On the Divine Names and the Mystical Theology — trans. C. E. Rolt
The translator’s English as printed (C. E. Rolt). The original-language text is not held; names are romanised as the translator printed them.
Order of orderly things as such, and if it like thee to give the name of Universals to the Principles of all other things which (by participating in this quality or in that or in both or in many) have this, that, both or many thou wilt find that the first Quality in which they participate is Existence, and that their existence is the basis, (1) of their permanence, and (2) of their being the principles of this or that ; and also that only through their participation in Existence do they exist and enable things to participate in them. And if these Universals exist by participating in Existence, far more is this true of the things which participate in them.
6. Thus the first gift which the Absolute and Transcendent Goodness bestows is that of mere Existence, and so It derives its first title from the chiefest of the participations in Its Being. From It and in It are very Being and the Principles of the world, and the world which springs from them and all things that in any way continue in existence. This attribute belongs to It in an incomprehensible and concentrated oneness. For all number preexists indivisibly in the number One, and this number contains all things in itself under the form of unity. All number exists as unity in number One, and only when it goes forth from this number is it differenced and multiplied.1 All the radii of a circle are concentrated into a single unity in the centre, and this point contains all the straight lines brought together within itself and unified to one another, and is the one starting-point from which they began. Even so are they a perfect unity in the centre itself, and, departing a little therefrom they are differenced a little, and departing further are differenced further, and, in fact, the nearer they are to the centre, so much the more are they united to it and to one another, and the more they are separated from it the more they are separated from one another.
1 The number One, being infinitely divisible, contains the potentiality of all numbers.
Order of orderly things as such; and if you choose to give the name of Universals to the Principles of all other things which (by participating in this quality or in that, or in both, or in many) have this, that, both, or many, you will find that the first Quality in which they participate is Existence, and that their existence is the basis (1) of their permanence and (2) of their being the principles of this or that; and also that only through their participation in Existence do they exist and enable things to participate in them. And if these Universals exist by participating in Existence, this is far more true of the things which participate in them.
6. Thus the first gift which the Absolute and Transcendent Goodness bestows is that of mere Existence, and so It derives its first title from the chiefest of the participations in Its Being. From It and in It are very Being and the Principles of the world, and the world which springs from them, and all things that in any way continue in existence. This attribute belongs to It in an incomprehensible and concentrated oneness. For all number preexists indivisibly in the number One, and this number contains all things in itself under the form of unity. All number exists as unity in the number One, and only when it goes forth from this number is it differenced and multiplied.1 All the radii of a circle are concentrated into a single unity in the centre, and this point contains all the straight lines brought together within itself and unified with one another, and is the one starting-point from which they began. In the centre itself they are a perfect unity; departing a little from it, they are differenced a little, and departing further, they are differenced further. In fact, the nearer they are to the centre, the more they are united to it and to one another, and the more they are separated from it, the more they are separated from one another.
1 The number One, being infinitely divisible, contains the potentiality of all numbers.