the six enneads-第6章

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ity　upon　itself；　of　a　Unity　in　which　there　is　no　this　and　that　and　the　other。　　　　　On　this　principle；　the　supreme　Rectitude　of　the　Soul　is　that　it　direct　its　Act　towards　the　Intellectual…Principle：　its　Restraint　（Sophrosyne）　is　its　inward　bending　towards　the　Intellectual…Principle；　its　Fortitude　is　its　being　impassive　in　the　likeness　of　That　towards　which　its　gaze　is　set；　Whose　nature　comports　an　impassivity　which　the　Soul　acquires　by　virtue　and　must　acquire　if　it　is　not　to　be　at　the　mercy　of　every　state　arising　in　its　less　noble　companion。　　　　　7。　The　virtues　in　the　Soul　run　in　a　sequence　correspondent　to　that　existing　in　the　over…world；　that　is　among　their　exemplars　in　the　Intellectual…Principle。　　　　　In　the　Supreme；　Intellection　constitutes　Knowledge　and　Wisdom；　self…concentration　is　Sophrosyne；　Its　proper　Act　is　Its　Dutifulness；　Its　Immateriality；　by　which　It　remains　inviolate　within　Itself　is　the　equivalent　of　Fortitude。　　　　　In　the　Soul；　the　direction　of　vision　towards　the　Intellectual…Principle　is　Wisdom　and　Prudence；　soul…virtues　not　appropriate　to　the　Supreme　where　Thinker　and　Thought　are　identical。　All　the　other　virtues　have　similar　correspondences。　　　　　And　if　the　term　of　purification　is　the　production　of　a　pure　being；　then　the　purification　of　the　Soul　must　produce　all　the　virtues；　if　any　are　lacking；　then　not　one　of　them　is　perfect。　　　　　And　to　possess　the　greater　is　potentially　to　possess　the　minor；　though　the　minor　need　not　carry　the　greater　with　them。　　　　　Thus　we　have　indicated　the　dominant　note　in　the　life　of　the　Sage；　but　whether　his　possession　of　the　minor　virtues　be　actual　as　well　as　potential；　whether　even　the　greater　are　in　Act　in　him　or　yield　to　qualities　higher　still；　must　be　decided　afresh　in　each　several　case。　　　　　Take；　for　example；　Contemplative…Wisdom。　If　other　guides　of　conduct　must　be　called　in　to　meet　a　given　need；　can　this　virtue　hold　its　ground　even　in　mere　potentiality？　　　　　And　what　happens　when　the　virtues　in　their　very　nature　differ　in　scope　and　province？　Where；　for　example；　Sophrosyne　would　allow　certain　acts　or　emotions　under　due　restraint　and　another　virtue　would　cut　them　off　altogether？　And　is　it　not　clear　that　all　may　have　to　yield；　once　Contemplative…Wisdom　comes　into　action？　　　　　The　solution　is　in　understanding　the　virtues　and　what　each　has　to　give：　thus　the　man　will　learn　to　work　with　this　or　that　as　every　several　need　demands。　And　as　he　reaches　to　loftier　principles　and　other　standards　these　in　turn　will　define　his　conduct：　for　example；　Restraint　in　its　earlier　form　will　no　longer　satisfy　him；　he　will　work　for　the　final　Disengagement；　he　will　live；　no　longer；　the　human　life　of　the　good　man…　such　as　Civic　Virtue　commends…　but；　leaving　this　beneath　him；　will　take　up　instead　another　life；　that　of　the　Gods。　　　　　For　it　is　to　the　Gods；　not　to　the　Good；　that　our　Likeness　must　look：　to　model　ourselves　upon　good　men　is　to　produce　an　image　of　an　image：　we　have　to　fix　our　gaze　above　the　image　and　attain　Likeness　to　the　Supreme　Exemplar。　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　THIRD　TRACTATE。

　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　ON　DIALECTIC　＇THE　UPWARD　WAY＇。

