The Enneads

He also withdrew from all the honors and civic duties of the city original: "axiōmatōn kai praxeōn," referring to his rank as a Roman senator and his administrative responsibilities. Even when his servants were present, he would neither approach them nor take any interest in his public service. He did not even establish a permanent house for himself, but would frequent the homes of certain friends, living and sleeping there. He also ate very sparingly. From this detachment and indifference toward the physical life, his gout original: "podagra," a form of inflammatory arthritis. Porphyry notes that Rogatianus's asceticism led to a miraculous recovery—which had been so severe that he had to be carried in a litter—was so relieved that he could stretch out his hands and use them much more easily than those who practiced manual arts.

Plotinus received this man with great favor.

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He continually held him up in the highest praise and presented him as a model for those pursuing philosophy. Thus, Rogatianus achieved a certain excellence. Whether it was reasonable in all things, certainly regarding his wealth, he did not hesitate to give it up, even if it meant being at a disadvantage.

He also held me Porphyry, the author as a friend while I was still young, and I was among those he most admired.

Plotinus had no desire at all to revise his letters or his treatises. He was accustomed to writing based on the thoughts that came to him during the day, and he never held back. He would not even read over his work even once after it was finished, partly because his eyesight served him poorly for reading. He wrote as if he were simply forming the letters, neither dividing his syllables original: "syllabas"; Plotinus famously ran his words together without spaces or syllabic breaks according to the logic of the mind nor caring for orthography original: "orthographias," meaning correct spelling; he kept his mind only on the intellect original: "noun." The 'Nous' or Divine Intellect is a central concept in Plotinus's philosophy, representing the first emanation from the One. Everyone marveled at this, and he continued this practice until the end. Once he had completed an investigation in his mind from beginning to end, and then set the writing down, he wrote so continuously that it seemed as if he were transcribing from a book. Even if he happened to be interrupted by conversation or a discussion about his investigations, he was able to fulfill the needs of the conversation and the questions brought to him while keeping his train of thought original: "dianoian," the discursive or reasoning mind completely unbroken.