the six enneads-第48章

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ng　follows　its　own　Kind；　the　birth　is　a　horse　because　it　comes　from　the　Horse　Kind；　a　man　by　springing　from　the　Human　Kind；　offspring　answers　to　species。　Allow　the　kosmic　circuit　its　part；　a　very　powerful　influence　upon　the　thing　brought　into　being：　allow　the　stars　a　wide　material　action　upon　the　bodily　part　of　the　man；　producing　heat　and　cold　and　their　natural　resultants　in　the　physical　constitution；　still　does　such　action　explain　character；　vocation　and　especially　all　that　seems　quite　independent　of　material　elements；　a　man　taking　to　letters；　to　geometry；　to　gambling；　and　becoming　an　originator　in　any　of　these　pursuits？　And　can　we　imagine　the　stars；　divine　beings；　bestowing　wickedness？　And　what　of　a　doctrine　that　makes　them　wreak　vengeance；　as　for　a　wrong；　because　they　are　in　their　decline　or　are　being　carried　to　a　position　beneath　the　earth…　as　if　a　decline　from　our　point　of　view　brought　any　change　to　themselves；　as　if　they　ever　ceased　to　traverse　the　heavenly　spheres　and　to　make　the　same　figure　around　the　earth。　　　　　Nor　may　we　think　that　these　divine　beings　lose　or　gain　in　goodness　as　they　see　this　one　or　another　of　the　company　in　various　aspects；　and　that　in　their　happier　position　they　are　benignant　to　us　and；　less　pleasantly　situated；　turn　maleficent。　We　can　but　believe　that　their　circuit　is　for　the　protection　of　the　entirety　of　things　while　they　furnish　the　incidental　service　of　being　letters　on　which　the　augur；　acquainted　with　that　alphabet；　may　look　and　read　the　future　from　their　pattern…　arriving　at　the　thing　signified　by　such　analogies　as　that　a　soaring　bird　tells　of　some　lofty　event。　　　　　7。　It　remains　to　notice　the　theory　of　the　one　Causing…Principle　alleged　to　interweave　everything　with　everything　else；　to　make　things　into　a　chain；　to　determine　the　nature　and　condition　of　each　phenomenon…　a　Principle　which；　acting　through　seminal　Reason…Forms…　Logoi　Spermatikoi…　elaborates　all　that　exists　and　happens。　　　　　The　doctrine　is　close　to　that　which　makes　the　Soul　of　the　Universe　the　source　and　cause　of　all　condition　and　of　all　movement　whether　without　or…　supposing　that　we　are　allowed　as　individuals　some　little　power　towards　personal　act…　within　ourselves。　　　　　But　it　is　the　theory　of　the　most　rigid　and　universal　Necessity：　all　the　causative　forces　enter　into　the　system；　and　so　every　several　phenomenon　rises　necessarily；　where　nothing　escapes　Destiny；　nothing　has　power　to　check　or　to　change。　Such　forces　beating　upon　us；　as　it　were；　from　one　general　cause　leave　us　no　resource　but　to　go　where　they　drive。　All　our　ideas　will　be　determined　by　a　chain　of　previous　causes；　our　doings　will　be　determined　by　those　ideas；　personal　action　becomes　a　mere　word。　That　we　are　the　agents　does　not　save　our　freedom　when　our　action　is　prescribed　by　those　causes；　we　have　precisely　what　belongs　to　everything　that　lives；　to　infants　guided　by　blind　impulses；　to　lunatics；　all　these　act；　why；　even　fire　acts；　there　is　act　in　everything　that　follows　the　plan　of　its　being；　servilely。　　　　　No　one　that　sees　the　implications　of　this　theory　can　hesitate：　unable　to　halt　at　such　a　determinant　principle；　we　seek　for　other　explanations　of　our　action。　　　　　8。　What　can　this　other　cause　be；　one　standing　above　those　treated　of；　one　that　leaves　nothing　causeless；　that　preserves　sequence　and　order　in　the　Universe　and　yet　allows　ourselves　some　reality　and　leaves　room　for　prediction　and　augury？　　　　　Soul：　we　must　place　at　the　crest　of　the　world　of　beings；　this　other　Principle；　not　merely　the　Soul　of　the　Universe　but；　included　in　it；　the　Soul　of　the　individual：　this；　no　mean　Principle；　is　needed　to　be　the　bond　of　union　in　the　total　of　things；　not；　itself；　a　thing　sprung　like　things　from　life…seeds；　but　a　first…hand　Cause；　bodiless　and　therefore　supreme　over　itself；　free；　beyond　the　reach　of　kosmic　Cause：　for；　brought　into　body；　it　would　not　be　unrestrictedly　sovereign；　it　would　hold　rank　in　a　series。　　　　　Now　the　environment　into　which　this　independent　principle　enters；　when　it　comes　to　this　midpoint；　will　be　largely　led　by　secondary　causes　＇or；　by　chance…causes＇：　there　will　therefore　be　a　compromise；　the　action　of　the　Soul　will　be　in　part　guided　by　this　environment　while　in　other　matters　it　will　be　sovereign；　leading　the　way　where　it　will。　The　nobler　Soul　will　have　the　greater　power；　the　poorer　Soul；　the　lesser。　A　soul　which　defers　to　the　bodily　temperament　cannot　escape　desire　and　rage　and　is　abject　in　poverty；　overbearing　in　wealth；　arbitrary　in　power。　The　soul　of　nobler　nature　holds　good　against　its　surroundings；　it　is　more　apt　to　change　them　than　to　be　changed；　so　that　often　it　improves　the　environment　and；　where　it　must　make　concession；　at　least　keeps　its　innocence。　　　　　9。　We　admit；　then；　a　Necessity　in　all　that　is　brought　about　by　this　compromise　between　evil　and　accidental　circumstance：　what　room　was　there　for　anything　else　than　the　thing　that　is？　Given　all　the　causes；　all　must　happen　beyond　aye　or　nay…　that　is；　all　the　external　and　whatever　may　be　due　to　the　sidereal　circuit…　therefore　when　the　Soul　has　been　modified　by　outer　forces　and　acts　under　that　pressure　so　that　what　it　does　is　no　more　than　an　unreflecting　acceptance　of　stimulus；　neither　the　act　nor　the　state　can　be　described　as　voluntary：　so；　too；　when　even　from　within　itself；　it　falls　at　times　below　its　best　and　ignores　the　true；　the　highest；　laws　of　action。　　　　　But　when　our　Soul　holds　to　its　Reason…Principle；　to　the　guide；　pure　and　detached　and　native　to　itself；　only　then　can　we　speak　of　personal　operation；　of　voluntary　act。　Things　so　done　may　truly　be　described　as　our　doing；　for　they　have　no　other　source；　they　are　the　issue　of　the　unmingled　Soul；　a　Principle　that　is　a　First；　a　leader；　a　sovereign　not　subject　to　the　errors　of　ignorance；　not　to　be　overthrown　by　the　tyranny　of　the　desires　which；　where　they　can　break　in；　drive　and　drag；　so　as　to　allow　of　no　act　of　ours；　but　mere　answer　to　stimulus。　　　　　10。　To　sum　the　results　of　our　argument：　All　things　and　events　are　foreshown　and　brought　into　being　by　causes；　but　the　causation　is　of　two　Kinds；　there　are　results　originating　from　the　Soul　and　results　due　to　other　causes；　those　of　the　environment。　　　　　In　the　action　of　our　Souls　all　that　is　done　of　their　own　motion　in　the　light　of　sound　reason　is　the　Soul's　work；　while　what　is　done　where　they　are　hindered　from　their　own　action　is　not　so　much　done　as　suffered。　Unwisdom；　then；　is　not　due　to　the　Soul；　and；　in　general…　if　we　mean　by　Fate　a　compulsion　outside　ourselves…　an　act　is　fated　when　it　is　contrary　to　wisdom。　　　　　But　all　our　best　is　of　our　own　doing：　such　is　our　nature　as　long　as　we　remain　detached。　The　wise　and　good　do　perform　acts；　their　right　action　is　the　expression　of　their　own　power：　in　the　others　it　comes　in　the　breathing　spaces　when　the　passions　are　in　abeyance；　but　it　is　not　that　they　draw　this　occasional　wisdom　from　outside　themselves；　simply；　they　are　for　the　time　being　unhindered。　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　SECOND　TRACTATE。

