the six enneads-第26章

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ticle　of　earth　which　actually　is　earth　without　any　need　of　water　to　secure　its　self…cohesion？　What　has　such　an　adhesive　to　act　upon　if　there　is　absolutely　no　given　magnitude　of　real　earth　to　which　it　may　bind　particle　after　particle　in　its　business　of　producing　the　continuous　mass？　If　there　is　any　such　given　magnitude；　large　or　small；　of　pure　earth；　then　earth　can　exist　in　its　own　nature；　independently　of　water：　if　there　is　no　such　primary　particle　of　pure　earth；　then　there　is　nothing　whatever　for　the　water　to　bind。　As　for　air…　air　unchanged；　retaining　its　distinctive　quality…　how　could　it　conduce　to　the　subsistence　of　a　dense　material　like　earth？　　　　　Similarly　with　fire。　No　doubt　Timaeus　speaks　of　it　as　necessary　not　to　the　existence　but　to　the　visibility　of　earth　and　the　other　elements；　and　certainly　light　is　essential　to　all　visibility…　we　cannot　say　that　we　see　darkness；　which　implies；　precisely；　that　nothing　is　seen；　as　silence　means　nothing　being　heard。　　　　　But　all　this　does　not　assure　us　that　the　earth　to　be　visible　must　contain　fire：　light　is　sufficient：　snow；　for　example；　and　other　extremely　cold　substances　gleam　without　the　presence　of　fire…　though　of　course　it　might　be　said　that　fire　was　once　there　and　communicated　colour　before　disappearing。　　　　　As　to　the　composition　of　water；　we　must　leave　it　an　open　question　whether　there　can　be　such　a　thing　as　water　without　a　certain　proportion　of　earth。　　　　　But　how　can　air；　the　yielding　element；　contain　earth？　　　　　Fire；　again：　is　earth　perhaps　necessary　there　since　fire　is　by　its　own　nature　devoid　of　continuity　and　not　a　thing　of　three　dimensions？　　　　　Supposing　it　does　not　possess　the　solidity　of　the　three　dimensions；　it　has　that　of　its　thrust；　now；　cannot　this　belong　to　it　by　the　mere　right　and　fact　of　its　being　one　of　the　corporeal　entities　in　nature？　Hardness　is　another　matter；　a　property　confined　to　earth…stuff。　Remember　that　gold…　which　is　water…　becomes　dense　by　the　accession　not　of　earth　but　of　denseness　or　consolidation：　in　the　same　way　fire；　with　Soul　present　within　it；　may　consolidate　itself　upon　the　power　of　the　Soul；　and　there　are　living　beings　of　fire　among　the　Celestials。　　　　　But；　in　sum；　do　we　abandon　the　teaching　that　all　the　elements　enter　into　the　composition　of　every　living　thing？　　　　　For　this　sphere；　no；　but　to　lift　clay　into　the　heavens　is　against　nature；　contrary　to　the　laws　of　her　ordaining：　it　is　difficult；　too；　to　think　of　that　swiftest　of　circuits　bearing　along　earthly　bodies　in　its　course　nor　could　such　material　conduce　to　the　splendour　and　white　glint　of　the　celestial　fire。　　　　　7。　We　can　scarcely　do　better；　in　fine；　than　follow　Plato。　　　　　Thus：　　　　　In　the　universe　as　a　whole　there　must　necessarily　be　such　a　degree　of　solidity；　that　is　to　say；　of　resistance；　as　will　ensure　that　the　earth；　set　in　the　centre；　be　a　sure　footing　and　support　to　the　living　beings　moving　over　it；　and　inevitably　communicate　something　of　its　own　density　to　them：　the　earth　will　possess　coherence　by　its　own　unaided　quality；　but　visibility　by　the　presence　of　fire：　it　will　contain　water　against　the　dryness　which　would　prevent　the　cohesion　of　its　particles；　it　will　hold　air　to　lighten　its　bulky　matters；　it　will　be　in　contact　with　the　celestial　fire…　not　as　being　a　member　of　the　sidereal　system　but　by　the　simple　fact　that　the　fire　there　and　our　earth　both　belong　to　the　ordered　universe　so　that　something　of　the　earth　is　taken　up　by　the　fire　as　something　of　the　fire　by　the　earth　and　something　of　everything　by　everything　else。　　　　　