the six enneads-第42章

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　if　the　order　of　this　Universe　is　such　that　we　are　able；　within　it；　to　practise　wisdom　and　to　live　our　earthly　course　by　the　Supernal；　does　not　that　prove　it　a　dependency　of　the　Divine？　　　　　9。　Wealth　and　poverty；　and　all　inequalities　of　that　order；　are　made　ground　of　complaint。　But　this　is　to　ignore　that　the　Sage　demands　no　equality　in　such　matters：　he　cannot　think　that　to　own　many　things　is　to　be　richer　or　that　the　powerful　have　the　better　of　the　simple；　he　leaves　all　such　preoccupations　to　another　kind　of　man。　He　has　learned　that　life　on　earth　has　two　distinct　forms；　the　way　of　the　Sage　and　the　way　of　the　mass；　the　Sage　intent　upon　the　sublimest；　upon　the　realm　above；　while　those　of　the　more　strictly　human　type　fall；　again；　under　two　classes；　the　one　reminiscent　of　virtue　and　therefore　not　without　touch　with　good；　the　other　mere　populace；　serving　to　provide　necessaries　to　the　better　sort。　　　　　But　what　of　murder？　What　of　the　feebleness　that　brings　men　under　slavery　to　the　passions？　　　　　Is　it　any　wonder　that　there　should　be　failing　and　error；　not　in　the　highest；　the　intellectual；　Principle　but　in　Souls　that　are　like　undeveloped　children？　And　is　not　life　justified　even　so　if　it　is　a　training　ground　with　its　victors　and　its　vanquished？　　　　　You　are　wronged；　need　that　trouble　an　immortal？　You　are　put　to　death；　you　have　attained　your　desire。　And　from　the　moment　your　citizenship　of　the　world　becomes　irksome　you　are　not　bound　to　it。　　　　　Our　adversaries　do　not　deny　that　even　here　there　is　a　system　of　law　and　penalty：　and　surely　we　cannot　in　justice　blame　a　dominion　which　awards　to　every　one　his　due；　where　virtue　has　its　honour；　and　vice　comes　to　its　fitting　shame；　in　which　there　are　not　merely　representations　of　the　gods；　but　the　gods　themselves；　watchers　from　above；　and…　as　we　read…　easily　rebutting　human　reproaches；　since　they　lead　all　things　in　order　from　a　beginning　to　an　end；　allotting　to　each　human　being；　as　life　follows　life；　a　fortune　shaped　to　all　that　has　preceded…　the　destiny　which；　to　those　that　do　not　penetrate　it；　becomes　the　matter　of　boorish　insolence　upon　things　divine。　　　　　A　man's　one　task　is　to　strive　towards　making　himself　perfect…　though　not　in　the　idea…　really　fatal　to　perfection…　that　to　be　perfect　is　possible　to　himself　alone。　　　　　We　must　recognize　that　other　men　have　attained　the　heights　of　goodness；　we　must　admit　the　goodness　of　the　celestial　spirits；　and　above　all　of　the　gods…　those　whose　presence　is　here　but　their　contemplation　in　the　Supreme；　and　loftiest　of　them；　the　lord　of　this　All；　the　most　blessed　Soul。　Rising　still　higher；　we　hymn　the　divinities　of　the　Intellectual　Sphere；　and；　above　all　these；　the　mighty　King　of　that　dominion；　whose　majesty　is　made　patent　in　the　very　multitude　of　the　gods。　　　　　It　is　not　by　crushing　the　divine　unto　a　unity　but　by　displaying　its　exuberance…　as　the　Supreme　himself　has　displayed　it…　that　we　show　knowledge　of　the　might　of　God；　who；　abidingly　what　He　is；　yet　creates　that　multitude；　all　dependent　on　Him；　existing　by　Him　and　from　Him。　　　　　This　Universe；　too；　exists　by　Him　and　looks　to　Him…　the　Universe　as　a　whole　and　every　God　within　it…　and　tells　of　Him　to　men；　all　alike　revealing　the　plan　and　will　of　the　Supreme。　　　　　These；　in　the　nature　of　things；　cannot　be　what　He　is；　but　that　does　not　justify　you　in　contempt　of　them；　in　pushing　yourself　forward　as　not　inferior　to　them。　　　　　The　more　perfect　the　man；　the　more　compliant　he　is；　even　towards　his　fellows；　we　must　temper　our　importance；　not　thrusting　insolently　beyond　what　our　nature　warrants；　we　must　allow　other　beings；　also；　their　place　in　the　presence　of　the　Godhead；　we　may　not　set　ourselves　alone　next　after　the　First　in　a　dream…flight　which　deprives　us　of　our　power　of　attaining　identity　with　the　Godhead　in　the　measure　possible　to　the　human　Soul；　that　is　to　say；　to　the　point　of　likeness　to　which　the　Intellectual…Principle　leads　us；　to　exalt　ourselves　above　the　Intellectual…Principle　is　to　fall　from　it。　　　　　Yet　imbeciles　are　found　to　accept　such　teaching　at　the　mere　sound　of　the　words　〃You；　yourself；　are　to　be　nobler　than　all　else；　nobler　than　men；　nobler　than　even　gods。