11. (12). The result of the preceding considerations is that time
must be conceived of as the length of the life characteristic of the
universal Soul; that her course is composed of changes that are equal,
uniform, and insensible, so that that course implies a continuity of
action. Now let us for a moment suppose that the power of the Soul
should cease to act, and to enjoy the life she at present possesses
without interruption or limit, because this life is the activity
characteristic of an eternal Soul, an action by which the Soul does
not return upon herself, and does not concentrate on herself, though
enabling her to beget and produce. Now supposing that the Soul
should cease to act, that she should apply her superior part to the
intelligible world, and to eternity, and that she should there remain
calmly united--what then would remain, unless eternity? For what room
for succession would that allow, if all things were immovable in unity?
How could she contain priority, posteriority, or more or less duration
of time? How could the Soul apply herself to some object other than
that which occupies her? Further, one could not then even say that
she applied herself to the subject that occupied her; she would have
to be separated therefrom in order to apply herself thereto. Neither
would the universal Sphere exist, since it does not exist before
time, because it exists and moves within time. Besides, even if this
Sphere were at rest during the activity of the Soul, we could measure
the duration of her rest because this rest is posterior to the rest
of eternity. Since time is annihilated so soon as the Soul ceases to
act, and concentrates in unity, time must be produced by the beginning
of the Soul's motion towards sense-objects, by the Soul's life.
Consequently (Plato[463]) says that time is born with the universe,
because the Soul produced time with the universe; for it is this very
action of the Soul which has produced this universe. This action
constitutes time, and the universe is within time. Plato does indeed
call the movements of the stars, time; but evidently only figuratively,
as (Plato) subsequently says that the stars were created to indicate
the divisions of time, and to permit us to measure it easily.