the six enneads-第3节

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the　point　of　the　vision　of　Ideal…Forms；　seeing　them　as　it　were　with　an　answering　sensation　（i。e；　with　consciousness）　this　last　is　at　any　rate　true　of　the　Understanding　in　the　Veritable　Soul。　For　Understanding；　the　true；　is　the　Act　of　the　Intellections：　in　many　of　its　manifestations　it　is　the　assimilation　and　reconciliation　of　the　outer　to　the　inner。　　　　　Thus　in　spite　of　all；　the　Soul　is　at　peace　as　to　itself　and　within　itself：　all　the　changes　and　all　the　turmoil　we　experience　are　the　issue　of　what　is　subjoined　to　the　Soul；　and　are；　as　have　said；　the　states　and　experiences　of　this　elusive　〃Couplement。〃　　　　　10。　It　will　be　objected；　that　if　the　Soul　constitutes　the　We　＇the　personality＇　and　We　are　subject　to　these　states　then　the　Soul　must　be　subject　to　them；　and　similarly　that　what　We　do　must　be　done　by　the　Soul。　　　　　But　it　has　been　observed　that　the　Couplement；　too…　especially　before　our　emancipation…　is　a　member　of　this　total　We；　and　in　fact　what　the　body　experiences　we　say　We　experience。　This　then　covers　two　distinct　notions；　sometimes　it　includes　the　brute…part；　sometimes　it　transcends　the　brute。　The　body　is　brute　touched　to　life；　the　true　man　is　the　other；　going　pure　of　the　body；　natively　endowed　with　the　virtues　which　belong　to　the　Intellectual…Activity；　virtues　whose　seat　is　the　Separate　Soul；　the　Soul　which　even　in　its　dwelling　here　may　be　kept　apart。　＇This　Soul　constitutes　the　human　being＇　for　when　it　has　wholly　withdrawn；　that　other　Soul　which　is　a　radiation　＇or　emanation＇　from　it　withdraws　also；　drawn　after　it。　　　　　Those　virtues；　on　the　other　hand；　which　spring　not　from　contemplative　wisdom　but　from　custom　or　practical　discipline　belong　to　the　Couplement：　to　the　Couplement；　too；　belong　the　vices；　they　are　its　repugnances；　desires；　sympathies。　　　　　And　Friendship？　　　　　This　emotion　belongs　sometimes　to　the　lower　part；　sometimes　to　the　interior　man。　　　　　11。　In　childhood　the　main　activity　is　in　the　Couplement　and　there　is　but　little　irradiation　from　the　higher　principles　of　our　being：　but　when　these　higher　principles　act　but　feebly　or　rarely　upon　us　their　action　is　directed　towards　the　Supreme；　they　work　upon　us　only　when　they　stand　at　the　mid…point。　　　　　But　does　not　the　include　that　phase　of　our　being　which　stands　above　the　mid…point？　　　　　It　does；　but　on　condition　that　we　lay　hold　of　it：　our　entire　nature　is　not　ours　at　all　times　but　only　as　we　direct　the　mid…point　upwards　or　downwards；　or　lead　some　particular　phase　of　our　nature　from　potentiality　or　native　character　into　act。　　　　　And　the　animals；　in　what　way　or　degree　do　they　possess　the　Animate？　　　　　If　there　be　in　them；　as　the　opinion　goes；　human　Souls　that　have　sinned；　then　the　Animating…Principle　in　its　separable　phase　does　not　enter　directly　into　the　brute；　it　is　there　but　not　there　to　them；　they　are　aware　only　of　the　image　of　the　Soul　＇only　of　the　lower　Soul＇　and　of　that　only　by　being　aware　of　the　body　organised　and　determined　by　that　image。　　　　　If　there　be　no　human　Soul　in　them；　the　Animate　is　constituted　for　them　by　a　radiation　from　the　All…Soul。　　　　　12。　