rom　what　we　call　Nature　under　which　and　by　which　the　things　of　process　are　brought　into　their　disjointed　being　while　that　Nature　itself　remains　indissolubly　one。　　　　　But　within　the　unity　There；　the　several　entities　have　each　its　own　distinct　existence；　the　all…embracing　Intellect　sees　what　is　in　it；　what　is　within　Being；　it　need　not　look　out　upon　them　since　it　contains　them；　need　not　separate　them　since　they　stand　for　ever　distinct　within　it。　　　　　Against　doubters　we　cite　the　fact　of　participation；　the　greatness　and　beauty　of　the　Intellectual…Principle　we　know　by　the　soul's　longing　towards　it；　the　longing　of　the　rest　towards　soul　is　set　up　by　its　likeness　to　its　higher　and　to　the　possibility　open　to　them　of　attaining　resemblance　through　it。　　　　　It　is　surely　inconceivable　that　any　living　thing　be　beautiful　failing　a　Life…Absolute　of　a　wonderful；　an　ineffable；　beauty：　this　must　be　the　Collective　Life；　made　up　of　all　living　things；　or　embracing　all；　forming　a　unity　coextensive　with　all；　as　our　universe　is　a　unity　embracing　all　the　visible。　　　　　8。　As　then　there　is　a　Life…Form　primal…　which　therefore　is　the　Life…Form　Absolute…　and　there　is　Intellectual…Principle　or　Being；　Authentic　Being；　these；　we　affirm；　contain　all　living　things　and　all　Number；　and　Absolute　Justice　and　Beauty　and　all　of　that　order；　for　we　ascribe　an　existence　of　their　own　to　Absolute　Man；　Absolute　Number；　Absolute　Justice。　It　remains　to　discover；　in　so　far　as　such　knowledge　is　possible；　how　these　distinct　entities　come　to　be　and　what　is　the　manner　of　their　being。　　　　　At　the　outset　we　must　lay　aside　all　sense…perception；　by　Intellectual…Principle　we　know　Intellectual…Principle。　We　reflect　within　ourselves　there　is　life；　there　is　intellect；　not　in　extension　but　as　power　without　magnitude；　issue　of　Authentic　Being　which　is　power　self…existing；　no　vacuity　but　a　thing　most　living　and　intellective…　nothing　more　living；　more　intelligent；　more　real…　and　producing　its　effect　by　contact　and　in　the　ratio　of　the　contact；　closely　to　the　close；　more　remotely　to　the　remote。　If　Being　is　to　be　sought；　then　most　be　sought　is　Being　at　its　intensest；　so　too　the　intensest　of　Intellect　if　the　Intellectual　act　has　worth；　and　so；　too；　of　Life。　　　　　First；　then；　we　take　Being　as　first　in　order；　then　Intellectual…Principle；　then　the　Living…Form　considered　as　containing　all　things：　Intellectual…Principle；　as　the　Act　of　Real　Being；　is　a　second。　　　　　Thus　it　is　clear　that　Number　cannot　be　dependent　upon　the　Living…Form　since　unity　and　duality　existed　before　that；　nor　does　it　rise　in　the　Intellectual…Principle　since　before　that　there　existed　Real　Being　which　is　both　one　and　numerous。　　　　　9。　It　remains　then　to　consider　whether　Being　by　its　distinction　produced　Number　or　Number　produced　that　distinction。　It　is　certain　that　either　Number　was　the　cause　of　Being；　movement；　rest；　identity　and　difference；　or　these　the　cause　of　Number。　　　　　The　first　question　is　whether　Number　can　exist　in　and　of　itself　or　is　dependent　upon　things…　Two　being　something　observed　in　two　things；　Three　in　three；　and　so　of　the　arithmetical　One；　for　if　this　could　exist　apart　from　numbered　objects　it　could　exist　also　before　the　divisions　of　Being。　　　　　But　could　it　precede　Being　itself？　　　　　For　the　present　we　must　take　it　that　Being　precedes　Number；　is　its　source。　But　if　One　means　one　being　and　the　duality　two　beings；　then　unity　precedes　Being；　and　Number　precedes　the　Beings。　　　　　Mentally；　to　our　approach？　Yes：　and　in　reality　of　existence　as　well。　　　　　Let　us　consider：　When　we　think　of　the　existence　and　the　fine　appearance　of　a　man　as　forming　one　thing；　that　unity　is　certainly　thought　of　as　subsequent　to　a　precedent　duality；　when　we　group　a　horse　with　a　dog；　the　duality　is　obviously　the　subsequent。　But　think　of　that　which　brings　man　or　horse　or　dog　into　being　or　produces　them；　with　full　intention；　from　where　they　lie　latent　within　itself：　the　producer　must　say　〃I　begin　with　a　first；　I　pass　on　to　a　second；　that　makes　two；　counting　myself　there　are　three。〃　Of　course　there　was　no　such　numbering　even　of　Beings　for　their　production；　since　the　due　number　was　known　from　the　very　beginning；　but　this　consideration　serves　to　show　that　all　Number　precedes　the　very　Beings　themselves。　　　　　But　if　Number　thus　preceded　the　Beings；　then　it　is　not　included　among　them？　　　　　The　truth　is　that　it　existed　within　the　Authentic　Being　but　not　as　applying　to　it；　for　Being　was　still　unparted；　the　potentiality　of　Number　existed　and　so　produced　the　division　within　Being；　put　in　travail　with　multiplicity；　Number　must　be　either　the　substance　of　Being　or　its　Activity；　the　Life…Form　as　such　and　the　Intellectual…Principle　must　be　Number。　