the six enneads- 第67部分

it　fritters　its　unity　away；　it　advances　into　a　weaker　greatness。　It　is　so　with　this　faculty　of　the　Soul；　when　it　produces　the　Kosmos　known　to　sense…　the　mimic　of　the　Divine　Sphere；　moving　not　in　the　very　movement　of　the　Divine　but　in　its　similitude；　in　an　effort　to　reproduce　that　of　the　Divine。　To　bring　this　Kosmos　into　being；　the　Soul　first　laid　aside　its　eternity　and　clothed　itself　with　Time；　this　world　of　its　fashioning　it　then　gave　over　to　be　a　servant　to　Time；　making　it　at　every　point　a　thing　of　Time；　setting　all　its　progressions　within　the　bournes　of　Time。　For　the　Kosmos　moves　only　in　Soul…　the　only　Space　within　the　range　of　the　All　open　to　it　to　move　in…　and　therefore　its　Movement　has　always　been　in　the　Time　which　inheres　in　Soul。　　　　　Putting　forth　its　energy　in　act　after　act；　in　a　constant　progress　of　novelty；　the　Soul　produces　succession　as　well　as　act；　taking　up　new　purposes　added　to　the　old　it　brings　thus　into　being　what　had　not　existed　in　that　former　period　when　its　purpose　was　still　dormant　and　its　life　was　not　as　it　since　became：　the　life　is　changed　and　that　change　carries　with　it　a　change　of　Time。　Time；　then；　is　contained　in　differentiation　of　Life；　the　ceaseless　forward　movement　of　Life　brings　with　it　unending　Time；　and　Life　as　it　achieves　its　stages　constitutes　past　Time。　　　　　Would　it；　then；　be　sound　to　define　Time　as　the　Life　of　the　Soul　in　movement　as　it　passes　from　one　stage　of　act　or　experience　to　another？　　　　　Yes；　for　Eternity；　we　have　said；　is　Life　in　repose；　unchanging；　self…identical；　always　endlessly　complete；　and　there　is　to　be　an　image　of　Eternity…Time…　such　an　image　as　this　lower　All　presents　of　the　Higher　Sphere。　Therefore　over　against　that　higher　life　there　must　be　another　life；　known　by　the　same　name　as　the　more　veritable　life　of　the　Soul；　over　against　that　movement　of　the　Intellectual　Soul　there　must　be　the　movement　of　some　partial　phase；　over　against　that　identity；　unchangeableness　and　stability　there　must　be　that　which　is　not　constant　in　the　one　hold　but　puts　forth　multitudinous　acts；　over　against　that　oneness　without　extent　or　interval　there　must　be　an　image　of　oneness；　a　unity　of　link　and　succession；　over　against　the　immediately　infinite　and　all…comprehending；　that　which　tends；　yes；　to　infinity　but　by　tending　to　a　perpetual　futurity；　over　against　the　Whole　in　concentration；　there　must　be　that　which　is　to　be　a　Whole　by　stages　never　final。　The　lesser　must　always　be　working　towards　the　increase　of　its　Being；　this　will　be　its　imitation　of　what　is　immediately　complete；　self…realized；　endless　without　stage：　only　thus　can　its　Being　reproduce　that　of　the　Higher。　　　　　Time；　however；　is　not　to　be　conceived　as　outside　of　Soul；　Eternity　is　not　outside　of　the　Authentic　Existent：　nor　is　it　to　be　taken　as　a　sequence　or　succession　to　Soul；　any　more　than　Eternity　is　to　the　Divine。　It　is　a　thing　seen　upon　Soul；　inherent；　coeval　to　it；　as　Eternity　to　the　Intellectual　Realm。　　　　　12。　We　are　brought　thus　to　the　conception　of　a　Natural…Principle…　Time…　a　certain　expanse　＇a　quantitative　phase＇　of　the　Life　of　the　Soul；　a　principle　moving　forward　by　smooth　and　uniform　changes　following　silently　upon　each　other…　a　Principle；　then；　whose　Act　is　sequent。　　　　　But　let　us　conceive　this　power　of　the　Soul　to　turn　back　and　withdraw　from　the　life…course　which　it　now　maintains；　from　the　continuous　and　unending　activity　of　an　ever…existent　soul　not　self…contained　or　self…intent　but　concerned　about　doing　and　engendering：　imagine　it　no　longer　accomplishing　any　Act；　setting　a　pause　to　this　work　it　has　inaugurated；　let　this　outgoing　phase　of　the　Soul　become　once　more；　equally　with　the　rest；　turned　to　the　Supreme；　to　Eternal　Being；　to　the　tranquilly　stable。　　　　　What　would　then　exist　but　Eternity？　　　　　All　would　remain　in　unity；　how　could　there　be　any　diversity　of　things？　What　Earlier　or　Later　would　there　be；　what　long…lasting　or　short…lasting？　What　ground　would　lie　ready　to　the　Soul's　operation　but　the　Supreme　in　which　it　has　its　Being？　Or；　indeed；　what　operative　tendency　could　it　have　even　to　That　since　a　prior　separation　is　the　necessary　condition　of　tendency？　　　　　The　very　sphere　of　the　Universe　would　not　exist；　for　it　cannot　antedate　Time：　it；　too；　has　its　Being　and　its　Movement　in　Time；　and　if　it　ceased　to　move；　the　Soul…Act　＇which　is　the　essence　of　Time＇　continuing；　we　could　measure　the　period　of　its　Repose　by　that　standard　outside　it。　　　　　If；　then；　the　Soul　withdrew；　sinking　itself　again　into　its　primal　unity；　Time　would　disappear：　the　origin　of　Time；　clearly；　is　to　be　traced　to　the　first　stir　of　the　Soul's　tendency　towards　the　production　of　the　sensible　universe　with　the　consecutive　act　ensuing。　