the six enneads-第50节

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re　exalted。　　　　　4。　If　man　were　all　of　one　piece…　I　mean；　if　he　were　nothing　more　than　a　made　thing；　acting　and　acted　upon　according　to　a　fixed　nature…　he　could　be　no　more　subject　to　reproach　and　punishment　than　the　mere　animals。　But　as　the　scheme　holds；　man　is　singled　out　for　condemnation　when　he　does　evil；　and　this　with　justice。　For　he　is　no　mere　thing　made　to　rigid　plan；　his　nature　contains　a　Principle　apart　and　free。　　　　　This　does　not；　however；　stand　outside　of　Providence　or　of　the　Reason　of　the　All；　the　Over…World　cannot　be　dependent　upon　the　World　of　Sense。　The　higher　shines　down　upon　the　lower；　and　this　illumination　is　Providence　in　its　highest　aspect：　The　Reason…Principle　has　two　phases；　one　which　creates　the　things　of　process　and　another　which　links　them　with　the　higher　beings：　these　higher　beings　constitute　the　over…providence　on　which　depends　that　lower　providence　which　is　the　secondary　Reason…Principle　inseparably　united　with　its　primal：　the　two…　the　Major　and　Minor　Providence…　acting　together　produce　the　universal　woof；　the　one　all…comprehensive　Providence。　　　　　Men　possess；　then；　a　distinctive　Principle：　but　not　all　men　turn　to　account　all　that　is　in　their　Nature；　there　are　men　that　live　by　one　Principle　and　men　that　live　by　another　or；　rather；　by　several　others；　the　least　noble。　For　all　these　Principles　are　present　even　when　not　acting　upon　the　man…　though　we　cannot　think　of　them　as　lying　idle；　everything　performs　its　function。　　　　　〃But；〃　it　will　be　said；　〃what　reason　can　there　be　for　their　not　acting　upon　the　man　once　they　are　present；　inaction　must　mean　absence？〃　　　　　We　maintain　their　presence　always；　nothing　void　of　them。　　　　　But　surely　not　where　they　exercise　no　action？　If　they　necessarily　reside　in　all　men；　surely　they　must　be　operative　in　all…　this　Principle　of　free　action；　especially。　　　　　First　of　all；　this　free　Principle　is　not　an　absolute　possession　of　the　animal　Kinds　and　is　not　even　an　absolute　possession　to　all　men。　　　　　So　this　Principle　is　not　the　only　effective　force　in　all　men？　　　　　There　is　no　reason　why　it　should　not　be。　There　are　men　in　whom　it　alone　acts；　giving　its　character　to　the　life　while　all　else　is　but　Necessity　＇and　therefore　outside　of　blame＇。　　　　　For　＇in　the　case　of　an　evil　life＇　whether　it　is　that　the　constitution　of　the　man　is　such　as　to　drive　him　down　the　troubled　paths　or　whether　＇the　fault　is　mental　or　spiritual　in　that＇　the　desires　have　gained　control；　we　are　compelled　to　attribute　the　guilt　to　the　substratum　＇something　inferior　to　the　highest　principle　in　Man＇。　We　would　be　naturally　inclined　to　say　that　this　substratum　＇the　responsible　source　of　evil＇　must　be　Matter　and　not；　as　our　argument　implies；　the　Reason…Principle；　it　would　appear　that　not　the　Reason…Principle　but　Matter　were　the　dominant；　crude　Matter　at　the　extreme　and　then　Matter　as　shaped　in　the　realized　man：　but　we　must　remember　that　to　this　free　Principle　in　man　＇which　is　a　phase　of　the　All　Soul＇　the　Substratum　＇the　direct　inferior　to　be　moulded＇　is　＇not　Matter　but＇　the　Reason…Principle　itself　with　whatever　that　produces　and　moulds　to　its　own　form；　so　that　neither　crude　Matter　nor　Matter　organized　in　our　human　total　is　sovereign　within　us。　　　　　The　quality　now　manifested　may　be　probably　referred　to　the　conduct　of　a　former　life；　we　may　suppose　that　previous　actions　have　made　the　Reason…Principle　now　governing　within　us　inferior　in　radiance　to　that　which　ruled　before；　the　Soul　which　later　will　shine　out　again　is　for　the　present　at　a　feebler　power。　　　　　And　any　Reason…Principle　may　be　said　to　include　within　itself　the　Reason…Principle　of　Matter　which　therefore　it　is　able　to　elaborate　to　its　own　purposes；　either　finding　it　consonant　with　itself　or　bestowing　upon　it　the　quality　which　makes　it　so。　The　Reason…Principle　of　an　ox　does　not　occur　except　in　connection　with　the　Matter　appropriate　to　the　ox…Kind。　It　must　be　by　such　a　process　that　the　transmigration；　of　which　we　read　takes　place；　the　Soul　must　lose　its　nature；　the　Reason…Principle　be　transformed；　thus　there　comes　the　ox…soul　which　once　was　Man。　　　　　The　degradation；　then；　is　just。　　　　　Still；　how　did　the　inferior　Principle　ever　come　into　being；　and　how　does　the　higher　fall　to　it？　　　　　Once　more…　not　all　things　are　Firsts；　there　are　Secondaries　and　Tertiaries；　of　a　nature　inferior　to　that　of　their　Priors；　and　a　slight　tilt　is　enough　to　determine　the　departure　from　the　straight　course。　