　　　　1。　What　art　is　there；　what　method；　what　discipline　to　bring　us　there　where　we　must　go？　　　　　The　Term　at　which　we　must　arrive　we　may　take　as　agreed：　we　have　established　elsewhere；　by　many　considerations；　that　our　journey　is　to　the　Good；　to　the　Primal…Principle；　and；　indeed；　the　very　reasoning　which　discovered　the　Term　was　itself　something　like　an　initiation。　　　　　But　what　order　of　beings　will　attain　the　Term？　　　　　Surely；　as　we　read；　those　that　have　already　seen　all　or　most　things；　those　who　at　their　first　birth　have　entered　into　the　life…germ　from　which　is　to　spring　a　metaphysician；　a　musician　or　a　born　lover；　the　metaphysician　taking　to　the　path　by　instinct；　the　musician　and　the　nature　peculiarly　susceptible　to　love　needing　outside　guidance。　　　　　But　how　lies　the　course？　Is　it　alike　for　all；　or　is　there　a　distinct　method　for　each　class　of　temperament？　　　　　For　all　there　are　two　stages　of　the　path；　as　they　are　making　upwards　or　have　already　gained　the　upper　sphere。　　　　　The　first　degree　is　the　conversion　from　the　lower　life；　the　second…　held　by　those　that　have　already　made　their　way　to　the　sphere　of　the　Intelligibles；　have　set　as　it　were　a　footprint　there　but　must　still　advance　within　the　realm…　lasts　until　they　reach　the　extreme　hold　of　the　place；　the　Term　attained　when　the　topmost　peak　of　the　Intellectual　realm　is　won。　　　　　But　this　highest　degree　must　bide　its　time：　let　us　first　try　to　speak　of　the　initial　process　of　conversion。　　　　　We　must　begin　by　distinguishing　the　three　types。　Let　us　take　the　musician　first　and　indicate　his　temperamental　equipment　for　the　task。　　　　　The　musician　we　may　think　of　as　being　exceedingly　quick　to　beauty；　drawn　in　a　very　rapture　to　it：　somewhat　slow　to　stir　of　his　own　impulse；　he　answers　at　once　to　the　outer　stimulus：　as　the　timid　are　sensitive　to　noise　so　he　to　tones　and　the　beauty　they　convey；　all　that　offends　against　unison　or　harmony　in　melodies　and　rhythms　repels　him；　he　longs　for　measure　and　shapely　pattern。　　　　　This　natural　tendency　must　be　made　the　starting…point　to　such　a　man；　he　must　be　drawn　by　the　tone；　rhythm　and　design　in　things　of　sense：　he　must　learn　to　distinguish　the　material　forms　from　the　Authentic…Existent　which　is　the　source　of　all　these　correspondences　and　of　the　entire　reasoned　scheme　in　the　work　of　art：　he　must　be　led　to　the　Beauty　that　manifests　itself　through　these　forms；　he　must　be　shown　that　what　ravished　him　was　no　other　than　the　Harmony　of　the　Intellectual　world　and　the　Beauty　in　that　sphere；　not　some　one　shape　of　beauty　but　the　All…Beauty；　the　Absolute　Beauty；　and　the　truths　of　philosophy　must　be　implanted　in　him　to　lead　him　to　faith　in　that　which；　unknowing　it；　he　possesses　within　himself。　What　these　truths　are　we　will　show　later。　　　　　2。　The　born　lover；　to　whose　degree　the　musician　also　may　attain…　and　then　either　come　to　a　stand　or　pass　beyond…　has　a　certain　memory　of　beauty　but；　severed　from　it　now；　he　no　longer　comprehends　it：　spellbound　by　visible　loveliness　he　clings　amazed　about　that。　His　lesson　must　be　to　fall　down　no　longer　in　bewildered　delight　before　some；　one　embodied　form；　he　must　be　led；　under　a　system　of　mental　discipline；　to　beauty　everywhere　and　made　to　discern　the　One　Principle　underlying　all；　a　Principle　apart　from　the　material　forms；　springing　from　another　source；　and　elsewhere　more　truly　present。　The　beauty；　for　example；　in　a　noble　course　of　life　and　in　an　admirably　organized　social　system　may　be　pointed　out　to　him…　a　first　training　this　in　the　loveliness　of　the　immaterial…　he　must　learn　to　recognise　the　beauty　in　the　arts；　sciences；　virtues；　then　these　severed　and　particular　forms　must　be　brought　under　the　one　principle　by　the　explanation　of　their　origin。　From　the　virtues　he　is　to　be　led　to　the　Intellectual…Principle；　to　the　Authentic…Existent；　thence　onward；　he　treads　the　upward　way。　　　　　3。　The　metaphysician；　equipped　by　that　very　character；　winged　already　and　not　like　those　others；　in　need　of　disengagement；　stirring　of　himself　towards　the　supernal　but　doubting　of　the　way；　needs　only　a　guide。　He　must　be　shown；　then；　and　instructed；　a　willing　wayfarer　by　his　very　temperament；　all　but　self…directed。　　　　　Mathematics；　which　as　a　student　by　nature　he　will　take　very　easily；　will　be　prescribed　to　train　him　to　abstract　thought　and　to　faith　in　the　unembodied；　a　moral　being　by　native　disposition；　he　must　be　led　to　make　his　virtue　perfect；　after　the　Mathematics　he　must　be　put　through　a　course　in　Dialectic　and　made　an　adept　in　the　science。　　　　　4。　But　this　science；　this　Dialectic　essential　to　all　the　three　classes　alike；　what；　in　sum；　is　it？　　　　　It　is　the　Method；　or　Discipline；　that　brings　with　it　the　power　of　pronouncing　with　final　truth　upon　the　nature　and　relation　of　things…　what　each　is；　how　it　differs　from　others；　what　common　quality　all　have；　to　what　Kind　each　belongs　and　in　what　rank　each　stands　in　its　Kind　and　whether　its　Being　is　Real…Being；　and　how　many　Beings　there　are；　and　how　many　non…Beings　to　be　distinguished　from　Beings。　　　　　Dialectic　treats　also　of　the　Good　and　the　not…Good；　and　of　the　particulars　that　fall　under　each；　and　of　what　is　the　Eternal　and　what　the　not　Eternal…　and　of　these；　it　must　be