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re　to　proclaim　one　Intellectual…Principle　unchangeably　the　same；　in　no　way　subject　to　decline；　acting　in　imitation；　as　true　as　its　nature　allows；　of　the　Father。　　　　　And　as　to　our　own　Soul　we　are　to　hold　that　it　stands；　in　part；　always　in　the　presence　of　The　Divine　Beings；　while　in　part　it　is　concerned　with　the　things　of　this　sphere　and　in　part　occupies　a　middle　ground。　It　is　one　nature　in　graded　powers；　and　sometimes　the　Soul　in　its　entirety　is　borne　along　by　the　loftiest　in　itself　and　in　the　Authentic　Existent；　sometimes；　the　less　noble　part　is　dragged　down　and　drags　the　mid…soul　with　it；　though　the　law　is　that　the　Soul　may　never　succumb　entire。　　　　　The　Soul's　disaster　falls　upon　it　when　it　ceases　to　dwell　in　the　perfect　Beauty…　the　appropriate　dwelling…place　of　that　Soul　which　is　no　part　and　of　which　we　too　are　no　part…　thence　to　pour　forth　into　the　frame　of　the　All　whatsoever　the　All　can　hold　of　good　and　beauty。　There　that　Soul　rests；　free　from　all　solicitude；　not　ruling　by　plan　or　policy；　not　redressing；　but　establishing　order　by　the　marvellous　efficacy　of　its　contemplation　of　the　things　above　it。　　　　　For　the　measure　of　its　absorption　in　that　vision　is　the　measure　of　its　grace　and　power；　and　what　it　draws　from　this　contemplation　it　communicates　to　the　lower　sphere；　illuminated　and　illuminating　always。　　　　　3。　Ever　illuminated；　receiving　light　unfailing；　the　All…Soul　imparts　it　to　the　entire　series　of　later　Being　which　by　this　light　is　sustained　and　fostered　and　endowed　with　the　fullest　measure　of　life　that　each　can　absorb。　It　may　be　compared　with　a　central　fire　warming　every　receptive　body　within　range。　　　　　Our　fire；　however；　is　a　thing　of　limited　scope：　given　powers　that　have　no　limitation　and　are　never　cut　off　from　the　Authentic　Existences；　how　imagine　anything　existing　and　yet　failing　to　receive　from　them？　　　　　It　is　of　the　essence　of　things　that　each　gives　of　its　being　to　another：　without　this　communication；　The　Good　would　not　be　Good；　nor　the　Intellectual…Principle　an　Intellective　Principle；　nor　would　Soul　itself　be　what　it　is：　the　law　is；　〃some　life　after　the　Primal　Life；　a　second　where　there　is　a　first；　all　linked　in　one　unbroken　chain；　all　eternal；　divergent　types　being　engendered　only　in　the　sense　of　being　secondary。〃　　　　　In　other　words；　things　commonly　described　as　generated　have　never　known　a　beginning：　all　has　been　and　will　be。　Nor　can　anything　disappear　unless　where　a　later　form　is　possible：　without　such　a　future　there　can　be　no　dissolution。　　　　　If　we　are　told　that　there　is　always　Matter　as　a　possible　term；　we　ask　why　then　should　not　Matter　itself　come　to　nothingness。　If　we　are　told　it　may；　then　we　ask　why　it　should　ever　have　been　generated。　If　the　answer　comes　that　it　had　its　necessary　place　as　the　ultimate　of　the　series；　we　return　that　the　necessity　still　holds。　　　　　With　Matter　left　aside　as　wholly　isolated；　the　Divine　Beings　are　not　everywhere　but　in　some　bounded　place；　walled　off；　so　to　speak；　if　that　is　not　possible；　Matter　itself　must　receive　the　Divine　light　＇and　so　cannot　be　annihilated＇。　　　　　4。　To　those　who　assert　that　creation　is　the　work　of　the　Soul　after　the　failing　of　its　wings；　we　answer　that　no　such　disgrace　could　overtake　the　Soul　of　the　All。　If　they　tell　us　of　its　falling；　they　must　tell　us　also　what　caused　the　fall。　And　when　did　it　take　place？　If　from　eternity；　then　the　Soul　must　be　essentially　a　fallen　thing：　if　at　some　one　moment；　why　not　before　that？　　　　　