the six enneads-第9章

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that　this　state　has　been　achieved　is　that　the　man　seeks　nothing　else。　　　　　What　indeed　could　he　be　seeking？　Certainly　none　of　the　less　worthy　things；　and　the　Best　he　carries　always　within　him。　　　　　He　that　has　such　a　life　as　this　has　all　he　needs　in　life。　　　　　Once　the　man　is　a　Sage；　the　means　of　happiness；　the　way　to　good；　are　within；　for　nothing　is　good　that　lies　outside　him。　Anything　he　desires　further　than　this　he　seeks　as　a　necessity；　and　not　for　himself　but　for　a　subordinate；　for　the　body　bound　to　him；　to　which　since　it　has　life　he　must　minister　the　needs　of　life；　not　needs；　however；　to　the　true　man　of　this　degree。　He　knows　himself　to　stand　above　all　such　things；　and　what　he　gives　to　the　lower　he　so　gives　as　to　leave　his　true　life　undiminished。　　　　　Adverse　fortune　does　not　shake　his　felicity：　the　life　so　founded　is　stable　ever。　Suppose　death　strikes　at　his　household　or　at　his　friends；　he　knows　what　death　is；　as　the　victims；　if　they　are　among　the　wise；　know　too。　And　if　death　taking　from　him　his　familiars　and　intimates　does　bring　grief；　it　is　not　to　him；　not　to　the　true　man；　but　to　that　in　him　which　stands　apart　from　the　Supreme；　to　that　lower　man　in　whose　distress　he　takes　no　part。　　　　　5。　But　what　of　sorrows；　illnesses　and　all　else　that　inhibit　the　native　activity？　　　　　What　of　the　suspension　of　consciousness　which　drugs　or　disease　may　bring　about？　Could　either　welfare　or　happiness　be　present　under　such　conditions？　And　this　is　to　say　nothing　of　misery　and　disgrace；　which　will　certainly　be　urged　against　us；　with　undoubtedly　also　those　never…failing　〃Miseries　of　Priam。〃　　　　　〃The　Sage；〃　we　shall　be　told；　〃may　bear　such　afflictions　and　even　take　them　lightly　but　they　could　never　be　his　choice；　and　the　happy　life　must　be　one　that　would　be　chosen。　The　Sage；　that　is；　cannot　be　thought　of　as　simply　a　sage　soul；　no　count　being　taken　of　the　bodily…principle　in　the　total　of　the　being：　he　will；　no　doubt；　take　all　bravely。。。　until　the　body's　appeals　come　up　before　him；　and　longings　and　loathings　penetrate　through　the　body　to　the　inner　man。　And　since　pleasure　must　be　counted　in　towards　the　happy　life；　how　can　one　that；　thus；　knows　the　misery　of　ill…fortune　or　pain　be　happy；　however　sage　he　be？　Such　a　state；　of　bliss　self…contained；　is　for　the　Gods；　men；　because　of　the　less　noble　part　subjoined　in　them；　must　needs　seek　happiness　throughout　all　their　being　and　not　merely　in　some　one　part；　if　the　one　constituent　be　troubled；　the　other；　answering　to　its　associate's　distress；　must　perforce　suffer　hindrance　in　its　own　activity。　There　is　nothing　but　to　cut　away　the　body　or　the　body's　sensitive　life　and　so　secure　that　self…contained　unity　essential　to　happiness。〃　　　　　6。　Now　if　happiness　did　indeed　require　freedom　from　pain；　sickness；　misfortune；　disaster；　it　would　be　utterly　denied　to　anyone　confronted　by　such　trials：　but　if　it　lies　in　the　fruition　of　the　Authentic　Good；　why　turn　away　from　this　Term　and　look　to　means；　imagining　that　to　be　happy　a　man　must　need　a　variety　of　things　none　of　which　enter　into　happiness？　If；　in　fact；　felicity　were　made　up　by　heaping　together　all　that　is　at　once　desirable　and　necessary　we　must　bid　for　these　also。　But　if　the　Term　must　be　one　and　not　many；　if　in　other　words　our　quest　is　of　a　Term　and　not　of　Terms；　that　only　can　be　elected　which　is　ultimate　and　noblest；　that　which　calls　to　the　tenderest　longings　of　the　soul。　　　　　The　quest　and　will　of　the　Soul　are　not　pointed　directly　towards　freedom　from　this　sphere：　the　reason　which　disciplines　away　our　concern　about　this　life　has　no　fundamental　quarrel　with　things　of　this　order；　it　merely　resents　their　interference；　sometimes；　even；　it　must　seek　them；　essentially　all　the　aspiration　is　not　so　much　away　from　evil　as　towards　the　Soul's　own　highest　and　noblest：　this　attained；　all　is　won　and　there　is　rest…　and　this　is　the　veritably　willed　state　of　life。　　　　　There　can　be　no　such　thing　as　〃willing〃　the　acquirement　of　necessaries；　if　Will　is　to　be　taken　in　its　strict　sense；　and　not　misapplied　to　the　mere　recognition　of　need。　　　　　