the six enneads-第19节

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　formal　duration；　its　parts　may　be　so　wearing　each　other　down　as　to　keep　it　in　a　continuous　decay　while；　amid　the　ceaseless　flux　of　the　Kind　constituting　its　base；　an　outside　power　ceaselessly　restores　the　form：　in　this　way　the　living　All　may　lie　under　the　same　conditions　as　man　and　horse　and　the　rest　man　and　horse　persisting　but　not　the　individual　of　the　type。　　　　　With　this；　we　would　have　no　longer　the　distinction　of　one　order；　the　heavenly　system；　stable　for　ever；　and　another；　the　earthly；　in　process　of　decay：　all　would　be　alike　except　in　the　point　of　time；　the　celestial　would　merely　be　longer　lasting。　If；　then；　we　accepted　this　duration　of　type　alone　as　a　true　account　of　the　All　equally　with　its　partial　members；　our　difficulties　would　be　eased…　or　indeed　we　should　have　no　further　problem…　once　the　Will　of　God　were　shown　to　be　capable；　under　these　conditions　and　by　such　communication；　of　sustaining　the　Universe。　　　　　But　if　we　are　obliged　to　allow　individual　persistence　to　any　definite　entity　within　the　Kosmos　then；　firstly；　we　must　show　that　the　Divine　Will　is　adequate　to　make　it　so；　secondly；　we　have　to　face　the　question；　What　accounts　for　some　things　having　individual　persistence　and　others　only　the　persistence　of　type？　and；　thirdly；　we　ask　how　the　partial　entities　of　the　celestial　system　hold　a　real　duration　which　would　thus　appear　possible　to　all　partial　things。　　　　　2。　Supposing　we　accept　this　view　and　hold　that；　while　things　below　the　moon's　orb　have　merely　type…persistence；　the　celestial　realm　and　all　its　several　members　possess　individual　eternity；　it　remains　to　show　how　this　strict　permanence　of　the　individual　identity…　the　actual　item　eternally　unchangeable…　can　belong　to　what　is　certainly　corporeal；　seeing　that　bodily　substance　is　characteristically　a　thing　of　flux。　　　　　The　theory　of　bodily　flux　is　held　by　Plato　no　less　than　by　the　other　philosophers　who　have　dealt　with　physical　matters；　and　is　applied　not　only　to　ordinary　bodies　but　to　those；　also；　of　the　heavenly　sphere。　　　　　〃How；〃　he　asks；　〃can　these　corporeal　and　visible　entities　continue　eternally　unchanged　in　identity？〃…　evidently　agreeing；　in　this　matter　also；　with　Herakleitos　who　maintained　that　even　the　sun　is　perpetually　coming　anew　into　being。　To　Aristotle　there　would　be　no　problem；　it　is　only　accepting　his　theories　of　a　fifth…substance。　　　　　But　to　those　who　reject　Aristotle's　Quintessence　and　hold　the　material　mass　of　the　heavens　to　consist　of　the　elements　underlying　the　living　things　of　this　sphere；　how　is　individual　permanence　possible？　And　the　difficulty　is　still　greater　for　the　parts；　for　the　sun　and　the　heavenly　bodies。　　　　　Every　living　thing　is　a　combination　of　soul　and　body…kind：　the　celestial　sphere；　therefore；　if　it　is　to　be　everlasting　as　an　individual　entity　must　be　so　in　virtue　either　of　both　these　constituents　or　of　one　of　them；　by　the　combination　of　soul　and　body　or　by　soul　only　or　by　body　only。　　　　　Of　course　anyone　that　holds　body　to　be　incorruptible　secures　the　desired　permanence　at　once；　no　need；　then；　to　call　on　a　soul　or　on　any　perdurable　conjunction　to　account　for　the　continued　maintenance　of　a　living　being。　　　　　But　the　case　is　different　when　one　holds　that　body　is；　of　itself；　perishable　and　that　Soul　is　the　principle　of　permanence：　this　view　obliges　us　to　the　proof　that　the　character　of　body　is　not　in　itself　fatal　either　to　the　coherence　or　to　the　lasting　stability　which　are　imperative：　it　must　be　shown　that　the　two　elements　of　the　union　envisaged　are　not　inevitably　hostile；　but　that　on　the　contrary　＇in　the　heavens＇　even　Matter　must　conduce　to　the　scheme　of　the　standing　result。　　　　　3。　We　have　to　ask；　that　is；　how　Matter；　this　entity　of　ceaseless　flux　constituting　the　physical　mass　of　the　universe；　could　serve　towards　the　immortality　of　the　Kosmos。　　　　　And　our　answer　is　〃Because　the　flux　is　not　outgoing〃：　where　there　is　motion　within　but　not　outwards　and　the　total　remains　unchanged；　there　is　neither　growth　nor　decline；　and　thus　the　Kosmos　never　ages。　　　　　We　have　a　parallel　in　our　earth；　constant　from　eternity　to　pattern　and　to　mass；　the　air；　too；　never　fails；　and　there　is　always　water：　all　the　changes　of　these　elements　leave　unchanged　the　Principle　of　the　total　living　thing；　our　world。　In　our　own　constitution；　again；　there　is　a　ceaseless　shifting　of　particles…　and　that　with　outgoing　loss…　and　yet　the　individual　persists　for　a　long　time：　where　there　is　no　question　of　an　outside　region；　the　body…principle　cannot　clash　with　soul　as　against　the　identity　and　endless　duration　of　the　living　thing。　　　　　Of　these　material　elements…　for　example…　fire；　the　keen　and　swift；　cooperates　by　its　upward　tendency　as　earth　by　its　lingering　below；　for　we　must　not　imagine　that　the　fire；　once　it　finds　itself　at　the　point　where　its　ascent　must　stop；　settles　down　as　in　its　appropriate　place；　no　longer　seeking；　like　all　the　rest；　to　expand　in　both　directions。　No：　but　higher　is　not　possible；　lower　is　repugnant　to　its　Kind；　all　that　remains　for　it　is　to　be　tractable　and；　answering　to　a　need　of　its　nature；　to　be　drawn　by　the　Soul　to　the　activity　of　life；　and　so　to　move　to　in　a　glorious　place；　in　the　Soul。　Anyone　that　dreads　its　falling　may　take　heart；　the　circuit　of　the　Soul　provides　against　any　declination；　embracing；　sustaining；　and　since　fire　has　of　itself　no　downward　tendency　it　accepts　that　guiding　without　resistance。　The　partial　elements　constituting　our　persons　do　not　suffice　for　their　own　cohesion；　once　they　are　brought　to　human　shape；　they　must　borrow　elsewhere　if　the　organism　is　to　be　maintained：　but　in　the　upper　spheres　since　there　can　be　no　loss　by　flux　no　such　replenishment　is　needed。　　　　　Suppose　such　loss；　suppose　fire　extinguished　there；　then　a　new　fire　must　be　kindled；　so　also　if　such　loss　by　flux　could　occur　in　some　of　the　superiors　from　which　the　celestial　fire　depends；　that　too　must　be　replaced：　but　with　such　transmutations；　while　there　might　be　something　continuously　similar；　there　would　be；　no　longer；　a　Living　All　abidingly　self…identical。　　　　　4。　But　matters　are　involved　here　which　demand　specific　investigation　and　cannot　be　treated　as　incidental　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　m