We　assert　its　creative　act　to　be　a　proof　not　of　decline　but　rather　of　its　steadfast　hold。　Its　decline　could　consist　only　in　its　forgetting　the　Divine：　but　if　it　forgot；　how　could　it　create？　Whence　does　it　create　but　from　the　things　it　knew　in　the　Divine？　If　it　creates　from　the　memory　of　that　vision；　it　never　fell。　Even　supposing　it　to　be　in　some　dim　intermediate　state；　it　need　not　be　supposed　more　likely　to　decline：　any　inclination　would　be　towards　its　Prior；　in　an　effort　to　the　clearer　vision。　If　any　memory　at　all　remained；　what　other　desire　could　it　have　than　to　retrace　the　way？　　　　　What　could　it　have　been　planning　to　gain　by　world…creating？　Glory？　That　would　be　absurd…　a　motive　borrowed　from　the　sculptors　of　our　earth。　　　　　Finally；　if　the　Soul　created　by　policy　and　not　by　sheer　need　of　its　nature；　by　being　characteristically　the　creative　power…　how　explain　the　making　of　this　universe？　　　　　And　when　will　it　destroy　the　work？　If　it　repents　of　its　work；　what　is　it　waiting　for？　If　it　has　not　yet　repented；　then　it　will　never　repent：　it　must　be　already　accustomed　to　the　world；　must　be　growing　more　tender　towards　it　with　the　passing　of　time。　　　　　Can　it　be　waiting　for　certain　souls　still　here？　Long　since　would　these　have　ceased　returning　for　such　re…birth；　having　known　in　former　life　the　evils　of　this　sphere；　long　since　would　they　have　foreborne　to　come。　　　　　Nor　may　we　grant　that　this　world　is　of　unhappy　origin　because　there　are　many　jarring　things　in　it。　Such　a　judgement　would　rate　it　too　high；　treating　it　as　the　same　with　the　Intelligible　Realm　and　not　merely　its　reflection。　　　　　And　yet…　what　reflection　of　that　world　could　be　conceived　more　beautiful　than　this　of　ours？　What　fire　could　be　a　nobler　reflection　of　the　fire　there　than　the　fire　we　know　here？　Or　what　other　earth　than　this　could　have　been　modelled　after　that　earth？　And　what　globe　more　minutely　perfect　than　this；　or　more　admirably　ordered　in　its　course　could　have　been　conceived　in　the　image　of　the　self…centred　circling　of　the　World　of　Intelligibles？　And　for　a　sun　figuring　the　Divine　sphere；　if　it　is　to　be　more　splendid　than　the　sun　visible　to　us；　what　a　sun　it　must　be。　　　　　5。　Still　more　unreasonably：　　　　　There　are　men；　bound　to　human　bodies　and　subject　to　desire；　grief；　anger；　who　think　so　generously　of　their　own　faculty　that　they　declare　themselves　in　contact　with　the　Intelligible　World；　but　deny　that　the　sun　possesses　a　similar　faculty　less　subject　to　influence；　to　disorder；　to　change；　they　deny　that　it　is　any　wiser　than　we；　the　late　born；　hindered　by　so　many　cheats　on　the　way　towards　truth。　　　　　Their　own　soul；　the　soul　of　the　least　of　mankind；　they　declare　deathless；　divine；　but　the　entire　heavens　and　the　stars　within　the　heavens　have　had　no　communion　with　the　Immortal　Principle；　though　these　are　far　purer　and　lovelier　than　their　own　souls…　yet　they　are　not　blind　to　the　order；　the　shapely　pattern；　the　discipline　prevailing　in　the　heavens；　since　they　are　the　loudest　in　complaint　of　the　disorder　that　troubles　our　earth。　We　are　to　imagine　the　deathless　Soul　choosing　of　design　the　less　worthy　place；　and　preferring　to　abandon　the　nobler　to　the　Soul　that　is　to　die。　　　　　Equally　unreasonable　is　their　introduction　of　that　other　Soul　which　they　piece　together　from　the　elements。　　　　　How　could　any　form　or　degree　of　life　come　about　by　a　blend　of　the　elements？　