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material　image；　then　it　is　that　love　is　born；　then　the　lover　longs　for　the　sight　of　the　beloved　to　make　that　fading　image　live　again。　If　he　could　but　learn　to　look　elsewhere；　to　the　more　nearly　formless；　his　longing　would　be　for　that：　his　first　experience　was　loving　a　great　luminary　by　way　of　some　thin　gleam　from　it。　　　　　Shape　is　an　impress　from　the　unshaped；　it　is　the　unshaped　that　produces　shape；　not　shape　the　unshaped；　and　Matter　is　needed　for　the　producing；　Matter；　in　the　nature　of　things；　is　the　furthest　away；　since　of　itself　it　has　not　even　the　lowest　degree　of　shape。　Thus　lovableness　does　not　belong　to　Matter　but　to　that　which　draws　upon　Form：　the　Form　upon　Matter　comes　by　way　of　soul；　soul　is　more　nearly　Form　and　therefore　more　lovable；　Intellectual…Principle；　nearer　still；　is　even　more　to　be　loved：　by　these　steps　we　are　led　to　know　that　the　First　Principle；　principle　of　Beauty；　must　be　formless。　　　　　34。　No　longer　can　we　wonder　that　the　principle　evoking　such　longing　should　be　utterly　free　from　shape。　The　very　soul；　once　it　has　conceived　the　straining　love　towards　this；　lays　aside　all　the　shape　it　has　taken；　even　to　the　Intellectual　shape　that　has　informed　it。　There　is　no　vision；　no　union；　for　those　handling　or　acting　by　any　thing　other；　the　soul　must　see　before　it　neither　evil　nor　good　nor　anything　else；　that　alone　it　may　receive　the　Alone。　　　　　Suppose　the　soul　to　have　attained：　the　highest　has　come　to　her；　or　rather　has　revealed　its　presence；　she　has　turned　away　from　all　about　her　and　made　herself　apt；　beautiful　to　the　utmost；　brought　into　likeness　with　the　divine　by　those　preparings　and　adornings　which　come　unbidden　to　those　growing　ready　for　the　vision…　she　has　seen　that　presence　suddenly　manifesting　within　her；　for　there　is　nothing　between：　here　is　no　longer　a　duality　but　a　two　in　one；　for；　so　long　as　the　presence　holds；　all　distinction　fades：　it　is　as　lover　and　beloved　here；　in　a　copy　of　that　union；　long　to　blend；　the　soul　has　now　no　further　awareness　of　being　in　body　and　will　give　herself　no　foreign　name；　not　〃man；〃　not　〃living　being；〃　not　〃being；〃　not　〃all〃；　any　observation　of　such　things　falls　away；　the　soul　has　neither　time　nor　taste　for　them；　This　she　sought　and　This　she　has　found　and　on　This　she　looks　and　not　upon　herself；　and　who　she　is　that　looks　she　has　not　leisure　to　know。　Once　There　she　will　barter　for　This　nothing　the　universe　holds；　not　though　one　would　make　over　the　heavens　entire　to　her；　than　This　there　is　nothing　higher；　nothing　of　more　good；　above　This　there　is　no　passing；　all　the　rest；　however　lofty；　lies　on　the　downgoing　path：　she　is　of　perfect　judgement　and　knows　that　This　was　her　quest；　that　nothing　higher　is。　Here　can　be　no　deceit；　where　could　she　come　upon　truer　than　the　truth？　and　the　truth　she　affirms；　that　she　is；　herself；　but　all　the　affirmation　is　later　and　is　silent。　In　this　happiness　she　knows　beyond　delusion　that　she　is　happy；　for　this　is　no　affirmation　of　an　excited　body　but　of　a　soul　become　again　what　she　was　in　the　time　of　her　early　joy。　All　that　she　had　welcomed　of　old…office；　power；　wealth；　beauty；　knowledge　of　all　she　tells　her　scorn　as　she　never　could　had　she　not　found　their　better；　linked　to　This　she　can　fear　no　disaster　nor　even　know　it；　let　all　about　her　fall　to　pieces；　so　she　would　have　it　that　she　may　be　wholly　with　This；　so　huge　the　happiness　she　has　won　to。　　　　　35。　Such　in　this　union　is　the　soul's　temper　that　even　the　act　of　Intellect；　once　so　intimately　loved；　she　now　dismisses；　Intellection　is　movement　and　she　has　no　wish　to　move；　she　has　nothing　to　say　of　this　very　Intellectual…Principle　by　means　of　which　she　has　attained　the　vision；　herself　made　over　into　Intellectual…Principle　and　becoming　that　principle　so　as　to　be　able　to　take　stand　in　that　Intellectual　space。　Entered　there　and　making　herself　over　to　that；　she　at　first　contemplates　that　realm；　but　once　she　sees　that　higher　still　she　leaves　all　else　aside。　Thus　when　a　man　enters　a　house　rich　in　beauty　he　might　gaze　about　and　admire　the　varied　splendour　before　the　master　appears；　but；　face　to　face　with　that　great　person…　no　thing　of　ornament　but　calling　for　the　truest　attention…　he　would　ignore　everything　else　and　look　only　to　the　master。　In　this　state　of　absorbed　contemplation　there　is　no　longer　question　of　holding　an　object：　the　vision　is　continuous　so　that　seeing　and　seen　are　one　thing；　object　and　act　of　vision　have　become　identical；　of　all　that　until　then　filled　the　eye　no　memory　remains。　And　our　comparison　would　be　closer　if　instead　of　a　man　appearing　to　the　visitor　who　had　been　admiring　the　house　it　were　a　god；　and　not　a　god　manifesting　to　the　eyes　but　one　filling　the　soul。　　　　　