Elderly men, however, and those who have lost the vigour of age, are nearly for the most part endued with manners contrary to those of youth. For because they have lived many years, have been deceived in many things, and have erred, and because the greater part of human affairs is bad, hence, they do not firmly assert any thing, and estimate all things less than is proper. They likewise opine, but know nothing; and being involved in doubt they always add perhaps, and it may be. And in this manner they speak on every subject; but they assert nothing stably. They are also illnatured; for illnature consists in putting the worst construction on every thing. Farther still, they are, suspicious from their incredulity, but they are incredulous from their experience. On this account likewise, they neither love, nor hate vehemently; but according to the precept of Bias they love as if they should some time or other hate, and they hate as if they should some time or other love. They are also pusillanimous, because they have become abject through length of years; for they desire nothing great or illustrious, but those things only which are necessary to the support of life. They are likewise illiberal; for one of the necessaries of life is property; but at the same time from experience they know how difficult the acquisition of wealth is, and how easily it is lost. They are also timid, and are afraid of every thing beforehand. For they are affected in a manner contrary to youth; since they are frigid, but youth is hot; so that old age prepares the way for timidity; for fear is a certain refrigeration. They are likewise lovers of life, and especially at the close of life, because desire is directed to that which is absent, and that which is wanted is especially the object of desire. They are also lovers of themselves more than is proper; for this also is a certain pusillanimity. And they live with a view to what is advantageous, and not with a view to what is beautiful in conduct, more than is proper, because they are lovers of themselves. For that which is advantageous is good to an individual; but that which is beautiful in conduct is simply good. They are likewise more impudent than modest; for because they do not similarly pay attention to the beautiful in conduct and the advantageous, they neglect the opinion of others, as to their own actions. They are also despondent, on account of their experience of human affairs; for the greater part of human concerns are bad; and therefore, most of them tend to a worse condition; and also on account of their timidity. And they live more from memory than from hope; for the remainder of their life is but little; but that which is past is much. And hope indeed, is of the future, but memory is of the past. This likewise is the cause of their garrulity; for they dwell on the narration of past events, because they are delighted with the recollection of them. Their anger also is sharp, but imbecil. And their desires partly fail, and partly are weak; so that they are neither prone to desire, nor disposed to act according to its impulse, but they act with a view to gain. Hence, those who are so far advanced in age appear to be temperate; for their desires become remiss, and they are subservient to gain. They likewise live more from reasoning than from manners; for reasoning is directed to that which is advantageous; but manners are directed to virtue. They injure others also from malevolence, and not from insolence. Old men likewise are compassionate as well as young men, but not from the same cause; for young men are compassionate from philanthropy, but old men from imbecility; for they fancy that all evils are near them; and this was the definition of a compassionate man. Hence, also they are querulous; and are neither facetious, nor lovers of laughter; for the querulous disposition is contrary to that which is addicted to laughter. Such, therefore, are the manners of young and elderly men. Hence, too, since every one willingly admits orations adapted to his manners, and which exhibit similar manners in the orator, it is not immanifest what the manners are which an orator ought to express in his oration, so that they may be readily heard by the young or the old.
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