the six enneads-第79节

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　thither　at　its　fixed　moment。　　　　　Even　the　Intellectual…Principle；　which　is　before　all　the　kosmos；　has；　it　also；　its　destiny；　that　of　abiding　intact　above；　and　of　giving　downwards：　what　it　sends　down　is　the　particular　whose　existence　is　implied　in　the　law　of　the　universal；　for　the　universal　broods　closely　over　the　particular；　it　is　not　from　without　that　the　law　derives　the　power　by　which　it　is　executed；　on　the　contrary　the　law　is　given　in　the　entities　upon　whom　it　falls；　these　bear　it　about　with　them。　Let　but　the　moment　arrive；　and　what　it　decrees　will　be　brought　to　act　by　those　beings　in　whom　it　resides；　they　fulfil　it　because　they　contain　it；　it　prevails　because　it　is　within　them；　it　becomes　like　a　heavy　burden；　and　sets　up　in　them　a　painful　longing　to　enter　the　realm　to　which　they　are　bidden　from　within。　　　　　14。　Thus　it　comes　about　that　this　kosmos；　lit　with　many　lights；　gleaming　in　its　souls；　receives　still　further　graces；　gifts　from　here　and　from　there；　from　the　gods　of　the　Supreme；　and　from　those　other　Intellectual…Principles　whose　nature　it　is　to　ensoul。　This　is　probably　the　secret　of　the　myth　in　which；　after　Prometheus　had　moulded　woman；　the　other　gods　heaped　gifts　upon　her；　Hephaistos　〃blending　the　clay　with　moisture　and　bestowing　the　human　voice　and　the　form　of　a　goddess〃；　Aphrodite　bringing　her　gifts；　and　the　Graces　theirs；　and　other　gods　other　gifts；　and　finally　calling　her　by　the　name　＇Pandora＇　which　tells　of　gift　and　of　all　giving…　for　all　have　added　something　to　this　formation　brought　to　being　by　a　Promethean；　a　fore…thinking　power。　As　for　the　rejection　of　Prometheus'　gift　by　after…thought；　Epimetheus；　what　can　this　signify　but　that　the　wiser　choice　is　to　remain　in　the　Intellectual　realm？　Pandora's　creator　is　fettered；　to　signify　that　he　is　in　some　sense　held　by　his　own　creation；　such　a　fettering　is　external　and　the　release　by　Hercules　tells　that　there　is　power　in　Prometheus；　so　that　he　need　not　remain　in　bonds。　　　　　Take　the　myth　as　we　may；　it　is　certainly　such　an　account　of　the　bestowal　of　gifts　upon　the　kosmos　as　harmonizes　with　our　explanation　of　the　universal　system。　　　　　15。　The　souls　peering　forth　from　the　Intellectual　Realm　descend　first　to　the　heavens　and　there　put　on　a　body；　this　becomes　at　once　the　medium　by　which　as　they　reach　out　more　and　more　towards　magnitude　＇physical　extension＇　they　proceed　to　bodies　progressively　more　earthy。　Some　even　plunge　from　heaven　to　the　very　lowest　of　corporeal　forms；　others　pass；　stage　by　stage；　too　feeble　to　lift　towards　the　higher　the　burden　they　carry；　weighed　downwards　by　their　heaviness　and　forgetfulness。　　　　　As　for　the　differences　among　them；　these　are　due　to　variation　in　the　bodies　entered；　or　to　the　accidents　of　life；　or　to　upbringing；　or　to　inherent　peculiarities　of　temperament；　or　to　all　these　influences　together；　or　to　specific　combinations　of　them。　　　　　Then　again　some　have　fallen　unreservedly　into　the　power　of　the　destiny　ruling　here：　some　yielding　betimes　are　betimes　too　their　own：　there　are　those　who；　while　they　accept　what　must　be　borne；　have　the　strength　of　self…mastery　in　all　that　is　left　to　their　own　act；　they　have　given　themselves　to　another　dispensation：　they　live　by　the　code　of　the　aggregate　of　beings；　the　code　which　is　woven　out　of　the　Reason…Principles　and　all　the　other　causes　ruling　in　the　kosmos；　out　of　soul…movements　and　out　of　laws　springing　in　the　Supreme；　a　code；　therefore；　consonant　with　those　higher　existences；　founded　upon　them；　linking　their　sequents　back　to　them；　keeping　unshakeably　true　all　that　is　capable　of　holding　itself　set　towards　the　divine　nature；　and　leading　round　by　all　appropriate　means　whatsoever　is　less　natively　apt。　　　　　In　fine　all　diversity　of　condition　in　the　lower　spheres　is　determined　by　the　descendent　beings　themselves。　　　　　16。　The　punishment　justly　overtaking　the　wicked　must　therefore　be　ascribed　to　the　kosmic　order　which　leads　all　in　accordance　with　the　right。　　　　　But　what　of　chastisements；　poverty；　illness；　falling　upon　the　good　outside　of　all　justice？　These　events；　we　will　be　told；　are　equally　interwoven　into　the　world　order　and　fall　under　prediction；　and　must　consequently　have　a　cause　in　the　general　reason：　are　they　therefore　to　be　charged　to　past　misdoing？　　　　　No：　such　misfortunes　do　not　answer　to　reasons　established　in　the　nature　of　things；　they　are　not　laid　up　in　the　master…facts　of　the　universe；　but　were　merely　accidental　sequents：　a　house　falls；　and　anyone　that　chances　to　be　underneath　is　killed；　no　matter　what　sort　of　man　he　be：　two　objects　are　moving　in　perfect　order…　or　one　if　you　like…　but　anything　getting　in　the　way　is　wounded　or　trampled　down。　