A still closer approximation to the thought, and especially to the psychology of Plotinus, is found in Richard of St Victor, perhaps the greatest mystical theologian, certainly one of the most influential writers, of the early Middle Ages. In the 13th and 14th centuries his works, which are now little read, circulated through Western Europe, and shaped the developing mysticism of England, Germany and Flanders. Dante, who calls him one 'who in contemplation was more than man,' places his radiant soul among those of the great teachers in the Heaven of the Sun (Par., x, 131). Abandoning alike the many worlds of Dionysius and the crude dualism of popular religion, Richard taught that three spheres are open to human contemplation: sensibilia, intelligibilia and intellectibilia-a series closely analogous to the three worlds of Plotinus. He said that three kinds of contemplation on man's part corresponded with these worlds. These are mentis dilatatio, a widening of the soul's vision, which yet remains within the natural order; mentis sublevatio, an uplifting of the illuminated mind to the apprehension of things above itself' (or, as Neoplatonists would say, intelligibles); and finally, mentis alienatio, or ecstasy, in which the soul gazes on truth in its naked simplicity. Then, 'elevated above itself and rapt in ecstasy, it beholds things in the Divine Light at which all human reason succumbs.' This divine light' is the lumen gloria-the spiritual or intelligible light, which transforms the soul and makes it capable of beholding God-a conception which became a commonplace of medieval theology, was adopted by all the great mystical schools, and plays an important part in the 'Paradiso.' It can be shown to derive directly through Augustine from the Enneads, which are the ultimate source of much else in Richard's works. From the 13th century onwards, these works take their place with Augustine and Dionysius as main sources from which the disguised Neoplatonism of the later mediæval mystics was derived. Its penetrating influence, however, was

v, 3. 8. Compare Aug., Conf., VII, 10: I entered and beheld with the mysterious eye of my soul. . . the Light that never changes, above the eye of my soul, above my intelligence. . . . He who knows the truth knows that Light, and he who knows that Light knows Eternity.'

not confined to the mystical schools. Even Aquinas, who accepts and expounds in the 'Summa' (I. q. 12, a. 5) the doctrine of the lumen gloriæ, is considerably indebted to Plotinus in several other particulars; though he cites him inaccurately, and does not seem to have known him at first hand. In a remarkable passage, which afterwards influenced one of the finest rhapsodies of Ruysbroeck, he has actually 'lifted' the most celebrated phrase in the Sixth Ennead, and adapted it to the distinctively Christian and non-Platonic view of divine union, as a 'mutual act' of God and the soul. In a wonderful and unspeakable manner,' says St Thomas of the soul in this place, she both seizes and is seized upon, devours and is herself devoured, embraces and is violently embraced; and by the knot of love she unites herself with God, and is with Him as the Alone with the Alone.'

It is in a later and less orthodox son of St Dominic, the formidable and adventurous thinker Eckhart, that the influence of Plotinus on the medieval mind is best seen, passing through him to Suso, Tauler, Ruysbroeck, and other mystics of the 14th century. Eckhart's philosophy still provides one of the most suggestive glosses upon the Enneads. He made that distinction between the Absolute Godhead and God, which was almost inevitable for a Christian thinker trying to find a place in theology for the Neoplatonic One. The Godhead, he says, is a non-God, a non-Spirit, a non-person, a nonimage, a sheer pure One.' The Son, in whom the Father becomes conscious of Himself,' combines the attributes of the Logos-Christ with those of the Nous. In Him are the archetypes of all created things. There is thus an emanation from the Godhead, through the Son, into creation. The soul's destiny is exactly that conceived by Plotinus; it must ascend to the spiritual world, and through it to its origin, the One, flowing back into the bottom of the bottomless fountain from which it flowed forth.' In Tauler and Suso, and especially in the great Flemish contemplative, Ruysbroeck, these ideas-though considerably modified by their inferior speculative ability and more ardent spirit of Christian devotion-are still strongly felt; and, since their works and those of their disciples nourished many succeeding generations of

contemplatives, through them the mystical side of the Neoplatonic tradition continued to bear fruit in the human soul. Yet the very closeness with which they often follow those parts of the Neoplatonic doctrine which appeal to them, makes it possible for us to measure the distance which separates their minds, their tone and temper, from that of Plotinus and his school. The calm, the austerity of thought, the emphasis on beauty, the clear cool light of the Intelligible World have departed. These are men of the Middle Age. Their work is full of passionate effort; it is centred on the ideas of sacrifice and of pain. Their religion is coloured by the sharp Christian consciousness of sin, and by the difficulty-never squarely faced-of reconciling devotion to a personal Redeemer with the mystical passion for the Absolute. That the philosophy of the Enneads was able to enter a world so remote from its spirit, and come to terms with an attitude of mind in many respects opposed to that of its creator, is an oblique proof of the authenticity of its claim to interpret the spiritual experiences of man.

