these　matters　is　intermittent；　there　must　be　within　us　an　Intellectual…Principle　acquainted　with　that　Right　not　by　momentary　act　but　in　permanent　possession。　Similarly　there　must　be　also　the　principle　of　this　principle；　its　cause；　God。　This　Highest　cannot　be　divided　and　allotted；　must　remain　intangible　but　not　bound　to　space；　it　may　be　present　at　many　points；　wheresoever　there　is　anything　capable　of　accepting　one　of　its　manifestations；　thus　a　centre　is　an　independent　unity；　everything　within　the　circle　has　its　term　at　the　centre；　and　to　the　centre　the　radii　bring　each　their　own。　Within　our　nature　is　such　a　centre　by　which　we　grasp　and　are　linked　and　held；　and　those　of　us　are　firmly　in　the　Supreme　whose　collective　tendency　is　There。　　　　　12。　Possessed　of　such　powers；　how　does　it　happen　that　we　do　not　lay　hold　of　them；　but　for　the　most　part；　let　these　high　activities　go　idle…　some；　even；　of　us　never　bringing　them　in　any　degree　to　effect？　　　　　The　answer　is　that　all　the　Divine　Beings　are　unceasingly　about　their　own　act；　the　Intellectual…Principle　and　its　Prior　always　self…intent；　and　so；　too；　the　soul　maintains　its　unfailing　movement；　for　not　all　that　passes　in　the　soul　is；　by　that　fact；　perceptible；　we　know　just　as　much　as　impinges　upon　the　faculty　of　sense。　Any　activity　not　transmitted　to　the　sensitive　faculty　has　not　traversed　the　entire　soul：　we　remain　unaware　because　the　human　being　includes　sense…perception；　man　is　not　merely　a　part　＇the　higher　part＇　of　the　soul　but　the　total。　　　　　None　the　less　every　being　of　the　order　of　soul　is　in　continuous　activity　as　long　as　life　holds；　continuously　executing　to　itself　its　characteristic　act：　knowledge　of　the　act　depends　upon　transmission　and　perception。　If　there　is　to　be　perception　of　what　is　thus　present；　we　must　turn　the　perceptive　faculty　inward　and　hold　it　to　attention　there。　Hoping　to　hear　a　desired　voice；　we　let　all　others　pass　and　are　alert　for　the　coming　at　last　of　that　most　welcome　of　sounds：　so　here；　we　must　let　the　hearings　of　sense　go　by；　save　for　sheer　necessity；　and　keep　the　soul's　perception　bright　and　quick　to　the　sounds　from　above。　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　SECOND　TRACTATE。
  THE　ORIGIN　AND　ORDER　OF　THE　BEINGS。　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　FOLLOWING　ON　THE　FIRST。
  1。　The　One　is　all　things　and　no　one　of　them；　the　source　of　all　things　is　not　all　things；　all　things　are　its　possession…　running　back；　so　to　speak；　to　it…　or；　more　correctly；　not　yet　so；　they　will　be。　　　　　But　a　universe　from　an　unbroken　unity；　in　which　there　appears　no　diversity；　not　even　duality？　　　　　It　is　precisely　because　that　is　nothing　within　the　One　that　all　things　are　from　it：　in　order　that　Being　may　be　brought　about；　the　source　must　be　no　Being　but　Being's　generator；　in　what　is　to　be　thought　of　as　the　primal　act　of　generation。　Seeking　nothing；　possessing　nothing；　lacking　nothing；　the　One　is　perfect　and；　in　our　metaphor；　has　overflowed；　and　its　exuberance　has　produced　the　new：　this　product　has　turned　again　to　its　begetter　and　been　filled　and　has　become　its　contemplator　and　so　an　Intellectual…Principle。　　　　　That　station　towards　the　one　＇the　fact　that　something　exists　in　presence　of　the　One＇　establishes　Being；　that　vision　directed　upon　the　One　establishes　the　Intellectual…Principle；　standing　towards　the　One　to　the　end　of　vision；　it　is　simultaneously　Intellectual…Principle　and　Being；　and；　attaining　resemblance　in　virtue　of　this　vision；　it　repeats　the　act　of　the　One　in　pouring　forth　a　vast　power。　　　　　This　second　outflow　is　a　Form　or　Idea　representing　the　Divine　Intellect　as　the　Divine　Intellect　represented　its　own　prior；　The　One。　　　　　This　active　power　sprung　from　essence　＇from　the　Intellectual…Principle　considered　as　Being＇　is　Soul。　　　　　Soul　arises　as　the　idea　and　act　of　the　motionless　Intellectual…Principle…　which　itself　sprang　from　its　own　motionless　prior…　but　the　soul's　operation　is　not　similarly　motionless；　its　image　is　generated　from　its　movement。　It　takes　fulness　by　looking　to　its　source；　but　it　generates　its　image　by　adopting　another；　a　downward；　movement。　　　　　This　image　of　Soul　is　Sense　and　Nature；　the　vegetal　principle。　　　　　Nothing；　however；　is　completely　severed　from　its　prior。　Thus　the　human　Soul　appears　to　reach　away　as　far　down　as　to　the　vegetal　order：　in　some　sense　it　does；　since　the　life　of　growing　things　is　within　its　province；　but　it　is　not　present　entire；　when　it　has　reached　the　vegetal　order　it　is　there　in　the　sense　that　having　moved　thus　far　downwards　it　produces…　by　its　outgoing　and　its　tendency　towards　the　less　good…　another　hypostasis　or　form　of　being　just　as　its　prior　（the　loftier　phase　of　the　Soul）　is　produced　from　the　Intellectual…Principle　which　yet　remains　in　untroubled　self…possession。　　　　　