Further；　the　linking　of　any　one　being　with　any　other　amounts　to　a　blending　such　as　to　produce　a　distinct　entity；　a　compound　of　the　two；　it　is　not　that　the　greater　and　prior　suffers　any　diminution　of　its　own　nature；　the　lesser　and　secondary　is　such　from　its　very　beginning；　it　is　in　its　own　nature　the　lesser　thing　it　becomes；　and　if　it　suffers　the　consequences；　such　suffering　is　merited：　all　our　reasonings　on　these　questions　must　take　account　of　previous　living　as　the　source　from　which　the　present　takes　its　rise。　　　　　5。　There　is；　then　a　Providence；　which　permeates　the　Kosmos　from　first　to　last；　not　everywhere　equal；　as　in　a　numerical　distribution；　but　proportioned；　differing；　according　to　the　grades　of　place…　just　as　in　some　one　animal；　linked　from　first　to　last；　each　member　has　its　own　function；　the　nobler　organ　the　higher　activity　while　others　successively　concern　the　lower　degrees　of　the　life；　each　part　acting　of　itself；　and　experiencing　what　belongs　to　its　own　nature　and　what　comes　from　its　relation　with　every　other。　Strike；　and　what　is　designed　for　utterance　gives　forth　the　appropriate　volume　of　sound　while　other　parts　take　the　blow　in　silence　but　react　in　their　own　especial　movement；　the　total　of　all　the　utterance　and　action　and　receptivity　constitutes　what　we　may　call　the　personal　voice；　life　and　history　of　the　living　form。　The　parts；　distinct　in　Kind；　have　distinct　functions：　the　feet　have　their　work　and　the　eyes　theirs；　the　understanding　serves　to　one　end；　the　Intellectual　Principle　to　another。　　　　　But　all　sums　to　a　unity；　a　comprehensive　Providence。　From　the　inferior　grade　downwards　is　Fate：　the　upper　is　Providence　alone：　for　in　the　Intellectual　Kosmos　all　is　Reason…Principle　or　its　Priors…Divine　Mind　and　unmingled　Soul…and　immediately　upon　these　follows　Providence　which　rises　from　Divine　Mind；　is　the　content　of　the　Unmingled　Soul；　and；　through　this　Soul；　is　communicated　to　the　Sphere　of　living　things。　　　　　This　Reason…Principle　comes　as　a　thing　of　unequal　parts；　and　therefore　its　creations　are　unequal；　as；　for　example；　the　several　members　of　one　Living　Being。　But　after　this　allotment　of　rank　and　function；　all　act　consonant　with　the　will　of　the　gods　keeps　the　sequence　and　is　included　under　the　providential　government；　for　the　Reason…Principle　of　providence　is　god…serving。　　　　　All　such　right…doing；　then；　is　linked　to　Providence；　but　it　is　not　therefore　performed　by　it：　men　or　other　agents；　living　or　lifeless；　are　causes　of　certain　things　happening；　and　any　good　that　may　result　is　taken　up　again　by　Providence。　In　the　total；　then；　the　right　rules　and　what　has　happened　amiss　is　transformed　and　corrected。　Thus；　to　take　an　example　from　a　single　body；　the　Providence　of　a　living　organism　implies　its　health；　let　it　be　gashed　or　otherwise　wounded；　and　that　Reason…Principle　which　governs　it　sets　to　work　to　draw　it　together；　knit　it　anew；　heal　it；　and　put　the　affected　part　to　rights。　　　　　In　sum；　evil　belongs　to　the　sequence　of　things；　but　it　comes　from　necessity。　It　originates　in　ourselves；　it　has　its　causes　no　doubt；　but　we　are　not；　therefore；　forced　to　it　by　Providence：　some　of　these　causes　we　adapt　to　the　operation　of　Providence　and　of　its　subordinates；　but　with　others　we　fail　to　make　the　connection；　the　act　instead　of　being　ranged　under　the　will　of　Providence　consults　the　desire　of　the　agent　alone　or　of　some　other　element　in　the　Universe；　something　which　is　either　itself　at　variance　with　Providence　or　has　set　up　some　such　state　of　variance　in　ourselves。　　　　　The　one　circumstance　does　not　produce　the　same　result　wherever　it　acts；　the　normal　operation　will　be　modified　from　case　to　case：　Helen's　beauty　told　very　differently　on　Paris　and　on　Idomeneus；　bring　together　two　handsome　people　of　loose　character　and　two　living　honourably　and　the　resulting　conduct　is　very　different；　a　good　man　meeting　a　libertine　exhibits　a　distinct　phase　of　his　nature　and；　similarly；　the　dissolute　answer　to　the　society　of　their　betters。　　　　　The　act　of　the　libertine　is　not　done　by　Providence　or　in　accordance　with　Providence；　neither　is　the　action　of　the　good　done　by　Providence…　it　is　done　by　the　man…　but　it　is　done　in　accordance　with　Providence；　for　it　is　an　act　consonant　with　the　Reason…Principle。　Thus　a　patient　following　his　treatment　is　himself　an　agent　and　yet　is　acting　in　accordance　with　the　doctor's　method　inspired　by　the　art　concerned　with　the　causes　of　health　and　sickness：　what　one　does　against　the　laws　of　health　is　one's　act；　but　an　act　conflicting　with　the　Providence　of　medicine。　　　　　6。　But；　if　all　this　be　true；　how　can　evil　fall　within　the　scope　of　seership？　The　predictions　of　the　seers　are　based　on　observation　of　the　Universal　Circuit：　how　can　this　indicate　the　evil　with　the　good？　　　　　Clearly　the　reason　is　that　all　contraries　coalesce。　Take；　for　example；　Shape　and　Matter：　the　living　being　＇of　the　lower　order＇　is　a　coalesce