But　if　Soul　is　sinless；　how　come　the　expiations？　Here　surely　is　a　contradiction；　on　the　one　side　the　Soul　is　above　all　guilt；　on　the　other；　we　hear　of　its　sin；　its　purification；　its　expiation；　it　is　doomed　to　the　lower　world；　it　passes　from　body　to　body。　　　　　We　may　take　either　view　at　will：　they　are　easily　reconciled。　　　　　When　we　tell　of　the　sinless　Soul；　we　make　Soul　and　Essential…Soul　one　and　the　same：　it　is　the　simple　unbroken　Unity。　　　　　By　the　Soul　subject　to　sin　we　indicate　a　groupment；　we　include　that　other；　that　phase　of　the　Soul　which　knows　all　the　states　and　passions：　the　Soul　in　this　sense　is　compound；　all…inclusive：　it　falls　under　the　conditions　of　the　entire　living　experience：　this　compound　it　is　that　sins；　it　is　this；　and　not　the　other；　that　pays　penalty。　　　　　It　is　in　this　sense　that　we　read　of　the　Soul：　〃We　saw　it　as　those　others　saw　the　sea…god　Glaukos。〃　〃And；〃　reading　on；　〃if　we　mean　to　discern　the　nature　of　the　Soul　we　must　strip　it　free　of　all　that　has　gathered　about　it；　must　see　into　the　philosophy　of　it；　examine　with　what　Existences　it　has　touch　and　by　kinship　to　what　Existences　it　is　what　it　is。〃　　　　　Thus　the　Life　is　one　thing；　the　Act　is　another　and　the　Expiator　yet　another。　The　retreat　and　sundering；　then；　must　be　not　from　this　body　only；　but　from　every　alien　accruement。　Such　accruement　takes　place　at　birth；　or　rather　birth　is　the　coming…into…being　of　that　other　＇lower＇　phase　of　the　Soul。　For　the　meaning　of　birth　has　been　indicated　elsewhere；　it　is　brought　about　by　a　descent　of　the　Soul；　something　being　given　off　by　the　Soul　other　than　that　actually　coming　down　in　the　declension。　　　　　Then　the　Soul　has　let　this　image　fall？　And　this　declension　is　it　not　certainly　sin？　　　　　If　the　declension　is　no　more　than　the　illuminating　of　an　object　beneath；　it　constitutes　no　sin：　the　shadow　is　to　be　attributed　not　to　the　luminary　but　to　the　object　illuminated；　if　the　object　were　not　there；　the　light　could　cause　no　shadow。　　　　　And　the　Soul　is　said　to　go　down；　to　decline；　only　in　that　the　object　it　illuminates　lives　by　its　life。　And　it　lets　the　image　fall　only　if　there　be　nothing　near　to　take　it　up；　and　it　lets　it　fall；　not　as　a　thing　cut　off；　but　as　a　thing　that　ceases　to　be：　the　image　has　no　further　being　when　the　whole　Soul　is　looking　toward　the　Supreme。　　　　　The　poet；　too；　in　the　story　of　Hercules；　seems　to　give　this　image　separate　existence；　he　puts　the　shade　of　Hercules　in　the　lower　world　and　Hercules　himself　among　the　gods：　treating　the　hero　as　existing　in　the　two　realms　at　once；　he　gives　us　a　twofold　Hercules。　　　　　It　is　not　difficult　to　explain　this　distinction。　Hercules　was　a　hero　of　practical　virtue。　By　his　noble　serviceableness　he　was　worthy　to　be　a　God。　On　the　other　hand；　his　merit　was　action　and　not　the　Contemplation　which　would　place　him　unreservedly　in　the　higher　realm。　Therefore　while　he　has　place　above；　something　of　him　remains　below。　　　　　13。　And　the　principle　that　reasons　out　these　matters？　Is　it　We　or　the　Soul？　　　　　We；　but　by　the　Soul。　　　　　But　how　〃by　the　Soul〃？　Does　this　mean　that　the　Soul　reasons　by　possession　＇by　contact　with　the　matters　of　enquiry＇？　　　　　