the six enneads-第46章

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of　men　as　brothers；　are　they　capable　of　such　raving　as　to　disown　the　tie　with　the　Sun　and　the　powers　of　the　Heavens　and　the　very　Soul　of　the　Kosmos？　Such　kinship；　it　is　true；　is　not　for　the　vile；　it　may　be　asserted　only　of　those　that　have　become　good　and　are　no　longer　body　but　embodied　Soul　and　of　a　quality　to　inhabit　the　body　in　a　mode　very　closely　resembling　the　indwelling。　of　the　All…Soul　in　the　universal　frame。　And　this　means　continence；　self…restraint；　holding　staunch　against　outside　pleasure　and　against　outer　spectacle；　allowing　no　hardship　to　disturb　the　mind。　The　All…Soul　is　immune　from　shock；　there　is　nothing　that　can　affect　it：　but　we；　in　our　passage　here；　must　call　on　virtue　in　repelling　these　assaults；　reduced　for　us　from　the　beginning　by　a　great　conception　of　life；　annulled　by　matured　strength。　　　　　Attaining　to　something　of　this　immunity；　we　begin　to　reproduce　within　ourselves　the　Soul　of　the　vast　All　and　of　the　heavenly　bodies：　when　we　are　come　to　the　very　closest　resemblance；　all　the　effort　of　our　fervid　pursuit　will　be　towards　that　goal　to　which　they　also　tend；　their　contemplative　vision　becomes　ours；　prepared　as　we　are；　first　by　natural　disposition　and　afterwards　by　all　this　training；　for　that　state　which　is　theirs　by　the　Principle　of　their　Being。　　　　　This　school　may　lay　claim　to　vision　as　a　dignity　reserved　to　themselves；　but　they　are　not　any　the　nearer　to　vision　by　the　claim…　or　by　the　boast　that　while　the　celestial　powers；　bound　for　ever　to　the　ordering　of　the　Heavens；　can　never　stand　outside　the　material　universe；　they　themselves　have　their　freedom　in　their　death。　This　is　a　failure　to　grasp　the　very　notion　of　〃standing　outside；〃　a　failure　to　appreciate　the　mode　in　which　the　All…Soul　cares　for　the　unensouled。　　　　　No：　it　is　possible　to　go　free　of　love　for　the　body；　to　be　clean…living；　to　disregard　death；　to　know　the　Highest　and　aim　at　that　other　world；　not　to　slander；　as　negligent　in　the　quest；　others　who　are　able　for　it　and　faithful　to　it；　and　not　to　err　with　those　that　deny　vital　motion　to　the　stars　because　to　our　sense　they　stand　still…　the　error　which　in　another　form　leads　this　school　to　deny　outer　vision　to　the　Star…Nature；　only　because　they　do　not　see　the　Star…Soul　in　outer　manifestation。　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　THE　THIRD　ENNEAD。

