xisting　before　bringing　Himself　into　existence〃；　when　He　acted　He　was　not　in　some　state　that　could　be　described　as　〃before　existing。〃　He　was　already　existent　entirely。　　　　　Now　assuredly　an　Activity　not　subjected　essence　is　utterly　free；　God's　selfhood；　then；　is　of　his　own　Act。　If　his　being　has　to　be　ensured　by　something　else；　He　is　no　longer　the　self…existent　First：　if　it　be　true　to　say　that　He　is　his　own　container；　then　He　inducts　Himself；　for　all　that　He　contains　is　his　own　production　from　the　beginning　since　from　the　beginning　He　caused　the　being　of　all　that　by　nature　He　contains。　　　　　If　there　had　been　a　moment　from　which　He　began　to　be；　it　would　be　possible　assert　his　self…making　in　the　literal　sense；　but；　since　what　He　is　He　is　from　before　all　time；　his　self…making　is　to　be　understood　as　simultaneous　with　Himself；　the　being　is　one　and　the　same　with　the　making　and　eternal　〃coming　into　existence。〃　　　　　This　is　the　source　also　of　his　self…disposal…　strictly　applicable　if　there　were　a　duality；　but　conveying；　in　the　case　of　a　unity；　a　disposing　without　a　disposed；　an　abstract　disposing。　But　how　a　disposer　with　nothing　to　dispose？　In　that　there　is　here　a　disposer　looking　to　a　prior　when　there　is　none：　since　there　is　no　prior；　This　is　the　First…　but　a　First　not　in　order　but　in　sovereignty；　in　power　purely　self…controlled。　Purely；　then　nothing　can　be　There　that　is　under　any　external　disposition；　all　in　God　is　self…willing。　What　then　is　there　of　his　content　that　is　not　Himself；　what　that　is　not　in　Act；　what　not　his　work？　Imagine　in　Him　anything　not　of　his　Act　and　at　once　His　existence　ceases　to　be　pure；　He　is　not　self…disposing；　not　all…powerful：　in　that　at　least　of　whose　doing　He　is　not　master　He　would　be　impotent。　　　　　21。　Could　He　then　have　made　Himself　otherwise　than　as　He　did？　　　　　If　He　could　we　must　deny　Him　the　power　to　produce　goodness　for　He　certainly　cannot　produce　evil。　Power；　There；　is　no　producer　of　the　inapt；　it　is　that　steadfast　constant　which　is　most　decidedly　power　by　inability　to　depart　from　unity：　ability　to　produce　the　inapt　inability　to　hold　by　the　fitting；　that　self…making　must　be　definite　once　for　all　since　it　is　the　right；　besides；　who　could　upset　what　is　made　by　the　will　of　God　and　is　itself　that　will？　　　　　But　whence　does　He　draw　that　will　seeing　that　essence；　source　of　will；　is　inactive　in　Him？　　　　　The　will　was　included　in　the　essence；　they　were　identical：　or　was　there　something；　this　will　for　instance；　not　existing　in　Him？　All　was　will；　nothing　unwilled　in　Him。　There　is　then　nothing　before　that　will：　God　and　will　were　primally　identical。　　　　　God；　therefore；　is　what　He　willed；　is　such　as　He　willed；　and　all　that　ensued　upon　that　willing　was　what　that　definite　willing　engendered：　but　it　engendered　nothing　new；　all　existed　from　the　first。　　　　　As　for　his　〃self…containing；〃　this　rightly　understood　can　mean　only　that　all　the　rest　is　maintained　in　virtue　of　Him　by　means　of　a　certain　participation；　all　traces　back　to　the　Supreme；　God　Himself；　self…existing　always；　needs　no　containing；　no　participating；　all　in　Him　belongs　to　Him　or　rather　He　needs　nothing　from　them　in　order　to　being　Himself。　　　　　When　therefore　you　seek　to　state　or　to　conceive　Him；　put　all　else　aside；　abstracting　all；　keep　solely　to　Him；　see　that　you　add　nothing；　be　sure　that　your　theory　of　God　does　not　lessen　Him。　Even　you　are　able　to　take　contact　with　Something　in　which　there　is　no　more　than　That　Thing　itself　to　affirm　and　know；　Something　which　lies　away　above　all　and　is…　it　alone…　veritably　free；　subject　not　even　to　its　own　law；　solely　and　essentially　That　One　Thing；　while　all　else　is　thing　and　something　added。　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　NINTH　TRACTATE。
  ON　THE　GOOD；　OR　THE　ONE。
  1。　It　is　in　virtue　of　unity　that　beings　are　beings。　　　　　This　is　equally　true　of　things　whose　existence　is　primal　and　of　all　that　are　in　any　degree　to　be　numbered　among　beings。　What　could　exist　at　all　except　as　one　thing？　Deprived　of　unity；　a　thing　ceases　to　be　what　it　is　called：　no　army　unless　as　a　unity：　a　chorus；　a　flock；　must　be　one　thing。　Even　house　and　ship　demand　unity；　one　house；　one　ship；　unity　gone；　neither　remains　thus　even　continuous　magnitudes　could　not　exist　without　an　inherent　unity；　break　them　apart　and　their　very　being　is　altered　in　the　measure　of　the　breach　of　unity。　　　　　Take　plant　and　animal；　the　material　form　stands　a　unity；　fallen　from　that　into　a　litter　of　fragments；　the　things　have　lost　their　being；　what　was　is　no　longer　there；　it　is　replaced　by　quite　other　things…　as　many　others；　precisely；　as　possess　unity。　　　　　Health；　similarly；　is　the　condition　of　a　body　acting　as　a　co…ordinate　unity。　