the six enneads-第12章

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is　illustration；　when　the　mirror　is　in　place　the　image　appears　but；　though　the　mirror　be　absent　or　out　of　gear；　all　that　would　have　acted　and　produced　an　image　still　exists；　so　in　the　case　of　the　Soul；　when　there　is　peace　in　that　within　us　which　is　capable　of　reflecting　the　images　of　the　Rational　and　Intellectual…Principles　these　images　appear。　Then；　side　by　side　with　the　primal　knowledge　of　the　activity　of　the　Rational　and　the　Intellectual…Principles；　we　have　also　as　it　were　a　sense…perception　of　their　operation。　　　　　When；　on　the　contrary；　the　mirror　within　is　shattered　through　some　disturbance　of　the　harmony　of　the　body；　Reason　and　the　Intellectual…Principle　act　unpictured：　Intellection　is　unattended　by　imagination。　　　　　In　sum　we　may　safely　gather　that　while　the　Intellective…Act　may　be　attended　by　the　Imaging　Principle；　it　is　not　to　be　confounded　with　it。　　　　　And　even　in　our　conscious　life　we　can　point　to　many　noble　activities；　of　mind　and　of　hand　alike；　which　at　the　time　in　no　way　compel　our　consciousness。　A　reader　will　often　be　quite　unconscious　when　he　is　most　intent：　in　a　feat　of　courage　there　can　be　no　sense　either　of　the　brave　action　or　of　the　fact　that　all　that　is　done　conforms　to　the　rules　of　courage。　And　so　in　cases　beyond　number。　　　　　So　that　it　would　even　seem　that　consciousness　tends　to　blunt　the　activities　upon　which　it　is　exercised；　and　that　in　the　degree　in　which　these　pass　unobserved　they　are　purer　and　have　more　effect；　more　vitality；　and　that；　consequently；　the　Sage　arrived　at　this　state　has　the　truer　fulness　of　life；　life　not　spilled　out　in　sensation　but　gathered　closely　within　itself。　　　　　11。　We　shall　perhaps　be　told　that　in　such　a　state　the　man　is　no　longer　alive：　we　answer　that　these　people　show　themselves　equally　unable　to　understand　his　inner　life　and　his　happiness。　　　　　If　this　does　not　satisfy　them；　we　must　ask　them　to　keep　in　mind　a　living　Sage　and；　under　these　terms；　to　enquire　whether　the　man　is　in　happiness：　they　must　not　whittle　away　his　life　and　then　ask　whether　he　has　the　happy　life；　they　must　not　take　away　man　and　then　look　for　the　happiness　of　a　man：　once　they　allow　that　the　Sage　lives　within；　they　must　not　seek　him　among　the　outer　activities；　still　less　look　to　the　outer　world　for　the　object　of　his　desires。　To　consider　the　outer　world　to　be　a　field　to　his　desire；　to　fancy　the　Sage　desiring　any　good　external；　would　be　to　deny　Substantial…Existence　to　happiness；　for　the　Sage　would　like　to　see　all　men　prosperous　and　no　evil　befalling　anyone；　but　though　it　prove　otherwise；　he　is　still　content。　　　　　If　it　be　admitted　that　such　a　desire　would　be　against　reason；　since　evil　cannot　cease　to　be；　there　is　no　escape　from　agreeing　with　us　that　the　Sage's　will　is　set　always　and　only　inward。　　　　　12。　The　pleasure　demanded　for　the　life　cannot　be　in　the　enjoyments　of　the　licentious　or　in　any　gratifications　of　the　body…　there　is　no　place　for　these；　and　they　stifle　happiness…　nor　in　any　violent　emotions…　what　could　so　move　the　Sage？…　it　can　be　only　such　pleasure　as　there　must　be　where　Good　is；　pleasure　that　does　not　rise　from　movement　and　is　not　a　thing　of　process；　for　all　that　is　good　is　immediately　present　to　the　Sage　and　the　Sage　is　present　to　himself：　his　pleasure；　his　contentment；　stands；　immovable。　　　　　Thus　he　is　ever　cheerful；　the　order　of　his　life　ever　untroubled：　his　state　is　fixedly　happy　and　nothing　whatever　of　all　that　is　known　as　evil　can　set　it　awry…　given　only　that　he　is　and　remains　a　Sage。　　　　　If　anyone　seeks　for　some　other　kind　of　pleasure　in　the　life　of　the　Sage；　it　is　not　the　life　of　the　Sage　he　is　looking　for。　　　　　