the six enneads-第3章

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　of　these　images　is　Sense…Perception　seated　in　the　Couplement；　and　from　this　downwards　all　the　successive　images　are　to　be　recognized　as　phases　of　the　Soul　in　lessening　succession　from　one　another；　until　the　series　ends　in　the　faculties　of　generation　and　growth　and　of　all　production　of　offspring…　offspring　efficient　in　its　turn；　in　contradistinction　to　the　engendering　Soul　which　＇has　no　direct　action　within　matter　but＇　produces　by　mere　inclination　towards　what　it　fashions。　　　　　9。　That　Soul；　then；　in　us；　will　in　its　nature　stand　apart　from　all　that　can　cause　any　of　the　evils　which　man　does　or　suffers；　for　all　such　evil；　as　we　have　seen；　belongs　only　to　the　Animate；　the　Couplement。　　　　　But　there　is　a　difficulty　in　understanding　how　the　Soul　can　go　guiltless　if　our　mentation　and　reasoning　are　vested　in　it：　for　all　this　lower　kind　of　knowledge　is　delusion　and　is　the　cause　of　much　of　what　is　evil。　　　　　When　we　have　done　evil　it　is　because　we　have　been　worsted　by　our　baser　side…　for　a　man　is　many…　by　desire　or　rage　or　some　evil　image：　the　misnamed　reasoning　that　takes　up　with　the　false；　in　reality　fancy；　has　not　stayed　for　the　judgement　of　the　Reasoning…Principle：　we　have　acted　at　the　call　of　the　less　worthy；　just　as　in　matters　of　the　sense…sphere　we　sometimes　see　falsely　because　we　credit　only　the　lower　perception；　that　of　the　Couplement；　without　applying　the　tests　of　the　Reasoning…Faculty。　　　　　The　Intellectual…Principle　has　held　aloof　from　the　act　and　so　is　guiltless；　or；　as　we　may　state　it；　all　depends　on　whether　we　ourselves　have　or　have　not　put　ourselves　in　touch　with　the　Intellectual…Realm　either　in　the　Intellectual…Principle　or　within　ourselves；　for　it　is　possible　at　once　to　possess　and　not　to　use。　　　　　Thus　we　have　marked　off　what　belongs　to　the　Couplement　from　what　stands　by　itself：　the　one　group　has　the　character　of　body　and　never　exists　apart　from　body；　while　all　that　has　no　need　of　body　for　its　manifestation　belongs　peculiarly　to　Soul：　and　the　Understanding；　as　passing　judgement　upon　Sense…Impressions；　is　at　the　point　of　the　vision　of　Ideal…Forms；　seeing　them　as　it　were　with　an　answering　sensation　（i。e；　with　consciousness）　this　last　is　at　any　rate　true　of　the　Understanding　in　the　Veritable　Soul。　For　Understanding；　the　true；　is　the　Act　of　the　Intellections：　in　many　of　its　manifestations　it　is　the　assimilation　and　reconciliation　of　the　outer　to　the　inner。　　　　　Thus　in　spite　of　all；　the　Soul　is　at　peace　as　to　itself　and　within　itself：　all　the　changes　and　all　the　turmoil　we　experience　are　the　issue　of　what　is　subjoined　to　the　Soul；　and　are；　as　have　said；　the　states　and　experiences　of　this　elusive　〃Couplement。〃　　　　　10。　It　will　be　objected；　that　if　the　Soul　constitutes　the　We　＇the　personality＇　and　We　are　subject　to　these　states　then　the　Soul　must　be　subject　to　them；　and　similarly　that　what　We　do　must　be　done　by　the　Soul。　　　　　But　it　has　been　observed　that　the　Couplement；　too…　especially　before　our　emancipation…　is　a　member　of　this　total　We；　and　in　fact　what　the　body　experiences　we　say　We　experience。　This　then　covers　two　distinct　notions；　sometimes　it　includes　the　brute…part；　sometimes　it　transcends　the　brute。　The　body　is　brute　touched　to　life；　the　true　man　is　the　other；　going　pure　of　the　body；　natively　endowed　with　the　virtues　which　belong　to　the　Intellectual…Activity；　virtues　whose　seat　is　the　Separate　Soul；　the　Soul　which　even　in　its　dwelling　here　may　be　kept　apart。　＇This　Soul　constitutes　the　human　being＇　for　when　it　has　wholly　withdrawn；　that　other　Soul　which　is　a　radiation　＇or　emanation＇　from　it　withdraws　also；　drawn　after　it。　　　　　Those　virtues；　on　the　other　hand；　which　spring　not　from　contemplative　wisdom　but　from　custom　or　practical　discipline　belong　to　the　Couplement：　to　the　Couplement；　too；　belong　the　vices；　they　are　its　repugnances；　desires；　sympathies。　　　　　And　Friendship？　　　　　This　emotion　belongs　sometimes　to　the　lower　part；　sometimes　to　the　interior　man。　　　　　11。　In　childhood　the　main　activity　is　in　the　Couplement　and　there　is　but　little　irradiation　from　the　higher　principles　of　our　being：　but　when　these　higher　principles　act　but　feebly　or　rarely　upon　us　their　action　is　directed　towards　the　Supreme；　they　work　upon　us　only　when　they　stand　at　the　mid…point。　　　　　