Beauty　appears　when　limbs　and　features　are　controlled　by　this　principle；　unity。　Moral　excellence　is　of　a　soul　acting　as　a　concordant　total；　brought　to　unity。　　　　　Come　thus　to　soul…　which　brings　all　to　unity；　making；　moulding；　shaping；　ranging　to　order…　there　is　a　temptation　to　say　〃Soul　is　the　bestower　of　unity；　soul　therefore　is　the　unity。〃　But　soul　bestows　other　characteristics　upon　material　things　and　yet　remains　distinct　from　its　gift：　shape；　Ideal…Form　and　the　rest　are　all　distinct　from　the　giving　soul；　so；　clearly；　with　this　gift　of　unity；　soul　to　make　things　unities　looks　out　upon　the　unity　just　as　it　makes　man　by　looking　upon　Man；　realizing　in　the　man　the　unity　belonging　to　Man。　　　　　Anything　that　can　be　described　as　a　unity　is　so　in　the　precise　degree　in　which　it　holds　a　characteristic　being；　the　less　or　more　the　degree　of　the　being；　the　less　or　more　the　unity。　Soul；　while　distinct　from　unity's　very　self；　is　a　thing　of　the　greater　unity　in　proportion　as　it　is　of　the　greater；　the　authentic；　being。　Absolute　unity　it　is　not：　it　is　soul　and　one　soul；　the　unity　in　some　sense　a　concomitant；　there　are　two　things；　soul　and　soul's　unity　as　there　is　body　with　body's　unity。　The　looser　aggregates；　such　as　a　choir；　are　furthest　from　unity；　the　more　compact　are　the　nearer；　soul　is　nearer　yet　but　still　a　participant。　　　　　Is　soul　to　be　identified　with　unity　on　the　ground　that　unless　it　were　one　thing　it　could　not　be　soul？　No；　unity　is　equally　necessary　to　every　other　thing；　yet　unity　stands　distinct　from　them；　body　and　unity　are　not　identical；　body；　too；　is　still　a　participant。　　　　　Besides；　the　soul；　even　the　collective　soul　for　all　its　absence　of　part；　is　a　manifold：　it　has　diverse　powers…　reasoning；　desiring；　perceiving…　all　held　together　by　this　chain　of　unity。　Itself　a　unity；　soul　confers　unity；　but　also　accepts　it。　　　　　2。　It　may　be　suggested　that；　while　in　the　unities　of　the　partial　order　the　essence　and　the　unity　are　distinct；　yet　in　collective　existence；　in　Real　Being；　they　are　identical；　so　that　when　we　have　grasped　Being　we　hold　unity；　Real　Being　would　coincide　with　Unity。　Thus；　taking　the　Intellectual…Principle　as　Essential　Being；　that　principle　and　the　Unity　Absolute　would　be　at　once　Primal　Being　and　Pure　Unity；　purveying；　accordingly；　to　the　rest　of　things　something　of　Being　and　something；　in　proportion；　of　the　unity　which　is　itself。　　　　　There　is　nothing　with　which　the　unity　would　be　more　plausibly　identified　than　with　Being；　either　it　is　Being　as　a　given　man　is　man　or　it　will　correspond　to　the　Number　which　rules　in　the　realm　of　the　particular；　it　will　be　a　number　applying　to　a　certain　unique　thing　as　the　number　two　applies　to　others。　　　　　Now　if　Number　is　a　thing　among　things；　then　clearly　so　this　unity　must　be；　we　would　have　to　discover　what　thing　of　things　it　is。　If　Number　is　not　a　thing　but　an　operation　of　the　mind　moving　out　to　reckon；　then　the　unity　will　not　be　a　thing。　　　　　We　found　that　anything　losing　unity　loses　its　being；　we　are　therefore　obliged　to　enquire　whether　the　unity　in　particulars　is　identical　with　the　being；　and　unity　absolute　identical　with　collective　being。　　　　　Now　the　being　of　the　particular　is　a　manifold；　unity　cannot　be　a　manifold；　there　must　therefore　be　a　distinction　between　Being　and　Unity。　Thus　a　man　is　at　once　a　reasoning　living　being　and　a　total　of　parts；　his　variety　is　held　together　by　his　unity；　man　therefore　and　unity　are　different…　man　a　thing　of　parts　against　unity　partless。　Much　more　must　Collective　Being；　as　container　of　all　existence；　be　a　manifold　and　therefore　distinct　from　the　unity　in　which　it　is　but　participant。　　　　　Again；　Collective　Being　contains　life　and　intelligence…　it　is　no　dead　thing…　and　so；　once　more；　is　a　manifold。　　　　　If　Being　is　identical　with　Intellectual…Principle；　even　at　that　it　is　a　manifold；　all　the　more　so　when　count　is　taken　of　the　Ideal　Forms　in　it；　for　the　Idea；　particular　or　collective；　is；　after　all；　a　numerable　agglomeration　whose　unity　is　that　of　a　kosmos。　　　　　Above　all；　unity　is　The　First：　but　Intellectual…Principle；　Ideas　and　Being；　cannot　be　so；　for　any　member　of　the　realm　of　Forms　is　an　aggregation；　a　compound；　and　therefore…　since　components　must　precede　their　compound…　is　a　later。　　　　　Other　considerations　also　go　to　show　that　the　Intellectual…Principle　cannot　be　the　First。　Intellect　must　be　above　the　Intellectual　Act：　at　least　in　its　higher　phase；　that　not　concerned　with　the　outer　universe；　it　must　be　intent　upon　its　Prior；　its　introversion　is　a　conversion　upon　the　Principle。　　　　　Considered　as　at　once　Thinker　and　Object　of　its　Thought；　it　is　dual；　not　simplex；　not　The　Unity：