Chapter 6

Term 1

Rumour

No rumour spread throught all the people can be entirely for without truth. note: his is a saying of Hesiod* *Hes. WD 763

Term 2

The Agent

The agent rules and governs particulars.

Term 3

Deed

No deed nor activity is undertaken simply for its own sake, but rather for something or someone else, for some end.

Term 4

Dreams

Good men have better dreams than others, because their right conduct while they wake brings about continual dreams of doing virtuous things.

We do not control our dreams.

Term 5

The Feverish Man

Fasting and rest generally aid a feverish man, but they may not help some patients.

Term 6

Happiness

Happiness is the greatest good for men, and a gift of the gods.

Happiness is a most excellent and most divine thing, asmuch as it is the end of virtue, which is something most excellent, divine, and blessed.

Happiness can be shared by every person, provided they are not impeded from striving toward virtue through discipline and study.

It will be very ruinous to let one's happiness rest in goods, however great or excellent, that are brought by fortune.

Happiness is the end of political science, since it strives much to produce good citizens and people who do good things.

Different persons seek after happiness in different things, for example, pleasure or riches, or honour.

Some think that having honour is happiness.

Happiness is the greatest and higest good for which all other things are done.

Happiness is the perfect good.

Happiness requires a perfect way of life and perfect virtue.

Whether someone can be happy during his life or only at its end.

It is strange to call a man happy when he dies.

Happiness is not accorded to a man at end of his life as if dying were the essence of happiness. Solon did not hold this, he meant, rather that a man will then be called blessed once he is beyond the reach of evils and misfortunes.

The happiness of a father is not necessarily passed down to his children, since it is not the nature of change among men that it be transfered from the dead to the living.

Term 7

Happy

A man yet living is not called happy because of change.

If we follow after fortunes, we will be called many times over both happy and unhappy, like a chameleon.

In considering happiness, we are not to consider the goods of fortune, which are in themselves neither good nor bad, but can serve as instruments to happiness.

The happy man is immovable throughout his whole life, in action and contemplation according to virtue. He bears fortunes nobly and will act everywhere prudently.

The happy man is a man who is good, perfect, and foursquare beyond reproach (Simonides).

The happy man is not swayed nor changed by small things, good or evil.

The happy man is troubled by great evils, which cause him sadnesss, but when these come, his goodness shines forth as a corageous and magnanimous man.

The happy man is made more blessed from great goods.

The happy man, when his fortunes change, does not commit evil and hateful acts, but bears all fortunes worthily.

The happy man will never be made unhappy, even if his fortunes change.

The happy man will not lose his happines becaue of small misfortunes that befall him, but only by many and great ones, and from these he will not be happy again soon.

The happy man, when he falls from many great goods, will not quickly become happy again, only after he spends much time has passed and he again has regained many good things.

A man is called happy when he operates in accord with perfect virtue and has sufficient external goods.

The happy man has need of external goods, fortitude, nobility, and good fortune.

One who has a very unslightly appearnace or who is low-born or alone and childless is not happy.

He is less happy whose children have gone astray or who has wicked friends, or whose good friends have died.

Women, because of the weakness of their sex, are delicate. In this way, they differ from men.

Happiness is not attained in a day nor in a little time, just as the sight of one swallow does not means spring has arrived.

For the happy, life in itself is a delight.

A man who suffers many evils and misfortunes is not called happy.

The happy man rejoices in actions that accord with virtue and is saddened by evil, as a musician delights in harmonious melodies and winces at discord.

Term 8

Happiness

We choose happiness for its own sake, and never for anything else.

Happiness is a self-sufficient good.

Happiness is most desirable without any further addition. With further addition, it is little more.

Happiness is a perfect and self-sufficient good and the end of all human actions.

Happiness is a human action in accord with reason, a fully-developped habit, and activity over a whole lifetime.

Happiness regards activity over a whole lifetime.

Happiness is obtained through activity over much time.

Everything the ancients said of happiness seems to accord with what his (Plato? look up ref) opinion.

Some hold that happiness to be virtue, others prudence, and others wisdom. Additionally, pleasure, which is the good of the body, and others thought it to could be had in external goods.

The opinion of Aristotle on happiness accords with what many have said, that is, that happiness is found in virtue.

Happiness is not in need of additional pleasure as something added to it, but is already pleasurable in itself.

Happiness is that most excellent and noble and most pleasurable thing.

Happiness is the best activity according to one or more virtues.

Happiness requires external goods to serve as instruments.

