Since, however, the being angry is contrary to the being placable, and anger is contrary to placability, the disposition of those that are placable must be considered, who those persons are to whom they conduct themselves with placability, and through what causes they become so. Let placability then be a remission and suppression of anger. If, therefore, men are angry with those that neglect them, but neglect is a voluntary thing, it is evident that they will be placable to those who do none of these things, or do them unwillingly, or appear not to have done them voluntarily. They will likewise be placable to those who wish to have done the contrary to what they have done. And also to those who are such towards themselves, as they are towards others; for no one appears to neglect himself. Likewise, to those who acknowledge their faults, and repent of them. For considering the pain which they feel as a punishment for what they have done, they cease to be angry. But this is evident from what takes place in punishing servants; for we punish in a greater degree such of them as deny the fault, and contradict us; but we cease to be angry with such of them as acknowledge they are punished justly. The cause, however, of this is that it is impudence to deny what is manifest; and impudence is neglect and contempt. We feel no shame, therefore, towards those whom we very much despise. Men are placable likewise to those who humble themselves towards them, and do not contradict them; for thus they appear to acknowledge that they are inferior to them; but those that are inferior are afraid; and no one who is afraid is negligent. But that anger ceases towards those who humble themselves is evident from dogs who do not bite those that prostrate themselves. Men also are placable to those that act seriously, when they are acting seriously themselves; for thus they appear to be thought by them worthy of attention, and not to be despised. Likewise to those who if they have injured them in any respect, are afterwards more grateful to them. Also to those that beg and intreat; for such persons are more humble. And to those, that are neither contumelious, nor scoffers, nor neglectful, either of any person, or at least not of the worthy, or of such as they themselves are. And in short, men become placable from causes contrary to those which excite to anger. They are likewise placable to those whom they fear, and reverence; for so long as they are thus disposed towards them they are not angry with them. For it is impossible at one and the same time to be angry with and afraid of a man. With those also who have done any thing through anger, they are either not angry, or they are angry in a less degree; for such persons do not appear to have acted from neglect; since no one who is angry is neglectful. For neglect is unattended with pain; but anger is accompanied with pain. They are likewise placable to those that revere them, because reverence is contrary to contempt.
It is also evident that men are placable when they are in a disposition contrary to anger; as when they are in sport, when they are laughing, when they are at a festival, when they are successful, when they perform any business happily, when they are full; and in short, when they are without pain, experience a pleasure unattended with indolence, and are in good hope. They are likewise placable to those by whom they have not been molested for a long time, and through whom they have not been excited to recent anger; for time appeases anger. Vengeance also formerly inflicted on another person, has the power of appeasing a greater anger conceived against some one. Hence, Philocrates answered well, when a certain person said, the people being enraged, why do you not defend yourself? He replied, not yet. But when will you? When I see another person condemned. For men become placable, when they have consumed their anger upon another person; as it happened to Ergophilus; whom the people absolved, though they were more enraged against him than against Callisthenes, whom the day before they had condemned to death. Men also are placable towards those whom they have convicted. And likewise when they see those that are angry suffering a greater evil from their anger than they occasioned to others; for they conceive that such a one is punished for his anger. Also if they think that they themselves have acted unjustly, and suffer justly; for anger is not excited against that which is just; since in this case they do not any longer fancy that they suffer undeservedly. But anger was said by us to be this, viz. to arise from a conception of unmerited contempt. Hence, it is necessary that offenders should first be punished by words; for slaves also when thus punished are less indignant. Those likewise are placable who conceive that the persons on whom they inflict punishment will not perceive that they are punished by them. For anger is excited against individuals, as is evident from its definition. Hence, Ulysses in his speech to Polyphemus rightly calls himself Ulysses the subverter of cities; as if he could not have avenged the injuries of Polyphemus unless he made him sensible who it was that inflicted the vengeance, and for what it was inflicted. It follows, therefore, that we are not angry with those that are not sensible; nor any longer with those that are dead, because we fancy they have suffered the extremity of evils, and will not be pained by, or sensible of our revenge, which is the object of desire of those that are angry. Hence it is well said by the poet respecting Hector, who wished that the anger of Achilles towards him might cease when he was dead, On the deaf earth his rage was spent in vain.
It is evident, therefore, that those who wish to render others placable must derive their arguments from these places. For those whose anger is to be appeased, must be rendered such persons as we have described; but those persons with whom others are angry must be shown by the orator to be such as are to be feared, or that they are worthy of reverence, or that they have deserved well of them, or that they injured them unwillingly, or that they are very much grieved for what they have done.
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