No；　by　the　fact　of　being　Soul。　Its　Act　subsists　without　movement；　or　any　movement　that　can　be　ascribed　to　it　must　be　utterly　distinct　from　all　corporal　movement　and　be　simply　the　Soul's　own　life。　　　　　And　Intellection　in　us　is　twofold：　since　the　Soul　is　intellective；　and　Intellection　is　the　highest　phase　of　life；　we　have　Intellection　both　by　the　characteristic　Act　of　our　Soul　and　by　the　Act　of　the　Intellectual…Principle　upon　us…　for　this　Intellectual…Principle　is　part　of　us　no　less　than　the　Soul；　and　towards　it　we　are　ever　rising。　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　SECOND　TRACTATE。

　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　ON　VIRTUE。

　　　　1。　Since　Evil　is　here；　〃haunting　this　world　by　necessary　law；〃　and　it　is　the　Soul's　design　to　escape　from　Evil；　we　must　escape　hence。　　　　　But　what　is　this　escape？　　　　　〃In　attaining　Likeness　to　God；〃　we　read。　And　this　is　explained　as　〃becoming　just　and　holy；　living　by　wisdom；〃　the　entire　nature　grounded　in　Virtue。　　　　　But　does　not　Likeness　by　way　of　Virtue　imply　Likeness　to　some　being　that　has　Virtue？　To　what　Divine　Being；　then；　would　our　Likeness　be？　To　the　Being…　must　we　not　think？…　in　Which；　above　all；　such　excellence　seems　to　inhere；　that　is　to　the　Soul　of　the　Kosmos　and　to　the　Principle　ruling　within　it；　the　Principle　endowed　with　a　wisdom　most　wonderful。　What　could　be　more　fitting　than　that　we；　living　in　this　world；　should　become　Like　to　its　ruler？　　　　　But；　at　the　beginning；　we　are　met　by　the　doubt　whether　even　in　this　Divine…Being　all　the　virtues　find　place…　Moral…Balance　＇Sophrosyne＇；　for　example；　or　Fortitude　where　there　can　be　no　danger　since　nothing　is　alien；　where　there　can　be　nothing　alluring　whose　lack　could　induce　the　desire　of　possession。　　　　　If；　indeed；　that　aspiration　towards　the　Intelligible　which　is　in　our　nature　exists　also　in　this　Ruling…Power；　then　need　not　look　elsewhere　for　the　source　of　order　and　of　the　virtues　in　ourselves。　　　　　But　does　this　Power　possess　the　Virtues？　　　　　We　cannot　expect　to　find　There　what　are　called　the　Civic　Virtues；　the　Prudence　which　belongs　to　the　reasoning　faculty；　the　Fortitude　which　conducts　the　emotional　and　passionate　nature；　the　Sophrosyne　which　consists　in　a　certain　pact；　in　a　concord　between　the　passionate　faculty　and　the　reason；　or　Rectitude　which　is　the　due　application　of　all　the　other　virtues　as　each　in　turn　should　command　or　obey。　　　　　Is　Likeness；　then；　attained；　perhaps；　not　by　these　virtues　of　the　social　order　but　by　those　greater　qualities　known　by　the　same　general　name？　And　if　so　do　the　Civic　Virtues　give　us　no　help　at　all？　　　　　It　is　against　reason；　utterly　to　deny　Likeness　by　these　while　admitting　it　by　the　greater：　tradition　at　least　recognizes　certain　men　of　the　civic　excellence　as　divine；　and　we　must　believe　that　these　too　had　in　some　sort　attained　Likeness：　on　both　levels　there　is　virtue　for　us；　though　not　the　same　virtue。　　　　　Now；　if　it　be　admitted　that　Likeness　is　possible；　though　by　a　varying　use　of　different　virtues　and　though　the　civic　virtues　do　not　suffice；　there　is　no　reason　why　we　should　not；　by　virtues　peculiar　to　our　state；　attain　Likeness　to　a　model　in　which