The Enneads — trans. Stephen MacKenna

is to dare to be tentative and to beg critics to collaborate in the clearing of dark passages : the notices the first volume of this series received were more flattering than helpful. Modifications suggested by such comment will be noted in the final volume.

Readers are reminded that “ we read ” translates “ he says ” of the text, and always indicates a reference to Plato, whose name does not appear in the translation except where it was written by Plotinus : and that all matter shown in brackets is added by the translator for clearness’ sake, and therefore is not canonical. Nothing but what is judged to be quite obviously present in the text appears without this warning sign.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

The translator desires to acknowledge invaluable help derived from repeated study of “The Philosophy of Plotinus,’’ by William Ralph Inge, C.V.O., D.D., etc.. Dean of St. Paul’s (Longmans, Green and Co., 1918) — a work fascinating in detail and henceforth the necessary foundation to English speakers of all serious study of Plotinus.

In several cases of perplexity, the translator consulted Mr. E. R. Dodds, of University College, Reading, and profited greatly by his advice : in at least two cases he has adopted readings from a revised text projected by Mr. Dodds.

Dr. Kenneth Sylvan Guthrie’s translation, " Plotinus’ Complete Works ’’ (Comparative Literature Press : Alpine, N.Y., U.S.A., and George Bell, London) , came to hand too late to serve in the preparation of this second volume : it will be carefully consulted in the revision of the three Enneads remeiining to the completion of this work.

The translator finds that in his first volume he inadvertently made far too little of the kindly offices of Mr. Ernest R. Debenham, who most generously undertook the entire financial burden of the work : his deepest thanks are here offered for the service by which he is enabled to realise the dominant desire of his life.

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ETHICAL TREATISES

BEING THE TREATISES OF
THE FIRST ENNEAD WITH
PORPHYRY’S LIFE OF

LOTINUS: THE

PLOTINUS, AND THE PRELLER-RITTER
EXTRACTS FORMING A CONSPECTUS OF
THE PLOTINIAN SYSTEM, TRANSLATED
FROM THE GREEK BY STEPHEN MACKENNA

CHARLES T. BRANFORD COMPANY
BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS

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CONTENTS

I'AQP.

Porphyry’s Life of Plotinus ....... i

THE BOOKS OF THE FIRST ENNEAD

I. The Animate and the Man . . . . . .29

II. On Virtue . . . . . . • 41

III. Dialectic (or The Upward Way) . . . . -.50

IV. On Happiness (or The Authentic Good of Life) . . ■

V. On Happiness and Extension of Time . . . . -72

VI. On Beauty . . . . . . *77

VII. On the Primal Good and its Secondary Forms . . .89

VIII. On Evil, Its Nature and Source . . . . .92

IX. On “The Reasoned Dismissal” ...... 108

BIBLIOGRAPHY AND EXPLANATORY MATTER

Text, Previous Tr.\nslations . . . . . . -113

Method of this Translation . . . . . . .114

Commentaries ......... 116

Terminology ......... 117

The Divine Names ........ 118

The One .......... n8

The Intellectual-Principle ....... 119

The All-Soul ......... 120

The Divine-Triad as a Unity ....... 120

The Gods and Daimones ....... 121

Man ; His Nature, Powers and Destiny ..... 121 •

Evil and Matter ........ 123

Morality ......... 123

The Term and the Way ....... 124

Minor Points of Terminology ....... 124

THE PRELLER-RITTER CONSPECTUS OF THE PLOTINIAN SYSTEM

I. The Fall of the Souls and Their Return .... 130

Free-Will ........ 131

II. The Grandeur of the Soul ...... 131

All Souls as One Soul ....... 132

III. The Soul in Relation to the Intellectual-Principle. . . 134

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Emanation, Its Nature and Mode ..... 135

Matter in the Divine Sphere . . . . . . 135

IV. The Intellectual-Principle in Relation to the One . . 136

The Categories of the Divine ..... 137

Reasoning and Intellection ...... 137

Identity of Divine Mind and Divine Thoughts . . . 138

The Act of the Intellectual-Principle and of the Soul . . 139

Universal Contemplation ...... 139

V. The Origin of Multiplicity ...... 140

The Need of the One Transcending the Multiple . . 140

VI. The Absolute Transcendency of the One .... 141

The One Stated only by Negation ..... 141

VII. Why the Supreme is a Triad ...... 143

The Soul’s Intellective-Nature .....