the six enneads-第60章

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elf　entering　Matter；　brought　other　beings　down？　Has　it　not　for　example　brought　Souls　into　Matter　and；　in　adapting　them　to　its　creation；　twisted　them　against　their　own　nature　and　been　the　ruin　of　many　of　them？　And　can　this　be　right？　　　　　The　answer　is　that　the　Souls　are；　in　a　fair　sense；　members　of　this　Reason…Principle　and　that　it　has　not　adapted　them　to　the　creation　by　perverting　them；　but　has　set　them　in　the　place　here　to　which　their　quality　entitles　them。　　　　　13。　And　we　must　not　despise　the　familiar　observation　that　there　is　something　more　to　be　considered　than　the　present。　There　are　the　periods　of　the　past　and；　again；　those　in　the　future；　and　these　have　everything　to　do　with　fixing　worth　of　place。　　　　　Thus　a　man；　once　a　ruler；　will　be　made　a　slave　because　he　abused　his　power　and　because　the　fall　is　to　his　future　good。　Those　that　have　money　will　be　made　poor…　and　to　the　good　poverty　is　no　hindrance。　Those　that　have　unjustly　killed；　are　killed　in　turn；　unjustly　as　regards　the　murderer　but　justly　as　regards　the　victim；　and　those　that　are　to　suffer　are　thrown　into　the　path　of　those　that　administer　the　merited　treatment。　　　　　It　is　not　an　accident　that　makes　a　man　a　slave；　no　one　is　a　prisoner　by　chance；　every　bodily　outrage　has　its　due　cause。　The　man　once　did　what　he　now　suffers。　A　man　that　murders　his　mother　will　become　a　woman　and　be　murdered　by　a　son；　a　man　that　wrongs　a　woman　will　become　a　woman；　to　be　wronged。　　　　　Hence　arises　that　awesome　word　〃Adrasteia〃　＇the　Inevadable　Retribution＇；　for　in　very　truth　this　ordinance　is　an　Adrasteia；　justice　itself　and　a　wonderful　wisdom。　　　　　We　cannot　but　recognize　from　what　we　observe　in　this　universe　that　some　such　principle　of　order　prevails　throughout　the　entire　of　existence…　the　minutest　of　things　a　tributary　to　the　vast　total；　the　marvellous　art　shown　not　merely　in　the　mightiest　works　and　sublimest　members　of　the　All；　but　even　amid　such　littleness　as　one　would　think　Providence　must　disdain：　the　varied　workmanship　of　wonder　in　any　and　every　animal　form；　the　world　of　vegetation；　too；　the　grace　of　fruits　and　even　of　leaves；　the　lavishness；　the　delicacy；　the　diversity　of　exquisite　bloom；　and　all　this　not　issuing　once；　and　then　to　die　out；　but　made　ever　and　ever　anew　as　the　Transcendent　Beings　move　variously　over　this　earth。　　　　　In　all　the　changing；　there　is　no　change　by　chance：　there　is　no　taking　of　new　forms　but　to　desirable　ends　and　in　ways　worthy　of　Divine　Powers。　All　that　is　Divine　executes　the　Act　of　its　quality；　its　quality　is　the　expression　of　its　essential　Being：　and　this　essential　Being　in　the　Divine　is　the　Being　whose　activities　produce　as　one　thing　the　desirable　and　the　just…　for　if　the　good　and　the　just　are　not　produced　there；　where；　then；　have　they　their　being？　　　　　14。　The　ordinance　of　the　Kosmos；　then；　is　in　keeping　with　the　Intellectual　Principle。　True；　no　reasoning　went　to　its　creation；　but　it　so　stands　that　the　keenest　reasoning　must　wonder…　since　no　reasoning　could　be　able　to　make　it　otherwise…　at　the　spectacle　before　it；　a　product　which；　even　in　the　Kinds　of　the　partial　and　particular　Sphere；　displays　the　Divine　Intelligence　to　a　degree　in　which　no　arranging　by　reason　could　express　it。　Every　one　of　the　ceaselessly　recurrent　types　of　being　manifests　a　creating　Reason…Principle　above　all　censure。　No　fault　is　to　be　found　unless　on　the　assumption　that　everything　ought　to　come　into　being　with　all　the　perfection　of　those　that　have　never　known　such　a　coming；　the　Eternals。　In　that　case；　things　of　the　Intellectual　realm　and　things　of　the　realm　of　sense　must　remain　one　unbroken　identity　for　ever。　　　　　