2. Therefore intelligible entities must not be regarded as exterior to
Intelligence, nor as impressions formed in it. Nor must we deny it the
intimate possession of truth. Otherwise, any cognition of intelligibles
is made impossible, and the reality of both them and Intelligence
itself is destroyed. Intimate possession of all its essences is the
only possible condition that will allow knowledge and truth to remain
within Intelligence, that will save the reality of the intelligibles,
that will make possible the knowledge of the essence of every thing,
instead of limiting us to the mere notion of its qualities, a notion
which gives us only the image and vestige of the object, which does
not permit us to possess it, to unite ourselves with it, to become one
with it. On this condition only, can Intelligence know, and know truly
without being exposed to forgetfulness or groping uncertainty; can it
be the location where truth will abide and essences will subsist; can
it live and think--all of which should belong to this blessed nature,
and without which nowhere could be found anything that deserved our
esteem and respect. On this condition only will Intelligence be able to
dispense with credulity or demonstration in believing realities; for
Intelligence itself consists in these very realities, and possesses
a clear self-consciousness. Intelligence sees that which is its
own principle, sees what is below it, and to what it gives birth.
Intelligence knows that in order to know its own nature, it must not
place credence in any testimony except its own; that it essentially is
intelligible reality. It therefore is truth itself, whose very being
it is to conform to no foreign form, but to itself exclusively. Within
Intelligence fuses both being, and that which affirms its existence;
thus reality justifies itself. By whom could Intelligence be convinced
of error? What demonstration thereof would be of any value? Since there
is nothing truer than truth, any proof to the contrary would depend on
some preceding proof, and while seeming to declare something different,
would in reality be begging the question.