the six enneads-第25章

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al　merely　to　our　present　problem。　We　are　faced　with　several　questions：　Is　the　heavenly　system　exposed　to　any　such　flux　as　would　occasion　the　need　of　some　restoration　corresponding　to　nourishment；　or　do　its　members；　once　set　in　their　due　places；　suffer　no　loss　of　substance；　permanent　by　Kind？　Does　it　consist　of　fire　only；　or　is　it　mainly　of　fire　with　the　other　elements；　as　well；　taken　up　and　carried　in　the　circuit　by　the　dominant　Principle？　　　　　Our　doctrine　of　the　immortality　of　the　heavenly　system　rests　on　the　firmest　foundation　once　we　have　cited　the　sovereign　agent；　the　soul；　and　considered；　besides；　the　peculiar　excellence　of　the　bodily　substance　constituting　the　stars；　a　material　so　pure；　so　entirely　the　noblest；　and　chosen　by　the　soul　as；　in　all　living　beings；　the　determining　principle　appropriates　to　itself　the　choicest　among　their　characteristic　parts。　No　doubt　Aristotle　is　right　in　speaking　of　flame　as　a　turmoil；　fire　insolently　rioting；　but　the　celestial　fire　is　equable；　placid；　docile　to　the　purposes　of　the　stars。　　　　　Still；　the　great　argument　remains；　the　Soul；　moving　in　its　marvellous　might　second　only　to　the　very　loftiest　Existents：　how　could　anything　once　placed　within　this　Soul　break　away　from　it　into　non…being？　No　one　that　understands　this　principle；　the　support　of　all　things；　can　fail　to　see　that；　sprung　from　God；　it　is　a　stronger　stay　than　any　bonds。　　　　　And　is　it　conceivable　that　the　Soul；　valid　to　sustain　for　a　certain　space　of　time；　could　not　so　sustain　for　ever？　This　would　be　to　assume　that　it　holds　things　together　by　violence；　that　there　is　a　〃natural　course〃　at　variance　with　what　actually　exists　in　the　nature　of　the　universe　and　in　these　exquisitely　ordered　beings；　and　that　there　is　some　power　able　to　storm　the　established　system　and　destroy　its　ordered　coherence；　some　kingdom　or　dominion　that　may　shatter　the　order　founded　by　the　Soul。　　　　　Further：　The　Kosmos　has　had　no　beginning…　the　impossibility　has　been　shown　elsewhere…　and　this　is　warrant　for　its　continued　existence。　Why　should　there　be　in　the　future　a　change　that　has　not　yet　occurred？　The　elements　there　are　not　worn　away　like　beams　and　rafters：　they　hold　sound　for　ever；　and　so　the　All　holds　sound。　And　even　supposing　these　elements　to　be　in　ceaseless　transmutation；　yet　the　All　persists：　the　ground　of　all　the　change　must　itself　be　changeless。　　　　　As　to　any　alteration　of　purpose　in　the　Soul　we　have　already　shown　the　emptiness　of　that　fancy：　the　administration　of　the　universe　entails　neither　labour　nor　loss；　and；　even　supposing　the　possibility　of　annihilating　all　that　is　material；　the　Soul　would　be　no　whit　the　better　or　the　worse。　　　　　5。　But　how　explain　the　permanence　There；　while　the　content　of　this　sphere…　its　elements　and　its　living　things　alike…　are　passing？　　　　　The　reason　is　given　by　Plato：　the　celestial　order　is　from　God；　the　living　things　of　earth　from　the　gods　sprung　from　God；　and　it　is　law　that　the　offspring　of　God　endures。　　　　　In　other　words；　the　celestial　soul…　and　our　souls　with　it…　springs　directly　next　from　the　Creator；　while　the　animal　life　of　this　earth　is　produced　by　an　image　which　goes　forth　from　that　celestial　soul　and　may　be　said　to　flow　downwards　from　it。　　　　　A　soul；　then；　of　the　minor　degree…　reproducing；　indeed；　that　of　the　Divine　sphere　but　lacking　in　power　inasmuch　as　it　must　exercise　its　creative　act　upon　inferior　stuff　in　an　inferior　region…　the　substances　taken　up　into　the　fabric　being　of　themselves　repugnant　to　duration；　with　such　an　origin　the　living　things　of　this　realm　cannot　be　of　strength　to　last　for　ever；　the　material　constituents　are　not　as　firmly　held　and　controlled　as　if　they　were　ruled　immediately　by　a　Principle　of　higher　potency。　　　　　