This　is　how　〃Time〃…　as　we　read…　〃came　into　Being　simultaneously〃　with　this　All：　the　Soul　begot　at　once　the　Universe　and　Time；　in　that　activity　of　the　Soul　this　Universe　sprang　into　being；　the　activity　is　Time；　the　Universe　is　a　content　of　Time。　No　doubt　it　will　be　urged　that　we　read　also　of　the　orbit　of　the　Stars　being　Times〃：　but　do　not　forget　what　follows；　〃the　stars　exist；〃　we　are　told；　〃for　the　display　and　delimitation　of　Time；〃　and　〃that　there　may　be　a　manifest　Measure。〃　No　indication　of　Time　could　be　derived　from　＇observation　of＇　the　Soul；　no　portion　of　it　can　be　seen　or　handled；　so　it　could　not　be　measured　in　itself；　especially　when　there　was　as　yet　no　knowledge　of　counting；　therefore　the　Soul　brings　into　being　night　and　day；　in　their　difference　is　given　Duality…　from　which；　we　read；　arises　the　concept　of　Number。　　　　　We　observe　the　tract　between　a　sunrise　and　its　return　and；　as　the　movement　is　uniform；　we　thus　obtain　a　Time…interval　upon　which　to　measure　ourselves；　and　we　use　this　as　a　standard。　We　have　thus　a　measure　of　Time。　Time　itself　is　not　a　measure。　How　would　it　set　to　work？　And　what　kind　of　thing　is　there　of　which　it　could　say；　〃I　find　the　extent　of　this　equal　to　such　and　such　a　stretch　of　my　own　extent？〃　What　is　this　〃I〃？　Obviously　something　by　which　measurement　is　known。　Time；　then；　serves　towards　measurement　but　is　not　itself　the　Measure：　the　Movement　of　the　All　will　be　measured　according　to　Time；　but　Time　will　not；　of　its　own　Nature；　be　a　Measure　of　Movement：　primarily　a　Kind　to　itself；　it　will　incidentally　exhibit　the　magnitudes　of　that　movement。　　　　　And　the　reiterated　observation　of　Movement…　the　same　extent　found　to　be　traversed　in　such　and　such　a　period…　will　lead　to　the　conception　of　a　definite　quantity　of　Time　past。　　　　　This　brings　us　to　the　fact　that；　in　a　certain　sense；　the　Movement；　the　orbit　of　the　universe；　may　legitimately　be　said　to　measure　Time…　in　so　far　as　that　is　possible　at　all…　since　any　definite　stretch　of　that　circuit　occupies　a　certain　quantity　of　Time；　and　this　is　the　only　grasp　we　have　of　Time；　our　only　understanding　of　it：　what　that　circuit　measures…　by　indication；　that　is…　will　be　Time；　manifested　by　the　Movement　but　not　brought　into　being　by　it。　　　　　This　means　that　the　measure　of　the　Spheric　Movement　has　itself　been　measured　by　a　definite　stretch　of　that　Movement　and　therefore　is　something　different；　as　measure；　it　is　one　thing　and；　as　the　measured；　it　is　another；　＇its　being　measure　or＇　its　being　measured　cannot　be　of　its　essence。　　　　　We　are　no　nearer　knowledge　than　if　we　said　that　the　foot…rule　measures　Magnitude　while　we　left　the　concept　Magnitude　undefined；　or；　again；　we　might　as　well　define　Movement…　whose　limitlessness　puts　it　out　of　our　reach…　as　the　thing　measured　by　Space；　the　definition　would　be　parallel　since　we　can　mark　off　a　certain　space　which　the　Movement　has　traversed　and　say　the　one　is　equivalent　to　the　other。　　　　　13。　The　Spheral　Circuit；　then；　performed　in　Time；　indicates　it：　but　when　we　come　to　Time　itself　there　is　no　question　of　its　being　〃within〃　something　else：　it　must　be　primary；　a　thing　〃within　itself。〃　It　is　that　in　which　all　the　rest　happens；　in　which　all　movement　and　rest　exist　smoothly　and　under　order；　something　following　a　definite　order　is　necessary　to　exhibit　it　and　to　make　it　a　subject　of　knowledge…　though　not　to　produce　it…　it　is　known　by　order　whether　in　rest　or　in　motion；　in　motion　especially；　for　Movement　better　moves　Time　into　our　ken　than　rest　can；　and　it　is　easier　to　estimate　distance　traversed　than　repose　maintained。　　　　This　last　fact　has　led　to　Time　being　called　a　measure　of　Movement　when　it　should　have　been　described　as　something　measured　by　Movement　and　then　defined　in　its　essential　nature；　it　is　an　error　to　define　it　by　a　mere　accidental　concomitant　and　so　to　reverse　the　actual　order　of　things。　Possibly；　however；　this　reversal　was　not　intended　by　the　authors　of　the　explanation：　but；　at　any　rate；　we　do　not　understand　them；　they　plainly　apply　the　term　Measure　to　what　is　in　reality　the　measured　and　leave　us　unable　to　grasp　their　meaning：　our　perplexity　may　be　due　to　the　fact　that　their　writings…　addressed　to　disciples　acquainted　with　their　teaching…　do　not　explain　what　this　thing；　measure；　or　measured　object；　is　in　itself。　　　　　Plato　does　not　make　the　essence　of　Time　consist　in　its　being　either　a　measure　or　a　thing　measured　by　something　else。　　　　　Upon　the　point　of　the　means　by　which　it　is　known；　he　remarks　that　the　Circuit　advances　an　infinitesimal　distance　for　every　infinitesimal　segment　of　Time　so　that　from　that　observation　it　is　possible　to　estimate　what　the　Tim