　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　ON　PROVIDENCE　（1）。

　　　　1。　To　make　the　existence　and　coherent　structure　of　this　Universe　depend　upon　automatic　activity　and　upon　chance　is　against　all　good　sense。　　　　　Such　a　notion　could　be　entertained　only　where　there　is　neither　intelligence　nor　even　ordinary　perception；　and　reason　enough　has　been　urged　against　it；　though　none　is　really　necessary。　　　　　But　there　is　still　the　question　as　to　the　process　by　which　the　individual　things　of　this　sphere　have　come　into　being；　how　they　were　made。　　　　　Some　of　them　seem　so　undesirable　as　to　cast　doubts　upon　a　Universal　Providence；　and　we　find；　on　the　one　hand；　the　denial　of　any　controlling　power；　on　the　other　the　belief　that　the　Kosmos　is　the　work　of　an　evil　creator。　　　　　This　matter　must　be　examined　through　and　through　from　the　very　first　principles。　We　may；　however；　omit　for　the　present　any　consideration　of　the　particular　providence；　that　beforehand　decision　which　accomplishes　or　holds　things　in　abeyance　to　some　good　purpose　and　gives　or　withholds　in　our　own　regard：　when　we　have　established　the　Universal　Providence　which　we　affirm；　we　can　link　the　secondary　with　it。　　　　　Of　course　the　belief　that　after　a　certain　lapse　of　time　a　Kosmos　previously　non…existent　came　into　being　would　imply　a　foreseeing　and　a　reasoned　plan　on