Their　conjunction　could　produce　only　a　warm　or　cold　or　an　intermediate　substance；　something　dry　or　wet　or　intermediate。　　　　　Besides；　how　could　such　a　soul　be　a　bond　holding　the　four　elements　together　when　it　is　a　later　thing　and　rises　from　them？　And　this　element…　soul　is　described　as　possessing　consciousness　and　will　and　the　rest…　what　can　we　think？　　　　　Furthermore；　these　teachers；　in　their　contempt　for　this　creation　and　this　earth；　proclaim　that　another　earth　has　been　made　for　them　into　which　they　are　to　enter　when　they　depart。　Now　this　new　earth　is　the　Reason…Form　＇the　Logos＇　of　our　world。　Why　should　they　desire　to　live　in　the　archetype　of　a　world　abhorrent　to　them？　　　　　Then　again；　what　is　the　origin　of　that　pattern　world？　It　would　appear；　from　the　theory；　that　the　Maker　had　already　declined　towards　the　things　of　this　sphere　before　that　pattern　came　into　being。　　　　　Now　let　us　suppose　the　Maker　craving　to　construct　such　an　Intermediate　World…　though　what　motive　could　He　have？…　in　addition　to　the　Intellectual　world　which　He　eternally　possesses。　If　He　made　the　mid…world　first；　what　end　was　it　to　serve？　　　　　To　be　a　dwelling…place　for　Souls？　　　　　How　then　did　they　ever　fall　from　it？　It　exists　in　vain。　　　　　If　He　made　it　later　than　this　world…　abstracting　the　formal…idea　of　this　world　and　leaving　the　Matter　out…　the　Souls　that　have　come　to　know　that　intermediate　sphere　would　have　experienced　enough　to　keep　them　from　entering　this。　If　the　meaning　is　simply　that　Souls　exhibit　the　Ideal…Form　of　the　Universe；　what　is　there　distinctive　in　the　teaching？　　　　　6。　And；　what　are　we　to　think　of　the　new　forms　of　being　they　introduce…　their　〃Exiles〃　and　〃Impressions〃　and　〃Repentings〃？　　　　　If　all　comes　to　states　of　the　Soul…　〃Repentance〃　when　it　has　undergone　a　change　of　purpose；　〃Impressions〃　when　it　contemplates　not　the　Authentic　Existences　but　their　simulacra…　there　is　nothing　here　but　a　jargon　invented　to　make　a　case　for　their　school：　all　this　terminology　is　piled　up　only　to　conceal　their　debt　to　the　ancient　Greek　philosophy　which　taught；　clearly　and　without　bombast；　the　ascent　from　the　cave　and　the　gradual　advance　of　souls　to　a　truer　and　truer　vision。　　　　　For；　in　sum；　a　part　of　their　doctrine　comes　from　Plato；　all　the　novelties　through　which　they　seek　to　establish　a　philosophy　of　their　own　have　been　picked　up　outside　of　the　truth。　　　　　From　Plato　come　their　punishments；　their　rivers　of　the　underworld　and　the　changing　from　body　to　body；　as　for　the　plurality　they　assert　in　the　Intellectual　Realm…　the　Authentic　Existent；　the　Intellectual…Principle；　the　Second　Creator　and　the　Soul…　all　this　is　taken　over　from　the　Timaeus；　where　we　read：　　　　　〃As　many　Ideal…Forms　as　the　Divine　Mind　beheld　dwelling　within　the　Veritably　Living　Being；　so　many　the　Maker　resolved　should　be　contained　in　this　All。〃　　　　　Misunderstanding　their　text；　they　conceived　one　Mind　passively　including　within　itself　all　that　has　being；　another　mind；　a　distinct　existence；　having　vision；　and　a　third　planning　the　Universe…　though　often　they　substitute　Soul　for　this　planning　Mind　as　the　creating　Principle…　and　they　think　that　this　third　being　is　the　Creator　according　to　Plato。　　　　　They　are　in　fact　quite　outside　of　the　truth　in　their　identification　of　the　Creator。　　　　　In　every　way　they　misrepresent　Plato's　theory　as　to　the　method　of　creation　as　in　many　other　respects　they　dishonour　his　teaching：　they；　we　are　to　understand；　have　penetrated　the　Intellectual　Nature；　while　Plato　and　all　those　other　illustrious　teachers　have