Ethics 223
nor deceives another; is neither deceived nor ignorant nor unaware of
himself nor, in general, believes anything which is false. He is happy
most of all, and fortunate and blessed and prosperous and pious and
god-loving and worthy, like a king and a general, a politician and a
household economist and a money-maker. And the base are the opposite
of all of these.
In general, the virtuous have all good things and the base have all bad
things. One must not suppose that they mean it in this sense: that if
there exist good things, they belong to the virtuous, and similarly for
the base; but rather [they mean that] they have so many good things that
they are in no way lacking with respect to having a perfect [complete]
is incomplete [imperfect] and unhappy.
llh. They call virtue by many names.^49 For they say that it is something
good, because it draws us to the correct life. And pleasing, because it is
approved of without suspicion; and worth a lot,
unsurpassable; and virtuous, for it is worth much virtuous effort; and
worthy of praise, for one would be reasonable in praising it; and honour-
able, because by nature it summons to itself those who strive for it; and
advantageous, for it brings the sort of things which contribute to living
well; and useful because it is advantageous when used; and worth choos-
ing, for its characteristic results are those things which one would reason-
ably choose; and necessary, because when it is present it benefits and
when it is absent it is not possible to be benefitted; and profitable, for
the advantages which come from it are greater than the effort which
produces them; and self-sufficient, for it suffices for the man who pos-
sesses it; and not lacking, because it removes one from all lack; and it
suffices, because when used it is sufficient and applies to every kind of
use relevant to one's life.
lli. The base participate in none of the good things, since the good
is virtue or what participates in virtue; and the requirements which
correspond to the good things, being benefits, occur only in the virtuous;
just as the non-requirements corresponding to the bad things [occur]
only in the base; for they are forms of harm, and for this reason all good
men are free of harm in both senses, unable to either do harm or to
suffer it; and conversely for the base.
They say that true wealth is a good thing and that true poverty is a
bad thing; and that true freedom is a good thing and true slavery a bad
- Most of these appellations and their explanations exploit fanciful and inimitable etymo-
logical connections.