the six enneads-第68章

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fferent　from　becoming　inflamed；　which　implies　an　outside　agency　and；　therefore；　susceptibility　to　modification。　Matter；　being　itself　a　portion　of　fire；　cannot　be　said　to　catch　fire。　To　suggest　that　the　fire　not　merely　permeates　the　matter；　but　actually　sets　it　on　fire　is　like　saying　that　a　statue　permeates　its　bronze。　　　　　Further；　if　what　enters　must　be　an　Ideal…Principle　how　could　it　set　Matter　aflame？　But　what　if　it　is　a　pattern　or　condition？　No：　the　object　set　aflame　is　so　in　virtue　of　the　combination　of　Matter　and　condition。　　　　　But　how　can　this　follow　on　the　conjunction　when　no　unity　has　been　produced　by　the　two？　　　　　Even　if　such　a　unity　had　been　produced；　it　would　be　a　unity　of　things　not　mutually　sharing　experiences　but　acting　upon　each　other。　And　the　question　would　then　arise　whether　each　was　effective　upon　the　other　or　whether　the　sole　action　was　not　that　of　one　（the　form）　preventing　the　other　＇the　Matter＇　from　slipping　away？　　　　　But　when　any　material　thing　is　severed；　must　not　the　Matter　be　divided　with　it？　Surely　the　bodily　modification　and　other　experience　that　have　accompanied　the　sundering；　must　have　occurred；　identically；　within　the　Matter？　　　　　This　reasoning　would　force　the　destructibility　of　Matter　upon　us：　〃the　body　is　dissolved；　then　the　Matter　is　dissolved。〃　We　would　have　to　allow　Matter　to　be　a　thing　of　quantity；　a　magnitude。　But　since　it　is　not　a　magnitude　it　could　not　have　the　experiences　that　belong　to　magnitude　and；　on　the　larger　scale；　since　it　is　not　body　it　cannot　know　the　experiences　of　body。　　　　　In　fact　those　that　declare　Matter　subject　to　modification　may　as　well　declare　it　body　right　out。　　　　　13。　Further；　they　must　explain　in　what　sense　they　hold　that　Matter　tends　to　slip　away　from　its　form　＇the　Idea＇。　Can　we　conceive　it　stealing　out　from　stones　and　rocks　or　whatever　else　envelops　it？　　　　　And　of　course　they　cannot　pretend　that　Matter　in　some　cases　rebels　and　sometimes　not。　For　if　once　it　makes　away　of　its　own　will；　why　should　it　not　always　escape？　If　it　is　fixed　despite　itself；　it　must　be　enveloped　by　some　Ideal…Form　for　good　and　all。　This；　however；　leaves　still　the　question　why　a　given　portion　of　Matter　does　not　remain　constant　to　any　one　given　form：　the　reason　lies　mainly　in　the　fact　that　the　Ideas　are　constantly　passing　into　it。　　　　　In　what　sense；　then；　is　it　said　to　elude　form？　　　　　By　very　nature　and　for　ever？　　　　　But　does　not　this　precisely　mean　that　it　never　ceases　to　be　itself；　in　other　words　that　its　one　form　is　an　invincible　formlessness？　In　no　other　sense　has　Plato's　dictum　any　value　to　those　that　invoke　it。　　　　　Matter　＇we　read＇　is　〃the　receptacle　and　nurse　of　all　generation。〃　　　　　Now　if　Matter　is　such　a　receptacle　and　nurse；　all　generation　is　distinct　from　it；　and　since　all　the　changeable　lies　in　the　realm　of　generation；　Matter；　existing　before　all　generation；　must　exist　before　all　change。　　　　　〃Receptacle〃　and　〃nurse〃；　then　it　〃retains　its　identity；　it　is　not　subject　to　modification。　Similarly　if　it　is〃　＇as　again　we　read＇　〃the　ground　on　which　individual　things　appear　and　disappear；〃　and　so；　too；　if　it　is　a　〃place；　a　base。〃　Where　Plato　describes　and　identifies　it　as　〃a　ground　to　the　ideas〃　he　is　not　attributing　any　state　to　it；　he　is　probing　after　its　distinctive　manner　of　being。　　　　　And　what　is　that？　　　　　This　which　we　think　of　as　a　Nature…Kind　cannot　be　included　among　Existents　but　must　utterly　rebel　from　the　Essence　of　Real　Beings　and　be　therefore　wholly　something　other　than　they…　for　they　are　Reason…Principles　and　possess　Authentic　Existence…　it　must　inevitably；　by　virtue　of　that　difference；　retain　its　integrity　to　the　point　of　being　permanently　closed　against　them　and；　more；　of　rejecting　close　participation　in　any　image　of　them。　　　　　Only　on　these　terms　can　it　be　completely　different：　once　it　took　any　Idea　to　hearth　and　home；　it　would　become　a　new　thing；　for　it　would　cease　to　be　the　thing　apart；　the　ground　of　all　else；　the　receptacle　of　absolutely　any　and　every　form。　If　there　is　to　be　a　ceaseless　coming　into　it　and　going　out　from　it；　itself　must　be　unmoved　and　immune　in　all　the　come　and　go。　