But　does　not　the　include　that　phase　of　our　being　which　stands　above　the　mid…point？　　　　　It　does；　but　on　condition　that　we　lay　hold　of　it：　our　entire　nature　is　not　ours　at　all　times　but　only　as　we　direct　the　mid…point　upwards　or　downwards；　or　lead　some　particular　phase　of　our　nature　from　potentiality　or　native　character　into　act。　　　　　And　the　animals；　in　what　way　or　degree　do　they　possess　the　Animate？　　　　　If　there　be　in　them；　as　the　opinion　goes；　human　Souls　that　have　sinned；　then　the　Animating…Principle　in　its　separable　phase　does　not　enter　directly　into　the　brute；　it　is　there　but　not　there　to　them；　they　are　aware　only　of　the　image　of　the　Soul　＇only　of　the　lower　Soul＇　and　of　that　only　by　being　aware　of　the　body　organised　and　determined　by　that　image。　　　　　If　there　be　no　human　Soul　in　them；　the　Animate　is　constituted　for　them　by　a　radiation　from　the　All…Soul。　　　　　12。　But　if　Soul　is　sinless；　how　come　the　expiations？　Here　surely　is　a　contradiction；　on　the　one　side　the　Soul　is　above　all　guilt；　on　the　other；　we　hear　of　its　sin；　its　purification；　its　expiation；　it　is　doomed　to　the　lower　world；　it　passes　from　body　to　body。　　　　　We　may　take　either　view　at　will：　they　are　easily　reconciled。　　　　　When　we　tell　of　the　sinless　Soul；　we　make　Soul　and　Essential…Soul　one　and　the　same：　it　is　the　simple　unbroken　Unity。　　　　　By　the　Soul　subject　to　sin　we　indicate　a　groupment；　we　include　that　other；　that　phase　of　the　Soul　which　knows　all　the　states　and　passions：　the　Soul　in　this　sense　is　compound；　all…inclusive：　it　falls　under　the　conditions　of　the　entire　living　experience：　this　compound　it　is　that　sins；　it　is　this；　and　not　the　other；　that　pays　penalty。　　　　　It　is　in　this　sense　that　we　read　of　the　Soul：　〃We　saw　it　as　those　others　saw　the　sea…god　Glaukos。〃　〃And；〃　reading　on；　〃if　we　mean　to　discern　the　nature　of　the　Soul　we　must　strip　it　free　of　all　that　has　gathered　about　it；　must　see　into　the　philosophy　of　it；　examine　with　what　Existences　it　has　touch　and　by　kinship　to　what　Existences　it　is　what　it　is。〃　　　　　Thus　the　Life　is　one　thing；　the　Act　is　another　and　the　Expiator　yet　another。　The　retreat　and　sundering；　then；　must　be　not　from　this　body　only；　but　from　every　alien　accruement。　Such　accruement　takes　place　at　birth；　or　rather　birth　is　the　coming…into…being　of　that　other　＇lower＇　phase　of　the　Soul。　For　the　meaning　of　birth　has　been　indicated　elsewhere；　it　is　brought　about　by　a　descent　of　the　Soul；　something　being　given　off　by　the　Soul　other　than　that　actually　coming　down　in　the　declension。　　　　　Then　the　Soul　has　let　this　image　fall？　And　this　declension　is　it　not　certainly　sin？　　　　　If　the　declension　is　no　more　than　the　illuminating　of　an　object　beneath；　it　constitutes　no　sin：　the　shadow　is　to　be　attributed　not　to　the　luminary　but　to　the　object　illuminated；　if　the　object　were　not　there；　the　light　could　cause　no　shadow。　　　　　And　the　Soul　is　said　to　go　down；　to　decline；　only　in　that　the　object　it　illuminates　lives　by　its　life。　And　it　lets　the　image　fall　only　if　there　be　nothing　near　to　take　it　up；　and　it　lets　it　fall；　not　as　a　thing　cut　off；　but　as　a　thing　that　ceases　to　be：　the　image　has　no　further　being　when　the　whole　Soul　is　looking　toward　the　Supreme。　　　　　The　poet；　too；　in　the　story　of　Hercules；　seems　to　give　this　image　separate　existence；　he　puts　the　shade　of　Hercules　in　the　lower　world　and　Hercules　himself　among　the　gods：　treating　the　hero　as　existing　in　the　two　realms　at　once；　he　gives　us　a　twofold　Hercules。　　　　　It　is　not　difficult　to　explain　this　distinction。　Hercules　was　a　hero　of　practical　virtue。　By　his　noble　serviceableness　he　was　worthy　to　be　a　God。　On　the　other　hand；　his　merit　was　action　and　not　the　Contemplation　which　would　place　him　unreservedly　in　the　higher　realm。　Therefore　while　he　has　place　above；　something　of　him　remains　below。　　　　　13。　And　the　principle　that　reasons　out　these　matters？　Is　it　We　or　the　Soul？　　　　　We；　but　by　the　Soul。　　　　　But　how　〃by　the　Soul〃？　Does　this　mean　that　the　Soul　reasons　by　possession　＇by　contact　with　the　matters　of　enquiry＇？　　　　　No；　by　the　fact　of　being　Soul。　Its