the six enneads-第35章

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hat　ascribe　Real　Being　to　Matter　must　be　admitted　to　be　right　as　long　as　they　keep　to　the　Matter　of　the　Intelligible　Realm：　for　the　Base　there　is　Being；　or　even；　taken　as　an　entirety　with　the　higher　that　accompanies　it；　is　illuminated　Being。　　　　　But　does　this　Base；　of　the　Intellectual　Realm；　possess　eternal　existence？　　　　　The　solution　of　that　question　is　the　same　as　for　the　Ideas。　　　　　Both　are　engendered；　in　the　sense　that　they　have　had　a　beginning；　but　unengendered　in　that　this　beginning　is　not　in　Time：　they　have　a　derived　being　but　by　an　eternal　derivation：　they　are　not；　like　the　Kosmos；　always　in　process　but；　in　the　character　of　the　Supernal；　have　their　Being　permanently。　For　that　differentiation　within　the　Intelligible　which　produces　Matter　has　always　existed　and　it　is　this　cleavage　which　produces　the　Matter　there：　it　is　the　first　movement；　and　movement　and　differentiation　are　convertible　terms　since　the　two　things　arose　as　one：　this　motion；　this　cleavage；　away　from　the　first　is　indetermination　＇=　Matter＇；　needing　The　First　to　its　determination　which　it　achieves　by　its　Return；　remaining；　until　then；　an　Alienism；　still　lacking　good；　unlit　by　the　Supernal。　It　is　from　the　Divine　that　all　light　comes；　and；　until　this　be　absorbed；　no　light　in　any　recipient　of　light　can　be　authentic；　any　light　from　elsewhere　is　of　another　order　than　the　true。　　　　　6。　We　are　led　thus　to　the　question　of　receptivity　in　things　of　body。　　　　　An　additional　proof　that　bodies　must　have　some　substratum　different　from　themselves　is　found　in　the　changing　of　the　basic…constituents　into　one　another。　Notice　that　the　destruction　of　the　elements　passing　over　is　not　complete…　if　it　were　we　would　have　a　Principle　of　Being　wrecked　in　Non…being…　nor　does　an　engendered　thing　pass　from　utter　non…being　into　Being：　what　happens　is　that　a　new　form　takes　the　place　of　an　old。　There　is；　then；　a　stable　element；　that　which　puts　off　one　form　to　receive　the　form　of　the　incoming　entity。　　　　　The　same　fact　is　clearly　established　by　decay；　a　process　implying　a　compound　object；　where　there　is　decay　there　is　a　distinction　between　Matter　and　Form。　　　　　And　the　reasoning　which　shows　the　destructible　to　be　a　compound　is　borne　out　by　practical　examples　of　reduction：　a　drinking　vessel　is　reduced　to　its　gold；　the　gold　to　liquid；　analogy　forces　us　to　believe　that　the　liquid　too　is　reducible。　　　　　The　basic…constituents　of　things　must　be　either　their　Form…Idea　or　that　Primal　Matter　＇of　the　Intelligible＇　or　a　compound　of　the　Form　and　Matter。　　　　　Form…Idea；　pure　and　simple；　they　cannot　be：　for　without　Matter　how　could　things　stand　in　their　mass　and　magnitude？　　　　　Neither　can　they　be　that　Primal　Matter；　for　they　are　not　indestructible。　　　　　They　must；　therefore；　consist　of　Matter　and　Form…Idea…　Form　for　quality　and　shape；　Matter　for　the　base；　indeterminate　as　being　other　than　Idea。　　　　　7。　Empedokles　in　identifying　his　〃elements〃　with　Matter　is　refuted　by　their　decay。　　　　　Anaxagoras；　in　identifying　his　〃primal…combination〃　with　Matter…　to　which　he　allots　no　mere　aptness　to　any　and　every　nature　or　quality　but　the　effective　possession　of　all…　withdraws　in　this　way　the　very　Intellectual…Principle　he　had　introduced；　for　this　Mind　is　not　to　him　the　bestower　of　shape；　of　Forming　Idea；　and　it　is　co…aeval　with　Matter；　not　its　prior。　But　this　simultaneous　existence　is　impossible：　for　if　the　combination　derives　Being　by　participation；　Being　is　the　prior；　if　both　are　Authentic　Existents；　then　an　additional　Principle；　a　third；　is　imperative　＇a　ground　of　unification＇。　