the six enneads-第129章

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firms　something　not　contained　within　it：　this　is　precisely　the　characteristic　of　a　power…　not　to　accept　impression　but；　within　its　allotted　sphere；　to　act。　　　　　Besides；　the　very　condition　of　the　mind　being　able　to　exercise　discrimination　upon　what　it　is　to　see　and　hear　is　not；　of　course；　that　these　objects　be　equally　impressions　made　upon　it；　on　the　contrary；　there　must　be　no　impressions；　nothing　to　which　the　mind　is　passive；　there　can　be　only　acts　of　that　in　which　the　objects　become　known。　　　　　Our　tendency　is　to　think　of　any　of　the　faculties　as　unable　to　know　its　appropriate　object　by　its　own　uncompelled　act；　to　us　it　seems　to　submit　to　its　environment　rather　than　simply　to　perceive　it；　though　in　reality　it　is　the　master；　not　the　victim。　　　　　As　with　sight；　so　with　hearing。　It　is　the　air　which　takes　the　impression；　a　kind　of　articulated　stroke　which　may　be　compared　to　letters　traced　upon　it　by　the　object　causing　the　sound；　but　it　belongs　to　the　faculty；　and　the　soul…essence；　to　read　the　imprints　thus　appearing　before　it；　as　they　reach　the　point　at　which　they　become　matter　of　its　knowledge。　　　　　In　taste　and　smell　also　we　distinguish　between　the　impressions　received　and　the　sensations　and　judgements；　these　last　are　mental　acts；　and　belong　to　an　order　apart　from　the　experiences　upon　which　they　are　exercised。　　　　　The　knowing　of　the　things　belonging　to　the　Intellectual　is　not　in　any　such　degree　attended　by　impact　or　impression：　they　come　forward；　on　the　contrary；　as　from　within；　unlike　the　sense…objects　known　as　from　without：　they　have　more　emphatically　the　character　of　acts；　they　are　acts　in　the　stricter　sense；　for　their　origin　is　in　the　soul；　and　every　concept　of　this　Intellectual　order　is　the　soul　about　its　Act。　　　　　Whether；　in　this　self…vision；　the　soul　is　a　duality　and　views　itself　as　from　the　outside…　while　seeing　the　Intellectual…Principal　as　a　unity；　and　itself　with　the　Intellectual…Principle　as　a　unity…　this　question　is　investigated　elsewhere。　　　　　3。　With　this　prologue　we　come　to　our　discussion　of　Memory。　　　　　That　the　soul；　or　mind；　having　taken　no　imprint；　yet　achieves　perception　of　what　it　in　no　way　contains　need　not　surprise　us；　or　rather；　surprising　though　it　is；　we　cannot　refuse　to　believe　in　this　remarkable　power。　　　　　The　Soul　is　the　Reason…Principle　of　the　universe；　ultimate　among　the　Intellectual　Beings…　its　own　essential　Nature　is　one　of　the　Beings　of　the　Intellectual　Realm…　but　it　is　the　primal　Reason…Principle　of　the　entire　realm　of　sense。　　　　　Thus　it　has　dealings　with　both　orders…　benefited　and　quickened　by　the　one；　but　by　the　other　beguiled；　falling　before　resemblances；　and　so　led　downwards　as　under　spell。　Poised　midway；　it　is　aware　of　both　spheres。　　　　　Of　the　Intellectual　it　is　said　to　have　intuition　by　memory　upon　approach；　for　it　knows　them　by　a　certain　natural　identity　with　them；　its　knowledge　is　not　attained　by　besetting　them；　so　to　speak；　but　by　in　a　definite　degree　possessing　them；　they　are　its　natural　vision；　they　are　itself　in　a　more　radiant　mode；　and　it　rises　from　its　duller　pitch　to　that　greater　brilliance　in　a　sort　of　awakening；　a　progress　from　its　latency　to　its　act。　　　　　To　the　sense…order　it　stands　in　a　similar　nearness　and　to　such　things　it　gives　a　radiance　out　of　its　own　store　and；　as　it　were；　elaborates　them　to　visibility：　the　power　is　always　ripe　and；　so　to　say；　in　travail　towards　them；　so　that；　whenever　it　puts　out　its　strength　in　the　direction　of　what　has　once　been　present　in　it；　it　sees　that　object　as　present　still；　and　the　more　intent　its　effort　the　more　durable　is　the　presence。　