＇　Intellection。　　　　　40。　That　there　can　be　no　intellection　in　the　First　will　be　patent　to　those　that　have　had　such　contact；　but　some　further　confirmation　is　desirable；　if　indeed　words　can　carry　the　matter；　we　need　overwhelming　persuasion。　　　　　It　must　be　borne　in　mind　that　all　intellection　rises　in　some　principle　and　takes　cognisance　of　an　object。　But　a　distinction　is　to　be　made：　　　　　There　is　the　intellection　that　remains　within　its　place　of　origin；　it　has　that　source　as　substratum　but　becomes　a　sort　of　addition　to　it　in　that　it　is　an　activity　of　that　source　perfecting　the　potentiality　there；　not　by　producing　anything　but　as　being　a　completing　power　to　the　principle　in　which　it　inheres。　There　is　also　the　intellection　inbound　with　Being…　Being's　very　author…　and　this　could　not　remain　confined　to　the　source　since　there　it　could　produce　nothing；　it　is　a　power　to　production；　it　produces　therefore　of　its　own　motion　and　its　act　is　Real…Being　and　there　it　has　its　dwelling。　In　this　mode　the　intellection　is　identical　with　Being；　even　in　its　self…intellection　no　distinction　is　made　save　the　logical　distinction　of　thinker　and　thought　with；　as　we　have　often　observed；　the　implication　of　plurality。　　　　　This　is　a　first　activity　and　the　substance　it　produces　is　Essential　Being；　it　is　an　image；　but　of　an　original　so　great　that　the　very　copy　stands　a　reality。　If　instead　of　moving　outward　it　remained　with　the　First；　it　would　be　no　more　than　some　appurtenance　of　that　First；　not　a　self…standing　existent。　　　　　At　the　earliest　activity　and　earliest　intellection；　it　can　be　preceded　by　no　act　or　intellection：　if　we　pass　beyond　this　being　and　this　intellection　we　come　not　to　more　being　and　more　intellection　but　to　what　overpasses　both；　to　the　wonderful　which　has　neither；　asking　nothing　of　these　products　and　standing　its　unaccompanied　self。　　　　　That　all…transcending　cannot　have　had　an　activity　by　which　to　produce　this　activity…　acting　before　act　existed…　or　have　had　thought　in　order　to　produce　thinking…　applying　thought　before　thought　exists…　all　intellection；　even　of　the　Good；　is　beneath　it。　　　　　In　sum；　this　intellection　of　the　Good　is　impossible：　I　do　not　mean　that　it　is　impossible　to　have　intellection　of　the　Good…　we　may　admit　the　possibility　but　there　can　be　no　intellection　by　The　Good　itself；　for　this　would　be　to　include　the　inferior　with　the　Good。　　　　　If　intellection　is　the　lower；　then　it　will　be　bound　up　with　Being；　if　intellection　is　the　higher；　its　object　is　lower。　Intellection；　then；　does　not　exist　in　the　Good；　as　a　lesser；　taking　its　worth　through　that　Good；　it　must　stand　apart　from　it；　leaving　the　Good　unsoiled　by　it　as　by　all　else。　Immune　from　intellection　the　Good　remains　incontaminably　what　it　is；　not　impeded　by　the　presence　of　the　intellectual　act　which　would　annul　its　purity　and　unity。　　　　　Anyone　making　the　Good　at　once　Thinker　and　Thought　identifies　it　with　Being　and　with　the　Intellection　vested　in　Being　so　that　it　must　perform　that　act　of　intellection：　at　once　it　becomes　necessary　to　find　another　principle；　one　superior　to　that　Good：　for　either　this　act；　this　intellection；　is　a　completing　power　of　some　such　principle；　serving　as　its　ground；　or　it　points；　by　that　duality；　to　a　prior　principle　having　intellection　as　a　characteristic。　It　is　because　there　is　something　before　it　that　it　has　an　object　of　intellection；　even　in　its　self…intellection；　it　may　be　said　to　know　its　content　by　its　vision　of　that　prior。　　　　　What　has　no　prior　and　no　external　accompaniment　could　have　no　intellection；　either　of　itself　or　of　anything　else。　What　could　it　aim　at；　what　desire？　To　essay　its　power　of　knowing？　