the six enneads-第61节

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e　come　and　go。　The　entrant　Idea　will　enter　as　an　image；　the　untrue　entering　the　untruth。　　　　　But；　at　least；　in　a　true　entry？　　　　　No：　How　could　there　be　a　true　entry　into　that　which；　by　being　falsity；　is　banned　from　ever　touching　truth？　　　　　Is　this　then　a　pseudo…entry　into　a　pseudo…entity…　something　merely　brought　near；　as　faces　enter　the　mirror；　there　to　remain　just　as　long　as　the　people　look　into　it？　　　　　Yes：　if　we　eliminated　the　Authentic　Existents　from　this　Sphere　nothing　of　all　now　seen　in　sense　would　appear　one　moment　longer。　　　　　Here　the　mirror　itself　is　seen；　for　it　is　itself　an　Ideal…Form　of　a　Kind　＇has　some　degree　of　Real　Being＇；　but　bare　Matter；　which　is　no　Idea；　is　not　a　visible　thing；　if　it　were；　it　would　have　been　visible　in　its　own　character　before　anything　else　appeared　upon　it。　The　condition　of　Matter　may　be　illustrated　by　that　of　air　penetrated　by　light　and　remaining；　even　so；　unseen　because　it　is　invisible　whatever　happens。　　　　　The　reflections　in　the　mirror　are　not　taken　to　be　real；　all　the　less　since　the　appliance　on　which　they　appear　is　seen　and　remains　while　the　images　disappear；　but　Matter　is　not　seen　either　with　the　images　or　without　them。　But　suppose　the　reflections　on　the　mirror　remaining　and　the　mirror　itself　not　seen；　we　would　never　doubt　the　solid　reality　of　all　that　appears。　　　　　If；　then；　there　is；　really；　something　in　a　mirror；　we　may　suppose　objects　of　sense　to　be　in　Matter　in　precisely　that　way：　if　in　the　mirror　there　is　nothing；　if　there　is　only　a　seeming　of　something；　then　we　may　judge　that　in　Matter　there　is　the　same　delusion　and　that　the　seeming　is　to　be　traced　to　the　Substantial…Existence　of　the　Real…Beings；　that　Substantial…Existence　in　which　the　Authentic　has　the　real　participation　while　only　an　unreal　participation　can　belong　to　the　unauthentic　since　their　condition　must　differ　from　that　which　they　would　know　if　the　parts　were　reversed；　if　the　Authentic　Existents　were　not　and　they　were。　　　　　14。　But　would　this　mean　that　if　there　were　no　Matter　nothing　would　exist？　　　　　Precisely　as　in　the　absence　of　a　mirror；　or　something　of　similar　power；　there　would　be　no　reflection。　　　　　A　thing　whose　very　nature　is　to　be　lodged　in　something　else　cannot　exist　where　the　base　is　lacking…　and　it　is　the　character　of　a　reflection　to　appear　in　something　not　itself。　　　　　Of　course　supposing　anything　to　desert　from　the　Authentic　Beings；　this　would　not　need　an　alien　base：　but　these　Beings　are　not　subject　to　flux；　and　therefore　any　outside　manifestation　of　them　implies　something　other　than　themselves；　something　offering　a　base　to　what　never　enters；　something　which　by　its　presence；　in　its　insistence；　by　its　cry　for　help；　in　its　beggardom；　strives　as　it　were　by　violence　to　acquire　and　is　always　disappointed；　so　that　its　poverty　is　enduring；　its　cry　unceasing。　　　　　This　alien　base　exists　and　the　myth　represents　it　as　a　pauper　to　exhibit　its　nature；　to　show　that　Matter　is　destitute　of　The　Good。　The　claimant　does　not　ask　for　all　the　Giver's　store；　but　it　welcomes　whatever　it　can　get；　in　other　words；　what　appears　in　Matter　is　not　Reality。　　　　　The　name；　too　＇Poverty＇；　conveys　that　Matter's　need　is　never　met。　The　union　with　Poros；　Possession；　is　designed　to　show　that　Matter　does　not　attain　to　Reality；　to　Plenitude；　but　to　some　bare　sufficiency…　in　point　of　fact　to　imaging　skill。　　　　　It　is；　of　course；　impossible　that　an　outside　thing　belonging　in　any　degree　to　Real…Being…　whose　Nature　is　to　engender　Real…Beings…　should　utterly　fail　of　participation　in　Reality：　but　here　we　have　something　perplexing；　we　are　dealing　with　utter　Non…Being；　absolutely　without　part　in　Reality；　what　is　this　participation　by　the　non…participant；　and　how　does　mere　neighbouring　confer　anything　on　that　which　by　its　own　nature　is　precluded　from　any　association？　　　　　The　answer　is　that　all　that　impinges　upon　this　Non…Being　is　flung　back　as　from　a　repelling　substance；　we　may　think　of　an　Echo　returned　from　a　repercussive　plane　surface；　it　is　precisely　because　of　the　lack　of　retention　that　the　phenomenon　is　supposed　to　belong　to　that　particular　place　and　even　to　arise　there。　　　　　If　Matter　were　participant　and　received　Reality　to　the　extent　which　we　are　apt　to　imagine；　it　would　be　penetrated　by　a　Reality　thus　sucked　into　its　constitution。　But　we　know　that　the　Entrant　is　not　thus　absorbed：　Matter　remains　as　it　was；　taking　nothing　to　itself：　it　is　the　check　to　the　forthwelling　of　Authentic　Existence；　it　is　a　ground　that　repels；　it　is　a　mere　receptacle　to　the　Realities　as　they　take　their　common　path　and　here　meet　and　mingle。　