2。　To　resume：　there　is　from　the　first　principle　to　ultimate　an　outgoing　in　which　unfailingly　each　principle　retains　its　own　seat　while　its　offshoot　takes　another　rank；　a　lower；　though　on　the　other　hand　every　being　is　in　identity　with　its　prior　as　long　as　it　holds　that　contact。　　　　　In　the　case　of　soul　entering　some　vegetal　form；　what　is　there　is　one　phase；　the　more　rebellious　and　less　intellectual；　outgone　to　that　extreme；　in　a　soul　entering　an　animal；　the　faculty　of　sensation　has　been　dominant　and　brought　it　there；　in　soul　entering　man；　the　movement　outward　has　either　been　wholly　of　its　reasoning　part　or　has　come　from　the　Intellectual…Principle　in　the　sense　that　the　soul；　possessing　that　principle　as　immanent　to　its　being；　has　an　inborn　desire　of　intellectual　activity　and　of　movement　in　general。　　　　　But；　looking　more　minutely　into　the　matter；　when　shoots　or　topmost　boughs　are　lopped　from　some　growing　thing；　where　goes　the　soul　that　was　present　in　them？　Simply；　whence　it　came：　soul　never　knew　spatial　separation　and　therefore　is　always　within　the　source。　If　you　cut　the　root　to　pieces；　or　burn　it；　where　is　the　life　that　was　present　there？　In　the　soul；　which　never　went　outside　of　itself。　　　　　No　doubt；　despite　this　permanence；　the　soul　must　have　been　in　something　if　it　reascends；　and　if　it　does　not；　it　is　still　somewhere；　it　is　in　some　other　vegetal　soul：　but　all　this　means　merely　that　it　is　not　crushed　into　some　one　spot；　if　a　Soul…power　reascends；　it　is　within　the　Soul…power　preceding　it；　that　in　turn　can　be　only　in　the　soul…power　prior　again；　the　phase　reaching　upwards　to　the　Intellectual…Principle。　Of　course　nothing　here　must　be　understood　spatially：　Soul　never　was　in　space；　and　the　Divine　Intellect；　again；　is　distinguished　from　soul　as　being　still　more　free。　　　　　Soul　thus　is　nowhere　but　in　the　Principle　which　has　that　characteristic　existence　at　once　nowhere　and　everywhere。　　　　　If　the　soul　on　its　upward　path　has　halted　midway　before　wholly　achieving　the　supreme　heights；　it　has　a　mid…rank　life　and　has　centred　itself　upon　the　mid…phase　of　its　being。　All　in　that　mid…region　is　Intellectual…Principle　not　wholly　itself…　nothing　else　because　deriving　thence　＇and　therefore　of　that　name　and　rank＇；　yet　not　that　because　the　Intellectual…Principle　in　giving　it　forth　is　not　merged　into　it。　　　　　There　exists；　thus；　a　life；　as　it　were；　of　huge　extension；　a　total　in　which　each　several　part　differs　from　its　next；　all　making　a　self…continuous　whole　under　a　law　of　discrimination　by　which　the　various　forms　of　things　arise　with　no　effacement　of　any　prior　in　its　secondary。　　　　　But　does　this　Soul…phase　in　the　vegetal　order；　produce　nothing？　　　　　It　engenders　precisely　the　Kind　in　which　it　is　thus　present：　how；　is　a　question　to　be　handled　from　another　starting…point。　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　THIRD　TRACTATE。
  THE　KNOWING　HYPOSTASES　AND　THE　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　TRANSCENDENT。
  1。　Are　we　to　think　that　a　being　knowing　itself　must　contain　diversity；　that　self…knowledge　can　be　affirmed　only　when　some　one　phase　of　the　self　perceives　other　phases；　and　that　therefore　an　absolutely　simplex　entity　would　be　equally　incapable　of　introversion　and　of　self…awareness？　　　　　No：　a　being　that　has　no　parts　or　phases　may　have　this　consciousness；　in　fact　there　would　be　no　real　self…knowing　in　an　entity　presented　as　knowing　itself　in　virtue　of　being　a　compound…　some　single　element　in　it　perceiving　other　elements…　as　we　may　know　our　own　form　and　entire　bodily　organism　by　sense…perception：　such　knowing　does　not　cover　the　whole　field；　the　knowing　element　has　not　had　the　required　cognisance　at　once　of　its　associates　and　of　itself；　this　is　not　the　self…knower　asked　for；　it　is　merely　something　that　knows　something　else。　　　　　Either　we　must　exhibit　the　self…knowing　of　an　uncompounded　being…　and　show　how　that　is　possible…　or　abandon　the　belief　that　any　being　can　possess　veritable　self…cognition。　　　　　To　abandon　the　belief　is　not　possible　in　view　of　the　many　absurdities　thus　entailed。　　　　　It　would　be　already　absurd　enough　to　deny　this　power　to　the　soul　or　mind；　but　the　very　height　of　absurdity　to　deny　it　to　the　nature　of　the　Intellectual…Principle；　presented　thus　as　knowing　the　rest　of　things　but　not　attaining　to　knowledge；　or　even　awareness；　of　itself。　　　　　It　is　the　province　of　sense　and　in　some　degree　of　understanding　and　judgement；　but　not　of　the　Intellectual…Principle；　to　handle　the　external；　though　whether　the　Intellectual…Principle　holds　the　knowledge　of　these　things　is　a　question　to　be　examined；　but　it　is　obvious　that　th