[The Banquet (Il Convito) by Dante Alighieri]@TWC D-Link bookThe Banquet (Il Convito) CHAPTER II 5/5
And the Human Soul possessing the nobility of the highest power, which is Reason, participates in the Divine Nature, after the manner of an eternal Intelligence: for the Soul is ennobled and denuded of matter by that Sovereign Power in proportion as the Divine Light of Truth shines into it, as into an Angel; and Man is therefore called by the Philosophers the Divine Animal. In this most noble part of the Soul are many virtues, as the Philosopher says, especially in the third chapter of the Soul, where he says that there is in it a virtue which is called Scientific, and one which is called Ratiocinative, or rather deliberative; and with this there are certain virtues, as Aristotle says in that same place, such as the Inventive and the Judging.
And all these most noble virtues, and the others which are in that excellent power, are designated by that one word, which we sought to understand, that is, Mind.
Wherefore it is evident that by Mind is meant the highest, noblest part of a man's Soul. And it is seen to be so, for only of man and of the Divine substances is this Mind predicated, as can plainly be seen in Boethius, who first predicates it of men, where he says to Philosophy: "Thou, and God who placed thee in the mind of men;" then he predicates it of God, when he says: "Thou dost produce everything from the Divine Model, Thou most beautiful One, bearing the beautiful World in Thy mind." Neither was it ever predicated of brute animals; nay, of many men who appear defective in the most perfect part, it does not seem that it ought to be, or that it could be, predicated; and therefore such as these are termed in the Latin Tongue _amenti_ and _dementi_, that is, without mind.
Hence one can now perceive that it is Mind which is the perfect and most precious part of the Soul in which is God. And that is the place where I say that Love discourses to me of my Lady..
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