the six enneads-第111部分

快捷操作: 按键盘上方向键 ← 或 → 可快速上下翻页 按键盘上的 Enter 键可回到本书目录页 按键盘上方向键 ↑ 可回到本页顶部! 如果本书没有阅读完，想下次继续接着阅读，可使用上方 "收藏到我的浏览器" 功能 和 "加入书签" 功能！


rises　above　thing　in　goodness　according　to　its　fuller　possession　of　authentic　being。　　　　　10。　Still；　do　not；　I　urge　you；　look　for　The　Good　through　any　of　these　other　things；　if　you　do；　you　will　see　not　itself　but　its　trace：　you　must　form　the　idea　of　that　which　is　to　be　grasped　cleanly　standing　to　itself　not　in　any　combination；　the　unheld　in　which　all　have　hold：　for　no　other　is　such；　yet　one　such　there　must　be。　　　　　Now　it　is　clear　that　we　cannot　possess　ourselves　of　the　power　of　this　principle　in　its　concentrated　fulness：　so　to　do　one　must　be　identical　with　it：　but　some　partial　attainment　is　within　our　reach。　　　　　You　who　make　the　venture　will　throw　forward　all　your　being　but　you　will　never　tell　it　entire…　for　that；　you　must　yourself　be　the　divine　Intellect　in　Act…　and　at　your　utmost　success　it　will　still　pass　from　you　or；　rather；　you　from　it。　In　ordinary　vision　you　may　think　to　see　the　object　entire：　in　this　intellective　act；　all；　less　or　more；　that　you　can　take　to　mind　you　may　set　down　as　The　Good。　　　　　It　is　The　Good　since；　being　a　power　＇being　effective　outwardly＇；　it　is　the　cause　of　the　intelligent　and　intellective　life　as　of　life　and　intellect：　for　these　grow　from　it　as　from　the　source　of　essence　and　of　existence；　the　Source　as　being　One；　simplex　and　first　because　before　it　was　nothing。　All　derives　from　this：　it　is　the　origin　of　the　primal　movement　which　it　does　not　possess　and　of　the　repose　which　is　but　its　absence　of　need；　for　neither　rest　nor　movement　can　belong　to　that　which　has　no　place　in　which　either　could　occur；　centre；　object；　ground；　all　are　alike　unknown　to　it；　for　it　is　before　all。　Yet　its　Being　is　not　limited；　what　is　there　to　set　bounds　to　it？　Nor；　on　the　other　hand；　is　it　infinite　in　the　sense　of　magnitude；　what　place　can　there　be　to　which　it　must　extend；　or　why　should　there　be　movement　where　there　is　no　lacking？　All　its　infinitude　resides　in　its　power：　it　does　not　change　and　will　not　fail；　and　in　it　all　that　is　unfailing　finds　duration。　　　　　11。　It　is　infinite　also　by　right　of　being　a　pure　unity　with　nothing　towards　which　to　direct　any　partial　content。　Absolutely　One；　it　has　never　known　measure　and　stands　outside　of　number；　and　so　is　under　no　limit　either　in　regard　to　any　extern　or　within　itself；　for　any　such　determination　would　bring　something　of　the　dual　into　it。　And　having　no　constituent　parts　it　accepts　no　pattern；　forms　no　shape。　　　　　Reason　recognising　it　as　such　a　nature；　you　may　not　hope　to　see　it　with　mortal　eyes；　nor　in　any　way　that　would　be　imagined　by　those　who　make　sense　the　test　of　reality　and　so　annul　the　supremely　real。　For　what　passes　for　the　most　truly　existent　is　most　truly　non…existent…　the　thing　of　extension　least　real　of　all…　while　this　unseen　First　is　the　source　and　principle　of　Being　and　sovereign　over　Reality。　　　　　You　must　turn　appearances　about　or　you　will　be　left　void　of　God。　You　will　be　like　those　at　the　festivals　who　in　their　gluttony　cram　themselves　with　things　which　none　going　to　the　gods　may　touch；　they　hold　these　goods　to　be　more　real　than　the　vision　of　the　God　who　is　to　be　honoured　and　they　go　away　having　had　no　share　in　the　sanctities　of　the　shrine。　　　　　In　these　celebrations　of　which　we　speak；　the　unseen　god　leaves　those　in　doubt　of　his　existence　who　think　nothing　patent　but　what　may　be　known　to　the　flesh：　it　happens　as　if　a　man　slept　a　life　through　and　took　the　dream　world　in　perfect　trust；　wake　him；　and　he　would　refuse　belief　to　the　report　of　his　open　eyes　and　settle　down　to　sleep　again。　　　　　