the six enneads-第40章

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her；　but　in　the　heavenly　bodies　there　are　Souls；　intellective；　holy；　much　closer　to　the　Supernal　Beings　than　are　ours；　for　how　can　this　Kosmos　be　a　thing　cut　off　from　That　and　how　imagine　the　gods　in　it　to　stand　apart？　　　　　But　of　this　matter　we　have　treated　elsewhere：　here　we　urge　that　where　there　is　contempt　for　the　Kin　of　the　Supreme　the　knowledge　of　the　Supreme　itself　is　merely　verbal。　　　　　What　sort　of　piety　can　make　Providence　stop　short　of　earthly　concerns　or　set　any　limit　whatsoever　to　it？　　　　　And　what　consistency　is　there　in　this　school　when　they　proceed　to　assert　that　Providence　cares　for　them；　though　for　them　alone？　　　　　And　is　this　Providence　over　them　to　be　understood　of　their　existence　in　that　other　world　only　or　of　their　lives　here　as　well？　If　in　the　other　world；　how　came　they　to　this？　If　in　this　world；　why　are　they　not　already　raised　from　it？　　　　　Again；　how　can　they　deny　that　the　Lord　of　Providence　is　here？　How　else　can　He　know　either　that　they　are　here；　or　that　in　their　sojourn　here　they　have　not　forgotten　Him　and　fallen　away？　And　if　He　is　aware　of　the　goodness　of　some；　He　must　know　of　the　wickedness　of　others；　to　distinguish　good　from　bad。　That　means　that　He　is　present　to　all；　is；　by　whatever　mode；　within　this　Universe。　The　Universe；　therefore；　must　be　participant　in　Him。　　　　　If　He　is　absent　from　the　Universe；　He　is　absent　from　yourselves；　and　you　can　have　nothing　to　tell　about　Him　or　about　the　powers　that　come　after　Him。　　　　　But；　allowing　that　a　Providence　reaches　to　you　from　the　world　beyond…　making　any　concession　to　your　liking…　it　remains　none　the　less　certain　that　this　world　holds　from　the　Supernal　and　is　not　deserted　and　will　not　be：　a　Providence　watching　entires　is　even　more　likely　than　one　over　fragments　only；　and　similarly；　Participation　is　more　perfect　in　the　case　of　the　All…Soul…　as　is　shown；　further；　by　the　very　existence　of　things　and　the　wisdom　manifest　in　their　existence。　Of　those　that　advance　these　wild　pretensions；　who　is　so　well　ordered；　so　wise；　as　the　Universe？　The　comparison　is　laughable；　utterly　out　of　place；　to　make　it；　except　as　a　help　towards　truth；　would　be　impiety。　　　　　The　very　question　can　be　entertained　by　no　intelligent　being　but　only　by　one　so　blind；　so　utterly　devoid　of　perception　and　thought；　so　far　from　any　vision　of　the　Intellectual　Universe　as　not　even　to　see　this　world　of　our　own。　　　　　For　who　that　truly　perceives　the　harmony　of　the　Intellectual　Realm　could　fail；　if　he　has　any　bent　towards　music；　to　answer　to　the　harmony　in　sensible　sounds？　What　geometrician　or　arithmetician　could　fail　to　take　pleasure　in　the　symmetries；　correspondences　and　principles　of　order　observed　in　visible　things？　Consider；　even；　the　case　of　pictures：　those　seeing　by　the　bodily　sense　the　productions　of　the　art　of　painting　do　not　see　the　one　thing　in　the　one　only　way；　they　are　deeply　stirred　by　recognizing　in　the　objects　depicted　to　the　eyes　the　presentation　of　what　lies　in　the　idea；　and　so　are　called　to　recollection　of　the　truth…　the　very　experience　out　of　which　Love　rises。　Now；　if　the　sight　of　Beauty　excellently　reproduced　upon　a　face　hurries　the　mind　to　that　other　Sphere；　surely　no　one　seeing　the　loveliness　lavish　in　the　world　of　sense…　this　vast　orderliness；　the　Form　which　the　stars　even　in　their　remoteness　display…　no　one　could　be　so　dull…witted；　so　immoveable；　as　not　to　be　carried　by　all　this　to　recollection；　and　gripped　by　reverent　awe　in　the　thought　of　all　this；　so　great；　sprung　from　that　greatness。　Not　to　answer　thus　could　only　be　to　have　neither　fathomed　this　world　nor　had　any　vision　of　that　other。　　　　　17。　Perhaps　the　hate　of　this　school　for　the　corporeal　is　due　to　their　reading　of　Plato　who　inveighs　against　body　as　a　grave　hindrance　to　Soul　and　pronounces　the　corporeal　to　be　characteristically　the　inferior。　　　　　Then　let　them　for　the　moment　pass　over　the　corporeal　element　in　the　Universe　and　study　all　that　still　remains。　　　　　They　will　think　of　the　Intellectual　Sphere　which　includes　within　itself　the　Ideal…Form　realized　in　the　Kosmos。　They　will　think　of　the　Souls；　in　their　ordered　rank；　that　produce　incorporeal　magnitude　and　lead　the　Intelligible　out　towards　spatial　extension；　so　that　finally　the　thing　of　process　becomes；　by　its　magnitude；　as　adequate　a　representation　as　possible　of　the　principle　void　of　parts　which　is　its　model…　the　greatness　of　power　there　being　translated　here　into　greatness　of　bulk。　Then　whether　they　think　of　the　Kosmic　Sphere　＇the　All…Soul＇　as　already　in　movement　under　the　guidance　of　that　power　of　God　which　holds　it　through　and　through；　beginning　and　middle　and　end；　or　whether　they　consider　it　as　in　rest　and　exercising　as　yet　no　outer　governance：　either　approach　will　lead　to　a　true　appreciation　of　the　Soul　that　conducts　this　Universe。　　　　　