Whether happiness is one of the things worthy of praise or of honour.

No one merely praises happiness, but calls it a blessed, divine thing.

Happiness is not merely worthy of praise, but is something greater than praise

Happiness is a perfect and honourable thing.

Happiness is the end for which all other things are done.

Term 9

The End

The end is the principle and cause of goods and is something honourable.

Some ends are activities in themselves, such as playing the harp, others however are the products of activities.

There are as many different end as there many activities, beings, arts, and sciences. Examples follow.

The end of medicine is health; naval science, sailing; military strategy, victory.

The ends of higher arts are more desirable than those lower arts which are below them.

If one of our actions is something we seek for its own sake, it is its own end, and other actions for its sake, is since this cannot go on infinetly, it is obvious that this good is a supreme one.

Knowledge of the final end will greatly benefit the whole of one's life and is knowledge.

The end of political science is the good of man.

The end of this science is not merely knowledge but action.

The end of an action regards time.

An end is not what pertains to counsel, but rather its means.

The end for each thing accords with its ordering toward a like habit.

The means and their end, whether a good or evil one, are by nature voluntary. He gives a three-fold division and concludes by this that virtues and vices are similarly voluntary.

The end in practical matters is not to know things but to act. This makes us good or, if something else makes us good it is something such as penalties or law.

The end of this action is not that we come to know something, rather that we become good.

The end of the brave man's activities agrees with its own habit, of strengthening courage, which is the good toward which he is directed.

Everything is likened to its end.

Euprasia (good operation) is its own end.

Making something always has some other end other than itself, but action does not.

Ends in practical matters are the principles, just as first principles in mathematics.

Term 10

The Son

A man brought by his son ordered him to stop at the door.

Sons seem to be the end of the union of a man and his wife. This is why those who are sterile separate before long.

Sons are a good that is shared between both the man and his wife.

A son cannot deny his father, but a father may deny his son.

The son can never make an equal return to the father for all those things give him, and so he will always be indebted to him.

All animals share the procreation of sons.

Term 11

Strong

A man is not called brave because he does not fear his body being flogged.

A man is called brave principally because he is undaunted by a good death and things which may lead to it.

The brave man is not fearful in the sea, not however like seafarers who do not fear because they are experienced.

The brave man does not lose his wits, but fears such and endures such things which reasons dictates for the sake of the good.

A man who fears is brave if he and endures all circumstances well, and similarly ventures all things well.

The brave man endures and acts according to what is worthy, as reason dictates.

The brave man has good hope in daring, the coward, however, despairs.

The brave are poised for action in war, beforehand, however they are still and at ease.

For a man to be brave, it must not be for mere necessity, but for the good.

The brave man is daring with respect to the cowardly and reckless with respect to the fearful.

They are not brave who rush to dangers out of pain of passion and anger and not out of a foresight. For even asses would be called brave as they hunger, even prodding does not keep them from grazing. d. See Hom. Il. 11.558.

The brave man acts because of the good.

Those who have good hope for victory are like the brave, since both risk dangers, but they are not truly brave.

It is proper to the brave man to undergo terrible things that are proportionate to the man and not apparent.

A man seems braver when he is undaunted or undisturbed by sudden things, more than if the things were known to him beforehand.

For the brave man, death and wounds are sad, but he bears them because of the good of fortitude.

For the brave man, death is sadder even than for others, since he is deprived of the best goods, he loses reason yet gains all the more.

The brave man chooses the good of fortitude above the other goods which he may lose in dying.

It is not burdensome to show bravery against the weak and the difficult things which are honourable is not to be burdensome with anger.

The brave breath out harsh vigor through both nostrils, his blood is boiled, a sign of a man enraged. (Odyssey 24.318.)

The truly brave act for the good of virtue, but raged beasts, just as raging men, act because of some agitation, which if they were not in the wood or swamp they would not encounter.

Those with bravery in military strategy, if they spot a danger which they judge beyond them, or above the number of their army or arms, they flee. But those who are brave only with regard to the political order stay put and allow themselves to be slain, as it happened at Hermeon.

The brave man neither flees quickly nor, as the soldier, permits himself to be cut down when he defends himself for the safety of the citizens.

The brave man has the appearance of rage, violent rage against dangers.

Those who are brave in war are honoured in city-states and among kings.

Term 12

Fortitude

Fortitude does not concern all things that are rightly to be feared by all men, such as disgrace, nor things which are not to be feared, like destitution, neither things which cause little fear.

Fortitude concerns the most dreadful things.