This　is　why；　it　is　agreed；　children　have　long　memory；　the　things　presented　to　them　are　not　constantly　withdrawn　but　remain　in　sight；　in　their　case　the　attention　is　limited　but　not　scattered：　those　whose　faculty　and　mental　activity　are　busied　upon　a　multitude　of　subjects　pass　quickly　over　all；　lingering　on　none。　　　　　Now；　if　memory　were　a　matter　of　seal…impressions　retained；　the　multiplicity　of　objects　would　have　no　weakening　effect　on　the　memory。　Further；　on　the　same　hypothesis；　we　would　have　no　need　of　thinking　back　to　revive　remembrance；　nor　would　we　be　subject　to　forgetting　and　recalling；　all　would　lie　engraved　within。　　　　　The　very　fact　that　we　train　ourselves　to　remember　shows　that　what　we　get　by　the　process　is　a　strengthening　of　the　mind：　just　so；　exercises　for　feet　and　hands　enable　us　to　do　easily　acts　which　in　no　sense　contained　or　laid　up　in　those　members；　but　to　which　they　may　be　fitted　by　persevering　effort。　　　　　How　else　can　it　be　explained　that　we　forget　a　thing　heard　once　or　twice　but　remember　what　is　often　repeated；　and　that　we　recall　a　long　time　afterwards　what　at　first　hearing　we　failed　to　hold？　　　　　It　is　no　answer　to　say　that　the　parts　present　themselves　sooner　than　the　entire　imprint…　why　should　they　too　be　forgotten？…　＇there　is　no　question　of　parts；　for＇　the　last　hearing；　or　our　effort　to　remember；　brings　the　thing　back　to　us　in　a　flash。　　　　　All　these　considerations　testify　to　an　evocation　of　that　faculty　of　the　soul；　or　mind；　in　which　remembrance　is　vested：　the　mind　is　strengthened；　either　generally　or　to　this　particular　purpose。　　　　　Observe　these　facts：　memory　follows　upon　attention；　those　who　have　memorized　much；　by　dint　of　their　training　in　the　use　of　leading　indications　＇suggestive　words　and　the　like＇；　reach　the　point　of　being　easily　able　to　retain　without　such　aid：　must　we　not　conclude　that　the　basis　of　memory　is　the　soul…power　brought　to　full　strength？　　　　　The　lingering　imprints　of　the　other　explanation　would　tell　of　weakness　rather　than　power；　for　to　take　imprint　easily　is　to　be　yielding。　An　impression　is　something　received　passively；　the　strongest　memory；　then；　would　go　with　the　least　active　nature。　But　what　happens　is　the　very　reverse：　in　no　pursuit　to　technical　exercises　tend　to　make　a　man　less　the　master　of　his　acts　and　states。　It　is　as　with　sense…perception；　the　advantage　is　not　to　the　weak；　the　weak　eye　for　example；　but　to　that　which　has　the　fullest　power　towards　its　exercise。　In　the　old；　it　is　significant；　the　senses　are　dulled　and　so　is　the　memory。　　　　　Sensation　and　memory；　then；　are　not　passivity　but　power。　　　　　And；　once　it　is　admitted　that　sensations　are　not　impressions；　the　memory　of　a　sensation　cannot　consist　in　the　retention　of　an　impression　that　was　never　made。　　　　　Yes：　but　if　it　is　an　active　power　of　the　mind；　a　fitness　towards　its　particular　purpose；　why　does　it　not　come　at　once…　and　not　with　delay…　to　the　recollection　of　its　unchanging　objects？　　　　　Simply　because　the　power　needs　to　be　poised　and　prepared：　in　this　it　is　only　like　all　the　others；　which　have　to　be　readied　for　the　task　to　which　their　power　reaches；　some　operating　very　swiftly；　others　only　after　a　certain　self…concentration。　　　　　Quick　memory　does　not　in　general　go　with　quick　wit：　the　two　do　not　fall　under　the　same　mental　faculty；　runner　and　boxer　are　not　often　united　in　one　person；　the　dominant　idea　differs　from　man　to　man。　　　　　Yet　there　could　be　nothing　to　prevent　men　of　superior　faculty　from　reading　impressions　on　the　mind；　why　should　one　thus　gifted　be　incapable　of　what　would　be　no　more　than　a　passive　taking　and　holding？　　　　　That　memory　is　a　power　of　the　Soul　＇not　a　capacity　for　taking　imprint＇　is　established　at