the six enneads-第18部分

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be　in　the　future　a　change　that　has　not　yet　occurred？　The　elements　there　are　not　worn　away　like　beams　and　rafters：　they　hold　sound　for　ever；　and　so　the　All　holds　sound。　And　even　supposing　these　elements　to　be　in　ceaseless　transmutation；　yet　the　All　persists：　the　ground　of　all　the　change　must　itself　be　changeless。　　　　　As　to　any　alteration　of　purpose　in　the　Soul　we　have　already　shown　the　emptiness　of　that　fancy：　the　administration　of　the　universe　entails　neither　labour　nor　loss；　and；　even　supposing　the　possibility　of　annihilating　all　that　is　material；　the　Soul　would　be　no　whit　the　better　or　the　worse。　　　　　5。　But　how　explain　the　permanence　There；　while　the　content　of　this　sphere…　its　elements　and　its　living　things　alike…　are　passing？　　　　　The　reason　is　given　by　Plato：　the　celestial　order　is　from　God；　the　living　things　of　earth　from　the　gods　sprung　from　God；　and　it　is　law　that　the　offspring　of　God　endures。　　　　　In　other　words；　the　celestial　soul…　and　our　souls　with　it…　springs　directly　next　from　the　Creator；　while　the　animal　life　of　this　earth　is　produced　by　an　image　which　goes　forth　from　that　celestial　soul　and　may　be　said　to　flow　downwards　from　it。　　　　　A　soul；　then；　of　the　minor　degree…　reproducing；　indeed；　that　of　the　Divine　sphere　but　lacking　in　power　inasmuch　as　it　must　exercise　its　creative　act　upon　inferior　stuff　in　an　inferior　region…　the　substances　taken　up　into　the　fabric　being　of　themselves　repugnant　to　duration；　with　such　an　origin　the　living　things　of　this　realm　cannot　be　of　strength　to　last　for　ever；　the　material　constituents　are　not　as　firmly　held　and　controlled　as　if　they　were　ruled　immediately　by　a　Principle　of　higher　potency。　　　　　The　heavens；　on　the　contrary；　must　have　persistence　as　a　whole；　and　this　entails　the　persistence　of　the　parts；　of　the　stars　they　contain：　we　could　not　imagine　that　whole　to　endure　with　the　parts　in　flux…　though；　of　course；　we　must　distinguish　things　sub…celestial　from　the　heavens　themselves　whose　region　does　not　in　fact　extend　so　low　as　to　the　moon。　　　　　Our　own　case　is　different：　physically　we　are　formed　by　that　＇inferior＇　soul；　given　forth　＇not　directly　from　God　but＇　from　the　divine　beings　in　the　heavens　and　from　the　heavens　themselves；　it　is　by　way　of　that　inferior　soul　that　we　are　associated　with　the　body　＇which　therefore　will　not　be　persistent＇；　for　the　higher　soul　which　constitutes　the　We　is　the　principle　not　of　our　existence　but　of　our　excellence　or；　if　also　of　our　existence；　then　only　in　the　sense　that；　when　the　body　is　already　constituted；　it　enters；　bringing　with　it　some　effluence　from　the　Divine　Reason　in　support　of　the　existence。　　　　　6。　We　may　now　consider　the　question　whether　fire　is　the　sole　element　existing　in　that　celestial　realm　and　whether　there　is　any　outgoing　thence　with　the　consequent　need　of　renewal。　　　　　Timaeus　pronounced　the　material　frame　of　the　All　to　consist　primarily　of　earth　and　fire　for　visibility；　earth　for　solidity…　and　deduced　that　the　stars　must　be　mainly　composed　of　fire；　but　not　solely　since　there　is　no　doubt　they　are　solid。　　　　　And　this　is　probably　a　true　account。　Plato　accepts　it　as　indicated　by　all　the　appearances。　And；　in　fact；　to　all　our　perception…　as　we　see　them　and　derive　from　them　the　impression　of　illumination…　the　stars　appear　to　be　mostly；　if　not　exclusively；　fire：　but　on　reasoning　into　the　matter　we　judge　that　since　solidity　cannot　exist　apart　from　earth…matter；　they　must　contain　earth　as　well。　　　　　