Fortitutude concerns the best ways of dying, which are in defence of one's own, and not in a death being at sea or by illness.

Fortitude, by its actions conform to its good, that is, bravery.

Fortitude is a mean that concerns confidence and frightful things. In these it seeks after and bears what it must in order to avoid befalling what is shameful.

Fortitude is called in five other ways apart from true fortitude, and the first of these is political political fortitude.

Fortitude, as Socrates judged, is a kind of experiential science knowledge.

Fortitude concerns frightful things more than confidence.

Fortitude is more worthy of praise among other virtues, because its task of enduring frightful things is more difficult than abstaining from pleasures.

It seems that fortitude has for its end a delight by reason, insofar as it endures such things for the sake of the good.

Strength physical fortitude is attained from much nourishment and hard work, practice makes one strong.

Fortitude is a mean betwean fears and confidence.

Term 13

Brother

The relation between brothers who are equals is like a timocracy.

If brothers are of many differenct ages, the love between them is not as much a fraternal one, but rather as of a father to a son.

Brothers love each other as much as they are born of the same, and so we say the are the same blood and stock.

Term 14

Fortune

The fortunes of one's descendants do not influence a man's happinness.

Fortunes differ greatly for each, if these were all to be told out, it would be an exceedingly long, infinite task.

Some fortunes have an importance because they distract our attention, some are an aid toward happiness as instruments to it, some are of lesser importance, such as what happens to friends.

The fortunes and misfortunes of friends seem to have some influence on the dead, but not in such a way that could make them happy or miserable.

All disparage fortune because good fortune is given to those unworthy of it and to those who are most worthy are not so enriched.

Whether there is greater need of friends in good fortune or bad fortune.

The fortunate and misfortunate have need of friends. The former need those to live with and benefit, the later have need of help.

Friends are to be more promptly called in when good fortunes come, since the good man so benefited can most benefit others. A man should be slow to call friends to share in misfortunes, that is, later on, and not without perceiving some great necessity, and even then only when they have power to help him greatly with little inconvenience to themselves.

One should be quick to join a friend when he is in good fortune, for this is the duty of friends. But they should receive any benefit from him calmly and relaxed, because one should watch out and take care not to gain a reputation of being indelicate, which does tend to happen.

Term 15

Rage

Rage, because of its likeness to true fortitude is called fortitude, because the brave throw themselves courageously into danger, and so do those burning with rage, just as wild and cruel beasts rushing to wound them.

Rage acts most violently against dangers.

Term 16

Regarding the Figure of Proportionality

When using a figure showing proportionality, it is necessary to reduce works and craftsmen to that which would align them as equal in a proportional way.

Term 17

Happiness

Happiness is not found in a habit but in action, since a habit persists even when one is sleeping or found in misfortune.

Happiness consists in an activity, that is desirable for its own sake.

Happiness does not consist in amusements.

No one would attribute happiness to a bestial man unless unless he would also add that he possesses the contemplative life, which would be absurd.

Happiness and is activity in accord with the highest virtue and has that greatest part of us, that is, the intellect. Whether this is something according to nature that seems to rule and dominate, and have understanding of good and divine things.

Happiness is a continual activity, and such is an activity pertaining to the speculative part.

We judge that some pleasure must accompany happiness, and so it will be with an activity that accords with wisdom, which is most delightful.

It seems that happiness is found in leisure, since leisure is not undertaken for the sake of any other action.

If something is truly happiness, it may not lack anything.

The happiness of the state, which operates according to the moral virtues, is a secondary kind of happiness.

Contemplative happiness has little need of outward generosity, that is, in giving external goods, and it has less need than moral happiness.

Contemplative and moral happiness both have need of the necessities of life, although it is the public man who works more for theses things. There is little difference with either as regards the nature of such necessisites, but they do rather differ in their activities, since the liberal man has need of money to be able to give liberally, the intellectual man, however, does not.

Perfect happiness is some contemplative activity.

Term 18

Happy

The happy life seems to be one lived in accord with virtue and not spent in amusement.

Happiness in a man still wants of outside prosperity, because his nature is not sufficient in himself for contemplation, but the body must also be in good health, and have food and other things to aid it.

Although a man has need of external goods to be happy, it must not be thought they need be many and great goods for continued happiness. This is because an overabundance of external goodscannot in themselves lead a man to judgment of contemplation or action of moral virtue, but it is necessary to have many helps to it.

For the happy man, it is enough to have as many external goods as are necessary to live well.