Intellectual…Principle；　thus；　has　two　powers；　first　that　of　grasping　intellectively　its　own　content；　the　second　that　of　an　advancing　and　receiving　whereby　to　know　its　transcendent；　at　first　it　sees；　later　by　that　seeing　it　takes　possession　of　Intellectual…Principle；　becoming　one　only　thing　with　that：　the　first　seeing　is　that　of　Intellect　knowing；　the　second　that　of　Intellect　loving；　stripped　of　its　wisdom　in　the　intoxication　of　the　nectar；　it　comes　to　love；　by　this　excess　it　is　made　simplex　and　is　happy；　and　to　be　drunken　is　better　for　it　than　to　be　too　staid　for　these　revels。　　　　　But　is　its　vision　parcelwise；　thing　here　and　thing　there？　　　　　No：　reason　unravelling　gives　process；　Intellectual…Principle　has　unbroken　knowledge　and　has；　moreover；　an　Act　unattended　by　knowing；　a　vision　by　another　approach。　In　this　seeing　of　the　Supreme　it　becomes　pregnant　and　at　once　knows　what　has　come　to　be　within　it；　its　knowledge　of　its　content　is　what　is　designated　by　its　Intellection；　its　knowing　of　the　Supreme　is　the　virtue　of　that　power　within　it　by　which；　in　a　later　＇lower＇　stage　it　is　to　become　〃Intellective。〃　　　　　As　for　soul；　it　attains　that　vision　by…　so　to　speak…　confounding　and　annulling　the　Intellectual…Principle　within　it；　or　rather　that　Principle　immanent　in　soul　sees　first　and　thence　the　vision　penetrates　to　soul　and　the　two　visions　become　one。　　　　　The　Good　spreading　out　above　them　and　adapting　itself　to　that　union　which　it　hastens　to　confirm　is　present　to　them　as　giver　of　a　blessed　sense　and　sight；　so　high　it　lifts　them　that　they　are　no　longer　in　space　or　in　that　realm　of　difference　where　everything　is　root；ed　in　some　other　thing；　for　The　Good　is　not　in　place　but　is　the　container　of　the　Intellectual　place；　The　Good　is　in　nothing　but　itself。　　　　　The　soul　now　knows　no　movement　since　the　Supreme　knows　none；　it　is　now　not　even　soul　since　the　Supreme　is　not　in　life　but　above　life；　it　is　no　longer　Intellectual…Principle；　for　the　Supreme　has　not　Intellection　and　the　likeness　must　be　perfect；　this　grasping　is　not　even　by　Intellection；　for　the　Supreme　is　not　known　Intellectively。　　　　　36。　We　need　not　carry　this　matter　further；　we　turn　to　a　question　already　touched　but　demanding　still　some　brief　consideration。　　　　　Knowledge　of　The　Good　or　contact　with　it；　is　the　all…important：　this…　we　read…　is　the　grand　learning；　the　learning　we　are　to　understand；　not　of　looking　towards　it　but　attaining；　first；　some　knowledge　of　it。　We　come　to　this　learning　by　analogies；　by　abstractions；　by　our　understanding　of　its　subsequents；　of　all　that　is　derived　from　The　Good；　by　the　upward　steps　towards　it。　Purification　has　The　Good　for　goal；　so　the　virtues；　all　right　ordering；　ascent　within　the　Intellectual；　settlement　therein；　banqueting　upon　the　divine…　by　these　methods　one　becomes；　to　self　and　to　all　else；　at　once　seen　and　seer；　identical　with　Being　and　Intellectual…Principle　and　the　entire　living　all；　we　no　longer　see　the　Supreme　as　an　external；　we　are　near　now；　the　next　is　That　and　it　is　close　at　hand；　radiant　above　the　Intellectual。　　　　　Here；　we　put　aside　all　the　learning；　disciplined　to　this　pitch；　established　in　beauty；　the　quester　holds　knowledge　still　of　the　ground　he　rests　on　but；　suddenly；　swept　beyond　it　all　by　the　very　crest　of　the　wave　of　Intellect　surging　beneath；　he　is　lifted　and　sees；　never　knowing　how；　the　vision　floods　the　eyes　with　light；　but　it　is　not　a　light　showing　some　other　object；　the　light　is　itself　the　vision。　No　longer　is　there　thing　seen　and　light　to　show　it；　no　longer　Intellect　and　object　of　Intellection；　this　is　the　very　radiance　that　brought　both　Intellect　and　Intellectual　object　into　being　for　the　later　use　and　allowed　them　to　occupy　the　quester's　mind。　With　This　he　himself　becomes　identical；　with　that　radiance　whose　Act　is　to　engender　Intellectual…Principle；　not　losing　in　that　engendering　but　for　ever　unchanged；　the　engendered　coming　to　be　simply　because　that　Supreme　exists。　If　there　were　no　such　principle　above　change；　no　derivative　could　rise。　　　　　37。　Those　ascribing　Intellection　to　the　First　have　not　supposed　him　to　know　the　lesser；　the　emanant…　though；　indeed；　some　have　thought　it　impossible　that　he　should　not　know　everything。　But　those　denying　his　knowing　of　the　lesser　have　still　attributed　self…knowing　to　him；　because　they　find　nothing　nobler；　we　are　to　suppose　that　so　he　is　the　more　august；　as　if　Intellection　were　something　nobler　than　his　own　manner　of　being　not　something　whose　value　derives　from　him。　　　　　But　we　ask　in　what　must　his　grandeur　lie；　in　his　Intellection　or　in　himself。　If　in　the　Intellection；　he　has　no　worth　or　the　less　worth；　if