The　heavens；　on　the　contrary；　must　have　persistence　as　a　whole；　and　this　entails　the　persistence　of　the　parts；　of　the　stars　they　contain：　we　could　not　imagine　that　whole　to　endure　with　the　parts　in　flux…　though；　of　course；　we　must　distinguish　things　sub…celestial　from　the　heavens　themselves　whose　region　does　not　in　fact　extend　so　low　as　to　the　moon。　　　　　Our　own　case　is　different：　physically　we　are　formed　by　that　＇inferior＇　soul；　given　forth　＇not　directly　from　God　but＇　from　the　divine　beings　in　the　heavens　and　from　the　heavens　themselves；　it　is　by　way　of　that　inferior　soul　that　we　are　associated　with　the　body　＇which　therefore　will　not　be　persistent＇；　for　the　higher　soul　which　constitutes　the　We　is　the　principle　not　of　our　existence　but　of　our　excellence　or；　if　also　of　our　existence；　then　only　in　the　sense　that；　when　the　body　is　already　constituted；　it　enters；　bringing　with　it　some　effluence　from　the　Divine　Reason　in　support　of　the　existence。　　　　　6。　We　may　now　consider　the　question　whether　fire　is　the　sole　element　existing　in　that　celestial　realm　and　whether　there　is　any　outgoing　thence　with　the　consequent　need　of　renewal。　　　　　Timaeus　pronounced　the　material　frame　of　the　All　to　consist　primarily　of　earth　and　fire　for　visibility；　earth　for　solidity…　and　deduced　that　the　stars　must　be　mainly　composed　of　fire；　but　not　solely　since　there　is　no　doubt　they　are　solid。　　　　　And　this　is　probably　a　true　account。　Plato　accepts　it　as　indicated　by　all　the　appearances。　And；　in　fact；　to　all　our　perception…　as　we　see　them　and　derive　from　them　the　impression　of　illumination…　the　stars　appear　to　be　mostly；　if　not　exclusively；　fire：　but　on　reasoning　into　the　matter　we　judge　that　since　solidity　cannot　exist　apart　from　earth…matter；　they　must　contain　earth　as　well。　　　　　But　what　place　could　there　be　for　the　other　elements？　It　is　impossible　to　imagine　water　amid　so　vast　a　conflagration；　and　if　air　were　present　it　would　be　continually　changing　into　fire。　　　　　Admitting　＇with　Timaeus；　as　a　logical　truth＇　that　two　self…contained　entities；　standing　as　extremes　to　each　other　need　for　their　coherence　two　intermediaries；　we　may　still　question　whether　this　holds　good　with　regard　to　physical　bodies。　Certainly　water　and　earth　can　be　mixed　without　any　such　intermediate。　It　might　seem　valid　to　object　that　the　intermediates　are　already　present　in　the　earth　and　the　water；　but　a　possible　answer　would　be；　〃Yes；　but　not　as　agents　whose　meeting　is　necessary　to　the　coherence　of　those　extremes。〃　　　　　None　the　less　we　will　take　it　that　the　coherence　of　extremes　is　produced　by　virtue　of　each　possessing　all　the　intermediates。　It　is　still　not　proven　that　fire　is　necessary　to　the　visibility　of　earth　and　earth　to　the　solidarity　of　fire。　　　　　On　this　principle；　nothing　possesses　an　essential…nature　of　its　very　own；　every　several　thing　is　a　blend；　and　its　name　is　merely　an　indication　of　the　dominant　constituent。　　　　　Thus　we　are　told　that　earth　cannot　have　concrete　existence　without　the　help　of　some　moist　element…　the　moisture　in　water　being　the　necessary　adhesive…　but　admitting　that　we　so　find　it；　there　is　still　a　contradiction　in　pretending　that　any　one　element　has　a　being　of　its　own　and　in　the　same　breath　denying　its　self…coherence；　making　its　subsistence　depend　upon　others；　and　so；　in　reality；　reducing　the　specific　element　to　nothing。　How　can　we　talk　of　the　existence　of　the　definite　Kind；　earth…　earth　essential…　if　there　exists　no　single　particle　of　earth　which　actually　is　earth　without　any　need　of　water　to　secure　its　self…cohesion？　What　h