12。　Knowing　demands　the　organ　fitted　to　the　object；　eyes　for　one　kind；　ears　for　another：　similarly　some　things；　we　must　believe；　are　to　be　known　by　the　Intellectual…Principle　in　us。　We　must　not　confuse　intellection　with　hearing　or　seeing；　this　would　be　trying　to　look　with　the　ears　or　denying　sound　because　it　is　not　seen。　Certain　people；　we　must　keep　in　mind；　have　forgotten　that　to　which；　from　the　beginning　onwards；　their　longing　and　effort　are　pointed：　for　all　that　exists　desires　and　aspires　towards　the　Supreme　by　a　compulsion　of　nature；　as　if　all　had　received　the　oracle　that　without　it　they　cannot　be。　　　　　The　perception　of　Beauty　and　the　awe　and　the　stirring　of　passion　towards　it　are　for　those　already　in　some　degree　knowing　and　awakened：　but　the　Good；　as　possessed　long　since　and　setting　up　a　natural　tendency；　is　inherently　present　to　even　those　asleep　and　brings　them　no　wonder　when　some　day　they　see　it；　since　it　is　no　occasional　reminiscence　but　is　always　with　them　though　in　their　drowse　they　are　not　aware　of　it：　the　love　of　Beauty　on　the　contrary　sets　up　pain　when　it　appears；　for　those　that　have　seen　it　must　pursue。　This　love　of　Beauty　then　is　later　than　the　love　of　Good　and　comes　with　a　more　sophisticated　understanding；　hence　we　know　that　Beauty　is　a　secondary：　the　more　primal　appetition；　not　patent　to　sense；　our　movement　towards　our　good；　gives　witness　that　The　Good　is　the　earlier；　the　prior。　　　　　Again；　all　that　have　possessed　themselves　of　The　Good　feel　it　sufficient：　they　have　attained　the　end：　but　Beauty　not　all　have　known　and　those　that　have　judge　it　to　exist　for　itself　and　not　for　them；　as　in　the　charm　of　this　world　the　beauty　belongs　only　to　its　possessor。　　　　　Then；　too；　it　is　thought　enough　to　appear　loveable　whether　one　is　so　or　not：　but　no　one　wants　his　Good　in　semblance　only。　All　are　seeking　The　First　as　something　ranking　before　aught　else；　but　they　struggle　venomously　for　beauty　as　something　secondary　like　themselves：　thus　some　minor　personage　may　perhaps　challenge　equal　honour　with　the　King's　right…hand　man　on　pretext　of　similar　dependence；　forgetting　that；　while　both　owe　their　standing　to　the　monarch；　the　other　holds　the　higher　rank。　　　　　The　source　of　the　error　is　that　while　both　The　Good　and　The　Beautiful　participate　in　the　common　source；　The　One　precedes　both；　and　that；　in　the　Supreme　also；　The　Good　has　no　need　of　The　Beautiful；　while　the　Beautiful　does　need　The　Good。　　　　　The　Good　is　gentle　and　friendly　and　tender；　and　we　have　it　present　when　we　but　will。　Beauty　is　all　violence　and　stupefaction；　its　pleasure　is　spoiled　with　pain；　and　it　even　draws　the　thoughtless　away　from　The　Good　as　some　attraction　will　lure　the　child　from　the　father's　side：　these　things　tell　of　youth。　The　Good　is　the　older…　not　in　time　but　by　degree　of　reality…　and　it　has　the　higher　and　earlier　power；　all　power　in　fact；　for　the　sequent　holds　only　a　power　subordinate　and　delegated　of　which　the　prior　remains　sovereign。　　　　　Not　that　God　has　any　need　of　His　derivatives：　He　ignores　all　that　produced　realm；　never　necessary　to　Him；　and　remains　identically　what　He　was　before　He　brought　it　into　being。　So　too；　had　the　secondary　never　existed；　He　would　have　been　unconcerned；　exactly　as　He　would　not　have　grudged　existence　to　any　other　universe　that　might　spring　into　being　from　Him；　were　any　such　possible；　of　course　no　other　such　could　be　since　there　is　nothing　that　has　not　existence　once　the　All　exists。　　　　　