In　this　demand　for　more　good　than　exists；　there　is　implied　a　failure　to　recognize　that　the　form　allotted　to　each　entity　is　sufficient　in　itself；　it　is　like　complaining　because　one　kind　of　animal　lacks　horns。　We　ought　to　understand　both　that　the　Reason…Principle　must　extend　to　every　possible　existent　and；　at　the　same　time；　that　every　greater　must　include　lesser　things；　that　to　every　whole　belong　its　parts；　and　that　all　cannot　be　equality　unless　all　part　is　to　be　absent。　　　　　This　is　why　in　the　Over…World　each　entity　is　all；　while　here；　below；　the　single　thing　is　not　all　＇is　not　the　Universe　but　a　〃Self〃＇。　Thus　too；　a　man；　an　individual；　in　so　far　as　he　is　a　part；　is　not　Humanity　complete：　but　wheresoever　there　is　associated　with　the　parts　something　that　is　no　part　＇but　a　Divine；　an　Intellectual　Being＇；　this　makes　a　whole　of　that　in　which　it　dwells。　Man；　man　as　partial　thing；　cannot　be　required　to　have　attained　to　the　very　summit　of　goodness：　if　he　had；　he　would　have　ceased　to　be　of　the　partial　order。　Not　that　there　is　any　grudging　in　the　whole　towards　the　part　that　grows　in　goodness　and　dignity；　such　an　increase　in　value　is　a　gain　to　the　beauty　of　the　whole；　the　lesser　grows　by　being　made　over　in　the　likeness　of　the　greater；　by　being　admitted；　as　it　were；　to　something　of　that　greatness；　by　sharing　in　that　rank；　and　thus　even　from　this　place　of　man；　from　man's　own　self；　something　gleams　forth；　as　the　stars　shine　in　the　divine　firmament；　so　that　all　appears　one　great　and　lovely　figure…　living　or　wrought　in　the　furnaces　of　craftsmanship…　with　stars　radiant　not　only　in　the　ears　and　on　the　brow　but　on　the　breasts　too；　and　wherever　else　they　may　be　displayed　in　beauty。　　　　　15。　These　considerations　apply　very　well　to　things　considered　as　standing　alone：　but　there　is　a　stumbling…block；　a　new　problem；　when　we　think　of　all　these　forms；　permanent　and　ceaselessly　produced；　in　mutual　relationship。　　　　　The　animals　devour　each　other：　men　attack　each　other：　all　is　war　without　rest；　without　truce：　this　gives　new　force　to　the　question　how　Reason　can　be　author　of　the　plan　and　how　all　can　be　declared　well　done。　　　　　This　new　difficulty　is　not　met　by　the　former　answer；　that　all　stands　as　well　as　the　nature　of　things　allows；　that　the　blame　for　their　condition　falls　on　Matter　dragging　them　down；　that；　given　the　plan　as　we　know　it；　evil　cannot　be　eliminated　and　should　not　be；　that　the　Matter　making　its　presence　felt　is　still　not　supreme　but　remains　an　element　taken　in　from　outside　to　contribute　to　a　definite　total；　or　rather　to　be　itself　brought　to　order　by　Reason。　　　　　The　Divine　Reason　is　the　beginning　and　the　end；　all　that　comes　into　being　must　be　rational　and　fall　at　its　coming　into　an　ordered　scheme　reasonable　at　every　point。　Where；　then；　is　the　necessity　of　this　bandit　war　of　man　and　beast？　　　　　This　devouring　of　Kind　by　Kind　is　necessary　as　the　means　to　the　transmutation　of　living　things　which　could　not　keep　form　for　ever　even　though　no　other　killed　them：　what　grievance　is　it　that　when　they　must　go　their　despatch　is　so　planned　as　to　be　serviceable　to　others？　　　　　Still　more；　what　does　it　matter　when　they　are　devoured　only　to　return　in　some　new　form？　It　comes　to　no　more　than　the　murder　of　one　of　the　personages　in　a　play；　the　actor　alters　his　make…up　and　enters　in　a　new　role。　The　actor；　of　course；　was　not　really　killed；　but　if　dying　is　but　changing　a　body　as　the　actor　changes　a　costume；　or　even　an　exit　from　the　body　like　the　exit　of　the　actor　from　the　boards　when　he　has　no　more　to　say　or　do；　what　is　there　so　very　dreadful　in　this　transformation　of　living　beings　one　into　another？　　　　　Surely　it　is　much　better　so