But　what　place　could　there　be　for　the　other　elements？　It　is　impossible　to　imagine　water　amid　so　vast　a　conflagration；　and　if　air　were　present　it　would　be　continually　changing　into　fire。　　　　　Admitting　＇with　Timaeus；　as　a　logical　truth＇　that　two　self…contained　entities；　standing　as　extremes　to　each　other　need　for　their　coherence　two　intermediaries；　we　may　still　question　whether　this　holds　good　with　regard　to　physical　bodies。　Certainly　water　and　earth　can　be　mixed　without　any　such　intermediate。　It　might　seem　valid　to　object　that　the　intermediates　are　already　present　in　the　earth　and　the　water；　but　a　possible　answer　would　be；　〃Yes；　but　not　as　agents　whose　meeting　is　necessary　to　the　coherence　of　those　extremes。〃　　　　　None　the　less　we　will　take　it　that　the　coherence　of　extremes　is　produced　by　virtue　of　each　possessing　all　the　intermediates。　It　is　still　not　proven　that　fire　is　necessary　to　the　visibility　of　earth　and　earth　to　the　solidarity　of　fire。　　　　　On　this　principle；　nothing　possesses　an　essential…nature　of　its　very　own；　every　several　thing　is　a　blend；　and　its　name　is　merely　an　indication　of　the　dominant　constituent。　　　　　Thus　we　are　told　that　earth　cannot　have　concrete　existence　without　the　help　of　some　moist　element…　the　moisture　in　water　being　the　necessary　adhesive…　but　admitting　that　we　so　find　it；　there　is　still　a　contradiction　in　pretending　that　any　one　element　has　a　being　of　its　own　and　in　the　same　breath　denying　its　self…coherence；　making　its　subsistence　depend　upon　others；　and　so；　in　reality；　reducing　the　specific　element　to　nothing。　How　can　we　talk　of　the　existence　of　the　definite　Kind；　earth…　earth　essential…　if　there　exists　no　single　particle　of　earth　which　actually　is　earth　without　any　need　of　water　to　secure　its　self…cohesion？　What　has　such　an　adhesive　to　act　upon　if　there　is　absolutely　no　given　magnitude　of　real　earth　to　which　it　may　bind　particle　after　particle　in　its　business　of　producing　the　continuous　mass？　If　there　is　any　such　given　magnitude；　large　or　small；　of　pure　earth；　then　earth　can　exist　in　its　own　nature；　independently　of　water：　if　there　is　no　such　primary　particle　of　pure　earth；　then　there　is　nothing　whatever　for　the　water　to　bind。　As　for　air…　air　unchanged；　retaining　its　distinctive　quality…　how　could　it　conduce　to　the　subsistence　of　a　dense　material　like　earth？　　　　　Similarly　with　fire。　No　doubt　Timaeus　speaks　of　it　as　necessary　not　to　the　existence　but　to　the　visibility　of　earth　and　the　other　elements；　and　certainly　light　is　essential　to　all　visibility…　we　cannot　say　that　we　see　darkness；　which　implies；　precisely；　that　nothing　is　seen；　as　silence　means　nothing　being　heard。　　　　　But　all　this　does　not　assure　us　that　the　earth　to　be　visible　must　contain　fire：　light　is　sufficient：　snow；　for　example；　and　other　extremely　cold　substances　gleam　without　the　presence　of　fire…　though　of　course　it　might　be　said　that　fire　was　once　there　and　communicated　colour　before　disappearing。　　　　　As　to　the　composition　of　water；　we　must　leave　it　an　open　question　whether　there　can　be　such　a　thing　as　water　without　a　certain　proportion　of　earth。　　　　　But　how　can　air；　the　yielding　element；　contain　earth？　　　　　Fire；　again：　is　earth　perhaps　necessary　there　since　fire　is　by　its　own　nature　devoid　of　continuity　and　not　a　thing　of　three　dimensions？　　　　　Supposing　it　does　not　possess　the　solidity　of　the　three　dimensions；　it　has　that　of　its　thrust；　now；　cannot　this　belong　to　it　by　the　mere　right　and　fact　of　its　being　one　of　the　corporeal　entities　in　nature？　