It　resembles　those　reflecting　vessels；　filled　with　water；　which　are　often　set　against　the　sun　to　produce　fire：　the　heat　rays…　prevented；　by　their　contrary　within；　from　being　absorbed…　are　flung　out　as　one　mass。　　　　　It　is　in　this　sense　and　way　that　Matter　becomes　the　cause　of　the　generated　realm；　the　combinations　within　it　hold　together　only　after　some　such　reflective　mode。　　　　　15。　Now　the　objects　attracting　the　sun…rays　to　themselves…　illuminated　by　a　fire　of　the　sense…order…　are　necessarily　of　the　sense…order；　there　is　perceptibility　because　there　has　been　a　union　of　things　at　once　external　to　each　other　and　continuous；　contiguous；　in　direct　contact；　two　extremes　in　one　line。　But　the　Reason…Principle　operating　upon　Matter　is　external　to　it　only　in　a　very　different　mode　and　sense：　exteriority　in　this　case　is　amply　supplied　by　contrariety　of　essence　and　can　dispense　with　any　opposite　ends　＇any　question　of　lineal　position＇；　or；　rather；　the　difference　is　one　that　actually　debars　any　local　extremity；　sheer　incongruity　of　essence；　the　utter　failure　in　relationship；　inhibits　admixture　＇between　Matter　and　any　form　of　Being＇。　　　　　The　reason；　then；　of　the　immutability　of　Matter　is　that　the　entrant　principle　neither　possesses　it　nor　is　possessed　by　it。　Consider；　as　an　example；　the　mode　in　which　an　opinion　or　representation　is　present　in　the　mind；　there　is　no　admixture；　the　notion　that　came　goes　in　its　time；　still　integrally　itself　alone；　taking　nothing　with　it；　leaving　nothing　after　it；　because　it　has　not　been　blended　with　the　mind；　there　is　no　〃outside〃　in　the　sense　of　contact　broken；　and　the　distinction　between　base　and　entrant　is　patent　not　to　the　senses　but　to　the　reason。　　　　　In　that　example；　no　doubt；　the　mental　representation…　though　it　seems　to　have　a　wide　and　unchecked　control…　is　an　image；　while　the　Soul　＇Mind＇　is　in　its　nature　not　an　image　＇but　a　Reality＇：　none　the　less　the　Soul　or　Mind　certainly　stands　to　the　concept　as　Matter；　or　in　some　analogous　relation。　The　representation；　however；　does　not　cover　the　Mind　over；　on　the　contrary　it　is　often　expelled　by　some　activity　there；　however　urgently　it　presses　in；　it　never　effects　such　an　obliteration　as　to　be　taken　for　the　Soul；　it　is　confronted　there　by　indwelling　powers；　by　Reason…Principles；　which　repel　all　such　attack。　　　　　Matter…　feebler　far　than　the　Soul　for　any　exercise　of　power；　and　possessing　no　phase　of　the　Authentic　Existents；　not　even　in　possession　of　its　own　falsity…　lacks　the　very　means　of　manifesting　itself；　utter　void　as　it　is；　it　becomes　the　means　by　which　other　things　appear；　but　it　cannot　announce　its　own　presence。　Penetrating　thought　may　arrive　at　it；　discriminating　it　from　Authentic　Existence；　then；　it　is　discerned　as　something　abandoned　by　all　that　really　is；　by　even　the　dimmest　semblants　of　being；　as　a　thing　dragged　towards　every　shape　and　property　and　appearing　to　follow…　yet　in　fact　not　even　following。　　　　　16。　An　Ideal…Principle　approaches　and　leads　Matter　towards　some　desired　dimension；　investing　this　non…existent　underlie　with　a　magnitude　from　itself　which　never　becomes　incorporate…　for　Matter；　if　it　really　incorporated　magnitude；　would　be　a　mass。　　　　　Eliminate　this　Ideal…Form　and　the　substratum　ceases　to　be　a　thing　of　magnitude；　or　to　appear　so：　the　mass　produced　by　the　Idea　was；　let　us　suppose；　a　man　or　a　horse；　the　horse…magnitude　came　upon　the　Matter　when　a　horse　was　produced　upon　it；　when　the　horse　ceases　to　exist　upon　the　Matter；　the　magnitude　of　the　horse　departs　also。　If　we　are　told　that　the　horse　implies　a　certain　determined　bulk　and　that　this　bulk　is　a　permanent　thing；　we　answer　that　what　is　permanent　in　this　case　is　not　the　magnitude　of　the　horse　but　the　magnitude　of　mass　in　general。　That　same　Magnitude　might　be　fire　or　earth；　on　their　disappearance　their　particular　magnitudes　would　disappear　with　them。　Matter；　then；　can　never　take　to　itself　either　pattern　or　magnitude；　if　it　did；　it　would　no　longer　be　able　to　turn　from　being　fire；　let　us　say；　into　being　something　else；　it　would　become　and　be　fire　once　for　all。　　　　　In　a　word；　though　Matter　is　far　extended…　so　vastly　as　to　appear　co…extensive　with　all　this　sense…known　Universe…　yet　if　the　Heavens　and　their　content　came　to　an　end；　all　magnitude　would　simultaneously　pass　from　Matter　with；　beyond　a　doubt；　all　its　other　properties；　it　would　be　abandoned　to　its　own　Kind；　retaining　nothing　of　all　that　which；　in　its　own　peculiar　mode；　it　had　hitherto　exhibited。　　　　　Where　an　entrant　force　can　effect　modification　it　will　inevitably　leave　some　trace　upon　its　withdrawal；　but　where　there　can　be　no　modification；　nothing　can　be　retained；　light　comes　and　goes；　and　the　air　is　as　it　always　was。　　　　　That　a　thing　essentially　devoid　of　magnit