alexandria and her schools-第15部分

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　yet　he　cannot　express　the　relation　of　the　individual　soul　to　it；　but　by　saying　that　we　are　parts　of　it；　or　that　each　thing；　down　to　the　lowest；　receives　as　much　soul　as　it　is　capable　of　possessing。　　Ritter　has　worked　out　at　length；　though　in　a　somewhat　dry　and　lifeless　way；　the　hundred　contradictions　of　this　kind　which　you　meet　in　Plotinus；　contradictions　which　I　suspect　to　be　inseparable　from　any　philosophy　starting　from　his　grounds。　　Is　he　not　looking　for　the　spiritual　in　a　region　where　it　does　not　exist；　in　the　region　of　logical　conceptions　and　abstractions；　which　are　not　realities；　but　only；　after　all；　symbols　of　our　own；　whereby　we　express　to　ourselves　the　processes　of　our　own　brain？　　May　not　his　Christian　contemporaries　have　been　nearer　scientific　truth；　as　well　as　nearer　the　common　sense　and　practical　belief　of　mankind；　in　holding　that　that　which　is　spiritual　is　personal；　and　can　only　be　seen　or　conceived　of　as　residing　in　persons；　and　that　that　which　is　personal　is　moral；　and　has　to　do；　not　with　abstractions　of　the　intellect；　but　with　right　and　wrong；　love　and　hate；　and　all　which；　in　the　common　instincts　of　men；　involves　a　free　will；　a　free　judgment；　a　free　responsibility　and　desert？　And　that；　therefore；　if　there　were　a　Spirit；　a　Daemonic　Element；　an　universal　Reason；　a　Logos；　a　Divine　Element；　closely　connected　with　man；　that　one　Reason；　that　one　Divine　Element；　must　be　a　person　also？　　At　least；　so　strong　was　the　instinct　of　even　the　Heathen　schools　in　this　direction；　that　the　followers　of　Plotinus　had　to　fill　up　the　void　which　yawned　between　man　and　the　invisible　things　after　which　he　yearned；　by　reviving　the　whole　old　Pagan　Polytheism；　and　adding　to　it　a　Daemonology　borrowed　partly　from　the　Chaldees；　and　partly　from　the　Jewish　rabbis；　which　formed　a　descending　chain　of　persons；　downward　from　the　highest　Deities　to　heroes；　and　to　the　guardian　angel　of　each　man；　the　meed　of　the　philosopher　being；　that　by　self…culture　and　self…restraint　he　could　rise　above　the　tutelage　of　some　lower　and　more　earthly　daemon；　and　become　the　pupil　of　a　God；　and　finally　a　God　himself。

These　contradictions　need　not　lower　the　great　Father　of　Neoplatonism　in　our　eyes；　as　a　moral　being。　　All　accounts　of　him　seem　to　prove　him　to　have　been　what　Apollo；　in　a　lengthy　oracle；　declared　him　to　have　been；　〃good　and　gentle；　and　benignant　exceedingly；　and　pleasant　in　all　his　conversation。〃　　He　gave　good　advice　about　earthly　matters；　was　a　faithful　steward　of　moneys　deposited　with　him；　a　guardian　of　widows　and　orphans；　a　righteous　and　loving　man。　　In　his　practical　life；　the　ascetic　and　gnostic　element　comes　out　strongly　enough。　　The　body；　with　him；　was　not　evil；　neither　was　it　good；　it　was　simply　nothingwhy　care　about　it？　He　would　have　no　portrait　taken　of　his　person：　　〃It　was　humiliating　enough　to　be　obliged　to　carry　a　shadow　about　with　him；　without　having　a　shadow　made　of　that　shadow。〃　　He　refused　animal　food；　abstained　from　baths；　declined　medicine　in　his　last　illness；　and　so　died　about　200　A。D。

