In the next place let us show what the manners of men are according to their passions, habits, ages and fortunes. And the passions indeed, I denominate anger, desire, and the like, concerning which we have spoken before. But habits are the virtues and vices; and of these also we have spoken before, and have also shown what the objects are which every one deliberately chooses, and what the actions which he performs. The ages are youth, the acme of life, and old age. But I call fortune, nobility, wealth, power, and the contraries to these, and in short, prosperous and adverse fortune. Young men, therefore, are prone to desire, and prepared to accomplish what they desire. Of all the desires pertaining to the body likewise, they are especially addicted to venereal pleasures, and are intemperate in these; but they are mutable, and rapidly become fastidious in their desires. They also desire vehemently, and quickly cease to desire. For their wishes are acute, and not great, so that they resemble the hunger and thirst of those that are sick. They are likewise prone to anger, are precipitately angry, are prepared to follow the impulse of passion, and are vanquished by anger. For in consequence of their ambition they cannot endure to be neglected, but are indignant if they conceive that they are injured. And they are indeed ambitious, but they are more desirous of victory; for youth aspires after transcendency; but victory is a certain transcendency. They are also more desirous of both these i.e. honour and victory than of riches. But they are in the smallest degree anxious about wealth, because they have not yet experienced the want of it, as it is said in an apothegm of Pittacus upon Amphiaraus. Young men likewise are not malevolent, but ingenuous, because they have not yet beheld much depravity. They are also credulous, because they have not yet been deceived in many things. And they are full of good hope; for in the same manner as men are heated who are intoxicated with wine, so young men are naturally hot; and at the same time they are full of good hope, because they have not yet been frequently frustrated of their wishes. They also live for the most part from hope; for hope indeed is of the future, but memory of the past; but with young men the future is long, and the past short. For in the morning of life they do not think that they should remember any thing, but hope all things. They are likewise easily deceived for the cause already assigned; for they easily hope. They are also more brave; for they are irascible, and full of good hope; of which the former causes them to be fearless, and the latter confident; for no one who is angry is afraid, and to hope for some good produces confidence. They are likewise bashful; for they do not as yet apprehend other things to be beautiful in conduct than those in which they were instructed by law alone. And they are magnanimous; for they are not yet rendered abject by life, but are unexperienced in its necessities; and magnanimity consists in a man believing himself to deserve great things; and this is the province of one who entertains good hope. They likewise prefer beautiful to profitable conduct; for they live more from moral precepts than from reasoning; but reasoning is directed to that which is profitable; and virtue, to that which is beautiful. Youth also is a lover of friends and associates, more than the other ages, because it rejoices in society, and does not yet judge of any thing by its utility, so that neither does it seek for advantage in friendship. Youth likewise err in every thing in a greater degree and more vehemently, contrary to the precept of Chilo; for they do all things too much; since they love and hate too much, and in a similar manner with respect to every thing else. For they fancy and strenuously contend that they know all things; and this is the reason why they exceed in all their actions. They also injure others from insolence, and not malevolently. And they are compassionate, because they apprehend all men to be worthy and better than they are; for by their own innocence they measure others; so that they are of opinion they suffer undeservedly. They are likewise addicted to laughter; on which account also they are facetious; for facetiousness is learned contumely. Such therefore are the manners of youth.
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