〃　Human　audacity　is　very　great：　a　man　once　modest；　restrained　and　simple　hears；　〃You；　yourself；　are　the　child　of　God；　those　men　whom　you　used　to　venerate；　those　beings　whose　worship　they　inherit　from　antiquity；　none　of　these　are　His　children；　you　without　lifting　a　hand　are　nobler　than　the　very　heavens〃；　others　take　up　the　cry：　the　issue　will　be　much　as　if　in　a　crowd　all　equally　ignorant　of　figures；　one　man　were　told　that　he　stands　a　thousand　cubic　feet；　he　will　naturally　accept　his　thousand　cubits　even　though　the　others　present　are　said　to　measure　only　five　cubits；　he　will　merely　tell　himself　that　the　thousand　indicates　a　considerable　figure。　　　　　Another　point：　God　has　care　for　you；　how　then　can　He　be　indifferent　to　the　entire　Universe　in　which　you　exist？　　　　　We　may　be　told　that　He　is　too　much　occupied　to　look　upon　the　Universe；　and　that　it　would　not　be　right　for　Him　to　do　so；　yet；　when　He　looks　down　and　upon　these　people；　is　He　not　looking　outside　Himself　and　upon　the　Universe　in　which　they　exist？　If　He　cannot　look　outside　Himself　so　as　to　survey　the　Kosmos；　then　neither　does　He　look　upon　them。　　　　　But　they　have　no　need　of　Him？　　　　　The　Universe　has　need　of　Him；　and　He　knows　its　ordering　and　its　indwellers　and　how　far　they　belong　to　it　and　how　far　to　the　Supreme；　and　which　of　the　men　upon　it　are　friends　of　God；　mildly　acquiescing　with　the　Kosmic　dispensation　when　in　the　total　course　of　things　some　pain　must　be　brought　to　them…　for　we　are　to　look　not　to　the　single　will　of　any　man　but　to　the　universe　entire；　regarding　every　one　according　to　worth　but　not　stopping　for　such　things　where　all　that　may　is　hastening　onward。　　　　　Not　one　only　kind　of　being　is　bent　upon　this　quest；　which　brings　bliss　to　whatsoever　achieves；　and　earns　for　the　others　a　future　destiny　in　accord　with　their　power。　No　man；　therefore；　may　flatter　himself　that　he　alone　is　competent；　a　pretension　is　not　a　possession；　many　boast　though　fully　conscious　of　their　lack　and　many　imagine　themselves　to　possess　what　was　never　theirs　and　even　to　be　alone　in　possessing　what　they　alone　of　men　never　had。　　　　　10。　Under　detailed　investigation；　many　other　tenets　of　this　school…　indeed　we　might　say　all…　could　be　corrected　with　an　abundance　of　proof。　But　I　am　withheld　by　regard　for　some　of　our　own　friends　who　fell　in　with　this　doctrine　before　joining　our　circle　and；　strangely；　still　cling　to　it。　　　　　The　school；　no　doubt；　is　free…spoken　enough…　whether　in　the　set　purpose　of　giving　its　opinions　a　plausible　colour　of　verity　or　in　honest　belief…　but　we　are　addressing　here　our　own　acquaintances；　not　those　people　with　whom　we　could　make　no　way。　We　have　spoken　in　the　hope　of　preventing　our　friends　from　being　perturbed　by　a　party　which　brings；　not　proof…　how　could　it？…　but　arbitrary；　tyrannical　assertion；　another　style　of　address　would　be　applicable　to　such　as　have　the　audacity　to　flout　the　noble　and　true　doctrines　of　the　august　teachers　of　antiquity。　　　　　That　method　we　will　not　apply；　anyone　that　has　fully　grasped　the　preceding　discussion　will　know　how　to　meet　every　point　in　the　system。　　　　　Only　one　other　tenet　of　theirs　will　be　mentioned　before　passing　the　matter；　it　is　one　which　surpasses　all　the　rest　in　sheer　folly；　if　that　is　the　word。　　　　　They　first　maintain　that　the　Soul　and　a　certain　〃Wisdom〃　＇Sophia＇　declined　and　entered　this　lower　sphere　though　they　leave　us　in　doubt　of　whether　the　movement　originated　in　Soul　or　in　this　Sophia　of　theirs；　or　whether　the　two　are　the　same　to　them…　then　they　tell　us　that　the　other　Souls　came　down　in　the　descent　and　that　these　members　of　Sophia　took　to　themselves　bodies；　human　bodies；　for　example。　　　　　Yet　in　the　same　breath；　that　very　Soul　which　was　the　occasion　of　descent　to　the　others　is　declared　not　to　have　descended。　〃It　knew　no　decline；〃　but　merely　illuminated　the　darkness　in　such　a　way　that　an　image　of　it　was　formed　upon　the　Matter。　Then；　they　shape　an　image　of　that　image　somewhere　below…　through　the　medium　of　Matter　or　of　Materiality　or　whatever　else　of　many　names　they　choose　to　give　it　in　their　frequent　change　of　terms；　invented　to　darken　their　doctrine…　and　so　they　bring　into　bein