It　is　in　his　followers；　as　one　generally　sees　in　such　cases；　that　the　weakness　of　his　conceptions　comes　out。　　Plotinus　was　an　earnest　thinker；　slavishly　enough　reverencing　the　opinion　of　Plato；　whom　he　quotes　as　an　infallible　oracle；　with　a　〃He　says；〃　as　if　there　were　but　one　he　in　the　universe：　　but　he　tried　honestly　to　develop　Plato；　or　what　he　conceived　to　be　Plato；　on　the　method　which　Plato　had　laid　down。　　His　dialectic　is　far　superior；　both　in　quantity　and　in　quality；　to　that　of　those　who　come　after　him。　　He　is　a　seeker。　　His　followers　are　not。　　The　great　work　which　marks　the　second　stage　of　his　school　is　not　an　inquiry；　but　a　justification；　not　only　of　the　Egyptian；　but　of　all　possible　theurgies　and　superstitions；　perhaps　the　best　attempt　of　the　kind　which　the　world　has　ever　seen；　that　which　marks　the　third　is　a　mere　cloud…castle；　an　inverted　pyramid；　not　of　speculation；　but　of　dogmatic　assertion；　patched　together　from　all　accessible　rags　and　bones　of　the　dead　world。　　Some　here　will；　perhaps；　guess　from　my　rough　descriptions；　that　I　speak　of　Iamblichus　and　Proclus。

Whether　or　not　Iamblichus　wrote　the　famous　work　usually　attributed　to　him；　which　describes　itself　as　the　letter　of　Abamnon　the　Teacher　to　Porphyry；　he　became　the　head　of　that　school　of　Neoplatonists　who　fell　back　on　theurgy　and　magic；　and　utterly　swallowed　up　the　more　rational；　though　more　hopeless；　school　of　Porphyry。　　Not　that　Porphyry；　too；　with　all　his　dislike　of　magic　and　the　vulgar　superstitionsa　dislike　intimately　connected　with　his　loudly　expressed　dislike　of　the　common　herd；　and　therefore　of　Christianity；　as　a　religion　for　the　common　herd　did　not　believe　a　fact　or　two；　which　looks　to　us；　nowadays；　somewhat　unphilosophical。　　From　him　we　learn　that　one　Ammonius；　trying　to　crush　Plotinus　by　magic　arts；　had　his　weapons　so　completely　turned　against　himself；　that　all　his　limbs　were　contracted。　　From　him　we　learn　that　Plotinus；　having　summoned　in　the　temple　of　Isis　his　familiar　spirit；　a　god；　and　not　a　mere　daemon；　appeared。　　He　writes　sensibly　enough　however　to　one　Anebos；　an　Egyptian　priest；　stating　his　doubts　as　to　the　popular　notions　of　the　Gods；　as　beings　subject　to　human　passions　and　vices；　and　of　theurgy　and　magic；　as　material　means　of　compelling　them　to　appear；　or　alluring　them　to　favour　man。　　The　answer　of　Abamnon；　Anebos；　Iamblichus；　or　whoever　the　real　author　may　have　been；　is　worthy　of　perusal　by　every　metaphysical　student；　as　a　curious　phase　of　thought；　not　confined　to　that　time；　but　rife；　under　some　shape　or　other；　in　every　age　of　the　world's　history；　and　in　this　as　much　as　in　any。　　There　are　many　passages　full　of　eloquence；　many　more　full　of　true　and　noble　thought：　　but　on　the　whole；　it　is　the　sewing　of　new　cloth　into　an　old　garment；　the　attempt　to　suit　the　old　superstition　to　the　new　one；　by　eclectically　picking　and　choosing；　and　special　pleading；　on　both　sides；　but　the　rent　is　only　made　worse。　　There　is　no　base　superstition　which　Abamnon　does　not　unconsciously　justify。　　And　yet　he　is　rapidly　losing　sight　of　the　real　eternal　human　germs　of　truth　round　which　those　superstitions　clustered；　and　is　really　further　from　truth　and　reason　than　old　Homer　or　Hesiod；　because　further　from　the　simple；　universal；　everyday　facts；　and　relations；　and　duties　of　man；　which　are；　after　all；　among　the　most　mysterious；　and　also　among　the　most　sacred　objects　which　man　can　contemplate。