This　borrowing；　however；　does　not　mean　that　the　one　thing　taking…up　from　the　other　enters　into　a　composition；　becoming　an　element　in　a　total　of　both：　it　is　simply　a　consequence　of　the　kosmic　fellowship；　the　participant　retains　its　own　being　and　takes　over　not　the　thing　itself　but　some　property　of　the　thing；　not　air　but　air's　yielding　softness；　not　fire　but　fire's　incandescence：　mixing　is　another　process；　a　complete　surrender　with　a　resultant　compound　not；　as　in　this　case；　earth…　remaining　earth；　the　solidity　and　density　we　know…　with　something　of　fire's　qualities　superadded。　　　　　We　have　authority　for　this　where　we　read：　　　　　〃At　the　second　circuit　from　the　earth；　God　kindled　a　light〃：　he　is　speaking　of　the　sun　which；　elsewhere；　he　calls　the　all…glowing　and；　again；　the　all…gleaming：　thus　he　prevents　us　imagining　it　to　be　anything　else　but　fire；　though　of　a　peculiar　kind；　in　other　words　it　is　light；　which　he　distinguishes　from　flame　as　being　only　modestly　warm：　this　light　is　a　corporeal　substance　but　from　it　there　shines　forth　that　other　〃light〃　which；　though　it　carries　the　same　name；　we　pronounce　incorporeal；　given　forth　from　the　first　as　its　flower　and　radiance；　the　veritable　〃incandescent　body。〃　Plato's　word　earthy　is　commonly　taken　in　too　depreciatory　a　sense：　he　is　thinking　of　earth　as　the　principle　of　solidity；　we　are　apt　to　ignore　his　distinctions　and　think　of　the　concrete　clay。　　　　　Fire　of　this　order；　giving　forth　this　purest　light；　belongs　to　the　upper　realm；　and　there　its　seat　is　fixed　by　nature；　but　we　must　not；　on　that　account；　suppose　the　flame　of　earth　to　be　associated　with　the　beings　of　that　higher　sphere。　　　　　No：　the　flame　of　this　world；　once　it　has　attained　a　certain　height；　is　extinguished　by　the　currents　of　air　opposed　to　it。　Moreover；　as　it　carries　an　earthy　element　on　its　upward　path；　it　is　weighed　downwards　and　cannot　reach　those　loftier　regions。　It　comes　to　a　stand　somewhere　below　the　moon…　making　the　air　at　that　point　subtler…　and　its　flame；　if　any　flame　can　persist；　is　subdued　and　softened；　and　no　longer　retains　its　first　intensity；　but　gives　out　only　what　radiance　it　reflects　from　the　light　above。　　　　　And　it　is　that　loftier　light…　falling　variously　upon　the　stars；　to　each　in　a　certain　proportion…　that　gives　them　their　characteristic　differences；　as　well　in　magnitude　as　in　colour；　just　such　light　constitutes　also　the　still　higher　heavenly　bodies　which；　however；　like　clear　air；　are　invisible　because　of　the　subtle　texture　and　unresisting　transparency　of　their　material　substance　and　also　by　their　very　distance。　　　　　8。　Now：　given　a　light　of　this　degree；　remaining　in　the　upper　sphere　at　its　appointed　station；　pure　light　in　purest　place；　what　mode　of　outflow　from　it　can　be　conceived　possible？　　　　　Such　a　Kind　is　not　so　constituted　as　to　flow　downwards　of　its　own　accord；　and　there　exists　in　those　regions　no　power　to　force　it　down。　Again；　body　in　contact　with　soul　must　always　be　very　different　from　body　left　to　itself；　the　bodily　substance　of　the　heavens　has　that　contact　and　will　show　that　difference。　　　　　Besides；　the　corporeal　substance　nearest　to　the　heavens　would　be　air　or　fire：　air　has　no　destructive　quality；　fire　would　be　powerless　there　since　it　could　not　enter　into　effective　contact：　in　its　very　rush　it　would　change　before　its　attack　could　be　felt；　and；　apart　from　that；　it　is　of　the　lesser　order；　no　match　for　what　it　would　be　opposing　in　those　higher　regions。　　　　　Again；　fire　acts　by　imparting　heat：　now　it　cannot　be　the　source　of　heat　to　what　is　already　hot　by　nature；　and　anything　it　is　to　destroy　must　as　a　first　condition　be　heated　by　it；　must　be　brought　to　a　pitch　of　heat　fatal　to　the　nature　concerned。　　　　　In　sum；　then；　no　outside　body　is　nec