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om The Good as some attraction will lure the child from the father's side： these things tell of youth。 The Good is the older… not in time but by degree of reality… and it has the higher and earlier power； all power in fact； for the sequent holds only a power subordinate and delegated of which the prior remains sovereign。 Not that God has any need of His derivatives： He ignores all that produced realm； never necessary to Him； and remains identically what He was before He brought it into being。 So too； had the secondary never existed； He would have been unconcerned； exactly as He would not have grudged existence to any other universe that might spring into being from Him； were any such possible； of course no other such could be since there is nothing that has not existence once the All exists。 But God never was the All； that would make Him dependent upon the universe： transcending all； He was able at once to make all things and to leave them to their own being； He above。 13。 The Supreme； as the Absolute Good and not merely a good being or thing； can contain nothing； since there is nothing that could be its good。 Anything it could contain must be either good to it or not good； but in the supremely and primally Good there can be nothing not good； nor can the Absolute Good be a container to the Good： containing； then； neither the good nor the not good it contains nothing and； containing nothing； it is alone： it is void of all but itself。 If the rest of being either is good… without being the absolute good… or is not good； while on the other hand the Supreme contains neither what is good nor what is not good； then； containing nothing； it is The Good by that very absence of content。 Thus we rob it of its very being as The Absolute Good if we ascribe anything to it； existence or intellect or goodness。 The only way is to make every denial and no assertion； to feign no quality or content there but to permit only the 〃It is〃 in which we pretend to no affirmation of non…existent attribute： there is an ignorant praise which； missing the true description； drags in qualities beneath the real worth and so abases； philosophy must guard against attaching to the Supreme what is later and lower： moving above all that order； it is the cause and source of all these； and is none of them。 For； once more； the nature of the Good is not such as to make it all things or a thing among all： that would range it under the same classification with them all and it would differ； thus； only by its individual quality； some specialty； some addition。 At once it becomes not a unity but a duality； there is one common element not good and another element that is good； but a combination so made up of good and not good cannot be the purely good； the primarily good； the primarily good must be that principle in which the better element has more effectively participated and so attained its goodness。 Any good thing has become so by communion； but that in which it has communion is not a thing among the things of the all； therefore the Good is not a thing of the All。 Since there is this Good in any good thing… the specific difference by which the combination becomes good… it must enter from elsewhere than the world of things： that source must be a Good absolute and isolated。 Thus is revealed to us the Primarily existent； the Good； above all that has being； good unalloyed； containing nothing in itself； utterly unmingling； all…transcending； cause of all。 Certainly neither Being nor Beauty springs from evil or from the neutral； the maker； as the more consummate； must surpass the made。 SIXTH TRACTATE。
THAT THE PRINCIPLE TRANSCENDING BEING HAS NO INTELLECTUAL ACT。 WHAT BEING HAS INTELLECTION PRIMALLY AND WHAT BEING HAS IT SECONDARILY。
1。 There is a principle having intellection of the external and another having self…intellection and thus further removed from duality。 Even the first mentioned is not without an effort towards the pure unity of which it is not so capable： it does actually contain its object； though as something other than itself。 In the self…intellective； there is not even this distinction of being： self…conversing； the subject is its own object； and thus takes the double form while remaining essentially a unity。 The intellection is the more profound for this internal possession of the object。 This principle is the primally intellective since there can be no intellection without duality in unity。 If there is no unity； perceiving principle and perceived object will be different； and the intellection； therefore； not primal： a principle concerned with something external cannot be the primally intellective since it does not possess the object as integrally its own or as itself； if it does possess the object as itself… the condition of true intellection… the two are one。 Thus ＇in order to primal intellection＇ there must be a unity in duality； while a pure unity with no counterbalancing duality can have no object for its intellection and ceases to be intellective： in other words the primally intellective must be at once simplex and something else。 But the surest way of realizing that its nature demands this combination of unity and duality is to proceed upwards from the Soul； where the distinction can be made more dearly since the duality is exhibited more obviously。 We can imagine the Soul as a double light； a lesser corresponding to the soul proper； a purer representing its intellective phase； if now we suppose this intellective light equal to the light which is to be its object； we no longer distinguish between them； the two are recognised as one： we know； indeed； that there are two； but as we see them they have become one： this gives us the relation between the intellective subject and the object of intellection ＇in the duality and unity required by that primal intellection＇： in our thought we have made the two into one； but on the other hand the one thing has become two； making itself into a duality at the moment of intellection； or； to be more exact； being dual by the fact of intellection and single by the fact that its intellectual object is itself。 2。 Thus there is the primally intellective and there is that in which intellection has taken another mode； but this indicates that what transcends the primarily intellective has no intellection； for； to have intellection； it must become an Intellectual…Principle； and； if it is to become that； it must possess an intellectual object and； as primarily intellective； it must possess that intellectual object as something within itself。 But it is not inevitable that every intellectual object should both possess the intellective principle in itself and exercise intellection： at that； it would be not merely object but subject as well and； besides； being thus dual； could not be primal： further； the intellectual principle that is to possess the intellectual object could not cohere unless there existed an essence purely intellectual； something which； while standing as intellectual object to the intellectual principle； is in its own essence neither an agent nor an object of intell