Let us again, however, enumerate the particulars from which it is requisite to exhort or dissuade, both respecting these, and other things. But nearly, both privately to each individual, and in common to all men, there is a certain scope, to which choice and aversion are directed; and this is, in short, felicity, and the parts of it. Hence, for the sake of an example, we shall assume what felicity is, and from what the parts of it consist. For all exhortations and all dissuasions are conversant with this, and with the things which contribute to it, and the contraries to this. For it is necessary to perform such things as procure this felicity, or a certain part of it, or which render it greater instead of less; and not to do those things which corrupt or impede felicity, or produce its contraries.
Let felicity, therefore, be defined to be acting well in conjunction with virtue; or, a life sufficient to itself, or, the most pleasant life in conjunction with security; or, a prosperous condition of possessions and the body, together with a power of preserving and effecting these. For nearly all men acknowledge that felicity is one, or more than one of these. If, therefore, felicity is a thing of this kind, it is necessary that the parts of it should be, nobility of birth, an abundance of friends, and these such as are worthy men, riches, a numerous progeny, and a good old age; and besides these, the virtues of the body, such as health, beauty, strength, magnitude, agonistic power; glory, honour, and prosperity; virtue, or also the parts of it, prudence, fortitude, justice, and temperance. For thus a man will be most sufficient to himself, if both internal and external goods are present with him; for there are no other goods besides these. But internal goods, indeed, are both those which pertain to the soul, and those which pertain to the body; and external goods are, nobility of birth, friends, riches and honour; and besides these, we think it requisite that power and fortune should be present. For thus life will be most secure. In a similar manner, therefore, we shall assume what each of these is. Nobility of birth then both to a nation and a city is when the people are indigenous or ancient, and their first leaders or commanders are illustrious men, and when many persons illustrious in those things which are the objects of emulation are the progeny of these. But private nobility is derived either from men, or from women, and a legitimate procreation from both. And in this nobility as well as in that of a city, it is requisite that the first authors of the race, should be illustrious either in virtue or in riches, or in something else which is honourable, and likewise that many illustrious men and women, young and old, should be the progeny of this genus. With respect to a good and numerous offspring it is not immanifest what it is. But in a community, a good offspring is a multitude of young and worthy children; who are worthy, indeed, according to the virtue of the body, as for instance, in magnitude, beauty, strength, and agonistic power; and according to the virtue of the soul, in temperance and fortitude, which are the virtues of youth. Privately, however, the offspring is good and numerous; if the proper children both male and female, are many and worthy. But the corporeal virtue of females is, beauty and magnitude; and the virtues of their soul are temperance and sedulity without illiberality. It is requisite, therefore, to investigate both privately and publicly the existence of each of these virtues, in men and in women; for where these virtues are wanting in the women, as is the case with the Lacedæmonians, such women are scarcely half happy. The parts of wealth, however, are money, a great quantity of land, and the possession of farms; and besides these, furniture, cattle, and slaves which are remarkable for their multitude, magnitude and beauty. All these possessions, likewise, ought to be secure, free, and useful. But those are more useful which are profitable; those are free which are subservient to enjoyment; I call those profitable which yield a revenue; and those consist in enjoyment, in which nothing is estimable besides the use. But the definition of security, indeed, is for a man to possess what he has in such a place and in such a manner, that the use of it may be in his power; and so that it may be his own property or not, when it is in his power to alienate it. But I call alienation giving and selling. In short, riches consist more in use than in possession. For the energy and the use of things of this kind are riches. Renown, is to be esteemed by all worthy persons, or it is the possession of a thing of such a kind as is desired by all men, or which many, or good, or wise men desire. But honor is an indication of beneficent renown. And those, indeed, who have benefited others, are justly and especially honoured; though he likewise is honoured who is able to benefit. But beneficence is that which either pertains to safety, and such things as are the causes of existence, or to wealth, or to some other of those goods, the possession of which is not easy; and this either