It　was　not　wonderful；　however；　that　Neoplatonism　took　the　course　it　did。　Spirit；　they　felt　rightly；　was　meant　to　rule　matter；　it　was　to　be　freed　from　matter　only　for　that　very　purpose。　　No　one　could　well　deny　that。　The　philosopher；　as　he　rose　and　became；　according　to　Plotinus；　a　god；　or　at　least　approached　toward　the　gods；　must　partake　of　some　mysterious　and　transcendental　power。　　No　one　could　well　deny　that　conclusion；　granting　the　premiss。　　But　of　what　power？　　What　had　he　to　show　as　the　result　of　his　intimate　communion　with　an　unseen　Being？　　The　Christian　Schools；　who　held　that　the　spiritual　is　the　moral；　answered　accordingly。　　He　must　show　righteousness；　and　love；　and　peace　in　a　Holy　Spirit。　　That　is　the　likeness　of　God。　　In　proportion　as　a　man　has　them；　he　is　partaker　of　a　Divine　nature。　　He　can　rise　no　higher；　and　he　needs　no　more。　　Platonists　had　saidNo；　that　is　only　virtue；　and　virtue　is　the　means；　not　the　end。　We　want　proof　of　having　something　above　that；　something　more　than　any　man　of　the　herd；　any　Christian　slave；　can　perform；　something　above　nature；　portents　and　wonders。　　So　they　set　to　work　to　perform　wonders；　and　succeeded；　I　suppose；　more　or　less。　　For　now　one　enters　into　a　whole　fairyland　of　those　very　phenomena　which　are　puzzling　us　so　nowadays　ecstasy；　clairvoyance；　insensibility　to　pain；　cures　produced　by　the　effect　of　what　we　now　call　mesmerism。　　They　are　all　there；　these　modern　puzzles；　in　those　old　books　of　the　long　bygone　seekers　for　wisdom。　　It　makes　us　love　them；　while　it　saddens　us　to　see　that　their　difficulties　were　the　same　as　ours；　and　that　there　is　nothing　new　under　the　sun。　　Of　course；　a　great　deal　of　it　all　was　〃imagination。〃　　But　the　question　then；　as　now　is；　what　is　this　wonder…working　imagination？unless　the　word　be　used　as　a　mere　euphemism　for　lying；　which　really；　in　many　cases；　is　hardly　fair。　　We　cannot　wonder　at　the　old　Neoplatonists　for　attributing　these　strange　phenomena　to　spiritual　influence；　when　we　see　some　who　ought　to　know　better　doing　the　same　thing　now；　and　others；　who　more　wisely　believe　them　to　be　strictly　physical　and　nervous；　so　utterly　unable　to　give　reasons　for　them；　that　they　feel　it　expedient　to　ignore　them　for　awhile；　till　they　know　more　about　those　physical　phenomena　which　can　be　put　under　some　sort　of　classification；　and　attributed　to　some　sort　of　inductive　law。

But　again。　　These　ecstasies；　cures；　and　so　forth；　brought　them　rapidly　back　to　the　old　priestcrafts。　　The　Egyptian　priests；　the　Babylonian　and　Jewish　sorcerers；　had　practised　all　this　as　a　trade　for　ages；　and　reduced　it　to　an　art。　　It　was　by　sleeping　in　the　temples　of　the　deities；　after　due　mesmeric　manipulations；　that　cures　were　even　then　effected。　Surely　the　old　priests　were　the　people　to　whom　to　go　for　information。　The　old　philosophers　of　Greece　were　venerable。　　How　much　more　those　of　the　East；　in　comparison　with　whom　the　Greeks　were　children？　　Besides；　if　these　daemons　and　deities　were　so　near　them；　might　it　not　be　possible　to　behold　them？　　They　seemed　to　have　given　up　caring　much　for　the　world　and　its　course　…


Effugerant　adytis　templisque　relictis　Di　quibus　imperium　steterat。


The　old　priests　used　to　make　them　appearperhaps　they　might　do　it　again。　　And　if　spirit　could　act　directly　and　preternaturally　on　matter；　in　spite　of　the　laws　of　matter；　perhaps　matter　might　act　on　spirit。　After　all；　were　matter　and　spirit　so　absolutely　different？　　Was　not　spirit　some　sort　of　pervading　essence；　some　subtle　ethereal　fluid；　differing　from　matter　principally　in　being　less　gross　and　dense？　　This　was　the　point　to　which　they　went　down　rapidly　enough；　the　point　to　which　all　philosophies；　I　firmly　believe；　will　descend；　which　do　not　keep　in　sight　that　the　spiritual　means　the　moral。　　In　trying　to　make　it　mean　exclusively　the　intellectual；　they　will　degrade　it　to　mean　the　merely　logical　and　abstract；　and　when　th