Since the Soul herself exists, Love also must necessarily exist, and
it owes its existence to the desire of the Soul which aspires to the
better and the Good. Love is a mixed being: it participates in need,
because it needs satisfaction; it also participates in abundance,
because it struggles to acquire good which it yet lacks, inasmuch as
only that which lacked good entirely would cease to seek it. It is,
therefore, correct to call Love the son of Abundance and Need, which
are constituted by lack, desire, and reminiscence of the reasons--or
ideas--which, reunited in the soul, have therein engendered that
aspiration towards the good which constitutes love. Its mother is
Need, because desire belongs only to need, and "need" signifies matter,
which is entire need.[155] Even indetermination, which characterizes
the desire of the good, makes the being which desires the Good play
the part of matter--since such a being would have neither form nor
reason, considered only from its desiring. It is a form only inasmuch
as it remains within itself. As soon as it desires to attain a new
perfection, it is matter relatively to the being from whom it desires
to receive somewhat.