Vol. 231.-No. 459.

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EVELYN UNDERHILL..

Art. 14.-MODERN BEE-KEEPING.

1. A Modern Bee-Farm. By S. Simmins. 2nd ed. The Author, 1914.

2. The British Bee-keeper's Guide-Book. By T. W. Cowan. 22nd ed. British Bee Journal Office, 1915. 3. The Practical Bee-Guide. By J. G. Digges. 2nd ed. Irish Bee Journal Office, 1910.

4. The Life of the Bee. By M. Maeterlinck. Allen, 1906. 5. The Lore of the Honey Bee. By Tickner Edwardes. 3rd ed. Methuen, 1911.

6. Bee-keeping Simplified; and Bee-keeping in War-time. By W. Herrod-Hempsall. Simpkin, 1915, 1918. And other works.

BRITAIN was called 'The Isle of Honey' by old Welsh bards, but it has been estimated that the amount of honey now made is, owing to lack of bees, only onetenth of what it might be. In 1914 we imported honey to the value of 37,6621. In 1915 the figures were 92,6791.; and in 1916, 187,2921. For the month of June, 1914, alone, the figures were 49021. ; for the same month in 1916 they were 35,8871. In August, 1916, they rose to 54,7401. For 1917 they were 825,7371., and for 1918 no less than 2,702,7347.

But these figures, astonishing as they are, are nothing to what might be attained at home if bees and beekeepers were available. As much as 3s. 6d. a pound has been asked for good English section honey. This is an abnormal price, but, if we take 2s. a pound as the average price of 'run' honey, probably four million pounds' worth could be harvested in a single season. There is hardly any limit to the quantity of honey that can be gathered by a single hive, if modern scientific methods are applied to it. Last year we heard of 200 lbs. from one hive, and 300 lbs. from another. In 1901 Mr J. L. Gandy obtained an average of 407 lbs. per hive from 75 hives. His annual profits for six years were 800 per cent. Mr S. Simmins A hive of records 50 lbs. in seven days from one hive. Cyprian bees has been credited with 1000 lbs. in one Yet in face of these facts the straw skep still has its votaries!

season.

It is commonly asserted in handbooks that swarms

in their first season must not be expected to gather more than enough for their own needs. In 1916 the writer obtained a large swarm on June 19, and fed it for a fortnight with sugar syrup, with the result that it not only filled ten brood-frames with comb and brood, but yielded forty-two perfect pound sections as well. This illustrates the value of artificial feeding, which is one of the main secrets of successful apiculture.

In America large bee-farms are the rule; with us they are the exception. But any one who has zeal, a little leisure, and a love of bees, may add something to his income and much to his pleasure by keeping two or three hives. Bee-keeping is an ideal hobby for wounded soldiers, ministers of religion, brain-workers of all kinds, and boys with a taste for natural history. Many ladies handle bees fearlessly and well. Day-schools have taken up bee-keeping with success; and we see no reason why some of the great public schools should not encourage it. There are always some keen entomologists among their boys; and in most cases some corner of the grounds, where cricket balls do not intrude, could be spared for a dozen hives or more. During the holidays a local expert, or perhaps one of the staff of servants, could be put in charge of them. Many boys acquire at school a remarkably thorough knowledge of entomology or ornithology, but we have never yet met a public schoolboy who knew anything of the wonders of the bee-world, or was able to manipulate a hive. We venture to say that the knowledge to be gained thus would be an education in itself. 'Bees do nothing invariably'; and the greatest bee-master is always learning. No other creature, wild or tame, is at once so interesting and so easily studied.

But there is a more pressing reason why bee-keeping should be encouraged, and that is the need for homegrown sugar or its equivalent. Honey is not merely an efficient substitute for sugar, even in tea, coffee, and jam, but a much better food. Being pre-digested by the bee, it is at once assimilated by the human organism. It is used in numerous medicines, and, eaten with bread, forms a much more sustaining meal than butter or jam.

Bees may be kept almost anywhere. They do not usually fly more than a mile for their food, but have been known to go as many as four. M. Maeterlinck has