Hardness　is　another　matter；　a　property　confined　to　earth…stuff。　Remember　that　gold…　which　is　water…　becomes　dense　by　the　accession　not　of　earth　but　of　denseness　or　consolidation：　in　the　same　way　fire；　with　Soul　present　within　it；　may　consolidate　itself　upon　the　power　of　the　Soul；　and　there　are　living　beings　of　fire　among　the　Celestials。　　　　　But；　in　sum；　do　we　abandon　the　teaching　that　all　the　elements　enter　into　the　composition　of　every　living　thing？　　　　　For　this　sphere；　no；　but　to　lift　clay　into　the　heavens　is　against　nature；　contrary　to　the　laws　of　her　ordaining：　it　is　difficult；　too；　to　think　of　that　swiftest　of　circuits　bearing　along　earthly　bodies　in　its　course　nor　could　such　material　conduce　to　the　splendour　and　white　glint　of　the　celestial　fire。　　　　　7。　We　can　scarcely　do　better；　in　fine；　than　follow　Plato。　　　　　Thus：　　　　　In　the　universe　as　a　whole　there　must　necessarily　be　such　a　degree　of　solidity；　that　is　to　say；　of　resistance；　as　will　ensure　that　the　earth；　set　in　the　centre；　be　a　sure　footing　and　support　to　the　living　beings　moving　over　it；　and　inevitably　communicate　something　of　its　own　density　to　them：　the　earth　will　possess　coherence　by　its　own　unaided　quality；　but　visibility　by　the　presence　of　fire：　it　will　contain　water　against　the　dryness　which　would　prevent　the　cohesion　of　its　particles；　it　will　hold　air　to　lighten　its　bulky　matters；　it　will　be　in　contact　with　the　celestial　fire…　not　as　being　a　member　of　the　sidereal　system　but　by　the　simple　fact　that　the　fire　there　and　our　earth　both　belong　to　the　ordered　universe　so　that　something　of　the　earth　is　taken　up　by　the　fire　as　something　of　the　fire　by　the　earth　and　something　of　everything　by　everything　else。　　　　　This　borrowing；　however；　does　not　mean　that　the　one　thing　taking…up　from　the　other　enters　into　a　composition；　becoming　an　element　in　a　total　of　both：　it　is　simply　a　consequence　of　the　kosmic　fellowship；　the　participant　retains　its　own　being　and　takes　over　not　the　thing　itself　but　some　property　of　the　thing；　not　air　but　air's　yielding　softness；　not　fire　but　fire's　incandescence：　mixing　is　another　process；　a　complete　surrender　with　a　resultant　compound　not；　as　in　this　case；　earth…　remaining　earth；　the　solidity　and　density　we　know…　with　something　of　fire's　qualities　superadded。　　　　　We　have　authority　for　this　where　we　read：　　　　　〃At　the　second　circuit　from　the　earth；　God　kindled　a　light〃：　he　is　speaking　of　the　sun　which；　elsewhere；　he　calls　the　all…glowing　and；　again；　the　all…gleaming：　thus　he　prevents　us　imagining　it　to　be　anything　else　but　fire；　though　of　a　peculiar　kind；　in　other　words　it　is　light；　which　he　distinguishes　from　flame　as　being　only　modestly　warm：　this　light　is　a　corporeal　substance　but　from　it　there　shines　forth　that　other　〃light〃　which；　though　it　carries　the　same　name；　we　pronounce　incorporeal；　given　forth　from　the　first　as　its　flower　and　radiance；　the　veritable　〃incandescent　body。〃　Plato's　word　earthy　is　commonly　taken　in　too　depreciatory　a　sense：　he　is　thinking　of　earth　as　the　principle　of　solidity；　we　are　apt　to　ignore　his　distinctions　and　think　of　the　concrete　clay。　　　　　Fire　of　this　order；　giving　forth　this　purest　light；　belongs　to　the　upper　realm；　and　there　its　seat　is　fixed　by　nature；　but　we　must　not；　on　that　account；　suppose　the　flame　of　earth　to　be　associated　with　the　beings　of　that　higher　sphere。　　　　　No：　the　flame　of　this　world；　once