12. It may be objected, that nothing would hinder the existence of
manifoldness in the actualization of the First, so long as the "being,"
or nature, remain unitary. That principle would not be rendered
composite by any number of actualizations. This is not the case for
two reasons. Either these actualizations are distinct from its nature
("being"), and the First would pass from potentiality to actuality; in
which case, without doubt, the First is not manifold, but His nature
would not become perfect without actualization. Or the nature ("being")
is, within Him identical to His actualization; in which case, as the
actualization is manifold, the nature would be such also. Now we do
indeed grant that Intelligence is manifold, since it thinks itself;
but we could not grant that the Principle of all things should also be
manifold. Unity must exist before the manifold, the reason of whose
existence is found in unity; for unity precedes all number. It may
be objected that this is true enough for numbers which follow unity,
because they are composite; but what is the need of a unitary principle
from which manifoldness should proceed when referring (not to numerals,
but) to beings? This need is that, without the One, all things would be
in a dispersed condition, and their combinations would be no more than
a chaos.