It　is　certain　that　we　shrink　from　the　unpleasant；　and　such　shrinking　is　assuredly　not　what　we　should　have　willed；　to　have　no　occasion　for　any　such　shrinking　would　be　much　nearer　to　our　taste；　but　the　things　we　seek　tell　the　story　as　soon　as　they　are　ours。　For　instance；　health　and　freedom　from　pain；　which　of　these　has　any　great　charm？　As　long　as　we　possess　them；　we　set　no　store　upon　them。　　　　　Anything　which；　present；　has　no　charm　and　adds　nothing　to　happiness；　which　when　lacking　is　desired　because　of　the　presence　of　an　annoying　opposite；　may　reasonably　be　called　a　necessity　but　not　a　Good。　　　　　Such　things　can　never　make　part　of　our　final　object：　our　Term　must　be　such　that　though　these　pleasanter　conditions　be　absent　and　their　contraries　present；　it　shall　remain；　still；　intact。　　　　　7。　Then　why　are　these　conditions　sought　and　their　contraries　repelled　by　the　man　established　in　happiness？　　　　　Here　is　our　answer：　　　　　These　more　pleasant　conditions　cannot；　it　is　true；　add　any　particle　towards　the　Sage's　felicity：　but　they　do　serve　towards　the　integrity　of　his　being；　while　the　presence　of　the　contraries　tends　against　his　Being　or　complicates　the　Term：　it　is　not　that　the　Sage　can　be　so　easily　deprived　of　the　Term　achieved　but　simply　that　he　that　holds　the　highest　good　desires　to　have　that　alone；　not　something　else　at　the　same　time；　something　which；　though　it　cannot　banish　the　Good　by　its　incoming；　does　yet　take　place　by　its　side。　　　　　In　any　case　if　the　man　that　has　attained　felicity　meets　some　turn　of　fortune　that　he　would　not　have　chosen；　there　is　not　the　slightest　lessening　of　his　happiness　for　that。　If　there　were；　his　felicity　would　be　veering　or　falling　from　day　to　day；　the　death　of　a　child　would　bring　him　down；　or　the　loss　of　some　trivial　possession。　No：　a　thousand　mischances　and　disappointments　may　befall　him　and　leave　him　still　in　the　tranquil　possession　of　the　Term。　　　　　But；　they　cry；　great　disasters；　not　the　petty　daily　chances！　　　　　What　human　thing；　then；　is　great；　so　as　not　to　be　despised　by　one　who　has　mounted　above　all　we　know　here；　and　is　bound　now　no　longer　to　anything　below？　　　　　If　the　Sage　thinks　all　fortunate　events；　however　momentous；　to　be　no　great　matter…　kingdom　and　the　rule　over　cities　and　peoples；　colonisations　and　the　founding　of　states；　even　though　all　be　his　own　handiwork…　how　can　he　take　any　great　account　of　the　vacillations　of　power　or　the　ruin　of　his　fatherland？　Certainly　if　he　thought　any　such　event　a　great　disaster；　or　any　disaster　at　all；　he　must　be　of　a　very　strange　way　of　thinking。　One　that　sets　great　store　by　wood　and　stones；　or。。。　Zeus。。。　by　mortality　among　mortals　cannot　yet　be　the　Sage；　whose　estimate　of　death；　we　hold；　must　be　that　it　is　better　than　life　in　the　body。　　　　　But　suppose　that　he　himself　is　offered　a　victim　in　sacrifice？　　　　　Can　he　think　it　an　evil　to　die　beside　the　altars？　　　　　But　if　he　go　unburied？　　　　　Wheresoever　it　lie；　under　earth　or　over　earth；　his　body　will　always　rot。　　　　　But　if　he　has　been　hidden　away；　not　with　costly　ceremony　but　in　an　unnamed　grave；　not　counted　worthy　of　a　towering　monument？　　　　　The　littleness　of　it！　　　　　But　if　he　falls　into　his　enemies'　hands；　into　prison？　　　　　There　is　always　the　way　towards　escape；　if　none　towards　well…being。　　　　　But　if　his　nearest　be　taken　from　him；　his　sons　and　daughters　dragged　away　to　captivity？　　　　　What　then；　we　ask；　if　he　had　died　without　witnessing　the　wrong？　Could　he　have　quitted　the　world　in　the　calm　conviction　that　nothing　of　all　this　could　happen？　He　must　be　very　shallow。　Can　he　fail　to　see　that　it　is　possible　for　such　calamities　to　overtake　his　household；　and　does　he　cease　to　be　a　happy　man　for　the　knowledge　of　what　may　occur？　In　the　knowledge　of　the　possibility　he　may　be　at　ease；　so；　too；　when　the　evil　has　come　about。　　　　　He　would　reflect　that　the　nature　of　this　All　is　such　as　brings　these　things　to　pass　and　man　must　bow　the　head。　　　　　Besides　in　many　cases　captivity　will　certainly　prove　an　advantage；　and　those　that　suffer　have　their　freedom　in　their　hands：　if　they　stay；　either　there　is　reason　in　their　staying；　and　then　they　have　no　real　grievance；　or　they　stay　against　reason；　when　they　should　not；　and　then　they　have　themselves　to　blame。　Clearly　the　absurdities　o