The　entrant　Idea　will　enter　as　an　image；　the　untrue　entering　the　untruth。　　　　　But；　at　least；　in　a　true　entry？　　　　　No：　How　could　there　be　a　true　entry　into　that　which；　by　being　falsity；　is　banned　from　ever　touching　truth？　　　　　Is　this　then　a　pseudo…entry　into　a　pseudo…entity…　something　merely　brought　near；　as　faces　enter　the　mirror；　there　to　remain　just　as　long　as　the　people　look　into　it？　　　　　Yes：　if　we　eliminated　the　Authentic　Existents　from　this　Sphere　nothing　of　all　now　seen　in　sense　would　appear　one　moment　longer。　　　　　Here　the　mirror　itself　is　seen；　for　it　is　itself　an　Ideal…Form　of　a　Kind　＇has　some　degree　of　Real　Being＇；　but　bare　Matter；　which　is　no　Idea；　is　not　a　visible　thing；　if　it　were；　it　would　have　been　visible　in　its　own　character　before　anything　else　appeared　upon　it。　The　condition　of　Matter　may　be　illustrated　by　that　of　air　penetrated　by　light　and　remaining；　even　so；　unseen　because　it　is　invisible　whatever　happens。　　　　　The　reflections　in　the　mirror　are　not　taken　to　be　real；　all　the　less　since　the　appliance　on　which　they　appear　is　seen　and　remains　while　the　images　disappear；　but　Matter　is　not　seen　either　with　the　images　or　without　them。　But　suppose　the　reflections　on　the　mirror　remaining　and　the　mirror　itself　not　seen；　we　would　never　doubt　the　solid　reality　of　all　that　appears。　　　　　If；　then；　there　is；　really；　something　in　a　mirror；　we　may　suppose　objects　of　sense　to　be　in　Matter　in　precisely　that　way：　if　in　the　mirror　there　is　nothing；　if　there　is　only　a　seeming　of　something；　then　we　may　judge　that　in　Matter　there　is　the　same　delusion　and　that　the　seeming　is　to　be　traced　to　the　Substantial…Existence　of　the　Real…Beings；　that　Substantial…Existence　in　which　the　Authentic　has　the　real　participation　while　only　an　unreal　participation　can　belong　to　the　unauthentic　since　their　condition　must　differ　from　that　which　they　would　know　if　the　parts　were　reversed；　if　the　Authentic　Existents　were　not　and　they　were。　　　　　14。　But　would　this　mean　that　if　there　were　no　Matter　nothing　would　exist？　　　　　Precisely　as　in　the　absence　of　a　mirror；　or　something　of　similar　power；　there　would　be　no　reflection。　　　　　A　thing　whose　very　nature　is　to　be　lodged　in　something　else　cannot　exist　where　the　base　is　lacking…　and　it　is　the　character　of　a　reflection　to　appear　in　something　not　itself。　　　　　Of　course　supposing　anything　to　desert　from　the　Authentic　Beings；　this　would　not　need　an　alien　base：　but　these　Beings　are　not　subject　to　flux；　and　therefore　any　outside　manifestation　of　them　implies　something　other　than　themselves；　something　offering　a　base　to　what　never　enters；　something　which　by　its　presence；　in　its　insistence；　by　its　cry　for　help；　in　its　beggardom；　strives　as　it　were　by　violence　to　acquire　and　is　always　disappointed；　so　that　its　poverty　is　enduring；　its　cry　unceasing。　　　　　This　alien　base　exists　and　the　myth　represents　it　as　a　pauper　to　exhibit　its　nature；　to　show　that　Matter　is　destitute　of　The　Good。　The　claimant　does　not　ask　for　all　the　Giver's　store；　but　it　welcomes　whatever　it　can　get；　in　other　words；　what　appears　in　Matter　is　not　Reality。　　　　　The　name；　too　＇Poverty＇；　conveys　that　Matter's　need　is　never　met。　The　union　with　Poros；　Possession；　is　designed　to　show　that　Matter　does　not　attain　to　Reality；　to　Plenitude；　but　to　some　bare　sufficiency…　in　point　of　fact　to　imaging　skill。　　　　　It　is；　of　course；　impossible　that　an　outside　thing　belonging　in　any　degree　to　Real…Being…　whose　Nature　is　to　engender　Real…Beings…　should　utterly　fail　of　participation　in　Reality：　but　here　we　have　something　perplexing；　we　are　dealing　with　utter　Non…Being；　absolutely　without　part　in　Reality；　what　is　this　participation　by　the　non…participant；　and　how　does　mere　neighbouring　confer　anything　on　that　which　by　its　own　nature　is　precluded　from　any　association？　　　　　The　answer　is　that　all　that　impinges　upon　this　Non…Being　is　flung　back　as　from　a　repelling　substance；　we　may　think　of　an　Echo　returned　from　a　repercussive　plane　surface；　it　is　precisely　because　of　the　lack　of　retention　that　the　phenomenon　is　supposed　to　belong　to　that　particular　place　and　even　to　arise　there。　　　　　If　Matter　were　participant　and　received　Reality　to　the　extent　which　we　ar