But　God　never　was　the　All；　that　would　make　Him　dependent　upon　the　universe：　transcending　all；　He　was　able　at　once　to　make　all　things　and　to　leave　them　to　their　own　being；　He　above。　　　　　13。　The　Supreme；　as　the　Absolute　Good　and　not　merely　a　good　being　or　thing；　can　contain　nothing；　since　there　is　nothing　that　could　be　its　good。　　　　　Anything　it　could　contain　must　be　either　good　to　it　or　not　good；　but　in　the　supremely　and　primally　Good　there　can　be　nothing　not　good；　nor　can　the　Absolute　Good　be　a　container　to　the　Good：　containing；　then；　neither　the　good　nor　the　not　good　it　contains　nothing　and；　containing　nothing；　it　is　alone：　it　is　void　of　all　but　itself。　　　　　If　the　rest　of　being　either　is　good…　without　being　the　absolute　good…　or　is　not　good；　while　on　the　other　hand　the　Supreme　contains　neither　what　is　good　nor　what　is　not　good；　then；　containing　nothing；　it　is　The　Good　by　that　very　absence　of　content。　　　　　Thus　we　rob　it　of　its　very　being　as　The　Absolute　Good　if　we　ascribe　anything　to　it；　existence　or　intellect　or　goodness。　The　only　way　is　to　make　every　denial　and　no　assertion；　to　feign　no　quality　or　content　there　but　to　permit　only　the　〃It　is〃　in　which　we　pretend　to　no　affirmation　of　non…existent　attribute：　there　is　an　ignorant　praise　which；　missing　the　true　description；　drags　in　qualities　beneath　the　real　worth　and　so　abases；　philosophy　must　guard　against　attaching　to　the　Supreme　what　is　later　and　lower：　moving　above　all　that　order；　it　is　the　cause　and　source　of　all　these；　and　is　none　of　them。　　　　　For；　once　more；　the　nature　of　the　Good　is　not　such　as　to　make　it　all　things　or　a　thing　among　all：　that　would　range　it　under　the　same　classification　with　them　all　and　it　would　differ；　thus；　only　by　its　individual　quality；　some　specialty；　some　addition。　At　once　it　becomes　not　a　unity　but　a　duality；　there　is　one　common　element　not　good　and　another　element　that　is　good；　but　a　combination　so　made　up　of　good　and　not　good　cannot　be　the　purely　good；　the　primarily　good；　the　primarily　good　must　be　that　principle　in　which　the　better　element　has　more　effectively　participated　and　so　attained　its　goodness。　Any　good　thing　has　become　so　by　communion；　but　that　in　which　it　has　communion　is　not　a　thing　among　the　things　of　the　all；　therefore　the　Good　is　not　a　thing　of　the　All。　　　　　Since　there　is　this　Good　in　any　good　thing…　the　specific　difference　by　which　the　combination　becomes　good…　it　must　enter　from　elsewhere　than　the　world　of　things：　that　source　must　be　a　Good　absolute　and　isolated。　　　　　Thus　is　revealed　to　us　the　Primarily　existent；　the　Good；　above　all　that　has　being；　good　unalloyed；　containing　nothing　in　itself；　utterly　unmingling；　all…transcending；　cause　of　all。　　　　　Certainly　neither　Being　nor　Beauty　springs　from　evil　or　from　the　neutral；　the　maker；　as　the　more　consummate；　must　surpass　the　made。　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　SIXTH　TRACTATE。

　　　　　　　　　　　THAT　THE　PRINCIPLE　TRANSCENDING　BEING　HAS　　　　　　　　　　　　　　NO　INTELLECTUAL　ACT。　WHAT　BEING　HAS　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　INTELLECTION　PRIMALLY　AND　WHAT　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　BEING　HAS　IT　SECONDARILY。

　　　　1。　There　is　a　principle　having　intellection　of　the　external　and　another　having　self…intellection　and　thus　further　removed　from　duality。　　　　　Even　the　first　mentioned　is　not　without　an　effort　towards　the　pure　unity　of　which　it　is　not　so　capable：　it　does　actually　contain　its　object；　though　as　something　other　than　its