　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　FIRST　TRACTATE。

　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　FATE。

　　　　1。　In　the　two　orders　of　things…　those　whose　existence　is　that　of　process　and　those　in　whom　it　is　Authentic　Being…　there　is　a　variety　of　possible　relation　to　Cause。　　　　　Cause　might　conceivably　underly　all　the　entities　in　both　orders　or　none　in　either。　It　might　underly　some；　only；　in　each　order；　the　others　being　causeless。　It　might；　again；　underly　the　Realm　of　Process　universally　while　in　the　Realm　of　Authentic　Existence　some　things　were　caused；　others　not；　or　all　were　causeless。　Conceivably；　on　the　other　hand；　the　Authentic　Existents　are　all　caused　while　in　the　Realm　of　Process　some　things　are　caused　and　others　not；　or　all　are　causeless。　　　　　Now；　to　begin　with　the　Eternal　Existents：　　　　　The　Firsts　among　these；　by　the　fact　that　they　are　Firsts；　cannot　be　referred　to　outside　Causes；　but　all　such　as　depend　upon　those　Firsts　may　be　admitted　to　derive　their　Being　from　them。　　　　　And　in　all　cases　the　Act　may　be　referred　to　the　Essence　＇as　its　cause＇；　for　their　Essence　consists；　precisely；　in　giving　forth　an　appropriate　Act。　　　　　As　for　Things　of　Process…　or　for　Eternal　Existents　whose　Act　is　not　eternally　invariable…　we　must　hold　that　these　are　due　to　Cause；　Causelessness　is　quite　inadmissible；　we　can　make　no　place　here　for　unwarranted　〃slantings；〃　for　sudden　movement　of　bodies　apart　from　any　initiating　power；　for　precipitate　spurts　in　a　soul　with　nothing　to　drive　it　into　the　new　course　of　action。　Such　causelessness　would　bind　the　Soul　under　an　even　sterner　compulsion；　no　longer　master　of　itself；　but　at　the　mercy　of　movements　apart　from　will　and　cause。　Something　willed…　within　itself　or　without…　something　desired；　must　lead　it　to　action；　without　motive　it　can　have　no　motion。　　　　　On　the　assumption　that　all　happens　by　Cause；　it　is　easy　to　discover　the　nearest　determinants　of　any　particular　act　or　state　and　to　trace　it　plainly　to　them。　　　　　The　cause　of　a　visit　to　the　centre　of　affairs　will　be　that　one　thinks　it　necessary　to　see　some　person　or　to　receive　a　debt；　or；　in　a　word；　that　one　has　some　definite　motive　or　impulse　confirmed　by　a　judgement　of　expediency。　Sometimes　a　condition　may　be　referred　to　the　arts；　the　recovery　of　health　for　instance　to　medical　science　and　the　doctor。　Wealth　has　for　its　cause　the　discovery　of　a　treasure　or　the　receipt　of　a　gift；　or　the　earning　of　money　by　manual　or　intellectual　labour。　The　child　is　traced　to　the　father　as　its　Cause　and　perhaps　to　a　chain　of　favourable　outside　circumstances　such　as　a　particular　diet　or；　more　immediately；　a　special　organic　aptitude　or　a　wife　apt　to　childbirth。　　　　　And　the　general　cause　of　all　is　Nature。　　　　　2。　But　to　halt　at　these　nearest　determinants；　not　to　be　willing　to　penetrate　deeper；　indicates　a　sluggish　mind；　a　dullness　to　all　that　calls　us　towards　the　primal　and　transcendent　causes。　　　　　How　comes　it　that　the　same　surface　causes　produce　different　results？　There　is　moonshine；　and　one　man　steals　and　the　other　does　not：　under　the　influence　of　exactly　similar　surroundings　one　man　falls　sick　and　the　other　keeps　well；　an　identical　set　of　operations　makes　one　rich　and　leaves　another　poor。　The　differences　amongst　us　in　manners；　in　characters；　in　success；　force　us　to　go　still　further　back。　　　　　Men　therefore　have　never　been　able　to　rest　at　the　surface　causes。　　　　　One　school　postulates　material　principles；　such　as　atoms；　from　the　movement；　from　the　collisions　and　combinations　of　these；　it　derives　the　existence　and　the　mode　of　being　of　all　particular　phenomena；　supposing　that　all　depends　upon　how　these　atoms　are　agglomerated；　how　they　act；　how　they　are　affected；　our　own　impulses　and　states；　even；　are　supposed　to　be　determined　by　these　principles。　　　　　Such　teaching；　then；　obtrudes　this　compulsion；　an　atomic　Anagke；　even　upon　Real　Being。　Substitute；　for　the　atoms；　any　other　material　entities　as　principles　and　the　cause　of　all　things；　and　at　once　Real　Being　becomes　servile　to　the　determination　set　up　by　them。　　　　　Others　rise　to　the　first…principle　of　all　that　exists　and　from　it　derive　all　they　tell　of　a　cause　penetrating　all　things；　not　merely　moving　all　but　making　each　and　everything；　but　they　pose　this　as　a　fate　and　a　supremely　dominating　cause；　not　merely　all　else　that　comes　into　being；　but　even　our　own　thinking　and　thoughts　would　spring　from　its　movement；　just　as　the　several　members　of　an　animal　move　not　at　their　own　choice　but　at　the　dictation　of　the　leading　principle　which　animal　life　presupposes。　　　　　Yet　another　school　fastens　on　the　universal　Circuit　as　embracing　all　things　and　producing　all　by　its　motion　and　by　the　positions　and　mutual　aspect　of　the　planets　and　fixed　stars　in　whose　power　of　foretelling　they　find　warrant　for　the　belief　that　this　Circuit　is　the　universal　determinant。　　　　　Finally；　there　are　those　that　dwell　on　the　interconnection　of　the　causative　forces　and　on　their　linked　descent…　every　later　phenomenon　following　upon　an　earlier；　one　always　leading　back　to　others　by　which　it　arose　and　without　which　it　could　not　be；　and　the　latest　always　subservient　to　what　went　before　them…　but　this　is　obviously　to　bring　in　fate　by　another　path。　This　school　may　be　fairly　distinguished　into　two　branches；　a　section　which　makes　all　depend　upon　some　one　principle　and　a　section　which　ignores　such　a　unity。　　　　　Of　this　last　opinion　we　will　have　something　to　say；　but　for　the　moment　we　will　deal　with　the　former；　taking　the　others　in　their　turn。　　　　　3。　〃Atoms〃　or　〃elements〃…　it　is　in　either　case　an　absurdity；　an　impossibility；　to　hand　over　the　universe　and　its　contents　to　material　entities；　and　out　of　the　disorderly　swirl　thus　occasioned　to　call　order；　reasoning；　and　the　governing　soul　into　being；　but　the　atomic　origin　is；　if　we　may　use　the　phrase；　the　most　impossible。　　　　　A　good　deal　of　truth　has　resulted　from　the　discussion　of　this　subject；　but；　even　to　admit　such　principles　does　not　compel　us　to　admit　universal　compulsion　or　any　kind　of　〃fate。〃　　　　　Suppose　th