Or　we　may　reason　that　the　undeserved　stroke　can　be　no　evil　to　the　sufferer　in　view　of　the　beneficent　interweaving　of　the　All　or　again；　no　doubt；　that　nothing　is　unjust　that　finds　justification　in　a　past　history。　　　　　We　may　not　think　of　some　things　being　fitted　into　a　system　with　others　abandoned　to　the　capricious；　if　things　must　happen　by　cause；　by　natural　sequences；　under　one　Reason…Principle　and　a　single　set　scheme；　we　must　admit　that　the　minor　equally　with　the　major　is　fitted　into　that　order　and　pattern。　　　　　Wrong…doing　from　man　to　man　is　wrong　in　the　doer　and　must　be　imputed；　but；　as　belonging　to　the　established　order　of　the　universe　is　not　a　wrong　even　as　regards　the　innocent　sufferer；　it　is　a　thing　that　had　to　be；　and；　if　the　sufferer　is　good；　the　issue　is　to　his　gain。　For　we　cannot　think　that　this　ordered　combination　proceeds　without　God　and　justice；　we　must　take　it　to　be　precise　in　the　distribution　of　due；　while；　yet；　the　reasons　of　things　elude　us；　and　to　our　ignorance　the　scheme　presents　matter　of　censure。　　　　　17。　Various　considerations　explain　why　the　Souls　going　forth　from　the　Intellectual　proceed　first　to　the　heavenly　regions。　The　heavens；　as　the　noblest　portion　of　sensible　space；　would　border　with　the　least　exalted　of　the　Intellectual；　and　will；　therefore；　be　first　ensouled　first　to　participate　as　most　apt；　while　what　is　of　earth　is　at　the　very　extremity　of　progression；　least　endowed　towards　participation；　remotest　from　the　unembodied。　　　　　All　the　souls；　then；　shine　down　upon　the　heavens　and　spend　there　the　main　of　themselves　and　the　best；　only　their　lower　phases　illuminate　the　lower　realms；　and　those　souls　which　descend　deepest　show　their　light　furthest　down…　not　themselves　the　better　for　the　depth　to　which　they　have　penetrated。　　　　　There　is；　we　may　put　it；　something　that　is　centre；　about　it；　a　circle　of　light　shed　from　it；　round　centre　and　first　circle　alike；　another　circle；　light　from　light；　outside　that　again；　not　another　circle　of　light　but　one　which；　lacking　light　of　its　own；　must　borrow。　　　　　The　last　we　may　figure　to　ourselves　as　a　revolving　circle；　or　rather　a　sphere；　of　a　nature　to　receive　light　from　that　third　realm；　its　next　higher；　in　proportion　to　the　light　which　that　itself　receives。　Thus　all　begins　with　the　great　light；　shining　self…centred；　in　accordance　with　the　reigning　plan　＇that　of　emanation＇　this　gives　forth　its　brilliance；　the　later　＇divine＇　existents　＇souls＇　add　their　radiation…　some　of　them　remaining　above；　while　there　are　some　that　are　drawn　further　downward；　attracted　by　the　splendour　of　the　object　they　illuminate。　These　last　find　that　their　charges　need　more　and　more　care：　the　steersman　of　a　storm…tossed　ship　is　so　intent　on　saving　it　that　he　forgets　his　own　interest　and　never　thinks　that　he　is　recurrently　in　peril　of　being　dragged　down　with　the　vessel；　similarly　the　souls　are　intent　upon　contriving　for　their　charges　and　finally　come　to　be　pulled　down　by　them；　they　are　fettered　in　bonds　of　sorcery；　gripped　and　held　by　their　concern　for　the　realm　of　Nature。　　　　　If　every　living　being　were　of　the　character　of　the　All…perfect；　self…sufficing；　in　peril　from　no　outside　influence　the　soul　now　spoken　of　as　indwelling　would　not　occupy　the　body；　it　would　infuse　life　while　clinging；　entire；　within　the　Supreme。　　　　　18。　There　remains　still　something　to　be　said　on　the　question　whether　the　soul　uses　deliberate　reason　before　its　descent　and　again　when　it　has　left　the　body。　　　　　Reasoning　is　for　this　sphere；　it　is　the　act　of　the　soul　fallen　into　perplexity；　distracted　with　cares；　diminished　in　strength：　the　need　of　deliberation　goes　with　the　less　self…sufficing　intelligence；　craftsmen　faced　by　a　difficulty　stop　to　consider；　where　there　is　no　problem　their　art　works　on　by　its　own　forthright　power。　　　　　But　if　souls　in　the　Supreme　operate　without　reasoning；　how　can　they　be　called　reasoning　souls？　　　　　One　answer　might　be　that　they　have　the　power　of　deliberating　to　happy　issue；　should　occasion　arise：　but　all　is　met　by　repudiating　the　particular　kind　of　reasoning　intended　＇the　earthly　and　discursive　type＇；　we　may　represent　to　ourselves　a　reasoning　that　flows　uninterruptedly　from　the　Intellectual…Principle　in　them；　an　inherent　state；　an　enduring　activity；　an　assertion　that　is　real；　in　this　way　they　would　be　users　of　reason　even　when　in　that　overworld。　We　certainly　cannot　think　of　them；　it　seems　to　me；　as　employing　words　when；　though　they　may　occupy　bodies　in　the　heavenly　region；　they　are　essentially　in　the　Intellectual：　and　very　surely　the　deliberation　of　doubt　and　difficulty　which　they　practise　here　must　be　unknown　to　them　There；　all　their　act　must　fall　into