the six enneads-第155章

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ain；　becomes　at　this　a　mere　handling　of　the　external；　exactly　like　sense…perception。　What　then　distinguishes　it　unless　that　it　deals　with　objects　of　less　extension？　And　what　certitude　can　it　have　that　its　knowledge　is　true？　Or　what　enables　it　to　pronounce　that　the　object　is　good；　beautiful；　or　just；　when　each　of　these　ideas　is　to　stand　apart　from　itself？　The　very　principles　of　judgement；　by　which　it　must　be　guided；　would　be　＇as　Ideas＇　excluded：　with　objects　and　canons　alike　outside　it；　so　is　truth。　　　　　Again；　either　the　objects　of　the　Intellectual…Principle　are　senseless　and　devoid　of　life　and　intellect　or　they　are　in　possession　of　Intellect。　　　　　Now；　if　they　are　in　possession　of　Intellect；　that　realm　is　a　union　of　both　and　is　Truth。　This　combined　Intellectual　realm　will　be　the　Primal　Intellect：　we　have　only　then　to　examine　how　this　reality；　conjoint　of　Intellectual…Principle　and　its　object；　is　to　be　understood；　whether　as　combining　self…united　identity　with　yet　duality　and　difference；　or　what　other　relation　holds　between　them。　　　　　If　on　the　contrary　the　objects　of　Intellectual…Principle　are　without　intelligence　and　life；　what　are　they？　They　cannot　be　premises；　axioms　or　predicates：　as　predicates　they　would　not　have　real　existence；　they　would　be　affirmations　linking　separate　entities；　as　when　we　affirm　that　justice　is　good　though　justice　and　good　are　distinct　realities。　　　　　If　we　are　told　that　they　are　self…standing　entities…　the　distinct　beings　Justice　and　Good…　then　＇supposing　them　to　be　outside＇　the　Intellectual　Realm　will　not　be　a　unity　nor　be　included　in　any　unity：　all　is　sundered　individuality。　Where；　then；　are　they　and　what　spatial　distinction　keeps　them　apart？　How　does　the　Intellectual…Principle　come　to　meet　with　them　as　it　travels　round；　what　keeps　each　true　to　its　character；　what　gives　them　enduring　identity；　what　conceivable　shape　or　character　can　they　have？　They　are　being　presented　to　us　as　some　collection　of　figures；　in　gold　or　some　other　material　substance；　the　work　of　some　unknown　sculptor　or　graver：　but　at　once　the　Intellectual…Principle　which　contemplates　them　becomes　sense…perception；　and　there　still　remains　the　question　how　one　of　them　comes　to　be　Justice　and　another　something　else。　　　　　But　the　great　argument　is　that　if　we　are　to　allow　that　these　objects　of　Intellection　are　in　the　strict　sense　outside　the　Intellectual…Principle；　which；　therefore；　must　see　them　as　external；　then　inevitably　it　cannot　possess　the　truth　of　them。　　　　　In　all　it　looks　upon；　it　sees　falsely；　for　those　objects　must　be　the　authentic　things；　yet　it　looks　upon　them　without　containing　them　and　in　such　knowledge　holds　only　their　images；　that　is　to　say；　not　containing　the　authentic；　adopting　phantasms　of　the　true；　it　holds　the　false；　it　never　possesses　reality。　If　it　knows　that　it　possesses　the　false；　it　must　confess　itself　excluded　from　the　truth；　if　it　fails　of　this　knowledge　also；　imagining　itself　to　possess　the　truth　which　has　eluded　it；　then　the　doubled　falsity　puts　it　the　deeper　into　error。　　　　　It　is　thus；　I　suppose；　that　in　sense…perception　we　have　belief　instead　of　truth；　belief　is　our　lief；　we　satisfy　ourselves　with　something　very　different　from　the　original　which　is　the　occasion　of　perception。　　　　　In　fine；　there　would　be　on　the　hypothesis　no　truth　in　the　Intellectual…Principle。　But　such　an　Intellectual…Principle　would　not　be　truth；　nor　truly　an　Intellectual…Principle。　There　would　be　no　Intellectual…Principle　at　all　＇no　Divine　Mind＇：　yet　elsewhere　truth　cannot　be。　　　　　2。　