And　if　this　Creator；　Mind；　must　pre…exist；　why　need　Matter　contain　the　Forming…Ideas　parcel…wise　for　the　Mind；　with　unending　labour；　to　assort　and　allot？　Surely　the　undetermined　could　be　brought　to　quality　and　pattern　in　the　one　comprehensive　act？　　　　　As　for　the　notion　that　all　is　in　all；　this　clearly　is　impossible。　　　　　Those　who　make　the　base　to　be　〃the　infinite〃　must　define　the　term。　　　　　If　this　〃infinite〃　means　〃of　endless　extension〃　there　is　no　infinite　among　beings；　there　is　neither　an　infinity…in…itself　＇Infinity　Abstract＇　nor　an　infinity　as　an　attribute　to　some　body；　for　in　the　first　case　every　part　of　that　infinity　would　be　infinite　and　in　the　second　an　object　in　which　the　infinity　was　present　as　an　attribute　could　not　be　infinite　apart　from　that　attribute；　could　not　be　simplex；　could　not　therefore　be　Matter。　　　　　Atoms　again　cannot　meet　the　need　of　a　base。　　　　　There　are　no　atoms；　all　body　is　divisible　endlessly：　besides　neither　the　continuity　nor　the　ductility　of　corporeal　things　is　explicable　apart　from　Mind；　or　apart　from　the　Soul　which　cannot　be　made　up　of　atoms；　and；　again；　out　of　atoms　creation　could　produce　nothing　but　atoms：　a　creative　power　could　produce　nothing　from　a　material　devoid　of　continuity。　Any　number　of　reasons　might　be　brought；　and　have　been　brought；　against　this　hypothesis　and　it　need　detain　us　no　longer。　　　　　8。　What；　then；　is　this　Kind；　this　Matter；　described　as　one　stuff；　continuous　and　without　quality？　　　　　Clearly　since　it　is　without　quality　it　is　incorporeal；　bodiliness　would　be　quality。　　　　　It　must　be　the　basic　stuff　of　all　the　entities　of　the　sense…world　and　not　merely　base　to　some　while　being　to　others　achieved　form。　　　　　Clay；　for　example；　is　matter　to　the　potter　but　is　not　Matter　pure　and　simple。　Nothing　of　this　sort　is　our　object：　we　are　seeking　the　stuff　which　underlies　all　alike。　We　must　therefore　refuse　to　it　all　that　we　find　in　things　of　sense…　not　merely　such　attributes　as　colour；　heat　or　cold；　but　weight　or　weightlessness；　thickness　or　thinness；　shape　and　therefore　magnitude；　though　notice　that　to　be　present　within　magnitude　and　shape　is　very　different　from　possessing　these　qualities。　　　　　It　cannot　be　a　compound；　it　must　be　a　simplex；　one　distinct　thing　in　its　nature；　only　so　can　it　be　void　of　all　quality。　The　Principle　which　gives　it　form　gives　this　as　something　alien：　so　with　magnitude　and　all　really…existent　things　bestowed　upon　it。　If；　for　example；　it　possessed　a　magnitude　of　its　own；　the　Principle　giving　it　form　would　be　at　the　mercy　of　that　magnitude　and　must　produce　not　at　will；　but　only　within　the　limit　of　the　Matter's　capacity：　to　imagine　that　Will　keeping　step　with　its　material　is　fantastic。　　　　　The　Matter　must　be　of　later　origin　than　the　forming…power；　and　therefore　must　be　at　its　disposition　throughout；　ready　to　become　anything；　ready　therefore　to　any　bulk；　besides；　if　it　possessed　magnitude；　it　would　necessarily　possess　shape　also：　it　would　be　doubly　inductile。　　　　　No：　all　that　ever　appears　upon　it　is　brought　in　by　the　Idea：　the　Idea　alone　possesses：　to　it　belongs　the　magnitude　and　all　else　that　goes　with　the　Reason…Principle　or　follows　upon　it。　Quantity　is　given　with　the　Ideal…Form　in　all　the　particular　species…　man；　bird；　and　particular　kind　of　bird。　　　　　The　imaging　of　Quantity　upon　Matter　by　an　outside　power　is　not　more　surprising　than　the　imaging　of　Quality；　Quality　is　no　doubt　a　Reason…Principle；　but　Quantity　also…　being　measure；　number…　is　equally　so。　　　　　9。　But　how　can　we　conceive　a　thing　having　existence　without　having　magnitude？　　　　　We　have　only　to　think　of　things　whose　identity　does　not　depend　on　their　quantity…　for　certainly　magnitude　can　be　distinguished　from　existence　as　can　many　othe