5. The first consideration that meets us is that each body, whether
of animals or plants, is multiple, by virtue of its colors, forms,
dimensions, the kinds of parts, and diversity of their position; and
that nevertheless all things derive from unity, whether from the
absolutely simple Unity, or from the habituation of the universal
Unity, or from some principle having more unity--and consequently
more essence--than the things it produces; because, the further the
distance from unity, the less the essence. The principle which forms
the bodies must therefore be one, without either being absolutely
one, nor identical with the One; otherwise, it would not produce a
plurality that was distant from unity; consequently, it must be a
plural-unity. Now this principle is the soul; therefore she must be
a plural unity. This plurality, however, consists of the ("seminal)
reasons" which proceed from the soul. The reasons, indeed, are not
other than the soul; for the soul herself is reason, being the
principle of the reasons; the reasons are the actualization of the soul
which acts according to her being; and this being is potentiality of
the reasons.[303] The soul is therefore plurality simultaneously with
unity; which is clearly demonstrated by the action she exerts on other
things.