But　this　would　make　the　power　something　outside　itself；　there　would　be；　I　mean；　the　power　it　grasped　and　the　power　by　which　it　grasped：　if　there　is　but　the　one　power；　what　is　there　to　grasp　at？　　　　　41。　Intellection　seems　to　have　been　given　as　an　aid　to　the　diviner　but　weaker　beings；　an　eye　to　the　blind。　But　the　eye　itself　need　not　see　Being　since　it　is　itself　the　light；　what　must　take　the　light　through　the　eye　needs　the　light　because　of　its　darkness。　If；　then；　intellection　is　the　light　and　light　does　not　need　the　light；　surely　that　brilliance　（The　First）　which　does　not　need　light　can　have　no　need　of　intellection；　will　not　add　this　to　its　nature。　　　　　What　could　it　do　with　intellection？　What　could　even　intellection　need　and　add　to　itself　for　the　purpose　of　its　act？　It　has　no　self…awareness；　there　is　no　need。　It　is　no　duality　but；　rather；　a　manifold；　consisting　of　itself；　its　intellective　act；　distinct　from　itself；　and　the　inevitable　third；　the　object　of　intellection。　No　doubt　since　knower；　knowing；　and　known；　are　identical；　all　merges　into　a　unity：　but　the　distinction　has　existed　and；　once　more；　such　a　unity　cannot　be　the　First；　we　must　put　away　all　otherness　from　the　Supreme　which　can　need　no　such　support；　anything　we　add　is　so　much　lessening　of　what　lacks　nothing。　　　　　To　us　intellection　is　a　boon　since　the　soul　needs　it；　to　the　Intellectual…Principle　it　is　appropriate　as　being　one　thing　with　the　very　essence　of　the　principle　constituted　by　the　intellectual　Act　so　that　principle　and　act　coincide　in　a　continuous　self…consciousness　carrying　the　assurance　of　identity；　of　the　unity　of　the　two。　But　pure　unity　must　be　independent；　in　need　of　no　such　assurance。　　　　　〃Know　yourself〃　is　a　precept　for　those　who；　being　manifold；　have　the　task　of　appraising　themselves　so　as　to　become　aware　of　the　number　and　nature　of　their　constituents；　some　or　all　of　which　they　ignore　as　they　ignore　their　very　principle　and　their　manner　of　being。　The　First　on　the　contrary　if　it　have　content　must　exist　in　a　way　too　great　to　have　any　knowledge；　intellection；　perception　of　it。　To　itself　it　is　nothing；　accepting　nothing；　self…sufficing；　it　is　not　even　a　good　to　itself：　to　others　it　is　good　for　they　have　need　of　it；　but　it　could　not　lack　itself：　it　would　be　absurd　to　suppose　The　Good　standing　in　need　of　goodness。　　　　　It　does　not　see　itself：　seeing　aims　at　acquisition：　all　this　it　abandons　to　the　subsequent：　in　fact　nothing　found　elsewhere　can　be　There；　even　Being　cannot　be　There。　Nor　therefore　has　it　intellection　which　is　a　thing　of　the　lower　sphere　where　the　first　intellection；　the　only　true；　is　identical　with　Being。　Reason；　perception；　intelligence；　none　of　these　can　have　place　in　that　Principle　in　which　no　presence　can　be　affirmed。　　　　　42。　Faced　by　the　difficulty　of　placing　these　powers；　you　must　in　reason　allocate　to　the　secondaries　what　you　count　august：　secondaries　must　not　be　foisted　upon　the　First；　or　tertiaries　upon　the　secondaries。　Secondaries　are　to　be　ranged　under　the　First；　tertiaries　under　the　secondaries：　this　is　giving　everything　its　place；　the　later　dependent　on　their　priors；　those　priors　free。　　　　　This　is　included　in　that　true　saying　〃About　the　King　of　All；　all　has　being　and　in　view　of　Him　all　is〃：　we　are　to　understand　from　the　attribution　of　all　things　to　Him；　and　from；　the　words　〃in　view　of　Him〃　that　He　is　their　cause　and　they　reach　to　Him　as　to　something　differing　from　them　all　and　containing　nothing　that　they　contain：　for　certainly　His　very　nature　requires　that　nothing　of　the　later　be　in　Him。　　　　　Thus；　Intellectual…Principle；　finding　place　in　the　universe；　cannot　have　place　in　Him。　Where　we　read　that　He　is　the　cause　of　all　beauty　we　are　clearly　to　understand　that　beauty　depends　upon　the　Forms；　He　being　set　above　all　that　is　beautiful　here。　The