Clearly　Being　is　to　be；　thought　of　as　Number　Collective；　while　the　Beings　are　Number　unfolded：　the　Intellectual…Principle　is　Number　moving　within　itself；　while　the　Living…Form　is　Number　container　of　the　universe。　Even　Being　is　the　outcome　of　the　Unity；　and；　since　the　prior　is　unity；　the　secondary　must　be　Number。　　　　　Hence　it　is　that　the　Forms　have　been　described　as　Henads　and　Numbers。　This　is　the　authentic　Number；　the　other；　the　〃monadic〃　is　its　image。　The　Authentic　is　that　made　manifest　in　the　Forms　and　helping　to　bring　them　to　be；　primally　it　is　the　Number　in　the　Authentic　Being；　inherent　to　it　and　preceding　the　Beings；　serving　to　them　as　root；　fount；　first　principle。　　　　　For　the　Unity　is　source　to　Being；　Being's　Being　is　stayed　upon　the　Unity　as　its　safeguard　from　dissolution；　the　Unity　cannot　rest　upon　Being　which　at　that　would　be　a　unity　before　possessing　unity；　and　so　with　the　decad　before　possessing　decadhood。　　　　　10。　When　it　takes　lot　with　multiplicity；　Being　becomes　Number　by　the　fact　of　awakening　to　manifoldness；…　before；　it　was　a　preparation；　so　to　speak；　of　the　Beings；　their　fore…promise；　a　total　of　henads　offering　a　stay　for　what　was　to　be　based　upon　them。　　　　　Here　with　us　a　man　will　say　〃I　wish　I　had　such　and　such　a　quantity　of　gold〃…　or　〃such　and　such　a　number　of　houses。〃　Gold　is　one　thing：　the　wish　is　not　to　bring　the　numerical　quantity　into　gold　but　to　bring　the　gold　to　quantity；　the　quantity；　already　present　in　the　mind；　is　to　be　passed　on　to　the　gold　so　that　it　acquire　that　numerical　value。　　　　　If　the　Beings　preceded　the　number　and　this　were　discerned　upon　them　at　the　stirring；　to　such　and　such　a　total；　of　the　numbering　principle；　then　the　actual　number　of　the　Beings　would　be　a　chance　not　a　choice；　since　that　total　is　not　a　matter　of　chance；　Number　is　a　causing　principle　preceding　that　determined　total。　　　　　Number　then　pre…exists　and　is　the　cause　by　which　produced　things　participate　in　quantity。　　　　　The　single　thing　derives　its　unity　by　participation　in　Unity…Absolute；　its　being　it　derives　from　Being…Absolute；　which　holds　its　Being　from　itself　alone；　a　unity　is　a　unity　in　virtue　of　Being；　the　particular　unity…　where　the　unity　is　a　multiple　unity…　is　one　thing　only　as　the　Triad　is；　the　collective　Being　is　a　unity　of　this　kind；　the　unity　not　of　the　monad　but　of　the　myriad　or　any　such　collective　number。　　　　　Take　a　man　affirming　the　presence　of　ten　thousand　things；　it　is　he　that　produces　the　number；　he　does　not　tell　us　that　the　ten　thousand　have　uttered　it；　they　merely　exhibit　their　several　forms；　the　enumerator's　mind　supplies　the　total　which　would　never　be　known　if　the　mind　kept　still。　　　　　How　does　the　mind　pronounce？　　　　　By　being　able　to　enumerate；　that　is　by　knowing　Number：　but　in　order　to　this；　Number　must　be　in　existence；　and　that　that　Principle　should　not　know　its　own　total　content　is　absurd；　impossible。　　　　　It　is　with　Number　as　with　Good。　When　we　pronounce　things　to　be　good　either　we　mean　that　they　are　in　their　own　nature　so　or　we　affirm　goodness　as　an　accidental　in　them。　Dealing　with　the　primals；　the　goodness　we　have　in　mind　is　that　First　Hypostasis；　where　the　goodness　is　an　accidental　we　imply　the　existence　of　a　Principle　of　Good　as　a　necessary　condition　of　the　accidental　presence；　there　must　be　some　source　of　that　good　which　is　observed　elsewhere；　whether　this　source　be　an　Absolute　Good　or　something　that　of　its　own　nature　produces　the　good。　Similarly　with　number；　in　attributing　the　decad　to　things　we　affirm　either　the　truly　existent　decad　or；　where　the　decadhood　is　accidental；　we　necessarily　posit　the　self…subsistent　decad；　decad　not　associated；　if　things　are　to　be　described　as　forming　a　decad；　then　either　they　must　be　of　themselves　the　decad　or　be　preceded　by　that　which　has　no　other　being　than　that　of　decadhood。　　　　　It　must　be　urged　as　a　general　truth　that　anything　affirmed　of　a　subject　not　itself　either　found　its　way　in　from　outside　or　is　the　characteristic　Act　of　that　subject；　and　supposing　the　predicated　attribute　to　show　no　variation　of　presence　and　absence　but　to　be　always　present；　then；　if　the　subject　is　a　Real　Being　so　also　is　the　accidental　in　an　equal　degree；　or；　failing　Real　Being；　it　at　least　belongs　to　the　existents；　it　exists。　In　the　case　when　the　subject　can　be　thought　of　as　remaining　without　its　Act；　yet　that　Act　is　inbound　with　it　even　though　to　our　minds　it　appears　as　a　later；　when　on　the　contrary　the　subject　cannot　be　conceived　without　the　attribute…man；　for　example；　without　unity…　then　the　attribute　is　either　not　later　but　concomitant　or；　being　essential　to　the　existence；　is　precedent。　In　our　view