Now　let　them　set　body　within　it…　not　in　the　sense　that　Soul　suffers　any　change　but　that；　since　〃In　the　Gods　there　can　be　no　grudging；〃　it　gives　to　its　inferior　all　that　any　partial　thing　has　strength　to　receive　and　at　once　their　conception　of　the　Kosmos　must　be　revised；　they　cannot　deny　that　the　Soul　of　the　Kosmos　has　exercised　such　a　weight　of　power　as　to　have　brought　the　corporeal…principle；　in　itself　unlovely；　to　partake　of　good　and　beauty　to　the　utmost　of　its　receptivity…　and　to　a　pitch　which　stirs　Souls；　beings　of　the　divine　order。　　　　　These　people　may　no　doubt　say　that　they　themselves　feel　no　such　stirring；　and　that　they　see　no　difference　between　beautiful　and　ugly　forms　of　body；　but；　at　that；　they　can　make　no　distinction　between　the　ugly　and　the　beautiful　in　conduct；　sciences　can　have　no　beauty；　there　can　be　none　in　thought；　and　none；　therefore；　in　God。　This　world　descends　from　the　Firsts：　if　this　world　has　no　beauty；　neither　has　its　Source；　springing　thence；　this　world；　too；　must　have　its　beautiful　things。　And　while　they　proclaim　their　contempt　for　earthly　beauty；　they　would　do　well　to　ignore　that　of　youths　and　women　so　as　not　to　be　overcome　by　incontinence。　　　　　In　fine；　we　must　consider　that　their　self…satisfaction　could　not　turn　upon　a　contempt　for　anything　indisputably　base；　theirs　is　the　perverse　pride　of　despising　what　was　once　admired。　　　　　We　must　always　keep　in　mind　that　the　beauty　in　a　partial　thing　cannot　be　identical　with　that　in　a　whole；　nor　can　any　several　objects　be　as　stately　as　the　total。　　　　　And　we　must　recognize；　that；　even　in　the　world　of　sense　and　part；　there　are　things　of　a　loveliness　comparable　to　that　of　the　Celestials…　forms　whose　beauty　must　fill　us　with　veneration　for　their　creator　and　convince　us　of　their　origin　in　the　divine；　forms　which　show　how　ineffable　is　the　beauty　of　the　Supreme　since　they　cannot　hold　us　but　we　must；　though　in　all　admiration；　leave　these　for　those。　Further；　wherever　there　is　interior　beauty；　we　may　be　sure　that　inner　and　outer　correspond；　where　the　interior　is　vile；　all　is　brought　low　by　that　flaw　in　the　dominants。　　　　　Nothing　base　within　can　be　beautiful　without…　at　least　not　with　an　authentic　beauty；　for　there　are　examples　of　a　good　exterior　not　sprung　from　a　beauty　dominant　within；　people　passing　as　handsome　but　essentially　base　have　that；　a　spurious　and　superficial　beauty：　if　anyone　tells　me　he　has　seen　people　really　fine…looking　but　interiorly　vile；　I　can　only　deny　it；　we　have　here　simply　a　false　notion　of　personal　beauty；　unless；　indeed；　the　inner　vileness　were　an　accident　in　a　nature　essentially　fine；　in　this　Sphere　there　are　many　obstacles　to　self…realization。　　　　　In　any　case　the　All　is　beautiful；　and　there　can　be　no　obstacle　to　its　inner　goodness：　where　the　nature　of　a　thing　does　not　comport　perfection　from　the　beginning；　there　may　be　a　failure　in　complete　expression；　there　may　even　be　a　fall　to　vileness；　but　the　All　never　knew　a　childlike　immaturity；　it　never　experienced　a　progress　bringing　novelty　into　it；　it　never　had　bodily　growth：　there　was　nowhere　from　whence　it　could　take　such　increment；　it　was　always　the　All…Container。　　　　　And　even　for　its　Soul　no　one　could　imagine　any　such　a　path　of　process：　or；　if　this　were　conceded；　certainly　it　could　not　be　towards　evil。　　　　　18。　But　perhaps　this　school　will　maintain　that；　while　their　teaching　leads　to　a　hate　and　utter　abandonment　of　the　body；　ours　binds　the　Soul　down　in　it。　　　　　In　other　words：　two　people　inhabit　the　one　stately　house；　one　of　them　declaims　against　its　plan　and　against　its　Architect；　but　none　the　less　maintains　his　residence　in　it；　the　other　makes　no　complaint；　asserts　the　entire　competency　of　the　Architect　and　waits　cheerfully　for　the　day　when　he　may　leave　it；　having　no　further　need　of　a　house：　the　malcontent　imagines　himself　to　be　the　wiser　and　to　be　the　readier　to　leave　because　he　has　learned　to　repeat　that　the　walls　are　of　soulless　stone　and　timber　and　that　the　place　falls　far　short　of　a　true　home；　he　does　not　see　that　his　only　distinction　is　in　not　being　able　to　bear　with　necessity　assuming　that　his　conduct；　his　grumbling；　does　not　cover　a　secret　admiration　for　the　beauty　of　those　same　〃stones。〃　As　long　as　we　have　bodies　we　must　inhabit　the　dwellings　prepared　for　us　by　our　good　sister　the　Soul　in　her　vast　power　of　labourless　creation。　　　　　Or　would　this　school　reject　the　word　Sister？　They　are　willing　to　address　the　lowest　of　men　as　brothers；　are　they　capable　of　such　raving　as　to　disown　the　tie　with　the　Sun　and　the　powers