13。　The　characteristic　activities　are　not　hindered　by　outer　events　but　merely　adapt　themselves；　remaining　always　fine；　and　perhaps　all　the　finer　for　dealing　with　the　actual。　When　he　has　to　handle　particular　cases　and　things；　he　may　not　be　able　to　put　his　vision　into　act　without　searching　and　thinking；　but　the　one　greatest　principle　is　ever　present　to　him；　like　a　part　of　his　being…　most　of　all　present；　should　he　be　even　a　victim　in　the　much…talked…of　Bull　of　Phalaris。　No　doubt；　despite　all　that　has　been　said；　it　is　idle　to　pretend　that　this　is　an　agreeable　lodging；　but　what　cries　in　the　Bull　is　the　thing　that　feels　the　torture；　in　the　Sage　there　is　something　else　as　well；　The　Self…Gathered　which；　as　long　as　it　holds　itself　by　main　force　within　itself；　can　never　be　robbed　of　the　vision　of　the　All…Good。　　　　　14。　For　man；　and　especially　the　Sage；　is　not　the　Couplement　of　soul　and　body：　the　proof　is　that　man　can　be　disengaged　from　the　body　and　disdain　its　nominal　goods。　　　　　It　would　be　absurd　to　think　that　happiness　begins　and　ends　with　the　living…body：　happiness　is　the　possession　of　the　good　of　life：　it　is　centred　therefore　in　Soul；　is　an　Act　of　the　Soul…　and　not　of　all　the　Soul　at　that：　for　it　certainly　is　not　characteristic　of　the　vegetative　soul；　the　soul　of　growth；　that　would　at　once　connect　it　with　the　body。　　　　　A　powerful　frame；　a　healthy　constitution；　even　a　happy　balance　of　temperament；　these　surely　do　not　make　felicity；　in　the　excess　of　these　advantages　there　is；　even；　the　danger　that　the　man　be　crushed　down　and　forced　more　and　more　within　their　power。　There　must　be　a　sort　of　counter…pressure　in　the　other　direction；　towards　the　noblest：　the　body　must　be　lessened；　reduced；　that　the　veritable　man　may　show　forth；　the　man　behind　the　appearances。　　　　　Let　the　earth…bound　man　be　handsome　and　powerful　and　rich；　and　so　apt　to　this　world　that　he　may　rule　the　entire　human　race：　still　there　can　be　no　envying　him；　the　fool　of　such　lures。　Perhaps　such　splendours　could　not；　from　the　beginning　even；　have　gathered　to　the　Sage；　but　if　it　should　happen　so；　he　of　his　own　action　will　lower　his　state；　if　he　has　any　care　for　his　true　life；　the　tyranny　of　the　body　he　will　work　down　or　wear　away　by　inattention　to　its　claims；　the　rulership　he　will　lay　aside。　While　he　will　safeguard　his　bodily　health；　he　will　not　wish　to　be　wholly　untried　in　sickness；　still　less　never　to　feel　pain：　if　such　troubles　should　not　come　to　him　of　themselves；　he　will　wish　to　know　them；　during　youth　at　least：　in　old　age；　it　is　true；　he　will　desire　neither　pains　nor　pleasures　to　hamper　him；　he　will　desire　nothing　of　this　world；　pleasant　or　painful；　his　one　desire　will　be　to　know　nothing　of　the　body。　If　he　should　meet　with　pain　he　will　pit　against　it　the　powers　he　holds　to　meet　it；　but　pleasure　and　health　and　ease　of　life　will　not　mean　any　increase　of　happiness　to　him　nor　will　their　contraries　destroy　or　lessen　it。　　　　　When　in　the　one　subject；　a　positive　can　add　nothing；　how　can　the　negative　take　away？　　　　　15。　But　suppose　two　wise　men；　one　of　them　possessing　all　that　is　supposed　to　be　naturally　welcome；　while　the　other　meets　only　with　the　very　reverse：　do　we　assert　that　they　have　an　equal　happiness？　　　　　We　do；　if　they　are　equally　wise。　　　　　What　though　the　one　be　favoured　in　body　and　in　all　else　that　does　not　help　towards　wisdom；　still　less　towards　virtue；　towards　the　vision　of　the　noblest；　towards　being　the　highest；　what　does　all　that　amount　to？　The　man　commanding　all　such　practical　advantages　cannot　flatter　himself　that　he　is　more　truly　happy　than　the　man　without　them：　the　utmost　profusion　of　such　boons　would　not　help　even　to　make　a　fl