entirely, or in this place, or at a certain time. For many persons obtain honour from things which appear to be small; but the modes and the occasions are the causes of it. The parts of honour, however, are, sacrifices, eulogies in prose and verse, rewards, sacred groves, precedency in sitting, sepulchres, statues, and public salaries; barbaric honours, such as adoration by inclining the body, giving place, and gifts which are universally valued. For a gift is the donation of possession, and an indication of honour. Hence, the ambitious and the avaricious are desirous of gifts; since gifts contain in themselves what each of these require. For possession is that which the avaricious desire, and it is also attended with honour after which the ambitious aspire. But the virtue of the body is health, and this in such a way as to render those who use the body, free from disease. For many persons are healthy as Herodicus is said to be; and yet no one will proclaim them to be happy on account of health, because like Herodicus they abstain from all or the greater part of human concerns. With respect to beauty it is different in every age. The beauty, therefore, of a young man is to have a body useful for the endurance of labour, viz. for the course, and for violent action, and which is also pleasing to the view. Hence, those that contend in the five games are most beautiful, because they are naturally adapted both to violent action, and celerity. But the beauty of him who is in the acme of life, is to be capable of warlike labours, and to be terribly pleasing to the view. And the beauty of an old man, is to have a body sufficiently adapted to necessary labours, but without pain, because he has none of those diseases with which old age is defiled. Strength, also, is the power by which a man moves another thing as he pleases; and it is necessary to move another thing, either by drawing, or impelling, or lifting, or compressing, or crushing; so that he who is strong is strong in all, or in some of these. But the virtue of magnitude is to excell the multitude in length, depth, and breadth, so that the motions of the body may not be rendered slower, by this excess of magnitude. And the agonistic virtue of the body is composed from magnitude, strength, and celerity; for he who is swift is strong; since he who is able to hurl forth his legs in a certain respect, and to move them with celerity, and to a great distance is a racer. But he who can grapple and hold fast, is a wrestler. He who can drive another person away by a blow, is a pugilist; and he who can do both these is a pancratiast. But he who excells in all these, is a pentathlian, or skilled in the five games. A good old age, also, is, when age slowly approaches unattended with pain. For neither has a man a good old age, if he becomes rapidly old; nor if he becomes old with difficulty, but attended with pain. A good old age, however, consists from the virtues of the body and from the goods of fortune. For an old age which is neither free from disease nor strong, will not be impassive to maladies, and will not be unattended with pain, or possess longevity; nor can it be permanent without the goods of fortune. There is, however, another certain power of living long separate from strength and health. For many live long without the virtues of the body; but an accurate discussion of these things is of no use at present. But what the friendship of many and worthy persons is, will not be immanifest from the definition of a friend. A friend, therefore, is one who performs those things for the sake of his friend which he thinks will be beneficial to him; and he who has many such has many friends; but he with whom such men are worthy persons has worthy friends. Moreover, prosperity consists in those goods of which fortune is the cause that either all, or most, or the greatest of these befall us. But fortune is the cause of some things, indeed, of which the arts are the cause; and likewise of many and inartificial things, as for instance, such as those of which nature is the cause. Sometimes, however, it happens that these are preternatural. For art, indeed, is the cause of health; but nature of beauty and magnitude. And in short, those goods are from fortune which are attended with envy. Fortune, also, is the cause of those goods which are contrary to reason; as when all the rest of the brothers are deformed, and one alone is beautiful; or when all the rest did not see the treasure, and one alone discovered it; or when the next person happens to be pierced with an arrow, but this man escapes; or when only one person did not come to a place where others were accustomed to come, but others who only came to it at that time were destroyed. For all such circumstances appear to be the effect of good fortune. With respect to virtue, however, because it is a topic most adapted to applause, we shall then discuss it when we speak concerning praise. And thus we have shown what ought to be our aim in persuading or dissuading whether in reference to things present or future. For persuasion is contrary to dissuasion.
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