Thus　we　may　not　look　for　the　Intellectual　objects　＇the　Ideas＇　outside　of　the　Intellectual…Principle；　treating　them　as　impressions　of　reality　upon　it：　we　cannot　strip　it　of　truth　and　so　make　its　objects　unknowable　and　non…existent　and　in　the　end　annul　the　Intellectual…Principle　itself。　We　must　provide　for　knowledge　and　for　truth；　we　must　secure　reality；　being　must　become　knowable　essentially　and　not　merely　in　that　knowledge　of　quality　which　could　give　us　a　mere　image　or　vestige　of　the　reality　in　lieu　of　possession；　intimate　association；　absorption。　　　　　The　only　way　to　this　is　to　leave　nothing　out　side　of　the　veritable　Intellectual…Principle　which　thus　has　knowledge　in　the　true　knowing　＇that　of　identification　with　the　object＇；　cannot　forget；　need　not　go　wandering　in　search。　At　once　truth　is　there；　this　is　the　seat　of　the　authentic　Existents；　it　becomes　living　and　intellective：　these　are　the　essentials　of　that　most　lofty　Principle；　and；　failing　them；　where　is　its　worth；　its　grandeur？　　　　　Only　thus　＇by　this　inherence　of　the　Ideas＇　is　it　dispensed　from　demonstration　and　from　acts　of　faith　in　the　truth　of　its　knowledge：　it　is　its　entire　self；　self…perspicuous：　it　knows　a　prior　by　recognising　its　own　source；　it　knows　a　sequent　to　that　prior　by　its　self…identity；　of　the　reality　of　this　sequent；　of　the　fact　that　it　is　present　and　has　authentic　existence；　no　outer　entity　can　bring　it　surer　conviction。　　　　　Thus　veritable　truth　is　not　accordance　with　an　external；　it　is　self…accordance；　it　affirms　and　is　nothing　other　than　itself　and　is　nothing　other；　it　is　at　once　existence　and　self…affirmation。　What　external；　then；　can　call　it　to　the　question；　and　from　what　source　of　truth　could　the　refutation　be　brought？　Any　counter　affirmation　＇of　truth＇　must　fall　into　identity　with　the　truth　which　first　uttered　itself；　brought　forward　as　new；　it　has　to　appear　before　the　Principle　which　made　the　earlier　statement　and　to　show　itself　identical　with　that：　for　there　is　no　finding　anything　truer　than　the　true。　　　　　3。　Thus　we　have　here　one　identical　Principle；　the　Intellect；　which　is　the　universe　of　authentic　beings；　the　Truth：　as　such　it　is　a　great　god　or；　better；　not　a　god　among　gods　but　the　Godhead　entire。　It　is　a　god；　a　secondary　god　manifesting　before　there　is　any　vision　of　that　other；　the　Supreme　which　rests　over　all；　enthroned　in　transcendence　upon　that　splendid　pediment；　the　Nature　following　close　upon　it。　　　　　The　Supreme　in　its　progress　could　never　be　borne　forward　upon　some　soulless　vehicle　nor　even　directly　upon　the　soul：　it　will　be　heralded　by　some　ineffable　beauty：　before　the　great　King　in　his　progress　there　comes　first　the　minor　train；　then　rank　by　rank　the　greater　and　more　exalted；　closer　to　the　King　the　kinglier；　next　his　own　honoured　company　until；　last　among　all　these　grandeurs；　suddenly　appears　the　Supreme　Monarch　himself；　and　all…　unless　indeed　for　those　who　have　contented　themselves　with　the　spectacle　before　his　coming　and　gone　away…　prostrate　themselves　and　hail　him。　　　　　In　that　royal　progress　the　King　is　of　another　order　from　those　that　go　before　him；　but　the　King　in　the　Supreme　is　no　ruler　over　externs；　he　holds　that　most　just　of　governances；　rooted　in　nature；　the　veritable　kingship；　for　he　is　King　of　Truth；　holding　sway　by　all　reason　over　a　dense　offspring　his　own；　a　host　that　shares　his　divinity；　King　over　a　king　and　over　kings　and　even　more　justly　called　father　of　Gods。　　　　　＇Interpolation：　Zeus　（Universal　Soul）　is　in　this　a　symbol　of　him；　Zeus　who　is　not　content　with　the　contemplation　of　his　father　（Kronos；　divine　Intellect）　but　looks　to　that　father's　father　（to　Ouranos；　the　Transcendent）　as　what　may　be　called　the　divine　energy　working　to　the　establishment　of　a　real　being。